Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has arrived, and with it comes one of the fastest formats. Old school fans who haven't touched the game for years can be taken aback by how fast the game has become. It's not uncommon for players to perform multiple summons in one turn, and in some cases, it can be really hard to keep up with.
However, there have been plenty of cards released to counteract these long-winded Combo Decks. It's no secret the amount of summoning has gotten out of hand in the more modern days of Yu-Gi-Oh!, but these cards are the perfect counters to those kinds of decks.
10 Droll & Lock Bird
Many combo decks in Master Duel are able to do what they do because they're able to constantly add cards to their hand that let them continue their combos. Droll & Lock Bird is the perfect counter to this.
By discarding, it completely locks the opponent out from adding any more cards from their deck to their hand. It can only be activated after the first add from deck, but it's not common to play around it. This allows you to shut down entire decks in some cases, and let you be able to set up your board when it comes to your turn.
9 Winged Dragon Of Ra - Sphere Mode
Generally, Combo Decks will end with multiple Monsters on the field, each with powerful effects that can negate or shut down entire decks. Most of them tend to have protection as well, making it hard for old-school answers to big boards like Dark Hole or Raigeki to do anything about them.
However, Winged Dragon Of Ra - Sphere Mode gets around all of this protection. It tributes the Monsters away, which very few cards have protection from. It does take up your Normal Summon, but it's usually worth it for a near-full board wipe.
8 Summon Limit
If you hate opponents summoning a bunch of Monsters in one turn, then Summon Limit is the perfect Continuous Trap card for you. It restricts each player to only two summons a turn, and if you negate the summon with something like Solemn Judgement, it still counts towards this limit.
Summon Limit fits perfectly in Control Decks, which when going first tend to hard-counter Combo Decks. Summon Limit is one of these reasons, as you generally won't be summoning much anyway, making it only hurt your opponent rather than both of you.
7 Forbidden Droplet
Forbidden Droplet is such a good counter to Combo Decks, as it can completely shut off the Monsters they spent a bunch of time and resources making. It does require you to send cards to the Graveyard to use, but depending on the deck this is hardly a downside.
The cards you send even benefit you, as cards that share the same type as the card you send (Monster, Spell, and Trap) can't be used to respond to Forbidden Droplet. It will shut off the opponent's Monster effects, and if you're playing a Graveyard-heavy deck, it will only benefit you further by setting it up.
6 Super Polymerization
Super Polymerization is one of the best Fusion Spell cards ever printed, and it can be used as a big punish to Combo Decks. Since they tend to summon a bunch of Monsters, Super Polymerization lets you take care of them by using them as a Fusion Material.
There are plenty of fantastic Super Polymerization targets that can be played in the Extra Deck, so you can ensure you'll be able to get at least two Monsters off the field. It's a Spell Speed Four effect as well, meaning nothing in the game can respond to it.
5 Lightning Storm
Lightning Storm shares a few effects that old-school players would likely recognize. So long as you control no faceup cards, Lightning Storm can be activated. It can either be used as a Harpies' Feather Duster to destroy all backrow, or a pseudo-Raigeki that destroys all Attack Position Monsters the opponent controls.
Lightning Storm, when mixed with other cards that can get rid of protection can wipe out the opponent's field with no downside to you. It's especially devastating towards Link Monsters, as they can't be put into Defense Position to protect themselves from it.
4 Evenly Matched
Evenly Matched, as the name implies, is a giant equalizer when it comes to combating a well-established board. When it's used, it forces the opponent to banish cards face-down until you control the same number of cards. If you have no other cards, you can even activate Evenly Matched straight from your hand.
Evenly Matched is best when combined with cards that can take care of the Monsters that can negate like Dark Ruler No More, as it prevents them from being able to respond to it and ensure their field is wiped.
3 Dark Ruler No More
Dark Ruler No More became a staple card from the instant it was released. It completely negates all Monster effects your opponent controls for the rest of the turn, on top of Monster effects being unable to be activated in response to Dark Ruler No More's activation.
Dark Ruler No More punishes decks that dump a bunch of resources into building a large board that can't be recovered. Since it shuts down their effects, you can take time building your board to destroy the opponent's, forcing your opponent into a top-deck situation.
2 Nibiru, The Primal Being
Nibiru, The Primal Being is the face of anti-Combo Deck cards. It punishes any deck that summons multiple times a turn and can be used any time after five summons have been conducted. When timed right, Nibiru, The Primal Being can leave the opponent with nothing more than a single Token.
Nibiru, The Primal Being tributes all the Monsters on the field, which allow it to get around practical every form of protection. You even get to special summon Nibiru, The Primal Being itself to use on your own turn.
1 Maxx "C"
Maxx "C" is a card that when discarded, lets you draw a card whenever an opponent special summons a Monster. Since Combo Decks summon a ton of Monsters in one turn, unless they just pass, you'll be drawing a hefty amount of cards from your deck.
What makes Maxx "C" better than every other card listed, is that it lets you draw into these cards easily. Drawing is incredibly powerful in Yu-Gi-Oh!, so being able to draw multiple cards for free is fantastic, and why Maxx "C" is the best card to use against in Combo Decks in Master Duel.