Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is finally out and the metagame has started to develop. Although there are five clear-cut top decks, there are also many different decks that can win even in high-ranked matches. For fans of the original anime series, Exodia is one of the most iconic card-sets in existence. The unbelievable thing is that even in 2022 an Exodia based strategy is really good, especially thanks to Master Duel’s best-of-one format. Here is a look at how Number 59: Crooked Cook makes the best Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Exodia deck possible.
The Exodia deck in Yu-gi-oh! Master Duel
Monsters
- 1x Right Leg of the Forbidden One
- 1x Left Leg of the Forbidden One
- 1x Right Arm of the Forbidden One
- 1x Left Arm of the Forbidden One
- 1x Exodia the Forbidden one
- 1x Psy-Frame Driver
- 3x Swift Scarecrow
- 3x Beautunaful Princess
- 3x Astral Kuriboh
- 3x Maxx “C”
- 2x Psy-Frame Gamma
- 3x Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring
- 1x Left-Hand Shark
- 3x Right-Hand Shark
- 3x Buzzsaw Shark
Spells
- 1x Raigeki
- 3x Pot of Prosperity
- 3x Piri Reis Map
Traps
- 3x Evenly Matched
Extra Deck
- 3x Number 59: Crooked Cook
- 12x Whatever else you want to play they do not matter but you need a full extra deck
How the Exodia deck plays in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
The win condition of this deck is either through decking out the opposing player or through the classic Exodia alternate win condition of drawing all five pieces. This deck is able to rely on these win conditions thanks to a nutty interaction with Number 59: Crooked Cook. Crooked Cook has a long effect, but the only relevant part is the first sentence. It states that “while you control no other cards on the field, this card is unaffected by other cards’ effects.” With that in mind, the only way for an opposing player to out the card is by battle. But that’s where Right-Hand Shark comes in.
Right-Hand Shark has a long-winded effect, but its only relevant sentences are the last two: “An Xyz Monster that was summoned using only Water monsters as material, including this card on the field, gains this effect. This card cannot be destroyed by battle.”
Players can probably guess where this is going. A Crooked Cook with this Right-Hand Shark as material is unaffected by other cards’ effects and it can’t be destroyed by battle. It is practically invincible. Astral Kuriboh has this effect as well.
Once players make this and have no other cards on the field, there are only two ways in all of Yu-Gi-Oh! to beat this. The first is to play a card that tributes over it like Lava Golem or the Kaijus. The second is piercing battle damage while the card is in defense mode. Almost every deck in the metagame plays neither of those. Opposing players that can’t use either method have no choice but to slowly watch themselves deck out or lose by Exodia.
The other cards in the deck are purely to stall out until a player can make Crooked Cook.
How to get the Exodia cards
The deck is extremely cheap outside of the staple cards that are UR’s. Except Astral Kuriboh, the engine cards are all SR or lower rarity, which makes crafting a breeze. Crooked Cook can also be obtained from Legacy Pack tickets. The Secret Packs these cards show up in are:
- Shark’s Pride
- Number Recall
- The Great Olds
- Timeworn Legacies
