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When you’re playing Yu-Gi-Oh, seeing a face-down monster can mean either one of two things.
One, your opponent has a terrible hand and is trying their best to survive. Or two, there’s a nasty effect waiting for you the moment that monster’s flipped over.
At least with special summoned monsters, you’re able to see the attack, defense, and effect of the monster.
But seeing a face-down card can be quite terrifying since there are some really powerful face-down monsters out there with some crazy effects.
So if you’re just curious about some of these crazy card effects, here’s a ranking of some really powerful flip monsters to look out for.
15. Greenkappa
Greenkappa is as straightforward as it gets, but is a decent card nonetheless, considering how old it is.
This card’s effect is that it can destroy 2 set spell or trap cards on the field when it’s flipped up.
If you wish to use this card, you can pair it with Anti-Spell Fragrance to force your opponent to set cards on the field before using them – increasing the chances destroying their better cards.
Unfortunately, with this effect, you’re forced to choose two spells or traps. Which includes a spell or trap of your own if your opponent only has 1 set on their field.
If it weren’t for this requirement, then Greenkappa would definitely be higher on this list.
14. Shaddoll Dragon
The Shaddoll archetype is known for its flip effect monsters.
As a result, it comes as no surprise that some of those monsters found their way into this list.
When Shaddoll Dragon is flipped over, you’re allowed to target a card that your opponent controls and return it to the hand.
However, if Shaddoll Dragon is sent to the graveyard by a card effect, you can also destroy a spell or trap card on the field.
This means if your opponent destroys your flip effect monster via a card effect, you can still activate the flip effect and destroy a spell.
Moreover, if you use a card like Foolish Burial, you can also destroy a spell or trap card on the field – which makes this card really flexible.
13. Shaddoll Beast
Shaddoll Beast is, as the name suggests, another Shaddoll monster. And is pretty much the equivalent to Shaddoll Dragon in terms of how useful it is.
This card’s flip effect is that when it’s flipped over, you can draw two cards, then discard 1.
Additionally, if this card is also sent to the graveyard via card effect, you can draw one card.
Like Shaddoll Dragon, you can use a card like Foolish Burial to send this to the graveyard and draw another card from the deck – which allows you to clear out your deck fast, if that’s your goal.
12. Guard Dog
When used correctly, Guard Dog can leave your opponent in some serious trouble. Especially if their deck is primarily reliant on special summoning from the extra deck.
When Guard Dog is flipped, its effect prevents your opponent from special summoning for the rest of that turn.
Obviously, in most cases, this is only useful to activate during your opponent’s turn.
That’s why I would recommend using this card with World Legacy Pawns, which allows you to flip your monster during your opponent’s turn.
To get the most value, you would flip Guard Dog when your opponent normal summons a very weak monster, with the intention of special summoning another.
Either way, Guard Dog will lock down your opponent’s field and leave them extremely vulnerable.
11. Flip Flop Frog
Flip Flop Frog is one of the few cards on this list that needs to be played in a specific deck.
But it works extremely well if you choose to build a deck around it.
Once Flip Flop Frog’s effect is activated, you can return monsters that your opponent controls up to the number of Frog monsters that you control.
For example, if you control 3 Frog monsters and your opponent attacks Flip Flop Frog, you can return 3 monsters that your opponent controls – potentially leaving them with an empty field.
And much like World Legacy Pawns, you can combine any of these flip monsters with a card like Desert Sunlight, which can potentially activate even more flip effect (if you have any).
10. Scapeghost
Scapeghost is the Zombie version of the well-known card Scapegoat.
But it’s definitely a more lenient card in terms of what you can do with the tokens.
When this card is flipped, you can summon any number of Black Sheep Tokens that are level 1 and have 0 attack and defense.
With the introduction of Link monsters, this card can become absurdly powerful. But, the catch is that a lot of Link monsters require effect monsters or non-token monsters to be used as materials.
Nonetheless, you can still summon powerful cards like Firewall Dragon and clear the field, just due to how many links it could potentially have.
9. Prediction Princess Coinorma
As long as you have the right setup, Prediction Princess Coinorma can work with a lot of the very powerful monsters on this list – so keep it in mind as you’re reading.
When Prediction Princess Coinorma is flipped face-up, you can special summon a level 3 or higher flip monster from your hand or deck in face-down defense position.
This effect is honestly insane, considering how it makes summoning flip monsters insanely easy.
Although it does come with the drawback of not being able to activate monster effects, you can easily overcome this problem by flipping this card face up at the end of your turn (or your opponent’s turn) to make the monster effect usable right afterwards.
To actually flip a monster face-up, you can use cards like Book of Taiyou, or monsters like Prediction Princess Tarotrei.
8. Morphing Jar
Although this might seem kind of mediocre at first, given the right cards, your opponent could be unable to do anything here.
When Morphing Jar’s effect is activated on flip, each player essentially discards their hand and draws the same amount of cards back.
This is really helpful when you draw an undesirable first hand, so Morphing Jar could really help you out.
However, if you happen to play a card like Forced Requisition, you can pretty much eliminate your opponent’s entire hand.
If your opponent literally has no cards in their hand, but still somehow manage to set up their board, I’d be very impressed at that point.
7. Deus X-Krawler
Deus X-Krawler is the first monster on this list that isn’t a level 4 or lower.
In fact, Deus X-Krawler is a level 9 monster. Which means it requires 2 tributes to summon.
When this card is flipped, it negates the effects of the monsters on your opponent’s side of the field. However, when this card is targeted by a card effect, you can negate that effect – and then activate the flip effect.
Lastly, when this card is destroyed, you can add one Level 9 monster with a different original Type and Attribute than Deus X-Krawler.
Also worth noting that this card can be easily summoned with Prediction Princess Coinorma, and provides two negates, as well as a free search for a level 9 monster when it’s destroyed.
6. Morphing Jar #2
Like its sibling Morphing Jar, the card Morphing Jar #2 has a similar effect – and a combo just as ridiculous as the Morphing Jar and Forced Requisition combo.
When this card’s flip effect is activated, each player shuffles all their monsters from the field into the deck.
Then each player excavates cards until they excavate monsters equal to the original number of monsters they shuffled into the deck.
The monsters that are level 4 or lower are special summoned in face-down defense position, while the other cards are sent to the graveyard.
For a fun way to defeat your opponent in one turn, you’ll need Morphing Jar #2, a monster like Poison Mummy (it deals 500 damage to your opponent when it’s flipped over), All-Out Attack, and spell or trap cards to stall.
If you manage to get Morphing Jar #2, Poison Mummy, and All-Out Attack onto the field, you can create an infinite loop by constantly summoning the two monsters using Morphing Jar #2.
Since they’re the only monsters in the deck, they’ll always be summoned. And then you can flip them using All-Out Attack to activate their effects.
5. Apprentice Piper
Apprentice Piper is a really good card for setting up special summons for powerful monsters.
When Apprentice Piper is flipped, you can summon any monster from your hand.
And when this card is destroyed, you can summon another monster from your hand.
The fact that there’s no limit to what monster you can summon is extremely powerful.
For instance, during your opponent’s turn, you can summon World of Prophecy and if you have the right cards, you can destroy all the monsters on your opponent’s side of the field.
4. Night Assailant
Night Assailant works great in a lot of decks, and is limited in the TCG.
So logically it should be pretty good.
When Night Assailant is flipped over, you can destroy a monster on the field. However, the truly great effect here is that when this card is sent to the graveyard, you can add a flip monster from the graveyard to your hand.
If you happen to have a card like Knightmare Unicorn, you can discard Night Assailant, then activate Night Assailant to grab a card back – which essentially allows you to activate Nightmare Unicorn at no cost.
3. Pot of The Forbidden
Pot of the Forbidden could probably be found on a regular “Best Monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh” ranking, due to how deadly it can be to your opponent.
On flip, you can either draw 2 cards, return all spell and trap cards on the field to the hand, destroy all monsters controlled by your opponent, or shuffle a card from your opponent’s hand to their deck.
This card can easily be summoned with cards like Prediction Princess Coinorma or Tindangle Angel.
You can also activate a card like Acid Trap Hole to activate this card more than once, which basically means you can destroy all monsters controlled by your opponent, multiple times.
2. Penguin Soldier
Penguin Soldier is undoubtedly a classic on this list.
Probably quite memorable for players who’ve been around since the beginning of Yu-Gi-Oh.
And it’s surprisingly still very good.
When Penguin Soldier gets flipped, you can return two monsters on the field to the hand.
This effect is really simple, but powerful. And since this is such an old card, your opponent likely won’t expect it.
And if Penguin Soldier is flipped and happens to not get destroyed, you can even return this card back to your hand to use it another time.
1. Subterror Behemoth Umastryx
Finally, at the top of our flip list is Subterror Behemoth Umastryx.
And this is a card that becomes more deadly the longer it’s on the field.
When this card is flipped up, you can banish a monster your opponent controls. Afterwards, you can flip this card face down again to use its effect during the next turn.
This thing is also very easy to summon, because if you control no face-up monsters, you can special summon it from your hand in face-down defense position.
It’s also worth mentioning that the defense stat of this card is no joke at 2700 DEF.
So you can definitely expect Umastryx to survive most attacks from your unwary opponent.
