Yugioh Duel Links - Challenge Guide

Attention Duelists!

Are you tired of the fast-paced metagame that is today's Yugioh? Well, I certainly was. That's why I've pursued this idea of a Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links Challenge Run. Simply put, the goal is to get as far as you can in DM Stages (1-60), without losing.

On the surface of it, it doesn't sound too challenging. But AI is a fickle thing, and you leave something on Auto Duel without paying close attention, you may find you bricked and lost to 1000 beaters. Or you fight the wrong level of Legendary Duelist and lose a multiple of keys that you really cannot in order to progress through the story sufficiently. Or you broke one of your self-imposed retrictions and lost the challenge immediately.

Restrictions? That's right. To make it more interesting, there are some things that you can restrain yourself from grabbing, to add to the skill/luck required to get as far as you can. A non-exhaustive list includes:

No Ranked Play
Limited Skills Allowed
No Tickets
No Shopping
No Duel Orbs
No Events
DM World only
24 hour time limit

I will explain these a little more. As for myself, the farthest my challenge got was Lv 34, about ~20 hour long. Ended up with 380 victories before my first loss. It had:

1. No Ranked Duels
2. No Pack Shopping (Deck Shopping allowed)
3. No Tickets (except for App Install Appreciation)
4. Skills allowed (they're needed for some DM stage requirements)
5. No Duel Orbs (these refresh the NPCs on-map)
6. No (optional) Events (Mission Circuit or Carly's Fortune and rewards happen without your input)
7. DM World Only (it's difficult to level up in other worlds, even if you unlock them, since they share NPCs)
8. 24 hour limit Only (otherwise, one could just clear the NPCs, wait a day, and clear them again for easy Gate Keys)

This will not be a fully comprehensive guide, as I am not well versed in all the background game details. I will only be including my observations. I've used the BlueStacks5 emulator, as it's simple to uninstall and reinstall after a loss, in order to start from the beginning. Steam Duel Links would be faster with less lag, though it's much more difficult to delete and restart. I should note, because I do not have the stamina for excessively long bouts of gaming, my attempts were done segemented, but since the biggest grievance against this is the refreshing NPCs on the map, I made sure to add the stipulation that I would stop each segments after a Stage Level Up, which refreshes all the NPCs on field.

So Duelists, it's time to Duel!

When asked about your familiary, pick the option that says you have the most experience (played the card game). I think this one let's you skip one of the Spell/Trap tutorials. Language choice is whatever.

Start by picking Yami. He has beefier better base monsters, and will serve you well into Stage 9. Long term, we will work to build a Blue-Eyes deck, but it does not need to be held by Kaiba.

Complete the Tutorial Dude. Self-explanatory, I assume all players reading this know the fundamental rules of Yugimonz.

Skip the NPC tutorial. Otherwise, it's a simple duel to complete.

Stage #1
1
Win 1 Duel World Duel(s).	Gem x50

You will shortly be in Stage 2.

The game will then force you to visit the Card Shop. This shop is unavoidable. You must use 25/50 Gems on a single pack. Pray that you don't get Sphere Kuriboh, for keeping in the spirit of the Challenge, because you are NOT allowed to use any of these cards.

Stage #2
Visit the Shop.	Gate Key x30
Complete all Stage 2 Missions.	Red Gate Key x14

If I could help it, I would add a "No Online" stipulation to the challenge, but as far as I know, this game does not function unless you are consistently connected to Konami's servers. That means you will be getting a big update for Stage 4. May the Network Reboots not tick you off.

If there are now duelable NPCs on the map, fight them each. Most Duels will be 1 on 1 (no x3 multiplier). The longer you go in DM, the more Duels will be required to get the next stage. Knowing this, and with no Duel Orbs, you want to complete all the NPC duels on-map first, before aiming for other Stage Requirements.

Stage #3
Joey Wheeler appears at the duel world gate.
Gifts will start to appear in Duel World.
Win 1 Duel against the Character Joey Wheeler.	Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 3 Missions.	Gem x50

Fight him at Lv 10. On this first duel, update your settings, to use Max Power Usage (faster gameplay)

Him, and other Lvl0s and lower on the map, tend to summon monsters of ~1000atk, and just sit on them. Very little disruptable Spells/Traps. With Yami styling 3 Feral Imps and 3 Horn Imps, he will not have an issue running over them.

Joey gets auto-unlocked, so steal his 2 Baby Dragons and replace them with some of the Curtains in Yami's deck. If you've unlocked Despell and Skill Yami at this point, include those in the deck too.

So that will be an intermission. The 600-800 MB update that includes all the characters and worlds since release. This is a 30-60min wait time, depending on your internet speed. Go get a snack, use the washroom, and get comfy. Maybe research down the guide so you can see what you'll be getting in to.

Stage #4
PvP Arena is available.
Clear Duel School Duel Quizzes: Level 1-5.	Blue Gate Key x50
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 500 LP remaining.	Gate Key x20
Win 1 Duel World Duel.	Blue Gate Key x14
Complete all Stage 4 Missions.	Gem x50

You'll now be on the most up-to-date client of the game (for me it wav v6.1). If you want to add some difficulty to the challenge, do not accept the rewards until you feel you are struggling in the duels. Some rewards off the top of my head were extra Gems, Dream Tickets, Blue Eyes Alternative, and 2 Pendulum monsters.

Because this is a 24-hour challenge, I think it is fine to use the first ticket obtained from the 4 year anniversary, as well as the Arc V release campaign. I did not.

Anywho, complete the quizzes. Super easy. Proceed to clear the NPCs. No change in strategies yet, you can even play defensively and these Lv1s will crash into your face-down monsters for good damage.

You can do Duel Trials 1-6, 1-7, and 1-11 for 3 more cards. Banner of Courage is handy.

Stage #5
Tea Gardner appears at the duel world gate.
Win 1 Duel against the Character Tea Gardner.	Blue Gate Key x10
Win 1 Duel World Duel.	Gate Key x30
Complete all Stage 5 Missions.	Gem x50

Fight Tea at Lv10. Always be picking Lv10 LegDuelists to save Gate Keys. This I should mention here if I haven't before. Because we cannot play offline, we begin our challenge with background advantages/disadvantages. The best handicap for us would be Bonus Gate Keys. The worst is actually Bonus EXP. While good in early game, Duel Links updates the NPC Duelist Level after a set amount of EXP is gained. You character level is not relevant, so the faster you gain EXP, the harder the opponent's will become, and the sooner your challenge run may die.

Stage #6
The Auto-Duel function is available.
Perform 1 Tribute Summon.	Gate Key x12
Win 3 Duel World Duel.	20000 Gold
Play 1 Duel using the Character Joey Wheeler.	Blue Gate Key x16
Complete all Stage 6 Missions.	Gem x50

When switching characters, copy the main deck used by Yami onto the character of interest. The default deck is much to weak to rely on, though on certain character unlocks you can pilfer some cards.

Stage #7
The Card Trader NPC is unlocked.
Make a trade with the Card Trader 1 time.	R Jewel x2
Win 1 Duel against the Character Tea Gardner.	Red Gate Key x16
Win 5 Duel World Duels.	Gate Key x12
Complete all Stage 7 Missions.	Gem x50

Duelist become around Lv5 here. Still easy to defeat. Tribute Summon is done via Dark Magician. If lucky, you would have recieved a Lv5 Normal monster from a random NPC drop, which you can throw into your deck. To avoid bricking, I would minimze the amount of monsters above Level 4 for now.

I recommend Labyrinth of Nightmare for your mandatory trade. It costs only Gold, which you would have plenty by now. All monsters switch modes at the end of the turn, so if you got unlcuky and are staring down a monster suped up on Equip Spells to boost ATK, you can run over it next turn.

Stage #8
Perform 3 Tribute Summons.	Gate Key x12
Win 6 Duel World Duels.	Red Gate Key x16
Complete all Stage 8 Missions.	Gem x50

If it wasn't evident before, Gifts are allowed (!) to be picked up. Just a little bonus.

If you get the prompt to unlock Vagabonds, do so. That's an extra 7 duels you can save for the future. And because you unlocked them early, they will retain their low level status, so you can get a ton of EXP down the line if you want to level up a different character.

Note, for one time this can be done for free. I'd think it's needless to say, but you cannot spend IRL money for this challenge. Heck, this is your challenge though, do whatever you like, the only rules in place are the one's you put on yourself!

Stage #9
The Vegabond Character is available.
Use 3 Spell Cards.	SR Jewel x1
Destroy 3 monsters in a single Duel.	20,000 Gold
Win 6 Duel World Duel.	Green Gate Key x24
Play 1 Duel against the Vegabond.	Green Gate Key x24
Complete all Stage 9 Missions.	Gem x50

OKAY. CHALLENGE RUN KILLER ALERT.

Vagabond. Has a deck randomly assigned from Ranked. Can be Platinum, can be Bronze, who knows. This is where most challenges will die, if you stipulate No Losses at the beginning. This occurs anywhere between an hour to 2 hrs into the attempts, depending on your speed of gameplay.

Clear the NPCs as per usual, completing the Stage Requirements, such that the last requirement to upgrade to Stage 10 is this Vagabond Duel.

Go into your Rewards box, and collect the Tickets for App Install Appreciation. Should be 10 N, 10 R, 5SR, 5 UR.
N and R won't help you much. I say pick Rituals and their spells, along with Fusions. You will need them beyond Stage 30 as requirements.

Remember you are building a Blue-Eyes deck for midgame, which starts with this Vagabond victory. Collect the cards that match your playstyle appropriately. I got a Magna Drago (Lv 2 Tuner), Summon Skull Synchro (this is easy to summon with Drago+Lv4), Statue Anguish (a nice trap wall). You can Grab 3 if these Traps, since summoning 2 pops one card off the field, but it's your call.

By now you would have gotten a bunch of random card drops from the NPCs. Most useless, but some alright. Jam Breeding Machine is good for Tribute Sets, so if you're game is super defensive, put this into your deck, and let the opponent crash into to you. Cup of Ace is risky, your call to use. Legendary Duelist drops are too varied, so I can't recommend any as of now.

Now for Gems. In your Rewards, there is an App Install Appreciation for 1000+ Gems. Grab those, and I expect you should have ~2000 Gems stores by now. You will uses these to buy 2 decks, both for Blue-Eyes support. I'll admit right now, I don't like using Gems in this challenge, but all other attempts have ended at around Stage 15, and the one time I chose to buy Decks, I got to Stage 34. The Skill Tickets just don't provide enough help.

Once you've obtained your goodies, go to your Deck Edit, and combobulate a savvy deck recipe. I would do something like

4 High Level Monsters (Cosmo Brain, Dragon Spirit White, 2 Blue Eyes)
6 Lv 4s (3 Luster Dragons, 2 Wyrms, 1 Lord of D)
4 Support Monsters (Drago, Protector of Blue Eyes, White Stone of Ancient, Makenical Angel)
3 Spells (Enemy Controller x2, DeSpell)
3 Traps (Shadow Spell, Statue Anguish x2)
5 Extra Deck (Blue-Eyes Twin, Azure Eyes, Summoned Skull, generic fusions)

Keep your deck between 20-21 cards, to minimze bad hand draws. You won't be using Polymerization.

If you'd like to try a different approach, you can try a Dark Magician based or Hero based deck. DMs have more utilities instead of BEWD beatdown, as do Heroes, but I've had little experience with their efficacy so I can't recommend easily.

Fight the Vagabond. Beat the Vagabond. If you don't...well the stage requirement is still met, but then the challenge would be too easy right? One-Loss Challenge doesn't sound impressive anyways.

For an alternative Challenge, try to use the Nuzlocke approach that Pokemon Challenges do. But in this case, any character that loses is banished to the Shadow Realm, and you cannot use them again. This will let you move through the game much more easily. Use Yami/Kaiba though, as Joey/Tea have stage requirements up until Stage 40 at some point.

Stage #10
Mai Valentine appears in the Gate.
Perform 3 Normal Summons in a Single Duel.	R Jewel x2
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 2000 LP remaining.	Red Gate Key x16
Win 1 Duel against Mai Valentine at Level 20 in the Duel World.	Gem x40
Win 7 Duel World Duels.	Yellow Gate Key x16
Complete all Stage 10 Missions.	Gem x100

If you're in a pinch for gate Keys, the Card Trader can exchange some for you. But odds are, you'll run out of generic ones to trade before the colored ones.

Unlocking other Characters is fine, but you don't have to go out of your way to unlock them early. Random LegDuelists on the map may end up unlocking themselves without your realization.

Lv20s aren't a problem with your beefy BEWD deck. Just pay attention.

Stage #11
Up to a Maximum of 6 Standard Duelists in appear at once (Standard Duelists become Level 10).
Mai Valentine’s Character Unlock Missions become available.
Perform 4 Tribute Summons.	Gem x10
Destroy 5 monsters in a single Duel.	Gem x10
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 3000 LP remaining.	20,000 Gold
Play 7 Duel World Duels.	SR Jewel x1
Complete all Stage 11 Missions.	Gem x50

While you can Auto-Duel with a BEWD deck, I recommend you don't.

Stage #12
Change Card Sleeves.	Gem x10
Use 3 Trap Cards.	Black Gate Key x16
Win 7 duels in the Duel World.	Gem x50
Complete all Stage 12 Missions.	Gem x50

If you find yourself unable to meet the Duels required in Duel World, just fight a Lv10 Legendary Duelist as a supplement. You have maybe 15 to fight from, so choose the one with the most Colored Gate Keys you have to burn.

Stage #13
Change Game Mat.	Gem x10
Use 3 Spell Card in a single Duel.	SR Jewel x1
Inflict a total of 30000 points of battle damage.	Black Gate Key x16
Complete all Stage 13 Missions.	Gem x50

When it comes to over-inflicting damage, let a Blue Eyes run over their monster (or better yet, attack directly), when their LP is below 500.

Stage #14
Duelists at the Gate are now available at Level 30.
Use both Spell & Trap Cards 15 times.	20,000 Gold
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 3500 LP remaining.	R Jewel x2
Win 8 duels within the Duel World.	Blue Gate Key x30
Complete all Stage 14 Missions.	Gem x50

One trouble card I've seen is Mask of Accursed, so tribute out those monsters if they're bound.
Switch them to Defence in the hopes the enemy will destroy them.

Stage #15
Yami Yugi or Seto Kaiba will appear at the Gate.
Use 6 Trap Cards.	Black Gate Key x15
Use 10 Spell Cards.	White Gate Key x15
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 4000 LP remaining.	SR Jewel x1
Win a Duel against Yami Yugi or Seto Kaiba.	Black (or White) Gate Key x16
Complete all Stage 15 Missions.	Gem x100

At this point you've likely faced off against Ishizu/Strings/Yami. Depending on what your challenge restriction is, you can pick up the Special Rewards (God Cards), or unlock new worlds (DSOD). Ishizu has 1500 beaters, while Yami uses a prebuilt deck. Tread carefully, and fight them after you have a solid BEWD deck.

Stage #16
Yami Yugi or Seto Kaiba’s Character Unlock Missions are available.
Inflict a total of 35000 points of battle damage.	Blue Gate Key x16
Use a character skill 1 time.	Gem x25
Win 3 Duels against the character Joey Wheeler.	R Jewel x2
Complete all Stage 16 Missions.	Gem x50

My deck buying from the shop made me feel safe to avoid picking up the 4th Anniversary gifts, but to each their own.

Stage #17
The Card Trader Stock Increases.
Make a trade with the Card Trader NPC 1 time.	Gold 20,000
Inflict a total of 1000 points of effect damage in Duel World.	Gem x25
Win 3 duels against the Character Tea Gardner.	SR Jewel x1
Win 9 Duel World Duels.	Gem x10
Complete all Stage 17 Missions.	Gem x5

For effect damage, make a deck with Hinotama/Raimei, and use it against Lv 10s.

Stage #18
Perform 8 Tribute Summons.	Yellow Gate Key x16
Win 3 consecutive Duels in a row.	Gem x25
Win 3 Duels against the Character Mai Valentine.	Red Gate Key x16
Complete all Stage 18 Missions.	Gem x50

NPCs would have likely leveled up a few times now. From 1-5-11-14. Still beatable, especially with your assets.

Stage #19
The Card Trader Stock Increases.
Use 5 Spell & Trap Cards 5 in one Duel.	Red Gate Key x16
Win 1 Duel against Joey Wheeler at Level 30 in Duel World.	R Jewel x2
Win 10 Duel World Duels.	Gem x50
Complete all Stage 19 Missions.	Gem x50

The higher the Duel bonus, the more likely you'll get better drops. That's why you see me do random stuff like extra synchro summoning, or forced spell/trap activation.

Stage #20
Rex Raptor becomes available at the Gate.
Up to 7 maximum standard duelists appear at once (Standard Duelists become Level 20).
Perform 25 Normal Summons.	20,000 Gold
Use Spell Cards 15 times.	Gem x30
Destroy 25 monster cards.	SR Jewel x1
Win 1 Duel against the Character Rex Raptor.	Yellow Gate Key x20
Win 3 Duels against the Character Joey Wheeler.	R Jewel x2
Win 3 Duels against the Character Tea Gardner.	R Jewel x2
Complete all Stage 20 Missions.	Gem x100

A welcome to boost to max NPCs. By now you would've fought your fair share against LegDuelists. Odds are you would have collected no Duel Orbs, but if you had, you still shouldn't need them yet.

Stage #21
Rex Raptor Character Unlock Missions become available.
Use 5 Spell Cards in one Duel.	20,000 Gold
Refill 1000 LP in Duel World.	SR Jewel x1
Inflict a total 45000 points of battle damage.	Red Gate Key x20
Play 3 Duels using the Character Tea Gardner.	Blue Gate Key x10
Complete all Stage 21 Missions.	Gem x50

Refilling Life is done through the Potion Spell cards (Red Medicine/Blue Medicine).

Stage #22
Use a Trap Card 15 times.	Gem x30
Use skill 5 times.	SR Jewel x1
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 4000 LP remaining.	Black Gate Key x20
Win 12 Duel World Duels.	White Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 22 Missions.	Gem x50

The Skill LP Alpha Boost has been by go-to for awhile now. It triggers the Skill Requirement easily, and you get that little extra cushion of safety.

Stage #23
Up to a maximum of 8 standard duelists appear at once.
Use 3 Trap Cards in one Duel.	Black Gate Key x20
Perform 10 Tribute Summons.	Yellow Gate Key x20
Win 5 consecutive duels in a row.	SR Jewel x1
Win a Duel by deck out.	Gem x30
Complete all Stage 23 Missions.	Gem x50

Might be seeing some Lv 20s by now. Watch out for trick traps.

Stage #24
Perform 50 Normal Summons.	SR Jewel x1
Destroy 50 monster cards.	Blue Gate Key x20
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 4500 LP remaining.	White Gate Key x20
Win a Duel against Tea Gardner at Level 30 in Duel World.	Gem x50
Complete all Stage 24 Missions.	Gem x50

Don't fight Lv30s if you can help it. Your deck is good enough, but it's still a risk you shouldn't take.

Stage #25
Perform 3 Tribute Summons in one Duel.	SR Jewel x1
Win 10 consecutive duels.	Gem x100
Win a Duel against Yami Yugi (or Seto Kaiba) 4 times.	Black (or White) Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 25 Missions.	Gem x125

Sadly, outright grindind against LegDuelists isn't done, as you run out of Gate Keys much too quick. You get higher odds of good card drops the higher the opponent's level is, but that increases your shot of dying. I would not touch a Lv40.

Stage #26
Perform 60 Normal Summons.	Gold 20,000
Make a trade with the Card Trader NPC 3 time.	UR Jewel x1
Inflict a total of 5000 points of effect damage in Duel World.	Green Gate Key x20
Win a Duel against Rex Raptor 5 times.	Green Gate Key x20
Win 18 Duel World Duels.	Green Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 26 Missions.	Gem x50

The cards beside the Keys are cheapest, like Dopperlganger and Penguin, so pick those 2 along with one from the Cart Catalog.

Stage #27
None (Standard Duelists become Level 27).
Destroy 60 monster cards.	Gem x30
Use Spell Cards 30 times.	Blue Gate Key x20
Destroy 5 monsters in a single Duel.	SR Jewel x1
Use skill 10 times in Duel World Mode.	Gem x30
Win 20 Duel World Duels.	Yellow Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 27 Missions.	Gem x50

I had quite a bit of scares here.

Stage #28
Use 5 Spell & Trap cards.	R Jewel x1
Perform 5 Normal Summons in a single Duel.	Gem x50
Inflict a total of 8000 points of battle damage in Duel World.	R Jewel x1
Win 10 consecutive Duels in a row.	SR Jewel x1
Complete all Stage 28 Missions.	Gem x50

You're free to convert old, extra, or unused cards into Gold and Stones. I haven't looked deeply into the Card Trader's repertoire, nor do I know how often his stock refreshes. You would have gotten some Rare and Super Orbs by now, so there may be a stray card that interests you.

Stage #29
Up to a maximum of 9 standard duelists appear at once.
Perform 20 Tribute Summons.	Yellow Gate Key x20
Use 5 Spell Cards in one Duel.	20,000 Gold
Refill 5000 LP in Duel World.	Gem x20
Win a Duel World Duel with at least 5000 LP remaining.	UR Jewel x1
Win 25 Duel World Duels.	Red Gate Key x20
Win 1 Duel against Mai Valentine at Level 30 in Duel World.	Yellow Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 29 Missions.	Gem x50

From what I recall, I don't bother upgrading anyone beyond Lv25. The returns just aren't worth it at that point, and I'd rather get more Gems to unlock more Decks.

Stage #30
Level 40 Legendary Duelists are now available.
Perform 25 Tribute Summons.	Stone of Darkness x2
Win with a Duel Assessment of at least 3500 score.	R Jewel x3
Win 27 Duel World Duels.	Gate Key x20
Play 1 Duel against the Character Weevil Underwood.	Yellow Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 30 Missions.	Gem x125

Stray cards exist in Decks that can helpful, but you probably won't get enough Gems to buy them all. Maybe another 4 decks or so before the end of the challenge. Some useful cards are Power of the Guardians, Unexpected Dai, Gagaga Cowboy, Felgrand Warrior, and Stardust Dragon.

Stage #31
Use Trap Card 35 times.	Stone of Trap x2
Perform 2 Ritual Summons in 1 Duel World Duel.	10,000 Gold
Inflict a total of 120000 points of battle damage.	SR Jewel x1
Play as Weevil Underwood and win 1 Duel against Rex Raptor at Level 30 in Duel World.	Card Sleeves
Complete all Stage 31 Missions.	Gem x50

Some of the Char Unlocks require you to beat them at Lv 30. Tread wearily.

Stage #32
Defeat 5 Legendary Duelists.	10000 Gold.
Use Spell Cards 40 times.	Stone of Spell x2
Win 30 Duel World Duels.	Gate Key x30
Play 1 Duel against Mako Tsunami.	Black Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 32 Missions.	Gem x50

If you happened to unlock the other worlds, each of them gets a free Legendary Duelist to unlock. After you transfer your BEWD to the world's default character, you get a free duel on the map to get a bit more keys. No bonus NPCs though. Since the action passes time, you may have been able to spawn an additional NPC in DM to fight to meet your victory quota.

Stage #33
(Standard Duelists become Level 33).
Use Trap Card 40 times.	Stone of Trap x2
Use a Field Spell Card 1 time in a single Duel World Duel.	R Jewel x3
Play as Mako Tsunami and win 1 Duel against Yami Yugi at Level 30 in Duel World.	Card Sleeve
Win 32 Duel World Duels.	Gate Key x30
Complete all Stage 33 Missions.	Gem x50

At this point, I would say grab the Dream Ticket spoils. Having Blue Maiden and Sage of White Eyes is a nice boost to your deck.

Stage #34
Use 30 Spell Cards using Tea Gardner.	Stone of Spell x2
Perform 10 Ritual Summons.	Gem x10
Inflict a total of 10000 points of effect damage in Duel World.	20000 Gold
Inflict a total of 150000 points of battle damage in Duel World.	Gate Key x40
Complete all Stage 34 Missions.	Gem x50

It as at this point my challenge ended. I stopped paying attention, and let Ishizu Lv10 defeat me with Blast with a Tribute.

Stage #35
Perform 30 Tribute Summons.	Stone of Light x3
Win 15 consecutive Duels.	Gem x30
Win 40 Duel World Duels.	Gate Key x40
Play 1 Duel against the Character Bandit Keith.	Red Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 35 Missions.	Gem x125

Fighting all Vagrants brought Yami from Lv14-Lv19 when I did this in a practice run.

Stage #36
Card Sleeves Reward.
Destroy 80 monster cards.	20,000 Gold
Destroy 5 monster cards in a Duel against Joey Wheeler.	Stone of Flame x2
Win 1 Duel against Joey Wheeler at Level 30 with using Bandit Keith.	Card Sleeves
Win 42 Duel World Duels.	R Jewel x3
Complete all Stage 36 Missions.	Gem x50

Joey, along with LP Boost Alpha, unlock Polymerization and Flame Swordsman. If you keep levelling up, you can get Mystical Sheep, a fusion substitute. This and Kaiba's Versago at Lv23 is helpful for the Stage requirements.

Stage #37
Win 10 Duels against the Legend Duelists.	Gem x10
Use 35 Trap Cards with Mai Valentine.	Stone of Trap x2
Perform 80 Normal Summons.	SR Jewel x1
Inflict a total of 180000 points of battle damage.	Gate Key x50
Complete all Stage 37 Missions.	Gem x50

If for some reason you don't have other Rituals, you can force grind Alexis to get her Machine Angels. Aside from Yuma's Lv3 monster that pops Defence monsters, and Judai's Lv3, I can't think of any other character that's worth utilizing.

Stage #38
Perform 10 Fusion Summons.	Stone of Water x6
Win with a Duel Assessment of at least 3000 score with using Weevil Underwood.	Green Gate Key x20
Win 47 Duel World Duel.	Gate Key x50
Play 1 Duel against Ishizu Ishtar.	White Gate Key x20
Complete all Stage 38 Missions.	Gem x50

I assume you've been removing spells with Dragon of White, and not DeSpell.

Stage #39
(Standard Duelists become Level 39).
Use 5 Spell cards in 1 Duel against Seto Kaiba.	Gem x10
Win with a Duel Assessment of at least 3000 score with using Rex Raptor.	Yellow Gate Key x30
Win 1 Duel against Seto Kaiba at Level 30 with using Ishizu Ishtar.	Stone of Light x4
Win 50 Duel World Duels.	Gate Key x50
Complete all Stage 39 Missions.	Gem x50

At this point, if they are Lv 39, I would stop fighting NPCs. Your Gate keys have likely ran out around here, if you haven't done this Challenge while during a Double Gate Keys event.

Stage #40
Perform 35 Tribute Summons.	Stone of Flame x4
Inflict a total of 210000 points of battle damage.	Gate Key x60
Win with a Duel Assessment of at least 4000 score.	SR Jewel x1
Win 1 Duel against the Character Vagabond.	Gem x10
Complete all Stage 40 Missions.	Gem x150

Final boss returns! Vagabond!!

You likely would have seen his face again around Stage 15. His deck won't change until you beat him, or he beats you. So if his deck preview is still a Rookie, it's a good sign you would be able to defeat him 25 Stage level later.

Once you are victorious, the Challenge is over. Can you go beyond?

AI NPC Deck Names

Level 1
Fire/Water/Lightning (incomplete)

No trouble, all monsters below 1000 Atk, summoned in Attack Mode. Easy to fulfill your Stage Requirements off them.

Level 5
Botanical Garden Flowers
Some plants with equips. Only an issue if they over equip 1 monster to get over 1500 ATK.

Commando Monsters
No comment.

Final War Debut
Might use Final Destiny spell (Discard 5, destroy the field). Win fast.

Fired Up Flips
Always play face-down defence and pop spells/traps. No big threat.

Fusion Connection
Can sometimes Fuse a 1500 Beater.

Heroic Aspiration
No comment.

Renowned Creatures
No comment.

Underworld
No comment.

Young Fierce Knight
No comment.

Level 14-20
Charmer's Gathering
Can steal your monsters. Won't effect you if you are able to destroy them in battle first.

Cú Chulainn the Awakened
One potentially risky Ritual that gets to ~2000 Atk on their turn. Wait it out.

Fusion Monsters
Slightly stronger Fusions, assuming they drew into Poly.

Gemini Monsters
This is where a defensive deck works against you. They can attack directly with 1500 Beaters with their Gemini effects. An aggressive style beatdown is thus preferred.

Spirit Monsters
Inaba can poke you for 700LP. And they have some Equips to fortify their own monsters. Difficult for them to keep a field presence though, with their mons constantly bouncing themselves back to hand.

Thousand Dragon
Time Wizard = Bad. Will wipe your field half the time. Don't overextend your monsters by summoning too many.
If they summon the 2400 Fusion, get BEWD ASAP and stop yourself from losing.

Thousand Energy
A potential OTK deck, if they get enough 3 monsters out, and double up Thousand Energy, you die to enough LP damage. Your traps save you here.

Tribute Summons
A wally deck. Beat over it with your chief dragon.

Union Aid
No threats, just have to destroy a unionized monster twice.

Level 27
Brutality LVL 3
No comment.

Burning Damage
Burn damage rarely takes you below 2000 points of damage. Not threatening.

Circus Trick
Clown deck with poor control. Destroy their monsters before they can spam their effects turn-to-turn.

Fusion Plants
More Plant Equips, but with strong Fusions. BEWD still is a good wall here.

Insect Multiplication
Spams Insect Tokens and LP gainers. Just a battle of attrition.

It's All Traps
Trap Monsters. Annoying and slow, but not deadly.

Mokey Mokey
The best combo is to boost Mokey to 3000 Attack, and bring onto the field with Human Wave Tactics. They can deck out themselves if you play defensively.

Reverse Trap
If you're using Cosmo Brain/Power of the Guardians, this could back fire on you. They have some 2000 Beatsticks, so play calm.

Ritual Summons
Only a threat if they equip it with Ritual Weapon, to get ~3000 Beaters.

Level 33
Aqua Chorus
Slow, since they boost their defence monsters.

Deck Scraper
No comment. Deck destruction won't effect you enough to matter.

Flips For Real
Slightly stronger Flip effects, Like HaneHane. Swarm with your monsters to win.

Gemini Monsters 2
Stronger Geminis. No change in strategy.

Graveyard Power
No comment.

Heart of the Underdog
Spams Normal Drawing, but they are not strong. Mostly Zombie cards with ~1500 atk.

Magical Hats
Slow, creating tokens out of their trap cards. Not a big danger.

Spirit Monsters 2
Stronger spirirts, but not a stronger deck.

Thunder Family
Swarm the field, but with weak monsters. You should be fine.

Union Aid 2
Same Unions as before, equally unthreatening.

Level 39
Angel and Mythical Beast
No comment.

Coin of Destiny
No comment.

Enraged Dragon
No comment.

Feast of the Fiends
No comment.

Fire Beat
No comment.

Guardians
No comment.

A Legendary Ocean
No comment.

Psychic Power
No comment.

Star Seraph of Victory
No comment.

Way of the Shinobi
No comment.

If anyone is up for this challenge, let me know how it goes! If you'd like to beef up this guide with your discoveries, please do! I love Yu-Gi-Oh, and I found this challenge a way to bring me back to my roots of enjoying the simpler game in my youth. I hope other can enjoy this again too.