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BlitzPhoenix98

Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories: Any% - No RNG Manipulation Speedrunning Guide

BlitzPhoenix98
Jul 5th, 2024 (edited)
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  1. Note: Pastebin edited on September 2, 2024 because the forbiddentracker site is officially no longer working.
  2. Note 2: Added a new link on March 31, 2026.
  3.  
  4. Greetings! If you are reading this guide, it means you are interested in running Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories is a game whose interest has been rapidly rising over the last few years, and its community is still going strong to this day. In this guide, I will personally be explaining everything you need to know about how to run the game, how to improve and how to beat it.
  5.  
  6. Starting off, if you have ever watched runs of this category, as you should know - it is almost entirely decided by RNG. RNG is an acronym for "Random Number Generator" - a factor of the game that deals with randomness. Basically, that means this game all comes down to luck. If you want to beat this game, you have to pray for getting good RNG. 98% of this game is all about the RNG. So if you are looking for a place to start, I suggest you start reading this guide in aid of help.
  7.  
  8. ===
  9.  
  10. ＧＥＮＥＲＡＬ
  11.  
  12. ===
  13.  
  14. As most people know, the timer starts upon pressing New Game on the Main Menu and ends when the "YOU WIN!" fanfare fades away after Nitemare, showing you the card you won. Once you press New Game, the game wants you to enter a name before proceeding. Normally, the most optimal way to do so is pressing X once to put in one "A" letter, then pressing Start to make the cursor immediately move to "End" so you can officially start the game.
  15.  
  16. Another very crucial factor when it comes to menuing is text box cutscenes. Holding the Square button will automatically skip the text, while X will just skip the text appearance animation altogether. So the main way of skipping text boxes the fastest way is to hold the Square button, and repeatedly press X.
  17.  
  18. Once the game begins, Simon Muran talks to you. Again, you just want to keep holding Square and keep spamming X until you see the screen fade to black from when he says "Drat! He's gone..." (Do not worry about the options, the cursor is already on "Run away", which is what you need it to be on).
  19.  
  20. Once the screen fades from black, you want to press right, then press down once and press X once you see the Card Shop. An interesting note, when the screen is fading from black when Simon is talking to you and before it fades into the area selection screen, you can move the cursor just before the screen fades in and select the shop (right once, down once) before the screen fades in. Doing this correctly skips the animation that plays when you normally select an area. It can save a few seconds, although it's nothing really worth mentioning.
  21.  
  22. Now, once the Card Shop Owner greets you, you want to go down once to the Menu and Select "Build Deck".
  23.  
  24. Once you do, you want to press right and Select twice, to see how many useful monsters or Magics do you have. You are especially looking for Dragon-Type and Thunder-Type monsters, alongside one of the 5 following Equip Magic Cards:
  25. Beast Fangs
  26. Dark Energy
  27. Dragon Treasure
  28. Horn of Light
  29. Invigoration.
  30.  
  31. Another Magics you will get are either Raigeki or Dark Hole as your removal, which will always be a 50/50.
  32. Raigeki is better for early on, but Dark Hole is better for the late game.
  33. Alongside the removal magic and the Equip, you want to start with either Mountain or Umi. If you don't start with either Mountain or Umi, it could still be fine if you look over and see how many Dragons and Thunders do you have. Normally you do not want to take a deck unless you have at least 1 Dragon and 1 Thunder.
  34.  
  35. The deck also might be acceptable enough if you have enough synergy with other cards that are not Dragon or Thunder-related. Such include Beast-Types with Female or Pyro-Types, as well as Females with Plant or Rock-Types (see the list below to know what are good early game fusions). The reason why is because they will come in handy for early-game fusions and you can consistently win. However, do NOT start a run without one of those 5 Equips, EVER.
  36.  
  37. Early game fusions:
  38. - Winged Beast + Mars monster (except Flame Cerebrus) (if one is 1300+) = Crimson Sunbird (2300/1800, Mars/Mercury)
  39. - Spellcaster with Mercury + Jar~ = Ushi Oni (2150/1950, Jupiter/Venus | takes Dark Energy)
  40. - Female + Rock = Mystical Sand (2100/1700, Mercury/Saturn | takes Dark Energy & Invigoration)
  41. - Animal Beast* + Mars = Flame Cerebrus (2100/1800, Mars/Pluto | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Invigoration)
  42. - Beast + monster with wings = Garvas (2000/1700, Jupiter/Pluto | takes Beast Fangs)
  43. - Elf^ + Mercury monster (Except Kuriboh) = Dark Elf (2000/800, Mercury/Jupiter | takes Dark Energy)
  44. - Female + Animal Beast = Nekogal #2 (1900/2000, Jupiter/Uranus | takes Beast Fangs & Horn of Light)
  45. - Plant + Zombie (if one is 1000+) = Pumpking the King of Ghosts (1800/2000, Jupiter/Neptune | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Invigoration)
  46. - Female + Fairy = Dark Witch (1800/1700, Sun/Neptune)
  47. - Female + Plant = Queen of Autumn Leaves (1800/1500, Jupiter/Moon)
  48. - Animal Beast + Plant = Flower Wolf (1800/1400, Sun/Jupiter | takes Beast Fangs & Dark Energy)
  49. - Warrior + Machine = Cyber Soldier (1500/1700, Moon/Mars)
  50. - Thunder + Spellcaster = The Immortal of Thunder (1500/1300, Pluto/Sun | takes Dark Energy & Invigoration)
  51. -- Thunder + Spellcaster + Spellcaster (or if one is 1500+) = Kaminari Attack (1900/1400, Pluto/Venus | takes Invigoration)
  52. - Fish + Machine = Misairuzame (1400/1600, Neptune/Sun | takes Beast Fangs & Horn of Light)
  53. - Thunder + Aqua = Bolt Escargot (1400/1500, Pluto/Jupiter | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Invigoration)
  54. - Warrior + Plant = Bean Soldier (1400/1300, Jupiter/Uranus | takes Horn of Light)
  55. - Beast + Fish = Tatsunootoshigo (1350/1600, Neptune/Mercury | takes Beast Fangs)
  56. - Spellcaster + Zombie = Magical Ghost (1300/1400, Moon/Pluto | takes Dark Energy)
  57. - Warrior + Rock = Minomushi Warrior (1300/1200, Uranus/Venus | takes Horn of Light & Invigoration)
  58. - Warrior + Animal Beast = Tiger Axe (1300/1100, Jupiter/Neptune | takes Beast Fangs)
  59. - Warrior + Zombie = Zombie Warrior (1200/900, Moon/Mars | takes Beast Fangs & Dark Energy)
  60. -- Warrior + Zombie + Warrior (or if one is 1200+) = Armored Zombie (1500/0, Moon/Pluto | takes Dark Energy)
  61.  
  62. Specific monster fusions:
  63. - Time Wizard + Embryonic Beast = Summoned Skull (2500/1200, Moon/Pluto | Takes Beast Fangs & Dark Energy)
  64. - Arlownay + Fiend = Rose Spectre of Dunn (2000/1800, Moon/Jupiter | Takes Dark Energy)
  65. - Fish + Hoshiningen OR Rainbow Flower = 7 Colored Fish (1800/800, Neptune/Sun | Takes Beast Fangs)
  66. - Graveyard and the Hand of Invitation + Twin Long Rods #2 = Dragon Zombie (1600/0, Moon/Pluto | Takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy, Dragon Treasure & Invigoration)
  67. - Ancient Jar + Mystery Hand = The Wicked Worm Beast (1400/700, Uranus/Venus | Takes Beast Fangs & Dark Energy)
  68.  
  69. *Non-animal Beasts include Gate Deeg, Larvas, Meotoko, Mon Larvas, The Wicked Worm Beast and Wilmee.
  70. ^Dancing Elf, Mystical Elf, Wing Egg Elf, Ancient Elf, Gemini Elf and Celtic Guardian.
  71. ~Dragon Piper, Ancient Jar, Morphing Jar and Pot the Trick.
  72.  
  73. ===
  74.  
  75. Once you feel like your Initial Deck is good enough, now you have multiple choices to make. You can go back to Simon to duel him once (although not required, as the duel is completely optional, you can just hold left to go to the pyramid), and then duel some of the Villagers, Jono and Seto in early Egypt, or you can just go straight ahead to Simon and proceed. See below on the Duelists and what they drop.
  76.  
  77. ===
  78.  
  79. ＯＰＴＩＯＮＡＬ ＤＵＥＬＳ
  80.  
  81. ===
  82.  
  83. Simon Muran:
  84. Preferred rank: Any rank is fine, see below and make your best judgment
  85. Notable drops:
  86.  
  87. A/S-POW: Blackland Fire Dragon, Time Wizard | BCD: Time Wizard, Fake Trap
  88.  
  89. Simon Muran is an extremely easy duel and it's very likely you won't even need to fuse any monsters to beat him. Again, use your best judgment on what you want if you beat him. You can potentially win either a Dragon, Time Wizard or a Trap, which is what you will need later on to A-TEC (more information on that later). This can also be a good duel to learn about fusions and Guardian Stars, if anything.
  90.  
  91. ===
  92.  
  93. GUARDIAN STARS
  94.  
  95. To note: When an opponent plays a monster, they will always select the first of two Guardian Stars which you can select when Summoning or Setting a monster face-down. Guardian Stars are, similarly to Pokémon, Monster Card properties which give a monster an advantage over the other monster depending which Guardian Star is stronger. Each Guardian Star is strong against one other Star and weak against another one. If a monster attacks a monster of a weaker Star, the attacking monster will gain 500 ATK & 500 DEF points only for that battle. If a monster attacks a monster of a stronger Star, the attacked monster will gain 500 ATK & 500 DEF points, instead.
  96.  
  97. The Guardian Stars are as follows:
  98.  
  99. Magic Group:
  100. Sun - ☉
  101. Mercury - ☿
  102. Venus - ♀
  103. Moon - ☾
  104.  
  105. Element Group:
  106. Mars - ♂
  107. Jupiter - ♃
  108. Saturn - ♄
  109. Uranus - ⛢
  110. Neptune - ♆
  111. Pluto - ♇
  112.  
  113. Sun, Mercury, Venus & Moon have their own Guardian Star category, as do Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
  114.  
  115. Magic Group:
  116. Sun is strong against Moon, but weak to Mercury.
  117. Mercury is strong against Sun, but weak to Venus.
  118. Venus is strong against Mercury, but weak to Moon.
  119. Moon is strong against Venus, but weak to Sun.
  120.  
  121. ☉ ← ☿
  122. ↓ ↑
  123. ☾ → ♀
  124.  
  125. Element Group:
  126. Mars is strong against Jupiter, but weak to Neptune.
  127. Jupiter is strong against Saturn, but weak to Mars.
  128. Saturn is strong against Uranus, but weak to Jupiter.
  129. Uranus is strong against Pluto, but weak to Saturn.
  130. Neptune is strong against Mars, but weak to Pluto.
  131. Pluto is strong against Neptune, but weak to Uranus.
  132.  
  133. ♂ → ♃ → ♄ → ⛢ → ♇ → ♆ → ♂
  134.  
  135. ===
  136.  
  137. So once you beat Simon, you can just go down and talk to the other Duelists. You want to skip both Teana and the first Villager, as they do not drop anything important. Instead, you want to Duel the next 2 Villagers.
  138.  
  139. One important thing to note: If you play a single monster without fusing, you MUST play it face-up. This is because the AI sees there is no face-up card on the field which is likely to be a weak monster or a face-down Magic/Trap, and they will fuse something in their hand to attack you. Play it safe.
  140.  
  141. ===
  142.  
  143. Villager 2:
  144. Preferred rank: BCD*
  145. Notable drops: Dragon Zombie, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Dragon Statue, LaLa Li-oon, Kaminarikozou, Electric Snake, Electric Lizard, Oscillo Hero #2, Bolt Penguin
  146. Be wary of: Jirai Gumo (2200 ATK, rare), Dragon Zombie (1600 ATK)
  147.  
  148. So you thought Simon was easy? Villager 2 is the first pretty challenging duel of the run, although he will most likely start a Dragon Zombie. To beat it, just make a fusion of at least 1800 in Mars or so and you should be fine. You want to B-POW him primarily because his drop pool has a lot of Thunders he can drop, alongside the pseudo-Dragons such as Dragon Statue and Dragon Zombie.
  149.  
  150. *If you accidentally happen to get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Blackland Fire Dragon.
  151.  
  152. ===
  153.  
  154. Villager 3:
  155. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  156. Notable drops: Dragon Zombie, Baby Dragon, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Dragon Statue, LaLa Li-oon, Kaminarikozou, Electric Snake, Oscillo Hero #2, Bolt Penguin
  157. Be wary of: Jirai Gumo (2200 ATK, rare), Dragon Piper (1800 DEF), Dragon Zombie (1600 ATK)
  158.  
  159. Again, much like Villager 2, just make a fusion of at least 1800 in Mars and sit there. Can be challenging, but otherwise easy.
  160.  
  161. ===
  162.  
  163. Once you have dueled those Villagers, you want to go outside. Just keep going through cutscenes and text boxes, then go back to the Dueling Grounds where you will duel Jono and Seto.
  164.  
  165. ===
  166.  
  167. Jono:
  168. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  169. Notable drops: Baby Dragon, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, LaLa Li-oon, Time Wizard
  170. Be wary of: Baby Dragon (1200 ATK, rare)
  171.  
  172. Another very easy duel. Nothing much to say here.
  173.  
  174. After you've beaten Jono, a few cutscenes will show up again. Keep spamming, and then you're on to Seto.
  175.  
  176. ===
  177.  
  178. Seto:
  179. Preferred rank: BCD
  180. Notable drops: Petit Dragon, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, LaLa Li-oon, Kaminarikozou, Beast Fangs (!!!), Bear Trap
  181. Be wary of: Gaia the Fierce Knight (2300 ATK), Dragon Piper (1800 DEF, rare), La Jinn the Mystical Genie (1800 ATK), Battle Ox (1700 ATK), Ryu-kishin Powered (1600 ATK)
  182.  
  183. Seto's deck is known for containing many strong cards even for the early game, notably Gaia the Fierce Knight. However, should Seto not start Gaia the Fierce Knight or any of the other monsters mentioned above, he will normally start Beaver Warrior (1200/1500 Jupiter). If he does start a Gaia the Fierce Knight, though, you have to make a very strong monster with Venus, such as Kaminari Attack or Ushi Oni. Otherwise, he is generally easy and can be beaten with monsters in the 1600 or so range.
  184.  
  185. ===
  186.  
  187. ＷＯＲＬＤ ＴＯＵＲＮＡＭＥＮＴ
  188.  
  189. ===
  190.  
  191. Now that you have beaten all of the duelists of your choice - or if you are satisfied enough to just continue with your Initial deck, just go to Simon. If you refused to duel him -- that is selected the second option, after 2 text boxes select down and continue. Continue spamming Square and X. Eventually you will duel Heishin, which is the first forced duel of the run.
  192.  
  193. The main point of Heishin is to lose as fast as possible. Just play any weak card in attack mode, let him attack you, and attack his monsters until you lose.
  194.  
  195. NOTE: There is a sparse possibility that you CAN beat Heishin if you have a Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon fusion with an Equip in your hand. If he plays cards around the 3200 range and below, you MIGHT be able to beat him. The reason why you would try to win is because you have a chance of winning very good early game cards, notably Labyrinth Wall, B. Dragon Jungle King, Roaring Ocean Snake, Flame Cerebrus, Mystical Sand (all 2100 ATK), Rose Spectre of Dunn (2000 ATK, also Female), Nekogal #2, Gemini Elf (1900 ATK Females) or Dragon Zombie. If you do beat him, you just have to duel him again anyway until you lose at least once.
  196.  
  197. After losing to Heishin, another option appears to shatter the puzzle. Move the cursor down once to select "Shatter the puzzle". Keep spamming until you end up at the World Tournament. Once you get to the menu, Save, then Leave Shop.
  198.  
  199. Now, the World Tournament begins. Your first duelist will be Rex Raptor.
  200.  
  201. ===
  202.  
  203. PRELIMINARIES
  204.  
  205. ===
  206.  
  207. Rex Raptor:
  208. Preferred rank: A/S-POW*
  209. Notable drops: Crawling Dragon #2, Dragon Zombie, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Electric Snake, Oscillo Hero #2
  210. Be wary of: Uraby (1500 ATK, rare), Clown Zombie (1350 ATK), Trakadon (1300 ATK, rare)
  211.  
  212. Very easy duel. Normally, just like with the Villagers/Seto, 1600+ ATK cards are an easy win here. Nothing much to say.
  213.  
  214. *If you do not get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Beast Fangs.
  215.  
  216. ===
  217.  
  218. Now that you have beaten Rex, you want to return to the title screen and go to "Free Duel". You have multiple options. You can farm the Villagers/Jono if you have unlocked them, or you can farm Rex or Duel Master K.
  219.  
  220. The reason why you farm here is because you want to make your Deck a little better with the fusions needed to make Twin-headed Thunder Dragon, which is generally the strongest monster you fuse/run with in the game. The fusions are listed as below:
  221. - Dragon + Thunder (if one is 1600+) = so Dragon + Thunder + Dragon OR Thunder = Twin-headed Thunder Dragon (2800/2100, Pluto/Moon)
  222. - Dragon + Thunder = Thunder Dragon (1600/1500, Pluto/Jupiter | takes Beast Fangs, Dragon Treasure, Horn of Light & Invigoration)
  223. - Dragon + Plant = B. Dragon Jungle King (2100/1800, Jupiter/Neptune | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Dragon Treasure)
  224. - Dragon + Rock = Stone D. (2000/2300, Uranus/Mars | takes Beast Fangs, Dragon Treasure, Horn of Light & Invigoration)
  225. - Dragon + Zombie (if one is 1700-1950) = Curse of Dragon (2000/1500, Saturn/Pluto | takes Beast Fangs, Dragon Treasure & Horn of Light)
  226. - Dragon + Turtle (if one is 1800+) = Sea King Dragon (2000/1700, Neptune/Mercury | takes Dragon Treasure & Horn of Light)
  227. - Dragon (Except Crawling Dragon #2 or Sword Arm of Dragon, need Mech Bass or Cyber Saurus otherwise) + Machine = Metal Dragon (1850/1700, Mars/Moon | takes Beast Fangs, Dragon Treasure & Horn of Light)
  228. - Dragon + Water (if one is 1600-1750) = Kairyu-shin (1800/1500, Neptune/Mars | takes Beast Fangs, Dragon Treasure & Invigoration)
  229. - Dragon + Warrior (if one is 1300+) = Sword Arm of Dragon (1750/2030, Uranus/Moon | takes Beast Fangs & Dragon Treasure)
  230. - Dragon + Zombie (if one is 1600-1650) = Skelgon (1700/1900, Moon/Pluto | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Dragon Treasure)
  231. - Dragon + Water = Spike Seadra (1600/1300, Pluto/Mercury | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Dragon Treasure)
  232. - Dragon + Zombie = Dragon Zombie (1600/0, Moon/Pluto | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy, Dragon Treasure & Invigoration)
  233. - Dragon + Time Wizard = Thousand Dragon (2400/2000, Mars/Mercury | takes Dragon Treasure)
  234. - Dragon + Mercury (except Kuriboh) = Blackland Fire Dragon (1500/800, Mercury/Moon | takes Beast Fangs, Dark Energy & Dragon Treasure)
  235. IMPORTANT NOTE 1: DO NOT FUSE DRAGON ZOMBIE WITH THUNDER DRAGON. THAT MAKES SKELGON AS THE GAME SEES DRAGON ZOMBIE AS A ZOMBIE-TYPE.
  236. IMPORTANT NOTE 2: DO NOT FUSE DRAGON ZOMBIE WITH A PLANT BELOW 1800. THAT MAKES PUMPKING THE KING OF GHOSTS.
  237.  
  238. Crawling Dragon #2, Sword Arm of Dragon and Dragon Zombie are pseudo-Dragons; Dragon-like Monsters which do make Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, but have fusions that treat them as their actual Monster Types; as such, fusing a Crawling Dragon #2 with a Machine will make Cyber Saurus instead of Metal Dragon.
  239.  
  240. So you see why you needed any of those 5 Equips? This is why -- as Twin-headed Thunder Dragon takes all 5 of those equips mentioned at the start. This is why you do not start a run unless you get any of those 5 Equips in your Initial Deck.
  241.  
  242. The main reason why you duel people in this Free Duel is because you want to collect Starchips for Dragons or Thunders (which are at the end of the guide, scroll down to find the Passwords/Starchips costs), as well as winning potential Dragons/Thunders, or other filler material for Dragons/Thunders. Normally, I stop farming when I have enough to buy Dragons or Thunders until I have at least 4 Dragons/4 Thunders.
  243.  
  244. If I were to rank the quality of the Equips, I would rank them as follows: Dark Energy > Beast Fangs > Dragon Treasure > Invigoration > Horn of Light. Dark Energy and Beast Fangs have a huge versatility and work on a lot of monsters that are not even Dragon-related. Dragon Treasure is in the middle because it also works on a lot of Dinosaurs (Two-Headed King Rex, Uraby, Trakadon), as well as Cyber Saurus and Torike, for example. (This is primarily because Dinosaurs were treated as Dragons in Duel Monsters games). Invigoration is great for a lot of early game monsters and Stone D., while Horn of Light barely has any utility except for Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon in the later part of the game, sparsely Curse of Dragon and Metal Dragon.
  245.  
  246. ===
  247.  
  248. Duel Master K:
  249. Preferred rank/Notable drops: See Villager 3
  250.  
  251. Note: Duel Master K is a mirror match duel - he uses the same cards you have in your current deck. Beware of what cards in your deck have the most defense or attack, because if you cannot beat what he plays in the first turn, you very likely lose. This is why when we duel DMK, we check what cards we have in our inventory besides Dragons/Thunders because you CAN start with cards such as Dragon Piper (200/1800), Sleeping Lion (700/1700), Toon Alligator (800/1600) or Beautiful Headhuntress (1600/800). The only times DMK is recommended is when you desperately need Thunders and have decks that can easily make Dragons with high ATK or when you're immediately going to duel him after getting an Initial Deck.
  252.  
  253. ===
  254.  
  255. So once you think you are ready and think your deck is decent enough to continue, Save and continue on with the World Tournament.
  256.  
  257. ===
  258.  
  259. Weevil Underwood:
  260. Preferred rank: A/S-POW*
  261. Notable drops: Jirai Gumo, Rogue Doll, Blackland Fire Dragon, Tripwire Beast
  262. Be wary of: Jirai Gumo (2200 ATK), Cocoon of Evolution (2000 DEF)
  263.  
  264. Much like Seto, another pretty challenging duel if he starts with Jirai Gumo or a Cocoon of Evolution, which is around a 15% chance. In which case, try to make a 1700+ in Mars or a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon (which, after the farm, you can definitely do). Good fusions include Crimson Sunbird, Flame Cerebrus, Vermillion Sparrow, Metal Dragon, Flame Swordsman or Cyber Soldier (in Defense) as they all have Mars. He has some Neptunes that he can play (Notably Great White, Toon Alligator and Violent Rain) but you should be fine. Once you beat him, Save.
  265.  
  266. *If you do not get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Bear Trap.
  267.  
  268. ===
  269.  
  270. Mai Valentine:
  271. Preferred rank: A/S-POW*
  272. Notable drops: Crawling Dragon #2, Darkfire Dragon, Koumori Dragon, Bolt Escargot, The Immortal of Thunder
  273. Be wary of: Harpie's Pet Dragon (2000/2500, rare), Harpie Lady Sisters (1950/2100, rare), Dark Elf (2000 ATK)
  274.  
  275. Easy duel. Most of the time just make a 2000+ monster such as B. Dragon Jungle King, Garvas or Mystical Sand and you win. Watch out for her fusions if you can't beat her quickly, it can be troublesome. Beat her, then Save.
  276.  
  277. *If you do not get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Invisible Wire.
  278.  
  279. ===
  280.  
  281. Bandit Keith:
  282. Preferred rank: A/S-POW*
  283. Notable drops: Crawling Dragon #2, Dragon Zombie, Bolt Escargot, The Immortal of Thunder
  284. Be wary of: Zoa (2600 ATK) -> possibly Metalzoa (3000 ATK)
  285.  
  286. Bandit Keith can be the first outright hard duel of the run. He can play Zoa, though not very often - which the only way to really beat is with a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon. If he plays a Zoa and you can't beat it, he's very likely to equip a Metalmorph on it to make a Metalzoa and you just outright lose. If he does not start a Zoa, he normally will start a Sun in Defense (either Mystical Elf or Spirit of the Harp, 2000 DEF), or Dark Elf. His fusions are also really annoying. 2000+ ATK monsters usually will be a win here. Beat him, continue (saving here is unnecessary).
  287.  
  288. *If you do not get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Invisible Wire.
  289.  
  290. ===
  291.  
  292. Now, another sequence of cutscenes comes up. Once they're done, you will duel Shadi.
  293.  
  294. ===
  295.  
  296. FINAL MATCHES
  297.  
  298. ===
  299.  
  300. Shadi:
  301. Preferred rank: BCD
  302. Notable drops: Dragon Zombie, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, Petit Dragon, Oscillo Hero #2, Kaminarikozou, LaLa Li-oon, Umi, Beast Fangs (!!!)
  303. Be wary of: Multiple 1600+ ATK monsters (though rare), notably 7 Colored Fish (1800 ATK, rare), Giant Red Seasnake (1800 ATK, rare), Yado Karu (1700 DEF, rare), High Tide Gyojin (1650 ATK, rare), Spike Seadra (1600 ATK, rare), Toon Alligator (1600 DEF, rare) & Crazy Fish (1600 ATK, rare)
  304.  
  305. Very easy duel. He can sometimes play a monster above 1000 ATK but it only happens once in a blue moon. Make a 1600 or so in Pluto or whatever else you have in your hand just to be safe (NEVER PLAY MARS HERE). Beat him, Save.
  306.  
  307. ===
  308.  
  309. Yami Bakura:
  310. Preferred rank: A/S-POW*
  311. Notable drops: Rogue Doll, Time Wizard, Umi
  312. Be wary of: Millennium Shield, Labyrinth Wall (both 3000 DEF), Illusionist Faceless Mage (2200 DEF, rare), Dark Elf (2000 ATK)
  313.  
  314. Bakura is where the more difficult duels start. From this point onward, beating duelists with ONLY a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon will usually not be enough. You will have to either Umi/Mountain or Equip a Twin-headed to win here. If he starts a Uranus, it will very likely be a Millennium Shield or Labyrinth Wall. To beat those, you either need to play a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon in Moon with Umi/Mountain/Equip or Equip a Mystical Sand (using Dark Energy or Invigoration) and play it in Saturn. Watch out for his fusions and backrows. There is a 1/3 chance a Trap he plays will be Reverse Trap, which instead of adding 500 ATK/DEF on your monster will instead decrease its ATK/DEF. Beat him, save.
  315.  
  316. *If you do not get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Invisible Wire.
  317.  
  318. ===
  319.  
  320. Which here, I will also start talking about backrow playing. If the AI does not select their backrow, it will be a Trap. Otherwise, if they fade the backrow card, that is a Magic. This is something you should pay very close attention to later on. They will only backrow if they have a monster on the field, or if the field has no monsters on your side of the field, or a backrow is set on your field.
  321.  
  322. ===
  323.  
  324. Pegasus:
  325. Preferred rank: BCD* (if you won a Trap before him, consider an A-TEC, continue reading below to see what an A-TEC is)
  326. Notable drops: Blackland Fire Dragon, Baby Dragon, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, Petit Dragon, Oscillo Hero #2, Acid Trap Hole, Umi, Dragon Treasure (!!!)
  327. Be wary of: Meteor B. Dragon (3500 ATK)
  328.  
  329. Ah, Pegasus. Everyone's favorite punching bag. The wielder of the Millennium Eye. That being said, Pegasus is the first duelist to yield the most useful drops in the game, as he gives a bunch of Dragons, fast Thunders and the most important Traps/Magics. However, beating him is not easy. If he does not start a Meteor B. Dragon (which you very likely will not be able to beat unless you Raigeki it), he's likely to start either a Bickuribox (2300 ATK in Moon), Parrot Dragon (2000 ATK in Saturn) or Meteor Dragon (1800/2000 in Uranus). He also can play a Venus in Defense (Illusionist Faceless Mage, 1200/2200) which you can make it switch to Attack Position if you play a weak monster. As such, a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon most of the time will win here. Watch out for his traps as well. The traps he plays are either Invisible Wire (which kills any attacker below 2000 ATK) or Fake Trap (which negates your attack). If you let him fuse it will most likely be a Crimson Sunbird (2300 ATK in Mars). Also, Pegasus cannot be faked out. Once you beat him, Save and continue.
  330.  
  331. *If you accidentally happen to get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Darkfire Dragon or Koumori Dragon.
  332.  
  333. ===
  334.  
  335. Isis:
  336. Preferred rank: BCD*
  337. Notable drops: Spike Seadra, Blackland Fire Dragon, Baby Dragon, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, Petit Dragon, Widespread Ruin (!!!), Umi, Dragon Treasure (!!!)
  338. Be wary of: B. Skull Dragon (3200 ATK), Twin-headed Thunder Dragon (2800 ATK)
  339.  
  340. Isis is another easy to beat duelist as long as you can make a strong monster in Pluto and she does not start a B. Skull Dragon, or a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon of her own. Her normal starts are Aqua Dragon (2250 ATK in Neptune) or a 30,000 Year-Old White Turtle (2100 DEF in Neptune). Watch out for her Magics. If you can't beat her immediately, she will very likely start spamming Swords of Revealing Light or Spellbinding Circle to prevent you from attacking her and decrease your ATK. Things like Garvas, Flame Cerebrus, Skelgon, Great Mammoth of Goldfine (Mammoth Graveyard + any Zombie = 2200 ATK Moon/Pluto, takes Beast Fangs & Dark Energy) or Dice Armadillo all have Pluto, so as long as you make one of them, you will usually win here. Nothing she plays in Defense has more than 2100 DEF. Beat her, then Save, and a farm here is optional.
  341.  
  342. *If you accidentally happen to get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Darkfire Dragon or Koumori Dragon.
  343.  
  344. ===
  345.  
  346. Kaiba:
  347. Preferred rank: BCD*
  348. Notable drops: Spike Seadra, Blackland Fire Dragon, Baby Dragon, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, Petit Dragon, Acid Trap Hole, Dragon Capture Jar
  349. Be wary of: Millennium Shield, Labyrinth Wall (both 3000 DEF), Blue-Eyes White Dragon (3000 ATK)
  350.  
  351. So here we are, the Final match of the World Tournament. Kaiba is easily the hardest duelist, and for good reason - he has 2 ways he can wall you: One is his signature Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Sun), or much like Bakura - Millennium Shield or Labyrinth Wall. So unfortunately, you have either 2 choices here: You play your Twin-headed in Pluto to beat down a Blue-Eyes, or play it in Moon. I consider it smarter to play it in Pluto because you cannot lose from Defenders compared to a Blue-Eyes. Obviously, to beat a Blue-Eyes, you once again need to equip your Twin-headed or play Umi (NOT MOUNTAIN). Another way is to equip a Mystical Sand or Thousand Dragon and play them in Mercury. If you let him fuse, it will either be a Crimson Sunbird or even a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon.
  352.  
  353. *If you accidentally happen to get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Darkfire Dragon or Koumori Dragon.
  354.  
  355. ===
  356.  
  357. POST-WORLD TOURNAMENT
  358.  
  359. ===
  360.  
  361. After you beat him, you are back in Egypt.
  362.  
  363. Once again, you will watch some cutscenes. After the screen fades from black, tap left once to go to the King's Valley. Sadin will talk to you, then after a few text boxes (after he says "There is hope once again for everybody"), select the second option, and then select the last option to leave (after he says "Anything else, my prince?"). Now, you want to hold right so you are back at the Dueling Grounds. After you are at the main plaza, Press X, then press left and press X again.
  364.  
  365. Jono will see you're alive and will take you to the Hidden Dueling Grounds. Don't spam for too much otherwise you will accidentally duel him! When he says "It beats just moping around here", another set of options will appear. Go down twice to leave.
  366.  
  367. Spam X afterwards and you will find yourself at the Hiding Card Shop. Save.
  368.  
  369. After you have saved, leave the card shop and go to the palace (left once). Spam Square and X. You are brought to Mage Soldier.
  370.  
  371. ===
  372.  
  373. Mage Soldier:
  374. Preferred rank: BCD*
  375. Notable drops: Darkfire Dragon, Koumori Dragon, Tripwire Beast, Dark Energy (!!!)
  376. Potentially annoying monsters: Jirai Gumo, Metal Guardian (2150 DEF, rare)
  377.  
  378. Mage Soldier is kind of a joke. As the first duel after the World Tournament, you would expect more of a challenge, instead you get the post-Tournament Rex. Again, like Weevil, if he plays a Jirai Gumo, make a Twin-headed or Flame Cerebrus (in Mars) and you will win here. Otherwise, he is not hard. Most of the monsters he plays are either Mercury, Jupiter or Neptune.
  379.  
  380. *If you accidentally happen to get an A/S-POW, there is a possibility you could win Crawling Dragon #2 or The Immortal of Thunder.
  381.  
  382. ===
  383.  
  384. Once you beat him, you will notice a map was left behind. Go back to the King's Valley and give the map to Sadin. After a few text boxes, once Seto leaves, leave the Valley, go back to the Card Shop and Save. Now it's time for the big farm - the one where you will need a lot of useful cards to proceed.
  385.  
  386. ===
  387.  
  388. Jono 2nd: (optional)
  389. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  390. Notable drops: Meteor B. Dragon, Red-Eyes B. Dragon, Baby Dragon, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, LaLa Li-oon
  391. Potentially annoying monsters: Red-Eyes B. Dragon (2400 ATK)
  392.  
  393. To duel Jono, go back to the Card Shop, and just hit Dueling Grounds. Then spam X and Square a few times and you will duel Jono.
  394.  
  395. If you feel like dueling Jono at all after beating Mage Soldier, try it at least once for a potential shot at a good drop. He is also very easy, as long as he does not play a Red-Eyes B. Dragon or you have a Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon during your first turn you will always win here.
  396.  
  397. Note: You can also duel Villager 2 if you haven't unlocked him before Rex; as mentioned above, he can drop a lot of Thunders if you want to try your chances with him. Don't worry, his cards are literally the same.
  398.  
  399. ===
  400.  
  401. ＦＩＮＡＬ ＦＡＲＭＩＮＧ
  402.  
  403. ===
  404.  
  405. So now that you have beaten everyone who you needed to beat at this point, it's time for easily the longest and most relaxing part of the game - the Final Farming portion. To beat the game, you NEED to farm. If you try skipping this portion, you will not beat the game. Everyone else past this point consistently plays monsters with abnormally high ATK, normally around the 3000-4500 ATK range.
  406.  
  407. The main people you want to farm are Pegasus, Isis, Kaiba and Mage Soldier. The reason we do this is and why we specifically farm them is because they have cards we need. The strategy for this type of run is to revolve your deck around Twin-headed Thunder Dragon. As mentioned before, Twin-headed Thunder Dragon is the strongest card you can fuse for, with an ATK of 2800. However, that is officially not enough as of this point. This is why I had been mentioning cards such as Mountain, Umi and the Equips before. Equips are the most crucial magics you want to win because they increase your Twin-headed Thunder Dragon's ATK multiple times, whereas the fields only have one usage.
  408.  
  409. The 2 equips that are the easiest to win are Dark Energy and Dragon Treasure. Pegasus and Isis drop Dragon Treasure, while Mage Soldier drops Dark Energy.
  410.  
  411. Isis is the person you want to farm the most, however. Along with Dragon Treasure, Isis has a very large chance of dropping Dragons. However, Isis also drops Widespread Ruin, the best Trap Card in the entire game. Widespread Ruin is a Trap that destroys ANY opponent's attacking monster. Whether it's a Meteor B. Dragon or an Illusionist Faceless Mage, it WILL be destroyed. If you get Widespread Ruin, it will vastly increase your chances of winning the game. However, it is still not very useful unless you have another Equip to back yourself up. This is why we do not continue with only the starting Equip. If you have another Equip, you might be able to move on. As your deck always needs to have 40 cards in your deck, having another Equip doubles your chances of drawing one. The more Equips, the merrier.
  412.  
  413. Pegasus is another very good farming spot. He drops Umi at twice the rate Isis does - at a 64/2048, and he leads Meteor B. Dragon much less than Isis would start with B. Skull Dragon or Twin-headed Thunder Dragon. He also is beneficial for dropping some very fast Thunders - Oscillo Hero #2 is an 80/2048 on BCD. As you cannot really win Thunders anywhere and mostly will spend your Starchips on buying them instead, winning Thunders is another crucial factor for your deck. And hey, you could even win an Acid Trap Hole which gives you the option to A-TEC him!
  414.  
  415. If you already feel like you have a good amount of Dragons and Thunders, but no Trap (notably, I prefer having at least 10 Dragons and 7 Thunders whenever I feel like I am ready), try consistently getting a BCD on Kaiba, as the chances you get an Acid Trap Hole are very high; he drops it at an 84/2048. While no Widespread Ruin, Acid Trap Hole can be just as useful, ESPECIALLY provided you have a Dark Energy in your deck. Dark Energy + Acid Trap Hole will fuse into Dark Hole, which sucks up every card on the field (Fun Fact: if you take a look at the acronyms, they are DE + ATH - DEATH). Kaiba also can drop a lot of Dragons, much like Pegasus and Isis, at an even higher rate. Not only that, he also drops Dragon Capture Jar. Dragon Capture Jar is a Magic that sucks up every Dragon on your opponent's side of the field, as such - it can suck up a Meteor B. Dragon. It is another extreme park to have besides a Widespread Ruin and it helps especially in the furthest part of the game.
  416.  
  417. Mage Soldier is a toss-up if you want to duel him. Unfortunately, besides Dark Energy - there is nothing really useful that Mage Soldier drops. He CAN drop some Dragons and Tripwire Beast, but there is nothing much else. If you have 3 Dragon Treasures and no Trap, I guess Mage Soldier is your only best bet.
  418.  
  419. So, as per recap - the cards - besides Dragons - that you want to win are Widespread Ruin (32/2048 on Isis BCD), Dark Energy (50/2048 on Mage Soldier BCD, 72 on Mage Soldier A-TEC) and Dragon Treasure (32 on Pegasus/Isis BCD, 36 on Pegasus A-TEC).
  420.  
  421. To note: Whenever we say "That card is a 2!" or something like that, it means the card has a 2 out of 2048 chance to drop. (Usually can be heard during live streams and races).
  422.  
  423. This is a good time for me to explain the drop rates in this game. Every person you duel has a list of cards that they drop. They drop from a list of cards when you get an A-POW or S-POW, and a different list when you get a B-POW, C-POW, D-POW, D-TEC, C-TEC or B-TEC, per se.
  424.  
  425. To explain:
  426.  
  427. A/S-POW have the same drop pool of cards.
  428. BCD-POW/BCD-TEC have the same drop pool of cards.
  429. A/S-TEC have the same drop pool of cards.
  430.  
  431. POW is the acronym for "Power" - which relies on you winning as soon as possible, while TEC means "Technical" - where you win by using more obscure strategies and requirements to win.
  432.  
  433. Another reward I have previously mentioned are starchips. S-Rank gives you 5 Starchips. A-Rank gives you 4 Starchips... and so on, where a D-Rank will give you 1 Starchip.
  434.  
  435. Whenever you beat someone in a Duel, besides a card, you get Starchips which you can use to buy cards, such as Dragons, Thunders and Umi. If you have not won an Umi from anyone and have not started with one, it is strongly recommend you buy one, it's almost even a necessity for the late part of the game. Not only even for the late part of the game, but for A-TEC farming. It's only 55 Starchips. (Again, Passwords are at the end of this guide). Umi is a Field Magic which changes the Field to Sea so that it increases the ATK & DEF of your Thunder and Sea Serpent (Takriminos, Spike Seadra, Kairyu-shin, Sea King Dragon, Aqua Dragon) Monsters by 500 points. Not only that, but it also weakens Machine-Type and Pyro-Type monsters. This is why if there is any field you especially want in your deck, it's Umi.
  436.  
  437. Every card has its own odds of dropping. Each card has the odds out of the number 2048. So that means Dragon Treasure, for example, drops at a 1.56% chance, with its 32/2048 chances.
  438.  
  439. So how do you get a BCD? The tips are stated below. Keep in mind for everyone you want to get a B, C, or D-POW on every duel, especially B.
  440.  
  441. Requirements include:
  442.  
  443. 1)
  444. - 5 Fusions
  445. - 27 or less cards remaining in your deck.
  446.  
  447. 2)
  448. - 1 Magic or Equip
  449. - 1 Fusion
  450. - 27 or less cards remaining in your deck.
  451.  
  452. 3)
  453. - 6999 Life Points (or below)
  454. - 1 Fusion
  455. - 27 or less cards remaining in your deck.
  456.  
  457. The reason you want to get BCD-POW/TEC on everyone is because that is the drop pool at which their Magic or Trap Cards drop. DE, DT, Widespread Ruin and Umi all drop on BCD-POW/TEC rank. So how do you quickly and efficiently get BCD-POW? Let me explain first how the ranking system works.
  458.  
  459. The main thing you want to do is toss cards. You NEED to get your Deck UNDER 28 cards left. 27 cards or BELOW is what you need to have left. Once you have under 28 cards, the game looks at other factors to determine your rank. You cannot just have under 28 cards. You also need to either take damage or use a Magic/Equip. So, either have 27 or less cards left and take damage from attacking monsters, or attack yourself and take damage, or have 27 or fewer cards left and use a Magic card or Equip, OR fuse 5 times during the duel. Either way, you must have less than 28 cards left. After you have 27 or less cards left and have either taken damage, used a Magic, Equip, or fused 5 times, your rank will normally be a B-POW. This is what you want on everyone. Keep doing this and you'll keep getting BCD. Although it may hurt your Starchip count, it yields more useful drops and you will have just enough to buy whatever you need.
  460.  
  461. ===
  462.  
  463. PEGASUS A-TEC
  464.  
  465. ===
  466.  
  467. Pegasus A-TEC drops: Dragon Treasure, Bright Castle, ＭＥＧＡＭＯＲＰＨ, Widespread Ruin (!!!), Dragon Capture Jar, Crush Card (!!!), Harpie's Feather Duster
  468.  
  469. So how exactly do you get an A-TEC? There are multiple things that factor into getting an A-TEC. The duels take longer, but the payoffs may be even more rewarding than BCD-POWS.
  470. The cards you are seeking on Pegasus A-TEC include Bright Castle, Megamorph, Widespread Ruin, Dragon Capture Jar (all 64/2048), Dragon Treasure (36/2048) and Crush Card (2/2048). Megamorph is the BEST Equip in the entire game. Instead of 500, Megamorph increases ANY monster's ATK and DEF by 1000 points. Having Megamorph is a tremendous perk that it might even overlook just starting with the useful Equip. Bright Castle is the runner-up Equip, which gives 500 ATK and DEF to any monster, much like Megamorph. Crush Card basically acts as a second Raigeki -- it destroys any opposing monster with a current ATK of 1500 or more. Winning Crush Card is another perk and is an out to many monsters past the farming but it only happens once in a blue moon.
  471.  
  472. Requirements include:
  473. - 9 passed turns (This is if your opponent has 27 or less cards below in their deck, provided they never fused)
  474. - 15 Fusions (yes, this includes Dark Hole with Umi lol)
  475. - 6990 Life Points (or below)
  476. - 4 Effective Attacks (attacking a monster in Attack Position to deal Battle Damage to the opponent)
  477. - 1 Face-down (just set your Trap)
  478. - 1 Magic used
  479. - 1 Equip used
  480. - 1 Trap used
  481. - 3 or less cards remaining in your deck.
  482.  
  483. Should you not have a trap, instead you could try going below 1000 LP and activating 7 Magics OR performing 2 Defensive wins (when your opponent attacks a monster in face-down Defense Position, but he does not destroy it and the damage is dealt back to him) in place of the trap (this only works on Kaiba and Mage Soldier, but they can also drop important traps). This takes longer, but can be viable.
  484.  
  485. ===
  486.  
  487. So, how do you know when you are ready for the rest of the game? That is for you to decide. You want to have a lot of Dragons, a lot of Thunders (I myself always prefer a count of at least 11 Dragons and 8 Thunders), at least 2 Umis and no less than 2 Equips. If you do not win any useful equip, keep farming. You want to have Equips, you want to have at least 1 Widespread Ruin and/or Dragon Capture Jar, and you ESPECIALLY want to have Megamorph.
  488.  
  489. ===
  490.  
  491. Farming is done. Woohoo! Time to move on!
  492.  
  493. ===
  494.  
  495. ＭＡＧＥＳ
  496.  
  497. ===
  498.  
  499. So now that you are ready, this is what you have prepared your deck for. These Duels are much longer, much more annoying, much more grueling, and require you to think. You can do the Shrines in any order you desire - but I will list them in the most optimal way I do them.
  500.  
  501. When you do the Shrines, all the Mages have the field set based on the Shrine you are going to. I will list the Field and what types does it work on, as well as the types against). As you know, when a Field is changed, it will increase (or decrease) a Monster's stats by 500 ATK & DEF points, depending on the type needed for it. If you try to change the field, there is a high chance they will change it back to the field to fit their own environment. Also, if you lose to a High Mage in a Shrine, you will have to duel the Low Mage as well again before having to duel the High Mage of that respective shrine.
  502.  
  503. ===
  504.  
  505. 1. Forest Shrine:
  506.  
  507. Field: Forest (Works in favor of Beast, Beast-Warrior, Insect and Plant-Type Monsters)
  508.  
  509. 1.1. Forest Mage:
  510. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  511. Notable drops: Yamatano Dragon Scroll, Petit Dragon, LaLa Li-oon, Kaminarikozou
  512.  
  513. Very easy mage. Lots of Jupiters here, so monsters with Mars like Firewing Pegasus or Thousand Dragon are powerful here. A Twin-headed Thunder Dragon is an easy win, just put in Moon to be safe from Togex (2300 DEF in Uranus on Forest).
  514.  
  515. -
  516.  
  517. 1.2. High Mage Anubisius:
  518. Preferred rank: Not important here
  519. Notable drops: Blackland Fire Dragon, Tripwire Beast
  520. Be wary of: Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth (3500 ATK, 4000 ATK on Forest), Great Moth (2600 ATK, 3100 ATK on Forest), Javelin Beetle (2450 ATK, 2950 ATK on Forest)
  521.  
  522. On we move to the first really hard duel of the run. Anubisius is known for consistently playing monsters that you cannot beat unless you either change the field in your favor and/or Equip a Twin-headed, and as such, 3 monsters here are very problematic if you can't get over them quickly due to the field being Forest. If he does not play a Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, Great Moth or Javelin Beetle, he may start with something like Flame Cerebrus or Millennium Golem and can be killed with just a simple Twin-headed. Again, play it in Moon here. Beat him, go back to the shop, Save.
  523.  
  524. ===
  525.  
  526. 2. Meadow Shrine:
  527.  
  528. Field: Meadow [Sogen] (Works in favor of Beast-Warrior and Warrior-Type Monsters)
  529.  
  530. 2.1. Meadow Mage:
  531. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  532. Notable drops: Meteor B. Dragon (!), Skull Knight, Dark Magician, Gaia the Fierce Knight, Firewing Pegasus, Curse of Dragon, Kaminari Attack, Metal Dragon, Meteor Dragon, Crawling Dragon, Blackland Fire Dragon, Koumori Dragon
  533. Be wary of: Millennium Shield (3500 DEF on Sogen)
  534.  
  535. Meadow Mage is by far the hardest low mage in the game. Besides starting a Millennium Shield -- which he can do a 5th of the time -- he also has other monsters that can easily beat a Twin-headed no matter what guardian star you play. If you play in Moon, it can lose to a Judge Man (2700 ATK on Sogen, Sun) or Giltia the D. Knight (2350 ATK on Sogen, Sun), or if you play in Pluto you risk an Empress Judge (2600 ATK on Sogen, Uranus). So what guardian star you want to start here is for you to decide. However, if you get a 3300 in your hand immediately play it Moon to get closer to a Shield, should he play one. However, if Meadow Mage does not start a Uranus or Sun, he is very easy and can be killed with Twin-headed Thunder Dragons. His other cards also are very high on the Sogen field, most around the 2200-2500 ATK/DEF range. Twin-headed works most of the time here, while a Skull Knight (in Mercury) or Gaia the Fierce Knight is an instant win. Another useful card/fusion here is Nekogal #2 as she is a Beast-Warrior; just play her in Uranus to be safe from Mars monsters (Flame Swordsman/Garoozis).
  536.  
  537. -
  538.  
  539. 2.2. High Mage Kepura:
  540. Preferred rank: A/S-POW (A-TEC might also be ok if you take the lead and have a Trap)
  541. Notable drops: B. Dragon Jungle King, Curse of Dragon, Kairyu-shin, Blackland Fire Dragon, Darkfire Dragon, Koumori Dragon, Baby Dragon, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Yamatano Dragon Scroll, Petit Dragon
  542. Be wary of: Gate Guardian (3750 ATK, 4250 ATK on Sogen)
  543.  
  544. Kepura is the other difficult High Mage. He can play a Gate Guardian which also gets the extra 500 ATK due to Sogen being the primary field. To beat a Gate Guardian, much like with Anubisius, you need to change the field and Equip a Twin-headed, or PRAY he does not start with Gate Guardian. Should Kepura not start with one, he might start a Moon in Defense (Wall Shadow, 3500 DEF on Sogen) or B. Skull Dragon. Also, much like with Meadow Mage, Kepura could also have Millennium Shield, Empress Judge and Judge Man, although he will most likely play a Seiyaryu before them anyway (Dragon, 2500 ATK in Sun). Play your Twin-headed in Pluto here.
  545.  
  546. A-TEC drops: Crush Card, Bright Castle, Dark Energy, Dragon Capture Jar, Warrior Elimination, Widespread Ruin
  547.  
  548. ===
  549.  
  550. So, after beating 2-4 High Mages (the mage order I use does not have to be replicated; everyone can do whatever order they want to and it makes very little - if any - difference. However, you MUST duel Seto 2nd after already clearing AT LEAST 2 Shrines but BEFORE all 5 of them. If you beat all of the High Mages without Seto 2nd, then you are locked into the Final 7; see below), you want to go back to the Card Shop and obviously Save. Then leave, re-enter, and rather than clicking on the card shop option, click on the Dueling Grounds option. After a few text boxes, you are brought to Labyrinth Mage.
  551.  
  552. The Final 7 means that you would have to do Labyrinth Mage, as well as the rest of the Final 6. It is technically faster if you get it first try, while 2nd try just breaks even and then for every extra attempt, you start to lose time. Beating Seto 2nd takes Labyrinth Mage out of the mix, so it's only 6 people you have to face in the Final Gauntlet.
  553.  
  554. ==
  555.  
  556. Labyrinth Mage:
  557. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  558. Notable drops: Twin-headed Thunder Dragon (!), Stone D., Thunder Dragon, Dragon Zombie, Blackland Fire Dragon, Bolt Escargot, Bolt Penguin, Electric Snake, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Dragon Statue, Tripwire Beast, Oscillo Hero #2, LaLa Li-oon, Kaminarikozou, Labyrinth Wall
  559. Be wary of: Gate Guardian
  560.  
  561. Labyrinth Mage is known for playing Gate Guardian a lot and can be very annoying if you either can't get rid of it in 2 turns or get over it. If he does not start one, normally he will either play a Labyrinth Wall, Wall Shadow or Twin-headed. Usually he will only play 1 Gate Guardian. Also, his Traps are the most annoying - of which one of them will not activate by you attacking him or his monsters. They will be either Acid Trap Hole, Fake Trap or Reverse Trap. There is also chance if you're low on Life Points that he CAN play Stop Defense to switch your weakest monster to attack and just beat you down. Play your Twin-headed in Moon here.
  562.  
  563. After beating Labyrinth Mage, you have to navigate through the labyrinth in order to not run into him one more time. The paths are right, right, left and right. After this, you're on to Seto 2nd.
  564.  
  565. -
  566.  
  567. Seto 2nd:
  568. Preferred rank: A/S-POW (If you can't A/S-POW but have a Trap, consider an A-TEC)
  569. Notable drops: Twin-headed Thunder Dragon (!), Zoa (!), Dark Magician, Gaia the Fierce Knight, Kaiser Dragon, B. Dragon Jungle King, Curse of Dragon, Stone D., Blackland Fire Dragon, Koumori Dragon, Lesser Dragon, Dragon Statue
  570. Be wary of: Gate Guardian, Meteor B. Dragon
  571.  
  572. It's been a while, Seto...
  573.  
  574. The last time we faced Seto, he was nothing but a walk in the park. Monsters you could beat without even fusing. However, this time, Seto has cards even more powerful than before and will beat you, fast. Seto loves using Gate Guardian here. Besides them, he also has Meteor B. Dragon, Metalzoa, Black Luster Soldier (both 3000 ATK in Moon) and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Play your Twin-headed in Pluto and try to get a 3800 as fast as possible. And to note, just like with the High Mages: if you lose here, you have to duel Labyrinth Mage again.
  575.  
  576. A-TEC drops: Crush Card, Dark Hole, Raigeki, Beast Fangs, Bright Castle, Dragon Treasure, Invigoration, Warrior Elimination, Widespread Ruin
  577.  
  578. ===
  579.  
  580. After beating Seto 2nd, go back to the Card Shop and Save. Then, continue on with the shrines.
  581.  
  582. ===
  583.  
  584. 3. Mountain Shrine
  585.  
  586. Field: Mountain (Works in favor of Dragon (!), Thunder (!) and Winged Beast-Type Monsters)
  587.  
  588. 3.1. Mountain Mage:
  589. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  590. Notable drops: Meteor B. Dragon (!), Skull Knight, Firewing Pegasus, Kaminari Attack, Metal Dragon, Meteor Dragon, Crawling Dragon
  591.  
  592. The easiest low mage as far as I am concerned. Mountain works on Dragons and Thunders, giving you the boost as well. A Twin-headed Thunder Dragon or Skull Knight (in Mercury) is an instant win. As Mountain Mage has a lot of Saturns, Ushi Oni and B. Dragon Jungle King can also work here.
  593.  
  594. -
  595.  
  596. 3.2. High Mage Atenza:
  597. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  598. Notable drops: Harpie's Pet Dragon, Crawling Dragon #2, The Immortal of Thunder, Koumori Dragon, Darkfire Dragon, Bolt Escargot, Rogue Doll, Labyrinth Wall
  599. Be wary of: Meteor B. Dragon (rare), B. Skull Dragon
  600.  
  601. One of the easier High Mages - however, he can sometimes play B. Skull Dragon and even Meteor B. Dragon (EXTREMELY RARE, but has happened) so watch out for those. Try to get at least a 3800 THTD on the field if you can, or play Umi to remove the 500 bonus from B. Skull Dragon. If you let him backrow you might be up against a Shadow Spell, Swords of Revealing Light or even Raigeki. Play your Twin-headed in Pluto here.
  602.  
  603. ===
  604.  
  605. 4. Sea Shrine
  606.  
  607. Field: Sea [Umi] (Works in favor of Aqua, Fish, Sea Serpent and Thunder-Type (!) Monsters, works against Machine and Pyro-Type Monsters)
  608.  
  609. 4.1. Ocean Mage:
  610. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  611. Notable drops: Aqua Dragon, Sea King Dragon, Kairyu-shin, Dragon Zombie, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Petit Dragon, Oscillo Hero #2, Kaminarikozou, LaLa Li-oon, Umi
  612.  
  613. Another very easy low mage. He can play a Boulder Tortoise (2700 DEF in Uranus on Umi), but a Twin-headed Thunder Dragon in Pluto or Moon wins regardless. Most of the time even a Kaminari Attack will work. Easy duel.
  614.  
  615. -
  616.  
  617. 4.2. High Mage Secmeton:
  618. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  619. Notable drops: Parrot Dragon, Kairyu-shin, Thunder Dragon, Spirit of the Winds, Rogue Doll, Labyrinth Wall, Umi
  620.  
  621. A Twin-headed Thunder Dragon immediately wins here. Just play your THTD in Moon because he can play Millennium Shield or Labyrinth Wall. Otherwise, he has nothing that can stall a Twin-headed. The easiest High Mage by far.
  622.  
  623. ===
  624.  
  625. 5. Desert Shrine
  626.  
  627. Field: Wasteland (Works in favor of Dinosaur, Rock and Zombie-Type Monsters)
  628.  
  629. 5.1. Desert Mage:
  630. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  631. Notable drops: Sword Arm of Dragon, Crawling Dragon #2, Dragon Zombie, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Oscillo Hero #2, Electric Snake, Mountain
  632. Be wary of: Labyrinth Wall (3500 DEF on Wasteland)
  633.  
  634. Desert Mage is another very easy Mage. He plays a lot of cards in Uranus, so always play your Twin-headed Thunder Dragon here in Moon. Also, as the field is Wasteland, things like Mystical Sand & Stone D. excel here if you cannot make a Twin-headed in your hand. However, he also can play Labyrinth Wall. If he plays it, toss until you find an Umi, Mountain, or Raigeki.
  635.  
  636. -
  637.  
  638. 5.2. High Mage Martis:
  639. Preferred rank: A/S-POW
  640. Notable drops: Zoa (!), Ushi Oni (?), Dragon Zombie, Baby Dragon, Dragon Statue, Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head, Bolt Penguin, Electric Snake, One-eyed Shield Dragon, Spirit of the Winds, Rogue Doll
  641. Be wary of: Labyrinth Wall (3500 DEF on Wasteland)
  642.  
  643. Yep, much like Desert Mage, no surprise - Martis ALSO has Labyrinth Wall. However, he has nothing else that is stronger than a Twin-headed. Again, keep it Moon and try to find an Umi, Mountain or Raigeki. Yet another easy High Mage.
  644.  
  645. ===
  646.  
  647. Well, with that, you are officially done with all the Final Mages. Congrats on officially making it to the Final Gauntlet! Once you beat the final Mage, Seto will approach you to tell you to go the Vast Shrine. Go back, Save and see if you have any Starchips left to buy something before you make your final preparations.
  648.  
  649. So now comes the true test of Forbidden Memories - the Final 6. This is what you have been preparing your deck for. This is why you have been farming a lot. All the previous Mages might have been easy to beat with even a simple Twin-headed, but that does not pale in comparison to what the next guys will play. These are 6 Duels all without saying. A CHALLENGE, IS IT? If you are lucky, you might be able to beat the game in about 15-20 minutes depending on your luck.
  650.  
  651. ===
  652.  
  653. MEADOW MAGE FARM
  654.  
  655. As mentioned before, Meadow Mage is the mage who yields some of the best drops in the game, notably Meteor B. Dragon, or MBD. MBD is a monster with 3500 ATK which has Mars and Sun. Mars is strong against Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth and Sun is strong against Gate Guardian. However, it is not at all recommended to farm for an MBD unless you have no other option and think Meadow Mage will serve as a last resort - first of all, MBD is only a 20/2048 chance, or 0.976%. Second, you need to consistently get an A/S-POW on Meadow Mage to ensure you will get it. That is not easy to do, especially if you see a starting Uranus in Defense (80% of the time will be a Millennium Shield). MBD CAN be a monster that can win on its own, but you still need to draw it and pray that you do not see on opposing MBD or a stronger monster (which will be stated right below). The only time I will recommend farming for an MBD is when you have beaten every Mage and think you are good on your Traps/Magics, or Monster count, or if you're in a race. Trying it as a main strategy with just 1 Equip will not work, especially if you did NOT start with Dragon Treasure, as it is the only THTD Equip it also takes. It does boost your chances, but it is not at all recommended.
  656.  
  657. Of course, Meadow Mage besides MBD can drop other quality cards, such as Skull Knight (Takes Beast Fangs & Dark Energy), Dark Magician (Takes Dark Energy), Gaia the Fierce Knight (Takes Dark Energy), Kaminari Attack and multiple dragons. Even if you don't win an MBD, winning those can be just as ok.
  658.  
  659. ===
  660.  
  661. ＦＩＮＡＬ ６
  662.  
  663. After exiting the Card Shop for the final time, press Circle, then go up to the Vast Shrine. Once Seto opens the door, the Final 6 begins.
  664.  
  665. -
  666.  
  667. Getting a rank here does not matter whatsoever. All you want here is to WIN. If you get any Dragons/Thunders/Zoa/Labyrinth Wall, that's cool, but you unfortunately don't get to keep them if you lose anywhere next.
  668.  
  669. ===
  670.  
  671. Field: Yami (Works in favor of Fiend and Spellcaster-Type Monsters, works against Fairy-Type Monsters)
  672.  
  673. 6.1. Guardian Sebek:
  674. Be wary of: Metalzoa, Zoa, Millennium Shield, Labyrinth Wall
  675.  
  676. Kicking things off with the Final 6 is Sebek. To win here, all you need to do is just equip a THTD or change the field to Umi to power down his Machines. Play it in Moon because he has Shields and Walls. Sebek is known for mostly playing backrows (most of the time either Acid Trap Hole or Fake Trap, or Shadow Spell BTW) and can equip his monsters. Besides a 3300 THTD, an MBD in Sun or Skull Knight are an instant win here.
  677.  
  678. -
  679.  
  680. 6.2. Guardian Neku:
  681. Be wary of: Skull Knight, Zoa, Dark Magician, Summoned Skull, Kazejin
  682.  
  683. Unlike Sebek, who gives you room to breathe - Neku almost always goes aggressive and plays nothing but monsters, sparsely playing backrows. This is why you want to focus on getting a THTD with an Equip on the field as soon as possible, rather than an Umi/Mountain. Neku's AI is very identical to those of the Low Mages - if you try to change the field, there is a 90% chance he will just change the field back to Yami, so this is where if you have any filler fields, it still works in your favor and you do not want his Fiends/Spellcasters powered up. There is also a high chance he will sometimes fuse two Yamis in his hand to equip something really powerful like a Skull Knight or Zoa (Yami + Yami makes Dark Energy). This is where if you have a Twin-headed and a Mountain or an Umi in your opening hand, you want to set them during your first turn to make him waste two Yamis if possible (worst case scenario would be him just using Harpie's Feather Duster). If you have an MBD, that is an automatic win here - just make sure to play it in MARS (NOT SUN), as Skull Knight's Primary Guardian Star is Mercury. If you have a Skull Knight, that will also be an instant win here (play it in Neptune because Neku can play Illusionist Faceless Mage, and he has no Monsters in Pluto).
  684.  
  685. -
  686.  
  687. 6.3. Heishin 2nd:
  688. Be wary of: Gate Guardian, Meteor B. Dragon, Zera the Mant, B. Skull Dragon, Zoa, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Metalzoa, Dark Magician, Labyrinth Wall, Kazejin
  689.  
  690. Ah yes, Heishin. Often called by many people "Hardest", Heishin can genuinely be considered THE Hardest opponent in the game and the first true wall of the run given his playstyle. Expect his 1st monster to be a Gate Guardian most of the time. However, besides Gate Guardian, he also has other strong cards above the 3000+ level. And if you have seen it before the first time you dueled him, he sometimes would Megamorph a monster from his hand or play it face-down, just to equip it to a monster of his on the field. This time, however, if you play something such as an Umi, Mountain, or a Widespread first turn, or Raigeki/Dark Hole the field a few turns in, expect him to immediately Megamorph something in his hand (most likely a 4750 Gate Guardian), or just set a Megamorph and then equip it on to a monster the next turn. Umi is only to be played the NEXT turn should you have it in your hand. You have to try to make a 3800 THTD here to win or pray he does not have anything above 3300 ATK in his hand. If he starts a B. Skull Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon or Metalzoa first turn and you cannot do anything, expect him 3/4ths of the time to immediately Megamorph a Zera the Mant from his hand (4300 ATK) and you lose over half your LP in an instant. Not a fun duel at all. Sometimes, you just take the lead while Heishin has 2 or more Monsters on the field and then Heishin can face-down a Megamorph and equip it onto another monster to take back the lead. Or he has a Trap(s) set while you have a stronger monster against his and then he uses Raigeki on you. Heishin having a Megamorph in his deck is now 5 times higher the chance than the first time you dueled him, and he will almost never have less than 2 Megamorphs in his deck now. Also, Heishin this time has only 2 Trap cards - Fake Trap AND Widespread Ruin. Most of the time it will be a Widespread Ruin. Never attack into a single monster of his unless you are confident enough or have a weaker monster on your field. So yeah - that's all I can really say here. PRAY.
  691.  
  692. Another possibility is that you can auto-lose by Heishin having all 5 Forbidden One cards in his hand. It has happened to 6 runners before, so it can at some point happen to you as well. Like in the TCG, having all 5 Exodia cards just wins you the duel no matter what the situation. Chances of it are never guaranteed as he actually has to have the 5 cards in his hand, but possible.
  693.  
  694. -
  695.  
  696. 6.4. Seto 3rd:
  697. Be wary of: ＢＬＵＥ－ＥＹＥＳ ＵＬＴＩＭＡＴＥ ＤＲＡＧＯＮ （４５００ ＡＴＫ！！！！！！）
  698.  
  699. ＩＴ＇Ｓ Ａ ＳＵＮ... ＩＴ＇Ｓ ＡＮ ＵＬＴＩＭＡＴＥ！！！ Yep - you have now been introduced to the most powerful monster in Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, which is a staggering 56.8% chance for Seto 3rd to open with it and where your Final 6 attempt likely ends. If he starts it, and if you do not have any outs to it in 2-3 turns, you pretty much lose. Seto does not care about any of your Umis, Equips, MBDs, DCJs etc. He LOVES to consistently play Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and will very likely play another one even after you use a magic to get rid of the 1st one and kills you, ASAP. And yes, unlike the last 2 encounters, Seto 3rd CANNOT be faked out this time. One of the rare instances you want for Seto 3rd is to start a Gate Guardian or below. (Yes, you might be calling me crazy, but a Gate Guardian is actually one of the better things for him to play and can give you more time). If he does, try stalling as much as you can until you can make AT LEAST A 3800 THTD, then beat him down. If he plays an Ultimate, use a Raigeki, Dark Hole, DCJ or whatever and PRAY he does not play a 2nd/3rd one. When he starts putting face-down non-monster cards, there are 3 things to be aware of: 1) Shadow Spell 2) Raigeki 3) Widespread Ruin (which is his only Trap, BTW). Keep him magic-locked (see below) and hope he does not play another Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Setting a Widespread Ruin, or anything in your backrow might trigger him using a Harpie's Feather Duster 65% of the time the first turn, so be careful. If you are in control and have a Widespread (while he has no backrows) or DCJ, or Raigeki in your hand, SET THEM IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT EVEN THINK OF DOING ANYTHING ELSE. NEVER LET HIM PLAY A RANDOM ULTIMATE. IF HE PLAYS IT, COOL. You have your own backrow to get rid of it. Beating Seto for the final time is one of the biggest hurdles in the game, but unfortunately not the last duel.
  700.  
  701. -
  702.  
  703. 6.5. DarkNite:
  704. Be wary of: Meteor B. Dragon, B. Skull Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon
  705.  
  706. DarkNite is essentially considered a much more difficult Atenza with a bit of Heishin sprinkled in. He has multiple Dragons such as Meteor B. Dragon, B. Skull Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Although that sounds like a sound of relief due to no Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragons or Gate Guardians to worry about, you can still lose here. DarkNite will normally start with a Cosmo Queen (2900 ATK/2450 DEF in Venus). If you have nothing in your hand, play your THTD in Moon, keep it in Attack Position and sit there. If he starts either a Blue-Eyes, B. Skull Dragon or MBD, prepare to start stalling and hope any of the Traps he sets are useless. DarkNite will keep setting Traps for at least 4-5 turns and will make you try to play around them. DarkNite has 2 useless Trap Cards (Bad Reaction to Simochi/Goblin Fan), while the other 2 you have encountered throughout the game (Reverse Trap/Widespread Ruin). It is highly recommended that you do NOT attack first if you are ahead and he has traps set. If a Widespread Ruin activates from the RIGHT while he has another Trap set down, there is a 75% possibility the other Trap might as well be a 2nd Widespread. He can sometimes play fields such as Mountain or Yami from his hand (mostly Mountain), depending on the monsters he has. He can also sometimes Megamorph monsters, although it is not as common as Heishin. Try to get a 3800 THTD as soon as possible, although most of the time a 3300 THTD can be just as feasible. Watch out especially for his Magics. Besides Mountain or Yami, he has multiple Magics that can make you stall even more. If you are below 1000 Life Points, there is a 99% chance he will just play a Tremendous Fire and you immediately lose (Tremendous Fire is a Magic that, just like in the TCG - Inflicts 1000 effect damage to your opponent - in this case you). There can be a chance he runs out of Monsters sometimes and his hand is just a dozen Magics or Traps, in which it is likely (but not at all) that he can start playing cards such as Shadow Spell, Raigeki, Crush Card or even Swords. Once you beat him, it is time for Nitemare.
  707.  
  708. -
  709.  
  710. 6.6. Nitemare:
  711. Be wary of: Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Gate Guardian, Meteor B. Dragon, Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, B. Skull Dragon, Black Luster Soldier, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Metalzoa, Tri-Horned Dragon
  712.  
  713. Ladies & gentlemen, we've reached the end of the line! The gatekeeper duel of all the runs. The biggest coinflip of all. Either you win and you beat the game, or you lose and you have to go back all the way to Sebek. Very discouraging and demotivating, but it's a risk you have to take. Nitemare is objectively the hardest duelist in the game - unanimous opinion. Not only having strong monsters - he has NO BACKROWS. Yes, you heard me right. No Magics, no Traps. Which means he will play a monster ＥＶＥＲＹ ＳＩＮＧＬＥ ＴＵＲＮ. No stalling. If you cannot beat anything what he plays in the first 2 turns, you lose. You will need either a low start or good draws to win here. So, if you have nothing in your hands, toss everything. Pray that he does not start anything 3500 or above. If you draw a Widespread first hand, set it immediately to see what his first monster is for a better understanding. Nitemare will kill you faster than anyone else. If you win, you are done. You get to celebrate. Congrats on your first completed run, make sure to savor it! Timer ends when the "You Win!" text fades away and the card won shows up.
  714.  
  715. ===
  716.  
  717. OTHER NOTES & INFORMATION
  718.  
  719. ===
  720.  
  721. Passwords:
  722.  
  723. Dragons:
  724. Yamatano Dragon Scroll | 76704943 (25 Starchips)
  725. Petit Dragon | 75356564 (30 Starchips)
  726. Wicked Dragon with the Ersatz Head | 02957055 (45 Starchips)
  727. One-eyed Shield Dragon | 33064647 (55 Starchips)
  728. Lesser Dragon | 55444629 (70 Starchips)
  729.  
  730. Thunders:
  731. LaLa Li-oon | 09430387 (25 Starchips)
  732. Mega Thunderball | 21817254 (30 Starchips)
  733. Kaminarikozou | 15510988 (30 Starchips)
  734. Oscillo Hero #2 | 27324313 (30 Starchips)
  735. Electric Lizard | 55875323 (35 Starchips)
  736. Electric Snake | 11324436 (40 Starchips)
  737. Bolt Penguin | 48531733 (50 Starchips)
  738. Tripwire Beast | 45042329 (100 Starchips)
  739. Thunder Dragon | 31786629 (230 Starchips)
  740.  
  741. Fields (55 Starchips):
  742. Umi | 22702055
  743. Mountain | 50913601
  744. Yami | 59197169
  745.  
  746. -
  747.  
  748. Common acronyms used around the FM Speedrunning community and in the guide:
  749. FM - Forbidden Memories
  750. DE - Dark Energy
  751. DT - Dragon Treasure
  752. DM - Dark Magician
  753. SK - Skull Knight
  754. WSR - Widespread Ruin
  755. MD - Meteor Dragon
  756. MBD - Meteor B. Dragon
  757. BJ - B. Dragon Jungle King
  758. PUGM - Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth
  759. GG - Gate Guardian
  760. BEWD - Blue-Eyes White Dragon
  761. BEUD - Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
  762. MM - Megamorph
  763. HPD - Harpie's Pet Dragon
  764. HFD - Harpie's Feather Duster
  765. ATH - Acid Trap Hole
  766. MCF - Machine Conversion Factory
  767. BC - Bright Castle
  768. CC - Crush Card
  769. WT - World Tournament
  770. THTD - Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon
  771.  
  772. -
  773.  
  774. Easy/Normal/Hard Mode explanations/First Turn Simulations:
  775. In the game, there are around 2.14 billion (approximately 2^31) seeds based on the cards that you win, the pool of cards the opponents have and the cards that you draw. Hard Mode is usually considered when the AI starts with a card of the highest ATK or DEF. In this case, it would be when either Weevil or Mage Soldier start Jirai Gumo, the card with the highest ATK in their deck pool. A Normal Mode is usually what is considered the AI's most regular start, or the card that appears the most in their deck pool. Let's say for example Mai starting Mechanicalchacer or Atenza starting B. Skull Dragon. Expect it almost every time. An Easy Mode is when the AI starts a very low card that you can easily beat, or something that has not been coded in many pools.
  776.  
  777. See here to find out what the AI can open with in their first turn: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQqytjyeFTfNzYmTLEhextZOwW5uBZuF3ggfG_DadOpzKWZZfONpmY1EVS6cnke38-bv6d4tGqBk8kJ/pubhtml#
  778.  
  779. So when we say "Seto 3rd starting a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon 1st turn is a 56.8%", that is a cumulative chance out of 100% of how much he will start in the span of all the seeds across Forbidden Memories, which are 1220115763 seeds, and it is considered his most normal start in duels.
  780.  
  781. -
  782.  
  783. Magic-Locking:
  784. So remember how I mentioned that 98% of the game is entirely based on RNG? Well, where does the other "2%" come from? The answer is THIS.
  785.  
  786. Magic-Locking is an exploit where the AI tries to gain control of the field as much as they can if your monster has the higher BASE ATK or DEF on the field than theirs. This will always occur either from their 4th turn onwards, or if they Set a Magic face-down and then activate it the next turn. Before the 4th turn, if you have a monster with the higher base ATK or DEF then their(s), the AI will always play a monster first instead of a Magic or Trap. The field environment accounts into Magic-Locking (for example, if you have a Twin-Headed on the field while the environment is Umi or Mountain, the AI will see the THTD as a 3300/2600 instead of 2800/2100), but the Guardian Stars and Equips do NOT. This also accounts if you have a monster that has a much lower base ATK, but still having much higher ATK than the base ATK (or DEF) of the opponent's monster. The AI will not declare an attack until it comes to realizing the Guardian Stars or Equips accounted into your monster gives you the advantage. However, they will not activate any Magics to take control because they only look at your BASE ATK or DEF (fields still included).
  787.  
  788. This also accounts into their Magics played face-down. While you have a monster with the less BASE ATK compared to your opponent, he will NOT activate any face-down Magic from his field to take control. Harpie's Feather Duster is not included.
  789.  
  790. Example:
  791. Seto 3rd has a B. Skull Dragon while you have an MBD on your field. Seto 3rd will either activate Shadow Spell or Raigeki to take control on the field so that he will have the strongest monster with the BASE ATK. MBD's BASE ATK is 3500, while a B. Skull Dragon's BASE ATK is 3200.
  792.  
  793. -
  794.  
  795. Selfdestruct Glitch:
  796. The Selfdestruct glitch works when the AI thinks they will officially decrease your Life Points to 0 from one single effective attack on your monster while the difference between the 2 monsters is the difference of your Life Points. Just like the Magic-Locking exploit where fields are included into the base ATK and DEF, but Equips and Guardian Stars are not, the AI will attack into you but their monsters instead will be destroyed due to your ATK still being higher than theirs.
  797.  
  798. Example:
  799. Your current Life Points are 1700 or less and you have a THTD on the field that is at 4800 ATK (from Equips). The opponent has a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field.
  800. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will attack the THTD, however, due to the Magic-Lock exploit, the BEUD is destroyed as its ATK is still 300 ATK lower than the current THTD on the field, albeit its BASE ATK being 2800.
  801.  
  802. HOWEVER:
  803. Your current Life Points are 1000 or less and you have an MBD on the field that is at 4500 ATK (from Equips). The opponent has a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon on the field.
  804. The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon will crash into the MBD and both monsters are destroyed as the difference between the ATK/LP is exactly 1000.
  805.  
  806. -
  807.  
  808. Attack probability:
  809. When you play a monster in face-down Defense Position, after the AI has a monster on the field, there is a possibility the AI may not attack you and will instead switch their monsters to Defense Position (or keep their monster in Attack Position if their base ATK is 3000 or above). Opponents who cannot be faked-out and have a 0% Attack probability include Heishin (both encounters), Pegasus, Seto 3rd, DarkNite & Nitemare. This is where if you are at a disadvantage, you can try to stall for a few turns to try and find a card where you can turn the tides in your favor. It will not always work, but it is a risk you would have to take. (See the Useful Links section below). Mage Soldier, Labyrinth Mage & Neku are 75% to attack, all the low Mages & Sebek are 50% to attack, while the High Mages & Seto 2nd are 25% to attack.
  810.  
  811. -
  812.  
  813. Hand Size:
  814. In this game, most opponents have a bigger hand size than your regular 5. The main way you can tell by their hand size is usually when they pick a card from their most left, so it ends up being either card 1, card 6... or even card 16. The Final 6 is notorious for having a Hand Size of 20 cards, including both Heishin encounters -- yes, literally half of their deck (meaning cards from the 2nd most left to the far right are cards 17-20). TL;DR - they cheat. All the low Mages have a Hand Size of 14, the High Mages & Labyrinth Mage have a 16-Card Hand Size, while Seto 2nd has 18.
  815.  
  816. -
  817.  
  818. Low LP Threshold:
  819. When the AI reach a very low amount of Life Points, they will never play a Magic or Trap and will always play a monster from their hand to protect themselves from losing when the field has no monsters. This includes fusions from their hands.
  820.  
  821. ===
  822.  
  823. And with everything, we have reached the end of the guide. I have included also all the important resources and links down below for everyone wishing to learn the game, or just play it casually. Do not worry, all the links are free and safe.
  824.  
  825. With all being written, re-written and finalized, I wish good luck to anyone who wishes to attempt Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories in the future! May RNG and good luck be on your side.
  826.  
  827. - ＢｌｉｔｚＰｈｏｅｎｉｘ９８
  828.  
  829. ===
  830.  
  831. Special Thanks:
  832. - The Forbidden Memories Speedrunning Community
  833. - Alerubis (For creating the database link)
  834. - BadNewsNate (For the DuckStation guide)
  835. - duke1102 (For the pocketduelist list for the game)
  836. - ExarionU (For the Win Rate Calculator)
  837. - FabuTK (For the Alternative Win Rate Calculator)
  838. - FraserNotFrasier (For creating the Card Counter)
  839. - hippochan (For creating the Rank Calculator)
  840. - GenericMadScientist (For all the hard work regarding this game)
  841.  
  842. ===
  843.  
  844. Useful files:
  845. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories Game File: http://drive.google.com/file/d/1T_kwcmjfBfglugEvI_boFGwUNfTHlSmR/
  846. DuckStation Emulator: https://github.com/stenzek/duckstation/releases/
  847. ePSXe Emulator (Version 2.0.0.): http://www.epsxe.com/files/ePSXe200.zip/
  848. LiveSplit timer: https://livesplit.org/
  849. Card Overview: https://github.com/fraserelliott/Card-Overview/releases/download/v1.1.3/Card.Overview.1.1.3.zip/
  850. Rank Calculator: https://hippochan.nl/calc/
  851. Win Rate Calculator: https://www.dropbox.com/s/p4np1j4bdx9nvlf/FM%20win%20rate%20calculator%202.1.zip?dl=0
  852. Alternative Win Rate Calculator: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HmaX2PCABld0ZJHspzuBjRi1HkNbX8jU/view
  853.  
  854. Other useful links:
  855. FM drop list, Fusion list and Equip list for monsters: pd.ygo.fm
  856. List of card groups: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1tJTHVawe0ZBbv0riS_i0f2Yg0GXTDeBjVonOhy3ezbQ/
  857. Duel rank calculation: http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/3085/t2018541-calculating-duel-rank/
  858. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories Speedrunning Discord: http://discord.com/invite/0d11GnddVoMPxchK/
  859. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories Hand AI: http://www.pastebin.com/N3jaqT8n
  860. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories Field AI: http://www.pastebin.com/ruYXgu15
  861. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories AI Data: http://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WC4q56hJ2mn9QbGW64Ih2RaMjP6U2zvf5G46hXV1CfY/
  862. Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories Database: https://yugioh-fm-db.pages.dev/home
  863. Duelist Chart Notes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1J21bZgLqL0bFwMxFBe0ZSIgNNPdnoeB4jf_ciBzO8Hw/
  864. Guide for Setting up DuckStation for Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories by BadNewsNate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du6dfORc5U4/
  865.  
  866. ===
  867.  
  868. Any% - No RNG Manipulation Guide for more experienced runners: https://pastebin.com/ZtXhSAkB
  869.  
  870. ===
  871.  
  872. Discord Account regarding any other important questions: elnosabe_
  873. My Twitch Account: http://www.twitch.tv/BlitzPhoenix98/
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