Yu-Gi-Oh 25th Anniversary Cards Are Heavy Dose of Early 2000s Nostalgia

Five booster packs of early 2000s Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards will be reissued in 2023, bringing back beloved cards like Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician, game maker Konami said Wednesday.

The five packs being reissued include Legend of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Invasion of Chaos, Metal Raiders, Pharaoh's Servant and Spell Ruler. Konami will also release a 25th Anniversary Collection Box, containing six booster packs and six ultra cards, a special variant card, a reissue of the Egyptian god card promos and a bonus seventh card. This bonus seventh card will give players a peek at a brand new rarity called a quarter century rare.

Konami didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.

Trading card games have seen a surge in popularity. During the pandemic, retailers couldn't keep up with sudden demand for Pokémon cards, with people lining up in front of stores. Some customers went so far as to clear out McDonald's of Happy Meal toy supply with boxes of cards ending up on eBay. The Pokémon company had to print 9 billion additional cards to cool demand and lower speculation. While Yu-Gi-Oh hasn't reached the immense popularity of Pokémon, it does stand alongside it and Magic as one of the more popular trading card games. Master Duel, a video game version of the card game, has also gained in popularity this past year, seeing a surge of players on Steam. 

Earlier this year, Yu-Gi-Oh creator Kazuki Takahashi drowned when trying to save a girl who was pulled by a dangerous rip current.

All the booster packs mentioned above will go on sale on July 14, 2023, and will retail for $4.49 a pack. Official tournament stores can begin selling packs two days prior. As for the 25th Anniversary Collection box, it'll be released on April 21, 2023, and will sell for $32 per set. As with the booster packs, official tournament stores will begin selling the box two days prior.