Yu-Gi-Oh!’s Photon Hypernova is a booster expansion that adds new cards toa ton of pre-establish archetypesincluding Dogmatika, and Galaxy-Eyes. The expansion also introduces a new archetype, Gold Pride, which consists of five new monsters, one spell card, and one trap card.
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The expansion adds 100 new cards to the game, with 10 of the cards being Secret Rares. Several of those Secret Rares are even the especially rare Starlight Secret Rare. With so many archetypes receiving love, Photon Hypernova is a blessing to both duelists and collectors, which is why it is no surprise that some of the cards on this list are valued to be worth over $300.
This list usesTCGPlayer’s market pricesto determine values.
10Gold Pride - Leon (UR) - $10.76
Riding in on a golden robot horse equipped with flaming exhaust pipes, this space cowboy-themed card is the core of the Gold Pride archetype. Leon is the intended tuner card for summoning Gold Pride - Star Leon, as his effect allows you to special summon a non-warrior Gold Pride monster from the graveyard in defense position. This immediately can be chained into synchro summoning Star Leon, the boss card of the Gold Pride set.
The foil on Gold Pride - Leon does a decent job of making Leon and his horse look like they’re moving through it, though alone, it isn’t much to talk about. What makes this card worth the money is how crucial it is to get a Gold Pride deck moving, as Leon’s special effect essentially allows you to rotate between Leon and Star Leon every turn.
9Kashtira Arise-Heart (SR) - $17.85
A new Xyz card to go alongside Kashtira Shangri-Ira, Kashtira Arise-Heart is the powerhouse hitter the Kastira set needed. Aside from the impressive 3000 attack points it has, Arise-Heart is a master of banishing cards.
While on the field, Arise-Heart banishes any cards sent to the graveyard, which is good, but when combined with its other effect that allows it to take cards being banished as a material every chain, Arise-Heart can quickly snowball as it works with Kashtira Shangri-Ira. Shangri-Ira allows you to completely close off a space on your opponent’s side of the field whenever a card is banished face-down, which Arise-Heart can easily due by detaching three materials. With effects like these, it’s no wonder Kishtara Arise-Heart is worth what it is.
8Kashtiratheosis (SR) - $41.71
A new addition to the Kashtira set, Kashtiratheosis targets a Kashtira monster you already control and lets you Special Summon a Kashtira monster of a different attribute to the field in defense. This allows you to summon a level seven monster that you can use towards the three materials required to summon the new Xyz boss card, Kashtira Arise-Heart.
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Kashtiratheosis also synergizes well with the Kashtira banishing mechanics, letting you return cards banished by Arise-Heart back to your hand. While it isn’t the most impressive card on the list, Kashtiratheosis’s utility justifies its cost.
7Pressured Planet Wraitsoth (SR) - $57.58
An overall fantastic support card for the Kashtira archetype, Pressured Planet Wraitsoth is a continuous spell card that not only boosts the attack and defense of your monsters by 100 for each different attribute on the field. If you have Kashtira Shangri-Ira on the field, Wraitsoth also gains the ability to destroy one card on the field when Shangri-Ira activates an effect.
The Secret Rare foil is somewhat of a detriment to the art, as the foil makes it difficult to see the Kashtira Arise-Heart and the buildings through the black and red. Regardless, Pressured Planet Wraitsoth is a welcome support spell to the Kashtira set.
6Triple Tactics Thrust (SR) - $74.31
Triple Tactics Thrust is an interesting spell card that is just generally helpful to any deck. With the plethora of monster effects that are triggered during matches, the ability to steal an opponent’s monster from the field and add it to your hand can be crippling to them.
Chaining special summons is such a norm in present-day Yu-Gi-Oh! that cards like Triple Tactics Thrust that can interrupt or steal monsters are more powerful than ever. The only downside to the card is that it isn’t a Quick-Play spell, especially since you can only activate one Triple Tactics Thrust per turn.
5Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus II (StR) - $151.27
A winged beast monster with a giant laser cannon strapped to its left arm,Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus IIis not a Link Monster you want to scoff at. Easily the most powerful Link Monster in the Tri-Brigade set, Bucephalus II allows you to dominate the field by stopping your opponent from activating any cards or effects when you Special Summon monsters.
Another effect Bucephalus II has is its ability to banish itself when a monster attacks. When it does this, Bucephalus II also banishes all the cards your opponent controls, leaving them wide open to an OTK.
4Gold Pride - Captain Carrie (StR) - $162.19
While not useful in combat, Gold Pride - Captain Carrie does a great job of setting up the Gold Pride Tuner boss card, Gold Pride - Star Leon. With Carrie’s ability to let you draw Gold Pride - Start Your Engines! along with the attack boost it can give Star Leon, Carrie functions as an amazing support card.
Related:Rarest Yu-Gi-Oh Cards And Their Worth
Interestingly, Captain Carrie’s art deviates from the rest of the Gold Pride cards. The other cards all focus on the futuristic racing theme, while Carrie rocks a pirate captain look. Admittedly the Starlight Rare foil doesn’t look as impressive on Carrie as it does on some of the other Photon Hypernova cards, but it still does an excellent job of making the card stand out.
3Granguignol The Dusk Dragon (StR) - $217.54
Granguignol The Dusk Dragon is a new dragon fusion for the Dogmatika and Despia sets. It requires Blazing Cartesia, the Virtuous, and another light or dark monster to be fusion summoned, but Granguignol is worth the cost.
For Despia decks, Granguignol’s ability to banish itself from the field or graveyard and summon a Despia monster from the Extra Deck can easily turn the tide of a match if you use the effect to summon Despian Proskenion. This effect can only be activated when a monster is special summoned by your opponent’s monster effect, but that isn’t much of an issue since a ton of decks revolve around special summoning.
2Kashtira Arise-Heart (StR) - $333.04
The Starlight Rare version of Kashtira Arise-Heart is something to behold. The Starlight Rare foil creates a gorgeous background for Arise-Heart to stand in front of, and the gold borders emphasize the card’s powers. These small flourishes take Arise-Heart from looking like a low-tier anime villain to the robot demon lord it is meant to be.
Worth $300 more than its Secret Rare version, this card is more for collectors or players that want to play with their opponents psychologically. It’s just a shame that Arise-Heart didn’t show up this clearly in the Pressured Planet Wraitsoth Starlight Rare.
1Mirrorjade The Iceblade Dragon (StR) - $349.56
Mirrorjade The Iceblade Dragon is a gorgeous card that is a new fusion for the Fallen Albaz card. With 500 more attack power than the other two Fallen Albaz fusions, Alba-Lenatus the Abyss Dragon and Albion the Branded Dragon, Mirrorjade has become the new boss card of the set.
While theother Albaz Dragonshave support-oriented special effects, Mirrojade’s effects are more aggressive. Every other turn you can banish an enemy monster from the field, and if your opponent does anything that would take Mirrorjade off the field while you control it, you can destroy all the monsters your opponent controls at the end of the turn. Between its effects and the way the Starlight Rare foil style works with the ice spikes in the art, it is no wonder Mirrorjade is the most valuable card in the Photon Hypernova expansion.
