Exodia the Forbidden One

Why collectors notice it

The five pieces are also a natural collecting project. Set completion for Exodia is a common goal for fans of the early sets.

It is the foundation of the English Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. Read more about Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon.

A closer look

Reading this card

This card breaks the pattern of its set. Most big LOB monsters are yellow-framed Normal Monsters, but Exodia the Forbidden One has an orange frame, the mark of an Effect Monster. The orange tells you there is a written ability on the card, and here that ability is the whole point.

The stars are also a surprise. Exodia shows only three, so it is Level 3, and the attribute is Dark with the Spellcaster type. A Level 3 monster needs no tribute at all. The size of the idea lives in the effect, not in the Level. The featured print is an Ultra Rare, and the set code starts with LOB.

How it compares

Put it next to Blue-Eyes White Dragon. One is a Level 8 Normal Monster with no effect that needs two tributes. The other is a Level 3 Effect Monster that costs nothing to summon but depends on four other cards. Same set, almost opposite designs.

It shares the Spellcaster type and the Dark attribute with Dark Magician, yet nothing else about how you use the two cards is alike. Our page on alternate win conditions explains why Exodia is the standard example.

Questions readers ask

Is this card enough to win by itself?

No. This card is the head of a five-card monster. You win on the spot only when all five pieces are in your hand together.

What are the other pieces, and what do they cost?

They are the Right Arm, Left Arm, Right Leg and Left Leg of the Forbidden One, covered in our set deep dive. This site does not give prices.

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