Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon

About this set

Game

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

Released

2002 (North America)

Size

The first English-language TCG set

Featured here

6 cards

Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, often shortened to LOB, was the first set of the English Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. It introduced players to the cards seen in the manga and early anime.

The set's headline cards include Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon, along with some of the most recognized Spell cards in the game.

LOB is also an easy way to see how the game looked at the start: simple monsters, many Normal Monsters without effects, and an emphasis on large creatures that need tribute summoning.

What to look for in this set

How to explore this set

Think of Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, or LOB, as a short course in how Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are built. A newcomer can learn four things from it without owning a single card: how to read a frame color, how to count Levels, how foil marks a rarity, and why some cards are famous for the story behind them.

A good order for opening the featured cards:

• Blue-Eyes White Dragon first. It is the set's namesake and the cleanest example of a big Normal Monster that needs two tributes.
• Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon next, to see how the type line and attribute separate monsters of the same Level.
• Pot of Greed and Dark Hole for the green Spell frame and two foil styles, Rare and Super Rare.
• Exodia the Forbidden One last, because it breaks the pattern with an orange Effect Monster frame.

The deep dive article adds the full card-reading walkthrough.

What changed after it

The English game began here in 2002 in North America, and Metal Raiders followed in the same early period, widening the card pool. That second set brought the first English print of Summoned Skull and added Mirror Force, so players met Traps in force.

The rest of the story is about growth. In the early years the game was distributed in North America by Upper Deck Entertainment, and Konami took control of the TCG beginning in late 2008. The game also added Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum and Link summoning over time. Compared with those later systems, LOB looks plain: many Normal Monsters without effects and a focus on large creatures. That plainness is exactly why it is easy to learn from.

Questions readers ask

Is every card in this set an Ultra Rare?

No. The featured cards show a spread: Pot of Greed is a Rare, Dark Hole a Super Rare, and the big monsters Ultra Rares. The rarities page explains each style.

Do I need to know the manga first?

No. The monsters carry the story with them, but the card layout and the tribute rule are enough to follow a duel.

Does this site list prices?

No. Prices change often and depend on printing and condition, so we focus on what the cards are and how to read them.

Mechanics you will see

• Tribute Summoning Sacrificing monsters to bring out stronger ones.
• Fusion Summoning Combining monsters into a new, stronger monster.
• Alternate Win Conditions Ways to win without reducing Life Points to zero.
• Spell & Trap Cards The non-monster cards that shape every duel.