Occasionally, Konami releases cards from long stints on the ban list. But not all cards can be allowed back in. These rare cases where a card is too powerful, too unfun, or too time-consuming. But Konami has implemented a "nuclear option" for these situations: errata.
Erratum, noun:An error in printing or writing. A list of corrected errors appended to a book or published in a subsequent issue of a journal.
Mostly used in print publications to correct mistakes, the erratum is a useful tool for any printed medium to correct mistakes that were already in print. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG has multiple cards that have received an erratum. Whether it was to get text changed due to mistakes or because they were so good Konami had to nerf them. In this article, we will look back at many interesting cases where Konami has decided to turn the clock back and change a card. From errors to nerfs—no card is safe.
Old Wording
We all know that many classic Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are kind of broken. If not for power, then for how easily they read. For example, the original text of was, "No matter what the situation; neither player can offer any monster as a tribute." Although its effect is clear for most, it is written in a very weird way. On 8 July 2011, Konami introduced PSCT. Short for Problem-Solving Card Text, PSCT was meant to make the game easier to understand and make effects more clear. From that point on, all cards would be written in the same style. This update to the game was needed. A lot of cards had unclear effects. Did the card target? What was the cost to activate its effect? PSCT would make this all clear. Not all cards in the game have had this update yet. There are still a small number of very old cards that have never been reprinted and still have weirdly phrased effects.
Lost in Translation
Most Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are created in Japan. This means the original language for most cards is Japanese. After a set has been designed, they send the cards over to Europe/America and let the translation team translate the effects into the cards we read in the TCG. Frequently, as is this case with all translations, mistakes are made. A small mistake could make or break a card and let players abuse something that was never intended.
When Yu-Gi-Oh! originally arrived in the western parts of the world the translation team had a lot of freedom. Many card names back then were references to Japanese folklore. These direct translations would sometimes not make sense and many names were changed. Cards like originally was called Frog the Jam. When later sets released, this card suddenly was part of the Frog archetype, which it was never meant to be a part of. This resulted in every frog card saying, "except Frog the Jam" in its card text. Later, Konami just changed the card's name, much to the Yu-Gi-Oh! community's displeasure. Another great example is . Many old school players probably remember this card's original name—Harpie's Brother—which unintentionally made it part of the Harpie archetype. Neither Sky Scout nor Slime Toad had Harpie or Frog in their OCG name.
These were only small issues and easy to fix. Sometimes though, a card's effect broke because of the translation. and both were mistranslated. This resulted in Hexstia only being able to negate Spell/Trap activations and not Spell/Trap effects like it was supposed to. After their release, these cards were changed in the card database. Even without new printings, the official card text was changed and the cards were fixed. Later, they would be reprinted to get their proper effects.
Back in Infamy
There is one more type of errata that Yu-Gi-Oh! has seen over the years. These have been much more controversial than the Slime Toad change, as these changes warped the identity of the changed cards entirely. On 19 March 2015, Premium Gold: Return of the Bling (AKA Premium Gold 2) released. The Gold series is famous for reprinting staples and other hard to obtain cards. This set, however, included some infamous cards from the past.
Return of the Bling would reintroduce banned cards with a twist: updated card text. These errata would change the identity of the cards. , , , , and all received errata. The thought, presumably was that fans of these cards would be happy that these cards were back in action and people who hated them would quit with their broken effects returning to the game. Both are untrue. The errata these cards received changed the identity of the cards completely. These infamous staples are now shadows of their former selves. When the cards were released, some saw play, but many players quickly learned these cards simply weren't good enough to play anymore. Either they were too restrictive like the new Ring of Destruction or simply not good enough like Sinister Serpent.
This trend continued after the Gold series with more cards following suit. , , all returned. Brionac was once per turn now and both Sangan and Witch could no longer use the effects of monsters added on the turn they got them. These cards all still see some form of play. Sangan entered the decks of True Draco players and helped with searching out hand traps. Brionac was a powerful synchro that helped water strategies. Another card that returned was . This card negates all spell effects on the field. Back in the day, you either paid 700 lifepoints in the standby phase or you could destroy it. With the errata, you had no choice. You had to pay and the card would only be destroyed if you could no longer pay the cost. This restriction didn't really restrict anyone and ever since its erratum on March 31, the card still sees ample play.
Errata: Good or Bad?
Although it was fun to see cards that never would have made it off the ban list, the changes gave the community mixed feelings. Players were in love with the cards that were banned, not the shadows that were unbanned. And worst of all, because of the errata, the old versions of these cards basically ceased to exist in any competitive format outside of formats like "GOAT." Out of 19 cards that received errata, only four are "good." Look at . Once considered one of the strongest Yu-Gi-Oh! cards of all time, it has remained at three since its erratum and hasn't seen any play. They may as well have just left it on the ban list.
In my article "Menace from the Past: Is It Time to Unban Yata Garasu?" I talked about Konami's crusade to clean up the ban list. A smaller ban list is more appealing for people that want to start playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and overall reflects a more balanced game. I also discussed a possible erratum for itself. This however falls In line with Chaos Emperor Dragon. Is it worth returning this card in some way or is it better to keep its legacy intact?
Not only do errata change the constructed TCG. Any hope on playing the cards in traditional is also shattered. Although an unsupported format, it is still a format sometimes played at YCS. The change in the database is final and cards quickly become unplayable once nerfed.
is a play on . This retread brought back a card from the past but differently. It's roughly the same but still different and more balanced. This approach is a viable way to bring cards back from the dead. Imagine a card like Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the Past. Having the new effect so people that want to play Chaos Emperor Dragon can play him and it keeps the Envoy of the end in its original state. This doesn't clean up the ban list, but it makes it so that the infamous cards still hold their fame. Some cards are just meant to stay on the ban list.
Would you trade viability for nostalgia or would you settle for dreams of playing that Pot of Greed in all its glory… one more time?
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