Foreword
The newest Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Selection Pack, Metal Raiders’ Dominance, landed on 28th March 2025, bringing back a nostalgic archetype, support for underused strategies, and—most importantly—some game-changing Trap Cards that could become must-run staples.
In this breakdown, we’ll go through every relevant card and its potential impact on the meta.
Box Highlights
New Red-Eyes Black Dragon
Red-Eyes Black Fullmetal Dragon
Type: Machine (Not Dragon, despite the name)
Mechanics:
Can only be Special Summoned by the Trap Fullmetal Metalmorph (by tributing 1 Level 5 or higher Dragon).
Acts as an omni-negate while also burning your opponent for damage equal to their monster’s original ATK.
Can be shuffled into the Deck to set a Metalmorph Trap directly from the Deck
New Perfomage Cards
Performage Trapeze High Magician
Effect:
Indestructible (by battle or card effects) while it has Xyz Material.
Reflects battle damage back to your opponent.
Best Strategy:
Attack into higher-ATK monsters to punish your opponent with reflected damage.
The archetype gained 9 new cards (1 UR, 6 SR).
While this card underperformed in the TCG, it could surprise in Master Duel’s format.
Goblin Bikers
Goblin Bikers Gone Wild
Normal Summonable if you control no monsters or only Goblins
On Summon: Searches your deck for a Level 4 or lower Goblin monster
Graveyard Effect:
Lets you attach opponent’s cards to a Goblin Xyz Monster as material
Goblin Biker Grand Breakout
Quick-Play Spell
Tribute 1 card you control; Special Summon 1 Goblin monster from your Deck
Then, for each detached Xyz Material this turn, reduce all opponent’s monsters’ ATK by 1000.
Allure Queen and Clear World
I’m not entirely convinced there was much hype for either archetype, and I plan to do a deeper dive into all the archetypes from this box later. For now, let’s see the new Allure Queen.
Golden Allure Queen
(Link-3)
Effects:
Special Summons another “Allure Queen” from your Deck or GY
Upgrades all “Allure Queen” equip effects to Quick Effects
Protection:
“Allure Queen” monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects
When your opponent activates an effect: Destroy 1 card on the field
Actual Game-Changers: Dominus Traps
Impulse Dominus
Can be activated from the hand if your opponent controls a card.
Negates a Special Summon (and destroys the negated card if there is a Trap in your Graveyard).
Restriction for the rest of the Duel: prevents the effects of your LIGHT, EARTH, and WIND monsters.
Dominus Purge
Can be activated from the hand if your opponent controls a card.
Negates effects that add cards to the hand (if you have a Trap in the Graveyard, the negated card is destroyed).
Restriction for the rest of the Duel: prevents the effects of your DARK, WATER, and FIRE monsters.
As you may have noticed, it’s not possible to use both cards in the same Duel. You must choose the one that best suits your deck.
Needless to say, negating Special Summons and effects that add cards to hand — all while being hand traps — makes these cards must-have staples for your game.
You’ll want at least three copies of each (cards well worth crafting).
It Is Worth Investing in the "Metal Raiders' Dominance"?
Only you can decide whether it’s worth investing in this box. The answer depends on your player profile, the cards you already own, what you’re looking for in the game — and of course, your current circumstances. Let’s break down the scenarios to help you decide:
Top Priority
Dominus Traps: Both Traps are powerful staples and hand traps for the current format, and they’re definitely worth crafting. Dominus Purge, for example, is likely to see frequent use in the newly improved Blue-Eyes deck. Just be mindful of each card’s activation restrictions.
Goblin Biker: If you already have the archetype, it’s absolutely worth getting both new cards. Furthermore, Goblin Biker monsters are Fiends — a Type with plenty of synergy in Master Duel right now, making this archetype a solid investment.
Moderate or Low Priority
The new Red-Eyes/Metalmorph cards could be appealing if you’re already a Red-Eyes player. Red-Eyes Full Metal Dragon can also fit into various Dragon decks. It’s worth noting that the new Red-Eyes Dragon is an omni-negate and can destroy by effect.
Performapal: The box includes 1 UR and 6 SR cards from the archetype — making it a great opportunity to pick up as many as possible while hunting for other key cards. The new Trapeze Magician didn’t make much of a splash in the TCG, but perhaps Master Duel will be different. I’ve never been too involved with Performapals — or Pendulum archetypes in general — but the new XYZ and SR cards could be surprising. If you play the archetype and consider it competitive, go for it.
What did you think of this analysis?
There are certainly many other cards still to be examined, and I plan to cover them in future posts. For now, feel free to share your thoughts on this box and the archetypes it introduces. And of course, if you notice any relevant corrections or additions, don’t hesitate to contribute.
Your opinion is always welcome!
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