What makes a card bad?

[TroMaxwell21]

Over my 15+ years of playing the game, I've taught a few people how to play and, as I assume all YGO players have, traded or sold cards. I have been asked by a few people why I would advise against using a certain card when they are building a Deck or why I consider a card bad. I'm hoping this will help people understand why certain cards and even certain archetypes are not that great to play.

[goodfusion]

It's important to keep in mind that everyone has their own opinions on which cards are good and bad, and why. However, there are a few general reasons as to why a card might commonly be considered bad.

• It's weak. I might be stating the obvious here, but this can be pretty hard to judge sometimes. Obvious contenders include the short-printed "pack filler" cards that come in every main series pack, such as https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Dealer's_Choice and https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Oops!
• Lack of synergy. This applies when trying to play a certain card in a deck, or when judging an archetype support card with the rest of the archetype. It can cross over with 'being weak', but it doesn't have too. Often it can be a good card that is simply bad in that deck.

There are other reasons too, but they tend to be more tied to your personal opinions.

• The card isn't viable in the current meta. If you're a competitive player, this is what matters.
• The card belongs to a 'bad' archetype/deck. Everyone has their own favourite decks so this can vary a lot from person to person. In my opinion, this is not a good reason to consider a card bad, because it might be a very good card in the context of its deck. My favourite card, Expressroid, is a good example.

Finally, I just want to say: Just because a card or deck might be bad, doesn't mean you should never use it. All cards have some use, however bad, and it can be fun to try and build and play decks that use them. And you never know - by experimenting, you might find techs and strategies you think are pretty good.