Egyptian God

The Egyptian God Cards, also known in Japan as the Three Phantom Gods, 「三幻神」 or Sangenshin, are a series of cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! that serve as a focal point in the series' manga, the second series anime, and numerous video games.

History


The Egyptian Gods are one-of-a-kind all-powerful cards created by Maximillion Pegasus, who modeled them after three Ancient Egypt divine beasts whose likenesses surround the Millennium Puzzle on the stone tablet said to hold the memories of the nameless Pharaoh. The wielder of these great cards is able to acquire the title of "Duel King," but in the wrong hands, they are capable of causing legitimate injury or even death.


 * Slifer the Sky Dragon (「オシリスの天空竜」 Oshirisu no Tenkūryū - Sky Dragon of Osiris)
 * Obelisk the Tormentor (「オベリスクの巨神兵」 Oberisuku no Kyoshinhei - Giant God-Soldier of Obelisk)
 * The Winged Dragon of Ra (「ラーの翼神竜」 Rā no Yokushinryū - Winged God-Dragon of Ra)


 * The Creator God of Light, Horakhty (「光の創造神ホルアケティ」 Hikari no Sōzōshin - Horuaketi)


 * These were originally released as promotional cards (in Gameboy Worldwide Edition Promos) for people who just wanted to say they had them, but the cards were later used in Duels and complaints were sent into Konami.Konami responded to this in an FAQ that said these cards weren't to be used. Official tournaments stopped allowing these cards, although there have been rumours that certain official tournaments will allow Obelisk the Tormentor by tributing three monsters but Obelisk will have no other effects.Most people won't duel against these cards at all, but some people will agree to varies conditions.


 * All three god cards have these similar effects:
 * Each card requires a Tribute of 3 monsters in order to be Summoned from your hand to the field. This is treated as a Special Summon.
 * These cards can't be removed from play due to the effect of a Spell or Trap Card.
 * These cards ares unaffected by most Trap Cards or Monster Effects if they don't specifically target the card. The effects of a God Card of higher hierarchy do affect this card.
 * Control of these cards can't change.However, they can switch possession.
 * The effects of Spell Cards that don't cause this card to leave play last for only one turn.
 * These cards can't be destroyed in battle by a God Card of lower hierarchy, unless multiple attack simultaneously.
 * These cards, when Special Summoned from the Graveyard, are destroyed at the end of the turn.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour, the Egyptian God Cards are affected by card effects that don't Target e.g. Gravity Bind, Field Spell Cards, as well as cards like Sakuretsu Armor, Smashing Ground, Mirror Force, etc. The summon of these monsters is also treated as a Tribute Summon in the game, and if Special Summoned from the Graveyard, the God Card is destroyed at the end of the turn, during the End Phase.

Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor are considered to have a Hierarchy of 1, while The Winged Dragon of Ra is considered to have a Hierarchy of 2.

There, however, remains several disputes over the abilities of God Cards, due to the way they are used in the anime.Some contend that in addition to the "Divine-Beast" Type, Obelisk is considered to be a Warrior, Slifer a Dragon, and Ra a Machine (mainly due to its Machine-like appearance, although it was classified as a Machine-type monster in the Game Boy Advance games in which it appeared). In an episode of the anime, Yugi Muto's Buster Blader gains 500 points when Slifer is on the field, and it only gains points from Dragon-Type monsters.In the Game Boy Advance games, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards and Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, the God cards are listed as being of Divine-Attribute, with the above Types. There has been no resolution to the ambiguities, largely as the real-world cards weren't meant for use in competition.

In the Manga, there existed a 'Super God', which was merely a fusion of all 3, called Horakhti the Creator of Light.

In the Basic Game Play FAQ on the Official Web Site there is a question that says "WHAT DO THE EGYPTIAN GOD CARDS DO?" and it is answered with "Nothing. They're not legitimate Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game cards. They have no effects and can't be used in your Deck."

The Egyptian Gods are:


 * Slifer the Sky Dragon オシリスの天空竜 (Oshirisu no Tenkūryū, or Sky Dragon of Osiris in the Japanese language version)
 * Obelisk the Tormentor 「オベリスクの巨神兵」(Oberisuku no Kyoshinhei or Giant God-Soldier of Obelisk in the Japanese language version)
 * The Winged Dragon of Ra ラーの翼神竜 (Rā no Yokushinryū, or Winged God-Dragon of Ra in the Japanese language version)

Nearing the finale of the Millennium World storyline, the three Egyptian Gods combine to form the The Creator God of Light, Horakhty 「光の創造神ホルアケティ」 (Hikari no Sōzōshin - Horuaketi), after the nameless Pharaoh recovers his true name. Horakhti would then destroy the evil Zorc Necrophades, freeing Egypt from its dark power, and impart key information about the final battle that was lost in time.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra combine with Obelisk the Tormentor to form a monster with infinite strength. This allowed Yugi to destroy Anubis' Theinen the Great Sphinx with an ultimate attack, "Titan Firestorm," and win the Duel. In the Japanese version of the second series anime, this is the equivalent of Obelisk's "Soul Energy Max" ability, which, as alluded to by Seto Kaiba, was a "miracle of God's anger."

Naming
The names of the Egyptian God cards are derived from the names of items in Egyptian mythology:


 * Slifer the Sky Dragon - Original name derived from the name of Osiris, the god of life, death, and fertility. English name is an inside joke, derived from the name of Roger Slifer, a producer of the English-language adaption to the anime.
 * Obelisk the Tormentor - Derived from the term "obelisk," a type of monument.
 * The Winged Dragon of Ra - Derived from the name of Ra, the solar deity. In the Filipino anime, Ra's name is changed to "Apollo," the Greek equivalent of Ra.

The names of the Egyptian Gods are basis for the names of the dormitories of Duel Academy (Duel Academia) in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX; Slifer Red, Ra Yellow and Obelisk Blue. This also reflects how Seto Kaiba viewed the three Egyptian God Cards; Slifer the Sky Dragon was owned by Yugi Muto, his arch-rival, so it's only natural that he holds the card in such contempt. The Winged Dragon of Ra is in the middle, since it was owned by Marik Ishtar, until Yugi won it from him in Battle City, Seto Kaiba is neutral to this card. Of course, with Obelisk Blue, it's plainly obvious why he based this dorm off of Obelisk the Tormentor; it was the first Egyptian God Card he recieved, and indeed has seen the power it holds, until Yugi won it from him in Battle City.

The real God Cards
The use of the God Cards is forbidden in all sanctioned tournaments of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game because of their unique color templates and backings (red/blue/yellow), and the fact that the cards themselves state that they may not be used in a Duel. As they do not possess effect text, conflicts arise over how they operate once summoned. Some local hobby stores allow people to play "unofficial matches" provided everyone playing agrees on their effects.

The first version of the God Cards was released by Konami as a privilege for those who made a pre-order of the Japanese Game Boy Color game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters IV: Battle of Great Duelist released on December 7, 2000. The second set was released by Konami on April 17, 2003 as special pack-in cards in the Game Boy Advance game Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters International — Worldwide Edition, the Japanese version of the English-language Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel.

Unlike previous versions, the third version of the God Cards was not released simultaneously. The Winged Dragon of Ra was included as a limited edition card in the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny game for Xbox, released March 23, 2004. Slifer the Sky Dragon was released as a special pack-in card for the ani-manga of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: The Pyramid of Light, published November 23, 2004 by VIZ Media. Obelisk the Tormentor, finally, was released as a free gift to subscribers of Shonen Jump Magazine in May 2005.

The God Cards once demanded high prices on the secondary market. This was prior to their current widespread availability. During this time, countless counterfeit copies were made and distributed primarily throughout East Asia.