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. When Pegasus was making these cards, everyone involved in the "Egyptian God Card Project" were attacked by the spirits of the Egyptian God Monsters, so Pegasus decided to create the cards on his own, under the protection of his Millennium Eye. When Pegasus finished the art-work on the prototypes, he was having a nightmare about the cards attacking him. Shadi told Pegasus that he had angered the Egyptian Gods. Pegasus woke up injured after this "nightmare". So he decided that these cards were too powerful to be mass-produced, and had Ishizu bury the prototypes in in the Pharaoh's tomb. 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 various conditions.


 * All three God Cards share these similar effects in the Manga:
 * Each card requires a Tribute of 3 monsters in order to be Summoned from your hand to the field. This is treated as a Normal Summon (As part of the Battle City's Super Expert Rules).
 * They are unaffected by Trap Cards. The effect of Spell Card and Monster Effects affect the God Card for 1 turn only, including the players own, and the effect of Spell Cards that are no longer in play (i.e Monster Reborn).
 * Control of the cards on the field cannot change. However, they can switch possession while not on the field.
 * When a God Card is Special Summoned by the effect of a Spell Card, it remains on the field for only 1 turn (see Spell Cards).
 * Only chosen duelists can control a God Card. A duelist the God Card deems unworthy suffers the anger of the god, and may be rendered unconcious or even killed.


 * All three God Cards share these slightly different effects in the Anime:
 * Each card requires a Tribute of 3 monsters in order to be Summoned from your hand to the field. This is treated as a Normal Summon (As part of the Battle City Rules).
 * They are unaffected by most Trap and Spell Cards, and those that do affect them last only 1 turn.
 * When a God Card is Special Summoned by the effect of a Spell Card, it reamins on the field for only 1 turn (see Spell Cards).
 * Monster Effects remain in effect on a God for 1 turn only.
 * Control of the cards on the field cannot change. However, they can switch possession while not on the field.
 * Only chosen duelists linked to the ancient past may control a God Card.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Episode 85 ~ Ra Ra Rah) a copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra is stolen by a disruntled card designer for I2 ([Industrial Illusions]). The abilities of the card as far as immunity goes is not fully disclosed, however it seems to add the slightly different ruling to already estabished perceptions, that the God Cards are unaffected by Spell Cards completley (so one can assume this would go for Trap Cards and perhaps Monster Effects too). There is a trend in GX for monsters of significant importance, to simply recieve blanket immunity from all Spell, Trap and Monster Effects (e.g. Exodios the Ultimate Forbidden God).

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 Smashing Ground and Mirror Force. They are also Tribute Summoned by offering 3 monsters, and include the line that if Special Summoned the card is destroyed at the end of the turn, during the End Phase.

In the original manga, the three Egyptian Gods possess a hierarchy amoung themselves. This is explained as a pyramid, with The Winged Dragon of Ra being at the top, and Slifer and Obelisk at the base (as equals). Because of this, the effect's of Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor do not work on The Winged Dragon of Ra. Where as the effects of Obelisk and Slifer will work on each other, for one turn. It's worth noting that this immunity only occurs in the Manga, and not in the anime.

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 The Creator God of Light, Horakhty. This was never played as an actual card, but was created when the Namless Pharaoh recovered his lost name, Atem/Atemu, during the Final Ark of the original anime.

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 and only Egyptian God Card he recieved, and indeed has seen the power it holds, until Yugi won it from him in Battle City. Jaden Yuki is also at Slifer Red, and that provides the connection between him and Yugi.

In Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series, these cards are known as Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Executive Producer, and Mega Ultra Chicken.

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 Japanese versions of the cards does have effect text, and this is a very rough translation of the Japanese cards:

Slifer the Sky Dragon: This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 3 monsters. The original ATK/DEF of this card becomes the number of cards in your Hand x 1000. Each time a monster(s) is Summoned to your opponent's side of the field, decrease the ATK(while Summoned in Attack Position) or DEF(while Summoned in Defense Position) of that monster(s) by 2000. If the ATK/DEF of the Summoned monster(s) is reduced to 0, destroy the Summoning monster(s). This card returns to the owner's Graveyard during the End Phase of the turn that this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard. This card cannot attack during the turn it is Special Summoned from the Graveyard. This card is unaffected by any card effect.

Obelisk the Tormentor: This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 3 monsters. Once per turn, by Tributing 2 monsters You can destroy all monsters your opponent controls and inflict 4000 points of damage to your opponent's Life Points. If you activate this effect, this card cannot attack this turn. This card returns to the owner's Graveyard during the End Phase of the turn that this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard. This card cannot attack during the turn it is Special Summoned from the Graveyard. This card is unaffected by any card effect.

The Winged Dragon of Ra: This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 3 monsters. The ATK/DEF of this card becomes equal to the combined original ATK/DEF of the 3 monsters you Tributed for the Special Summon of this card. Pay Life Points so that you only have 100 left to increase the ATK of this card by the same amount of Life Points you payed. By Tributing 1 monster, this card gains the same amount ATK of the Tributed monster. Pay 1000 Life Points to destoy all monsters your opponent controls. This card returns to the owner's Graveyard during the End Phase of the turn that this card is Special Summoned from the Graveyard. This card is unaffected by any card effect.

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: 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.

Video Games
The Egyptian God Cards are present in Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sacred Cards, Yu-Gi-Oh! Reshef of Destruction, Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Spirit Caller and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force 2. With Tag Force 2, they are only accessible if you have the original Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force UMD Disc and with Spirt Caller, you need to connect with Nightmare Troubadour. Also,there is a special way of seeing but not controlling the Egyptian God Cards. You must unlock Yami Yugi. It also should be noted that since you may "trade" between Nightmare Troubadour and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Spirit Caller or Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007 through buying cards from Nightmare Troubadour, it is fully possible to have the Egyptian God Cards in either game. The Gods are also available in Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008, but only through use of a cheat device such as Pro Action Replay or trade through someone who has obtain them, though it is suggested they could become available for card download just like a card with a similar condition, Thunderking. Also of note is that in the same game, the God Cards are not only legal, but merely only Limited (Restricted) to 1.