Hand trap

A Hand Trap is a Monster effect that is activated from the hand in response to an opponent's actions. One of the first hand traps released was Kuriboh, which could be discarded to nullify the battle damage from an attack. Hand traps first became popular during the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX era with cards such as D.D. Crow, Gorz the Emissary of Darkness, and Honest, and became ubiquitous in the Metagame as further hand traps such as Effect Veiler and Maxx "C" were released.

There are several categories of hand traps. Some hand traps are used to inhibit or punish an opponent after using a monster's effects, while other hand traps can be used to turn the tide of battle stop a battle altogether. Archetypes and series such as "C", Ghostrick, and Nekroz contain numerous hand traps.

Hand Traps that inhibit or punish opposing actions

 * Effect Veiler
 * Maxx "C"
 * Flying "C"
 * Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit
 * Nekroz of Trishula
 * Nekroz of Gungnir
 * D.D. Crow
 * Droll & Lock Bird

Hand Traps that stop or punish opposing attacks

 * Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
 * Tragoedia
 * Battle Fader
 * Swift Scarecrow
 * Nekroz of Valkyrus
 * Level 1 Ghostrick monsters

Hand Traps used in battle

 * Honest
 * Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow
 * Bujingi Crane
 * Nekroz of Decisive Armor

Countering Hand Traps
Hand traps are harder to anticipate and counter than Trap Cards, as they are often activated from the hand without warning. However, there are still ways to get around hand traps. Debunk can be used to stop and banish hand traps, while Divine Wrath will even stop monster effects that are activated from the hand. Cards like Mind Crush and Dragged Down into the Grave can be used to stop certain hand traps before they can be activated. Finally, if a player discards Maxx "C" to discourage Special Summons, their opponent can simply stop Special Summoning so that the player with Maxx "C" cannot accumulate Card advantage.