Story[]
Tyler Gressle, 14, knows a lot about being a warrior. In October 2002, he was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer called undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma. It was discovered when he complained of pain. His parents took him to the doctor, then to a surgeon. During surgery, the doctors discovered that the mass had burst, which caused the terrible pain. The surgeon removed 25 percent of Tyler's liver, about 6 inches of large intestine and his gall bladder. Tyler's prognosis was not good. Fortunately, his doctor had seen a case once before and had been successful in treating the patient. "After a long, hard battle, Tyler is perfectly healthy now," his mother said. "We want other families to know they can have hope, and wishes do come true." Tyler had another wish fulfilled. The Make-a-Wish Foundation learned of Tyler and his family's battle and gave him the chance to design his own Yu-Gi-Oh! card for 4Kids Entertainment Inc. The foundation's goal is to present each child, along with their family, with a happy experience to help them feel normal in the midst of a difficult time. "All I needed was a pencil and my imagination," Tyler said. His detailed drawing depicts a warrior deflecting an evil monster's terrible weapons. They unveiled the final card on Aug. 5th. Tyler and his family were also invited to New York City to meet with officials from 4Kids Entertainment Inc. and were given a tour of the Yu-Gi-Oh! facility.
External links[]
- Cincinnati Enquirer story (paywall)
- Pojo thread
Misc[]
- The card's artwork was one of two designs submitted by Kazuki Takahashi, selected by Tyler before the card was finalized.
- This card is one-of-a-kind, as only a single copy was printed for Tyler Gressle, and as a result is unavailable to the general public.
- In March of 2023, Tyler had the card graded by Beckett Grading Services where it received a Near-Mint 7 out of 10. The card sold on eBay auction on April 29th, 2023 for $311,211.
- "Tyler the Great Warrior" is based on the Dragon Ball character Future Trunks.
- This monster is wearing "Legendary Black Belt", though the actual card can only be equipped to either "Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter", "Monk Fighter" or "Master Monk".
- This card also has a similar effect to "Legendary Black Belt" with the only difference being that this card inflicts damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster whereas "Legendary Black Belt" inflicts damage equal to the DEF.
- This monster appears to be standing in the middle of an amphitheater.
- This is the card that has been TCG-only for the longest time outside of Illegal prize cards. This is also likely the only TCG-only card that will likely not get an OCG release.