Floodgate is an unofficial term for a card with a continuous effect that restricts one or both players from performing some action. Most notable floodgates are Continuous Trap Cards, though some come in the form of Spell Cards (e.g. "Necrovalley", "Dimensional Fissure") or monsters (e.g. "Majesty's Fiend", "Vanity's Fiend"). Floodgates tend to see widespread play due to their ability to paralyze an opponent's Deck if protected and generally are used as Side Deck Cards.
They are better used in Decks that can afford them with little or no drawback. Examples include:
- "Yosenju" Decks making use of "Vanity's Emptiness" (Traditional Format), "Lose 1 Turn" and "Macro Cosmos"/"Dimensional Fissure", since they generally revolve around a string of Normal Summons of the Level 4 "Yosenju" monsters rather than Special Summoning them, which in turn will return to the hand at the End Phase.
- "Sylvan" Decks using "Mistake", since the Deck generally doesn't need any search effect, placing the needed cards on the top of the Deck in order to Excavate them.
- Any Deck that relies on only one Attribute can afford using "Gozen Match" and any Deck that relies on only one Type can use "Rivalry of Warlords", etc.
- "True Draco" Decks using "Rivalry of Warlords", "The Monarchs Erupt" and recently "There Can Be Only One" to stun the opponent
- "Burn Decks" and "Sky Striker" using "Mystic Mine" to stun the opponent
Notable Floodgates[]
- Amano-Iwato
- Archlord Kristya
- Barrier Statues
- Consecrated Light
- Denko Sekka
- Destiny HERO - Plasma
- Flying "C"
- Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo
- Inspector Boarder
- Jinzo
- Knightmare Corruptor Iblee
- Koa'ki Meiru Drago
- Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer
- Majesty's Fiend
- Spell Canceller
- Thunder King Rai-Oh
- Vanity's Fiend
- Vanity's Ruler
- Zap Mustung
- Any one Summoned by Tributing Djinn Releaser of Rituals
- Dimensional Fissure
- Domain of the True Monarchs + a Tribute Summoned monster
- Kaiser Colosseum
- Level Limit - Area B
- Messenger of Peace
- Mystic Mine
- Necrovalley
- Quiet Life
- Secret Village of the Spellcasters
- Swords of Revealing Light
- And the Band Played On
- Anti-Spell Fragrance
- DNA Surgery
- Eisbahn
- Gozen Match
- Imperial Iron Wall
- Imperial Order
- Light-Imprisoning Mirror
- Lose 1 Turn
- Macro Cosmos
- Mask of Restrict
- Mind Drain
- Mistake
- Re-qliate
- Rivalry of Warlords
- Royal Decree
- Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror
- Skill Drain
- Soul Drain
- Stygian Dirge
- Summon Limit
- The Monarchs Erupt
- There Can Be Only One
- Vanity's Emptiness
- Wall of Revealing Light