Trap Staple Card List

Here's how it goes:
[image]
Type:
effect
---comments and complimentary cards



Black Horn of Heaven
Type: Counter
Negate the Special Summon of 1 of your opponent's monsters, and destroy it.
---Special summons are quite common, so it is a good thing to usually have at least one of these in your deck.



Bottomless Trap Hole
Type: Normal
When your opponent Summons a monster(s) with an ATK of 1500 or more, destroy and remove from play the monster(s).
---Kills high level monsters, but don't depend on it to destroy weaker ones with good effects.



Call Of The Haunted
Type: Continuous
Select 1 monster from your Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Attack Position. When this card is removed from the field, destroy the monster. When the monster is destroyed, destroy this card.
---Pretty standard reborner, and yes it can work with Jinzo.



CeaseFire
Type: Normal
Flip all face-down Defense Position monsters on the field face-up. Flip Effects are not activated at this time. Inflict 500 damage to your opponent for each Effect Monster on the field.
---This can save you from devastating flip effects from cards like Man-Eater Bug



Compulsory Evacuation Device
Type: Normal
Return 1 monster on the field to its owner's hand.
---This card can be used offensively and defensively. You can return a monster you don't want destroyed back to your hand, or return an opponent's monster back to their hand. Try waiting for your opponent to tribute summon a monster then use this trap. They just wasted a monster AND a summon!



Dark Bribe
Type: Counter
Negate the activation of and effect of an opponent's Spell or Trap Card and destroy it. Your opponent draws 1 card.
---Having your opponent is a very small drawback to using this card. Definitely a must have!



Defense Draw
Type: Normal
Activate only during damage calculation during your opponent's turn. The Battle Damage you would receive becomes 0. Draw 1 card.
---Honestly, I see no draw backs here. You can defend yourself and draw an extra card!



Dimensional Prison
Type: Normal
Activate only when your opponent declares an attack. Remove from play the attacking monster.
---Just Like good ol' Sakuratsu Armor. No drawbacks, 'cept for waiting for an attack.



Divine Wrath
Type: Counter
Discard 1 card from your hand. Negate the activation of an Effect Monster's effect, and destroy that Effect Monster.
---A somewhat necessary card that can prevent devastating effects. Use sparingly and save up until you really need to use it.



Draining Shield
Type: Normal
Negate the attack of 1 of your opponent's monsters and gain Life Points equal to the monster's ATK.
---Very Useful card to defend yourself with. Again, good with hardly no drawbacks.



Dust Tornado
Type: Normal
Destroy 1 Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls. You can then Set 1 Spell or Trap Card from your hand.
---This card is sort of a substitute for Mystical Space Typhoon. The only problem is, you must wait a turn to set the card.



Forced Back
Type: Counter
Negate the Normal Summon or Flip Summon of a monster and return the monster to its owner's hand.
---This card can screw over your opponent and pretty easily too. Try waiting for your opponent to tribute summon.



Magic Cylinder
Type: Normal
Negate the attack of 1 of your opponent's monsters and inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.
---Quite similar to draining shield, but in an offensive variety.



Malevolent Catastrophe
Type: Normal
Activate only when your opponent's monster declares an attack. Destroy all Spell and Trap Cards.
---This serves as a substitute for Heavy Storm, only you must wait for you opponent to attack. But at least you can have a few of these in your deck.



Metal Reflect Slime
Type: Continuous
After activation, Special Summon this card in Defense Position; it is treated as an Effect Monster Card (Aqua-Type/WATER/Level 10/ATK 0/DEF 3000). this card cannot attack. (This card is still treated as a Trap Card.)
---It's like a monster, AND a trap! 3000 defense is quite high. Also, you can tribute it as it is considered a monster.



Mirror Force
Type: Normal
Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Destroy all Attack Position monsters your opponent controls.
---One of the cards universally used. Get's you out of swarms and other tough situations without any drawbacks.



Phoenix Wing Wind Blast
Type: Normal
Discard 1 card. Return 1 card your opponent controls to the top of its owner's Deck.
---It's a mean card if used at the right time. You can send a monster that requires a tribute back to their deck, and then they have to draw the card and be unable to summon it!



Raigeki Break
Type: Normal
Discard 1 card from your hand. Destroy 1 card on the field.
---Quite similar to Phoenix Wing Wind Blast, only it gets rid of cards by destroying them.



Sakuretsu Armor
Type: Normal
Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Destroy the attacking monster.
---One of the more commonly used cards, because it has no drawbacks. Besides waiting for your opponent to attack.



Scrap-Iron Scarecrow
Type: Normal
Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate the attack and Set this card face-down again instead of sending it to the Graveyard.
---It's pretty decent, you can keep stalling repeatedly. Note that since you must set this trap face down, that means you must wait another turn to activate it.




Security Orb
Type: Normal
Activate only when your opponent's monster declares an attack. Change the battle position of that monster. When this face-down card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard by the effect of a Spell or Trap Card your opponent controls, destroy 1 monster on the field.
---This card is pretty funny, seeing your opponent use a mystical space typhoon or heavy storm on this card. It is quite likely, otherwise it serves to put a strong monster with weak defense to defense mode and cancel out an attack.



Solemn Judgment
Type: Counter
Pay half your Life Points. Negate the activation of a Spell / Trap Card / Normal Summon / Flip Summon / Special Summon and destroy the Spell Card, Trap Card, or Summoned monster.
---Paying half your life points may seem a bit much, but using it when you already have low life points and you'll be glad you put it in your deck. Nevertheless, negating ANYTHING YOU WANT is pretty awesome.




Threatening Roar
Type: Normal
Your opponent cannot declare an attack this turn.
---Yeah, your opponent doesn't even get the chance to think about attacking. If a comment about a card is larger than it's effect, you know it's good!



Torrential Tribute
Type: Normal
Activate only when a monster is Summoned. Destroy all monsters on the field.
---This is useful in case your opponent summons a monster that could completely screw you up! Or you could wait for your opponent to summon a bunch of monsters and destroy them all at once.



Trap Hole
Type: Normal
Activate only when your opponent Normal Summons or Flip Summons a monster with 1000 or more ATK. Destroy that monster.
---Nobody likes monsters with 1000 or more attack anyways >_>



Ultimate Offering
Type: Continuous
You can pay 500 Life Points to Normal Summon or Set 1 extra monster. You can only activate this effect during your Main Phase or your opponent's Battle Phase.
---You can use this to defend yourself with, or bring out monsters that require tribute summon easily.



Waboku
Type: Normal
You take no Battle Damage this turn. Your monsters cannot be destroyed by battle this turn.
---This is good to defend with, or stall for an extra turn for a tribute summon.



Wall of Revealing Light
Type: Continuous
When you activate this card, pay any multiple of 1000 Life Points. None of your opponent's monsters with ATK equal to or less than the Life Points you paid can attack.
---It is ideal to pay 3000 or 4000 for this effect. Also this card can be used in conjunction with offensive decks as your monsters aren't effected, so you can ensure that your beat down wont go interrupted.

Mirror Force, Solemn Judgment, Torrential Tribute, Bottomless Trap Hole, Threatening Roar, and Dark Bribe are the only ones in here that qualify as staples. Staples are cards that can be used in most every deck. Most of the cards I see are never used IMO, like Waboku, Trap Hole, Ceasefire, Security Orb, etc.

Then there are cards like Defend Draw and Phoenix Wing Wind Blast. I have seen them used a few times, but only like around 5% of the decks I see. Definitely not staple-material.

Call of the Haunted will be a staple, but not yet. Even though YVD has applied the changes, the September banlist is officially not in effect yet. Although on YVD I guess it IS a staple...