6 of the Creepiest MTG, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Pokemon Cards

As most of you may already know, I was an avid collector of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! cards in the late 90s and early 2000s. I had a lot of cards in my deck/binder, and every now and then I would come across a few that were a little bit on the spooky side when it came to the arts, colors, and characters they depicted. I’m sure you’ve come across a few in your collection as well.

So, since we are currently in the season of frights, freaks and fear, I thought it would be fitting to list some of the creepiest cards ever produced by MTG, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. Now, there are a ton of creepy-looking cards out there from these distributors, but I chose to pick six (two from each) that I found to be the most chilling. If you have a favorite creepy card that sends chills down your spine, be sure to list it in the comments sections after the post.

Let’s get freaky with it.

1. Gourgeist (Pokemon)

 Image from Pokemon.com

A Pokemon with a Jack-O-Lantern attached to it? I don’t think it gets any more Halloween-ish than that. I actually never knew that this card even existed until I dug around and did a little research. Gourgeist is a Ghost/Grass-type Pokémon from Generation VI. It has four different sizes, which can affect its speed and power. Gourgeist Pokemon are known for being mischievous and malicious in their actions. This is where it starts to get a little creepy.

Gourgeist can be found roaming dark streets on moonless nights to the rhythm of their own eerie singing, which they use to scare and curse all those who hear it. This is the time they use to hunt and believe me, you don’t want to be the hunted. Once cornered, Gourgeist will enwrap its prey in its long arms and continue to sing while their prey suffers/struggles. Certain Gourgeist even have the power to drag anyone to the afterlife. 

Bonus: It’s said that the creepy noises projecting from the Gourgeist's body are really the cries/wail of the souls suffering in the afterlife. Ok, I’m officially creeped out now, and we’ve only just started this post. Ready for another?

2. Banette (Pokemon)

 Image from Amazon.com

There’s just something unsettling to me about dolls, especially when they have that creepy smile and a lifeless gaze that follows you around the room. I get the same feeling from this Banette Pokemon card. Banette is a Generation III Ghost-type Pokemon (described as doll-like) that is said to be possessed by evil and hatred. Hmmm, sounds like a movie I saw once. Anyway, inside its body is the evil life force that drives its actions. And the zipper mouth isn’t just there because it looks scary. 

No, it’s zippered mouth is actually more significant, as it is used to keep the evil force inside its body. When unzipped, Banette begins to lose its energy from the force inside it. Talk about needing to keep your mouth shut, right? Banette often resorts to voodoo in order to curse its victims as well. Since it is itself a doll, it doesn’t need another doll to stick with pins. Instead, it will stick itself with pins to carry out its voodoo curses.

3. Wall of Illusion (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

 Image from Amazon.com

I actually had this card in my Yu-Gi-Oh! deck way back in the day. I didn’t really get to use it much (I traded it away), but all I knew was it made my skin crawl whenever I looked at it. Now, you know why I traded it to a friend of a friend. Wall of Illusion is a fiend/effect card that can be quite helpful during duels. When your opponent attacks this card with a monster card, that monster is returned to their hand.

So, if your opponent sacrificed a monster in order to summon a more powerful card, you can put down this Wall of Illusion card, which will force your opponent to return that powerful card to their deck. Once this happens, your opponent will have to sacrifice another card if they wish to summon it again. Overall, the Wall of Illusion card is creepy, but pretty handy at the same time.

4. Necroface (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Image from yugioh.fandom.com

I’m just going to come right out and say that this is probably one of the most unsettling and disturbing Yu-Gi-Oh! cards that I’ve seen. Necroface is a zombie/effect card that’s actually pretty powerful and effective for all those who possess it. How? This comes straight from the card itself:

“If this card is Normal Summoned: Shuffle all banished cards into the Deck. This card gains 100 ATK for each card shuffled into the Main Deck by this effect. If this card is banished: Each player banishes 5 cards from the top of their Deck (or their entire Deck, if less than 5).”

Again, this is another example of a creep-looking card that can come in handy during your duels. I don’t know about you, but this card bears a striking resemblance to the scary Babyhead (aka Babyface and Spider baby) mutant toy from the movie Toy Story. What do you think?

5. Claustrophobia (MTG) 

Image from Scryfall.com

I’m not really afraid of being in small spaces, but ever since I learned about people being accidentally buried alive back in the day, I’ve always had this fear of being trapped in a coffin gasping for air. I guess it’s the being buried and alone part that I fear most. That’s probably why I’m going to have a Viking funeral when my time comes. And I bet that’s what the figure depicted on this creepy Claustrophobia MTG card wishes he had. The terrified look on his face says it all.  

Aside from its purpose and abilities, this Enchantment — Aura card strikes a fearful nerve for many because it shows a situation/scenario that can be all too real, especially for those who actually suffer from claustrophobia. 

6. Sensory Deprivation (MTG)

Image from CardKingdom.com

Sensory Deprivation is another creepy Enchantment — Aura card from MTG. It certainly has the right name, because this card seems to have deprived many of much-needed sleep after laying on eyes on it. Between the sewn up eyes and mouth, this card is every bit of creepy. In fact, I would probably feel even more creeped out just holding it. However, if you’re an avid MTG player (with a blue-black mill deck), Sensory Deprivation can be a useful card for stalling out your opponent. 

The card’s flavor text reads: “They call it "stitcher's anesthesia," a spell to deaden the senses while the mad doctors begin their grisly work.” My hope was to make this post as chilling as possible, so I’ll just leave you with that.

Again, I know there are countless creepy trading cards out there (from various games), so if you didn’t see one on this list, be sure to put it in the comments section below. Also, since Halloween is upon us, we’ll be churning out some pretty creepy posts between now and the 31st. So, be sure to keep an eye on our blog page as well for more chilling articles/listicles like this one.

Until we meet again,

Vince the Prince