While its monster effect is seldom used, its Pendulum effect makes it one of the best cards in the
Magician deck. The ability to search any Magician card from your Deck to hand while also filling up
your Extra Deck is nothing short of amazing. You always want to open up with Insight Magician in
your hand.
Xiangke Magician
Effect Level 7 DARK Spellcaster
ATK: 2500
DEF: 500
Pendulum Effect (3/3)
(1) Once per turn: You can target 1 Exceed Monster you control; this turn, it can be treated as a
monster with a Level equal to its Rank when used for an Exceed Summon.
Monster Effect
(1) Once per turn, during either player's turn: You can target 1 LIGHT monster on the field; negate
its effects until the end of this turn.
Although Dragonvein has great scaling, most players prefer using Peasant Dragon instead.
Having the ability to Special Summon Level 1 monsters is only relevant for Special Summoning
Effect Veiler and the ability to destroy face-up monsters is not extremely useful in the OCG meta.
Insight Magician
Effect Level 4 LIGHT Spellcaster
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1500
Pendulum Effect (5/5)
(1) If you have a "Magician" or "Performapal" card in your other Pendulum Zone: You can destroy
this card, and if you do, choose 1 "Magician" Pendulum Monster from your Deck and place it in
your Pendulum Zone, except "Insight Magician".
Monster Effect
(1) You can discard this card, then target 1 card in your Pendulum Zone whose current Pendulum
Scale is different from its original value; its Pendulum Scale becomes its original value until the end
of this turn.
With Peasant Dragon's great scaling, it's very likely that he will be your other Pendulum Zone card,
especially if you used Pendulum Call to get your Pendulum cards to your hand. Both of Peasant
Dragon's effects are great for fueling Dragonpit Magician or Dragonvein Magician's effects.
Dragonvein Magician
Normal Level 4 EARTH Spellcaster
ATK: 1800
DEF: 900
Pendulum Effect (1/1)
(1) Once per turn, if you have a "Magician" card in your other Pendulum Zone: You can discard 1
Pendulum Monster, then target 1 face-up monster on the field; destroy it.
Dragonpit most commonly finds himself in the Pendulum Zone because of his great Pendulum Scale and
ability. You will often be adding back the Pendulum Monster you discard for Dragonpit's effect with Peasant
Dragon Magician's monster effect.
Peasant Dragon Magician
Effect Level 6 WIND Spellcaster
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1400
Pendulum Effect (2/2)
(1) If you have a "Magician" card in your other Pendulum Zone: You can add 1 face-up "Magician" or
"Odd-Eyes" Pendulum Monster from your Extra Deck to your hand, except "Peasant Dragon Magician".
You can only use this effect of "Peasant Dragon Magician" once per turn.
Monster Effect
If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: You can target 1 "Magician" Pendulum Monster or 1
"Odd-Eyes" monster in your Graveyard except "Peasant Dragon Magician"; add it to your hand. You
can only use this effect of "Peasant Dragon Magician" once per turn.
Beginner's Guide To Magicians
Magicians are an archetype of Pendulum Spellcaster-Type monstes that focus on spamming a full field's worth of Pendulum monsters every turn. With no restrictions on the monsters summoned (unlike in Qliphorts), Magicians are able to summon a wide variety of monsters that can end duels in mere turns. As the there are only a few Magician cards deemed staples, there is a lot of room for creativity within the Magician deck. It's not uncommon to see Magician decks with Entermage Clown cards thrown in, or to insted see other Pendulum decks with a few Magician cards splashed in. You can view different Magician varients here.
However this guide will focus primarily on the standard Magician deck. With both consistency and power, it's no surprise that the deck is so popular in the OCG.
The Monsters:
Dragonpit Magician
Normal Level 7 WATER Spellcaster
ATK: 900
DEF: 2700
Pendulum Effect (8/8)
(1) Once per turn, if you have a "Magician" card in your other Pendulum Zone: You can discard 1 Pendulum
Monster, then target 1 Spell/ Trap Card on the field; destroy it.
While both its Pendulum and Monster Effect have applications (such as for extending plays and
getting rid of problematic LIGHT monsters like Shaddoll Construct), Destruction Magician is often
used as an extra beatstick with the ability to Exceed into powerful Rank 7 Exceed monsters.
Noble Dragon Magician
Effect Level 3 FIRE Spellcaster
ATK: 700
DEF: 1400
Pendulum Effect (5/5)
(1) If you do not have a "Magician" card in your other Pendulum Zone, destroy this card.
Monster Effect
(1) If this card is in your hand or Graveyard: You can target 1 Level 7 or higher "Odd-Eyes" monster
you control; reduce its Level by 3, and if you do, Special Summon this card. Cannot be used as
Synchro Material, except for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon-Type monster. If this card is used
for a Sychro Summon, and the other Synchro Material(s) is not an "Odd-Eyes" monster, place this
card on the bottom of the Deck.
Odd-Eyes allows you to search Dragonpit, Insight, Noble Dragon, and Archfiend Eccentric among others.
Although some players in the OCG have dropped this card as it is slow, it still has many applications.
Aside from its Pendulum effect, its monster effect of doubling its battle damage when attacking an
opponent's monster can be relevant towards pushing for lethal damage, especially since its attack is
high already. It is also a Level 7, meaning that it helps the Magician deck Exceed into Rank 7s. It also
has applications with Noble Dragon Magician.
Noble Dragon is great for Synchro Summoning cards like Black Rose Dragon and Odd-Eyes
Meteorburst Dragon as well as facilitating Rank 7 plays.
Other Monsters
Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon
Effect Level 7 DARK Dragon
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
Pendulum Effect (4/4)
(1) You can reduce the battle damage you take from a battle involving a Pendulum Monster you
control to 0
(2) During your End Phase: You can destroy this card, and if you do, add 1 Pendulum Monster with
1500 or less ATK from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each Pendulum Effect of "Odd-Eyes
Pendulum Dragon" once per turn.
Monster Effect
(1) If this card battles an opponent's monster, any battle damage this card inflicts to your opponent
is doubled.
As it does have a somewhat awkward Pendulum Scale for the Magician deck, Luster
Pendulum will most often be used for its monster effect and not for its Pendulum effect (unless you
have Wavering Eyes in your hand). Luster Pendulum will be used to Synchro Summon Explosive
Dragoknight Ignister Prominence, whose effect can push you far ahead in advantage.
Luster Pendulum, The Dracoslayer
Effect Level 4 LIGHT Dragon
ATK: 1850
DEF: 0
Pendulum Effect (5/5)
(1) Once per turn, if you have a card in your other Pendulum Zone: You can destroy that card, and if you
do, add 1 card with the same name from your Deck to your hand.
Monster Effect
(1) Cannot be used as a Fusion, Synchro, or Exceed Material for a Summon, except for the Summon of
a Dragoknight monster.
As it does have a somewhat awkward Pendulum Scale for the Magician deck, Dragoknight Luster
Pendulum will most often be used for its monster effect and not for its Pendulum effect (unless you
have Wavering Eyes in your hand). Dragoknight Luster will be used to Synchro Summon Explosive
Dragoknight Ignister Prominence, whose effect can push you far ahead in advantage.
Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
Effect Level 4 DARK Spellcaster
ATK: 1800
DEF: 100
Pendulum Effect (8/8)
(1) You cannot Pendulum Summon monsters, except "performapal" monsters, "Magician" Pendulum
Monsters, and "Odd-Eyes" monsters. This effect cannot be negated.
Monster Effect
(1) When this card is Normal Summoned: You can add 1 "Performapal" monster, 1 "Magician" Pendulum
Monster, or 1 "Odd-Eyes" monster from your Deck to your hand, except "Performapal Skullcrobat Joker".
Joker will most often be used for its amazing monster effect, which adds any of your Pendulum
monsters from your Deck to your hand with his Stratos-like effect. HIs level is also perfect in that
he helps facilitate both Rank 4 plays and Level 7 and 8 Synchro Summons.
While his Pendulum effect will not be activated very often in a standard Magician deck, his monster
effect is very important in that you can destroy any card you control (usually a Pendulum monster on
your side of the field) to add a Performapal Skullbat Joker to your hand, which is very useful towards
getting your engine going.
Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer
Effect Level 4 EARTH Spellcaster
ATK: 1500
DEF: 800
Pendulum Effect (2/2)
(1) If a "Performapal" monster(s) is Pendulum Summoned to your side of the field: All "Performapal"
monsters you currently control gain 1000 ATK until the end of this turn.
Monster Effect
(1) If this card is Special Summoned: You can target up to 2 cards ou control; destroy them, and if you
do, add an equal number of "Performapal" monsters with different names from your Deck to your hand,
except 'Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer". You can only use this effect of "Performapal Pendulum
Sorcerer" once per turn.
Archfiend Eccentrick
Effect Level 3 LIGHT Spellcaster
ATK: 800
DEF: 1000
Pendulum Effect (7/7)
(1) You can target 1 other Spell/ Trap Card on the field; destroy both this card and that target. You can
only use this effect of "Eccentric Archfiend" once per turn.
Monster Effect
(1) You can Tribute this card, then target 1 monster on the field; destroy it. You can only use this effect
of "Eccentric Archfiend" once per turn.
An amazing card in any deck that Pendulum Summons, Archfiend Eccentric acts as a Mystical Space
Typhoon and then an Exiled Force for every turn after. It also has a great Pendulum Scale when needed.
Other Cards To Consider
Many players in the OCG have mixed Performapal, Performage, Majespecter, Hero, and even Artifacts into the Magician deck.
Spell Cards:
Pendulum Call
(1) If you did not activate the Pendulum Effect of a "Magician" Pendulum Monster this turn: Discard
1 card; add 2 "Magician" Pendulum Monsters with different names from your Deck to your hand,
also "Magician" cards in your Pendulum Zones cannot be destroyed by card effects until the end
of our opponent's next turn. You can only activate 1 "Pendulum Call" per turn.
An amazing support card for Magicians that instantly allows them to be able to Pendulum Summon.
While Pendulum Call's effect to protect your Pendulum cards in the Pendulum Zones is a blessing, it
can also be a curse in not allowing you to use Insight Magician's effect to destroy itself to search for
a Magician Pendulum Monster to set up your Extra Deck. Of course the blessing comes in your
opponent not being able to destroy your Pendulum Zone cards with cards like Mystical Space
Typhoon or Wavering Eyes.
Sky Arc protects your Pendulum Zone cards from effects like Mystical Space Typhoon while also setting
up your Extra Deck by destroying your face-up Pendulum monsters. You'll most often be searching
Odd-Eyes Fusion with Sky Arc, and assuming you tributed a Pendulum monster for Sky Arc's effect, youll
already have one future negation with the Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon you will be Fusion Summoning.
Sky Arc
(1) "Magician", "Performapal", and "Odd-Eyes" cards in your Pendulum Zones cannot be targetted by an
opponent's card effects. (2) You can target 1 other face-up card you control; destroy it, and if you do,
add 1 "Odd-Eyes" card from your Deck to your hand. You can only use this effect of "Sky Arc" once
per turn.
Odd-Eyes Fusion
(1)Fusion Summon 1 Dragon-Type Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck, using monsters from your hand
or your side of the field as Fusion Materials. If your opponent controls 2 or more monsters and you control
no monsters, you can also use up to 2 "Odd-Eyes" monsters in your Extra Deck as Fusion Materials. You
can only activate 1 "Odd-Eyes Fusion" per turn.
Odd-Eyes Fusion is primarily used to summon Odd-Ees Vortex Dragon, one of the most powerful Odd-Eyes
cards that can negate any effect once per turn by shuffling a face-up Pendulum monster in your Extra Deck
back into your hand. With 2500 ATK and 3000 DEF, your opponent will have a tough time dealing with it.
While you are able to summon Vortex Dragon by fusing Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and another
Pendulum monster, you will most often be using materials from the Extra Deck to fusion into Vortex Dragon.
As this is the OCG, cards like Harpie's Feather Duster, Shock Master, and Cyber Dragon Infinity can and should all be used.
Extra Deck
If you choose to play Odd-Eyes Fusion, you will need to find room for Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon and at least two other Odd-Eyes Extra Deck cards (I'd suggest Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon and Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon, especially if you're playing Noble Dragon Magician). If playing Luster Pendulum, you will need to play Dragoknight Ignister Prominence. Aside from that, Magicians are able to Exceed into Rank 4, 6, and 7 with ease.