It’s one of the smallest types in Yu-Gi-Oh, with barely any support. For scale, there are around 900 Warrior monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh (OCG and TCG) yet there are only 130-ish for Pyros! I’m personally still holding out for the day we get more Volcanic support, I’m sure we’ll get it eventually! Hopefully… However, that’s not to say there aren’t already some decent cards among the Pyro monster pool. There are a select few Pyro monsters that are really worth playing in your deck – especially if you want to give this underrated type a try for yourself. So let’s bring the heat with our top picks for the best Pyro monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh!
12. Helios – The Primordial Sun
This card is notorious for being mentioned on a seriously powerful trap card – Macro Cosmos. This card banishes every card that would otherwise go to the graveyard, which plays right into Helios – the Primordial Sun’s effect! Helios gains 100 attack for every banished monster, including your opponent’s monsters. If you’re running a deck that tends to banish a lot of monsters, be it through cards like Macro Cosmos or fusion summoning cards like Dragon Mirror, then Helios is a great pick. There are so many different ways you can turn this card into a colossal beat stick. And when it’s so easy to summon, how could you turn this down?
11. Infernal Flame Emperor
This card is super nostalgic for me. This was the signature card of the “Blaze of Destruction” structure deck, A.K.A the first deck I ever got as a kid. Infernal Flame Emperor is a fantastic way of dealing with all of your opponent’s spells and traps all at once. When it’s tribute summoned you can banish any number of Fire monsters from your graveyard and destroy the same amount of spells/traps your opponent controls. At 2900 attack, this guy is pretty strong stats-wise too. Meaning while your opponent is defenseless you can run into them with Infernal Flame Emperor for some serious damage.
10. Inari Fire
If you’re running a spellcaster deck that likes to use the extra deck, then Inari Fire is perfect for you. While you control a spellcaster monster, you can special summon this guy from your hand for free! It’s very conveniently a level 4 monster, meaning this card is great for rank 4 XYZ summons or level 8 synchro plays. Inari Fire also has a fairly niche recursion effect when it’s destroyed specifically by card effect. But the fact that this one card can open up your entire extra deck is what really makes it shine!
9. Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective
Gaia Soul is phenomenal in pure-Pyro decks like Flamvell or Volcanics. If 2000 attack wasn’t enough for a level 4 monster, you can also tribute up to two other Pyro monsters you control to make this guy a 4000 attack beast. This card also deals piercing battle damage, meaning that if it’s ludicrously high 4000 attack is higher than your opponent’s monster’s defense (which it definitely will be), then your opponent will take the difference as LP damage. This is a fantastic way of getting rid of big monsters & deal some damage, all in one fantastic Pyro monster.
8. Barrier Statue of the Inferno
Barrier Statues have actually had somewhat of a comeback in the meta game recently. People have remembered just how good it is to lock your opponent out of special summoning, and these cards do just that. While Barrier Statue of the Inferno is on the field, neither player can special summon monsters except for Fire type monsters. If you’re playing a Fire type deck, this means you can play exactly as you normally would, with the added bonus that your opponent will be completely useless. If you’re running a dual-type deck (i.e. Dark and Fire) then I’d also chuck in the other Barrier statue that fits your theme.
7. Flamvell Uruquizas
Flamvells are easily the best Pyro archetype out there. They have some seriously strong cards that are powerful both in Flamvell decks and others alike. Flamvell Uruquizas is a generic level 6 synchro. It has 2100 attack, and the ability to do piercing battle damage. And there’s more: Every single time this monster deals battle damage to your opponent, it gains 300 attack. Combining this with the piercing battle damage ability, you’ve got a monster that increases its attack every single turn! After a few turns, your opponent will seriously struggle to overcome this ever-increasing attack stat.
6. Fox Fire
First things first: this card is absolutely adorable. That’s not the main reason this card is on the list, but it certainly needs to be mentioned. Secondly, this card is absolutely fantastic at providing you with a solid wall of defense! Because if Fox Fire is destroyed by battle, you can special summon it back from the graveyard during the end phase. While you’re not allowed to use this card as material for a tribute summon, there’s nothing on this card saying you can’t use it for extra deck summons. As a level 2 monster, this little guy is great at making up those extra couple of levels needed for a synchro summon.
5. Royal Firestorm Guards
You know how Pot of Avarice was on the ban list for ages because it was so good? Royal Firestorm Guards is pretty much an in-archetype Pot of Avarice that costs even less to activate. When this card is normal summoned, you can shuffle 4 Pyro monsters back into your deck, then draw 2 cards. Two new cards can spell the difference between winning and losing and Yu-Gi-Oh, making this a fantastic way of recycling your best monsters, while getting to draw again!
4. Pyrotech Mech – Shiryu
I love a good gamble when it comes to card games, and this card is just that. With Pyrotech Mech – Shiryu you can tribute summon this card for 1 less tribute than you normally would, with the catch that if you do, you take 1000 damage every turn. With 2900 attack and piercing battle damage, it’ll be easy as anything to sink some damage into your opponent – but will it be enough to finish them off before this card burns you to death? It’s a high-risk high-reward kind of card, which I think makes for very fun Yu-Gi-Oh!
3. Number 58: Burner Visor
Number 58: Burner Visor is as close to a union monster as you’ll get in an XYZ monster. You can equip this monster to another XYZ monster you control to give it the ability to attack directly. Equip this to a monster with high enough attack, and your opponent could be defeated in an instant! And when the equipped monster does inflict battle damage to your opponent, you can additionally discard a card to burn your opponent for 500 damage. While this may not sound like a lot, it’s those small bits of burn damage that can actually finish a game.
2. Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch
In my opinion, this card is one of the best Monarchs in the game. When it’s tribute summoned you can randomly discard a card from your opponent’s hand. If that card happens to be a monster, then you can burn your opponent for damage equal to its level multiplied by 100. This is a great way of dealing damage to your opponent, while also getting rid of their combo pieces. Well, hopefully… it is a random discard after all.
1. Solar Flare Dragon
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is my favorite Pyro monster in the game, as there’s a very dumb stall play you can do with this – and I absolutely love it. Solar Flare Dragon deals 500 damage to your opponent during every single one of your end phases. This damage slowly racks up, and it may just be the thing that defeats your opponent with this stall trick: While you control another Pyro monster, Solar Flare Dragon can’t be selected for any attacks, meaning it’s there to stay! So all you need to do to win is summon two (2) Solar Flare Dragons and do nothing else. That’s it. Your opponent won’t be able to attack either dragon, so they’ll be taking 1000 points of damage every single turn. If they can’t find a spell or trap card that can deal with these dragons in time, then they’ll be burnt to 0 LP with no way of stopping it.
