The world of the Yu-Gi-Oh! second-hand market is always going through some sort of cycle. New cards come in, older cards come into prominence, and the market value shifts accordingly. This time, the latter is happening, as a recent trap card from the Maze of the Master has started gaining some traction in the eyes of players.
Apophis the Serpent
Continuous
Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Reptile/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1800) (this card is also still a Trap), then you can Set 1 "Apophis" Trap from your Deck, except "Apophis the Serpent". It can be activated this turn. If this card is sent to the GY: You can add 1 "Embodiment of Apophis" from your Deck to your hand. You can only use each effect of "Apophis the Serpent" once per turn.
Copies of Apophis the Serpent entered the month of September with a $4 average. Over the course of September, there was a little bit of a positive climb. The average market value never breached beyond $6, though.
This trend changed on the eve of the final weekend of September. Not only did price listings start going north of $6, but they also practically doubled to above $12 without much build-up. Some copies are even selling above $20; in some cases, they’re nearing the $30 mark.
The second-hand market for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game (TCG) is a very fickle place; abrupt market changes like what’s happening to copies of this trap card usually have a catalyst sparking player interest. Our investigation into this market movement points toward the results of a recent YCS (Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series) that was held in Lille, France, from September 26th to the 28th.
In a YCS hosting a player population of over 2,000 heads, an Odion deck managed to take first place against all the other competitive frontrunners, such as Yummy, Mitsurugi, or Lunalight. A deck list for the Odion deck in question hasn’t been released, but it appears players are banking on a copy, if not copies, of Apophis the Serpent to be included in the formula.
The Apophis Line-up
The Odion archetype made its debut back in March 2025 in the Maze of the Master set. Apophis the Serpent is the third and latest addition to the Apophis line of trap cards that special summon themselves onto the field as monsters.
Apophis the Swamp Deity
During the Main Phase: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Reptile/EARTH/Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 2200) (this card is also still a Trap), then, you can negate the effects of face-up cards your opponent controls, up to the number of other Continuous Traps you control, until the end of this turn
Embodiment of Apophis
During the Main Phase: Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster (Reptile/EARTH/Level 4/ATK 1600/DEF 1800) (this card is also still a Trap).
The Apophis line of trap cards occupies an odd space in the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game. Trap cards already have an inherent disadvantage compared to monster or spell cards, but the Odion archetype is able to work around such restrictions.
Thanks to the support given by cards like Treasures of the Kings, Temple of the Kings, and Man with the Mark, the controlling player can set-up a play line into Odion archetype’s most powerful card advantage boss monster, Divine Serpent Apophis, that not only recurs up to three differently named Apophis trap cards back onto field but can also do targeted destruction once a turn.
The Odion archetype isn’t the most popular of archetypes to run in modern Yu-Gi-Oh! However, the recent and even past YCSs have shown that skilled players can defy the odds and use rogue archetypes to claim victory.
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