Side sets in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG often has its unique rarities to find. For many of the deck-building packs, the special rarity is a collector’s rare. It has a special texture that isn’t as defined as an ultimate rare, and, unlike the starlight rares, requires you to tilt the card in order to catch a glimpse of the effect. This can sometimes make it hard to differentiate from other cards if you were to sleeve them.

Regardless, these cards are hard to pull and offer a rarity bump for some of the best entries in their set. Some are even staples that can be used in any deck as long as you get three of them. So, which collector’s rares are worth keeping?

The Maliss archetype can be pretty strong when players aren’t side-decking the silver bullet. This Alice in Wonderland-inspired archetype first made its debut in Crossover Breakers, with many of its members receiving some top rarity printings to chase after.

Malice P White Rabbit is one of the more powerful cards due to its ability to set Maliss Traps directly from the deck. This monster may be late for a very important date, but thanks to her ability to come back when banished, she’ll be on the field when you need her most.

The Memento archetype takes some of the older Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters with no effects and turns them into corrupted versions of themselves. This archetype first appeared in Valiant Smashers intending to get as many of them on the board and in the grave as possible.

Mementotlan Dark Blade has a collector’s rare variant in the set, which adds a fingerprint-like texture to the card’s surface. As a card that sees multiple copies of itself run in the same deck, having them be collectors’ rare is a neat way to make it shine.

The Vanquish Soul archetype mimics the style of fighting games, with each monster being a member of its roster. Vanquish Soul Heavy Borger is a powerful card that can swap itself with another member of its archetype on the field using its own effect.

Considering this card can let you draw deeper into your deck by revealing a Dark attribute monster, this works as a body and as a way to replenish your hand. Collector’s rare foiling gives you the same feeling as unlocking a fighter’s secret skin.

Maliss Q White Binder is the archetype’s built-in method of banishing cards from either graveyard as a means of interruption. It also allows you to set Maliss Traps from the deck or reuse one already in the graveyard. To top it off, it has a built-in draw when brought back from banishment.

A collector’s rare variant of this card is a neat find, considering the alternative is merely a super rare. These cards don’t just help the deck out; they look good too, with an excellent style for their Alice in Wonderland theme.

Speaking of Maliss, one of the best starters for the archetype is Maliss P Dormouse. This is because it lets you banish any other Maliss monster from the deck. You can then start paying life points to get those monsters on the board immediately.

Any rarity-bumped starter is always bound to fetch a good price. Players need it, and those who want to fully max out their deck rarity will want a complete playset. Especially when Maliss P Dormouse does not have a quarter-century secret rare.

Yu-Gi-Oh! players are constantly on the lookout for ways to avoid Normal Summoning. Because of this, any card that can bring something out directly from the deck can become pretty valuable. Stake Your Soul is an easy way to not only bring out Vanquish Soul monsters, but get them into your hand at the end of the turn.

This is also the card that embodies the theme of the deck perfectly. If you play fighting games, you’ll recognize it as the VS screen that appears at the start of a match. If you look closely, you’ll even notice that the electric bolt spells out the letters VS.

Seventh Tachyon is one of those cards that has plenty of longevity tied to it. It’s not tied down to any particular archetype as long as you have the appropriate Number monster in your extra deck to use it. So the more cards that are released, the bigger the pool of searchable monsters.

Maze of the Master doesn’t have as many quarter-century secret rares. So for Seventh Tachyon, collector’s rare is the highest rarity you will find in its original set. It’s also one of those cards where being a collector's rare gives you a better look at the card’s art design.

Whoever decided to make the Cheshire cat a hacker deserves a raise. Malice P Chessy Cat can turn any duel on its head by allowing you to draw two cards without any real drawbacks. Collector’s rare is the end of the road for those seeking a rarity bump.

Cards like Chessy Cat are examples of good rarity distribution. Not every card is locked to a max rarity, but it can be easily pulled from packs. So the playability is still there while also giving players rarer foils to chase after.

One of the best reprints in Maze of the Master is Mulcharmy Purulia. This trio of jellyfish is a must-have when trying to go competitive due to the potential card advantage you can gain. Your opponent can either play the minigame or use up a negate.

Mulcharmy Purulia is one of those cards where the reprint in Maze of the Master didn’t help it become more available. Despite having a quarter-century secret rare printing to compete with, the collector’s rare is considered the budget rarity bump.

When you think of the Vanquish Soul archetype, one of the first cards that comes to mind is Vanquish Soul Razen. This is due to his punkish blue style and striking pose. Who wouldn’t want to choose him as their main at a fighting tournament?

The Vanquish Soul deck uses three of these since it can add other Vanquish Soul monsters to the hand. It also has ways to destroy monsters right in front of it or defend itself from destruction effects. As the face of the deck, the collector's rare is a good way to pay the archetype proper respect.