To clarify: card of the year for us among cards we used in 2023 or among cards released in 2023? Because my answer is different for both of those.

To clarify: card of the year for us among cards we used in 2023 or among cards released in 2023? Because my answer is different for both of those.

If we're talking about cards we used in 2023, then I'd definitely say Branded Fusion. It came out in Master Duel in late 2022, but aside from my #1 favorite deck Sky Strikers (but I didn't want to pick from that deck because Engage or Kagari would have definitely been my card of the year for 2022 and I wanted to mix things up) the most fun I had playing in 2023 was with various Branded variants, particularly Branded Tearlaments.

If we're only talking about cards that were released in 2023, then it's a tougher decision for me, but I think I'll go with Tearlaments Kitkallos. I had some fun with her in early 2023's Tear Zero format with multiple Tearlaments decks, and I'm still having a lot of fun her with my aforementioned Branded Tear deck even though I've dismantled all of my other Tear decks. If Master Duel had banned Kitkallos like the TCG/OCG did instead of the left-field Merrli ban, then my Branded Tear deck wouldn't even exist right now because it needs Kitkallos to function. I also really enjoyed Sprights (meaning Spright Elf is a contender), Labrynth (meaning Lady Labrynth of the Silver Castle is a contender), Mikanko (meaning Ohime the Manifested Mikanko is a contender), and Vanquish Soul (meaning Vanquish Soul Razen is a contender) this year, plus Triple Tactics Thrust has been a really fun generic option, but I think I'll stick with Kitkallos.