Yugi's iconic trust in the Heart of the Cards was the reason why he was the best duelist in Yu-Gi-Oh!, but a later protagonist in the franchise actually had a much more broken ability. Of course, many other duelists in the franchise have also had special abilities to aid them in their duels that Yugi never had access to. But what makes this specific ability so shocking is how much it was a straight upgrade to Yugi's already broken power.

In the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, whenever Yugi was in a tricky spot in a duel he would trust the Heart of the Cards to give him the exact card he needed to get out of it. Over time, this became Yugi's signature ability and something that fans could look forward to in many of his games. While some people may not like this power since it feels too much like plot armor, winning him games that Yugi never should have won, ultimately it is his skill as a duelist that enables him to make the cards he draws off the Heart of the Cards work in his favor.

Yuma's Shining Draw Outclasses Yugi's Heart of the Cards

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal takes the Heart of the Cards to a whole new level with its protagonist Yuma's Shining Draw ability. This is a power that Yuma can unlock when he merges with his alien spirit friend Astral and enters his Zexal form. Shining Draw allows Yuma to draw the exact card he needs to get out of any situation he is in, to the point where the ability will create an entirely new card for him. This is much more powerful than Yugi's faith in his deck because in many ways it defeats the point of relying on the cards in Yuma's deck. Instead, it creates something that was never in his deck to begin with.

Given how much more powerful and explicit a form of Plot Armor Shining Draw is, it is no wonder it never became as iconic as the Heart of the Cards. The ability also kind of goes counter to Yuma's general character arc in the series. Yuma begins as a bad duelist and grows into a good one, which makes him an interesting opposite to Yugi. However, while Yugi often had to figure out how to use what the Heart of the Cards gave him, Yuma's Shining Draw requires much less skill to use, requiring him to improve less when he uses it.

Ultimately, while Yuma's Shining Draw is much more powerful than the Heart of the Cards, it was used far less. This is likely because its overpowered nature made it much less interesting and made the conclusions to many duels in which it appeared less exciting. Thus, this ability is a good example of the dangers of giving a character too much plot armor. While Yu-Gi-Oh! series can introduce abilities more powerful than the Heart of the Cards, it doesn't mean they necessarily should.