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Yugioh! is full of really cool characters and awesome monsters, Spells, and Traps. And sometimes these two worlds combine. Occasionally, we are given cards that resemble anime and manga characters like The Man with the Mark, and sometimes they are 100% featured on a card’s art, like Yu-Jo Friendship. And the Yugioh Gravekeeper’s is an entire archetype that features several anime and manga characters in their cards’ artwork. Let’s take a look!
Who are the Gravekeepers?
Firstly, who are the Gravekeepers? Well, the TCG archetype Gravekeeper’s (Gravekeeper in the OCG), is a collection of Dark (mostly) Spellcaster monsters that revolve around the Field Spell card Necrovalley. Their strategy involves a control/lockdown style that heavily focuses on the Graveyard. The deck includes searchers, counters, floodgates, and more. Their major strength lies in their Field Spell. Necrovalley, the single card with the most errata, is a card that is often used outside of the Gravekeeper’s archetype as a tactical tech for GY lockdown, similar to how some decks tech in Zombie World.
The Gravekeeper’s theme is ancient Egyptian tomb protectors. These guardians of the temples protect their ancestors and their homeland by locking would-be graverobbers out of the sacred tombs. This theme, and their artwork, is what directly links them with a group of characts known as the Tomb Keeprs.
The Tomb Keepers
In the Yugioh! anime and manga, the Tomb Keepers were a clan of ancient Egyptian priests, priestesses, and other members dedicated to one purpose: protecting the tomb of the Nameless Pharoah. The Tomb Keepers loyal and dedicated to their duty. But, the eventually broken into different factions due to disputes about the Millennium Items. The Tomb Keepers, many of whom were members of the Ishtar family, protected the items and the tomb. Eventually, this duty fell to Marik Ishtar, Ishizu Ishtar, and Odion, and even Bakura and Pegasus, characters who would become very important to the main storyline.
Now, several of the Tomb Keepers are featured in the artwork of the Gravekeeper’s cards, or at least they resemble the Tomb Keepers. We can see Marik Ishtar, Ishizu Ishtar, Odion, Shadi, Ishtar Forefather, and even Thief King Bakura in the cards Gravekeeper’s Descendant, Gravekeeper’s Priestess, Gravekeeper’s Recruiter, Gravekeeper’s Headman, Gravekeeper’s Visionary, and Gravekeeper’s Heretic. These same characters also appear on the artwork of other Gravekeeper’s Spell and Trap cards.
The Gravekeeper’s and the Tomb Keepers are both very interesting parts of Yugioh! history and lore! Give their deck a try for your next duel! Register for a free account at: Dueling Nexus! Gain instant access to all cards, all formats, and unlimited dueling!
