The Issue with the Yu-Gi-Oh Forbidden List

As you may be reading, today's Forbidden and Limited List leaves me to question the decisions Konami is making, enough for me to make my own. Below, I've detailed the issues I have and how to fix it. These issues are over the course of several lists, not just one as it's been a problem for years. The info below comes from where cards were on the list at the time. This will not cover all the cards on the list.

Forbidden (0 copies per Deck)
1. This slot should be reserved for overpowered cards that every Deck can use such as Raigeki and Dark Hole. However, cards like Instant Fusion and Soul Charge have baffled me as to why they were even considered on the list at all, let alone being Forbidden. For those unaware, Instant Fusion Special Summons a Level 5 or lower Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck as a Fusion Summon for 1000 LP, but destroys it at the End Phase and prevents its attacks that turn. You also can't activate more than 1 copy per turn, but none of this is worthwhile as it was also a Common back in in CDIP (#40).

2. Soul Charge can revive any number of monsters from your Grave, but brings your LP down by 1000 for each one. Sounds potent, but that's a steep price to pay for reviving even just two monsters. It's not even damage so you can't counter it with effects like Prime Material Dragon. (#87)

3. Time Seal (#71)? Are they kidding? The loss of 1 Draw Phase shouldn't mean they can't do anything. It's really only ideal when the opponent has few cards in their hand and on their field. That's not a common situation.

Limited (1 copy per Deck)
1. The unbanning of several OP cards just because "the players aren't using it" is a terrible idea. The players only care about copying everyone else and if they choose not to use these free gifts, that's on them.

2. Yata-Garasu (#0) should've been completely removed from the list. Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect now prevents using other effects that turn and people aren't even touching Dark Hole and Raigeki. The OTK is dead, especially since players don't want to use Raigeki or Dark Hole.

Semi-Limited (2 copies per Deck)
1. Pot of Desires (#66) is a huge risk as you're down 1/4 of your Deck to draw twice. Duality (#62) wasn't even that bad by comparison. Herald of Orange Light (#82) doesn't need to be there either as it's a -2 to negate only a monster effect. What about Effect Veiler? Fiendish Chain (#64)? Those two are far more deserving of that, or even being limited over that weakling.

2. Malicious (#11) at 2? It's a Level 5 monster with the stats of a Level 2 or less monster. All it can do is Special Summon another copy. Could put Cyber Dragon (#1) on there instead as that does the same thing with nearly 3 times the ATK and twice the DEF. Nothing else really needed either. They even have the audacity to put a Sky Striker "support" card (DASA #30) on there. Have they forgotten you basically can't have 2/3 of the three card types in the Grave for any benefit?

Now that I've gone into the various failures of the list. let's get this list corrected.
Forbidden
1. First, I'm putting back certain big names like Raigeki that were taken off as they're far too dangerous to be used in tournaments, regardless of how many players actually use them. Next, I'm adding quite a few that are actually worthy of being banned like most of the recent Armed Dragon Thunder (#1) monsters. They're the originals on steroids with easy-to-play effects and overall way too powerful. Another card being added is Dark Simorgh (#92). Blocking your opponent from Setting at all when they're facing a nearly 3000 ATK monster is quite the detriment. Plus it's easy to bring out other ways too.

2. Knocked out Anti-Magic Arrows (#1) as it's pretty much Cold Wave for the Battle Phase, cannot be responded to either and only affects the opponent. Joining Thousand-Eyes Restrict (#195) is Malicious Fiend (#13), which boasts 3500 ATK and a forced attack effect for all opponent's monsters. Pretty tough to survive when you're forced to attack it and have less ATK than it. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend (#40) can single-handedly take down stronger monsters without costing you much at all so it's at 0 along with Catastor (#26) and Armades, Keeper of Boundaries. (#45)

3. Also on this list are combos like OTK and FTKs. We don't need those in this game and they're hurting the chances of otherwise benign cards to see any play at all. A truly skilled Duelist shouldn't need them to win anyway. Plus, you have roughly 40 minutes to play so there's no need to rush to victory.

Limited to 1
1. Some cards I'm kinda on the fence about their potency can go to 1 like Macro Cosmos and Honest (#1). They have some risk involved too. Disigma (#52) and Shark Drake (#42) are very potent Rank 4s that should at least be at 1. Chaos MAX Dragon (#4) is also quite powerful with Ritual Raven (#35). Several other cards like Power Bond (#20) and Leeching the Light (#61) have their own potency, but are also offset by at least 1 downside. Sangan (#18) and
Witch (#14) are back to 1 as nothing they get can cause an OTK or FTK thanks to those being Forbidden moves. Wattgiraffe (#25) is searchable and locks out the opponent's effects after it attacks directly, which it can do by its effect too. Big Benkei (#13) is a kind of reverse Beatstick that Giant Rat can quickly bring into play and it needs no other monsters to dish out big damage.

2. A few classic Synchros are now at 1 as their effects prove problematic for the opponent to deal with and don't have any real drawbacks. Armor Master (#41) also has the benefit in Blackwing Decks to use Gale and Bora the Spear. Odin (#40) basically says "no" to any of the opponent's backrow cards and boasts 4000 ATK. The Synchro Materials really don't hinder you much either as a generic Fairy Deck can bring out Valkyrie (#17). It can also self-revive with a free draw afterwards. Other classic Traps like Mirror Force (#39) and Torrential are at 1 for reasons that should be quite clear.

3. Much like the Forbidden List, some combos are also on this list, notably ones that are reusable multiple times per turn. I've put a cap to 3 times per turn, which eliminates possibly circumventing the block on FTK and OTKs.

Semi-Limited
1. Included cards like Cyber End Dragon (#13) and The Last Warrior from Another Planet (#77) that can certainly be quite powerful, but don't have quite the same potency as ones at 1 or 0. The updated BLS Ritual Monster (#42) is on here too with classic cards like Ancient Gear Golem (#6) and Cyber Dragon. Hardened Armed Dragon (#83) may seem random, but with cards like Dark Simorgh, it's very potent. Even Blue-Eyes White Dragon becomes a nasty threat and it's searchable.

2. Other cards at 2 are relatively generic like Fusion Recovery (#38), Call of the Mummy (SD2 #22) and Valhalla. The latter two cards are pretty similar and allow for the stronger members of the Monster Type to be on the field in seconds. Several potent Trap Cards are also at 2 like Solemn Warning (#77) and Safe Zone (#78). Warning blocks much of what Solemn Judgment does, but has a specific LP cost. Safe Zone just protects the monster entirely and can be even worse with the right monster.