A one of a kind Yu-Gi-Oh card is being put up for auction with the card originally created for a child through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Throughout the game's storied 25-year-long history, Konami has introduced plenty of rare and valuable cards to the TCG. Many of the game's most iconic cards like the Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon often fetch high prices for graded version of classic printings. However, one highly sought after card has always eluded the game's most avid collectors until now.
Tyler the Great Warrior was a special Yu-Gi-Oh card created as a collaboration between Konami and the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a child suffering from a rare form of cancer. The card created for Tyler Gressle was never officially released into the game, with the copy owned by Gressle being the only copy of "Tyler the Great Warrior" ever printed. For most of the game's history, many fans believed the card would not surface and would remain a keepsake of Gressle and his family. Now, a recent video has revealed the legendary card will be up for auction.
A video uploaded by popular Yu-Gi-Oh YouTuber Cimoooooooo, titled "The Rarest Yu-Gi-Oh! Card in History," details the story of "Tyler the Great Warrior." YouTuber Alex Cimo interviews both Gressle and his family, as well as members of the Make-A-Wish Foundation who worked with Gressle, about the creation of the card. The video also shares the process of having the card graded by premiere TCG grading company PSA, concluding with an announcement about the card's availability in an auction. The auction is set to begin on April 19th with details on the sale to be shared later.
The video goes into detail on the process of creating the one of a kind Yu-Gi-Oh card, including Gressle's interactions with Yu-Gi-Oh creator Kazuki Takahashi. Gressle was given the opportunity to create his own card through collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, after he was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. He reveals the concept behind the art took inspiration from another franchise he had loved as a child in Dragon Ball Z. Gressle expressed his desire to use the funds from the auction to travel the world and visit family overseas.
The auction for Tyler the Great Warrior becomes the second time a one of a kind trading card has made news in recent weeks. Wizards of the Coast recently revealed Magic the Gathering's new Lord of the Rings collaboration will feature a 1/1 card based on The One Ring. The developer confirmed there would only be one copy of the card in existence with collectors already offering high bounties for the Magic the Gathering card. Tyler the Great Warrior will look to be the holy grail of collector's items for fans of Yu-Gi-Oh and its history.