What Is Pot of Greed (& Why Is it Trending on TikTok)?

Download Article

Learn what makes this Yu-Gi-Oh card so hilarious

Co-authored by Ashton Wu and Eric McClure

Last Updated: January 7, 2026 Fact Checked

Download Article

• What is Pot of Greed?
|
• Why is Pot of Greed banned?
|
• Why Pot of Greed Went Viral
|
• Other Iconic Yu-Gi-Oh Memes
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

Even if you’ve never played Yu-Gi-Oh or watched the anime, you’ve certainly come across some memes that have disseminated from the game (“You’ve activated my trap card!” anyone?). But Pot of Greed might be one of the less intuitive memes to have come out of the game. In this article, we’ll break down what Pot of Greed is, why it’s so notable, what makes it funny, and why it’s going viral right now.

Why Is Pot of Greed Iconic?

Pot of Greed is an extremely powerful card with hilarious art. It was first printed in the original Yu-Gi-Oh set, so it has been a popular and niche meme for years. It went viral recently because influencer Drew Afualo told a funny story about being compared to the card.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

What is Pot of Greed?

Download Article

1. 
   Pot of Greed is a powerful and iconic Yu-Gi-Oh card. Pot of Greed is a spell for no cost that reads “Draw two cards.” It was first printed in the original Yu-Gi-Oh trading card set, which came out in 2002, so it has always been a celebrated and well-known card, and the creepy face with the wincing eyes and toothy, yellow smile are just the cherry on top. Here’s what makes it so memorable:

   • It’s from the original set. Picture Black Lotus in Magic: The Gathering, or Charmander in Pokémon. Pot of Greed is in the same kind of category, just for Yu-Gi-Oh. It’s old, recognizable, and even people who don’t play the game have seen the card.
   • It’s a powerful card. Cards are resources, and drawing two cards for no cost is basically insane power-level-wise.
   • The art is hilarious. Just look at that goofy guy. He’s a literal pot for one, but that cheesy smile is beyond absurd.
Advertisement

Section 2 of 4:

Why is Pot of Greed banned?

Download Article

1. 
   It’s too powerful and too easy to include in decks. Playing one card that draws you two cards is really good on its own—you replace the card you just played, then get an extra one on top! But the fact that Pot of Greed is literally free to play just takes it up a notch. Pot of Greed was banned in 2003, and added to the Forbidden List in 2005, meaning that it will never come back into the game.

   • Why is card draw so good? Picture you have a card in your deck that can win you the game on the spot. The game has gone down to the nitty-gritty, you and your opponent both have barely any life left, and you draw Pot of Greed. You play it, draw two cards, and voila! There’s the card that can win you the game! Now…which card actually won you the game here? The powerful card, or Pot of Greed? You’d have never seen the game-winning card without Pot of Greed!

Section 3 of 4:

Why is Pot of Greed trending?

Download Article

1. 
   1
   Influencer Drew Afualo told a funny Pot of Greed story recently. On an episode of her podcast, The Comment Section, featuring Caleb Heron, popular Insta and TikTok influencer Drew Afualo shared the worst roast she ever got. In the now-viral clip from 2024, Afualo tells the story of a time one of her fans shared a screenshot comparing her face to the art for Pot of Greed. She cites it as the “best L” she’s ever had to hold, and she and Caleb crack up over it. The internet thought the comparison was accurate and funny, so the clip went wild on TikTok as other users discovered the memeability of “Pot of Greed Face,” as seen in @nunodaman’s video. If you’ve got a big, goofy grin and you squint when you smile widely, you’ve got Pot of Greed face!

   • This isn’t actually the first time Drew has told this story! The first time she told this joke was in 2023 on the Zach Sang Show. She tells the same story almost word for word. That Pot of Greed comment must have really stuck in her head!
2. 
   2
   Pot of Greed is also iconic among Yu-Gi-Oh fans for its original meme. In the anime, there are multiple instances where Yugi would use Pot of Greed while announcing what the card did in a very odd, inorganic way. This led to the popular copypasta, “POT OF GREED ALLOWS ME TO DRAW TWO MORE CARDS. I WILL START MY TURN BY PLAYING POT OF GREED WHICH ALLOWS ME TO DRAW TWO MORE CARDS. I WILL PLAY THE MAGIC CARD, POT OF GREED, WHICH ALLOWS ME TO DRAW TWO NEW CARDS.”
Advertisement

Section 4 of 4:

Other Iconic Yu-Gi-Oh Memes

Download Article

1. 
   1
   “You’ve just activated my trap card!” Yu-Gi-Oh has a mechanic involving trap cards where players, when certain conditions are met, are allowed to play or flip a trap over to trigger its effect. The meme stems from this viral image of a Yu-Gi-Oh player menacingly smiling as he selects a card. Today, the phrase “You’ve just activated my trap card” is meant to be a silly way of saying, “I’ve got a surprise up my sleeve.”

   • We’re especially fond of this meta TikTok meme by user @wttdotm. The video itself is about an algorithmic trap card that will mess with your TikTok algorithm. You fool! You activated the trap video!
2. 
   2
   Believe in the heart of the cards. Yu-Gi-Oh deck construction is a science. Players select cards carefully when building their strategy out. At the same time, you shuffle and draw from the top of the deck to get random cards when you play, so that part of the game is just pure RNG. That’s what makes it so funny when Yami, in the Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime, draws a card dramatically knowing it will be a good one because he “believes in the heart of the cards.” Today, the meme is used in a joking way as something you’d say to improve your luck.

   • We really like this meta Reddit meme about magicians revealing their tricks. We also enjoyed this meme about ordering food when you don’t actually know how much money is in your bank account. Go ahead—order that extra guac on your burrito bowl; you just have to believe in the heart of your debit card!
3. 
   3
   Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Blue-Eyes White Dragon is probably the most famous card in Yu-Gi-Oh. It was sort of the most powerful creature in the first set ever released (the same one Pot of Greed was in) and it has become an iconic joke punchline ever since.

   • This Reddit post is a great example of how the Blue-Eyes White Dragon memes work. We also love this joke about using the card to claim you have blue eyes on Tinder.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!