Yu-Gi-Oh! Exodia Fan Build Wins LEGO Ideas Challenge, Will Become Official Set

LEGO is officially bringing Yu-Gi-Oh! into the LEGO Ideas lineup, and the first set will be based on one of the franchise’s most iconic monsters. The winning design from the LEGO Ideas Yu-Gi-Oh! It’s Time to Duel! challenge is The Heart of the Cards – Exodia by fan designer Step_on_a_Brick.

The build recreates the moment Exodia the Forbidden is summoned, with a large brick-built Exodia emerging from oversized versions of the five cards needed to complete the legendary monster. A brick-built Yami Yugi figure is also part of the design.

The project was chosen from five finalists that advanced from a much larger field of entries submitted earlier this year. LEGO Ideas received 264 submissions for the challenge before narrowing the field to five designs for a public fan vote. Those finalists included builds featuring Exodia, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Slifer the Sky Dragon and other familiar Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and monsters.

The fan vote helped inform the final decision, although LEGO Ideas made clear when voting opened that the results alone would not determine the winner. The LEGO Ideas review board retained the final say on which model would move forward as an official product.

Step_on_a_Brick’s winning design is one of the more display-oriented entries from the group. Instead of using standard minifigures as the focus, the concept builds Yami Yugi and Exodia themselves from LEGO elements. The original submission uses 1,913 pieces and gives Exodia an articulated upper body so the character can be posed above the five brick-built cards. The design is based on one of the most recognizable moments from early Yu-Gi-Oh!, when Yugi assembles all five pieces of Exodia and wins the duel immediately.

That connection to the trading card game is also what gives the LEGO set an obvious collectibles crossover. Rather than simply recreating a character or scene from the anime, the display is built around physical versions of some of the best-known cards in the game.

The winning model will now move into LEGO’s development process, where LEGO designers will work with the fan creator and the Yu-Gi-Oh! team on the final retail version. The finished product may change from the original fan submission before release. As the winning LEGO Ideas designer, Step_on_a_Brick is also expected to receive the standard LEGO Ideas benefits tied to an approved set, including a 1% royalty on net sales and credit in the set materials.

LEGO has not yet announced the final piece count, price or release date for the retail set.