Gaia The Fierce Knight [1st Edition] #SDY-007

Gaia The Fierce Knight [1st Edition] #SDY-007 collector guide

About Gaia The Fierce Knight

Gaia The Fierce Knight is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as SDY-007 in Starter Deck: Yugi (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 7 EARTH Warrior monster with 2,300 ATK and 2,100 DEF. At its Level it needs two Tributes to Normal Summon. Its ATK is the 3rd highest of the 29 monsters in the set. Starter Deck: Yugi was one of the two pre-built decks that launched the English game in 2002, built around the cards Yugi Muto plays in the anime, with Dark Magician at its centre. Ungraded, this printing ranks 16th of the 162 Starter Deck: Yugi cards we track. The top card is Castle Walls at €356.09.

Character and collecting appeal

Gaia The Fierce Knight is one of Yugi's early monsters in the anime and half of the Gaia the Dragon Champion Fusion. With no effect, its appeal is its artwork, its stats and its place in Starter Deck: Yugi. Gaia the Dragon Champion mentions Gaia The Fierce Knight in its text, which keeps it relevant.

Version and identification

This guide covers the 1st Edition printing. The words "1st Edition" are printed below the artwork on the left; copies without them are the Unlimited printing and usually sell for less. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read SDY-007. The code SDY-007, without a language letter, marks the original North American printing. European English copies have an E in the code, such as SDY-E007, and are priced separately. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Starter Deck: Yugi has 3 other printings of Gaia The Fierce Knight: SDY-007 (€1.12), SDY-E006 (€2.18) and SDY-E006 1st Edition (€28.65). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon, which we track separately.

Price history

Today an ungraded copy of this printing sells for about €8.92, a PSA 9 for €53.50 and a PSA 10 for €334.04. Our monthly prices for it go back to October 2021. Over the last 12 months ungraded copies are up 109%, and flat in the last month. Its highest monthly ungraded value was €65.50 in March 2024, 86% above today. PSA 10 copies have moved up 8% over the same 12 months. Of the 8 printings of Gaia The Fierce Knight we track, this one ranks 6th by ungraded value. The most valuable is Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon LOB-006 1st Edition at €161.25. 1st Edition copies sell for about 8× the Unlimited printing (€8.92 against €1.12).

Grading and population

A PSA 10 sells for 37.4× the ungraded price and 6.2× a PSA 9. That gap is big enough that grading a sharp, well-centred copy can pay for itself. Early English Yu-Gi-Oh! cards often have off-centre cuts and wear on the dark brown back borders, which is why high grades are hard to reach.

Investment potential

In its favour: steady demand, with ungraded prices up 109% in a year; a price well below its March 2024 peak, which some collectors see as room to recover; it comes from the 1st Edition run of an early English set, which will never be printed again; lasting fame from the anime or the competitive game; an active market (39 recent completed sales), so it is easy to sell. Against it: reprints in another set, which keep playable copies easy to find. Treat this as background, not a prediction or financial advice.

Before you buy

Expect to pay around €8.92 for a clean ungraded copy; played copies sell for less, and a PSA 9 costs about €53.50. Ask the seller to show the code SDY-007, the "1st Edition" text and the Common finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. At this price fakes are worth checking for: genuine cards have a small holographic seal (the Eye of Anubis) in the bottom-right corner, and the font, colours and card back should match a copy you know is genuine. Look up the certificate number of any graded copy on the grading company's website. Cards from 2002 often show white wear on the back edges and corners, so ask for photos of the back before you buy.

Card details and image from YGOPRODeck. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a trademark of Konami; Search Cards is not affiliated with Konami.