Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 #SDY-E003

Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 #SDY-E003 collector guide

About Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1

Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 is a Normal Monster, with flavour text instead of an effect, printed as SDY-E003 in Starter Deck: Yugi (2002) as a Common. It is a Level 4 WIND Dragon monster with 1,400 ATK and 1,200 DEF. 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.

Character and collecting appeal

Dragons are the most collected monster Type in Yu-Gi-Oh!, largely thanks to Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes. Normal Monsters like this one are mostly collected for their art and to complete the set. Arsenal Summoner mentions Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 in its text, which keeps it relevant.

Version and identification

This guide covers the Unlimited printing, without the "1st Edition" text below the artwork. 1st Edition copies of the same card have their own, usually higher, prices. Check the code printed below the artwork on the right: it should read SDY-E003. The E in SDY-E003 marks the European English printing. The North American printing uses a code without the letter, sometimes with a different card number, and has its own prices. It is the Common version. Commons have a plain name and no foil. Starter Deck: Yugi has 3 other printings of Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1: SDY-003 (€0.49), SDY-003 1st Edition (€10.93) and SDY-E003 1st Edition (€2.61). Each has its own price, so match the code, edition and rarity exactly. It was also printed in Metal Raiders, which we track separately.

Price history

There are no recent sales of this printing of Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1 yet, so we cannot give it a value.

Investment potential

In its favour: it comes from the first years of the English game, which are no longer printed; it is the original printing, which reprints rarely replace for collectors. Card prices can fall as well as rise, so this is not financial advice.

Before you buy

Ask the seller to show the code SDY-E003, the missing "1st Edition" text and the Common finish clearly in the photos, as listing titles often mix up printings. 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.