Pot Of Greed

2014Catchphrase / copypasta / reaction imageclassic

Also known as: "But What Does Pot of Greed Do?"

Pot of Greed is a 2014 Yu-Gi-Oh! meme about the absurd, repetitive explanation of a simple card-drawing effect, popularized by the exasperated catchphrase "But what does Pot of Greed do?

Pot of Greed is a Yu-Gi-Oh! meme built on the absurdity of the anime series explaining the same simple card effect over and over again in nearly every episode it appears. The card lets a player draw two cards from their deck, one of the most basic effects in the game, yet characters in *Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters* treat it like a revelation every single time1. The running joke online centers on the question "But what does Pot of Greed do?" delivered with mock confusion, as if the answer hasn't already been explained a hundred times2.

yu gi oh memesanime mangacopypasta memescard game memescatchphrase memes

Overview

The Pot of Greed meme revolves around a single spell card from the *Yu-Gi-Oh!* trading card game. The card's effect is ten words long: "Draw 2 cards from your Deck." That's it. No conditions, no cost, no restrictions2. But in the anime adaptation, every character who plays the card launches into a full explanation of what it does, every single time, as if the audience has never heard of it before. Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Jaden Yuki, and dozens of other duelists all deliver some version of "I activate Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two new cards from my deck!"1

The comedy comes from the gap between how simple the card is and how dramatic the anime treats it. The writers needed to explain card effects for viewers who might be watching for the first time, which makes sense for complex combo plays. For a card that just says "draw two," the repeated exposition turned into unintentional comedy2.

Online, the joke is participatory. When someone mentions Pot of Greed in any context, other users flood the thread pretending to be deeply confused about what the card does, or they offer elaborate, breathless over-explanations of the most basic concept in card games1.

The Pot of Greed card first appeared in *Yu-Gi-Oh!* episode 65, "Mime Control, Part 1," which aired on July 24, 2001 in Japan and March 8, 2003 in the United States3. In the real card game published by Konami, the card saw massive play because of the raw card advantage it provided at zero cost. Drawing two cards for free is mathematically broken in a game with optimized combo decks, and Konami placed Pot of Greed on the Forbidden list in 20052. It hasn't been legal in tournament play since.

The meme itself didn't emerge until over a decade after the anime debut. On December 11, 2014, YouTube user Wheeler uploaded a video titled "Pot of Greed in Yugioh" that compiled every instance of the card being played in the anime3. Each clip featured a character painstakingly explaining that the card lets them draw two cards. The repetition, stacked back to back, made the absurdity impossible to ignore. The video collected over 1 million views3.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (viral compilation), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime (source material)
Creator
Wheeler
Date
2014 (meme format), 2001 (card's anime debut)

The Pot of Greed card first appeared in *Yu-Gi-Oh!* episode 65, "Mime Control, Part 1," which aired on July 24, 2001 in Japan and March 8, 2003 in the United States. In the real card game published by Konami, the card saw massive play because of the raw card advantage it provided at zero cost. Drawing two cards for free is mathematically broken in a game with optimized combo decks, and Konami placed Pot of Greed on the Forbidden list in 2005. It hasn't been legal in tournament play since.

The meme itself didn't emerge until over a decade after the anime debut. On December 11, 2014, YouTube user Wheeler uploaded a video titled "Pot of Greed in Yugioh" that compiled every instance of the card being played in the anime. Each clip featured a character painstakingly explaining that the card lets them draw two cards. The repetition, stacked back to back, made the absurdity impossible to ignore. The video collected over 1 million views.

How It Spread

Wheeler's 2014 compilation was the spark. On December 1, 2015, YouTuber Millennium Camcorder posted a similar compilation that picked up over 79,000 views.

The meme hit a major inflection point on April 1, 2016, when the r/hearthstone subreddit ran a Yu-Gi-Oh! themed April Fools' Day event. Users flooded the sub with Pot of Greed references and copypasta explaining the card's effect in absurdly verbose fashion. A copypasta about the card was uploaded to r/copypasta the same day. The crossover between two different card game communities gave the joke massive reach, and the confusion was significant enough that someone posted a thread on r/OutOfTheLoop days later asking what was going on.

On April 16, 2016, YouTuber RANK10YGO uploaded a 12-minute video dedicated entirely to humorously over-explaining what Pot of Greed does, earning over 220,000 views. On April 27, 2017, YouTuber 414YGO followed with a similar video that hit 22,000 views.

The joke spread beyond the Yu-Gi-Oh! community into general internet culture. On Reddit, YouTube comment sections, and forums, the phrase "But what does Pot of Greed do?" became a recurring bit whenever anyone discussed the game. The meme also adapted into image macro form, with the card's artwork (a bright green jar with a wide, toothy grin and bloodshot eyes) getting edited onto other characters and situations.

How to Use This Meme

The Pot of Greed meme works in a few common formats:

The mock question: When someone mentions Pot of Greed or Yu-Gi-Oh!, you respond with some version of "But what does Pot of Greed do?" as if genuinely baffled. The key is total commitment to the bit. You've heard the explanation fifty times and still don't get it.

The over-explanation: You describe the card's effect with maximum drama and verbosity. Something like: "I activate the spell card Pot of Greed! Now listen carefully because this is complex. It allows me to take the top two cards from my deck and place them directly into my hand, increasing my total card count by exactly two." The more breathless and serious you sound, the better.

The copypasta: Drop the full copypasta in comment sections or forums. The format typically involves an extended, overly detailed breakdown of the draw-two effect written as if it's the most complicated concept ever devised.

Image edits: Take the Pot of Greed artwork (that green jar face) and paste it onto politicians, celebrities, or other characters. The face conveys a specific energy of pure, unrestrained avarice that works in all sorts of contexts.

Cultural Impact

Pot of Greed broke out of the Yu-Gi-Oh! niche into general internet humor. The joke has appeared in finance subreddits to describe corporate stock buybacks and in sports threads when a team acquires two draft picks for one player. The card's effect (getting something for nothing) turned into shorthand for any lopsided transaction.

Konami, the publisher of Yu-Gi-Oh!, leaned into the meme's popularity by releasing an entire "Pot" archetype of cards. These include Pot of Extravagance, which lets players draw cards at the cost of removing Extra Deck cards from play, and Pot of Desires, which requires banishing 10 Main Deck cards. Every time a new Pot variant is announced, the comment sections predictably fill with people asking "But what does it do?"

The card's permanent ban from competitive play added to its mythical status. Because nobody can actually use Pot of Greed in official tournaments, it exists purely as a legend, the forbidden fruit of the TCG world. Despite the high costs attached to its replacements, cards like Pot of Desires and Pot of Extravagance still see heavy competitive use, proving how powerful the original free draw-two effect was.

Fun Facts

Pot of Greed is what competitive players call a "plus one." You spend one card to get two back, meaning it's mathematically impossible for it to be a bad play. There is zero risk and zero cost.

If Pot of Greed were legal today, every competitive deck would run three copies. It effectively turns a 40-card deck into a 37-card deck, making it easier to find win conditions.

The card's artwork features a bright green jar with bloodshot eyes and a wide, yellowish grin. The face has been described as looking "like it just won the lottery and is about to spend it all on something illegal".

Urban Dictionary entries for Pot of Greed play along with the meme, defining it as "a mystic Yu-Gi-Oh card which no one has a clue upon what it actually does".

The card was limited to one copy per deck for years before Konami moved it to the Forbidden list in 2005, where it has stayed ever since.

Derivatives & Variations

Wheeler's compilation video

(2014): The original YouTube supercut of every Pot of Greed explanation in the anime, with over 1 million views[3].

RANK10YGO's over-explanation video

(2016): A 12-minute comedy video dedicated to explaining the card's effect in excruciating detail, 220,000+ views[3].

Pot of Greed copypasta

A lengthy, dramatic text block explaining the card's effect, posted to r/copypasta on April 1, 2016 and spread across Reddit[3].

r/hearthstone April Fools' crossover

(2016): The Hearthstone subreddit went Yu-Gi-Oh! themed for April Fools' Day, flooding the sub with Pot of Greed references[3].

Pot archetype cards

Konami's official card variants (Pot of Extravagance, Pot of Desires) that function as "balanced" versions of the original[2].

Image macro edits

The card's artwork (green jar with a maniacal grin) edited onto other characters, politicians, and celebrities[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

Pot Of Greed

2014Catchphrase / copypasta / reaction imageclassic

Also known as: "But What Does Pot of Greed Do?"

Pot of Greed is a 2014 Yu-Gi-Oh! meme about the absurd, repetitive explanation of a simple card-drawing effect, popularized by the exasperated catchphrase "But what does Pot of Greed do?

Pot of Greed is a Yu-Gi-Oh! meme built on the absurdity of the anime series explaining the same simple card effect over and over again in nearly every episode it appears. The card lets a player draw two cards from their deck, one of the most basic effects in the game, yet characters in *Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters* treat it like a revelation every single time. The running joke online centers on the question "But what does Pot of Greed do?" delivered with mock confusion, as if the answer hasn't already been explained a hundred times.

yu gi oh memes anime manga copypasta memes card game memes catchphrase memes

Overview

The Pot of Greed meme revolves around a single spell card from the *Yu-Gi-Oh!* trading card game. The card's effect is ten words long: "Draw 2 cards from your Deck." That's it. No conditions, no cost, no restrictions. But in the anime adaptation, every character who plays the card launches into a full explanation of what it does, every single time, as if the audience has never heard of it before. Yugi Muto, Joey Wheeler, Jaden Yuki, and dozens of other duelists all deliver some version of "I activate Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two new cards from my deck!"

The comedy comes from the gap between how simple the card is and how dramatic the anime treats it. The writers needed to explain card effects for viewers who might be watching for the first time, which makes sense for complex combo plays. For a card that just says "draw two," the repeated exposition turned into unintentional comedy.

Online, the joke is participatory. When someone mentions Pot of Greed in any context, other users flood the thread pretending to be deeply confused about what the card does, or they offer elaborate, breathless over-explanations of the most basic concept in card games.

The Pot of Greed card first appeared in *Yu-Gi-Oh!* episode 65, "Mime Control, Part 1," which aired on July 24, 2001 in Japan and March 8, 2003 in the United States. In the real card game published by Konami, the card saw massive play because of the raw card advantage it provided at zero cost. Drawing two cards for free is mathematically broken in a game with optimized combo decks, and Konami placed Pot of Greed on the Forbidden list in 2005. It hasn't been legal in tournament play since.

The meme itself didn't emerge until over a decade after the anime debut. On December 11, 2014, YouTube user Wheeler uploaded a video titled "Pot of Greed in Yugioh" that compiled every instance of the card being played in the anime. Each clip featured a character painstakingly explaining that the card lets them draw two cards. The repetition, stacked back to back, made the absurdity impossible to ignore. The video collected over 1 million views.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube (viral compilation), Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime (source material)
Creator
Wheeler
Date
2014 (meme format), 2001 (card's anime debut)

The Pot of Greed card first appeared in *Yu-Gi-Oh!* episode 65, "Mime Control, Part 1," which aired on July 24, 2001 in Japan and March 8, 2003 in the United States. In the real card game published by Konami, the card saw massive play because of the raw card advantage it provided at zero cost. Drawing two cards for free is mathematically broken in a game with optimized combo decks, and Konami placed Pot of Greed on the Forbidden list in 2005. It hasn't been legal in tournament play since.

The meme itself didn't emerge until over a decade after the anime debut. On December 11, 2014, YouTube user Wheeler uploaded a video titled "Pot of Greed in Yugioh" that compiled every instance of the card being played in the anime. Each clip featured a character painstakingly explaining that the card lets them draw two cards. The repetition, stacked back to back, made the absurdity impossible to ignore. The video collected over 1 million views.

How It Spread

Wheeler's 2014 compilation was the spark. On December 1, 2015, YouTuber Millennium Camcorder posted a similar compilation that picked up over 79,000 views.

The meme hit a major inflection point on April 1, 2016, when the r/hearthstone subreddit ran a Yu-Gi-Oh! themed April Fools' Day event. Users flooded the sub with Pot of Greed references and copypasta explaining the card's effect in absurdly verbose fashion. A copypasta about the card was uploaded to r/copypasta the same day. The crossover between two different card game communities gave the joke massive reach, and the confusion was significant enough that someone posted a thread on r/OutOfTheLoop days later asking what was going on.

On April 16, 2016, YouTuber RANK10YGO uploaded a 12-minute video dedicated entirely to humorously over-explaining what Pot of Greed does, earning over 220,000 views. On April 27, 2017, YouTuber 414YGO followed with a similar video that hit 22,000 views.

The joke spread beyond the Yu-Gi-Oh! community into general internet culture. On Reddit, YouTube comment sections, and forums, the phrase "But what does Pot of Greed do?" became a recurring bit whenever anyone discussed the game. The meme also adapted into image macro form, with the card's artwork (a bright green jar with a wide, toothy grin and bloodshot eyes) getting edited onto other characters and situations.

How to Use This Meme

The Pot of Greed meme works in a few common formats:

The mock question: When someone mentions Pot of Greed or Yu-Gi-Oh!, you respond with some version of "But what does Pot of Greed do?" as if genuinely baffled. The key is total commitment to the bit. You've heard the explanation fifty times and still don't get it.

The over-explanation: You describe the card's effect with maximum drama and verbosity. Something like: "I activate the spell card Pot of Greed! Now listen carefully because this is complex. It allows me to take the top two cards from my deck and place them directly into my hand, increasing my total card count by exactly two." The more breathless and serious you sound, the better.

The copypasta: Drop the full copypasta in comment sections or forums. The format typically involves an extended, overly detailed breakdown of the draw-two effect written as if it's the most complicated concept ever devised.

Image edits: Take the Pot of Greed artwork (that green jar face) and paste it onto politicians, celebrities, or other characters. The face conveys a specific energy of pure, unrestrained avarice that works in all sorts of contexts.

Cultural Impact

Pot of Greed broke out of the Yu-Gi-Oh! niche into general internet humor. The joke has appeared in finance subreddits to describe corporate stock buybacks and in sports threads when a team acquires two draft picks for one player. The card's effect (getting something for nothing) turned into shorthand for any lopsided transaction.

Konami, the publisher of Yu-Gi-Oh!, leaned into the meme's popularity by releasing an entire "Pot" archetype of cards. These include Pot of Extravagance, which lets players draw cards at the cost of removing Extra Deck cards from play, and Pot of Desires, which requires banishing 10 Main Deck cards. Every time a new Pot variant is announced, the comment sections predictably fill with people asking "But what does it do?"

The card's permanent ban from competitive play added to its mythical status. Because nobody can actually use Pot of Greed in official tournaments, it exists purely as a legend, the forbidden fruit of the TCG world. Despite the high costs attached to its replacements, cards like Pot of Desires and Pot of Extravagance still see heavy competitive use, proving how powerful the original free draw-two effect was.

Fun Facts

Pot of Greed is what competitive players call a "plus one." You spend one card to get two back, meaning it's mathematically impossible for it to be a bad play. There is zero risk and zero cost.

If Pot of Greed were legal today, every competitive deck would run three copies. It effectively turns a 40-card deck into a 37-card deck, making it easier to find win conditions.

The card's artwork features a bright green jar with bloodshot eyes and a wide, yellowish grin. The face has been described as looking "like it just won the lottery and is about to spend it all on something illegal".

Urban Dictionary entries for Pot of Greed play along with the meme, defining it as "a mystic Yu-Gi-Oh card which no one has a clue upon what it actually does".

The card was limited to one copy per deck for years before Konami moved it to the Forbidden list in 2005, where it has stayed ever since.

Derivatives & Variations

Wheeler's compilation video

(2014): The original YouTube supercut of every Pot of Greed explanation in the anime, with over 1 million views[3].

RANK10YGO's over-explanation video

(2016): A 12-minute comedy video dedicated to explaining the card's effect in excruciating detail, 220,000+ views[3].

Pot of Greed copypasta

A lengthy, dramatic text block explaining the card's effect, posted to r/copypasta on April 1, 2016 and spread across Reddit[3].

r/hearthstone April Fools' crossover

(2016): The Hearthstone subreddit went Yu-Gi-Oh! themed for April Fools' Day, flooding the sub with Pot of Greed references[3].

Pot archetype cards

Konami's official card variants (Pot of Extravagance, Pot of Desires) that function as "balanced" versions of the original[2].

Image macro edits

The card's artwork (green jar with a maniacal grin) edited onto other characters, politicians, and celebrities[1].

Frequently Asked Questions