Yu-Gi-Oh! is officially heading into the LEGO universe

After months of competition, LEGO has announced the winner of its Yu-Gi-Oh! Ideas Contest, with Step_on_a_Brick’s ambitious Exodia project taking first place. Titled The Heart of the Cards: Exodia, the design will now move forward as an official LEGO product, bringing one of the franchise’s most legendary monsters to brick form.

The massive display is built from 1,913 pieces and recreates both Exodia the Forbidden One and Yami Yugi entirely with LEGO bricks. Exodia appears to emerge from oversized versions of the five cards required to summon him, while several articulated elements allow collectors to adjust the monster’s head, arms and upper body. Yugi also features multiple movable sections, giving the model additional posing possibilities.

There is, however, one detail that may disappoint collectors hoping for traditional Yu-Gi-Oh! LEGO characters. The winning project does not include standard minifigures, as both Yugi and Exodia are fully brick-built. That does not necessarily rule out official Yu-Gi-Oh! minifigures in the future, especially since the four other finalists featured them in their respective concepts.

Exodia remains one of the most recognizable monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh! history. In the Trading Card Game, assembling all five pieces of the Forbidden One in a player's hand immediately ends the Duel in victory. Its legendary status, established from the earliest days of the manga and anime, makes the character a particularly fitting choice for Yu-Gi-Oh!’s first major official LEGO release.