Yu-Gi-Oh! has been an extremely popular TCG ever since its introduction! Over the years the game has grown, not only in popularity but also in complexity of rules as more mechanics have been added! If you're looking to get back into the game after a long hiatus or if you're completely new to the game, then this quick and handy guide can serve as a introduction (or reintroduction) to this extremely fun TCG! This guide has been compiled to be as straightforward as possible whilst still providing all the information you need to start playing! So what are you waiting for!? It's time to duel!
What you need
Aside from your decks (which we will get to in a short while), there are some other pieces of kit that you will need to have on hand to play Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Coins Coins are not only useful as markers, but many cards use a coin flip to resolve, so it is best to have at least one ready.
- Dice Some cards require you to roll a die, so make sure to have some dice handy if you have any such cards.
- Counters Many cards produce counters and although you may be able to track them without the use of physical counters, we definitely recommend that you use them.
- Monster Tokens Some cards produce monster tokens, which behave in the same way as monsters do. Official tokens can be found in some Yu-Gi-Oh products but you can always use a playing card or the back of a Yu-Gi-Oh! card.
- Life Tracker Life points play a big part in Yu-Gi-Oh, so having something ready to record life points is a necessity. There are dedicated life trackers available but a pen and piece of paper can serve the same purpose.
- Calculator Having a calculator on hand is very useful, especially if there are a lot floating modifiers to keep track off.
Card Types
Yu-Gi-Oh cards are divided broadly into 3 different types: Monsters, Spells and Traps. Each of these card types function slightly differently and they all have sub types with their own unique ways of operating.
Monsters can be placed in several different positions on the field. A monster in attack position is placed vertically and a monster in defence position is placed horizontally.
Monster Cards
Monster cards make up the majority of most decks. They represent creatures that are summoned by the players in their battle (or duel), against one another.
The different Monster types are:
- Normal Monsters
- Effect Monsters
- Ritual Monsters
- Fusion Monsters
- Synchro Monsters
- Xyz Monsters
- Pendulum Monsters
- Link Monsters
- Monster Tokens
Normal Monsters Normal Monsters are coloured yellow and have no special abilities as their text box only contains descriptive flavour text.
Effect Monsters Effect Monsters are coloured orange and contain at least 1 special ability in their text box. Effect Monsters are designated by the text "/Effect" on the Type/ability line
Ritual Monsters Ritual Monsters are coloured blue and must be special summoned with a ritual spell card.
Fusion Monsters Fusion Monsters are coloured violet and must be fusion summoned. Unlike Normal, Effect and Ritual Monsters they are placed in the Extra Deck at the beginning of play rather than your Main Deck. They represent a fusion between 2 or more monsters.
Synchro Monsters Synchro Monsters are coloured white and must be synchro summoned. Synchro monsters are also placed in the Extra Deck!
Xyz Monsters Xyz Monsters are coloured black and like other Extra Deck monsters, if an Xyz Monster is not Xyz Summoned first, it cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard or while banished.
Pendulum Monsters Pendulum Monsters are half green and in addition to normal usages as Monster Cards, a Pendulum Monster can also be activated from the hand as a Spell Card in a Pendulum Zone; if there are Pendulum Monsters in both Pendulum Zones, the player can perform a Pendulum Summon.
Link Monsters Link Monsters are coloured dark blue with a hexagonal pattern. Link monsters are Extra Deck monsters and must be Link summoned.
Monster Tokens Tokens are used as representations of Monster Cards. Tokens are Monsters Special Summoned out of nowhere by a card effect. These monsters are not included in the Deck, Extra Deck or Side Deck, as stated on the limitation text of each Token card.
All monsters have several statistics that categorise them into several groups. These include their attribute, type, level, ATK (attack) and DEF (defence)
Type Every monster has a Type. Although there are no rules that affect Types, many cards will reference them in their text and support cards can grant various effects to a specific Type of monster.
The monster Types are:
- Aqua
- Beast
- Beast-warrior
- Creator God
- Cyberse
- Dinosaur
- Divine-beast
- Dragon
- Fairy
- Fiend
- Fish
- Insect
- Machine
- Plant
- Psychic
- Pyro
- Reptile
- Rock
- Sea Serpent
- Spellcaster
- Thunder
- Warrior
- Winged Beast
- Wyrm
- Zombie
Attribute As well as a Type, each monster also has an Attribute. These can also be referenced in card effects. They can be considered the elemental alignment of each monster card. The attribute of a monster is shown in the top right corner.
The monster Attributes are:
- Dark
- Divine
- Earth
- Fire
- Light
- Water
- Wind
Level The level of a Monster card is represented by a number of stars near the top right of the card. Not all monsters have a level as Xyz Monsters have Ranks and Link Monsters have Link Ratings, instead. Level 1 to 4 monsters can be Normal Summoned without Tributes, Higher level monsters require tributes to be summoned: Level 5 & 6 monsters require 1 Tribute and Level 7 and higher monsters require 2 Tributes.
ATK ATK are the points that determine a Monster Card's "strength" when attacking the opponent's Monster Cards. It is short for Attack Points. They are shown at the bottom of a monster card.
DEF These are the points that determine a monster's defence when defending against your opponent's Monster Cards. DEF is short for Defence Points.
Spell Cards
Spell cards are cards with green-colored borders that have various effects to alter the play of the game. Often, a Spell Card has a single effect to provide a bonus to the user or a weakness to the opponent. Unlike Trap Cards, Spell Cards have the advantage of being able to be played without having to be Set first. Spell Cards, except Quick-Play Spell Cards, may be activated during the same turn it was Set.
The six types of spell cards are:
- Normal Spells which have no symbol on printed cards.
- Continuous Spells which have an infinity symbol.
- Equip Spells which have a crosshair symbol.
- Quick-Play Spells which have a lightning bolt symbol.
- Field Spells which have a compass rose symbol.
- Ritual Spells which have a flaming chalice symbol.
Normal Spells The most basic version of a spell card, a Normal Spell is sent to the graveyard once it's effect is resolved.
Continuous Spells A Continuous Spell Card stays on the field once it is activated.
Equip Spells An Equip Spell Card is a Spell Card that is a card that is equipped to a face-up monster on the field. Equip Spell Cards are a type of Equip Card; Equip Cards can also be Trap Cards or monsters that are treated as Equip Cards. When you activate an Equip Spell Card, you must target a face-up monster on the field to equip the card to; the Equip Spell Card's effect applies to that monster as long as it is equipped. Equip Cards constantly target the monster they are equipped to; even while negated, Equip Cards remain equipped and continue to target the monster. If the equipped monster is no longer face-up on the field, or is no longer a valid target, the Equip Card is immediately destroyed.
Quick-Play Spells The turn player can activate Quick-Play Spell Cards from their hand during any Phase of their turn; either player can activate Set Quick-Play Spell cards during any Phase in either player's turn, except during the turn they are Set.
Field Spells Field Spell Cards affect both players and are placed on the Field Zone, apart from the Spell & Trap Zones.
Ritual Spells Ritual Spell Cards are used to complete Ritual Summoning.
Trap Cards
Trap Cards are cards with purple-colored borders that have various effects. A Trap Card must first be Set and can only be activated after the current turn has finished.
The three types of Trap Cards are:
- Normal Traps which have no symbol on printed cards. Some video games use an empty symbol in menus for filtering and sorting cards.
- Continuous Traps which have an infinity symbol.
- Counter Traps which have a curved arrow symbol.
Normal Traps Normal Trap Cards can be activated during either player's turn as long as it wasn't set that turn. The effects of certain Normal Trap Cards behave like Equip Cards, but the card is still considered a Normal Trap Card.
Continuous Traps The effects of Continuous Trap Cards are applied as long as they are face-up on the field.
Counter Traps Counter Trap Cards can be activated in response to other actions during play. Only other Counter Trap Cards can be chained to a Counter Trap Card.
Zones
A zone is a space for a card(s) on the Playmat. Each side of the player features 16 zones, divided into 5 columns of 2 zones each, and 2 end columns of 2 zones each.
The Seven zone types are:
- Main Monster Zones The upper row of five central zones are Main Monster Zones, where Monster Cards are played
- Spell & Trap Zones (Pendulum Zones) The lower row of five central zones are Spell & Trap Zones, where Spell and Trap Cards are played. The leftmost and rightmost is also used as the Pendulum Zones.
- Field Zone The top left zone is the Field Zone, where the player's Field Spell Cards are played.
- Graveyard Zone The top right zone is the Graveyard Zone, where the player's Graveyard is placed. Cards that have resolved or have been destroyed are placed here.
- Extra Deck Zone The bottom left zone is the Extra Deck Zone, where the player's Extra Deck is placed
- Deck Zone The bottom right zone is the Deck Zone, where the player's Main Deck is placed.
- Extra Monster Zones Between each player's field on the 2nd and 4th columns are the 2 Extra Monster Zones. These Zones are exclusively used for playing monster from the Extra Deck.
Banished Cards A pile of where banished cards are placed outside the zones, at the participating players' agreement. In video games, and general real-life use, it is typically located to the right of the Graveyard Zone.
Deck Construction
Deck construction in Yu-Gi-Oh is relatively simple and compared to other TCGs the deck sizes are fairly small. Each duelist can utilise 3 types of deck.
Main Deck The Main Deck, usually simply referred to as the Deck, is a pile of cards that a Duelist can draw from. Each Duelist uses their own Main Deck in a Duel. When constructing a Deck, Monster, Spell and Trap Cards are placed in the Main Deck.
A Main Deck has the following restrictions:
- The Main Deck must contain only Legal cards.
- The Main Deck can have a minimum of 40 cards and a maximum of 60 cards. (Monsters, Spells & Traps)
- Only the cards in the Main Deck, not cards in the Extra Deck, count toward this total.
- A Duelist may not have more than three copies of any Unlimited card included in their Main Deck, Side Deck, and Extra Deck combined.
- If a Forbidden, Limited, or Semi-Limited List is used, the number of copies must not exceed those requirements.
- Cards which have their name permanently treated as that of another card are considered to be the same as that card for deck construction.
Extra Deck The Extra Deck is a Deck where Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters (as well as Pendulum Monsters that would otherwise have been sent from the field to the Graveyard) are stored during a Duel.
An Extra Deck has the following restrictions:
- The Extra Deck must contain only Legal cards.
- The Extra Deck can have a total of 15 Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and/or Link Monsters
- A Duelist may not have more than three copies of any Unlimited card included in their Main Deck, Side Deck, and Extra Deck combined.
- If a Forbidden, Limited, or Semi-Limited List is used, the number of copies must not exceed those requirements.
- Cards which have their name permanently treated as that of another card are considered to be the same as that card for deck construction.
Side Deck A Side Deck is a Deck of up to 15 cards, separate from the Main Deck and Extra Deck. The Side Deck is used in Matches between Duels, to alter the contents of the Main Deck and/or Extra Deck. A side Deck is not required, but can assist in duels against specific opponents.
The following rules apply to the Side Deck:
- Before a Match starts, you must show your opponent your side deck and count the number of cards in it without revealing its contents. This is to let them know that you use one.
- If you are using sleeves for your side deck, they must match with the sleeves used for the Main or Extra Deck, depending on where it would begin during the duel should you use it during the duel.
- Side Decks can only be utilized AFTER the first round of a match.
- When using your side deck to alter the contents of your Main and Extra Deck, the number of cards in your Main and Extra must remain the same.
- At the end of a match, all cards that were moved between the Main and Side must return to their original registered areas.
Setup
Before starting a Duel, follow these 5 steps:
- Shuffle your Main Deck with all its cards face-down. You may then shuffle and cut your opponent's Deck (be careful when touching your opponent’s cards).
- After shuffling, place the Decks face-down in Deck Zones. If using an Extra Deck, place it in the Extra Deck Zone with all its cards face-down.
- If you are playing a Match, Duelists show each other their Side Decks if they have them without revealing the cards, and record the number of cards in it, also confirming that they have 15 or fewer cards. If you exchange cards between the Side and Main/Extra Decks, count the cards of your Side Deck for your opponent again to show that the number of your cards remain the same.
- Use a random method to choose a player who will chose who to go first. We suggest flipping a coin. For subsequent Duels in a Match, the losing Duelist of the previous game chooses who goes first. In case of a Duel ending in a DRAW, another random method should be employed to choose the deciding Duelist.
- After deciding who goes first, both Duelists draw five cards from their Main Deck to form their starting hands. If the deciding Duelist does not announce their choice of who will go first prior to drawing cards, they must automatically go first.
Turn Order
Like most TCGs, Yu-Gi-Oh! follows a fairly rigid turn order. A turn order is divided into several phases that determine when players can use particular cards or carry out actions.
Each player's turn is divided into 6 phases:
- Draw Phase
- Standby Phase
- Main Phase 1
- Battle Phase
- Main Phase 2
- End Phase
Draw Phase The draw phase is the first phase of every turns, in which the turn player conducts their normal draw to draw 1 card from their Deck. The player who goes first does not conduct their normal draw during their Draw Phase
Standby Phase The Standby Phase happens immediately after the Draw Phase. Nothing is required of either player during this Phase unless a card mentions it. Trap Cards, Quick-Play Spell Cards and monster Quick Effects may be activated in this Phase.
Main Phase 1 This is a Main Phase conducted after the Standby Phase. As a Main Phase, most actions that could normally be performed in Main Phase 2 can also be performed in this phase.
In Main Phase 1, the turn player may:
- Normal Summon or Set a monster (the player can only perform one Normal Summon or Set per turn, so the player cannot Normal Summon or Set in both Main Phases). Tribute Summons are included in this limit.
- Special Summon monsters
- Manually change the battle position of a monster, provided that monster was not Summoned or Set during that same turn, and it had not already manually changed its battle position that turn.
- Flip Summon a monster, provided it was not Summoned or Set during that same turn.
- Activate Ignition Effects.
- Set Spell and Trap Cards. Quick-Play Spell Cards and Trap Cards cannot be activated in the turn they are Set.
Battle Phase is the Phase in which battles are conducted. A Battle Phase can be conducted every turn (except the first turn of the Duel) after the turn player ends their Main Phase 1.
The Battle Phase is split into four steps:
- Start Step
- Battle Step
- Damage Step (including damage calculation); see attacking below
- End Step
Main Phase 2 Main Phase 2 is a Main Phase conducted after the Battle Phase. As a Main Phase, most actions that could normally be performed in Main Phase 1 can also be performed in this phase.
End Phase The is the final phase of the turn. It occurs after Main Phase 2 (or Main Phase 1 if no Battle Phase was conducted) has been completed. Many card effects apply during the End Phase and the turn player gets to decide the order to apply their maintenance costs and/or effects that apply or activate at this time. At the end of the End Phase, if the turn player has more cards in their hand than the hand size limit (normally 6), they must discard cards until their hand satisfies the hand size limit. Any action that states "at the end of the turn" is done at the very end of this phase, after discarding cards to adjust to the hand size limit if the number of cards exceed this.
Summoning Monsters
Summoning Monsters is core part of the game! There are many different varieties of summoning in the game.
There are several ways that you can summon a monster:
- Normal Summon
- Set
- Tribute Summon
- Special Summon
- Flip Summon
Normal Summon A Normal Summon can normally be conducted only once per turn. Setting a monster will also take up your Normal Summon for the turn. Only monsters that are Level 4 or lower can be Normal Summoned without Tribute (Tribute Summoning is still considered Normal Summoning, however) unless specifically designated on the card text.
Set When you Set a Monster Card, you place it in a Monster Card Zone horizontally and face-down. If the monster is Level 5 or 6, you must Tribute another monster first, then Set the Level 5 or 6 Monster Card (you do not need to show your opponent the card you Set). If the card has a higher Level (7+), the same procedure applies, but you must Tribute 2 Monster Cards from your side of the field first (unless there is a specific Tribute requirement).
Tribute Summon Any monster of Level 5 or higher requires a Tribute Summon . Monsters that are Level 5 or 6 require one monster to be Tributed, while monsters of Level 7 or higher require 2 monsters to be Tributed. Tributing a monster for a Tribute Summon is not considered a Cost. However, similar to paying costs, players cannot respond immediately to the Tribute of a monster, since Tributing does not have a Spell Speed. If the Tribute Summon of the new monster is negated, however, the Tributed monster will not return to the field.
Special Summon A Special Summon is a Summon that is performed through the effect of a single card. Special Summons do not use up your 1 Normal Summon for the turn, and can be conducted as many times as possible in a turn and if generally referred to, a monster can be Special Summoned in face up ATK or DEF position, unless indicated by the card. Also, Special Summons can be activated during either player's turn. Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, and Link Summons are all considered Special Summons.
Flip Summon To Flip Summon you simply flip a face-down monster manually into face-up Attack Position. You cannot Flip Summon a monster in the same turn it was Summoned, Normal Set, declared an attack (even if the attack was negated or cancelled), or if its battle position was changed manually that turn.
Attacking
Attacking plays a large part in the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! All attacking takes place during the Battle Phase and follows a strict structure, as shown in the turn order section above.
When you declare an attack, you must choose which monster you are attacking with and which of your opponent's monsters you are targeting. If you opponent controls no monsters, then you may attack that player directly and deal the full ATK of the attacking monster as damage to their life points. Each monster that you control in attack postion may attack once per turn. If a monster is in attack position, then you only take note of their ATK score and if they are in defence position then you only deal with their defence score.
Attacking a monster in attack position If you attack a weaker monster in attack position then destroy the defending monster and do damage directly to the opponent equal to the difference. If you attack a monster of an equal strength in attack position then both monsters are destroyed and no damage is dealt to either player. If you attack a stronger monster in attack position, then your monster is destroyed and you take damage equal to the difference.
Attacking a monster in defence position If you attack a weaker monster in defence position, then you destroy their monster but no damage is dealt. If you attack a monster of an equal strength in defence position then nothing happens. If you attack a stronger monster in defence position then you take damage equal to the difference.
Chains and Spell Speed
A chain is a stack that determines the order of resolution of activated cards and effects. Cards and effects go on a Chain if and only if they activate. Every type of card is given Spell Speed, which determines to which types of card they can be activated in response to. Chains are used when a card or effect is activated before another activated card or effect resolves.
Each player has the opportunity to respond to each activation by activating another card or effect (this is sometimes called "chaining"). Each activation is placed on the Chain as a Chain Link. If neither player responds to the most recent Chain Link, the Chain resolves, with Chain Links resolving in the opposite order to which they were activated in. Cards and effects can only be added to a Chain while it is being constructed. Once a Chain starts to resolve, cards and effects cannot be activated until the entire Chain has resolved.
Spell Speed 1 Spell Speed 1 is the slowest of all Spell Speeds. These card effects cannot be Chained to the activation of a card or effect. Typically, these effects cannot be Chain Link 2 or higher, unless multiple Spell Speed 1 effects are activated simultaneously.
The following are all Spell Speed 1:
- Normal Spell Card
- Field Spell Card
- Continuous Spell Card
- Equip Spell Card
- Ritual Spell Card
- Flip Effect
- Ignition Effect
- Trigger Effect
Spell Speed 2 Spell Speed 2 card effects are effects that can be used when you have priority. Typically, you use these in response to Spell Speed 1 and other Spell Speed 2 effects, however some can start a Chain themselves as well.
The following are all Spell Speed 2:
- Quick-play Spell Card
- Normal Trap Card
- Continuous Trap Card
- Quick Effect
Spell Speed 3 Spell Speed 3 card effects are the "fastest" of all card effects; only other Spell Speed 3 card effects can be used to respond to a Spell Speed 3 card effect. As such, they are also classified as Fast effects. The only cards that classify as Spell Speed 3 are Counter Trap Cards.
Winning a Duel
Although the main way to win a duel is reducing your opponents Life Points to zero, there are some other ways that you can achieve victory. If both players satisfy a victory condition at the same time, then the Duel ends in a draw
There are three typical ways to win a Duel in the game's rules and mechanics.
- The opponent's LP is reduced to 0.
- The opponent is required to draw a card, but does not have enough cards left in their Main Deck (referred to as a "Deck out").
- The opponent surrenders. Surrenders cannot be refused.
We hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog and that you are now equipped with the knowledge to participate in your very first duel! Check out the related products section down below to grab some epic Yu-Gi-Oh! products and start playing now! Alternatively, you can browse our entire range of Yu-Gi-Oh products by clicking the button below.
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