Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

As the Official Card Game (OCG), it was launched by Konami in 1999 in Japan. It was later launched in March 2002 in North America, where it was originally sold under license by the Upper Deck Company until they lost rights in 2009. It was named the top-selling trading card game in the world by Guinness World Records on July 7, 2009, having sold over 22 billion cards worldwide. As of March 31, 2011, Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd. Japan sold 25.2 billion cards globally since 1999. As of January 2021, the game is estimated to have sold about 35 billion cards worldwide. Yu-Gi-Oh! Speed Duel, a faster and simplified alternate format, was launched worldwide in January 2019. Another faster-paced variation but with different cards and rules, Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel, launched in Japan in April 2020.

Gameplay

In the Trading Card Game, players draw cards from their respective Decks and take turns playing cards onto the field. Each player uses a Deck containing forty to sixty cards, and an optional "Extra Deck" of up to fifteen cards. There is also an optional fifteen-card Side Deck, which allows players to swap cards from their Main Deck and/or Extra Deck between games. Players are restricted to a maximum of three of each card per Deck and must follow any additional restriction of the format they are playing in. Each player usually starts with 8,000 "Life Points" (LP), though the players can decide to start with a different number in casual games. The main aim of the game is to use monster attacks (and sometimes card effects) to reduce the opponent's Life Points. The game ends upon reaching one of the following conditions:

• When a player's LP reaches 0, That player then loses the Duel.
• When a player runs out of cards in their Main Deck and has to draw, either through their draw phase or by card effect. This is called "Decking Out", and that player loses the Duel.
• When the conditions on certain cards have been met to trigger an automatic win or loss for a particular player (e.g. having all five cards of "Exodia the Forbidden One" in one's hand, or having a monster Summoned by the effect of "Relay Soul" leave the field).
• When a player's Deck Master leaves the field (if playing using "Deck Master" rules).
• When a player surrenders the Duel to their opponent.

If both players trigger a win/lose condition at the same time (e.g. both players' Life Points reach zero), the game ends in a draw.

For beginners, the most practical way to start is with an official Structure Deck or Starter Deck rather than random booster packs, as these provide a coherent strategy, a clear win condition, and a lower barrier to understanding the game's fast pace, chain system, and Extra Deck restrictions under the current Master Rules.

Zones

In a Duel, cards are usually laid out on a table between the players, or on a playmat with the dedicated zones marked out. They are as follows:

• Main Deck: The Main Deck is placed here face-down. Main Decks may contain anywhere from 40 to 60 cards, which includes Normal, Effect, Ritual, and Pendulum Monsters, as well as Spells and Traps. During a Duel, players may not look through their Main Deck, unless allowed to do so by a card's effect. When that effect resolves, the player must shuffle their Deck.
• Extra Deck: The Extra Deck is placed here face-down (if a player has one). Extra Decks may contain up to 15 cards, consisting of Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters. Unlike the Main Deck, players may look through their Extra Decks at any time during a Duel to search for and Summon monsters from it, if able. Pendulum Monsters are also placed face-up over the Extra Deck if they would be sent from the field to the Graveyard.
• Graveyard (shortened to GY on card effects only): The Graveyard is where cards are sent to if they are discarded or destroyed. Most monsters which have been Tributed or destroyed by battle are sent to their owner's Graveyard face-up. Spells and Traps are also sent to the Graveyard, once their effects have been resolved. The cards in a player's Graveyard are public knowledge, and may be checked by either player at any time, but the order of the cards in the Graveyard may not be changed. If multiple cards would be sent to the Graveyard, their owner player decides on their order.
• Main Monster Zones: A row of five spaces where Monster Cards are placed when successfully Summoned. Prior to the addition of Link Monsters, any kind of monster could be placed there at any time. After Link Monsters were introduced, monsters from the Extra Deck could only be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck to the Extra Monster Zone, or a Main Monster Zone a Link Monster "points to", up until the rule change for April 2020 onward, where only Link Monsters, and Pendulum Monsters Summoned from the Extra Deck while face-up, follow this restriction.
• Extra Monster Zones: Introduced with Link Monsters, this is a zone where monsters from the Extra Deck can be Summoned. An Extra Monster Zone is not a part of either player's field until they Summon a monster to the Extra Monster Zone, meaning they are shared between the players.
• Spell & Trap Zones: Five spaces in which either Spell or Trap Cards can be placed. The leftmost and rightmost Spell & Trap Zones can optionally be treated as "Pendulum Zones" by placing Pendulum Monsters there, allowing players to use Pendulum Effects and perform Pendulum Summons.
  • The Pendulum Zones previously were their own zones at the left and right sides of the field when introduced, but were integrated into the Spell & Trap Zones with the release of Link Monsters.
• Field Zone: A zone where Field Spell Cards are placed.
• Banished cards: Where cards that are "banished" by card effects are sent. Previously known as "cards removed from play", banished cards are considered out of the game instead of destroyed (though there are some effects that can recover them anyway, and even cards with effects that activate upon being banished), and officially being in no actual zone or location. Because of this, card effects simply refer to it as the "banishment".

Phases

Each player's turn contains six phases that take place in the following order:

• Draw Phase: The turn player draws one card from their Deck.
• Standby Phase: No specific action occurs, but players may activate or resolve card effects and maintenance costs during this phase.
• Main Phase 1: The turn player may perform any of the following actions:
  • Normal or Tribute Summon a monster in face-up Attack Position (the monster is placed face-up on the field, oriented vertically), or Normal or Tribute Set a monster in face-down Defense Position (the monster is placed face-down on the field, oriented horizontally). The turn player may do either of these only once per turn, unless allowed otherwise by card effects.
  • Change the battle position of a monster Summoned on a previous turn. A face-up Attack Position monster is changed to face-up Defense, but a face-down Defense Position monster is changed to face-up Attack, which constitutes a "Flip Summon".
  • Play Spell Cards from their hand. The turn player may use them on the same turn, or Set them face-down on the field to use at a later time.
  • Set Spell or Trap Cards face-down, for use at a later time.
  • Activate monster effects, or cards that were Set on previous turns.
• Battle Phase: The turn player may choose to attack their opponent, using any monsters on their field that are in Attack Position. Depending on the position of the opponent's monster, the attacking monster's ATK (Attack Points) are taken into account against the opponent's monster's ATK or DEF (Defense Points). The turn player can choose not to conduct their Battle Phase – in this case, they progress straight to the End Phase of their turn.
  • If both monsters are in Attack Position, the monster with fewer ATK is destroyed and its owner takes battle damage equal to the difference between both monster's ATK. The battle damage is subtracted from the owner's LP. If both monsters have the same number of ATK, they are both destroyed, and neither player takes damage. If both monsters have zero ATK, neither monster is destroyed.
  • If the opponent's monster is in Defense Position and has fewer DEF than the attacking monster's ATK, it is destroyed, and its owner takes no battle damage, unless the attacking monster is able to inflict "piercing" battle damage. In the latter case, the defender takes battle damage equal to the difference between the two values.
  • If the opponent's monster is in Defense Position and its DEF are equal to or higher than the attacking monster's ATK, neither monster is destroyed, and the attacker takes battle damage equal to the difference between the two values.
  • Some monsters (such as "Elemental HERO Rampart Blaster" and the "Superheavy Samurai" monsters) may attack in face-up Defense Position. These cards will specify which of their values is used for damage calculation, usually being the DEF.
  • If the defending player controls no monster, or an attacking player's monster has the ability to do so, a player may declare a direct attack on their opponent's LP. The defender loses Life Points equal to the attacking monster's ATK.
  • During the Battle Phase, the number of monsters on the field may change at any time. When this happens before the beginning of the "Damage Step", a replay occurs. During a replay, the attacking player has the choice to continue their attack on their original target, choose a new target, or cancel their attack.
• Main Phase 2: The player may do all the same actions that are available during Main Phase 1, though they cannot Normal Summoning or Set again if they already did so, nor change the battle position of a monster that was Summoned, has battled, or already had their battle position changed during the same turn. This phase is only accessible if the turn player conducted their Battle Phase.
• End Phase: The player declares the end of their turn. Certain card effects and maintenance costs may activate or resolve during this phase. If the turn player has seven or more cards in their hand, they must discard until they have six left, which is known as the "hand size limit".

At the start of a Duel, the player going first does not draw in the Draw Phase nor attack. They may only do so on their subsequent turns.

Card Types

Gameplay revolves around three types of cards: Monster, Spell, and Trap Cards.

Monster Cards

Monster Cards represent beings which are Summoned to the field by players to attack opponents and defend themselves. Typical Monster Cards have their name, Attribute, Types, Level, ATK, and DEF printed on them, which may affect the way they interact with other related cards and their effectiveness in a Deck. Most players (in real life, manga, and anime) use Decks that are themed around certain Attributes, Types, or archetypes (words shared in the card names).

The name, Attribute, and Level are printed at the top of the card. The Attribute is a colored sphere with a kanji character inscribed within, which represents an alignment to one of six elements (LIGHT, DARK, EARTH, WATER, FIRE, WIND). The Level is represented by orange and yellow stars aligned to the right of the card; these (roughly) indicate the monster's relative power, and whether it needs Tributes to be played.

The Types are in the middle, between the artwork and effect. The first Type is a general descriptor of the monster's appearance (e.g. Warrior, Machine, Reptile), while the other ones are gameplay-related labels.

ATK and DEF are printed on its bottom-right corner, which determine the monster's offensive and defensive power in battles. These values are used in calculating battle damage (as detailed in the previous section), and may frequently change due to card effects.

Players may Normal Summon or Normal Set one monster per turn, during Main Phase 1 or 2 of their turn. The monster is placed face-up and vertically (if Summoned in Attack Position), or face-down and horizontally (if set in Defense Position), in an available Main Monster Zone. Players may only have up to five monsters in their Main Monster Zone at any time. When a Set monster is attacked, it is flipped face-up and revealed to the other player.

Players may Tribute Summon or Set a monster, by Tributing monsters they control, i.e. sending them to the Graveyard. The number of Tributes required depends on the Level of the monster to be played: Level 5 and 6 monsters need one Tribute, while Level 7 or higher monsters need two Tributes. Some high-Level monsters such as the Egyptian God cards require three Tributes (this is not an inherent requirement of Level 9 or higher monsters, as it is sometimes believed), and cannot be Normal Set. Some monsters cannot be Normal Summoned or Set (even with Tributes), and must be Special Summoned via their stipulated effects.

Players may also Special Summon monsters to the field, using card effects or fulfilling Summoning conditions. These do not count as Normal Summons or Sets, and a player may Special Summon as many monsters as they are able to. Some monsters cannot be Special Summoned, and they can only be Normal or Flip Summoned. Certain monsters located in a player's Extra Deck may only be Special Summoned through unique methods, as listed below.

Players may also perform a Flip Summon during their turn, if they have a monster already Set on their field. The player flips the card over and orients it vertically. This is considered both a Summon and a battle position change, and it does not take up the turn player's Normal Summon for that turn. Some cards cannot be Normal or Special Summoned (such as "Amaterasu"), and must be Set and Flip Summoned.

The game currently features the following types of monsters:

• Normal (yellow): A monster with no effects, instead simply having a description of the monster. Stored in the Main Deck and can be Normal, Tribute, or Special Summoned.
• Effect (orange): A monster that possesses at least one effect. These are stored in the Main Deck, and can be Summoned in the same manner as Normal Monsters unless stated otherwise.
• Ritual (blue): A monster that must be Ritual Summoned. To Ritual Summon, the player must play its corresponding Ritual Spell Card. They then Tribute monsters whose combined Levels are equal to or greater than that of the Ritual Monster (though sometimes exact matching is required), or fulfill other conditions stipulated on the Ritual Spell Card to Summon it. Ritual Monsters are stored in the Main Deck.
• Fusion (purple): A monster that must be Fusion Summoned. To Fusion Summon, the player must use a card or effect that allows for a Fusion Summon, such as the Spell Card "Polymerization", and have the appropriate monsters listed on the Fusion Monster as material in the locations listed by the Spell Card (usually in their hand or on the field). The player then fulfils the conditions on the Fusion Monster to Summon it. Fusion Monsters are stored in a player's Extra Deck, and cannot be returned to a player's hand or Main Deck.
• Synchro (white): A monster that must be Synchro Summoned. To Synchro Summon, the player must use Synchro Materials, i.e. one Tuner monster and any number of non-Tuner monsters on the field, by sending them to the Graveyard. The sum of the Levels of all Synchro Materials must equal the Level of the Synchro Monster. Synchro Monsters are stored in a player's Extra Deck, and cannot be returned to a player's hand or Main Deck.
• Xyz (black): A monster that must be Xyz Summoned. Unlike most other monsters, Xyz Monsters have Ranks as opposed to Levels. To Xyz Summon, the player usually must have at least two monsters whose Levels are the same number as the Xyz Monster's Rank. The player then stacks those monsters in a single zone and the Xyz Monster on top of them, which are referred to as Xyz Materials in the TCG/OCG and "Overlay Units" in the anime and manga. Xyz Monsters usually require their controller to detach (send to the Graveyard) the Xyz Materials to use their own effects, but they may have additional Xyz Materials attached to them with other card effects. Xyz Monsters are stored in a player's Extra Deck, and cannot be returned to a player's hand or Main Deck.
• Pendulum (green gradient with another color): A monster with a special kind of effect known as a "Pendulum Effect". To activate this effect, the monster must be placed into the player's Pendulum Zones, which are the leftmost and rightmost Spell & Trap Zones. While face-up in a player's Pendulum Zones, Pendulum Monsters are treated as Spell Cards that remain on the field, though of no particular Spell type. Pendulum Monsters may also be used to conduct a Pendulum Summon, by having two monsters with "Pendulum Scales" of different values printed on them in both Pendulum Zones. Players may Pendulum Summon once per turn, Special Summoning any monsters from their hand, and face-up Pendulum Monsters from their Extra Deck, whose Levels lie between the two Pendulum Scale values (exclusive). Pendulum Monsters are sent face-up to their owner's Extra Deck instead of being sent from the field to the Graveyard (regardless of what zone they are in), but unless they're also Fusion/Synchro/Xyz Monsters, they start in a player's Main Deck, may be returned to the hand.
• Link (dark blue): A monster with a "Link Rating" and "Link Arrows" (a set of 8 triangles that surround the artwork and can nbe highlighted in red to point at the adjacent Monster Zones, with the Rating and number of active arrows always being equal) instead of a Level, that must be Link Summoned. To Link Summon, players must send a number of face-up monsters they control (known as Link Material) equal to the Link Rating of the Link Monster they intend to Summon to the Graveyard. The Link Monster is then Summoned to an Extra Monster Zone, or a Main Monster Zone that another Link Monster on the field points to. Link Monsters have no DEF, and hence they cannot be placed in Defense Position; only in face-up Attack Position. Link Monsters themselves can be treated as a number of Link Materials equal to either 1 or their own Link Rating. Aside from guiding Link Summons, Link Monsters often also have effects that interact with monsters in the zones they point to. Link Monsters are stored in a player's Extra Deck, and cannot be returned to a player's hand or Main Deck.
• Token (grey): A "virtual" monster which exclusively exists face-up on the field, and can only be Summoned through specific card effects. Monster Tokens are not included in the Main, Extra, or Side Decks, cannot be changed to face-down Defense Position, and simply vanish from play when removed from the field by any means. They never have effects, and so are considered Normal Monsters. They count towards the five-monster limit on their controller's field but not the rule of three copies, so there can be up to 10 of the same Token on the field. Monster Tokens may be used as Tribute or material for Special Summoning methods (except Xyz Summon, as Xyz Materials are not treated as being on the field), but cannot be used to pay any cost that involve a monster moving to a specific location (they can be banished, as the banishment is not considered a location, but will still disappear permanently since they are leaving the field). Most Monster Tokens do not have physical versions, so players may use any object that can indicate battle position to represent them, and their stats are listed on the cards that Summon them.

There are also certain subtypes of monster with special effects, such as:

• Flip: Flip monsters have effects that activate when they are flipped face-up.
• Union: Union monsters may equip themselves to certain other monsters, granting them special abilities, and then Special Summons themselves back.
• Gemini: Gemini monsters are treated as Normal Monsters when initially Summoned or in the Graveyard. While on the field, their controller may use up one Normal Summon to enable their effects.
• Spirit: Spirit monsters return to their owner's hand during the End Phase of the turn they are Summoned or flipped face-up.
• Tuner: Tuner monsters are required to perform Synchro Summons.

Spell Cards

Spell Cards (initially known as Magic Cards) are cards with a wide variety of effects. They may be activated directly from a player's hand on their turn, or Set in a player's Spell & Trap Zone to be activated at a later time. Players may use as many Spell Cards as they are able to on their turn, or may choose not to activate any at all. When a Spell Card's effect resolves, or when it is removed from the field, it is usually sent to the Graveyard.

There are six types of Spell Card, distinguished by symbols placed where monsters have Levels:

• Normal: A Spell that can only be played from the hand or Set during Main Phase 1 and 2. Players may activate Normal Spell Cards on the same turn they were Set. They have no symbol.
• Quick-Play: A Spell that may be activated from the turn player's hand, or Set and activated at a later time. Players may activate these Spell Cards from their hand whenever they want during their turn, and if they were Set, at any time on any player's turn except during the turn they were Set. Their symbol resembles a lightning bolt.
• Continuous: A Spell which remains face-up on the field after it is activated. They usually have continuously applying effects that last until they are removed from the field. They have the infinity symbol.
• Equip: A Spell that is equipped to a monster, providing it with one or more effects (such as raising ATK). If the equipped monster leaves the field by any means or is flipped face-down, the Equip Spell is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. They have a plus-shaped symbol.
• Field: A Spell which that can affect both players. Field Spells have a dedicated zone, the Field Zone, and consequently each player may only have one Field Spell active at a time. However, players are allowed to activate a Field Spell even if they already control one, in which case the old Field Spell is destroyed. They a compass rose symbol.
• Ritual: A Spell that is required to Summon a Ritual Monster. Ritual Spells will stipulate the conditions needed to successfully complete them and Summon the desired monster. Their symbol which resembles a flame.

Trap Cards

Trap Cards have a variety of effects which may be used to stop or counter the opponent's moves. They must usually be Set on the field, and may be activated at any time after the turn they were, including during an opponent's turn.

There are three types of Trap Cards, also distinguished by symbols:

• Normal: A regular Trap Card. Once its conditions have been fulfilled, it is sent to the Graveyard. No symbol.
• Continuous: A Trap Card which remains on the field once activated. Its effect persists until it leaves the field. They have an infinity symbol.
• Counter: A Trap Card that can only be countered by another Counter Trap Card, usually having effects that negate the Summon of a monster and/or the activation of a cards or effect. They have a curved arrow symbol.