Yu-Gi-Oh!

Trading Card Game: Basic Rules There are three types of cards: Monster Cards, Spell Cards, and Trap Cards. Spell Cards are green, Trap Cards are pinkish purple, and all other cards are Monster Cards. Basic Monsters Some Monster Cards are colored yellow. These are Normal Monsters. Here are the parts of a Normal Monster.

Some Monster Cards have effects. These are called Effect Monsters. Instead of a story as the Lore, they have an effect written as the Lore. They also say Effect next to the Type.

Spell Cards As previously mentioned, Spell Cards are green. Unlike Monsters, they do not have an ATK or DEF but instead only an effect. Most Spell Cards are used in the same way: 1) Place card on the field (in the Spell/Trap Card Zone) 2) Do whatever the effect says 3) After the effect has resolved, place the card in the Graveyard However, there are a few special kinds of Spell Cards. Continuous Spell Card Field Spell Card Equip Spell Card Quick-Play Spell Card

A Continuous Spell Card stays on the Field until a card effect says to do anything else with it (such as destroy it).

A Field Spell Card goes in the Field Card Zone (not the Spell/Trap Card Zone), and usually its effects apply to both players. There can only be one Field Spell on the Field at a time. If a player activates one, the previous one is destroyed.

When an Equip Spell Card is activated, the player must choose a monster to equip it to (it can be either players monster). It stays equipped to that monster, so when the monster is destroyed, so is the Equip Spell Card equipped to it.

Quick-Play Spell Cards can be used like normal Spell Cards, but they can also be used exactly like Trap Cards.

Note: While Spell Cards are most commonly activated from the hand, they are allowed to be Set face-down first. However, unless the Set card is a Quick-Play Spell Card, it can still only be activated during its owners turn.

Trap Cards As previously mentioned, Trap Cards are pinkish purple. They are otherwise the same as Spell Cards except for one difference: how they are activated. How to Activate a Trap Card: 1) During your turn, Set a Trap Card face-down in the Spell/Trap Card Zone. 2) Starting during the very beginning of your opponents next turn (even before they draw), you can activate it if the conditions are right. Some Trap Cards have restrictions on when they can be activated. For example, one might s ay Activate only during the Battle Phase. Just like Spell Cards, there are a few special types of Trap Cards. Continuous Trap Card After activation, a Continuous Trap Card stays on the Field until a card effect says to do anything else with it (such as destroy it). Counter Trap Card These are the only cards that are Spell Speed 3 (refer to the Spell Speed chart for more information).

Spell Speeds Another difference among Spell and Trap Cards is the speed at which their effects work. This is known as their Spell Speed. Spell Speed 1 The slowest type of effect. It cannot respond to any other effects. Normal Spell Cards Equip, Field, and Continuous Spell Card effects Most Monster effects Normal and Continuous Trap Cards Quick-Play Spell Cards Some Monsters Quick Effects Counter Trap Cards

Spell Speed 2

Can be used in response to a Spell Speed 1 or 2 effect.

Spell Speed 3

Can be used in response to any other effect.

Summoning Monsters When a Monster Card is placed on the Field, it is being Summoned. Once per turn, you can Normal Summon or Set a Monster. Any other type of Summoning is known as Special Summoning. How to Normal Summon: 1) Select the Monster in your hand that you would like to Normal Summon. 2) Look at its Level: If it is Level 4 or lower, you can simply place it on the Field. If it is Level 5 or 6, you must Tribute 1 Monster you already control to Summon it. If it is Level 8 or higher, you must tribute 2 Monsters you control to Summon it. Any Monster that is Normal Summoned is in Attack Position. Attack Position Monsters are placed on the Field like this:

When you Set a Monster, you place it in face-down Defense Position. That looks like this:

There is no such thing as face-down Attack Position. You cannot Normal Summon a Monster in face-up Defense Position.

Special Summons You can Special Summon a monster if a card effect says you can. There are also two other methods of Special Summoning: Xyz (pronounced ecks-eez) and Synchro Summoning. How to Xyz Summon: 1) Find, in your Extra Deck, the Xyz Monster you wish to Summon (they have black borders). 2) Look directly under its Type to find its required Xyz Materials.

3) If you control those Monsters, you can place them on top of each other, then place the Xyz Monster on top of those cards. When an Xyz Monsters effect tells you to detach an Xyz Material, send one of the cards stacked beneath the monster to the Graveyard.

How to Synchro Summon: 1) Find, in your Extra Deck, the Synchro Monster you wish to Summon (they have silvery white borders). 2) Look directly under its Type to find its required Synchro Materials Monsters.

3) If you control those Monsters, send them to the Graveyard and place the Synchro Monster on the Field. Tuner monsters have the word Tuner written next to their Type.

Fusion Monsters are also kept in the Extra Deck. Although they are simply Special Summoned with a card effect, their Summoning method is usually explained alongside those of Synchro and Xyz Monsters. How to Fusion Summon: 1) Find, in your Extra Deck, the Fusion Monster you wish to Summon (they have purple borders). 2) Look directly under its Type to find its required Fusion Material Monsters. 3) If you have all of them on your side of the Field and/or in your hand, you can activate a card effect (usually the Spell Card Polymerization) that allows a Fusion Summon for the Fusion Monster you want to Summon. 4) If all goes well, your Fusion Monster should be Summoned correctly.

Battles One major aspect of the game is when Monsters battle. All battles occur during the Battle Phase. During a battle, an Attack Position Monster attacks a Monster controlled by the opponent. What happens next depends on the Battle Position of the opponents Monster and the ATK and DEF of both Monsters. All of these scenarios assume no interference from other effects (such as those that negate attacks). If a Monster in face-down Defense Position is attacked, it is flipped face-up. Any FLIP effects are activated at this time. If a Monster in Attack Position with 1800 ATK battles a Monster in Attack Position with 1600 ATK, the controller of the Monster with 1600 ATK takes Battle Damage equal to 1800 1600, or 200. This is subtracted from their Life Points. The Monster with 1600 ATK is destroyed. If a Monster in Attack Position with 1800 ATK battles a Monster in Attack Position with 1800 ATK, neither player takes any Battle Damage. Both Monsters are destroyed. If a Monster in Attack Position with 1800 ATK battles a Monster in Defense Position with 1600 DEF, neither player takes any Battle Damage. The Monster with 1600 DEF is destroyed. If a Monster in Attack Position with 1800 ATK battles a Monster in Defense Position with 1800 DEF, neither player takes any Battle Damage. Neither Monster is destroyed. If a Monster in Attack Position with 1800 ATK battles a Monster in Defense Position with 2000 DEF, the controller of the Monster with 1800 ATK takes Battle Damage equal to 2000 1800, or 200. Neither Monster is destroyed. In simpler terms, if you are attacking and your points are lower, you take damage. When your opponents points are lower, their monster is destroyed. You can only take damage if your monster is in Attack Position. The Field Each player has a Game Mat. The two players mats are known collectively as the Field. Here is an example of a Game Mat.

Game Structure One game of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is known as a Duel. Duels are usually played in Matches, in which the first player to win two Duels wins the Match. Each player starts with 8000 Life Points. To win a Duel, your opponents Life Points must reach 0. You can also win if a card effect says so, or if your opponent must draw a card and they cannot. If a card effect ever violates a rule, the card effect overrules the rule. Decks Each player is required to have a Deck of 40-60 cards. These cards can be Spell Cards, Trap Cards, and any Monster that is not Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz. Most players prefer to keep their decks down to 40-42 cards in order to draw the best cards when they need them. Each player is also allowed to have an Extra Deck and a Side Deck. The Extra Deck can contain up to 15 Xyz, Fusion, and Synchro Monsters. The Side Deck can contain up to 15 cards of any type. Between Duels in a Match, each player is allowed to substitute in cards from their Side Deck with cards from their Main and Extra Decks. The Turn Each players turn can be broken into 6 Parts: 1) Draw Phase: The turn player draws one card. 2) Standby Phase: Only noted when a card effect mentions it. 3) Main Phase 1: This is when the turn player can Normal Summon, activate Spell Cards, and Set Spell/Trap Cards. 4) Battle Phase: This is when the turn player makes attacks. Battle Damage is calculated at the end. 5) Main Phase 2: The same as Main Phase 1. 6) End Phase: Only noted when a card effect mentions it. After the End Phase, it is the other players turn. Other Information: As previously noted, Monsters have Attributes and Types. These are sometimes mentioned in card effects. There are 7 Attributes: LIGHT, DARK, FIRE, WATER, EARTH, WIND, and DIVINE. There are more than 20 Types, including Beast, Warrior, Spellcaster, Plant, and Dragon. Sometimes, card effects Special Summon Tokens. Any Tokens Summoned have exactly the properties that card effect says. They act exactly like monsters, but cannot be used as Xyz Materials. Also, if one has to leave the field, it simply disappears (Tokens cannot exist anywhere except the Field). [See the Official Rulebook for more information, especially pages 43-49]