How to Play Yugioh

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Yu-Gi-Oh! is a card game that requires players to aim to defeat their opponents by reducing their Life Points to zero. There are many rules that you must remember before playing. This article will help you understand the essentials before playing.

Table of Contents

Learn about cards

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Monster Card: Monster card Summoned to attack, reducing your opponent’s LP and preserving your LP. Usually the Monster card is orange (Effect monster) or yellow (Normal monster), but many other colors are available. Monsters have a Level between 1 and 12 (meaning the number of stars at the top) and an icon that says Attribute in the upper right corner. At the top of the card description text, the monster’s Type and ability such as Tuner or Flip are bold. ATK is the attack power (referred to as Attack), and DEF is the defensive power (referred to as Defense) listed at the bottom. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Effect monsters possess effects that affect card battle, while Normal monsters only have a brief description. Effect Monsters are the most used monsters because their effects are quite strong. Normal Monsters aren’t that strong, but can do well as supports and are used in certain deck types. Monsters in the Extra Deck that have no effects are called Non-Effect Monsters. They are neither normal monsters nor effect monsters.
Tokens are monsters summoned by effects. They can be cards placed in attack or defense. Token cards cannot be placed in any deck, and can only be placed face-up on the field. As such, they cannot be sent to the Graveyard, banished, face down, or become Xyz Materials. They are treated as Normal Monsters whose name, ATK, Defense, Level, Attribute, and Type are determined by the card that summons them. The official Token cards are all gray.
Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters do not appear in the hand or main deck, but must be placed in the Extra Deck. Xyz Monsters have a black background and a Rank instead of a Level. Synchro monsters are white, Fusion monsters are purple, and Link monsters are blue and have a hexagonal background. Each monster has its own unique summoning method and must first be Special Summoned that way before it can be summoned any other way (e.g. respawning from the Graveyard). Some monsters have special requirements for the monster used to summon them (called materials or materials), written in the first line of the description.
Ritual monsters are blue in color and cannot be summoned in any other way, unless they are Ritual Summoned. Most monsters of this type are Summoned by some magic card.
Pendulum monsters can be any type of monster, and their background color fades to the magic card green of the lower half of the card. At the top of the card description, there is a frame stating the Pendulum Effect of the card and there is a Pendulum Scale on either side. Pendulum Monsters can be activated from the hand like a magic card on the leftmost and rightmost sides of the Spell/Trap Zone, becoming the Pendulum. Zone) when a Pendulum card is placed there. Unlike a Field Spell, a Pendulum card cannot be replaced by placing another Pendulum monster in the same zone. When a Pendulum monster is sent from the field to the Graveyard, it is placed face-up at the top of the Extra Deck. Here, it can be summoned back to the Field. If there are Pendulum monsters in both Pendulum Zones, you can perform a Pendulum Summon (more on this later).
Possible monster abilities are Tuner, Spirit, Gemini, Flip, Union, and Toon. Coordinator Monster required for a Synchro Summon. Other types have the same use as the name.

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Summon: A Summon is a way to place a monster on your Field. There are three main summoning types: Normal, Special, and Flip. Normal Summons can be performed once per turn, while Special Summons are unlimited. You can Normal Summon a monster from your hand in face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position (called Normal Set). Monsters with a Level 4 or lower require no tribute, but for monsters with a higher Level, you need to send one or more of your monsters from the Field to the Graveyard. Levels 5 and 6 require sacrificing one monster, while Levels 7 and above must sacrifice two monsters. If a Normal Summon has to sacrifice a monster, it is also called a Tribute Summon.

Your opponent has no idea what the face-down monster is. When face-down, the card has no name, Attribute, stat… It can be flipped face-up by manually changing to Attack Position (called a Flip Summon), by effects, or by being attacked. . Face-up monsters cannot be face-down, unless the effect is used.

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Special Summon: A Special Summon can be performed by card effects or by following game mechanics. Normally, monsters cannot be Special Summoned in face-down position, but can be Summoned in Attack Position or Defense Position. Here are some special summon types.

A Fusion Summon is usually performed by using a Fusion Spell card (kind of like Ppymerization) and sending the monsters listed as Fusion monsters to the Graveyard. Some Fusion monsters do not require Fusion magic cards (informally known as Link Fusion or Contact Fusion monsters). Fusion Materials are usually listed quite specifically.
A Synchro summon is done by sending a Tuner monster and 1 or more non-tuner monsters from your Field to the Graveyard, and then special summoning it. distinguish a Synchro monster from the Extra Deck with a level equal to the total of the material monsters’ levels.
An Xyz Summon can be performed by placing two or more monsters on the Field with the same Level number and stacking them, then placing an Xyz monster of the same Star Rank on top. Monsters below are now called Xyz material, and are not considered present on the field. Most Xyz monsters have an effect that can be activated by detaching Xyz Materials (sending them to the Graveyard). If an Xyz monster leaves the Field or is no longer considered a monster, its Xyz Materials are moved to the Graveyard.
A Ritual summon is usually performed using a Ritual Spell card, sacrificing monsters whose Level is equal to the Level of the Ritual monster, and then special summoning a Ritual monster. from hand. There are exceptions, of course – read the description of your Ritual Magic.
A Pendulum summon can be performed if you have a Pendulum monster in both Pendulum Zones. You are allowed to Special Summon any monster in your hand and face-up monsters at the top of the Extra Deck if their Levels are greater than or less than the Pendulum Limits of two Pendulum monsters (Level stars are not allowed by the Oscillation Limit). You can Pendulum Summon once per turn.
Link summons are performed by sending material monsters from the Field to the Graveyard to fulfill the Link requirement. You must use materials equal to the Link Rating of the Link monster – the number listed in the lower right corner. If a Link monster is used as a Link material, it can be treated as a single monster, or as many materials as a Link Number. Link Monsters that have no Level or defense, cannot be changed to Defense Position under any circumstances. You will see orange arrows surrounding the card image, where the number of arrows is equal to the Link Number, pointing to the surrounding Monster Zone. Monsters in the Extra Deck can be Summoned to the zone the Link Monster points to.

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Extra Monster Zone: Introduced with Links in Master Rule 4, there are two Extra Monster Zones connecting two players’ Fields. Any Summon from the Extra Deck must be sent to the Extra Monster Zone. Anything that is not a Summon from the Extra Deck – including temporary banish, change of ownership, and return from a change of ownership – must be sent to the Main Monster Zone . After summoning to one of the two Extra Monster Zones, you own it for the rest of the game, the remaining Zone automatically belongs to your opponent.

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Magic Card: The Magic card is green. Usually they are activated from the hand during your turn and have various effects. There are six types of spells, and non-magical spells all have an icon in the upper right near the bold text indicating the type of card.

Normal Spell Cards are cast from your hand into the Spell/Trap Zone on the field, and after their effects are applied, they are sent to the Graveyard.
The Sustained Magic card has the symbol ∞. Once used on the Field, this card will remain in place, unless removed in any way, and their effects apply while they remain on the Field.
Instant Magic has a lightning bolt icon. This card can be used at any time during your turn, and during your opponent’s turn if face down.
Environmental Spells look like darts and are sent into the Environment Spell Zone when activated or face down. Environmental spells affect the entire Field, and stay there unless removed. If you activate a new environment spell when there is already a card of that type in the Environment Spell Zone, the previous card will be destroyed. The environment magic of two players can exist simultaneously.
Equip Spells have a plus symbol. When activated, they are equipped to a face-up monster on the field, and remain on the field unless removed. Equip Spell Cards are destroyed if the monster is no longer face-up on the field or is no longer a valid target.
The Ritual Spell Card has the shape of a flame, used when Ritual Summoning a Ritual Monster. This card has the same effect as Normal Magic, and will usually require a monster sacrifice on the Field to summon the desired Ritual monster from your hand.

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Trap Card: Trap is used during your opponent’s turn to interrupt play. Traps are purple and the icon in the corner if not a Normal Trap. All Trap cards must be Set (placed face down in the Spell/Trap Zone) before being used, and they can be activated during any player’s turn.

Normal Traps can be flipped upside down when you want to use them and when the activation requirement is satisfied. Once used, they will fly to the Graveyard.
The Sustain Trap has the same ∞ symbol as the Sustain Spell and has the same function.
The Feedback Trap card has an arrow shape. This card is the same as the Normal Trap; however, only other Feedback Trap cards can be activated against them.

Game mechanics

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Set Spells and Traps: Spell and Trap cards can be Set from your hand during the Main Phase. When Set, they are placed face down in the Spell & Trap Zone. If you set Traps or Instant Spells, they cannot be activated until the next turn.

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Battle: If your monster is in Attack Position during the Battle Phase, you are allowed to use it to attack your opponent’s monster. If your opponent has no monsters on the field, you can attack life points directly. Each monster is only allowed to attack once per turn. If a monster hits a face-down card, that card is flipped face up just before damage calculation.

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Damage calculation:

If both are in Attack Position, the monster with the lower ATK (ATK) is destroyed, and the monster’s owner has LP deducted according to the ATK difference.
If there is the same Gong, both are destroyed.
If a monster in defense has a Defense Position (DEF) that is less than the attacking monster’s ATK, it is destroyed but the owner of the Defense Position monster has no life points deducted.
If it has a higher Defense, the owner of the attacking monster will have LP deducted according to the damage difference, and no monster will die.
If ATK and Defense are equal, no monsters are destroyed.
When attacking life points directly, your opponent takes damage equal to the monster’s ATK.

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Replay: If during your attack turn your opponent’s monster count changes, a replay is performed, then you are allowed to choose to attack with the previous monster, attack with another monster or no longer attacks. You are also allowed to choose another attack target. If you attack with another monster, the original monster is considered to have attacked, and cannot attack again for the remainder of the turn.

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Battle Position: Monsters can be placed in Attack Position or Defense Position. Their posture helps determine which number is used to calculate damage; thus, monsters with high ATK should be placed in attack position, and monsters with low ATK should be placed in defense position. In addition, if one of your opponent’s monsters has higher ATK than all monsters on the field, your monster should be placed in a Defense Position so that life points are not deducted. Battle Position can be manually changed once per turn for each monster in your Main Phase. You cannot change battle position if it is summoned, face down, or attacked during that turn.

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Chain: Chaining a card or effect means activating it before another effect has a chance to be dealt (or applied). The activation of a card or effect initiates a Chain Link. Once activated, the remaining player can do another one-card Chain, which will become Chain Link 2. This will continue until no more players react to the chain, then then they will be resolved, starting with the most recent Linked String. While the Chain is being dealt, cards and effects cannot be activated.

Example: Player A activates “Torrential Tribute” which becomes Chain Link 1. Player B responds by activating “Seven Tops of the Bandit” to negate the other card by sacrificing 1000 life points ( LifePoints). Now that person’s Life Points are deducted because that’s the price paid to activate the card, and this happens during activation, not resolution. Player A doesn’t make a Chain any more cards and neither does player B, now the Chain is resolved. Resolution is conducted from the closest Chain Link “Seven Tops”. “Seven Tops” disables “Torrential Tribute” so no monsters are destroyed.

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Spell Speed: Only Instant Spell, Trap, and Quick Effect cards can be Chained with another card as Chain Link 2 or more. Quick Effects will be indicated when declaring that they are Instant Effects or by being able to be activated during any player’s turn, or the opponent’s turn. The effect must be Spell Level 2 (Spell Speed 2) or higher or a Trigger effect to activate outside of your Main Phase. Instant Spells can only be cast during your opponent’s turn if it was set face down the previous turn. If the Feedback Trap card is activated, the only card that can be Chained is another Feedback Trap card.

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Extra Link: Extra Link is a method of using Link Monsters to capture your opponent’s Extra Monster Zone. To do this, you need a co-linked Link monster (with arrows pointing towards each other) pointing from your Extra Monster Zone to your opponent’s Zone. Once that condition is met, you are allowed to Summon the Last Link monster to your opponent’s Extra Monster Zone, co-link with your monster, and the Zone will be yours for as long as you can. Any Link monster is still there. Link Monsters can be summoned in a u, diagonal, and v-shape. You can also use monsters your opponent owns to complete Extra Links. If your opponent has 3 co-linked monsters of the same row in their Main Monster Zone, summoning 2 Link monsters to the Extra Monster Zone co-linked with the other 3 monsters allows you to complete the Link Extra.

Duel

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Build a deck. To play Yu-Gi-Oh, you must have a deck of cards. The number of cards in the deck must be 40 or more and not more than 60. Usually it is better if the number of cards in the deck is only 40 or a little more. Your deck should have a balance of spells, traps, and monsters. Good odds are 15-20 monsters, about 9-12 spells, and 5 to 8 traps. This ratio is not a requirement so it is not necessary to follow it if you already understand how to build a deck. Actually, this doesn’t make much sense in the actual game. Most monsters should have Levels below 4, only between 1 and 4 (if any) monsters with higher Levels that cannot be summoned any other way. Spells and traps should support the weakness of the deck, and you should have cards that fall into the following categories: attack protection, negation effects, summon nullification, spell destruction tricks/traps. Of course, these numbers are not absolute and will vary from deck to deck, so use what works for you. Your deck will be stronger if you focus on a particular topic or archetype.

The Extra Deck is not a must in the game of cards, but is a must for most decks. Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters are placed in the Extra Deck instead of the Main Deck. You can view the Extra Deck at any time during the game, and you are allowed to Special Summon monsters from it during your turn. There is a maximum of 15 cards in the Extra Deck. Your opponent cannot see your Extra Deck, unless an effect is used.
The Side Deck also has a maximum limit of 15 cards. This deck doesn’t have to be, but is the go-to for tournament matches. A card game (match) consists of three games, in which the player who wins 2/3 of the game wins the overall game. The Extra Deck includes cards that are used against some popular decks or against your deck, but are not appropriate to include in the main deck. This deck cannot be used during a duel, but you are allowed to substitute cards from the main deck and/or side deck during breaks in a card battle. After the substitution is complete, the number of cards in your Extra Deck must be the same as the original number of cards.
You are only allowed to have 3 of the same cards in your main, side, and extra decks (for a total of 3). Some cards are banned or limited from use in the tournament, so try to make sure your deck is valid if you intend to participate in the tournament.

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Start the duel. To start a card match, look for someone to play with. Shuffle each other’s decks and decide who goes first. This can be decided by playing rock-paper-scissors, tossing a coin, or using some other suitable method. The front player cannot draw cards or attack. Decks that have the ability to set up the Field early or use effects to keep themselves out of battle will often benefit from going ahead, while decks that need the advantage of having more cards in their hand to start the game or land on. Returning what the opponent does will often prefer to go later. Both players start the game with 8000 Life Points.

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Place your cards in the correct positions. Place your Extra Deck on the left side of the bottom row, your Main Deck on the right side, with a space in the middle where 5 cards can be placed. That space will be your Spell/Trap zone. Above your main and minor decks are the Pendulum zones to the left and right. The top row consists of the Field Spell on the left and the Graveyard on the right. The five empty squares in the middle are your Monster zone. The banish zone is usually located to the right of the Graveyard.

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Draw for the first time. Both players will draw 5 cards at the beginning of the game to start the game.

Only you can see the card in your hand, not your opponent’s. Your opponent is only allowed to look at the cards in your hand when using card effects. The important thing to remember is not to let your opponent see the cards in your hand and guess the duel strategy. During the End Phase, if you have more than 6 cards in your hand, you must discard until only 6 are left.

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Withdraw post. You will draw one card from your deck at the beginning of your turn, during the Draw Phase. The player who goes first is not allowed to draw cards immediately.

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Enter the Standby Phase. Certain effects can be activated during the Standby Phase. If not, skip this stage.

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Continue into the Main Phase. The Main Phase is the most important phase of your turn, where you do most of the action. During this phase, monsters can be summoned, effects can be activated, the monster’s battle position can be manually rotated, and spells and traps can be activated or set face down.

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Fight. You can attack using Attack Position monsters you control during the Battle Phase. It is not required to enter the Battle Phase. If you don’t want to enter the Battle Phase, you can go to the End Phase and skip Main Phase 2. The player who went ahead is not allowed to enter the Battle Phase right away.

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Enter the Second Main Stage. After the Battle Phase, you will enter Main Phase 2. During this phase, you can perform the same actions as the Main Phase 1, except that you cannot change the battle position of the card attacked during the Battle Phase. You cannot enter this stage without entering the Battle Phase.

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End your turn. The End Phase ends your turn. Some effects can be activated during this phase. Then it will be the turn of the other player.

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Play cards until someone loses. When a player’s Life Points drop to 0, that player loses. If a player has to draw a card, but cannot draw because there are no cards left in the deck, that player also loses. Players can also win or lose because of card effects.

Advice

A simple way to play Yu-Gi-Oh! is to play online using an emulator. This is a free way to test out multiple decks and play against people from all over the world. YGOPro (and some related mods) can be downloaded from their Discord servers, while Dueling Book is used in the browser but has to be done manually to play by the rules.
Duel Links (mobile game) is a free and easy way to play Yu-Gi-Oh. This is not the modern Yu-Gi-Oh, but the classic version that is slower and may appeal to some players.
You can calculate the base score using a calculator or using pen and paper.
Life Points can be increased above 8000 by card effects.
Calculate your moves in advance, and try to judge your opponent’s tactics.
Know your cards to speed up the game.
If there is a card that you need, it is often cheaper to buy it individually on the Internet rather than buying multiple packs and hoping it will appear in it.
The cards sought from the deck must be turned over for the opponent to see.
All trap effects are Spell Speed 2 (Spell Speed 2), including Graveyard and hand effects.
For more updates and detailed explanations, visit the Yu-Gi-Oh Wiki or the official website.

Warning

During a duel, try not to “set the cards first”. “Pair first” is a type of cheat, where you arrange your cards to draw the right card at the right time. If you get caught during the official tournament, you will definitely be disqualified from the tournament. Moreover, when playing cards with an experienced person, the above cheat will rarely work.
This card game can be very expensive, especially if you intend to compete seriously.

Things you need

The Yu-Gi-Oh Deck!
Extra Deck and Extra Deck (optional)
Card cover, deck box, calculator (optional), notebook (optional), play mat (optional)
An opponent to play with

Steps