OFFICIAL RULEBOOK

Version 10

Table of Contents

Table of Contentsl About the Game .......................................................................... 1

1

Getting Startedl Things you need to Duel ............................................................ 2l The Game Mat ............................................................................. 42

Game Cardsl Monster Cards .......................................................................... 6

4

Battles and Chainsl Monster Battle Rules .............................................................. 41
l Chains and Spell Speed ............................................................ 44

5

Other Rulesl Effect Monsters ........................................................................ 9l Other Rules .............................................................................. 49l Link Monsters ......................................................................... 12l Glossary ................................................................................... 52l Pendulum Monsters ................................................................ 16l Xyz Monsters ........................................................................... 18l Synchro Monsters ................................................................... 20
l Fusion Monsters ...................................................................... 22l Ritual Monsters ...................................................................... 23l Summoning Monster Cards ..................................................... 24l Spell & Trap Cards ................................................................... 26

3

How to Playl Let the Duel Begin! ................................................................... 32
l Preparing to Duel ................................................................... 33
l Turn Structure ........................................................................ 34iii

What is the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME?
With the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME you can take part in the
exciting card game action seen in the family of Yu-Gi-Oh! TV andcomic mega-hits.
In this game, two players Duel each other using a variety of Monster,
Spell, and Trap Cards to defeat their opponent’s monsters and be thefirst to drop the other’s LP (Life Points) to 0.
Everything you need to start playing is in this Deck, but there arethousands more cards to choose from, so collecting additional cards
in Booster Packs will let you customize your Deck and increase yourchances of winning!
This is the official Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME rulebook. It’s
important to learn how to play correctly, so you should read thisrulebook before playing if you’re new to the game. Understanding
the rules will help you make the best use of your cards, so keep
the rulebook handy during your first few games. You can also visit
www.yugioh-card.com for more information.

ABOUT THE GAMECREATE YOUR OWN DECKWith thousands of cards to choose from, you can create andcustomize your own Deck with your favorite cards. Every Duelist
will have their own unique Deck, completely different from every
other Duelist’s Deck, which makes it really exciting to play!

BATTLE WITH FANTASTIC MONSTERS & GREAT COMBOSEven if a card does not have enough power on its own,
it may become powerful when combinedwith other cards. It’s fun to collect all thedifferent cards available and create yourown combos, then unleash them in a Duel.

POWER UP YOUR DECK WITH BOOSTER PACKS
Booster Packs are released every few months,
bringing new cards and new combos to add newstrength to your Deck. Duels evolve every timea new Booster Pack is released, keeping yourDuels cool and exciting.

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1Getting Started

Things you need to Duel
Deck ................................................(40 to 60 cards)
Assemble your favorite cards into a Deck that follows these rules:

Additional items you may need
Coin

Dice

Some cards require a coin toss. If you
play with these, have a coin ready toflip.

Just like the coin, there are somecards that need a die roll. If you playwith these, have a standard die readywith numbers 1 through 6.

Counters

Monster Tokens

Some cards will require markers(called counters) to keep track ofthings like the number of turns, or acard’s power level. You can use small
objects like glass beads, paper clips,
or pennies for the counters, which arethen placed on these face-up cards.

Tokens are used to representmonsters that can be created by card
effects. Any object used for a Tokenneeds to have two distinct ways toplace it that can clearly indicate themonster’s battle position. (See page
45 for details.)

lThe Deck must be 40 to 60 cards.
lYou can only have up to 3 copies of the same card in your Deck,
Extra Deck and Side Deck combined.
Also, some cards are Forbidden, Limited or Semi-Limited in official
tournaments. (See page 45 for details.)
Try to keep your Deck close to the 40-card minimum. Having a Deckwith too many cards makes it hard to draw your best cards when you
need them. This Deck is called your Main Deck.
Extra Deck ..........................................(0 to 15 cards)
This Deck consists of Xyz Monsters, Synchro Monsters and Fusion
Monsters, which can be used during the game if you meet certain
requirements. The rules for Extra Decks are:lYou can have up to 15 cards in the Extra Deck.
lThe Extra Deck can contain Xyz Monsters, Synchro Monsters andFusion Monsters, in any combination.
lThese cards are not counted towards the 40-card minimum limit \of your Main Deck.
Side Deck ...........................................(0 to 15 cards)
This is a separate Deck of cards you can use to change your Deckduring a Match. After each Duel in a Match, you can swap any cardfrom your Side Deck with a card from your Deck and/or Extra Deck to
customize your strategy against your opponent. The number of cards inyour Side Decks must not exceed 15. The number of cards in your Side
Deck before and after you swap any cards must be exactly the same.
2

Items which can help during a Duel
Calculator

Card Sleeves

LP changes quickly during a Duel. It’ssmart to use a calculator to keep trackof your LP. During important Duels,
you should track your LP on paper aswell to be extra-careful.

Plastic sleeves can prevent your cards
from getting bent or scratched. If you
use card sleeves, they all have to be
the same so your cards aren’t marked.

3

Getting Started

Getting Started

1

7

7

THE GAME MAT
The Game Mat helps you organize your cards
during a Duel. When you use your cards you placethem on the Game Mat. Different kinds of cards
are placed in different Zones.
Each Duelist needs their own Game Mat; placethem together while Dueling. This combined space
is known as “the field.” The Game Mat containedin this product is just for your half of the field.
The cards you “control” are the cards on your sideof the field.

5

1

3

6

2

4

You can also Duel without using the Game Mat aslong as you remember where to place the cards.

4
Deck

This is where you put your monsters when they’re played.
You can have up to 5 cards here. There are 3 ways to1position your Monster Cards: face-up Attack Position,
Main Monster face-up Defense Position, and face-down Defense Position.
Place the card upright for Attack Position, and sideways
Zone
for Defense Position.
This is where you put Spell & Trap Cards. You can have up to
5 cards here. You place them here face-up to activate them,2or place them face-down. Pendulum Monster Cards can be
Spell & Trap activated in the leftmost and rightmost zones as Spells. This
causes the zone you use to also become a Pendulum Zone
Zone
Pendulum Zone for as long as the Pendulum Monster Card is there. (Seepage 23 for details on Pendulum Monster Cards.)

3
Graveyard(GY)

When Monster Cards are destroyed, and when Spell &Trap Cards are used, they’re sent face-up to this space.
The contents of both players’ Graveyards are publicknowledge, and your opponent can look through yours at
any time during the Duel. The order of the cards in theGraveyard should not be changed. Graveyard is shortenedin the card text to “GY”.
4

5
Field Zone

6
Extra Deck

Your Deck is placed face-down in this space. You draw cards
from here to add to your hand. If a card effect requires you
to reveal cards from your Deck, or look through it, shuffle
it and put it back in this space afterwards.
Special Spell Cards called Field Spell Cards are played here.
Each player can have 1 Field Spell Card on their own sideof the field. To use another Field Spell, send your previous
one to the Graveyard. Field Spell Cards do not counttowards the 5-card limit of your Spell & Trap Zone.
Place your Extra Deck face-down in this space. You canlook at the cards in your own Extra Deck during the game.
During a Duel, Extra Deck Monsters may be Summoned
to the field from here using special methods. Pendulum
Monster Cards that would be sent from the field to theGraveyard are placed face-up here.

This is where you put your monsters that are Summoned to
the field by special methods from the Extra Deck, like Link
Monsters and Fusion Monsters. Normally, each player can
Extra Monster only use 1 of these zones. A monster placed in this zone
does not count towards the 5-monster limit of your Main
Zone
Monster Zone.

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5

2

3 Attribute
Every monster has an Attribute.
This Attribute is sometimes
important for card effects.

Game Cards

Monster Cards

HOW TO READ A CARD

DARK

EARTH

FIRE

LIGHT

WATER

WIND

2 Level7 Card5 Card Number

Description

4 Type4 TypeMonsters are divided into various Types. Some monsters withspecific abilities will have additional information here too, next totheir Type.

5 Card Number
A card’s identification number is found here. This number is usefulfor collecting, and for sorting your collection.

6 ATK (Attack Points)
DEF (Defense Points)

1 Card Name
This is the card’s name. When acard name is mentioned in card
text it appears in quotations. If
cards have the same name, they
are considered to be the samecard.

2 LevelCount the number of stars here
to find out the monster’s Level.
For Xyz Monsters, the numberof stars is the Rank of themonster, and is on left.
6

6 ATK (Attack Points) / DEF (Defense Points)
ATK is a monster’s Attack Points and DEF is a monster’s Defense
Points. High Attack and Defense Points are good when battling!

7 Card Description
Card effects are written here, describing the monster’s special
abilities and how to use them. Normally, the effects of monsters
cannot be used while they are Set face-down on the field. Yellow
Normal Monster Cards do not have effects, and have a descriptionof them written here that does not affect the game.

ATK /

7

DEF /

Game Cards

Game Cards

3 Attribute

1 Card NameWHAT IS A MONSTER CARD?
Monster Cards are used to battle and defeat your opponent. Battles
between Monster Cards are the foundation of any Duel.

<<< Normal Monsters
These are basic Monster Cards
without special abilities. Many
Normal Monsters have higher
Attack Points and Defense
Points than Effect Monsters,
instead of having special
abilities.

An Effect Monster is a monsterthat has special abilities.
The effects of these monsters
are split into four categories:• Continuous Effect• Ignition Effect• Quick Effect• Trigger Effect (including Flip)

Continuous EffectThis effect is active while the Effect Monster Card is face-up on
the field. The effect starts when the face-up monster appearson the field, and ends once that monster is gone or is no longer
face-up; there is no trigger for its activation. These monsters
are most useful if you have a strategy to protect them while
they are on the field.

Monsters with 2000 or less ATK cannot declare
Example an attack.
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9Game Cards

Game Cards

There are many kinds of Monster Cards. This game is more than asimple slugfest, so monsters with high Attack and Defense Points will
not be enough. There are also monsters with strong special effects
even though their ATK and DEF points are low. Therefore, yoursuccess in a Duel depends on how skillfully you can make use of thedifferent kinds of cards. Let’s take a look at the different kinds ofmonsters.

<<< Effect Monsters

Trigger Effect
These effects are activated at specific times, such as “during
the Standby Phase” or “when this monster is destroyed”. These
cards can make for some great combos, but it’s easier for youropponent to predict what will happen, so they might try to stopyou.

You can Tribute this card, then target 1 monster
Example on the field; destroy that target.

When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the
Example Graveyard: Target 1 card on the field; destroy that target.

Game Cards

Game Cards

Ignition Effect
You use this type of effect just by declaring its activation during
your Main Phase. (See Turn Structure, page 30.) There are some
Ignition Effects that have a cost to activate, like discarding cards
from your hand, Tributing a monster, or paying LP. Because you
can choose when to activate this type of effect, it’s easy tocreate combos with them.

Quick EffectFlip Effect

These are special monster effects that you can activate evenduring your opponent’s turn. These types of effects have aSpell Speed of 2, even though all other monster effects have aSpell Speed of 1. (See Spell Speed, page 41.) Since it’s difficult foryour opponent to predict these cards, they can give them an
unexpected surprise.

Flip effect is a part of the Trigger Effect.
This is an effect that is activated when a face-down card isflipped face-up. This can happen when it is Flip Summoned,
attacked while face-down, or flipped face-up by a card effect.
These effects start with the word “FLIP:” on the card. Whenyou have a face-down monster, your opponent must be wary
because they don’t know if it has a Flip effect or not.

(Formerly called Multi-Trigger Effects.)

When an effect is activated (Quick Effect):Example You can target 1 card in your Graveyard; Special Summon it.
10

ExampleFLIP: Draw 1 card.

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LINK MONSTERS
A Link Monster is a new kind of
monster with the ability to increase
the number of monsters you can
Summon from your Extra Deck.
In addition to the 1 Extra Monster
Zone you can usually use, you canalso Summon monsters from theExtra Deck to any of your Main
Monster Zones that has a Link
Monster’s red arrow pointing to it.

HOW TO LINK SUMMON
1 Check the materials of the Link Monster you want to Summon.
2

During your Main Phase, declare that you are Link Summoning,
send a number of face-up monsters from your field to theGraveyard equal to the Link Rating of that Link Monster. They
must also match the material requirements listed in the monster’s“recipe” written on the card.

the Link Monster from your Extra Deck in the Extra Monster
3 PlaceZone, or one of your Main Monster Zones that another Link
Monster is pointing to.

Link Arrows - A Link Monster can apply
its effects on cards or zones that its lit-up,
red Link Arrows point to. When a Link
Monster’s red arrow points to a monster,
those monsters are “linked”. When two
Link Monsters have red arrows that pointat each other, they are “co-linked”.
Link Materials - These are the Link
Materials you need to Summon thisMonster. Use this “recipe” printed here
to Link Summon this monster.

If 2 Extra Monster Zones are available, you can choose either one to
Summon your monster.
If there is a Link Monster already on the field, you can Link Summon a
monster in one of your zones it points to.

LINK Rating - This is the number of Link
Arrows that monster has and the numberof monsters needed to Summon it.

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LINK MONSTER BONUSES
Special Summon to
the Main Monster Zones
Monsters Summoned from theExtra Deck normally have to go in
the Extra Monster Zone. But Link
Monsters open up more zones
for you to use, because every Special Summon monsters fromyour Extra Deck in these zones!
Main Monster Zone that a Link
Monster points to can also be
used to Summon monsters from your Extra Deck. Monsters thatstarted in the Extra Deck, but later end up in the Graveyard (orare banished) and are Summoned from there, also go in the Main
Monster Zones (and don’t need a Link Monster to point to them).
Link Monsters already on the field make great material!
Normally, 1 monster equals 1 Link Material. But when you use a
Link Monster as material for another Link Summon, you can countit as either 1 monster, or as a number of monsters equal to its
Link Rating. For example, if you want to Summon a Link 3 monsterthat requires 2 or more materials in its “recipe”, you can either
use 3 monsters (each counts as 1 material) or else a Link 2 Link
Monster (counts as 1 or 2 materials) and a second monster (counts
as 1 material).

MORE ABOUT LINK MONSTERS
Link Monsters have no DEF and cannot ever be in Defense Position.
They can’t be changed to Defense Position by a card effect. They
can’t even be flipped into face-down Defense Position.
If your opponent has a monster in the Extra Monster Zone, it’s stilla monster they control so you can’t attack directly. You have tobattle and destroy all their monsters first, including the one in the
Extra Monster Zone.
If you take control of your opponent’s monster in the Extra Monster
Zone, it moves to your Main Monster Zone. When it goes back toyour opponent, it goes to their Main Monster Zone, not the Extra
Monster Zone.
As long as the materials meet the requirements of the Link Monster
you want to Summon, you can use a Token or Trap Card that istreated as a monster as the Link Material.
Remember that when you Link Summon, you need to meet 3 goals:• The amount of materials you use matches the Link Rating (Link
Monsters count as 1 OR their own Link Rating).

• The number of materials you use meets the number specified in
the materials line or “recipe”.

• The materials match any other requirements in the materials line

(such as only Effect Monsters, or only a specific Type of monster).

OR

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PENDULUM MONSTER CARDS
Pendulum Monster Cards
are a unique kind of cardthat blurs the line between
Monsters and Spells! They canbe Summoned as monsters to
attack or defend, or you canactivate them as Spell Cards
in your Pendulum Zones toactivate extra special abilities
and allow you to Pendulum
Summon!

HOW TO PENDULUM SUMMON
During your Main Phase, activate Pendulum Monster

as Spell Cards in your leftmost and rightmost Spell
1 Cards& Trap Zones. These Spell & Trap Zones also become
Pendulum Zones.

you have one in each Pendulum Zone, once
2 After
per turn during your Main Phase, declare that you’re
Pendulum Summoning.

Check the Pendulum Scales on the sides of your 2
Pendulum Monster Cards, then Special Summon as many

3 monsters as you want from your hand and as many faceup Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck, whose
Levels are in between those Pendulum Scales.

Pendulum Effect - When you play thiscard as a Spell Card in your Pendulum
Zone, this is its effect. Some Pendulum
Monster Cards may not have Pendulum
Effects.
Pendulum Scale - Pendulum Scale is anumber that determines which monsters
you can Special Summon during a
Pendulum Summon. The Pendulum Scaleof this card is 1.

You can Special Summon
monsters with
Levels 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Monster Effect - When you play thiscard as a regular Monster Card, this is
its effect. Some Pendulum Monster Cards
may not have monster effects.

Whenever one of your Pendulum Monster Cards on the field(regardless of which Zone it is in, or even if it is a monster ornot) would be sent to the Graveyard, place it face-up on your
Extra Deck instead. You can Pendulum Summon it back to the field
later! Monsters Pendulum Summoned from the Extra Deck must be
Summoned to the Extra Monster Zone or your Main Monster Zone
pointed to by a Link Monster.

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XYZ MONSTERS

HOW TO XYZ SUMMON
Xyz Summoning is your cool and easy way to Special Summon
Xyz Monsters from your Extra Deck. Here’s how to do it!

Xyz Monsters (pronounced “ikseez”) are a powerful kind of
monster! You can Summon an
Xyz Monster whenever you
control monsters that are thesame Level. Xyz Monsters startin your Extra Deck, not in yourMain Deck, and wait for you tocall them into action.

Choose an Xyz Monster from your Extra Deckyou have the right Xyz Materials for. The
1 thatXyz Materials should be face-up on your field.

During your Main Phase, declare that you are

Summoning and stack the Xyz Materials on
2 Xyz
top of each other.

Take the Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck andit on top of the stacked Xyz Materials in the
3 put
Extra Monster Zone in face-up Attack or Defense
Position.

Materials needed for an Xyz Summon

If there is a Link Monster on the field, you can Xyz Summon a monster in
one of your zones it points to.

Xyz Monster’s Rank This is the Rank of your Xyz
Monster. Xyz Monsters have
Ranks instead of Levels.
Stronger Xyz Monsters havehigher Ranks. This is a Rank
4 Xyz Monster.
Xyz Materials These are the Xyz Materials
you need to Summon thismonster. You use 2 Level 4
Monsters as the Xyz Materials
to Summon this monster. Xyz
Materials must be face-up
before you can use them.

LEVEL 4LEVEL 4

Xyz Summon!

When an Xyz Monster tells you to “detach” a material, take one of thestacked Xyz Material cards beneath your Xyz Monster and put it in theGraveyard.
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SYNCHRO MONSTERS
Synchro Monsters are placed in the
Extra Deck, separate from the Main
Deck. You can Special Summon apowerful Synchro Monster to thefield in an instant just by using theLevels of your monsters. They canbe Synchro Summoned from theExtra Deck by sending 1 face-up“Tuner” monster and any numberof face-up non-Tuner monsters fromyour field to the Graveyard, when
the sum of all their Levels is exactly
equal to the Level of the Synchro
Monster.

HOW TO SYNCHRO SUMMON
12

During your Main Phase, you can declare a Synchro Summon when
the combined total Levels of 1 face-up Tuner monster and any
number of other face-up monsters you control are equal to theLevel of the Synchro Monster you want to Synchro Summon.

After double-checking the Level of the Synchro Monster you
want, send the face-up Synchro Materials from your field to theGraveyard.

After sending the Synchro Materials from the field to thetake the Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck and
3 Graveyard,
play it in the Extra Monster Zone in face-up Attack or Defense
Position.

TUNER
TUNER MONSTERSMONSTERS FORFOR SYNCHROSYNCHRO SUMMONSUMMON

In order to Synchro Summon
a Synchro Monster, you need
1 Tuner (look for “Tuner” next
to its Type). The Tuner monsterand other face-up monsters you
use for the Synchro Summon are
called Synchro Materials. The
sum of their Levels is the Levelof Synchro Monster you can
Summon.

If there is a Link Monster on the field, you can Synchro Summon a
monster in one of your zones it points to.
LEVEL 3

+
Tuner

20

LEVEL 2LEVEL 5=
Non-Tuner Monster
21

Synchro Summon!

RITUAL MONSTERSFUSION MONSTERS

Ritual Monsters are special monsters
that are Special Summoned with a
specific Ritual Spell Card, along witha required Tribute. Ritual Monster
Cards are placed in the Main Deck andcannot be Summoned unless you have
all the proper cards together in yourhand or on the field. Ritual Monsters
generally have high ATK and DEF andsome have special abilities, just like
Fusion Monsters.

Fusion Monsters are also placedin your Extra Deck (not in yourMain Deck). They are Summonedby using the specific monsters
listed on the card (called
Fusion Materials) combinedwith a Summoning card like
Polymerization. They usually
have special abilities and very
high Attack Points as well. Since
Fusion Summons require specificcards, be sure and include thosenecessary cards in your Main
Deck!

HOW TO FUSION SUMMON
1

If you have all the Fusion Materials listedon the Fusion Monster Card, in the places
specified on your Summoning card, you canactivate your Summoning card by placing it inyour Spell & Trap Zone.

HOW TO RITUAL SUMMON
1When you have a Ritual Spell Card, along with the matching Ritual
Monster Card, in your hand, along with the required Tribute (aslisted on the Ritual Spell Card), you can activate the Ritual Spell Card,
placing it in the Spell & Trap Zone.

Send the Fusion Materials to the Graveyard, thentake the appropriate Fusion Monster from yourDeck and play it in the Extra Monster Zone
2 Extrain either face-up Attack or Defense Position.

Finally, place your Summoning card in theGraveyard. (If another card effect causes yourFusion Materials to be sent to a place other
Polymerization
than the Graveyard when your Summoning card
resolves, send them to that other place, but the Fusion Summon still
happens anyway.)
If there is a Link Monster on the field, you can Fusion Summon a
monster in one of your zones it points to.

If the activation of the Ritual Spell Card is successful,monsters by sending them from your hand or
2 Tributethe field to the Graveyard. The Ritual Spell Card will
list the required amount to Tribute.

3

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3

After sending the Tributed monsters to the Graveyard,
play the Ritual Monster Card in your Main Monster
Zone in either face-up Attack or Defense Position.
Finally, place the Ritual Spell Card in the Graveyard. Ritual Spell Card
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Summoning Monster Cards

If you Tribute Summon in face-down Defense Position, it is calleda Tribute Set. A monster Tribute Set on the field is NOT considered
Summoned.
Note: When a card explains a special method to Tribute Summon a
monster, you can also Tribute Set the monster by the same method.

You can do one of these once per turn

 Normal Set
To play a Monster Card from your hand in face-down Defense
Position is called a Normal Set. A monster Normal Set on thefield is NOT considered Summoned. It has been Normal Set, andcan be Summoned with a Flip Summon or flipped face-up by anattack or card effect. Remember, you can only Normal Summon
OR Normal Set (Normal Summon/Set, in short), once per turn, so
if you Normal Set a monster you cannot also Normal Summon a
monster that turn.
Note: You cannot play a monster from your hand onto the fieldin face-up Defense Position.
 Tribute Summon
For monsters that are Level 5 or higher, you must Tribute at least
1 monster you control before the Normal Summon/Set. This iscalled a Tribute Summon. Monsters that are Level 5 or 6 require
1 Tribute and Monsters that are Level 7 or higher require 2 Tributes.
Level 5, 6

Level 7 or higher

1 Tribute

2 Tributes24

 Flip Summon
You can change a face-down Defense Position monster into faceup Attack Position, without using a card effect. This is called a Flip
Summon. When you Flip Summon, you cannot change the monster toface-up Defense Position, only to face-up Attack Position. A Monster
Card cannot be Flip Summoned in the same turn that it was Set onto
the field. You cannot use most monsters’ effects until they are face-up.
 Special Summon
Some monsters can be played onto the field without being Normal
Summoned or Set. This is called a Special Summon. Pendulum Summons,
Xyz Summons, Synchro Summons, Fusion Summons and Ritual Summons
are all Special Summons. Some Effect Monsters also have specificconditions that allow you to Special Summon them. Unless otherwise
specified, a Special Summoned monster is played onto the field in yourchoice of face-up Attack Position or face-up Defense Position.
 Special Summon with a Card’s Effect
Monsters can also be Special Summoned onto the field through the effectof another card. This is different from “Special Summon Monsters.” Youcannot use a card effect to Special Summon those monsters from yourhand, Deck, or the Graveyard unless it was properly Special Summonedfirst. For example, if a Synchro Monster is sent from your Extra Deckto the Graveyard without being Synchro Summoned, you cannot use aSpell Card to Special Summon it from the Graveyard, because Synchro
Monsters have to be properly Special Summoned first, before they canbe Special Summoned by another card’s effect.
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Game Cards

Game Cards

 Normal Summon
This is the most common way to Summon a monster. Simply playa Monster Card from your hand onto the field in face-up Attack
Position. All Normal Monsters, and most Effect Monsters (unlessthey have a specific restriction), can be Summoned in this way.

You can do as many of these during a turn as you want

There are several ways to play monsters onto the field. These ways
can be categorized into 2 groups: actions that can be done only once
per turn, and actions that can be done multiple times per turn.

Spell & Trap Cards

HOW TO READ A CARD
Spell Card

2 Type2 TypeInstead of having an Attributesymbol like Monster Cards, aSpell Card has the “SPELL 魔”
symbol and a Trap Card has the“TRAP 罠” symbol.

3 IconThere are 6 types of icons that represent special properties a Spell or
Trap Card may have. Spell and Trap Cards without an icon are called
Normal Spell Cards or Normal Trap Cards.

5 Card Number

Equip

Field

Quick-Play

RitualContinuous

Counter

4 Card Description
Eachcard’sactivation
conditions and effects areprovided here. Read the card
description carefully and follow
the instructions.

1 Card Name

5 Card Number
A card’s identification number isfound here. This number is usefulfor collecting, and for sortingyour collection.

4 Card Description
Trap Card
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Game Cards

Game Cards

3 Icon1 Card Name
Remember, cards with the same
name are considered to be thesame card, and you can only
have up to 3 copies of the samecard in your Main Deck and Side
Deck combined.

<<< Spell Cards

Normal Spell Cards
Normal Spell Cards have single-use effects. To use a Normal Spell Card,announce its activation to your opponent, placing it face-up on the field.
If the activation succeeds, then you resolve the effect written on the card.
After resolving the effect, send the card to the Graveyard.

Equip Spell Cards

Field Spell Cards

These cards give an extra effect to
1 face-up monster of your choice(either your own or your opponent’s,
depending on the card). They remainon the field after they are activated.
The Equip Spell Card affects only
1 monster (called the equippedmonster), but still occupies one ofyour Spell & Trap Zones. If possible,
place it in the zone directly behindthe equipped monster to help you
remember. If the equipped monster
is destroyed, flipped face-down, or
removed from the field, its Equip
Cards are destroyed.

These cards go in your Field Zone
and stay there. Each player can have
1 Field Spell Card on their own sideof the field. To use another Field
Spell, send your previous one to theGraveyard. Many Field Spell effects
apply to BOTH players.
These cards may be placed facedown in the Field Zone, but are notactive until flipped face-up.

Quick-Play Spell Cards
Ritual Spell Cards
These Spell Cards are used to perform Ritual Summons. Use these cards
in the same way as you would use Normal Spell Cards.

28

These are special Spell Cards that can be activated during any Phase ofyour turn, not just your Main Phase. You can also activate them during youropponent’s turn if you Set the card face-down first, but then you cannot
activate the card in the same turn you Set it.

29

Game Cards

Game Cards

Spell Cards can normally be
activated only during your Main
Phase, and help you out withdifferent effects. Spell Cards
have many powerful effects,
like destroying other cards orstrengthening monsters. Savethese cards in your hand until
you can get the best results outof them.

Continuous Spell Cards
These cards remain on the field once they are activated, and their effectcontinues while the card stays face-up on the field. By using Continuous Spell
Cards, you can create lasting positive effects with a single card, which is great
but there’s the chance that the opponent will remove it from the field before
you benefit from the effect.

<<< Trap Cards

Game Cards

Game Cards

Trap Cards will help you out withdifferent effects, just like Spell
Cards. The big difference between
them is that you can activate Trap
Cards during your opponent’s turn.
Many Spell Cards have effects usefulfor offense, but Trap Cards havethe ability to surprise the opponent
by disrupting their attacks andstrategies. Using Trap Cards cansometimes be tricky, since youropponent might have to do certain
things before you can unleash them.

Continuous Trap Cards
Just like Continuous Spell Cards, Continuous Trap Cards remain on the field
once they are activated and their effects continue while they are face-up on thefield. Some Continuous Trap Cards have abilities similar to the Ignition Effects or
Trigger Effects that can be found on Effect Monster Cards.
Continuous Trap Cards can have effects that limit your opponent’s options, orthat slowly damage your opponent’s LP.

Counter Trap Cards
These Trap Cards are normally activated in response to the activation of othercards, and may have abilities like negating the effects of those cards. Thesetypes of Traps are effective against Normal Spell Cards or Normal Trap Cards,
which are otherwise hard to stop, however many Counter Trap Cards requirea cost to activate them.

Normal Trap Cards
Before you can activate a Trap Card, you must Set it on the field first.
You cannot activate a Trap in the same turn that you Set it, but you
can activate it at any time after that—starting from the beginning of
the next turn.
Normal Trap Cards have single-use effects and once their effects areresolved, they will be sent to the Graveyard, just like Normal Spell
Cards. They are also similar to Normal Spell Cards because once
activated, their effects are not likely to be stopped. However, youropponent can destroy your face-down Trap Cards on the turn they wereSet, or before the time is right to activate them. Because of this, youmust be smart about how you use your Trap Cards.

30

 The Difference between Set Spell Cards and Set Trap Cards
Spell Cards can be Set face-down on the field like Trap Cards.
However, the rules for the two types of cards are different.
Spell Cards can be activated during the Main Phases even in thesame turn that you Set them (except for Quick-Play Spell Cards).
Setting them does not allow you to use them on your opponent’s
turn; they still can only be activated during your Main Phase.
You can Set a Spell Card face-down on the field to bluff youropponent into thinking you have a powerful Trap.
31

3

How to PlayLet the Duel Begin!
 How to Duel and How to Win
A single game is called a Duel, and a Duel ends when one player winsor the game ends in a draw. Duels are played in sets of 3 called a
Match, and the winner of best 2-out-of-3 wins the Match.

Victory Conditions• Reduce your opponent’s LP to 0.
• Your opponent is unable to draw a card when they are supposedto draw.
• Win with a card’s special effect.

1

After greeting your opponent, shuffle your Deck thoroughly. Then you may
shuffle and cut your opponent’s Deck (be careful when touching your opponent’s
cards).

2

After cutting, place the Decks face-down in the proper Deck Zones on the field.
If using an Extra Deck with Xyz Monsters, Synchro Monsters or Fusion Monsters,
place it face-down in the Extra Deck Zone.

3

Both players show each other their Side Decks, and record the number of cards init, also confirming that they have 15 or fewer cards (the cards should be counted
face-down). If you exchange cards between your Side and Main Decks after aDuel, count the cards of your Side Deck for your opponent again to show that the
number of your cards remain the same.

4

Play rock-paper-scissors or flip a coin. The winner decides to go first or secondin the Duel. For your next Duels, the loser of the previous Duel decides who goesfirst. If the previous Duel ended in a tie, determine who starts first in the next
Duel with another coin toss, etc.
Finally, draw 5 cards from the top of your Deck; this is your starting hand.

Starting with the first player, it’s time to Duel!
32

33

How To PlayHow To Play Winning a Duel
Each player starts a Duel with 8000 LP (Life Points). You win a Duel
if: you reduce your opponent’s LP to 0; if your opponent is unable
to draw a card; or if a card’s special effect says you win. If you andyour opponent both reach 0 LP at the same time, the Duel is declareda draw.

Preparing to Duel
Before starting a Duel, follow these 4 steps. Also, make sure you
have all your extra items that your Deck might need, like a coin or
counters.

Turn Structure

Draw Phase

A Duel progresses in a series of turns which are divided into phases.
Prepare to Duel

1st Player’s turn

Draw Phase

This is the first phase. The player whose turn it is (the “turn player”)
draws 1 card from the top of their Deck. A player with no cards left intheir Deck and unable to draw loses the Duel. After you draw, Trap
Cards or Quick-Play Spell Cards can be activated before proceeding
to the Standby Phase.
IMPORTANT: The player who goes first cannot draw during theDraw Phase of their first turn.
Main Action in this Phase

Standby Phase
How To Play

Main Phase 1

Main Phase 2

If no battles are conducted

Battle Phase

Standby Phase
Some cards have effects that activate, or costs you must pay, in theStandby Phase. If you do not have any of these cards on the field, you
can still activate Trap Cards or Quick-Play Spell Cards before moving
on to your Main Phase 1.

Main Action in this Phase
Possible Other Actions

Resolve card effects that happen
in this phase
Activate Trap Cards, Quick-Play
Spell Cards, etc.

End Phase
2nd Player’s turn
34

35

How To Play

Possible Other Actions

Draw 1 Card (except for the very
1st turn of the Duel).
Activate Trap Cards, Quick-Play
Spell Cards, etc.

Main Phase 1

Battle Phase

This is when you play most of your cards: you can Normal Summon,
Set, or change the battle position of a monster, activate a card’s
effect, and Set Spell and Trap Cards. These actions can be done inany order you want, but some actions have restrictions.

Possible Actions in this Phase

Now it’s time to battle with your Monster Cards! This phase is divided
into steps.
You do not have to conduct a Battle Phase every turn, even if you
have a monster on the field.
IMPORTANT: The player who goes first cannot conduct their
Battle Phase on their first turn.
Possible Actions inthis Phase

Summon or Set a Monster

Start step

Flow of theBattle Phase

Battle Step

Damage Step

End Step

The Battle Phase is split into
4 steps and is conducted in theorder shown in the diagram. The
Battle Step and Damage Step are
repeated each time you attack
with a monster.

Change Your Monsters’ Battle Positions

This includes Flip Summoning a monster, or changing the positionof a face-up monster to face-up Attack or Defense Position. You
can change the position of each monster you control, except inthree cases. 1. You cannot change the battle position of a monsterthat was played onto the field this turn. 2. You cannot change it
in Main Phase 2 if the monster attacked during the Battle Phase.
3. You cannot change it if you have already changed its battle
position once this turn.
Active a Card or Effect

You can activate Spell and Trap Cards, or the effects of Spell, Trap,or Effect Monster Cards as many times as you want during thisphase, as long as you can keep paying any costs involved.
Set Spell Cards and Trap Cards

You can Set Spell and Trap Cards face-down in your Spell & Trap
Zone during this phase, as long as you have space.
36

37

How To PlayHow To Play

There is no limit to the number of times you can Flip Summon orSpecial Summon during a turn, but you can only Normal Summon
or Set a monster (including a Tribute Summon) once per turn.

Battle with monsters
Activate Trap Cards and QuickPlay Spell Cards

 Replay Rules during the Battle Step

Start Step
This step starts the Battle Phase. The turn player should
announce “I’m entering the Battle Phase.” Remember, the player
who goes first cannot conduct a Battle Phase in their very firstturn.

Battle Step

Damage Step

Declare your attacking
monster and your attack
target monster.

The
monsters
your opponent
controls change
before the Damage
Step.

A replay happens!
Re-select a target monster.

In this step, the players calculate the result of the battle andwhatever damage is done. (See “Monster Battle Rules”, page 37.)
After finishing the Damage Step, return to the Battle Step.

End Step
After you’ve resolved all your battles by repeating the Battle andDamage Steps, and you have no more monsters you want to attack
with, announce to your opponent that you are ending your Battle
Phase.
38

39

How To PlayHow To Play

Select 1 monster on your side of the field to attack with, and 1 ofyour opponent’s monsters as your attack target, and then declare
the attack. If your opponent does not have any monsters on thefield, you can attack directly. Play then proceeds to the Damage
Step. Afterwards, the attacking player returns to the Battle Step,
and repeats this procedure. Each face-up Attack Position monster
you control is allowed 1 attack per turn. You do not have to attack
with a monster if you don’t want to.

After you’ve announced yourattacking monster and the attack
target monster during a Battle
Step, the attack target might beremoved from the field, or a new
monster may be played onto the
opponent’s side of the field before
the Damage Step, due to a card’s
effect. This causes a “Replay.”
When this occurs, you can choose
to attack with the same monster
again, or choose to attack with adifferent monster, or choose not
to attack at all. Note that if you
attack with a different monster,
the first monster is still considered
to have declared an attack, and it
cannot attack again this turn.

4

Main Phase 2
If you conducted your Battle Phase, your turn moves to Main Phase 2
afterwards. The actions a player can perform in this phase are the sameas in Main Phase 1. However, if the player already did something in Main
Phase 1 that has a limit to the number of times it can be done, the player
cannot do it again in Main Phase 2. Consider if you want to activate and
Set Spell & Trap Cards, or Summon or Set a monster (if you didn’t do thatin Main Phase 1) based on your situation after the Battle Phase. Use thisphase to prepare for the opponent’s turn.

Possible Actions in this Phase
How To Play

Summon or Set a monster
Change your monsters’ battle positions
Active a card or effectSet Spell Cards and Trap Cards

End Phase

Actions in this Phase

Resolve card effects which
activate in this phase
Discard if you have more than
6 cards in hand

Monster Battle Rules

DAMAGE STEP RULES
During the Damage Step, there are limits on what cards you canactivate. Also, during the Damage Step, Flip effects resolve a bit
differently than they normally do.
Limitations on Activating Cards
During the Damage Step, you can only activate Counter Trap Cards,
or cards with effects that directly change a monster’s ATK or DEF.
Also, these cards can only be activated up until the start of damage
calculation.
Attacking a Face-Down Card
If you attack a face-down Defense Position monster, flip the card to
face-up Defense Position in the Damage Step. Now you can see themonster’s DEF and then calculate damage.
Activation of a Flip Effect
When an attacked monster is flipped face-up, any Flip effects areactivated and resolved after damage calculation. If you need to selecta monster for the Flip effect to target, you cannot target a monsterthat has already been destroyed during damage calculation.

For more info on the Damage Step, please visit:www.yugioh-card.com/en/gameplay/damage_step/

Possible Other Actions Activate Trap Cards and Quick-Play
Spell Cards
in this Phase
40

41

Battles and Chains

Announce the end of your turn, and if there are any cards on thefield which say “…during the End Phase…” in their text, resolve
those effects in this phase. If you have more than 6 cards in yourhand at the end of this phase, select and discard cards to theGraveyard until you only have 6 cards in your hand.

Battles and Chains

When You Attack a Defense Position Monster

DETERMINING DAMAGE

ATK of Opponent’s
Monster

When your attacking monster’s ATK is equal to the ATK of the
opponent’s monster, the result is considered a tie, and bothmonsters are destroyed.
Neither player takes any battle damage.
When your attacking monster’s ATK is lower than the ATK of
the opponent’s monster, the attacking monster is destroyed
and sent to the Graveyard.
The amount that the opponent’s monster’s ATK exceeds the
ATK of your attacking monster is subtracted from your LP asbattle damage.
42

VS.

DEF of Opponent’s
Monster

When your attacking monster’s ATK is higher than the DEF of
the opponent’s monster, the attacking monster destroys the
opponent’s monster and sends it to the Graveyard.
Neither player takes any battle damage.
When your attacking monster’s ATK is equal to the DEF of the
opponent’s monster, neither monster is destroyed.
Neither player takes any battle damage.

When your attacking monster’s ATK is lower than the DEF of
the opponent’s monster, neither monster is destroyed.
The amount that the opponent’s monster’s DEF exceeds the
ATK of your attacking monster is subtracted from your LP asbattle damage.

If Your Opponent Has No Monsters
If there are no monsters on your opponent’s side of the field, you
can attack directly. The full amount of your attacking monster’s ATK
is subtracted from the opponent’s LP as battle damage.

43

Battles and Chains

Battles and Chains

TIE

When your attacking monster’s ATK is higher than the ATK of
the opponent’s monster, the attacking monster destroys the
opponent’s monster and sends it to the Graveyard.
The amount that your attacking monster’s ATK exceeds the
ATK of your opponent’s monster is subtracted from youropponent’s LP as battle damage.

WIN

VS.

LOSE

WIN

ATK of Attacking
Monster

TIE

When You Attack an Attack Position Monster

ATK of Attacking
Monster

LOSE

You calculate battle damage based on the battle position of themonster you are attacking. If you attack an Attack Position monster,compare ATK vs. ATK. If you attack a Defense Position monster,compare your monster’s ATK vs. the attacked monster’s DEF.

Spell Speeds

Chains and Spell Speed

WHAT IS A CHAIN?

Spells (Normal, Equip, Continuous, Field, Ritual),
Effect Monster’s effects (Ignition, Trigger, and Flip)
This is the slowest of all Spell Speeds. These cards cannot be
activated in response to any other effects. Typically, these effects
cannot be Chain Link 2 or higher, unless multiple Spell Speed 1
effects are activated simultaneously.
Spell Speed 2
Traps (Normal, Continuous), Quick-Play Spells,
Effect Monster’s Quick Effects
These cards can be used to respond to a Spell Speed 1 or 2 effect, andcan typically be activated during any phase.

SPELL SPEED
Every type of card effect has a Spell Speed between 1 and 3. If you
want to respond to a card effect in a Chain, you have to use an effectwith Spell Speed 2 or higher, and it cannot have a lower Spell Speedthan the effect you are responding to. Please see page 41 for an
introduction to each type of card’s Spell Speed.

44

Spell Speed 3Counter Trap
This is the fastest of all Spell Speeds and can be used to respond toa card of any Spell Speed. Only another Spell Speed 3 card may be
used to respond to these cards.
45

Battles and Chains

Battles and Chains

Chains are a way to order the resolution of multiple card effects.
They are used when the effects of more than 1 card are activatedat once (see page 46), or when a player wants to use an effect after
a card has been played, but BEFORE that card has an effect on thegame.
If a card’s effect is activated, the opponent is always given a chance
to respond with a card effect of their own, creating a Chain. If youropponent responds with an effect, then you can choose to respondand add another effect to the Chain. If your opponent does not
respond, you may activate a second effect and create a Chain to
your own card’s activation. Both players continue to add effects to
the Chain until they both wish to add nothing else, then you resolve
the outcome in reverse order – starting with the last card that was
activated.
You must always be careful not to resolve the effects of your cards
before asking your opponent if they wish to make a Chain.

Spell, Trap, and Effect Monster effects have different Spell Speeds.
There are Spell Speeds from 1 to 3. You can only respond with aneffect if it is Spell Speed 2 or higher, and has an equal or greater Spell
Speed than the effect on the Chain Link before it.
Spell Speed 1

How a Chain Works[Chain Link 4]
Spell Speed 2 or 3 card usedagainst Chain Link 3

Order of resolution[Chain Complete]

EXAMPLE OF A CHAIN
Player A plays “Heavy Storm” and Player B responds by activating
their Set “Threatening Roar.” Then, Player A responds to that byactivating “Seven Tools of the Bandit.”In this case, Chain Links are stacked up as seen below.
Chain Link “Seven Tools of the Bandit”

3

Spell Speed 3
Negates the effect of “Threatening Roar”[Chain Link 3][Chain Link 2]
Spell Speed 2 or 3 card usedagainst Chain Link 1[Chain Link 1]
Spell Speed 1 or 2 card that’s
used

As shown in the diagram above, the first effect activated is Chain
Link 1. The next effect is Chain Link 2, and so on. Every time a new
Chain Link is made, they are stacked up in the order that the cards
are activated. Once the Chain is completed, the outcome is resolved
starting with the most recent card to be activated at the top of the
Chain and proceeding down to Chain Link 1.
46

Chain Link “Threatening Roar”

2

Spell Speed 2
Prevents the opponent from declaring attacks this turn.

Chain Link “Heavy Storm”

1

Spell Speed 1
Destroys all Spell and Trap Cards on the field.

”Seven Tools of the Bandit” (Chain Link 3) is resolved first andnegates the activation of “Threatening Roar.”“Threatening Roar” (Chain Link 2) would then be resolved, but theeffect of “Seven Tools of the Bandit” stops its activation. The turnplayer will still be able to declare attacks.
Then the effect of “Heavy Storm” (Chain Link 1) is resolved
successfully, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards on the field,
allowing the turn player to attack without interference from Spellor Trap Cards.
47

Battles and Chains

Battles and Chains

Order of activation

Spell Speed 2 or 3 card usedagainst Chain Link 2

TURN PLAYER’S PRIORITY
The turn player always starts with Priority, or the choice toactivate a card first, in each phase or step of their turn. As long as
the turn player has Priority, the opponent cannot activate cards
or effects, except for effects that activate automatically, like
Trigger or Flip effects.
The turn player can either:• Use Priority to play a card or activate an effect OR• Pass Priority to the opponent so they can activate an effect.

Battles and Chains

A player must pass Priority to the opponent when moving on to
the next phase or step. Strictly speaking, you would always declarethat you’re passing Priority before the end of every phase andstep, and ask your opponent if they wish to play a card. However,for ease of play, announcing the end of your phases or steps
implies giving up Priority. Therefore, when announcing the end ofa phase, your opponent can just say “Before the end of your phase,I activate this card” and use a card.
• The turn player starts with Priority to activate a card or effectfirst.
• After a card’s activation, and at the end of each phase or step,
Priority passes to the opponent.

Other Rules

Forbidden & Limited Cards
Normally, your Deck (including Extra Deck and Side Deck) can
contain up to 3 copies of a card that has the same name. However,certain cards have specific quantity restrictions that further limit the
number that can be included in a Deck.
There are 3 types of restrictions: Limited cards are restricted to1 copy in a Deck, while Semi-Limited cards are restricted to 2 copies
in a Deck. Forbidden cards are not allowed to be included at all.
The list of Forbidden and Limited cards is updated regularly and isposted on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Official Website.
This list is applied to official tournaments so please check it before
participating.
Official Website: www.yugioh-card.com
Monster Tokens
Monster Tokens are monsters that appear on the field as the resultof a card’s effect. They are not included in the Deck, and cannot besent anywhere other than the field, such as the hand or Graveyard.
When a Token is destroyed or returned to the hand or Deck, they aresimply removed from the field instead.
You can use official Token cards or use coins,card sleeves, or any similar marker (as longas it can indicate Attack Position or Defense
Position) as Monster Tokens and play them in
Monster Zones. Each Monster Token takes up 1of your 5 Monster Zones. Their battle positionis always either face-up Attack Position or faceup Defense Position. Tokens cannot be used as
an Xyz Material. Tokens on the field are treatedas Normal Monsters.
49

Other Rules

48

5 Public Knowledge
The number of cards in a player’s hand and Decks, the cards in their
Graveyards, and each player’s current LP are all public knowledge
and both players can verify these things at any time. If asked, youmust answer these things to your opponent truthfully. You areallowed to pick up and verify the cards in your opponent’s Graveyard
but you must ask their permission first. Also, you may not change theorder of the cards when verifying their Graveyard.
 If both players conduct actions simultaneously
For cases like “Each player targets 1 monster,” where both players
resolve an effect simultaneously, the turn player resolves the effectfirst. In this example, after the turn player makes their selection, theother player makes theirs.
 When multiple cards are activated simultaneously
If effects of Spell Speed 1 cards (like Trigger Effects) are activated at
the same time, they will be resolved in a special Chain. This Chain is
made starting with the turn player’s mandatory effects. If there is only
1 effect, that will be Chain Link 1. If there are 2 or more effects, the turnplayer builds the Chain starting with their mandatory effects, in any
order. Then the opponent continues the Chain with their mandatory
effects in any order. Afterwards, the turn player adds their optional
effects in any order, and finally the opponent adds their optional
effects in any order.
 0 ATK monsters
Monsters with 0 ATK cannot destroy anything by battle. If two Attack
Position monsters with 0 ATK battle each other, neither monster isdestroyed.

50

 Actions which cannot be Chained to
You can only create a Chain by responding to the activation of a cardor effect. Summoning a monster, Tributing, changing a monster’s
battle position and paying costs are not effect activations andtherefore you cannot respond to those actions using a Chain.
 Xyz Materials
Monsters that are used to Xyz Summon are called “Xyz Materials”,
and are placed underneath the Xyz Monster, to show that they areattached to it. Monsters that have become Xyz Materials are nottreated as cards on the field. When an Xyz Monster leaves the field,
all of the Xyz Materials attached to it are sent to the Graveyard. If
an Xyz Monster is flipped face-down, or becomes controlled by the
opponent, the Xyz Materials are not sent to the Graveyard. They
remain attached to the Xyz Monster.
 Leaves the Field
Some monsters have effects that activate when they “leave the field”.
For example, these effects activate when the monster is sent to
the Graveyard, or is banished, or is returned to the hand or Extra
Deck. When a monster on the field is shuffled into the Main Deck, or
becomes an Xyz Material, it is no longer a card on the field, however
its effects that activate when it “leaves the field” will not activate.

51

Other Rules

Other Rules

 Rules vs. Card Effects
If there is a discrepancy between the basic rules and a card’s effect, thecard effect takes precedence. For example, a monster can only attack
once per turn, but with a card effect, it is possible to attack twice.

 Counters
You may need to place these on cards for some card effects. You
cannot place counters unless a card effect allows it. Cards may haveeffects that change with the number of counters on them, or require
you to remove counters as a cost. Some counters have specificnames, such as “Spell Counter” or “Clock Counter.” Other than theirnames, each individual counter itself does not have any effects.

Glossaryl Attack Directlyl Control / Possess
Cards you “control” are the cards in your Monster Zone, Spell & Trap Zone,
Field Zone, and Pendulum Zone. Cards in your “possession” include all cards
you control, plus the cards in your hand, Deck, Extra Deck, Graveyard, yourbanished cards, cards in the middle of being Summoned to your side of the
field, and Xyz Materials attached to monsters you control. If a player takes
control of a card from their opponent, move it to the new controller’s sideof the field. If sent to the Graveyard, or returned to the hand or Deck, it
is always returned to the Graveyard / hand / Deck of the original owner.
l Destroy
A card is destroyed when it is sent to the Graveyard due to battle
between monsters or by an effect that destroys a card. A card thatis returned from the field to the hand or Deck, or, that is sent to
the Graveyard as a cost or Tribute, is NOT considered “destroyed.”l Discard
Discard means to send a card from your hand to the Graveyard.
This can happen because of a card effect or by adjusting thenumber of cards in your hand during the End Phase.
l Effects of Cards
The effect of a card is the special ability written on it, like the effectof a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster. Costs that are needed to activate
an ability are not part of the effect. The conditions that describe
how to play a “Special Summon Monster” are also not an effect.
l Equip Cards
In addition to Equip Spell Cards, sometimes Trap Cards or Monster Cards
can become equipped to a monster. Equipped Traps remain Trap Cards, but
equipped monsters are considered to be Equip Spells. The term “Equip Card”
includes all 3 kinds (standard Equip Spells, equipped Traps, and monsters
equipped to other monsters).If a Monster Card is equipped to anothermonster, it remains equipped to that monster and cannot be moved to adifferent target, even by card effects that would normally be able to do so.
EXCEPTION: Union monsters equipped by their own effects can be moved
by appropriate card effects.

52

53

Other Rules

Other Rules

Attacking directly means that a monster attacks a player instead ofattacking a monster. In this case, the damage to the player will be equal
to the monster’s ATK. Some monsters have an effect that allows them toattack directly even if the opponent controls a monster.
l Banished Cards (Previously Remove from Play)
Although a card that has been used is normally sent to the Graveyard,
a card which is banished is separated from the field instead. You must
return your banished cards so you can use them for the next Duel.
l Battle / Battled
A monster “battles” (and is “battling”) starting from when it attacks or
is attacked. This includes both monsters attacking other monsters, andmonsters attacking a player’s Life Points directly. When a card requires amonster to have “battled” (past tense), the attack had to have reached thedamage calculation portion of the Damage Step in order for the monster tohave “battled”. If the attack stops before damage calculation, the monster
did not “battle”. (Note that an attack was still declared, however, so inmost cases the attacking monster cannot declare another attack.
l Battle Damage
Battle damage is damage inflicted to a player by an attacking monster,or by a battle between two monsters. This is different from damage fromthe effect of an Effect Monster, Spell Card or Trap Card.
l Cards on the Field
When “cards on the field” is written in card text, it means all the cards on
the Game Mat other than the Graveyard, Deck, and Extra Deck.
l Colon (:) and Semi-colon (;)
Card effects are sometimes separated with a colon (:) and/or semi-colon (;).
Text before the colon gives information on conditions to activate the effect,
and timing on when it happens. Text before a semi-colon is what you dowhen the effect is activated. Text at the end of a sentence, after all colons
and semi-colons, is what you do at resolution of the effect.

l Equipped Monster
A monster that is equipped with an Equip Card is an “equipped monster.”
When this monster is destroyed or flipped face-down, the equippedcard loses its target, and is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
l Excavate
When a card says to “excavate” cards from your Deck, you reveal thosecards to both players. Then, before you do anything else, apply the
instructions from the card effect that excavated them. Cards that are
being excavated are still treated as being in the Deck until sent elsewhereby the card instructions.
l Original ATK (or DEF)
The Original ATK (or DEF) is the number of ATK (or DEF) points printed on
the Monster Card. This does not include an increase from an Equip Spell
Card or other card effect.
l Pay a Cost
To pay a cost is an action required by a player in order to activate a card,
an effect, or to Summon a monster. Tributing to Tribute Summon a Level
5 monster is an example of a cost. Other common costs are discarding,paying LP, or banishing cards. You have to pay any costs before you
declare the activation of the card. Even if the activation of the card isnegated, you cannot get a refund of the cost that you have paid.
l Piercing Battle Damage
Some monsters can inflict piercing battle damage when they attack a
Defense Position monster. This means that you inflict damage to youropponent’s LP equal to the difference between the attacking monster’s
ATK and the defending monster’s DEF.

54

l Shuffle
There is no rule for how to shuffle, but while shuffling you cannot look at
the cards you are shuffling, or arrange the cards and then shuffle them.
l Tribute
Tributing is sending a monster you control to the Graveyard. You can
Tribute a face-up or face-down monster, unless otherwise specified.
Tributing a monster is one possible cost for Summoning a monster or
activating an effect. A monster sent to the Graveyard by Tributing is nottreated as “destroyed.”
55

Other Rules

Other Rulesl Random
When a card effect says to choose a card randomly, there is no official
way of doing so, it is fine as long as neither player has a way of knowing
which card is being chosen.

l Reveal
When an effect says to reveal a card, you show it to both players. You
may have to reveal a face-down card, a card from your hand, or from the
top of your Deck. Revealing a card does not activate the card or its Flip
effect. Normally, revealed cards are returned to their original position
after being looked at by both players.
l Search your Deck
Whenever an effect instructs you to add a card from your Deck to yourhand, or to Special Summon a monster from your Deck, you can pickup your Deck and search through it for the appropriate card. You must
shuffle your Deck after any time you search it and let your opponent
shuffle or cut. You cannot activate an effect to search your Deck for acard if there are no cards that meet the requirements in your Deck.
l Send to the Graveyard
A card can be sent to the Graveyard in various ways. Destroying a card,
discarding, and Tributing a monster are all actions that send a card to
the Graveyard, and will normally activate “When this card is sent to theGraveyard…” Trigger Effects.
EXCEPTION: When a banished card is moved to the Graveyard, it is notconsidered to be “sent to the Graveyard”.
l Set
Playing a card face-down is called a Set. For Monster Cards, playing it inface-down Defense Position is called a Set. Any card that is face-downon the field is a Set card.

For further information on
the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME,
please visit

www.yugioh-card.com
To watch the Link Summoning
Tutorial, visit
www.yugioh-card.com/en/linksummon

For general questions, Email us at

us-cardsupport@konami.com
For rules questions only,
you can Email us at

us-ygorules@konami.com
For a complete Rulebook, visit
www.yugioh-card.com/en/rulebook
Set content subject to change. No specific card rarity is guaranteed to exist within an individual
pack, box or case unless otherwise indicated. Manufactured and distributed by Konami DigitalEntertainment, Inc. 2381 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 200, El Segundo, CA 90245, USA. Made in the USA.
For questions please email us at: us-cardsupport@konami.com