Pendulum Monster A Pendulum Monster ( Japanese : ペンデュラムモンスター " Pendyuramu Monsutā " , abbreviated モンスター in card text ) , also called a Pendulum Card in the early episodes of the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! ARC - V " anime , is a type of Monster Card that is half green . They first appeared in the " Yu - Gi - Oh ! ARC - V " anime , and were introduced to the " OCG " and " TCG " in " Starter Deck 2014 " and " " respectively . A Pendulum Monster can also be activate d from the hand as a Spell Card in a Pendulum Zone ; if there are Pendulum Monsters in both Pendulum Zones , the player can perform a Pendulum Summon . So far , Normal , Effect , Fusion , Synchro and Xyz Pendulum Monsters have been seen . Pendulum Monsters can also be Tuner , Flip and Spirit monster s . Mechanics . A Pendulum Monster can be used in two ways : either as a Monster card by Summoning it , or as a Spell Card by activating it in the Pendulum Zone . While not in a Pendulum Zone , a Pendulum Monster is treated as a Monster Card , and its monster effect s are applied , but its Pendulum Effect s are not . It can be Special Summoned by appropriate card effects . If it is also a Normal or Effect Monster , it can also be Normal Summoned / Set from the hand , just like any other Normal or Effect Monster . While in a Pendulum Zone , a Pendulum Monster is treated as a Spell Card and not as a monster . A Pendulum Monster can be activated from the hand as a Spell Card in the player ' s Pendulum Zone , but it is not possible for Pendulum Monsters to be Set in the Pendulum Zone . Upon resolving , it remains face - up in the Pendulum Zone as a Spell Card , and gains its Pendulum Effect s , if any ( its monster effect s are not applied while treated as a Spell Card ) . Although a Pendulum Monster is treated as a Spell Card while in the Pendulum Zone , it is not considered a Normal , Continuous , Field , Equip , Quick - Play , or Ritual Spell Card . As long as there is an available Pendulum Zone on the player ' s field , they can activate a Pendulum Monster from their hand in that zone . Once per turn , during the Main Phase , while there are Pendulum Monsters in both Pendulum Zones , the turn player can perform a Pendulum Summon , using the Pendulum Monsters ' Pendulum Scale s to determine the Levels of the monsters that can be Summoned . If a Pendulum Monster ( even if it is face - down ) would be sent from the field to the Graveyard ( either as a Monster Card or Spell Card ) , it is placed face - up in the Extra Deck instead . ( Pendulum Monsters can cause the total size of the Extra Deck to be larger than would be allowed during Deck building . ) A Pendulum Monster is sent to the Graveyard like normal if it is sent from any location other than the field ( including if it has its activation as a Spell Card or Summon negate d ) . A face - up Pendulum Monster in the Extra Deck can be Pendulum Summoned , as long as its Level is between the Pendulum Scales . Pendulum Monsters cannot be used to pay cost s that send cards from the field to the Graveyard , as they would be placed in the Extra Deck instead ; however , Pendulum Monsters on the field can be Tribute d for costs . If the effect of a card like " Macro Cosmos " ( which banish es cards which would be sent to the Graveyard ) or " Grave Protector " ( which shuffle s monsters destroyed by battle into the Deck ) is being applied , this will override the Pendulum Monster ' s ability to go to the Extra Deck . Extra Deck Pendulum Monsters . While most Pendulum Monsters are also Normal or Effect Monsters ( originating in the Main Deck ) , a small number of Pendulum Monsters are also Fusion , Synchro , or Xyz Monsters ( originating face - down in the Extra Deck ) . Because they cannot be activated in the Pendulum Zone from the hand , they have effects to place themselves in the Pendulum Zone . Face - down Pendulum Monsters in the Extra Deck cannot be Pendulum Summoned , but can be Fusion , Synchro or Xyz Summoned ( depending on their monster card type ) . Face - up Pendulum Monsters in the Extra Deck cannot be Fusion , Synchro or Xyz Summoned , but can be Pendulum Summoned . As Xyz Monsters do not have Levels , Xyz Pendulum Monsters usually have a condition that allows them to be Pendulum Summoned from face - up in the Extra Deck if their original Rank matches a Level whose monsters their possess or can currently Pendulum Summon . Otherwise , they have a condition that prevents them from being Pendulum Summoned . Card layout . As the Pendulum Effects and the Pendulum Scales take up the space where the Set Number would usually be placed , it is placed in the bottom left corner of the card instead , in the same line as the ATK / DEF values of the Pendulum Monster . The art frame of a Pendulum Monster is increased in size , to the same width as the Effect boxes , and the Pendulum Effect box is partially transparent , allowing the art to be seen beneath it . The upper bit of the Effect box ( more or less corresponding to the Type line ' s height ) is also transparent , but to a lesser degree than the Pendulum Effect box . Playing style . A good Pendulum - based Deck has the ability to do what the anime calls " going beyond the Pendulum " , which involves using Pendulum Summoning to gather Material s for a Fusion , Synchro , Xyz or Link Summon , as Tribute s for a Tribute or Ritual Summon , or to activate multiple effects that activate when Summoned ( possibly using SEGOC to prevent the important one of being negated ) . Pendulum Monsters ' main weakness is their hand advantage cost to place in the Pendulum Zone , causing them to be vulnerable to nuke effects as they will destroy the field and shut down Pendulum Decks until a Pendulum Scale can be restored . Furthermore , cards like " Hand Destruction " and " Solemn Warning " that can cause the Pendulum Monsters to be sent to the Graveyard can be problematic as well , since most Pendulum Monster Decks don ' t have ways to get cards back from the Graveyard , though you can remedy to this with cards like " Pot of Riches " or " Pendulum Reborn " . Cards that banish ( like " Divine Knight Ishzark " and " Chaos Sorcerer " ) , specifically counter Spell Cards ( like " Spell Canceller " ) , and deplete the Extra Deck ( like " Zaborg the Mega Monarch " and " Extra Gate " ) are problems for Pendulum Decks . " Anti - Spell Fragrance " will also prevent Pendulum Monsters being placed in the Pendulum Zone at all , since cards cannot be Set in the Pendulum Zone . " Pot of Acquisitiveness " , Spell & Trap removal ( preferably Quick - Play , such as " Mystical Space Typhoon " ) and " Imperial Iron Wall " can deal with these cards , however . Pendulum - based Decks also require that you either open with a sufficient amount of monsters or with the ability to search for them . If you don ' t open with enough monsters , Pendulum Summoning doesn ' t provide much of an advantage . Lore . In the anime , Pendulum Monsters were created when Zarc and Ray Akaba ' s wills reacted to each other when the world was split into four during their duel . Yuya ' s Pendulum Monsters were originally Effect Monsters , but they were transformed by the power of Yuya ' s pendant into their current state when Zarc awakened for the first time . After Yuya ' s initial discovery of Pendulum Monsters , Declan Akaba started a project within the Leo Corporation to create more Pendulum Monsters so that the entire world can have access to them . The first prototypes were unveiled in Declan ' s first duel with Yuya , but the summoning energy they gave off was unstable and so they malfunctioned . Also , these initial prototypes couldn ' t quite match Yuya ' s Pendulum Summon in terms of energy . Although they managed to stabilize their Pendulum Monster ' s energy in time for the Arc League Championship , it was never directly stated whether or not the finished Pendulum Monsters were as good as Yuya ' s . When a Pendulum Monster is placed into a Pendulum Zone , it appears in a transparent column of blue light from a portal on the ground not dissimilar to the Summoning of monsters in " Yu - Gi - Oh ! 5D ' s " . Leo Akaba later used Pendulum Monsters of his own , though it is unknown where , how , or when he obtained them . In the anime , when a Duelist uses Pendulum Summoning to gather the materials required for a Fusion , Synchro , or Xyz Summon , it is referred to as performing a " Pendulum - Fusion " , " Pendulum - Synchro " , or " Pendulum - Xyz Summon " , respectively . A Pendulum Monster that is also a Fusion , Synchro , or Xyz Monster is referred to as a " Fusion - Pendulum " , " Synchro - Pendulum " , or " Xyz - Pendulum Monster " , respectively .