Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Each player starts with 8000 Life Points. You win a Duel by any of these:
- Reducing your opponent's Life Points to 0.
- Your opponent cannot draw a card when required (their Deck is empty).
- A specific card's effect declares you the winner (e.g., Exodia).
A Match is best-of-three Duels.
The Cards
Your Main Deck is 40 to 60 cards, with no more than 3 copies of any card (some cards are Limited to 1 or Semi-Limited to 2 by the official Forbidden & Limited list). A separate Extra Deck (up to 15 cards) holds Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters. An optional Side Deck (up to 15) is for swapping between Duels.
Monster Cards
Monsters are the core of your offense and defense:
- Normal Monsters (yellow) have no effect — just stats and flavor.
- Effect Monsters (orange) have special abilities.
- Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, Link monsters are special summons requiring specific conditions.
Key monster stats:
- Level / Rank (stars): determines how it can be Summoned.
- ATK (Attack): damage it deals in battle.
- DEF (Defense): its strength while in Defense Position.
- Attribute (DARK, LIGHT, EARTH, WATER, FIRE, WIND, DIVINE) and Type (Dragon, Spellcaster, Warrior, etc.).
Spell and Trap Cards
- Spell Cards (green): played from your hand during your Main Phase (Quick-Play Spells can be used more freely). Types include Normal, Continuous, Equip, Field, Quick-Play, and Ritual.
- Trap Cards (purple): must first be Set face-down, and can only be activated on a later turn (Counter and Normal Traps). They spring surprises on your opponent.
The Field
Each player's side has: a Main Monster Zone (5 spaces), a Spell & Trap Zone (5 spaces), a Field Zone, the Graveyard, the Deck, the Extra Deck, and (in modern layouts) two shared Extra Monster Zones for Extra Deck monsters.
Starting the Game
- Shuffle your Deck; decide who goes first (rock-paper-scissors or a die roll).
- Both players draw 5 cards.
- The player going first does not draw on their first turn.
Turn Structure (Phases)
A turn has six phases, in order:
1. Draw Phase
Draw 1 card from the top of your Deck (the first player skips this on turn one). If you can't draw, you lose.
2. Standby Phase
Resolve any effects that occur here.
3. Main Phase 1
The heart of your turn. You may:
- Normal Summon or Set one monster (once per turn). Monsters Level 4 or lower are Summoned directly; Level 5–6 require Tributing 1 monster, Level 7+ require Tributing 2.
- Special Summon any number of monsters whose conditions are met (Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Link, effects, etc.).
- Change the battle position of monsters (each once per turn, not the turn they were Summoned).
- Activate or Set Spell and Trap Cards.
- Activate monster effects.
4. Battle Phase
Declare attacks with your monsters (you cannot attack on the very first turn of the Duel — the player going first skips their first Battle Phase). Steps:
- Start Step / Battle Step: choose an attacking monster and a target.
- Damage Step: compare stats and apply battle results (see below).
- You may attack with each monster once per Battle Phase.
5. Main Phase 2
A second Main Phase to Set traps, summon, or activate cards you held back (you may not Normal Summon again if you already did in Main Phase 1).
6. End Phase
End-of-turn effects resolve. If you hold more than 6 cards, discard down to 6. Then pass to your opponent.
Battle Position
A monster is in one of two positions:
- Attack Position (upright, face-up): uses its ATK; can attack.
- Defense Position (sideways): uses its DEF; cannot attack. A monster may be Set face-down in Defense Position, hidden until flipped.
Battle and Damage
When your monster attacks:
- Attacking a monster in Attack Position: compare ATK values. The lower-ATK monster is destroyed; its controller takes damage equal to the difference in ATK. If both are equal, both are destroyed and no one takes damage.
- Attacking a monster in Defense Position: compare the attacker's ATK to the defender's DEF. If ATK is higher, the defending monster is destroyed (no Life Point damage unless the attacker has piercing). If ATK is lower, no monster is destroyed but the attacker's controller takes the difference as damage. If equal, nothing happens.
- Direct attack: if your opponent has no monsters, your attacking monster deals its full ATK to their Life Points directly.
Destroyed monsters go to the Graveyard.
Special Summoning (Extra Deck)
- Fusion: combine specific monsters (usually via Polymerization) into a Fusion Monster from the Extra Deck.
- Synchro: send a Tuner monster plus non-Tuner monsters whose Levels total the Synchro Monster's Level.
- Xyz: overlay two or more monsters of the same Level to Summon an Xyz Monster of that Rank, using the materials for its effects.
- Link: send monsters equal to the Link Monster's arrows; Link Monsters have no DEF and point to zones that enable further Extra Deck summons.
These summons don't use your once-per-turn Normal Summon.
Chains and Spell Speed
When a card or effect is activated, the opponent may respond, forming a Chain. The Chain resolves in reverse order (last activated resolves first). Spell Speed governs what can respond: Normal Spells and most monster effects are Spell Speed 1; Quick-Play Spells and most Traps are Spell Speed 2; Counter Traps are Spell Speed 3 and can only be answered by other Counter Traps.
Winning
The Duel ends the moment a player's Life Points reach 0, they can't draw when required, or a card effect grants victory. Win two Duels to take the Match. Between Duels, players may adjust their deck using the Side Deck.
Deckbuilding Notes
A consistent Deck balances monsters that can be Summoned early, Spells that develop your board and search key pieces, and Traps that disrupt the opponent. Modern Yu-Gi-Oh! emphasizes combos that chain Special Summons from the Extra Deck; respect the Forbidden & Limited list when building.