Yu Yu Hakusho CCG Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • What Is a Trading Card Game?
  • How to Win
  • How Does This Game Work?
  • What's in a Turn?
  • The Golden Rule
• Know Your Fighters
• Master Your Techniques
• Add Your Items
• Watch Out for Events
• Learn to Play Fast
  • Enter the Arena: What You Need
• Setting Up the Arena
• Game Basics
  • How to Win
  • How Do You Win a Match?
  • How Do You Inflict Damage?
• Beginning a New Game
  • Who Is the Attacker and Defender?
  • Get a Deck
  • Go to These Places When You Want More Advanced Help
  • Setting Up the Game
• The Sequence of Play in Detail
  • 1. Draw Step
  • 2. Main Step
  • 3. Attack Step
• Attack Map
• Performing Attacks
  • But What Do You Do When You Are Wimpy?
  • Taking Damage from Attacks
• Cleaning Up the Mess
  • What to Do When a Match Is Over
  • Damage Details
• Setting Up the Next Match
  • Next Fighters Forward!
  • Whose Turn Is It After a Match Is Fought?
  • Sudden Death
• Team Bonuses
  • The Team Bonuses
• How the Cards Work
  • Character Cards
• Item Cards
• Technique Cards
• Event Cards
• Other Rules You Need to Know
• Deck Construction
• Icon Reference Guide
• Starter Deck Components
• Glossary

Introduction

What Is a Trading Card Game?

What's a Trading Card Game (TCG)? It's a game where you play with a Deck you have put together with cards you own. You choose the way you defeat your opponent by how you build your Deck. That's what makes TCGs fun!

The starter Deck that came with this rulebook is all you need to start playing. Collecting more cards from booster packs allows you to upgrade your Deck increasing your chances of winning.

How to Win

• Be the first player to win 3 out of 5 matches.
• Empty your opponent's Deck! When your opponent tries to draw or discard a card from his Deck and cannot because there are no cards left in his Deck, you win!

Hit 'em! Break 'em! Beat 'em!

How Does This Game Work?

You lead your team in a deadly tournament to win 3 out of 5 matches. To win a match, one of your fighters faces-off with one of your opponent's fighters in the Arena. During a match, deadly attacks are thrown back and forth causing damage until one fighter is defeated.

Instantly, the next two fighters enter the Arena and throw down. This continues until one player wins the game. Dirty tricks are around every corner, so be careful!

What's in a Turn?

A turn is the 3 steps a player goes through to attack his opponent. What are these 3 steps?

1. Draw Step: Draw 2 cards and gain 2 Spirit Energy.
2. Main Step: Play cards to prepare for your attack.
3. Attack Step: Unleash all the devastating effects of your attack and hit hard!

Once these 3 steps are completed, it is the next player's turn. Players alternate taking turns until the game is won.

The Golden Rule

Some cards are so powerful that they even break some of the rules. When a card contradicts a rule in the rulebook, the card is always right!

Know Your Fighters

Character cards represent who is on your team and who your current fighter is in the Arena. There are 2 different versions of character cards: Standard characters and Team Leaders. The only difference between them is that Team Leaders represent the actual team captains from the show.

• Card Code: Each card is coded to let you know its number and rarity in the set. A card code is shown as a card number out of the set size (for example, "R 5/176"), with a rarity letter: C = Common, R = Rare, ST = Starter, S = Spirit Rare, U = Uber Rare. When a card code starts with "TR" it means that it is only found in tournament packs! You can get these tournament packs by participating in sanctioned Yu Yu Hakusho Tournaments.
• Team Symbol: This symbol identifies characters that fought together in the show. You gain a Team Bonus when 3 of your characters on your team share the same Team Symbol!
• Defense Value (DEF): The number in this icon shows how strong your character's defense is.
• Attack Value (ATK): This icon shows the attack's strength.
• Hero/Villain: Hero characters have a hero icon and villain characters have a villain icon.
• Attack Cost: This is the number of cards you must discard from your hand to use this attack.
• Attack: The punches, kicks and hard-hitting stuff you throw at your opponent during the Attack Step.

Master Your Techniques

Want to use a different attack than the attack(s) on your character card? Use a Technique. You teach your characters techniques by attaching them to the character during your 2. Main Step.

• Spirit Energy Cost: Spirit Energy gives you the power to play the really big stuff. These icons tell you how much Spirit Energy is needed to use the technique. (Example technique "Rose Whiplash" requires 2 Spirit Energy.)
• Technique Icon: This icon identifies this card as a technique.
• Foil Stamp: Each card from the First Edition gets a foil stamp as proof that it came from the set's premier printing.

Add Your Items

Items give you an edge during the match. Is Hiei in trouble? Throw him a Katana! You give items to your characters by attaching them during your 2. Main Step.

• Item Icon: This icon represents that this is an item card.
• Attack Value Modifier: The number in the icon represents the bonus you gain from the card's text. (Example item "Serpent Yo-Yos" increases your Attack Value by +1000.)

Watch Out for Events

Events represent the crazy plot twists that occur in Yu Yu Hakusho. Event cards are played in your 2. Main Step and they can shift game play fast.

• Event Icon: This icon identifies this card as an event.
• Spirit Energy Cost: The Spirit Energy needed to play the event is shown in the icon.

Learn to Play Fast

Here's the fastest way to learn — the online demo at YuYuHakushoTCG.com/demo. Download the cards, print them out, play the interactive demo and get in the game.

Enter the Arena: What You Need

• Your Team: You need a minimum of four different character cards to make up a team.
• A Deck: You need at least 40 cards for your Deck not including your team.
• A Friend to Play Against: Find a friend who has a deck!
• Time: On average, a game should take around 25 minutes to play. As you become a more experienced player, you'll get faster.
• Accessories: You'll need this Rulebook, Playmat and a Spirit Token.

Setting Up the Arena

Use this diagram as a guide to show you where to put your cards during game play.

Getting ready to play is easy. To begin setup, you set your Spirit Token at 0 on the Spirit Energy Tracker. Next, separate from your Deck the 4 starting characters you are going to fight with. Put the character you want to fight with first in the Arena face-down. Place the other 3 characters in Match Slots 2, 3 and 4 face-down. Your 5th Match Slot begins every game empty.

Now shuffle your Deck.

These 4 Match Slots make up your Sideline.

After you and your opponent place all of your characters face-down, you both flip your character cards face-up as shown in the diagram. For more details on setup, see "Setting up the Game" on page 20.

Playing area:

• Arena: Character cards in the Arena go here.
• Match Slots 2–5 (Sideline): Character cards not in the Arena go here.
• Discard Pile: When cards are discarded they go here.
• Deck: Put your Deck here.
• Technique Cards (Tech): Technique cards go here.
• Item Cards (Item): Item cards go here.
• Spirit Energy Tracker: What you use to keep track of your Spirit Energy.
• Spirit Token: Moved along the Spirit Energy Tracker to keep track of your Spirit Energy.
• Winner's Circle: The area on the table next to the Arena where defeated characters go.

Game Basics

How to Win

Ways to Win. Either win 3 matches or empty your opponent's Deck of cards.

Winning 3 Matches. Your team must win 3 matches to win the game. This means that a game never lasts longer than 5 matches. Once you have won 3 matches, you win the game.

Decking Your Opponent. Your opponent loses the game when he tries to discard or draw a card from his Deck and cannot.

How Do You Win a Match?

To win a match you must inflict 4 or more points of damage on your opponent's character. For each point of damage your opponent's character takes, he rotates his card 90 degrees clockwise.

When his character makes a full circle of 4 points of damage, he is defeated and goes to the Winner's Circle face-down while your character goes to the Winner's Circle face-up!

Where's the Winner's Circle? It's the area on the table next to the Arena.

How Do You Inflict Damage?

Damage comes from attacks! When you perform an attack and your Attack Value (ATK) is equal to your opponent's character's Defense Value (DEF) or more, then the attack deals damage!

One Point of Damage? If the total ATK is greater than or equal to the total DEF of your opponent's character, then the attack does 1 point of damage.

Two Points of Damage? Hit 'em HARD! If your ATK is 2 or more times the DEF of your opponent's character, then the attack does 2 points of damage! If your ATK is 3 or more times the DEF of your opponent's character, the attack still does only 2 points of damage.

What if my character's a wimp compared to whom he's up against? What do I do then?

You can inflict minimum damage.

Minimum Damage. If your opponent's DEF is above your ATK, you can still perform the attack and pay its costs. After you use any effects of the attack, you may discard 2 more cards from your hand to deal 1 point of damage. This is called "Minimum Damage."

EXAMPLE: Yusuke is attacking Susaku with his attack Spirit Gun, which has a ATK 5000, against Susaku's DEF 7000. Yusuke discards 1 card from his hand to use the attack, but it is 2000 short of what he needs to cause any damage. If he discards 2 more cards from his hand, Yusuke can cause Minimum Damage to Susaku. Yusuke discards 2 cards and Susaku takes 1 point of damage.

Beginning a New Game

Who Is the Attacker and Defender?

At any time in the game, there is always an attacker and a defender. The attacker is the player whose turn it is and who is going through the 3 steps in the Sequence of Play. The defender is the player who is NOT going through the 3 steps. Typically the defender cannot do anything except sit back and face whatever is thrown at him.

Get a Deck

First Thing – Get a Deck. If you are new, or are short on time, skip building a Deck and use the pre-constructed Deck that came in this starter. If you want to build a Deck of your own, you need to follow the Deck construction rules on page 40.

Go to These Places When You Want More Advanced Help

• Attack Map. This guide is on page 24. It's a step-by-step road map through the 3. Attack Step showing you exactly how attacking works.
• Sequence of Play in Detail. This section goes through all 3 steps explaining everything you can do, and when you can do it during the game.
• Examples. There are lots of examples to help you learn how to play the game. Examples are printed in red.

Setting Up the Game

So you've got a Deck and are ready to go? Here's how to get started.

• Setup Step 1. First, place your Spirit Token on your Spirit Energy Tracker at 0.
• Setup Step 2. Now search through your Deck for your 4 starting characters and put them in play face-down: one character face-down in the Arena and the other 3 characters in Match Slot 2, Match Slot 3, and Match Slot 4. Wait for your opponent to do the same.
• Setup Step 3. Once both of you place your character cards on the table, flip them over face-up at the same time. Characters start with 0 points of damage.
• Setup Step 4. Now both players shuffle their Decks and offer each other the chance to cut.
• Setup Step 5. Flip a coin. If the caller guesses correctly, he gets to choose who goes first as the attacker. Otherwise, the player who flipped the coin gets to choose.
• Setup Step 6. Both players draw 4 cards from the top of their Decks.

Hajime! The action begins!

The Sequence of Play in Detail

1. Draw Step

This is the step when you get the power you need to perform attacks and gain Spirit Energy!

In this step as the attacker, you must do 2 things:

1. Draw 2 cards from the top of your Deck. If you are going first in the game and this is your first turn, you do NOT draw these cards.
2. Gain 2 Spirit Energy by moving your Spirit Token up 2 points on the Spirit Energy Tracker. The highest amount of Spirit Energy allowed at any time is 10. So if you are at 9, you only gain 1 more Spirit Energy. Spirit Energy cannot go below zero.

IMPORTANT: If any cards in the Arena have optional effects with Draw in bold text, you may use any of those effects at any time during the 2. Draw step. [Sic: the printed manual reads "2. Draw step" here, though the Draw Step is step 1.]

What's Spirit Energy? It's the power you use to play different cards or to use some effects from cards in play. We'll go into Spirit Energy in more detail later.

EXAMPLE: You attach Tape of the Mission C120/176 to your Rando. Tape of the Mission's effect is: Draw: Discard this item to draw a card. During the 1. Draw Step, you may discard this item to draw a card because the word "Draw" in bold tells you when to use this effect.

After you draw your 2 cards and gain your 2 Spirit Energy for the turn, you go to the 2. Main Step.

2. Main Step

Get ready for the fight ahead! This is when you prepare your attack and use strategy to gain the momentum to win. In this step as the attacker, you may do any of the following actions as often as you can:

1. Play a 5th character from your hand into the 5th Match Slot, if there is not one already there.
2. Attach an item from your hand to one of your characters.
3. Attach a technique from your hand to one of your characters.
4. Play an event from your hand.
5. Use an effect from a card in play that can be used in this step.
6. Do nothing and go to Step 3. Attack.

① Play a 5th Character Into the 5th Match Slot. Since you begin the game with only 4 characters in play, you need to play a 5th character from your hand to prepare for a 5th match. To do this, put the card on the 5th Match Slot face-up. The character must come from your hand and cannot be one of your characters already in the Winner's Circle, Arena or Sideline.

② Attach an Item. You may attach an item from your hand to one of your characters in the Arena, or to one of your characters on the Sideline. When you attach an item to a character in the Arena, you put it face-up in the square marked "Item." Even though the card isn't touching the character, it is still "attached." When attaching an item to your character in the Arena, you must spend any Spirit Energy that is represented by the icons on the item.

When you attach an item to a character on the Sideline, put it under him face-down. You don't need to spend Spirit Energy when you attach an item face-down under a character on your Sideline. The cards attached to the Sidelined character stay face-down until that character enters the Arena, at which time they are flipped face-up and put in the area marked "Item."

It's important to know that you don't spend your Spirit Energy on a card unless it flips face-up. This means that you don't spend your Spirit Energy when attaching a face-down card.

IMPORTANT: Anytime an item is flipped face-up, spend any Spirit Energy the item needs by moving your Spirit Token down the Spirit Energy Tracker. Otherwise, discard the item if you can't or don't want to spend the Spirit Energy.

How does Spirit Energy work when attaching cards? Spirit Energy icons appear on various cards: for each Spirit Energy icon on the card, you must spend that much Spirit Energy to attach the card to your character in the Arena face-up. To spend your Spirit Energy, move your Spirit Token down the number of Spirit Energy icons shown on the card. If you don't or can't spend the Spirit Energy, then you cannot attach the card to your fighter in the Arena.

③ Attach a Technique. You attach techniques just like items! But you attach them in a different place. When attaching a technique to a character in the Arena, put the technique in the space marked "Tech" face-up. When attaching a technique to one of your Sidelined characters, the card goes under the character face-down. Remember, you don't pay Spirit Energy until the technique turns face-up!

④ Play an Event. You play an event from your hand by first spending any Spirit Energy needed by the card (if any). Then you play the card, do what it says, and discard the event card.

⑤ Use an Effect of a Card in Play. You may use an effect that can be used in the 2. Main Step. Such an effect will have the bold text "Main:" in front of it. Only cards in the Arena are able to be used. Sidelined characters cannot use their effects, unless a card permits them to.

3. Attack Step

Now it's time to blast your opponent into oblivion! In the 3. Attack Step you can use only 1 attack. This attack can come from your character in the Arena, or from one of its attached techniques. Only the attacker can attack in this step. The defender can only respond to the actions of the attacker if he has a card that permits him to do so.

Attack Map

Step 3. Attack! Use this map as a way to learn how to attack. Just do what it says and blow your opponent's head off!

1. Declare Your Attack: Declare which attack your character is choosing to use from either his character card or technique card and pay its attack cost (the Attack Cost icon).
2. Use "When you use an attack" Effects: At this time, you may use cards and effects that have the phrase "when you use an attack" in the text.
3. Use an Attack Effect: If an attack has an effect, then it will have words close to the large ATK icon on the left side of the card after the attack name. If so, use the effect at this time.
4. Use Effects With "Attack" in Bold: You may now use effects appearing after the word Attack: printed in bold.
5. Determine Final ATK and DEF Values: Compare the final modified Attack Value (ATK) and the final modified Defense Value (DEF) to determine if damage is dealt.
6. Minimum Damage: If no damage is dealt by your attack, you may discard 2 cards from your hand to deal 1 point of damage.
7. Show Damage: If any damage is dealt to your opponent's character, he turns the damaged character's card 90 degrees for each point of damage taken.
8. The Step Ends: The step is over – so is your turn. It's now your opponent's turn – get ready to defend!

Performing Attacks

To perform an attack, first declare the name of the attack you are performing as printed on either your character card or attached technique card.

EXAMPLE: It's Kurama vs. Karasu! Your Kurama, Reformed Demon TR13/22 is in the Arena with 2 cards attached to him: the item Rose Whip, and the technique Rose Whiplash. Kurama has 3 different attacks he can choose from. Since he can only use 1 per turn, he chooses to use the attack Thorny Destruction.

Now you must pay the attack cost (the Attack Cost icon), which is the number of cards you must discard from your hand to perform the attack. If you cannot pay the attack cost, you cannot use the attack.

You discard 2 cards from your hand for Kurama to perform the attack Thorny Destruction.

After you pay for the attack, use the attack effect that is in the text box. Unless the card gives you choices, you must use the attack effect that is part of the attack:

"This attack gains ATK +1000 for this turn for each card with "Rose Whip" in the title that you have attached to this character this turn." As Kurama did not attach the Rose Whip this turn, you do not get the bonus from the attack. The attacker may now use any effects with the bold text Attack: printed on it as shown below.

"Attack: If attached to Kurama, discard this item to double the ATK of one of your attacks for this turn. You can only do this with one Rose Whip each turn."

Kurama decides to hit hard and discards Rose Whip to double the attack! This means he must give up the card's effect: "This character's attacks gain ATK +1000." Why? Because the card is no longer attached!

Now you compare the total ATK of the attacking character with the total DEF of the defensive player. If the ATK meets or exceeds the DEF, then the attack deals damage. Normally, attacks deal 1 point of damage. But if your total ATK is 2 or more times the total DEF of your opponent's character, then the attack does 2 points of damage instead of 1.

Kurama hits for double the damage! His ATK 8000 is twice the DEF 4000 of Karasu. Karasu is turned 90 degrees twice to indicate that he has taken 2 points of damage.

But What Do You Do When You Are Wimpy?

Buck up and fight! Even if your opponent's really tough, you can still get a shot in! How? By dealing minimum damage.

What's Minimum Damage? Minimum damage is a way to deal damage even if the character you are up against has a stronger Defense Value than your Attack Value.

How to Deal Minimum Damage. First you pay for the attack and use any of the attack effects, then you attack and check to see if you did any damage. If not, you can discard 2 more cards from your hand to do 1 point of damage, no matter what DEF your opponent's character in the Arena has.

Minimum damage cannot be modified by cards in play or floating effects unless the card mentions minimum damage specifically.

Taking Damage from Attacks

After you attack, your opponent takes any damage from the attack. For each point of damage taken, your opponent rotates his character card clockwise 90 degrees. When he has a total of 4 or more points of damage, he loses the match!

Those are the 3 steps of your turn. Now it is your opponent's turn!

Cleaning Up the Mess

What to Do When a Match Is Over

You WON THE MATCH! You kicked spirit butt! Now what? When a character has a total of 4 or more points of damage, he's defeated and both fighters go to the Winner's Circle and the Match Slots for that match no longer exist for the current game.

Place the winning character face-up in the Winner's Circle, and the defeated character face-down. The Winner's Circle is the open space on the table next to the Arena.

Now you discard all the attached cards of those characters into each owner's Discard Pile. If any of your cards are attached to your opponent's character, they are returned to your Discard Pile.

Another Match? If neither player has won 3 matches, the game isn't over. The 2 fighters in the next Match Slot enter the Arena, turn over their attached cards, spend any Spirit Energy, discard what they can't (or don't want to) pay for, and the game continues where it left off.

Damage Details

Now you know the basics of how a turn works and how Yu Yu Hakusho TCG plays. Let's go to the REALLY IMPORTANT stuff – like the finer points of opponent bashing.

Damage Stays With Characters – No Matter What. Some wacky card effects switch out your character in the Arena with another character on your Sideline. What happens to damage done to your character while he was in the Arena? Does he keep the damage?

Yes. If an effect switches your character in the Arena with a Sidelined character, the damage to the character stays with the character in the Arena when he goes to the Sideline. Just keep the character card faced the same direction as it was when it was in the Arena.

What happens to a character if it takes damage on the Sideline? If that happens, turn the card accordingly. If he has 4 or more damage, place both that character and his paired fighter from the opposing Match Slot into the Winner's Circle; that match is now over. Yes, it is possible for a character on the Sideline to take damage through card effects.

What about Healing Damage? Some cards can heal damage. To heal your character, turn the card counter-clockwise 90 degrees for each point of damage healed. Damage can never go below 0. So if your opponent has 0 damage, he can't go to -1 damage by healing. Nope. Ain't gonna happen.

Setting Up the Next Match

You've bashed your opponent! His fighter in the Arena is toast! Now...

Next Fighters Forward!

Place your fighter in the Arena facing the same direction as it faced on the Sideline. Turn all his attached techniques and items face-up and put them in the spaces marked "Tech" and "Item" respectively.

Check to see if any of the attached cards you flipped face-up require Spirit Energy. If so, spend the Spirit Energy or discard the attached card(s).

If your attached items are face-up on the Sidelines because of a rule or card effect, you do NOT pay the Spirit Energy again when the character enters the Arena. You only pay Spirit Energy when a card is either flipped face-up on the Sidelines or is flipped face-up when entering the Arena.

Whose Turn Is It After a Match Is Fought?

Play resumes as normal from when the previous match ended.

EXAMPLE: You just won your match during your 3. Attack Step. Now your and your opponent's next characters enter the Arena while it is still your 3. Attack Step. Since you already attacked this turn (how would you have killed the last guy otherwise?), you cannot attack again. If no other card effects are left to use, your turn now ends.

Sudden Death

What happens if your opponent has no character in the 5th Match Slot when you enter the 5th match? Well, there are 2 things that can happen.

1. Your 5th Character is in Play. You automatically win.
2. Your 5th Match Slot is Empty. Does the game end in a tie? No way! It goes to Sudden Death!

Sudden Death. It's the 5th match. Both you and your opponent's 5th Match Slots are empty. You pick one of your 2 characters that won matches earlier in the game and put it face-down in the Arena. Your opponent does the same. Once both characters have done this, flip your character cards face-up at the same time. The characters are healed of all damage from previous fights.

Each player chooses an item card from his Discard Pile and attaches it face-down in the "Item" space. Both players now turn any attached item face-up and spend the necessary Spirit Energy on the item if they want to keep it in play.

Then each player gets a technique card from his Discard Pile and repeats what they did for items: attach it, flip it, and spend the required Spirit Energy or discard the technique.

The match goes on like normal and the winner of the match wins the game!

Team Bonuses

You get a Team Bonus when 3 or more of your characters with the same Team Symbol are either in the Arena, on your Sideline or in the Winner's Circle (on the table). These characters can be face-up or face-down.

If only 2 of your characters on the table share the same Team Symbol and the remaining character is in your Deck, you do NOT qualify for your Team Bonus until the third character is on the table.

You can build a team without a Team Bonus. You may build your team with any characters you want to, as long as each character is different.

A Team Bonus is constantly in effect as long as you qualify for it. This means there may be times when it is active and other times when it isn't. A Team Bonus MUST be used, even if a player doesn't want to.

EXAMPLE: The Saint Beasts Team Bonus is as follows: "At the end of your turn, draw a card." This effect is active as long as 3 or more of your characters on the table share the Saint Beasts Team Symbol. If a card effect leaves you with two or fewer cards on the table having the Saint Beasts Team Symbol, you lose your Saint Beasts Team Bonus.

The Team Bonuses

Team Urameshi Bonus. Gain an extra 1 Spirit Energy during your 1. Draw Step. When you pay the attack cost of an attack, the cards you discard are put at the bottom of your Deck in any order instead of being discarded.

HOW IT WORKS: During your 1. Draw Step you gain 3 Spirit Energy instead of 2. Also, you get to put the cards you discard to pay for an attack face-down at the bottom of your Deck instead of putting them into your Discard Pile.

Team Saint Beasts Bonus. At the end of your turn, draw a card.

Team Toguro Bonus. When you use an attack, you may discard up to 2 cards from your hand. This attack gains ATK +3000 for this turn for each card discarded.

HOW IT WORKS: If you discard 1 card from your hand after you pay the attack cost for an attack, you gain ATK +3000. If you discard 2 cards from your hand, you get a total of ATK +6000.

Team Masho Bonus. When you gain the Masho Team Bonus during setup, you search your Deck for a 5th character and show it to your opponent. Next, take all 5 of your characters into your hand. Choose 1 of your 5 characters and put it into the Arena face-up, and the other 4 face-down in the Match Slots of your choosing. Your characters only flip face-up when a card affects them, or when they enter the Arena. If you qualify for the Team Bonus after the game has started, then you just turn your characters face-down, and you don't get to rearrange them.

HOW IT WORKS: Basically this bonus lets you get your whole team out when the game starts. Then you get to hide them from your opponent by putting them face-down in their Match Slots to keep him guessing who he is fighting next. If you qualify for your Team Bonus after the game has begun, you just turn your characters face-down, and you DON'T get to rearrange them.

Team Rokuyukai Bonus. Your characters with the Rokuyukai Team Symbol gain DEF +2000.

HOW IT WORKS: As long as this Team Bonus is active, your characters with the Rokuyukai Team Symbol are tougher by DEF +2000. But if you no longer qualify for the bonus (by having less than 3 Team Rokuyukai members on the table), the bonus ends.

Team Ichigaki Bonus. Cards attached to your opponent's characters on the Sideline are face-up instead of face-down.

HOW IT WORKS: You get to see what schemes your opponent is cooking up and then make plans against them. Plans your opponent doesn't know because your attached cards on the Sideline are still face-down.

Team Uraotogi Bonus. Your opponent must keep at least one card in his hand, and cannot pay the attack cost which would reduce his hand to 0 cards. Your opponent cannot draw cards while he has 6 or more cards in his hand.

HOW IT WORKS: Your opponent is poised to attack. He has a BIG attack attached to his character. It costs 3 cards to play. He has 3 cards in his hand. He can't attack with it because he must keep 1 card in his hand – saving you from the big hit!

How the Cards Work

Character Cards

Character Cards Represent Team Members in the Tournament! Character cards do NOT require you to spend Spirit Energy to be put in play. The attacks and effects of a character card are only active when that character is in the Arena. Some character cards display 2 effects: an attack and a separate effect. When you see an effect and an attack on a card, you use them as completely separate card effects.

EXAMPLE: You are fighting in the Arena with Kuro Momotaru R54/176 with the following power: "Effect: Injury Memory: This character gains DEF +1000 for each card with "Armor" in the title attached to him." This effect is always active on Kuro Momotaru. Injury Memory: If a card(s) with "Armor" in the title is attached to him, he gets a bonus.

Kuro Momotaru also has this attack on his card: Armor Abuse. This attack gains ATK +1000 for this turn for each card with "Armor" in the title attached to this character. You must use the first effect of the card, but the attack is optional. Kuro Momotaru's effect stays active even during your opponent's turn.

What about effects tied to attacks? These are called Attack Effects. You use Attack Effects after you pay for the cost of the attack and before damage is dealt.

Attaching Cards to Your Characters in Play. Cards can be attached to any of your characters in play. If you attach a card to a character in the Arena, you attach it by placing it in the "Tech" area of the playmat or the "Item" area of the playmat, depending on the card type, and pay the Spirit Energy cost shown on the card.

Hero and Villain Cards. Characters are either a hero or a villain. Heroes and villains can be on the same team.

Surnames. Some characters have surnames. Surnames appear after a comma in the character's title.

Only One Card for Each Character in Play. You can only keep 1 card for each of your characters in play.

EXAMPLE: Your opponent cannot keep Yusuke ST9/176 in play next to his Yusuke, Resurrected R5/176.

You and Your Opponent May Play the Same Characters in the Arena. Yes, Team Saint Beasts can throw down against Team Saint Beasts! Yusuke can fight Yusuke! Rando on Rando!

Team Symbol. Some character cards display team symbols. If three or more of your team characters are either in play or in the Winner's Circle, then you get to use the Team Bonus from that team as long as you qualify for the bonus. (See Team Bonuses, page 30.)

Attaching Cards to Sidelined Characters. When you attach an item or technique to a character on your Sideline, you attach it face-down underneath the character. The attached cards stay face-down until that character enters the Arena. When entering the Arena, place these cards face-up in their spaces in play: items in the "Item" area and techniques in the "Tech" area. Don't forget to spend your Spirit Energy!

Item Cards

Item cards show the potion-bottle icon in the upper-right-hand corner, and are put in play by attaching them to your characters during your 2. Main Step.

There are 2 types of effects on items: constantly active effects, and those you must use to activate. A card with an effect you can choose to use shows you the step it is used in. Look for bold text.

EXAMPLE: Steaming Sphere ST127/176 – Main: Discard this item to search your Discard Pile for a technique and attach it to this character. This effect is NOT constantly active. You must choose to use it during your 2. Main Step. When you use it, all its effects occur and it is discarded.

Here is a card with a constantly active effect: EXAMPLE: Combat Knives: "All your attacks gain ATK +1000." This effect is always active. As long as this item is attached to your character in the Arena, your attacks are ATK +1000.

You attach items from your hand to your character cards. A character can have as many attached items as you want, including multiple copies of the same item (if you have multiple cards, of course). But remember, you may have to spend Spirit Energy for any item – check the cards for Spirit Energy icons.

When you attach a card to your character in the Arena, you place it in the "Item" section of your playmat face-up after you spend any Spirit Energy on the card. If you attach it to one of your Sidelined characters, place it under your Sidelined character's card face-down without spending the Spirit Energy.

Spirit Energy can't be spent in advance. If you can't spend the Spirit Energy while you are attaching the item to your character in the Arena, you cannot attach the item.

Flipping Items Over. Whenever you move your character from your Sideline to the Arena, you flip over all the attached items face-up and place them in your "Item" area on the playmat.

Spending Spirit Energy for Flipping Items. Whenever one of your attached items flips face-up (either from entering the Arena or because of an effect), you must spend Spirit Energy if any is required. It doesn't matter where or when the item flips face-up; you must spend the Spirit Energy when it flips. Once you spend Spirit Energy for a face-up card, you don't spend any more Spirit Energy as long as the card stays face-up. For each Spirit Energy icon printed on the left side of the card, you must spend 1 Spirit Energy when you turn it over. If you cannot (or don't) spend the Spirit Energy, the attached item detaches and goes to your Discard Pile.

Some Card Effects Switch Out Your Fighter in the Arena With One of Your Sidelined Characters. When this happens, your character in the Arena keeps all his attached items and turns them over face-down underneath him when he goes to the Sideline. But there's a catch ...

You may have to spend Spirit Energy again! If this character returns to the Arena, you flip his attached cards back over again. Now you must spend the Spirit Energy of any of those attached items to keep them. If you don't spend the Spirit Energy, they detach and go to your Discard Pile.

If 2 or more attached cards need Spirit Energy to be in play, the owner chooses which cards he spends his Spirit Energy on and the order in which he spends it.

Some of your cards may get attached to your opponent's characters. If those cards flip over, YOU must spend any Spirit Energy needed on the card, or the card gets sent to your Discard Pile. You cannot attach cards to your opponent's characters unless a card's effect gives you permission.

Transferring Items. Once you attach an item to a character, you cannot transfer the attached item to another character.

Technique Cards

Techniques are extra attacks. You attach techniques to your characters. These cards give you different attacks to choose from.

You attach technique cards during your 2. Main Step. Techniques attach just like items, except these cards go face-up into the "Tech" section of the playmat instead of the "Item" section when attaching techniques in the Arena.

You can attach as many techniques as you want. You may also attach multiple copies of the same technique to a character.

Some techniques need Spirit Energy when flipped (or placed) face-up in play. When does this happen? When your character enters the Arena and you turn your attached cards face-up, or if a card effect makes you turn a card face-up.

If you can't (or don't want to) spend the Spirit Energy, the technique is discarded, even if your technique is attached to an opponent's character.

EXAMPLE: Your opponent just qualified for the Ichigaki Team Bonuses. Now you must turn all your attached cards face-up. (See page 30.)

Yikes! Now, spend any Spirit Energy needed by your Items and Techniques, or they get discarded! After you spend the Spirit Energy, you don't spend it again when your fighter enters the Arena. Why? Because his cards are already face-up!

Techniques' attacks work just like the attacks on character cards. You must discard cards from your hand to pay the attack cost.

IMPORTANT! Remember, you can only use 1 attack per turn. If you use an attack from a technique, you cannot use any other attack on your character, and vice-versa.

Event Cards

Events are played from your hand to use the effect printed on the card one time. Some events require Spirit Energy. You must spend the Spirit Energy before you play the event card.

EXAMPLE: You play the event card Deadly Attack C55/176, which has this effect: "Your opponent discards the top card of his Deck." To play and use this card, you show it to your opponent. Your opponent now discards the top card of his Deck. You discard Deadly Attack into your discard pile.

The effects on events can be used only once. But sometimes the effects themselves create "floating" effects. Floating effects can often be used multiple times, even if the card it came from is no longer in play.

EXAMPLE: You play the event card Ultimate Test R93/176 with this effect: "Players may not heal points of damage until the match ends."

To play this event, spend 1 Spirit Energy as indicated on the left-hand side of the card and play the card. A floating effect is now created and stays active until the match ends. A match may last several turns. So you use the printed effect once, but the floating effect stays active for the whole match.

EXAMPLE: You play the event card Flurry of Blows C60/176 with this effect: "Your attacks gain ATK +1000 for this turn for each card you play after this event during this Main Step." Here, the floating effect gets activated every time you play another card this turn, even though the event card is used just once.

Other Rules You Need to Know

Do-What-You-Can Rule: If an effect from a used card gives you an instruction you can't perform, do what you can.

EXAMPLE: Sabotage C75/176: "Look at the top 5 cards of your opponent's Deck and put them back on top in any order." If your opponent is down to 4 cards in his Deck, you get to look at those 4, since it's the best he can do. The effect says 5, but there are only 4 cards. Do what you can.

Matches are Number Dependent. A card used in a match may switch out the characters fighting in the Arena. If this happens, it's still the same match.

EXAMPLE: You begin match 1 with Yusuke vs Rando, and then Yusuke and Hiei are to trade places by card effects: Yusuke moves to the Sideline and Hiei enters the Arena. It is still match 1. The winner and loser of match 1 are the characters in the Arena when the match ends – not necessarily the characters who started off in the Arena during match 1.

No Internal Cycling of Effects. When using any effect as described by its text, go through the entire effect once. The effect resolves as described by the card. Effects on cards do not create multiple uses inside the text itself.

EXAMPLE: You use the attack Spirit Gun Double C54/176 (the attack cost icon, then an ATK +4000 icon). You may spend 2 Spirit Energy for this attack to gain ATK +3000 for this turn. You use this effect only once. You cannot spend 10 Spirit Energy to do +15000 ATK. You spend 2 Spirit Energy for ATK +3000 and no more.

Floating Effects. Some cards create effects that last for a stated period of time and have no proof on the table that they are active. Some of these effects float between turns – others float between steps.

EXAMPLE: You play the event Efflux C57/176 during your 2. Main Step. After you play and use Efflux, the floating effect of "Your attacks gain ATK +3000 for this turn" is created and is active even after you discard Efflux. This effect floats from your 2. Main Step to your 3. Attack Step and then ends when your turn is over.

Switching Character Cards. Some cards let you switch out a character in the Arena with a character on the Sideline. When this occurs, all the attached items and techniques switch locations as well, and the characters keep their damage.

Using Effects to Replace Cards. Some cards let you replace cards with other cards. When you replace a card, you take the card from where it is and place the replacing card where the former card was. Any cards attached to the replaced card are now attached to the replacing card. Any damage that the replaced card had been dealt is also transferred to the replacing card.

Sideline Effects. Some card effects are active even when the character is Sidelined. If this is the case, the card tells you.

Only 1 Character Per Match Slot. Each Match Slot can only hold 1 character.

No Simultaneous Effects. If one player has multiple effects occurring at the same time, then that player chooses the order in which the effects resolve. If both players' effects occur at the same time, the attacker does his effects first.

Selecting Random Cards. This is what you do when your opponent picks a card at random from your hand. You shuffle your hand and hold it in front of your opponent with the backs of the cards facing him. He picks a card out of your hand. He looks at it. He gives it back to you. You now do the rest of this card's instruction.

"Playing" Versus "Using" Cards. When you "play" a card, you take it from your hand and either put it in play to be used later, or play and use its effect right away, depending on the card type. A card is "used" when the effect of the card is resolved. Some effects on cards in play happen automatically. When this happens, you are still considered to be "using" the card.

• Playing and Using Items. When you play an item, you attach it to a character. You then use its effect when the item is attached to a character in the Arena.
• Playing and Using Techniques. When you play a technique, you attach it to a character. While attached, you may use the attack on the technique during your 3. Attack Step.
• Playing and Using Events. You play an event by showing it to your opponent, and you use it at the same time. Afterward, you discard it. If the event requires Spirit Energy, you must spend the Spirit Energy before you can play the card.

Sudden Death Lockdown. After you begin Sudden Death, no characters can be placed in the 5th Match Slots.

Only Items and Technique Cards Attach to Sidelined Characters. You cannot attach events and character cards to Sidelined characters.

Deck Construction

Your Deck can contain only 1 copy of each of your 4 starting characters. Otherwise, you may carry up to 3 copies of any one card in your Deck. The minimum Deck size is 44 cards (4 starting characters and 40 cards in your Deck). There is no maximum Deck size.

Icon Reference Guide

Yu Yu Hakusho TCG uses icons to make your game play faster. Here are some of the key icons you need to know. Keep this page handy!

• Spirit Energy: This icon denotes 1 unit of Spirit Energy.
• Spirit Energy (black-and-white): This black-and-white icon replaces the words "Spirit Energy" in a card's text.
• Attack Value: This icon denotes an attack's Attack Value. The box beneath it tells you how strong the attack is by the number inside. A gray, empty box means that the Attack Value varies. A box with four "Xs" means you calculate the Attack Value from another card.
• Attack Value (black-and-white): This is the black-and-white version of the Attack Value icon. You'll find this icon in a card's text. It's used to replace the words "Attack Value."
• Attack Cost: Every attack has this circle with a red triangle next to the crossed swords. This icon tells you how many cards you must discard from your hand to pay for the attack.
• Attack Cost (black-and-white): When this icon appears in card text, it replaces the words "Attack Cost."
• Attack Modifiers: These icons appear on cards that modify the Attack Value of your attacks. The box beneath them shows you how much the Attack Values are modified. A gray box means that its value isn't a fixed amount, and that you need to read the card's text to find it.
• Attack Modifiers (black-and-white): These are the black-and-white versions of the attack modifier icons shown above. You will find these icons inside a card's text.
• Defense Value: Every character card has this icon. It tells you the character's Defense Value – how strong his defense is.
• Defense Value (black-and-white): You will see this icon inside a card's text. It replaces the words "Defense Value."

Starter Deck Components

• One 40-card pre-constructed Deck.
• One 6-card pack containing 4 team members with the same Team Symbol and 2 Team Exclusive cards.
• 1 Rulebook.
• 1 Playmat.
• 2 Spirit Tokens.

The printed credits, copyright notices and missing-component contact notice on the same spread are omitted from this transcription.

Glossary

Page references are to the printed manual.

• Arena: The place where each match is fought. (pp. 6, 13, 16-17, 22-25, 28.)
• Attach: Item or Technique cards can be attached to a character. If the character is in the Arena, attached cards are placed face-up in the correct slots on the playmat. Their Spirit Energy cost must be paid immediately. If a character is on the Sideline, attached cards are placed face-down underneath the character. Their Spirit Energy cost is only paid when the character enters the Arena. (pp. 22-23, 32-36, 39.)
• Attack: What you use to deal damage to your opponent's character in the Arena. (pp. 9-11, 23, 25-27.)
• Attack Cost: How many cards you must discard from your hand to use an attack. (pp. 8, 24, 26, 41.)
• Attack Effect: An effect occurring after you pay the attack cost of an attack, but before the attack itself. (pp. 24, 26, 33.)
• Attack Map: The timing sequence of an attack. Found in the middle of this Rulebook. (pp. 24, 26, 33.)
• Attack Value: The numeric strength of an attack. (pp. 9, 24, 41.)
• Attack Value Modifier: An effect that increases or decreases Attack Value. (pp. 11, 41.)
• Attacker: The player who goes through all 3 steps in the Sequence of Play – the player whose turn it is. (pp. 20, 25.)
• Attack Step: The last step of your turn, and when you attack your opponent. (pp. 6, 23-27, 29.)
• Character Card: A card in the Yu Yu Hakusho TCG representing a fighter in the game. (pp. 8-9, 15, 16-17, 26, 32-34.)