How to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game
Each duellist starts with 8000 Life Points. Summon monsters, use Spells and Traps, and bring your opponent's Life Points to zero.
Your decks
- Main Deck: 40 to 60 cards.
- Extra Deck: up to 15 Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Link monsters.
- Side Deck: up to 15 cards to swap in between duels.
- No more than 3 copies of a card across all three, and fewer if it's limited on the Forbidden & Limited list.
Starting
Shuffle, then each player draws 5 cards. The player going first doesn't draw on their first turn and can't attack that turn.
Turn phases
- Draw Phase: draw a card.
- Standby Phase: some card effects happen here.
- Main Phase 1: summon monsters and play or set Spells and Traps.
- Battle Phase: attack with monsters in Attack Position.
- Main Phase 2: more of the same.
- End Phase: discard down to six cards in hand.
Summoning
- Normal Summon or Set: once per turn. Level 5 and 6 monsters need one Tribute; Level 7 and above need two.
- Special Summons: as many as card effects allow, including from your Extra Deck using Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Link or Pendulum methods.
- You have 5 Main Monster Zones, plus Extra Monster Zones for some Extra Deck summons.
Spells and Traps
Spells can be played from your hand in your Main Phase (Quick-Play Spells also at other times once set). Traps must be set first and can be activated from your opponent's next turn. Responses form a Chain, which resolves backwards from the last card played.
Battle
Attack Position monsters attack using ATK; Defence Position monsters defend with DEF. If the attacker's ATK is higher than a defending monster's ATK, the defender is destroyed and its controller takes the difference. Attacking a Defence Position monster deals no damage unless a card says otherwise. With no monsters in the way, you can attack directly.
How to win
- Reduce your opponent's Life Points to 0.
- Your opponent can't draw when they have to.
- A card with a special win condition, such as having all five pieces of Exodia in hand.