Face-down

To say that a card is face-down, is to say the back part of the card is facing up. When a Monster Card is face-down, it can only be horizontal (i.e., in Defense Position). You can only have a face-down monster in Attack Position by the effect of Darkness Approaches.

When a Spell or Trap Card is face-down, it is always vertical.

When any card is face-down, unless specifically mentioned by a card effect, its controller is not obligated to disclose any details of that card to his/her opponent, even if that card was face-up on the field a short time ago.

Gameplay and terminology

Card layout

Attribute • Property • Indicator (Level (Negative) / Rank / Link Rating / Affinity^† / Bass^† / Limit^† / Mana Count^† / Mana Energy^† / Nebula^† / Power Rating^† / Product^† / Quality^† / Stage^† / Star Cluster^† / Wavelength^†) • Card Number • Type • Ability • Pendulum Scale • Link Arrow • Esper Type^† • Evolute Currency^† • Card text • Material • Effect (Monster • Pendulum) • Flavor text • ATK / DEF (Original)

Errata • Simplified Effect Text • Problem-Solving Card Text

Rarities

Common • Rare • Super Rare • Ultra Rare • Secret Rare • Ultimate Rare • Holographic Rare / Ghost Rare • Parallel Rare • Gold Rare • other rarities...

Card types

Monster

Attributes	DARK • DIVINE • EARTH • FIRE • LIGHT • WATER • WIND TIME^† • VIRUS^†

Types	Aqua • Beast • Beast-Warrior • Creator God • Cyberse • Cyborg^RD • Dinosaur • Divine-Beast • Doomknight^RD • Dragon • Fairy • Fiend • Fish • High Dragon^RD • Insect • Machine • Magical Knight^RD • Plant • Psychic • Pyro • Reptile • Rock • Sea Serpent • Spellcaster • Thunder • Warrior • Winged Beast • Wyrm • Zombie Alchemical^† • Civilian^† • Data^† • Food^† • Ghost^† • Omega Arms^† • Pixie^†

Monster types	Normal • Effect • Non-Effect • Ritual • Fusion • Synchro (Dark^† • Accel^† • Delta Accel^† • Limit Over Accel^†) • Xyz • Pendulum • Link • Maximum^RD • Token • Spell • Trap Alloy^† • Broadcast^† • Burst^† • Chain-force^† • Chainlink^† • Chaos^† • Code^† • Composition^† • Constellation^† • Construct^† • Cosmic^† • Cross^† • Crossover^† • Dark Bind^† • Delta^† • Dreamer^† • Emblem^† • Enchant^† • Enhance^† • Esper^† • Evolute^† • Evolution^† • Extract^† • Extreme^† • Galaxy^† • Hybrid^† • HYPERFORCE^† • Imaginary^† • Legend^† • Legion^† • Maestro^† • Mana^† • Marshal^† • Master^† • Mega^† • Mirage^† • Mixmatch^† • Neon Positive^† • Nova^† • Overdrive Monster^†(Hawkatana^†) • Parallel^† • Persona^† • Plasma^† • Positive^† • Pressure^† • Quasar^† • Reactor Monster^† • Resolve^† • Reverse^† • Royal^† • Spectrum^† • Spiritual^† • Terrain^† • Timewarp^† • Transmute^† • Triad^† • Unification^† • Unity^† • Upgrade^† • Voodoo^† • Wild Card^† • Xynchro^†

Monster subtypes	Tuner Augment^† • Base^† • Catalyst^† • Chainling^† • Driver^† • Transaxle^† Special Summon

Abilities	Flip • Toon • Spirit • Union • Gemini Armor^† • Breakdown^† • Legion^† • Overlimit^† • Overload^† • Power Generator^† • Soul^† • Timeshifted^†

Spell

Normal • Continuous • Field • Equip • Quick-Play • Ritual
Blast^† • Cometshower^† • Conjoint^† • Link^† (Link Equip^†) • Splice^†

Trap

Normal • Continuous • Counter
Cometshower^† • Field^† • Conjoint^† • Ritual^† • Splice^†

Skill

Normal • Continuous • Field

Other^†

Equip • Ritual • Speed Spell (Normal • Quick-Play • Ritual)
Non-game • Character • Checklist • FAQ • Strategy • Tip

Archetype • Series • Card evolutions • Support • Anti-support

Game
mechanics

General	Match • Duel • DRAW • Surrender • LP • Counter • Damage (Battle • Piercing • Effect) • Card limits ((Deck (Minimum • Maximum) • Hand • Three-card rule) • Spell Speed • Position (Face-down • Face-up) • Battle position (Attack Position • Defense Position) • Mana Position^† • Public knowledge

Areas	Deck (Main • Extra • Side) • Field • In Play • Hand • Graveyard • Limbo^† • Attached

Zones	Column • Deck • Extra Deck • Monster • Main Monster • Extra Monster • Spell & Trap • Field • Pendulum Cross^† • Event Horizon^† • Moving^† • Rune Zone^† •

Turns	Count • Player • Phase Draw • Normal draw • Standby • Main 1 • Battle (Start Step • Battle Step • Damage Step • Damage calculation • End Step) • Main 2 • End

Actions	Owner • Possess • Control • Look • Reveal • Pick up a card • Excavate • Add a card • Draw a card • Shuffle • Cut • Random Summon • Set • Flip • Change battle position • Send • Discard • Tribute • Destroy (By battle) • Banish • Attach • Detach • Transfer • Equip • Unequip • Leave the field • Linked • Co-linked • Extra Link • Points to • Attack • Direct • Target • Replay • Battle • Activate • Pay • Declare • Target • Respond • Chain • Link • Resolve • Unaffected • Negate

Card effects

Types	Condition (Archetype • Archetype-exclusion • Level • Name • Rank • Summoning • Common • Normal • Special • Fusion • Ritual • Victory) • Cost (Maintenance cost) • Monster • Continuous • like • Ignition • Like • Quick • Like • Trigger • Like • Flip • Unclassified • Control only one • Field-Unique • Match winner • Summon monster • Unconfirmed Mandatory • Optional • Lingering • Once per turn

Speeds	Spell Speed 1 • Fast effect (Spell Speed 2 • Spell Speed 3)

Summoning

Types	Normal • Tribute • Set (Normal • Tribute) • Flip • Special • By own condition • Fusion • Ritual • Synchro • Xyz • Pendulum • Link Contact Fusion^† • Transformation^† • Double Tuning^† • Dark Synchro^† • Accel Synchro^† • Limit Over^† • Xyz Evolution^† •

Mechanics	Summoning Rules • Double Tributer • Material • (Fusion • Fusion Substitute • Synchro • Synchro Substitute • Xyz • Link) • Alloy^† • Alloy Substitute^† • Broadcast^† • Broadcast Substitute^† • Burst^† • Burst Substitute^† • Chain-force^† • Chain-force Substitute^† • Chainlink^† • Chainlink Substitute^† • Chaos^† • Chaos Substitute^† • Code^† • Code Substitute^† • Composition^† • Composition Substitute^† • Constellation^† • Constellation Substitute^† • Construct^† • Construct Substitute^† • Cosmic^† • Cosmic Substitute^† • Cross^† • Cross Substitute^† • Crossover^† • Crossover Substitute^† • Dark Bind^† • Dark Bind Substitute^† • Delta^† • Delta Substitute^† • Dreamer^† • Dreamer Substitute^† • Driver^† • Driver Substitute^† • Emblem^† • Emblem Substitute^† • Enchant^† • Enchant Substitute^† • Enhance^† • Enhance Substitute^† • Esper^† • Esper Substitute^† • Evolute^† • Evolute Substitute^† • Evolution^† • Evolution Substitute^† • Extract^† • Extract Substitute^† • Extreme^† • Extreme Substitute^† • Galaxy^† • Galaxy Substitute^† • HYPERFORCE^† • HYPERFORCE Substitute^† • Hybrid^† • Hybrid Substitute^† • Imaginary^† • Imaginary Substitute^† • Legend^† • Legend Substitute^† • Legion^† • Legion Substitute^† • Maestro^† • Maestro Substitute^† • Mana^† • Mana Substitute^† • Marshal^† • Marshal Substitute^† • Master^† • Master Substitute^† • Mega^† • Mega Substitute^† • Mirage^† • Mirage Substitute^† • Mixmatch^† • Mixmatch Substitute^† • Neon Positive^† • Neon Positive Substitute^† • Nova^† • Nova Substitute^† • Overdrive Material^† • Overdrive Substitute Monster Substitute^† • Parallel^† • Parallel Substitute^† • Persona^† • Persona Substitute^† • Plasma^† • Plasma Substitute^† • Positive^† • Positive Substitute^† • Pressure^† • Pressure Substitute^† • Quasar^† • Quasar Substitute^† • Reactor Material^† • Reactor Substitute Monster Substitute^† • Resolve^† • Resolve Substitute^† • Reverse^† • Reverse Substitute^† • Royal^† • Royal Substitute^† • Spectrum^† • Spectrum Substitute^† • Spiritual^† • Spiritual Substitute^† • Terrain^† • Terrain Substitute^† • Timewarp^† • Timewarp Substitute^† • Transmute^† • Transmute Substitute^† • Triad^† • Triad Substitute^† • Unification^† • Unification Substitute^† • Unity^† • Unity Substitute^† • Upgrade^† • Upgrade Substitute^† • Voodoo^† • Voodoo Substitute^† • Wild Card^† • Wild Card Substitute^† • Xynchro^† • Xynchro Substitute^† • Normal Summon Monster • Special Summon-only • Nomi • Ignoring the Summoning conditions

Other

Activation & Targeting Eligibility • Activation requirement • Difference between Costs and Effects • Chains, Activation, and Resolution • Engine (Draw) • Advantage • Card • Field • Hand • One Turn Kill (First • Zero) • Lockdown • Loop (Controlled loop • Infinite loop)

^† Does not exist in the OCG or TCG