Main Deck

A Duelist's Main Deck is the pile of at 40 to 60 cards, placed on the Deck Zone. The Main Deck is, essentially, all the cards the duelist will be playing with in Duel. This Deck contains all the Trap, Spell and Monster Cards the duelist will be using, with the exception of Fusion Monsters and Synchro Monsters, which are placed on the opposite end of the main Deck Zone in the Extra Deck. Whenever a card effect is activated that lets you search your Deck and select a card(s) to place in your hand, on the field or in the Graveyard, you should always shuffle your Deck to maintain fair play.

Most Decks contain approximately 40 cards, since 40 is the minimum amount of cards a Deck must have in order to be legal (not including cards in the Extra Deck). Most experienced Duelists will argue that you should stick to the minimum because it increases the chances of you drawing your best card(s).

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