Spirit monster

Spirit Monsters, originally as a rule, could not be Special Summoned, and are sent back to the owner's hand during the End Phase of the turn they are Normal Summoned, Flip Summoned, or flipped face-up. This also happens if they wound up in the opponent's hand via effects like Exchange. However, new Spirits have been released in The Duelist Genesis, one of which can be Special Summoned for a cost.

Many of the Spirit Monsters' designs were based on icons from Japanese mythology and they all have very similar backgrounds, supposedly of the spirit world.

Play Style[]

Spirit monsters can only remain on the field temporarily (unless Set face-down), and thus their controllers run into a major problem of maintaining field presence, but many Spirit monsters have devastating special effects to make up for this deficiency. Two of the strongest Spirit monsters focus on maintaining a significant hand advantage over the opponent, and when combined with Spiritual Energy Settle Machine or other effects like Dimensionhole that allow them to remain on the field, they can easily turn the tide of any duel in their favor. Though it wasn't an option in the past, there is currently enough Spirit support for decks entirely themed around them to be viable. Because Spirit monsters return to the player's hand, the play runs the risk of having to many cards during the end phase, forcing a discard, so Infinite Cards is an effective way to counter this problem.

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

Spirit monster

Play Style[]

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