Yu Yu Hakusho Trading Card Game

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The Yu Yu Hakusho TCG was first published in 2003 by Score Entertainment, and is based off of the anime and manga series YuYu Hakusho (the series is spelled Yu Yu Hakusho in FUNimation's anime version and spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz English manga). It is a two-player tournament-styled game; each player uses a deck of forty-four or more cards that is headed by a team of four character cards.

Contents 1 Game Concept 2 Expansions 3 Gameplay 3.1 Card Types 3.2 The Field 3.3 Setup 3.4 Step 1: Draw 3.5 Step 2: Main 3.6 Step 3: Attack 4 Discontinuation 5 External links

[edit] Game Concept

The game is divided into five matches that consist of one-on-one fights between two character cards. The players alternate turns until one character is defeated, then move on to the next pair of characters. The game ends when one player wins 3 out of the 5 matches, or when one player cannot draw or discard a card from their deck.

[edit] Expansions

Six expansions were released for the Yu Yu Hakusho TCG:

• Base Set
• Dark Tournament
• Gateway
• Exile
• Betrayal
• Alliance

Tournament cards were distributed at tournaments in special packs called spirit packs. Promotional cards could be acquired in many ways: buying magazines or DVDs, or attending tournaments or special events. Alliance did not have any tournament or promotional cards. In addition, special league cards could be acquired by joining a league.

In addition, a "mystery card" called "The Dark One" said to be the ultimate card. Three copies of it were given to each Score employee. It had an attack of 99000 and the effect "Since you work for Score you can choose a card in your hand or in play and change the effect of the card into anything you want for the remainder of the game." This was one of the most sought after cards in the game when it was first revealed.

[edit] Gameplay

[edit] Card Types

Characters 

Representing characters from the anime and manga, there must be at least 4 of them in the deck. Four selected cards start on the field while the others (if there are any) stay in the deck. Some have a Team Symbol; if three characters with the same symbol are on the field, then the player can use a special bonus attributed to that Team. Each card has a Defense score, at least one Attack, and an Alignment (Hero or Villain). Some have effects that can be used at various steps.

Techniques 

Each Technique card is a single attack that the player's character can use during the Attack step.

Items 

Items boost a character's attack or defense power, put the player's opponent at a disadvantage, or aid the player in some other way, such as drawing additional cards or changing the player's characters' positions in the Match Slots.

Events 

Representing plot twists in the anime, Event cards perform a wide variety of things. They are played and used during the Main Step.

[edit] The Field

The playing field has nine places for cards and a Spirit Energy tracker on each side.

On the leftmost side is the Arena, where the currently fighting Characters are placed opposite each other. Attached Item cards are placed on the lower-left of the Character, and Techniques on the lower-right.

To the right of the Arena are the deck and the discard pile, and placed in a line going left-to-right are the three (or four) other Characters. (This is called the Sideline.) Above the Sideline is the Spirit Energy Tracker, which is simply 0 through 10 printed on the game mat. Included with each Starter Deck is a cardboard counter that is used to mark what level the player's Spirit Energy is, but any sort of counter (coins, pebbles, etc.) can be used.

[edit] Setup

The player and his or her opponent start the game with zero Spirit Energy. The player selects four characters from his or her deck and chooses one to place in the Arena section of the field; this one will fight the first match. The other three are placed face-down in a line to the right of the deck and discard, with the character that will fight next leftmost. Once the character cards of both players have been placed, the player turns them all right-side up.

The player should shuffle his or her deck and place it on the field, and then flip a coin to determine who goes first. Both players then draw 4 cards from the top of their decks.

[edit] Step 1: Draw

1. Unless this is the first turn of the game, the player draws two cards.
2. The player gains two Spirit Energy. (The Spirit Energy Tracker is raised by two points.) Spirit Energy can go up to ten, but not above it, and drop to zero (0), but not below it.

Any cards' effects with "Draw:" can be used during this step.

[edit] Step 2: Main

The player may take any of these actions during this step:

• Place a 5th character card from his or her hand onto the last unoccupied Match Slot. (There are only four Match Slots, so if the player has more than five characters in his or her deck, he or she should choose his or her fifth fighter carefully.)
• Attach an item from his or her hand to one of his or her characters.
• Attach a technique from his or her hand to one of his or her characters.
• Play an event from his or her hand.
• Use an effect from a card already in play that can be used during this step. (That is, starts with "Main:")

Alternatively, the player may do nothing at all, and go straight to the Attack step.

If a card the player is attaching to a fighter has one or more Spirit Energy icons on it, then he or she must spend that number of Spirit Energy and lower his or her Tracker accordingly. However, when the player attaches a card to a character on the Sideline, he or she should place it facedown under the character and therefore he or she will not pay any costs. The only time the player will pay costs is when the attached cards are flipped face-up on either the Sidelines or while entering the Arena. If the costs cannot be paid, the card must be discarded.

[edit] Step 3: Attack

The player uses one attack during this step. Attacks are done in this order, to prevent confusion:

1. The player states which attack his or her character is using, either from his or her own card or from an attached Technique, and pay its cost.
2. The player may use cards and effects that have the phrase "when you use an attack" in their text now.
3. If the player's attack has an effect, it is used now.
4. Cards with effects that are prefixed with "Attack:" on them may be used now.
5. The player compares the final Attack and Defense values. If the Attack is equal to or greater than the Defense, then 1 point of damage is dealt. If the Attack is twice the Defense or more, 2 points of damage are dealt instead.
6. If no damage would be dealt, the player may discard 2 cards from his or her hand in order to deal 1 point of damage.
7. For each point of damage taken, the defender turns the damaged character ninety degrees for each point of damage.

Once a character has taken four points of damage (thus returning it to its original position), both fighters are moved off of the main playing field, and the winner is placed face-up and the loser face-down. Any cards attached to them are discarded. The next-in-line in the Match Slots are then moved to the Arena, any attached cards are flipped face-up and any costs for those cards are paid now.

[edit] Discontinuation

The game, which started in 2003 and ended in 2005, was discontinued for various reasons. One of the reasons was that each subsequent expansion of cards greatly overpowered the previous sets (see power creep). If a deck from the Alliance expansion were to go up against one from the Gateway expansion there would a power difference of 2 to 1. Another reason the game was discontinued was because Score took too long to change rules and ban certain cards. Many players began to leave the game when overly powerful cards were standard. Finally, the show it was based on had its popularity but was slowly bumped off Cartoon Network. In the end, it wasn't much of a surprise that the game was cancelled, as it was up against heavy competition such as the Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon card games.

[edit] External links

• Official site