| Players | Two, although some special games are called "Tag Duels", consisting of four players, two versus two |
|---|---|
| Age range | 6+ |
| Setup time | < 1 minute |
| Playing time | approx. 15 minutes per game (can be much shorter or much longer), 47 minutes per match |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Skills required | Card playing Arithmetic Strategy Patience Reading |
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game is a collectible card game based on Duel Monsters, which is the main plot device in the popular Japanese manga Yu-Gi-Oh!, as well as the three anime series by Toei and NAS. Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, often shortened TCG, is the part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game manufactured by Upper Deck Entertainment under Konami's direction. The TCG is played Worldwide, but mostly in North America, Europe and Australia. The Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG began in 2002. For information on the anime, see the articles Yu-Gi-Oh! (first series anime) and Yu-Gi-Oh! (second series anime).
In these fictional settings, the game is referred to as either Duel Monsters or Magic and Wizards or M&W. Thus the trading card game is the realization of a fictional game which was invented by the author Kazuki Takahashi. The cards and rules of the fictional game are entirely subservient to the plot of the story, and so they cannot be made into an actual trading card game without modification. Konami has produced most of the cards named by Takahashi with the powers he gives them. The rules of the trading card game are quite distinct from those of the fictional game. They are more consistent and balanced and do not change as they do in the fictional contexts. The original manga and the first English printing of Volumes 1-3 and part of Volume 4 used the name Magic & Wizards while the other and newer English productions and both anime versions use Duel Monsters.
The trading cards are distributed in Asian countries by Konami as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: Official Card Game (OCG). Elsewhere, Upper Deck Entertainment serves as the manufacturer under Konami's direction.
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Many local shops that carry this game have hosted tournaments. In addition, Upper Deck, Konami, and Shonen Jump have organized numerous tournament systems in their respective areas. These tournaments attract hundreds of players to compete for prizes such as rare promotional cards.
There are two styles of tournament play called "Formats;" each format has its own rules and some restrictions on what cards are allowed to be used. Players must adhere to the rules of that format during tournaments.
The Advanced Format is used in all premier Upper Deck and Konami tournaments, including the World Championship. This format follows all the normal rules of the game, but also places a complete ban on certain cards that are deemed too powerful for tournament play. These cards are on a special list called the Forbidden or Banned List. This list is updated every six months and is strictly followed in all tournaments that use this format.[1]
Traditional format is an alternative format which reflects the state of the game before the Forbidden Card list was created. Cards that are banned in Advanced are typically limited to one copy per deck in this format.[2] This format only applies to the countries where Upper Deck distributes the game and is not widely used by Upper Deck in its sanctioned tournaments, leaving only local and unsanctioned tournaments to use it.
Casual players typically agree in advance to follow the rules of either the Advanced Format or the Traditional Format. In addition, there are countless other unofficial variants, such as multiple player duel (where three or more duelists play every-man-for-themselves) and use of the Egyptian God Cards (promotional cards from the anime/manga adaptation, which are illegal in official tournaments). For these unofficial variants of the game, the rules, such as what cards are legal or not, are agreed upon ahead of time. However, very recently, official Tag Duel rules have been introduced into the main game, advertised in the form of Tag Force 2 and Championship 2008.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Cards are available in Starter Decks, Structure Decks, booster packs, and occasionally as promotional cards.
As in all other Trading Card Games, booster packs are the primary avenue of card distribution. In Konami's distribution areas, five random cards are found in each booster pack, and each set contains between fifty and sixty different cards. However, in Upper Deck's areas, early booster packs contained a random assortment of nine cards (eight common cards and one uncommon card) with the whole set ranging around 130 cards. In order to catch up with the Japanese meta game, two or more original sets were combined into one. Now, more recent Upper Deck sets have simply duplicated the original set. Some booster sets are reprinted/reissued (e.g. Dark Beginnings Volume 1 and 2). This type of set usually contains a larger amount of cards (around 200 to 250), and they contain twelve cards along with one tip card rather than the normal five or nine.
Starter Decks are used to help beginners. Starter Decks were released in order for new players to learn most of the basic gameplay and mechanics, also named after various characters from the second animated series. Structure Decks, however, are for more advanced players, as they are focused on a single strategy and tend to have powerful cards and combos. Each Starter Deck contains forty or fifty different cards, a game mat, and a rule book. Each Structure Deck contains exactly forty cards, a game mat, a rule book and a small leaflet with recommendations for cards, strategies and booster packs to improve the deck. Structure decks are usually built to adhere to the current Advanced-Format Forbidden Card list.
There are currently seven Starter Decks available in the United States:
There are also eight character-based Structure Decks released in Japan. They are similar to their U.S. counterparts except that they contain different cards and are called Structure Decks. These decks tend to be more powerful than the Starter Decks and have been notable among fans as being "playable from the box". The Structure Decks are:
The Yugi and Kaiba Starter Decks have been re-released with slightly different cards since their initial release in the U.S., and the second set is known as the Evolution series. It is generally thought that the Evolution series improved the respective deck of each character, and they are more readily available than the initial release. The codes for the Evolution Series decks are:
The Type Structure decks contain forty cards each. These decks do not follow the theme of being based on a character from the show, though some characters from the show may use similar decks. Instead they are based on a specific Monster type or attribute. The main purpose is to help new players start the game with stronger cards and combos. These decks may also contain multiple copies of same named cards and common versions of hard-to-find cards, making these decks powerful even without modifications.
In addition, all decks include an instruction booklet with tips on how to use the deck's current goal (for example, the Fury of the Deep Structure Deck explains how to use Gravity Bind and A Legendary Ocean as a combo to allow four-starred monsters to attack), and how to expand on that goal with new cards. Each Structure Deck also contains one or more cards that can only be found by buying that deck. The codes for the structure deck, and what they are based on, are:
There are special booster packs that are given to those who attend a tournament. These sets change each time there is a different tournament and have less cards than a typical booster pack.
===Collector Tins=== Normally six tins come out each year but with yugioh 5ds it's 4 for 2008 2005 Dark magician girl,Exarion of the universe,Panther warrior,Rocket warrior,Vorse raider and Gilford the lightning 2006 Cyber dragon,Elemental hero neos,Ravial lord of phantasms,Hamon lord of striking thunder,Uria lord of searing flames and Elemental hero shining flare wingman. 2007 Destiny hero Plasma, Elemental hero plasma vice, Volcanic doomfire,Rainbow dragon,Crystal beast sapphire pegasus and Elemental hero grand neos 2008 Red dragon archfiend,Stardust dragon, Black rose dragon and Turbo warrior Predictions for 2009 tins:Power tool dragon Ancient fairy dragon
Some cards in the TCG have been released by other means, such as inclusion in video games, movies, and Shonen Jump manga magazines. These cards often are exclusive and have a special type of rarity or are never-before-seen to the public.
A Common card is identified by having a black or white card name and the image is not holofoiled. Some common cards are short printed or super short printed by UDE. A listing of all super short or short prints can be found in Beckett's Official Magazine.
Normal Rares are identical to Commons, except they are slightly harder to find. Comparable to the now-discontinued TCG Short Print and Super Short Print rarities, Normal Rares only exist in the OCG.
Short Prints are identical to Commons, except they are slightly harder to find. This only existed in the TCG, and were discontinued after Ancient Sanctuary, but have since been re-introduced in the TCG in Phantom Darkness.
Super Short Print's are identical to Commons and Short Prints, except they are much harder to find. They only existed in the TCG, and were discontinued after Ancient Sanctuary.
Holofoil Rares are used for early Gameboy Promos. They are akin to Super Rares, but have a coating very similar to Parallel Common cards. However, this coating has none of the consistent layout and texture of the usual Parallel coating.
A Rare card is identified by having a silver card name and the image is not holofoiled.
A Super Rare card is identified by having a black or white card name and the image is a holofoil. More recent video game promo cards have been Super Rares. Currently there is a 1:5 chance of getting one in a booster pack.
An Ultra Rare card is identified by having a gold card name and a holofoil image. The odds of getting an Ultra Rare in a Booster Pack was around 1:12 in Booster Packs before Soul of the Duelist. from Soul of the Duelist onwards the odds became around 1:24. However reprint sets released after Soul of the Duelist such as Dark Revelation Volume 3 use the 1:12 ratio. Although after Tactical Evolution the odds dropped back down to 1:12.
An Ultimate Rare card has an "embossed" foil on the Card Artwork, including the borders of artworks, Attribute icon, and on Monster Cards, the Level Stars. The card name is printed gold, like an Ultra Rare. When scanned, the embossed image may be muted and the image indistinct from the background. This card rarity is very hard for Scalers to find, since the card is much thinner than a normal Super Rare or Ultra Rare, with a weight comparable to that of to a Common. Ultimate Rare cards usually also come in a less rare variety that can be found in the same booster with the same card number.
OCG Ultimate Rares tend to scan much better than their TCG counterparts, due to a slightly reflective coating present on all OCG cards (but lacking on TCG cards). This has the advantage of brightening the image, and making the foil image more distinct than on a TCG equivalent. In the OCG, Ultimate Rares have been known to be printed as independant rarities, while they are used exclusively as an additional Booster Pack rarity in the TCG.
On the internet market, Ultimate Rare Cards are often much more valuable than others, even if their effectiveness in the game is only above average.
Ghost Rare is a fairly recent rarity introduced in the TCG version of Tactical Evolution. It appears to have a very shiny silver lettering, much like a Secret Rare, with some colours removed from the card image. The overall effect of these changes is a pale, "Ghost-like" appearance to the card art, especially when scanned. There are only 5 Ghost Rare TCG Cards: Rainbow Dragon, Elemental Hero Chaos Neos, Rainbow Neos, Honest, and Stardust Dragon. This is the TCG version of Holographic Rare. Black Rose Dragon will be Crossroads of Chaos's Ghost Rare card.
Holographic Rare is a fairly recent rarity introduced in the OCG version of Tactical Evolution. It appears to have silver lettering like a Secret Rare Card, with many colours removed from the card image, while the entire card appears to be holographic. Currently, there are six Holographic Rare cards: Rainbow Dragon, Rainbow Neos, Elemental Hero Chaos Neos, Stardust Dragon, Honest and Black Rose Dragon. This is the OCG version of Ghost Rare.
The angle of the card changes the reflected colour, just like a hologram.
A Secret Rare card is identified by having a silver card name and the image has a unique holofoil known as a parallel holofoil (named due to the parallel dot effect on the image). In sets that are older than Tactical Evolution, secret Rares are all either the first (#000) or last cards in a set.
Secret Rares were at first discontinued due to excessive use of electronic scales, however, they have been re-introduced in Strike of Neos. Currently, the odds of getting a Secret Rare in a Booster Pack is 1:24.
This refers to European Secret Rare promos, whose glittery holographics follow a very different 'prism' pattern to their North American counterpart(s).
A Ultra Secret Rare has the Ultra Rare foil over the image, but has the sparkly silver card name like a Secret Rare. There are very few of these cards; only one currently exists in English (the GSE version of "Elemental Hero Wildheart"), with the remaining ten in Japanese.
An Secret Ultra Rare has the Secret Rare foil over the image, but has the Gold card name like a Ultra Rare.
The only image known for this type of rarity, is an apparently misprinted version of "Gaia the Dragon Champion" in the original Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon booster pack.
Parallel Rare is a generic term, used to refer to cards where the entire card surface is holographic (that shows up as an even "haze" on most scans). There are four types of Parallel Rare:
A Rare Parallel Rare is a theoretical rarity that has all the characteristics of a Rare card (ie. no foil image and a silver card name) but has a coating which makes the whole surface reflect. The coating tends to stiffen the card and when scanned the coating creates a uniform haze on the card.
A Rare Parallel Rare is a theoretical rarity that has all the characteristics of a Rare card (ie. no foil image and a silver card name) but has a coating which makes the whole surface reflect. The coating tends to stiffen the card and when scanned the coating creates a uniform haze on the card.
A Super Parallel Rare has all the characteristics of a Super Rare (ie. foil image and a black card name) but has a coating which makes the whole surface reflect. The coating tends to stiffen the card and when scanned the coating creates a uniform haze on the card.
An Ultra Parallel Rare has a gold card title like Ultra Rares, but also has a coating across the surface to make the whole card reflect. The coating tends to stiffen the card and when scanned the coating creates a uniform haze on the card.
Gold Ultra Rare is a new type of rarity introduced in the Gold Series. It has gold lettering and a holographic foil image like an Ultra Rare, but also has a holographic gold image border, lore text border, and card border. On Monster Cards, the Level Stars are embossed in gold foil, similar to what is found on Ultimate Rares.
Nearly every card has a unique eight-digit code printed on it. When that code is entered into one of the Yu-Gi-Oh! video games which accept said codes, a digital copy of that card will be added to the player's virtual cards. Thus, players can port their real-world decks into the games.
Some cards do not have this code. For example, all but two copies of Japanese Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon cards say "Replica" where the code should be (They are considered replicas of the other two that were given as prizes in a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament in Tokyo).
Some cards do not have anything at all. For example, the Shadow Ghoul monster card from the English Metal Raiders and Dark Beginning 2 booster sets has no code number, as opposed to being a replica card. Some other examples of cards that don't have any codes at all are Labyrinth Wall, Gate Guardian and its "pieces", Cosmo Queen,and Dian Keto The Cure Master.
Many Japanese cards are used in the manga or anime and popularized globally years before the cards are released outside Japan. For example, the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (BEUD), a popular card from the beginning of the game, was released in America late in 2005. The Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, which requires tributing a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon (as a summon condition), was actually released almost a year before the BEUD was available for play.
Another issue is card editing, which occurs when Konami translates a card for use in the TCG, often with an edited picture (e.g. Don Zaloog's TCG picture depicts him holding swords as the OCG version shows him holding guns). Edited art often removes guns (sometimes changing them to "laser/space/cosmo guns"), pentagrams, hexagrams, cleavage, blood, halos, horns, crosses, nudity, or completely changes the picture with new artwork (e.g. Tragedy, Ultimate Offering, Soul of the Pure, Monster Reborn, Dian Keto the Cure Master, Harpie Girl, etc.).
Purists have also noted that many card names are changed for the TCG, sometimes to tone down the name in an effort to "Localize" the game to its prospective audience (e.g. Five God Dragon becomes F.G.D. in video games and Five-Headed Dragon in the TCG[6]). Some feel that Konami does not correctly translate card names (e.g. Buster Rancher/Buster Launcher and Fushioh Richie/Nosferatu Lich) in some cases, while other say they are translated correctly. Upper Deck employees often cite the reason for name changes and art edits as being Konami's belief that it needs to make the game more appropriate for children outside of Japan.
A Scaler is a duelist who uses an electronic scale to determine whether or not a particular pack of Yugioh cards has a high rarity card in it. They can do this because Super Rares, Ultra Rares, and Secret Rares are slightly heavier than a regular Rare card or Common due to the extra amount of holographic material on the card. An electronic pocket scale can pick up those minute differences, which enables a scaler to know which packs contain the best cards. Recently, with the addition of the extra rare card that has been inserted in packs when it contains a holofoil, scaling has become slightly more difficult, although the difference still exists, it is no longer as easy. There are no laws that prohibit this directly or indirectly, however some store owners frown on this practice and do not allow it.
There have been a number of incidences in which cheating has been recognized as a serious offense at many large scale tournaments. Due to the nature of the the prize support at Shonen Jump Championship events, where prize cards are often worth upwards of $1000, players turn to illegitimate methods such as stacking and marking their card sleeves in order to obtain an unfair adavantage against other players. [7]
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