Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game

Dark Magician The Dark Magician, well known for being the preferred card of the anime series's protagonist, Yugi Muto
Players	Two, although some special games are called "Double Duels", consisting of four players, two versus two
Setup time	< 1 minute
Playing time	approx. 15 minutes per game (can be much shorter or much longer), 47 minutes per match
Chance	Medium
Age range	6 and up,
Skills	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.

Rules

Each player starts with a hand of five cards and a set number of Life Points, or LP (the official rules call for 8,000 LP; in the TV series, the players generally start with 2,000 or 4,000 points). The objective of the game is to defeat the opponent by reducing his LP to 0, or to use the cards in the deck to satisfy a specific condition for an automatic victory (like gathering all five Exodia cards in the hand, for example).

Types of cards

Each deck may contain a minimum of 40 cards and a maximum of 60, and must not have more than 3 copies of the same card. Some tournaments also limit even more the number of certain cards deemed too strong to have three of them in a deck. In both the TCG, that is the Upperdeck distribution of the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, and the OCG (the Konami distribution of the game) there is a maximum of 60 cards. The maximum deck count was brought into the TCG with the release of the 5D's Starter Deck.

• Semi-Limited: Two copies per deck at most.
• Limited: Only one copy per deck.
• Forbidden: Cards banned from official tournaments and advanced-player matches in select small tournaments.

Monster cards

File:Exodia.jpg

Exodia the Forbidden One, an effect monster which also can grant an automatic victory.

Monster cards are the creatures players summon to attack their opponent. Each monster card has a name, elemental attribute, level, species type, attack points, defense points, and description. A player may have up to five monster cards in play at one time.

Monster cards can be put into play in three ways. A Normal Summon places the creature on the field in attack position, meaning it can declare an attack, but will inflict damage on the player if destroyed by a stronger monster. A Set monster is played face down and sideways, in defense position. It cannot declare an attack, but will not damage the player if it is destroyed. A Special Summon can only be done with a card effect, and allows the player to place it face-up, even in defense position, activating any effects it might have. Some cards cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, and must be Special Summoned in a specific fashion. Each player can only perform one Normal Summon per turn, but can perform as many Special Summons as they wish. A monster of high level can only be Normal Summoned or Set by "Tributing", sending to the graveyard (discard pile) other monsters on his side of the field, unless the card says otherwise.

• Level 1-4: No Tributes needed.
• Level 5-6: One Tribute is needed.
• Level 7-9: Two Tributes are needed.
• Level 10 or higher: Three Tributes are needed

On the turns after a monster has been Summoned or Set, the player may flip a Set monster into face-up attack position, or change the battle position of a face-up monster once per turn.

There are five types of monsters, denoted by the color of the card's frame:

• Normal Monsters: Yellow faced cards. Each has no special effect in game play by itself.
• Effect Monsters: Orange faced cards. Each has one or more special effects in game play. Some Fusion, Ritual and Synchro Monsters also have special effects as well.
• Ritual Monsters: Blue faced cards. Can only be Special Summoned by playing a Ritual Spell card, and sending to the graveyard from hand or play area a number of monsters whose sum of levels are equal or higher than the Ritual Monster in question (Examples include Black Luster Soldier and Paladin of White Dragon).
• Fusion Monsters: Violet faced cards. Can only be Special Summoned by playing the "Polymerization" spell card (or by an effect that replaces it) and sending to the graveyard from hand or play area the specific monsters required to summon it. Unlike most other cards, Fusion Monsters are placed in a separate fusion deck or, as of Comic-Con 2008, "Extra Deck" and Special Summoned directly from it (Examples include Master of Oz and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon).
• Synchro Monsters: White faced cards. Just like Fusion Monsters, they are placed in the Extra Deck. When the sum of the levels of a specific monster ("Tuner Monster") and another monster(s) ("Non-Tuner Monsters") on the field are the same as the Synchro Monster, it can be Special Summoned by sending these monsters to the Graveyard. With the recent introduction of Synchro monsters into the game, the Fusion Deck had its name officially changed to Extra Deck.

Spell cards

Green faced spell cards add special abilities to one's deck. Prior to the Magician's Force set, they were called "magic cards". Except Quickplay Spells, these cards can only be played, Set, or activated during the player's own Main Phases. A player may have up to five spell and/or trap cards on the field at a time. There are six types of spells, denoted by a circular icon on the card:

• Normal Spell: The spell card is sent to the graveyard after its effect is resolved.
• Continuous Spell: The spell's effect continues while the card is placed on the field. This can last for a set number of turns or indefinitely, depending on the card.
• Equip Spell: Modifies a monster's strength or gives it special abilities.
• Field Spell: Activated to alter the properties of the field. Played in the Field card zone separately from other spells and traps. Only one can be on the field at any time, and if another is played then the current one on the field is destroyed.
• Quickplay Spell: Can be played at almost any time on the player's turn. After being Set, can be activated during the opponent's turn.
• Ritual Spell: Activated to summon Ritual Monsters. Monsters from the field or hand must be offered as Tributes.

Trap cards

Just like spell cards, the purple faced trap cards add special abilities to one's deck. These cards must be first Set face down on the field, and cannot be activated in the same turn they are Set, unless by a special effect. Trap cards can be activated at any time during either player's turn. There are three types of traps:

• Normal Trap: Can be activated anytime. Its effects only last once.
• Continuous Trap: Like a Continuous Spell, its effects continue while it remains on the field (Examples include Royal Oppression)
• Counter Trap: Can be activated only in response to a specific action (Examples include Negate Attack)

Turn structure

Each player alternates turns until the end of the duel. Each turn is composed of a sequence of phases.

• Draw Phase

The player draws a card from his/her deck. Just like most trading card games, if there are no cards in the deck for the player to draw in this phase, the opponent automatically wins.

• Standby Phase

The player must wait until every card designed to activate between the Draw Phase and Main Phase 1 has resolved.

• Main Phase 1

The player is allowed to Summon monsters, play spells, and Set cards on the field before the Battle Phase.

• Battle Phase

Only in this phase may the player use monsters to attack the opponent. If there are monsters on the opponent's field, the player must attack them instead of attacking the opponent's LP directly, unless a special effect allows it. In the first turn of the duel, a player is prohibited from attacking the opponent, so that the opponent has a chance to establish defenses. Normally each monster can only attack once per turn, and only if it is in attack position.

If a monster in attack position attacks a monster also in attack position, normally the monster with less ATK points is destroyed and the controller of this monster suffers LP damage equal to the difference between the ATK points of both monsters. If both monsters have the same ATK, they are destroyed with no LP damage to either player.

If a monster in attack position attacks a monster in defense position, normally the defender monster is destroyed if its DEF points are lower then the ATK points of the attacker. If the opposite occurs, no monster is destroyed, but the controller of the attacker monster suffers LP damage equal to the difference between the attacker's ATK points and the defender's DEF points. Attacking a face-down monster will flip it into face-up defense position.

If a monster manages to attack the opponent directly, the opponent suffers LP damage equal to the attacking monster's ATK points.

The outcome of a battle can be altered by the effect of one or more cards used by either player.

• Main Phase 2

The player is allowed to Summon monsters, play spells, and Set cards on the field before the End Phase.

• End Phase

The player must discard cards in hand if he has more than six, and the players must wait until every card designed to activate after Main Phase 2 has resolved, before the turn is concluded.

• notes

Each player is allowed only one summon per turn. Therefore if there are no summons during the main phase 1, you can summon during the main phase 2. But since the battle phase has already taken place, the summoned monster may not attack and any monster who has attacked can NOT be sent into defense mode.

Formats

Organized play

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.

• Advanced Format

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.

• Traditional Format

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. 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 play

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.

Product information

Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Cards are available in Starter Decks, Structure Decks, booster packs, and occasionally as promotional cards.

Booster packs

See also: Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game sets

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 and Structure Decks

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.

Character Starter Decks

There are currently seven Starter Decks available in the United States:

• Yugi Starter Deck (SDY): features Yugi's favorite card Dark Magician.
• Kaiba Starter Deck (SDK): features Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
• Joey Starter Deck (SDJ): includes Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.
• Pegasus Starter Deck (SDP): has Pegasus' "Toon" monsters and his Relinquished card.
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Starter Deck 2006 (YSD) & Yu-Gi-Oh! Starter Deck 2007 (YSD2): include Elemental Hero cards and old spells and traps. Based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX series.
• Jaden Yuki Starter Deck (YSDJ): includes cards used by Jaden in the show.
• Syrus Truesdale Starter Deck (YSDS): includes cards used by Syrus in the show.
• 5D's Starter Deck (5DS1): includes the new Synchros and Tuners card types, as well as older cards. Based on the new ;;Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's series.

Character Structure Decks

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:

• Yugi Structure Deck (YU): features Dark Magician Girl, the Dark Magician family, and other cards used by Yugi in early parts of the Battle City arc of the anime.
• Jonouchi ("Joey") Structure Deck (JY): features Jinzo, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, some luck based cards, and other cards used by Jonouchi in early parts of the Battle City arc. Also includes two dice, one red and one blue, based on his cards, Skull Dice and Graceful Dice, respectfully.
• Kaiba Structure Deck (KA): features the Vampire Lord, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon (three in the deck, one with Japanese writing, one with Chinese writing, and one with English writing, referencing the Manga, which mentioned the previous owners of the BEWD's were from those countries ), and other cards used by Kaiba in early Battle City arc of anime. Also includes a coin with the Millennium Puzzle printed on it.
• Pegasus Structure Deck (PE): features cards that are used by Pegasus in the Duelist Kingdom arc of the anime. Examples include the "toon" monsters and Relinquished. Also includes the three (non-playable) "invitation" cards that were sent to Yugi before the Duelist Kingdom.
• Yugi Volume 2 Structure Deck (SY2): features cards used by Yugi later in the Battle City arc in the anime. Some examples are Dark Paladin and Dimensional Magic.
• Kaiba Volume 2 Structure Deck (SK2): features cards used by Kaiba later in the Battle City arc in the anime. Some examples are XYZ Dragon Cannon and Shrink.
• Jonouchi ("Joey") Volume 2 Structure Deck (SJ2): features cards used by Jonouchi later in the Battle City arc in the anime. Some examples are Gilford the Lightning and Foolish Burial.
• Marik Structure Deck (SDM): features cards used by Marik in the Battle City arc in the anime. Some examples are Lava Golem, Magic Shard Excavation, and Unholy Calamity.

Evolution Starter Decks

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:

• Yugi Evolution Starter Deck (SYE): contains the Ritual Monster Black Luster Soldier, the Ritual Spell Card Black Luster Ritual, and Dark Magician (LOB artwork)
• Kaiba Evolution Starter Deck (SKE): includes a Kaiser Sea Horse card along with the Continuous Trap Card Shadow Spell and Blue-Eyes White Dragon (LOB artwork)

Type Structure Decks

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:

• Dragon's Roar Structure Deck (SD1): Based on Dragon Type monsters. The new card is Red Eyes Darkness Dragon.

• Zombie Madness Structure Deck (SD2): Based on Zombie Type monsters. The new card is Vampire Genesis.

• Blaze of Destruction Structure Deck (SD3): Based on Fire Attribute monsters. The new card is Infernal Flame Emperor.

• Fury of the Deep Structure Deck (SD4): Based on Water Attribute monsters. The new card is Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo Daedalus.

• Warrior's Triumph Structure Deck (SD5): Based on Warrior Type monsters. The new cards are Gilford the Legend, Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, and Divine Sword - Phoenix Blade.

• Spellcaster's Judgment Structure Deck (SD6): Based on Spellcaster Type monsters. The new cards are Dark Eradicator Warlock, Mythical Beast Cerberus, Magical Blast, (and for TCG) Nightmare's Steelcage, Magical Dimension, and Mystic Box.

• Invincible Fortress Structure Deck (SD7): Based on Earth Attribute monsters. The new cards are Exxod, Master of the Guard; Great Spirit; and Canyon.

• Lord of the Storm Structure Deck (SD8): Based on Wind Attribute monsters. The new cards are Simorgh, Bird of Divinity; Sonic Shooter; and Hysteric Party.

• Dinosaur's Rage Structure Deck (SD09): Based on Dinosaur Type monsters. The new cards are Super Conductor Tyranno, Jurassic World, Big Evolution Pill, Tail Swipe, Hunting Instinct, Survival Instinct, Volcanic Eruption, and Seismic Shockwave. The Special Edition Version of this Deck also released for the first time in the TCG the Five-Headed Dragon (known as Five-God Dragon in Japan).

• Machine Re-Volt Structure Deck (SD10): Based on Machine Type monsters. The new cards are Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon, Ancient Gear Engineer, Ancient Gear Gadjitron Chimera, Boot-Up Soldier-Dread Dynamo, Ancient Gear Workshop, Ancient Gear Fist, Ancient Gear Explosive, and Ancient Gear Tank. This deck also releases in the TCG the Gadget cards Red Gadget, Yellow Gadget, and Green Gaget monsters and Mobile Fortress Stronghold.

• Surge of Radiance Structure Deck (SD11): Based on Light Attribute monsters. The new cards are Neo Parshath the Sky Paladin, Metius, Sage of the Sky, Harvest, Angel of Wisdom, Freya, Spirit of Victory, Nova Summoner, Radiant Jeral, Gellenduo and Aegis of Gaia. Upper Deck has not yet released this structure, although the new cards are already available as Secret Rares in the "Strike of Neos" set.

• Curse of Darkness Structure Deck (SD12): Based on Dark Attribute monsters. The OCG version is available. Due to the rumors of no release for SD11 there is speculation that there will be no deck either in TCG. The new cards in this deck were released as secret rares in Force of the Breaker, except for Shield Crush.

• Rise of the Dragon Lords (SDRL),TCG: Based on reviving Dragon type monsters from the Graveyard.

• The Dark Emperor (SDDE): Based on the infamous "Monarch" monsters and removing monsters from play. OCG release by December and TCG release in 2008. This deck was released in April 2008 and featured only the new DARK Monarch, 'Caius, The Shadow Monarch' and revolves around removing monsters from play.

• Undead World(SD15): This Deck will contain the widely popular Zombie-Type, adapting it to the new format to build and create new Zombie-Type decks.

Tournament Boosters

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.

• Tournament Season 1
• Tournament Season 2
• Tournament Season 3
• Tournament Season 4
• Tournament Season 5
• Tournament Season 6
• Tournament Season 7
• Tournament Season 8
• Champion Pack: One
• Champion Pack: Two
• Champion Pack: Three
• Champion Pack: Four
• Champion Pack: Five
• Champion Pack: Six

Collector Tins

• 2002 Collector Tins - Includes two packs each of Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Metal Raiders, along with one pack of Magic Ruler and one of six Variant cards.
• 2003 Collector Tins - Includes one pack each of Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Metal Raiders, Magic Ruler, Pharaoh's Servant, and Labyrinth of Nightmare, along with one of six Variant cards.
• 2004 Collector Tins - Includes one pack each of Dark Crisis, Magician's Force, Pharaoh's Servant, Invasion of Chaos, and Ancient Sanctuary, along with one of six Variant cards.
• 2005 Collector Tins - Includes one pack each of Dark Beginning 1, Dark Revelation Volume 1, Soul of the Duelist, Rise of Destiny, and Flaming Eternity, along with one of six Variant cards.
• 2006 Collector Tins - These tins were released in two "waves"; the first wave includes one pack each of Shadow of Infinity, Elemental Energy, Enemy of Justice and two packs of Cybernetic Revolution. The second wave includes one each of Cybernetic Revolution, Elemental Energy, Shadow of Infinity, Enemy of Justice and Power of the Duelist booster packs. Each of the tins, regardless of which wave it is from, includes one of six Variant cards there are 2 tins that may have less packs then informed
• 2007 Collector Tins - These tins were released in two "waves"; both waves include one pack each of Elemental Energy, Power of the Duelist, Cyberdark Impact, Strike of Neos, and Force of the Breaker.
  • First Wave--Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus, Destiny Hero Plasma, and Elemental Hero Grand Neos; Released on August 29, 2007
  • Second Wave--Volcanic Doomfire, Rainbow Dragon, and Elemental Hero Plasma Vice; Released on November 15, 2007.
• 2008 Collector Tins - These tins will continue to be released in two "waves", although this year it will be release in 2 sets of 2, instead of 3; The first wave will include; 1 pack of 3 of 9 "token" promo cards, 2 Phantom Darkness, 1 Light of Destruction, and 2 The Duelist Genesis boosters.
  • First Wave--Stardust Dragon, and Red Dragon Archfiend

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/shriek6/ct06/images5CWave1Blue20EN_card_L8.jpg http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/shriek6/ct06/th_images5CWave1Red20EN20w_card_L8.jpg

The second wave will include; 1 pack of 3 of 9 "token" promo cards, 1 Phantom Darkness, 1 Light of Destruction, 1 The Duelist Genesis, and 2 Crossroads of Chaos boosters.

• Second Wave--Black Rose Dragon, and Turbo Warrior

Promo cards

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.

Card rarity

Cards that have no outstanding features are called "Commons" as they are found commonly anywhere. Other cards that do have these features (holographic foil, gold lettering, etc.) are considered rare. The rarity of cards affects their value substantially. A "1st Edition" mark can also increase value. There are different levels of rarity:

• Common (C): The most common rarity found in trading card games. With a few exceptions, cards of this rarity do not have much value or usefulness in the game. Occasionally, valuable and rare cards will be reprinted as common cards in starter decks and structure decks. In booster sets, eight common cards come in a nine card pack, reserving the last spot for a card of higher rarity.

• Common Shortprint (S): These cards look exactly like Common cards, but are printed less than normal common cards because of print run space. They aren't particularly better or more valuable than normal Commons. Every set has a few of these cards.

• Rare (R): The name of the card is printed in silver foil. There is one in every pack (sometimes a card of a higher rarity will replace a Rare card). OCG packs are not guaranteed to have a Rare card, unlike their TCG counterparts.

• Super Rare (SR): The illustrations on these cards are printed with a holographic foil background. A Super Rare card comes in one of every six packs on average.

• Ultra Rare (UR): The name of the card is printed in gold foil. The illustrations on these cards are printed with a holographic foil background, with a slight gold tint. An Ultra Rare card comes in one out of every twelve packs (from Legend of Blue-Eyes through Ancient Sanctuary and the Dark Beginnings/Dark Revelations reprint sets) or twenty-four packs (from Soul of the Duelist up through current releases, barring the Dark Beginnings and Dark Revelations reprint sets).

• Ultimate Rare (ULT): This rarity is simply an alternate foil pattern of other cards in the set. The name of the card is printed in gold foil. The illustration's borders and card attribute buttons (and star level buttons for Monsters) on these cards are printed with a holographic foil background. They also have a relief effect due to being embossed. There have been alternate ULT versions of every Rare/Super Rare/Ultra Rare in all sets starting with Soul of the Duelist, however starting with Phantom Darkness, only Ultra Rare cards can also be Ultimate Rares. ULT's have about the same pull ratio in booster packs as Ultra Rares.

• Secret Rare (SCR): The name of the card is printed in holographic silver foil. These cards feature a crystallized holographic illustration called "polarizing silver". They are used primarily for promotional cards (e.g. tins and video games) and in all sets from Legend of Blue-Eyes through Ancient Sanctuary (with 2 SCR's per set), but were taken out in favor of Ultimate Rares instead starting with the set Soul of the Duelist. They have since been reintroduced to booster sets starting with Strike of Neos however (with as many as 10 SCR's per set in the latest 2 releases, Gladiators Assault and Phantom Darkness). On average, there is one in every thirty packs.

• Ghost Rare (GHR): A new rarity first found in the sets Tactical Evolution, Gladiator's Assault, and Phantom Darkness. The entire monster image is done in a silver "metal" style holographic foil with the monster image itself done in completely three dimensional "rainbow" color. It also has a unique holographic foil on the card name. Unlike other rarities, there is only 1 Ghost Rare card in every set. The GHR card is also available in the set as a Secret Rare. There is one in every twelve boxes (300 packs) on average.

• Parallel Rare (PLR): The name of the card is printed in either gold foil or just as a regular Common version of the card would be printed. The illustrations and borders on these cards are printed with a holographic foil background. Called Parallel Rare because their foil has lines which run vertically and horizontally across the card. In the TCG, these can only be obtained through sanctioned Upper Deck Hobby League events.

• Gold Rare (GOL): Introduced in the hobby exclusive Gold Series. Card Border, Card text box and name are in gold foil. Card has a holographic foil on the star level, picture, and card borders.

Using physical cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! video games

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, Black Luster Soldier and it's Ritual Spell Card, "Black Luster Ritual", and Dian Keto The Cure Master.

Controversy

Adaptation from Japan

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.

Card editing

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, 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). 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.

Scaling

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. There are no laws that prohibit this directly or indirectly, however some store owners frown on this practice and do not allow it.

See also

• List of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards

External links

• Official U.S. game website (UDE)
• Trading Card Game website (Konami)
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelpass worldwide portal
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Online worldwide portal
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Wikia
• Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Rulings