Battle Phase

• If one of your Monsters attacks a Monster that is in defense mode, and your attack strength is greater than that Monster's defense strength, the defending Monster is destroyed, but your opponent receives NO Battle Damage in that attack.
• Face-down Monsters that were turned face up by an attack and survive the attack are not turned back face down. They remain face up for the remainder of the game.
• During your Battle Phase, EACH of your Monsters on the Field that are in attack mode can attack once per turn
• Attacks are conducted one-at-a-time. No "gang up" attacks.

Cards In Hand

• Cards in your hand cannot be "voluntarily" discarded.
• If you have more than SIX cards in your hand during YOUR End Phase, you must choose and discard cards until you have SIX cards. You CANNOT choose to discard more.

Changing a Monster's Position/Mode

• A Monster can change its mode ONCE during your turn, unless it is changed by another card effect.
• A Monster cannot change its mode if it has attacked during that turn.
• A Monster cannot change its mode during the same turn that it is Summoned, Set, Flip Summoned or Special Summoned. This is because Summoning, Setting, Flip Summoning or Special Summoning a Monster is the same as deciding on its mode for the turn, and thus cannot be changed.

Flip [j. Reverse]

• Flip is changing a Monster from face-down to face-up due to a card effect or attack.
• Flip and Flip Summon are NOT the same thing.
• You CANNOT choose to Flip a Monster without another card effect, or it being attacked.
• If a Monster has a Flip Effect, it is then activated.
• If a Monster is Flipped during Battle, its effect takes place AFTER the damage is calculated.
• If a Monster with a Flip Effect is Summoned (i.e. face-up attack mode) or Special Summoned, its effect is NOT activated.

Flip Effects [j. Reverse Effects]

• ONLY activated when the Monster is changed from face down to face up, regardless of which manner (Flip Summon, attack, card effect, etc.).
• NOT activated when the Monster Summoned (i.e. played in face-up attack mode) or Special Summoned.
• When a Monster with a Flip Effect is activated, the effect MUST be activated, unless otherwise stated.

Flip Summon [j. Reverse Summon]

• Flip Summon is the act of changing one of your face-down defense mode Monsters from from face-down defense mode to face-up attack mode during one of your Main Phases.
• If a Monster has a Flip Effect, it is then activated.
• Flip and Flip Summon are NOT the same thing.
• Flip Summons do not count against your one Monster per turn limit.
• You may complete as many Flip Summons per turn as you wish.
• A Monster that was been Set CANNOT be Flip Summoned during the same turn with the assistance of another card effect.

Fusion Summon

• Fusion Summons are considered Special Summons.
• CANNOT EVER be in a player's hand.
• If a Fusion Monster would be returned to a player's hand, return it to its owner's Fusion Deck instead.
• To Summon a Fusion Monster, the Fusion Material Monsters must be a combination of in your hand and/or on the Field. Such as:

  • All in your hand
  • All on the Field
  • In your hand and on the Field.

Magic Cards

• To play Magic cards (use their effects), they must be taken from your hand and placed in an empty Magic/Trap Slot on the Field. The effect is completed, then the Magic card is destroyed (placed in your Graveyard).
• You CANNOT play a Magic card from your hand if you have no empty Magic/Trap Slots.
• You can play/activate as many Magic cards as you wish per turn, as long as you have at least one open Magic/Trap slot.
• Magic cards can be Set on the Field, face down.
• Magic cards can be activated during the same turn in which they are Set.
• Unless they have the Quick Play Icon, Magic cards cannot be used during an opponent's turn.
• Magic cards cannot voluntarily be "discarded" from your Magic/Trap slots.

Equipment Magic Cards

• The above Magic card rules apply to Equipment Magic cards as well.
• Counts toward your five Magic/Trap cards on the Field.
• Can be Equipped on your opponent's Monsters (but still counts toward your five Magic/Trap card limit).
• If the Equipped Monster leaves play (destroyed, returned to a hand, removed from the game, etc.), all Equipment cards on it are destroyed.
• CANNOT be attached to face-down Monsters.
• Multiple Equipment Magic cards can be attached to the same Monster, as long as you have enough Magic/Trap slots.
• The target of the Equipment card must still be legal.
  -- Example #1: You cannot Equip a [Dark Magician] with a [Legendary Sword], because Warrior is specified in the [Legendary Sword]'s description.
  -- Example #2: You cannot Equip a [Neo the Magic Swordsman] with a [Sword of Dark Destruction], because Dark is specified in the [Sword of Dark Destruction]'s description.
  -- Example #3: You cannot Equip an opponent's Monster with [Magnetic Ring], because your opponent can only attack your Monsters anyway.

Field Magic Cards

• The above Magic card rules apply to Field Magic cards as well.
• Only one Field Magic card can be on the Field (between you and your opponent) at any one time. If a Field Magic card is played and there is one already on the Field (by you or your opponent), it is destroyed, and the new Field card remains.
• Remains on the Field until the end of the game, or it is destroyed.
• Affects both your and your opponent's Monsters.

Monster Cards With Different Pictures

• Monster cards with different pictures BUT THE EXACT SAME NAME are considered the same card. Thus, only up to three may be included in a combination of deck and Side Deck.
• The only exceptions to this rule are that the following cards count as the same card, even though they have different names:
  • Dark Assassin = Dark Assailant
  • Trial of Hell = Trial of Nightmare

Normal Summon

• A Normal Summon is placing a Monster in face up attack mode from your hand, during your Main Phase 1 or 2.
• You may only Summon or Set ONE Monster per during, during one of your Main Phases.
• You may Summon or Set in either Main Phase 1 OR Main Phase 2 (not both).
• If the Monster's level is five or higher, Tribute is REQUIRED.

Running Out Of Cards

• A player loses the game if he or hse has no cards left in his or her deck and is FORCED to draw a card (for example, during the Draw Phase, Card Destruction, etc.).

Set

• A Set is placing a Monster in face-down defense mode from your hand, during your Main Phase 1 or 2.
• You may only Summon or Set ONE Monster per during, during one of your Main Phases.
• You may Summon or Set in either Main Phase 1 OR Main Phase 2 (not both).
• If the Monster's level is five or higher, Tribute is REQUIRED.

Side Deck

• Used ONLY BETWEEN games, NEVER during a game.

Special Summon

• Does not count against your one Monster per turn limit.
• You may complete as many Special Summons per turn as you wish.
• Are always face-up.
• Can be in attack mode or defense mode (unless otherwise stated).
• Do not require Tribute (unless otherwise stated).

Summon (Definition)

• A Summon is defined by each of the follow events (each are considered to trigger effects that refer to Summoning):
  
  
  • Normal Summon
  • Flip Summon
  • Tribute Summon (the same as a Normal Summon)
  • Special Summon
  • Fusion Summon (the same as a Special Summon)
  
  
• Some cards that are triggered by Summons exclude one or more of the above types (such as [Mysterious Puppeteer] and [Trap Hole], which exclude Special Summons)

Trap Cards

• Cannot be played from your hand.
• Must be Set on the Field, and any time after the end of the turn it was Set, it may be activated.
• Can be activated during your turn (as long as it is not the same turn it was Set).
• Trap cards cannot voluntarily be "discarded" from your Magic/Trap slots.

Tribute [j. Sacrifice]

• You may only Tribute your OWN Monsters on the FIELD, unless otherwise stated.
• Tributed Monsters are destroyed.
• Tributed Monster that have Flip Effects are not activated.
• Monsters than have attacked can be Tributed during Main Phase 2.
• Monsters must be Tributed for a "legal" reason (i.e. you cannot Tribute a Monster just to get rid of it).

Tribute Summon [j. Sacrifice Summon]

• Tribute Summons are considered Normal Summons.