| A. What is a Chain?
A "Chain" is a rule used to easily determine the
outcome of a complex battle resulting from a series Magic or Trap cards
played by both players. For example, let's say that a player uses a Magic
Card. That Magic Card is placed in a hypothetical link called Chain Link 1.
If the player's opponent responds by playing one of their own Magic or Trap
Cards, a Chain has been started, with this card placed in Chain Link 2.
Using this method to deal with subsequent plays, the links are stacked from
bottom to top until both players have finished playing cards. The effects
are then resolved, starting at the top link and working down to the Chain
Link 1 at the bottom.
B. Opponent's Chance to Respond
The player whose Trap or Magic Card has been
countered always has a chance to respond with another play - an opportunity
that could result in adding yet another link to the Chain. When making a
play on a Chain, you must always ask your opponent, "Do you wish to
continue?". If you continue play without asking your opponent, they may
raise an objection that will lead to a Replay.
 An
example of a Chain:
The outcome is determined starting with the most
recent card played at the top of the Chain links, and proceeding down to
Chain Link 1.
C. Spell Speed
Magic, Trap, and Effect Monster Cards all have different speeds. You can
only respond to a card and start a Chain by playing a card of equal or
greater speed. The exception to this rule are Spell Speed 1 cards, which
CANNOT be used against each other.
Spell Speed 1: This is the slowest of all the Spell Speeds. Spell
Speed 1 cards cannot be played against each other.
Spell Speed 2: These cards can be used against a card with a Spell
Speed of 1 or 2. Spell Speed 2 or 3 cards can be used against them.
Spell Speed 3: This card can be used against any Spell Speed. Only
another Spell Speed 3 card may be used against it.
Gameplay Terminology
Play - Gameplay
progresses in a series of alternating turns. Each player's turn consists of
6 phases in which a number of actions can be undertaken.
Phases - Phases define the order in which
actions can be undertake by a player during their turn. Each phase is
limited to a specific set of actions.
Phases of Gameplay
Repeat these phases for each subsequent turn.
A. Draw Phase
During this phase, you are required
to draw 1 card from the top of your Deck. A player who is out of cards and
unable to draw during this phase is declared the loser.
B. Standby Phase
If there are any cards in play on
the field that specifically state that certain actions must be taken during
this phase, these must be dealt with prior to entering the Main Phase. Refer
to the cards for specific details regarding the actions to be taken. If
there are no such cards in play, proceed to Main Phase 1.
C. Main Phase 1
During this phase, you may Set or play Monster,
Magic, and/or Trap Cards. Keep in mind that you may not exceed the 5-card
limit for the Monster Card Zone or the Magic & Trap Card Zone.
During this phase, you may also change the Attack or Defense Position of
cards already placed on the field. The position of each card can be changed
only once in a single turn, during either Main Phase 1 or 2. The Damage Step
details how this position effects the outcome of a Duel.
At the end of Main Phase 1, you can choose to enter
the Battle Phase or proceed to the End Phase (the starting player cannot
conduct a Battle Phase in their first turn).
I.Set or Summon Monster Cards: During either Main Phase 1 0r 2 of
your turn, you can play (Summon or Set) only 1 Monster Card on the field. To
Set a Monster Card, select it from your hand and place it face- down
horizontally (Defense Position) on an open space in the Monster Card Zone.
To Summon a Monster Card, select it from your hand and place it face-up
vertically (Attack Position) on an open Monster Card Zone space.
a. Normal Summon
Summoning a monster without the aid of magic or effects is called a
Normal Summon. A Normal Summon can only be conducted once in a single
turn, during either Main Phase 1 or 2 (keep in mind that only 5 Monster
Cards are allowed in the Monster Card Zone at any given time).
When playing a Monster Card to the field, a player must choose to place
the card in 1 of 2 positions: Attack Position or Defense Position. For
Attack Position, place the card face-up and vertical (a Summon). For
Defense Position, place it face-down and horizontal (a Set).
A Monster Card on the field in face-down Defense Position IS NOT
considered to be summoned. Instead, it has simply been Set and can be
summoned with a Flip Summon.
The Attack or Defense Position of a Monster Card already placed on the
field may only be changed once in a single turn, during either Main Phase
1 or 2. With the exception of special conditions, once the position of a
Monster Card has been changed, the card must remain in the changed
position throughout the turn in progress.
Tribute Summon
When summoning a monster that is Level 5 or higher (indicated by the
number of stars that appear on the upper right of a Monster Card), you
must offer 1 or more of your Monster Cards on the field as a Tribute by
sending them to the Graveyard. If you are summoning a monster that is
Level 5 or 6, you must offer 1 monster as a Tribute, and if you are
summoning a monster that is Level 7 or higher, you must offer 2 monsters.
A Tribute Summon is considered a Normal Summon. Therefore, a Tribute
Summon and another Normal Summon CANNOT be performed in the same turn.
Aside from a Normal Summon, there are 2 additional ways to summon a
monster: Flip Summon and Special Summon.
b. Flip Summon
The act of turning a card from face-down Defense Position to face-up
Attack Position is referred to as a flip. Intentionally flipping a card
and positioning it for an attack is termed Flip Summon.
Remember that a Monster Card placed face-down on the field (a Set) is not
considered as summoned - it is considered summoned for the first time when
it is flipped face-up. However, when a face-down Monster Card is flipped
face-up as the result of an attack or an effect from another card, it is
not considered to be Flip Summoned. Its flip effect, however, is activated
as soon as it is flipped face-up.
A Flip Summon card is not considered a Normal Summon. Therefore, you can
perform a Normal Summon and 1 or more Flip Summon(s)in the same turn. If
you have multiple face-down monsters you can Flip Summon as many or as few
as you wish, but keep in mind that you can only change the position of a
Monster Card once during any given turn.
c. Special Summon
A Special Summon is when Fusion, Ritual, Magic, Traps or Monster
Effects used to place another monster on the field.
A Special Summon is different from a Normal Summon in that it can be used
repeatedly within the same turn to summon monsters onto the field. Be sure
to follow the specific instructions printed on the cards when executing a
Special Summon.
II.Set or Play Magic & Trap Cards: With the exception of Field
Magic Cards, a player can have only 5 Magic and/or Trap Cards on the field
at the same time in the Magic & Trap Card Zone. This 5-card limitation also
applies to any Equip Cards the player may have attached to an opponentÍs
Monster Card.
A Magic Card can either be Played (face-up) or Set (face-down) on the field.
When a Magic Card is placed face-up, it is immediately activated. A Trap
Card must always be placed face-down on the field (Set). For Magic or Trap
effects, follow the instructions listed on each card.
Summary
Once a Magic Card is placed face-up
on the field, it is activated immediately and is then destroyed. Equip and
Field Magic Cards (generally used to modify the strength of a Monster Card)
and Magic Cards with a "Continuous" icon remain on the field.
Trap Cards are usually destroyed immediately after
being activated unless they have a "Continuous" icon.
Controlling an Opponent's Monster
Certain Magic and Trap Cards have the effect of
giving you control over an opponent's monster. When this occurs, use the
following rules:
- When you take control of an opponent's monster, move the Monster Card
to your own Monster Card Zone.
- A monster you control counts towards your 5-card Monster Card Zone
limit. Therefore, you cannot take control of an opponent's monster if your
Monster Card Zone is filled.
- Equip Magic Cards attached to a Monster Card always stay in the Magic
& Trap Card Zone of the person who played the card and count toward the
5-card Magic & Trap Card Zone limit for that player. The Equip Magic Cards
effects don't change, even if the Monster and Equip Magic Cards are on
different player's fields.
- Monster Cards under your control can be used in the same way as your
own Monster Cards: to attack, defend, or to use as a Tribute. Controlled
Monster Cards that are destroyed or offered as a Tribute are sent to your
opponent's Graveyard.
D. Battle Phase
Once attack preparations have been made in Main
Phase 1, you enter the Battle Phase. If you do not wish to conduct a Battle
Phase, your turn proceeds to the End Phase.
Keep in mind that the starting player cannot conduct
a Battle Phase in their first turn, even if they have placed a Monster Card
on the field.
Quick Reference Chart
Start step - Declare that you are entering
the Battle Phase. You and your opponent may both play Quick-Play Magic
and/or Trap Cards.
Battle step - Select and announce 1 monster
to attack with, and declare 1 of your opponent's monsters your target (the
monster you wish to attack). You and your opponent may both play Quick-Play
Magic damage.
Damage step - Calculate the damage points of
the designated monsters. If a monster has a Flip Effect, apply it
immediately after damage calculation. However, a Flip Effect does not affect
monsters that have already been destroyed as a result of damage calculation.
End step - Resolve all battles by repeating
the Battle and Damage Steps as many times as necessary, then declare an end
to your Battle Phase. You and your opponent may both play Quick-Play Magic
and/or Trap Cards.
I. Start Step
Announce that you are going into Battle Phase. Quick-Play Magic and/or Trap
Cards can be played by either player at this time.
II. Battle Step
During their respective turns, players are allowed 1 attack for every
monster on the field in face-up Attack Position. However, a single monster
can only attack once per turn.
The attacking player chooses 1 of their monsters and
designates 1 of the opponent's monster as a target. Play then proceeds
immediately to the Damage Step, returning to the Battle Step if the
attacking player wishes to attack again with another monster. If the
opposing player has no monsters on the field, the selected monster's attack
will inflict Direct Damage on the opposing player's Life Points (Direct
Damage).
A monster in the Attack Position does not have to
attack. Depending on the situation, you can choose whether or not a monster
will participate in battle. Once a monster attacks, it may not be changed to
Defense Position in the same turn. In addition to monster attacks, both
players may use their Quick-Play Magic and Trap Cards during this step.
Returning gameplay to a previous step and playing that step over again is
known as a "Replay". For Example, if the number of your opponent's monsters
on the field change due to the effect of Trap or Quick-Play Magic Cards
during your Battle Step, a Replay is triggered. When this occurs, play
returns to the beginning of the Battle Step with the attacker choosing a new
attacking monster and target. Replays can only be triggered by the effects
of Trap or Quick-Play Magic Cards.
Example: During your Battle Step, you have
declared an attacking monster and designated an opponent's monster as a
target. Your opponent then activates their "Ultimate Offering" Trap Card,
allowing them to summon another monster to the field. Since your opponent
now has a different number of monsters on the field than they did when the
Battle Step began, a Replay is triggered and you may again choose a monster
to attack and designate a target for the attack. Because a Replay returns
play to the beginning of the current Battle Step only, monsters destroyed in
previous Battle Steps are unaffected.
III. Damage Step
In this step, the players calculate the damage
from the monster's attack. A monster destroyed as a result of battle is sent
to the owning player's Graveyard.
The Damage Step is conducted in the manner described in the following pages.
During the Damage Step, only Magic or Trap Cards that modify the Attack
and/or Defense of a monster may be played. In addition, these cards can only
be played before the calculation of damage.
Upon completion of the Damage Step, return to the Battle Step if the
attacking player wishes to attack again with another monster. |
