Yugioh beginner's guide:
Monsters: (Yellow/Orange/Purple/Blue/White Background On Card)
You get one normal summon per turn.
---------Normal summon is when you play a monster directly from your hand to your field, without any special summoning effects. A normal summon is playing the monster in Face Up Attack mode, or Face Down Defense mode. Setting in Face Down Defense is usually referred to as a set. Some cards effects specify, and disable you from, for example, summoning, but not from setting.
You may special summon any number of times per turn.
---------A special summon is when you use a card effect to summon a monster. A special summon must be in Face Up Attack of Defense mode, unless otherwise specified.
*Monter Levels
Levels 1-4 you man normal summon directly from your hand without tributing.
Levels 5-6 To summon from your hand as your normal summon of the turn, you must tribute one monster from your field.
Levels 7+ To summon from your hand as your normal summon of the turn, you must tribute two monsters from your field.
-A tribute is when you send a monster from the field directly to the graveyard.
- To Synchro Summon, you add the level of a Tuner and a Non Tuner*s* monster, and summon a Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck of that exact level.
- To Fusion Summon, you usually need a card that allows for fusion. The most known is Polymerization.
**Types of Monsters:
Effect Monsters - Orange background. Have effects.
----------(Extra)
----------Semi-Nomi - When a monster says "This card can ONLY be special summoned by", if it was summoned with the effect listed on the card, it IS allowed to be resummoned if it were to leave the field.
----------Nomi - When a monster says "This can cannot be Special Summoned except by", it cannot be summoned in any way except for the way listed on the card.
Normal Monsters - Yellow background. Do not have any effects.
Fusion Monsters - Are kept in the Extra Deck. Purple background. USUALLY cannot be summoned outside of a fusion summon. The cards will specify.
Synchro Monsters - Are kept in the Extra Deck. White background. Summoned only by Synchro Summon from the deck.
Ritual Monsters - Are kept in the main deck. Blue background. Summoned only by Ritual Spell Cards.
**SubTypes of Monsters:
Gemini Monsters - Once already on the field, you use your one normal summon of the turn to 'Second Summon' it. It will have it's effect as long as it's face up on the field.
Tuner Monsters - Allow for Synchro Summoning.
**Monster Basics:
Attack - ATK on card.
Defense - DEF on card.
Type - Listed on card. Above effect/card text.
Attribute - Illustrated on top left corner on card.
**Battle:
*Both in Attack
-If the attack of one monster is greater than a monster it battles, the opponent takes the difference in attack as direct damage, and that monster is *usually* destroyed.
-If the attacks of two monsters are the same, both monsters are destroyed.
*One in Attack, One in Defense
-If the attack is the same as defense, both monsters survive, and no damage is inflicted to either player.
-If the attack is lower, the attacking player loses the difference in stats as damage.
-If the attack is higher, the defense monster is destroyed, and no damage is inflicted.
Spells: (Green Background on Card)
**Besides Quick Plays, spells can only be played on your turn.
You may play as many spells as you want per turn. There are multiple types of spells.
*Field Spell - Goes in the field card zone. Can only be played during your turn. Stays on the field until destroyed.
*Normal Spells - Goes into the normal spell/trap zone. Can only be played during your turn. Stays on the field unless otherwise specified.
*Quick Play Spells - Goes into the normal spell/trap zone. Can be used during your turn from hand, but cannot be used the same turn it is set. Can be used on opponents turn as a trap. Stays on the field unless otherwise specified.
*Equip Spells - Goes into the normal spell/trap zone. You target a monster on the field, and equip it with the card. The equip stays on the field as long as the monster does.
*Continuous - Goes into the normal spell/trap zone. Stays on field until destroyed, unless otherwise specified.
*Ritual – These are used to summon Ritual Monsters. They normally require a tribute from the field EQUAL TO OR GREATER to the level of the target Ritual monster. Ritual Spells can only play a ritual monster from the hand UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.
Traps: (Pink Background on Card)
**Traps cannot be used the same turn they are set.
You may play as many traps per turn as you want, as long as they've been set for at least one turn. All traps are set on the normal spell/trap card zone, and cannot be used until the next player's turn.
*Normal Trap - Goes to graveyard after resolve.
*Continuous Trap - Stays on field until destroyed.
*Counter Trap - Goes to the graveyard after resolve. Nothing can be chained to it except another counter trap.
The Field:
Deck Zone *1* - Where your deck is placed.
Spell/Trap Zones *5* - Where you place your spells/traps if played or set.
Monster Zones *5* - Where your monsters go.
Field Zone *1* - Where your field cards are played or set.
Graveyard *1* - Where cards go when they are resolved or destroyed.
Remove From Game/Play *Not an actual zone* - Where cards go when a card specifies that they are 'Removed From Play'.
Extra Deck *1* - Where Fusion/Synchro monsters are kept.
Basic Mechanics:
**Chaining - When you activate an effect or card in response to another effect, or card.
*Only Spell Speed 2 and higher can be chained to a card/effect.
*You cannot chain a card of a lower spell speed to a higher one. (I.E. You cannot chain a Spell Speed 2 to a Spell Speed 3.)
*Only Counter Traps can be chained to Counter Traps.
**Spell Speed - The priority of a card. A card effect CANNOT be chained to a card of a higher spell speed.
*Self Trigger effects *effects that you must trigger on your own turn*, and non-Quick Play spells are Spell Speed 1.
*Multi Trigger effects *effects that are allowed to be chained to other effects / usually able to be used on either players turn \*, Quick Play Spells and Traps are Spell Speed 2.
Counter Traps are Spell Speed 3.
**Drawing - When a card is picked up from the deck.
*During each of your draw phases, you draw one card. It is mandatory, unless you are unable to, due to the effect of a card.
*You can draw as many cards from your deck, as long as you have a card that enables you to draw that many.
*If you are unable to draw due to lack of cards in your deck, and you are trying to draw a card, either for effect or the once per turn draw, you lose the game by deck out.
**Searching Your Deck - When you look through your deck, pick a specific card, and add it to your hand, or play it to the field.
*When you search your deck, you must ALWAYS shuffle afterwards.
**Duel Phases:
*Standby Phase - Short Period before draw phase. Where cards that activate specifically in the
*Standby Phase activate.
*Draw Phase - Solely for your once per turn mandatory draw.
*Main Phase 1 - You can summon/set monsters, and activate/set spells and traps.
*Battle Phase - Solely for attacking. Any number of ATTACK position monsters can attack.
*Main Phase 2 - Same as main phase 1.
*End phase - Where any End Phase effects activate, and you declare that it's your opponent's turn to go.
I probably won't know about some of these rules, because I learnt how to play through the Yugioh games and TV shows.
