Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duel Monsters Official Card Game is the card game based on the TV Show, Yu-Gi-Oh! The game Duel Monsters is also the card game played in the TV show Yu-Gi-Oh!

To start describing the game, it is best to start with the original trading card game, Magic: The Gathering. Magic involved two people playing cards, using lands, mana, and many types of monsters, effects, and enchantments. Any player of it will tell you that there is massive flaws in the game. The flaws range from, certain cards have almost no use, no one wants to use other, some cards just can't be beaten, the original cards are too powerful, and the original cards cost to much.

Duel Monsters is similar to Magic only in very basic modes. To start with there is only a few card types for Duel Monsters.

  • The Monster cards - These are the main cards of the game, they attack, defend and protect your life points and so on.
  • The advanced monster cards - These are monsters called into play in different ways.
    • Fusion Monster cards - Bring two monsters together.
    • Effect Monster cards - Acts like a magic card, but can be attacked.
    • Ritual Monster cards - Similar to the Fusion card but sacrifices the cards rather then bringing them together.
  • Magic cards - Helps monsters, gaining attack and defense and many other parts to cards. Each one is different and some are specialized.
  • Field cards - Changes playing field.
  • Trap cards - Can trap other players when they attack your monster.

So obviously this game can tend to be more complicated when people try to specialize their decks. With a lot of work a very powerful deck can be made. There is a huge amount of strategy that is required with the game. A simple monster won't create a wining deck. Every card can be used in a situation and no card is undefeatable.

Of course this is not to say each card is easy to beat, certain cards do tend to have very strong points, with only a couple weak points that can be used. The strategy makes the game a more complex and somewhat more exciting then some of the earlier card games.

Some of the most expensive cards in the game are the Blue Eyes White Dragon, and the Sealed Exodia cards. Exodia is one of two instant win groups of five cards. The price of the cards are around 30 dollars a piece. While it sounds like a lot, that is only for the few ultra rare cards.

The second instant win set of cards is the Ouigi Board with 4 Death Letters cards on the Field. Each must actually be played onto the game board, unlike Sealed Exodia, which much held be in the hand.

Duel Monsters is becoming a more popular game as time progresses and unlike Magic has yet to reach multiple versions of which each one is weaker then the original, though that day may yet come. It has definite positive points but does require a small bankroll to start.


Thanks to http://www.stormpages.com/edhrzic/Yugirule.txt for allowing me to look over the rules. It does give a perfect explanation of the parts of the game.