Junior Rules

The Junior Rules are a version of how to play Yugioh. I hesitate to use the word "official," but it IS a format that Konami uses for some tournaments in Japan. You can find it in the rule books in the Japanese Structure Decks, Valuable Books, Thousand Rules Bible, and even on the Japanese Yugioh site. At any rate, remember that it's a JAPANESE rule format, and has NO bearing on the English game, and the way that Upper Deck runs it, so don't run out and e-mail Upper Deck, saying "Hey, what's this Junior Rule thing about?"

The Junior Rules are relatively simple. You play Yugioh the same way, but there are some rules changes.

Monsters have no high-level sacrifice in the Junior Rules format. This means you can play a Blue Eyes or Black Magician on turn one without sacrificing the two Monsters normally required. HOWEVER, any Monsters that have a Special Summon requirement (i.e. Gate Guardian) STILL need to have their requirements filled.

In the Junior Rules, Magic cards must ALSO be Set in order to use them. When Set, they can only be used starting on your NEXT turn (including Field Magic cards). Trap cards are treated exactly the same as in the "normal" rules.

You can only Set one card in your Magic/Trap zone per turn.

Instant/Quickplay Magic cards CANNOT be played from your hand, such as during your Battle Phase. They must also be Set. However, if they are Set, they can be used starting with your opponent's turn.

Monsters that have effects that are used from hand (i.e. Kuribo), CANNOT be played.

You can only have one card in your Magic/Trap zone. This does NOT include Field Magic cards, which are still placed in the Field Magic slot.

Yes, the above IS a rule format in Japan. It's mainly used for people who are just starting to learn the game. It makes the game a little easier to understand for younger players. Also, this format is supposed to make the game based on Monster battling, rather than Magic/Trap usage, and not have the game get bogged down with the Chain Rule.

HOWEVER, the following rules formats are NOT true formats, and are based on information from the comic and animated series.

Tag Team

Tag Team duels only appeared twice in the comic, and three times in the animated series. This format is in which two teams of two players face-off against each other. The game is basically played the same, but there are some differences, which have been culled from the pages of the comic and from the animated series.

Decide which player will go first. After this, turns will alternate between the teams, from one member of one team to one member of the next team.

EXAMPLE: Team 1 is players A and B. Team 2 is players C and D. Player A has been deemed to go first. The turns will go A -> C -> B -> D -> A -> etc.

All players, not just the one that takes the very first turn, cannot attack on their first turn.

In the first Tag Team Duel in the comic/animated series, a team would lose when either member was reduced to 0 Life Points. In the second Tag Team Duel, if a player was reduced to 0 Life Points, he or she was simply removed from the game, and the remaining team member would continue. It's up the players of the game to determine which to use.

Though no mass-target effects were really used in the Tag Team Duels (except Force/Ryoku, but its effect isn't the same as the real card game), the use needs to be centralized. For mass-target effects like Thunder Bolt/Raigeki, you choose ONE opponent, and he or she is affected by it. However, some other stipulations should be placed on such cards, like Mirror Force, which should only destroy the Monsters of the player that attacks.

Basically, if the text for a card refers to "all of an opponent's Monsters" or words to that effect, choose an opponent to affect. Other cards that affect all players or targets, such as Black Hole/Dark Hole, work as normal. Cards that would be used on an opponent (like Mischevious Demon Twins/Delinquent Duo) should have a sole opponent selected for the effect.

If you have a Monster on the Field and your team member does not and is about to be attacked directly, you may "block" with one of your own Monsters.

Battle Royale

Also known as "chaos" or "free for all", only one Battle Royale appeared in the series. For the most part, the above rules about not attacking on the first turn, targets, blocking, etc., should be used. However, determining who goes first is a bit different.

In the comic and animated series, the players used a unique method of determining who goes first: before the game, each player in the Battle Royale chose a Monster card from his or her deck. Each of them was revealed at the same time, and the player that picked the Monster with the highest attack strength went first, followed by the second highest, and so on. HOWEVER, the Monster that was chose is REMOVED from the deck and CANNOT be used during that game.

Deck Master System

The Deck Master System is something that was unique to the animated series, i.e., it did not appear in the comic. When Yugi and company were trapped in a Virtual Reality World by the Big Five (for the SECOND time), the Deck Master System was used for the duels.

For most intents and purposes, the duels were played exactly as normal. However, before the game began, the duelists each chose a Monster from his or her deck to be the Deck Master for that game. The card was removed from the deck, and was shown next to the player, which was called the Deck Master Position.

• The Deck Master is NOT considered to be on the Field when in the Deck Master Position, so it cannot be targeted or effected.
• During your Main Phase, you may "Summon" your Deck Master from the Deck Master Position as a Special Summon.
• Once a Deck Master has been Summoned, it CANNOT return to the Deck Master Position.
• Once on the Field, the Deck Master can be targeted, effected and destroyed like any other Monster. [EDO'S EXTRAPOLATED RULING: Since the Deck Master is a Special Monster, it shouldn't be allowed to be returned to the deck or a player's hand.]
• IF YOUR DECK MASTER IS DESTROYED, YOU LOSE THE GAME.
• The Deck Master can be Fused into another Monster. However, if the fused Monster is destroyed, you lose the game.

Each Deck Master had a Special Ability that had a bearing on the game, which could be used whether it was Summoned or not. Unfortunately, they have no bearing on the actual effects on the cards (if any), so there's no way to discern what these effects, called Deck Master Abilities, are for the run of the mill Monster. However, the following Monsters were featured in the series, and had the following effects.

• General of Impenetrable Defenses:
  Impenetrable Defense Shield: If your opponent attacks you directly, you may pay 1000 Life Points. Negate that attack and destroy the attacking Monster.
• Blue Eyes White Dragon:
  ????: Monsters that this Monster is Fused into can attack the turn it is Fused. [EDO'S NOTE: Effectively useless in the real card game, as Fusion Monsters CAN attack the turn they are summoned, unlike the animated series.]
• Deep Sea Warrior: [Big-1's Deck Master]
  Reflector Hole: If your opponent attacks 1 of your Monsters, you may sacrifice 2 of your Monsters to negate that attack, and do damage to your opponent equal to the attack strength of the attacking Monster.
• Kuribo: [Yugi's Deck Master]
  ????: If you are attacked directly, you may negate that attack. This effect can only be used once per game.
• Penguin Nightmare: [Big-2's Deck Master]
  ????: Increase the attack strength of all of your Water Main-Type Monsters on the Field by 200.
• Black Magician Girl: [Anzu's Deck Master]
  Soul Circle: Look at a number of cards from the top of your deck equal to the number of Monster cards in your Cemetery. Put 1 into your hand, and the rest back in the same order. This effect can only be used once per game.
• Judge Man: [Big-3's Deck Master]
  ????: Pay 1000 Life Points. Remove all of your opponent's Monsters on the Field from the game. Do 500 damage to your opponent for each Monster removed.
• Flame Swordsman: [Jounouchi's Deck Master]
  ????: You may permanently reduce this Monster's base attack strength in 100 point increments, and give the reduction to another Warrior Sub-Type Monsters on the Field.
• Machine Corp.: [Big-4's Deck Master]
  ????: Discard 1 Machine Sub-Type Monster from your hand. Do 500 damage to your opponent.
• Swift Black Ninja: [Otogi's Deck Master]
  ????: Discard 2 cards from your hand. Activate a face-down Magic or Trap card on the Field.
• Rare Metal Knight: [Honda's Deck Master]
  ????: Set a card from your hand.
• Goddess of the Truthful Eye: [Shizuka's Deck Master]
  Fusionic Eye: Discard 1 Magic card from your hand. You may fuse two or more Monsters as if by the [Fusion] card.
• Psycho Shocker: [Big-5's Deck Master]
  ????: All of your opponent's Trap card activations and effects are negated.
• Lord of Dragons: [Kaiba's Deck Master]
  ????: Pay 500 Life Points. Special Summon a Dragon Sub-Type Monster from your hand. Standard sacrifice requirements apply.
• Black Magician: [Yugi's Deck Master]
  Seperate Magic: Pay 1000 Life Points. Use a Magic card twice during this turn.
• Ark of Miracles: [Noa's Deck Master]
  ????: All Monsters that are placed in the Cemetery are placed in the [Ark of Miracles] instead, and cannot be targeted or affected by other cards, nor return from it. You may remove all Monsters in the [Ark of Miracles] from the game and gain 500 Life Points for each Monster removed. In five turns, you may replace this card with a [Ruler of Heaven Shinato].
• Ruler of Heaven Shinato: [Noa's Deck Master]
  ????: If this Monster attacks and destroys an opponent's Monster in defense mode, reduce your opponent's Life Points by half. Gain Life Points equal to the Battle Damage this Monster does to your opponent. Once per game, if this Monster would be destroyed, return it to your Deck Master position, and it can never be Summoned again.
• Kaiser Seahorse: [Kaiba's Deck Master]
  ????: Reduce the High-Level Sacrifice requirement of the Light Main-Type Monsters in your hand by 1.

Duel Disk System

Once during the series, Yugi and Kaiba face off using the Duel Disks. However, those were the OLD Duel Disks, as the newer ones that Kaiba designs use the standard rules for the card game. The following Duel Disk Rules are based on the COMIC version, and not the one for the animated series.

At the beginning of the game, each player draws five cards, with are placed in a cross formation, with one card in the middle. The middle card is called the "Main Card Stage" and the outer cards are called the "Sub Card Stage."

Only a Monster can be placed in the Main Card Stage. The rest can be Monster, Magic or Trap cards. For most intents and purposes, the Sub Card Stage is considered to be your "hand", as players don't have an actual hand for this variant. Cards in the Sub Card stage are NOT shown to your opponent.

There is no High-Level Sacrifice cost in this variant (like the comic), unless you really want to have one. In which case, you would use Monsters in the Sub Card Stage to sacrifice.

Magic and Trap cards are played from your hand. No cards are actually "Set" during this variant. Permanent/Continuous stay in the slot where they were played from, face-up.

During your turn, you may switch your Main Stage Monster with one in the Sub Card Stage. You can only have one Monster out at a time, the one in the Main Card Stage (unlike the animated series). You can also choose to change its mode as normal.

If you choose to attack with your Monster, you have two options: attack your opponent's Main Stage Monster, or attack a card in the Sub Stage. If it turns out to be a Monster card, resolve it normally as if it was a Monster vs Monster Battle, with the card in the Sub Stage being in attack mode. If the card is a Magic or Trap card, it is simply destroyed.

At the beginning of your turn, if the number of cards in your Main Card Stage and Sub Card Stage totals less than five, draw cards from the deck and set them up until there are a total of five. [EDO'S EXTRAPOLATED RULING: It's unknown what happens if you somehow get more than five cards. You would probably set up again, then discard the rest.]

Character Cards

The release of Valuable Book Three in Japan gave you an option when playing the game. In the front of the book, there is a collection of four cards that you can cut and and play the game with. These are known as Character Cards.

These particular cards are used during the game, giving you certain enhanced abilities. Some Magic: The Gathering players will see that they are slightly similar to Vanguard cards.

You choose one of the cards before the game, and it is placed beside you, next to your deck. Character cards are not mandatory, and you must ALWAYS ask your opponent if you wish to use one of them. If your opponent declines, you cannot use the card during the game. And, no, these cards are not Tournament legal.

YUGI
Your Field becomes [Darkness] (Increase the attack and defense of Demon and Magic-User Sub-Type Monsters by 200, and decrease the attack and defense of Angel Sub-Type Monsters by 200).
You can summon a [Black Magician] by sacrificing only 1 Monster. During your Standby Phase, you lose 300 Life Points.

JOUNOUCHI
Whenever Monster you control attack, increase its attack strength by 800. Monster you control cannot attack the turn they are summoned.

PEGASUS
Pay 1000 Life Points. Put 1 card of your choice from your deck into your hand. You can use this ability only during your Main Phase. You start the game with 6000 Life Points.

KAIBA
When the Duel starts, choose a Sub-Type. All Monster that you control, in your hand, and in your deck become the chosen Sub-Type. You start the game with 4 cards in your hand. During your End Phase, if you have more than 4 cards in your hand, you must discard until you have 4 cards in your hand.