Heart of the Cards
The basics

Rules

How a turn works

  1. Draw

    Draw 1 card. In Genesys and Advanced the first player skips this on turn 1; in GOAT and Edison (2005 and 2010 rules) the first player draws too.

  2. Standby

    A few cards trigger here.

  3. Main Phase 1

    One Normal Summon, any Special Summons, Spells and Traps.

  4. Battle

    Attack. Nobody attacks on the first turn.

  5. Main Phase 2

    Same as Main Phase 1.

  6. End

    End Phase effects happen, then the turn passes.

Words you will see

Special SummonA summon by an effect or from the Extra Deck. No limit per turn.
Tuner and SynchroSend a Tuner and other monsters whose Levels add up to summon a Synchro from the Extra Deck.
GYThe Graveyard. Many cards work from there.
Quick EffectWorks on either player's turn, even in response.
Hand trapA card used from your hand on your opponent's turn.
Once per turnThe effect works once each turn.
NegateStop a card or effect. It still counts as used.
TokenA monster made by an effect. It vanishes when it leaves the field.

What is a format?

A format is the cards and the ban list of one moment in the game's history. Both players in a duel use the same format.

GOAT is the game of 2005, Edison of 2010 and Advanced the game today. Genesys has no ban list: strong cards cost points. The retro formats cover other years, from 2002 to 2011.