The outcome of a Duel is decided according to the following Official Rules

• Each player begins a Duel with 8000 Life Points.

• Life Points decrease as a result of damage calculation after battle. You win a Duel if you reduce your opponent's Points to 0. If your opponent reduces your Life Points to 0, YOU lose!

• If you and your opponent both reach 0 Life Points at the same time, the Duel is declared a DRAW.

• If either player's Deck runs out of cards during a Duel, the first player unable to draw a card is declared the LOSER.

• If at any time during the Duel you hold the following cards in your hand, you instantly win the Duel:

  • Right Leg of the Forbidden One

  • Left Leg of the Forbidden One

  • Right Arm of the Forbidden One

  • Left Arm of the Forbidden One

  • Exodia the Forbidden One

Getting Started

Preparing Your Deck
Following you'll find the basic rules for preparing your deck.

• The Deck used for dueling should contain a minimum of 40 cards. Aside from this minimum limit, your Deck can contain as many cards as you like.

• In addition to your dueling Deck, you can also have 15 additional cards in a separate pile known as the Side Deck. The Side Deck allows you to modify your Deck to better suit your strategy during a match.

Between Duels, you can exchange any card from your Side Deck with any card in your Deck - as long as you end up with the same number of cards that your Deck began the Match with. The Side Deck you create must contain exactly 15 cards at the beginning of a Match. In other words, if you don't have enough cards to create a 15 card Side Deck, you cannot use one at all. In any Match, the Deck and Side Deck combined cannot contain more than 3 copies of the same card. Also, be aware of Forbidden and Limited cards.

Gameplay
In accordance with the Official Rules, a Duel is conducted in the following manner:

Both players shuffle their respective Decks and hand them to their opponent to shuffle. The decks are then returned to their owners and placed face-down in their respective Deck Zones on the Duel Fiend. When using a Fusion Monster Card(s), place them face-down on the Fusion Deck Zone of the Duel Fiend. A Fusion Deck is a card or a group of cards consisting only of Fusion Monsters formed by fusing 2 or more monsters during a Duel. Note: The cards of the Fusion Deck are NOT counted in the 40 cards minimum limit of the deck. Show your opponent that your Side Deck contains exactly 15 cards (the cards may be counted face-down). When your Side Deck cards are exchanged with those in your Deck, count the cards of your Side Deck with your opponent once again to verify that the Deck still contains the same number of cards.

For the first Duel in a Match, decide who tarts first with a coin toss. For subsequent Duels in the Match, the loser of the previous Duel decides who starts first. Each player draws 5 cards from the top of their respective Decks. Once both players have 5 cards in their hand, the Duel begins, following the Rules in Phases of Gameplay.

Remember the following codes of conduct when facing an opponent:

• Your opponent is entitled to know the contents of your Gaveyard and the number of cards in your hand. If asked, you are obligated to answer truthfully.

• Never touch an opponent's card without asking permission.

Before you learn how a Yu-Gi-Oh! turn proceeds, it is important to fully understand the Duel Fiend and game cards. Understanding how each type of card works will help you plan strategies.

B.  Fusion Monster Cards
"Fusion" means using 2 or more Monster Cards together with the Magic Cared "Polymerization" to creature a new monster, represented by a Fusion Monster Card. Each Fusion Monster Card also lists the monsters necessary to creature it, and is further identified as "Fusion" next to its Type. The color of a Fusion Monster Card is VIOLET.

GAMEPLAY RULES for FUSION MONSTER CARDS
During your turn, if you have the Magic Card "Polymerization" and the Fusion Material Monsters required to form a Fusion Monster, either on the field or in your hand, you can perform a Fusion as a Special Summon by activating "Polymerization". When Fusion is performed, select the appropriate Fusion Monster Card from your Fusion Deck and place it face-up on an open Monster Card Zone space in either Attack or Defense position. The 2 (or more) Fusion Material Monster Cards that have been fused, as well as the Polymerization Magic Card used to perform the Fusion, are destroyed. When a Fusion Monster is destroyed, it is sent to the Graveyard. If a Fusion Monster Card is returned to your hand, place it back in the Fusion Deck instead.

FUSION DECK
A Fusion Deck is a group of Fusion Monster Cards that result from a successful Fusion. When a Fusion is performed, Fusion Monsters are not randomly drawn, but selected from the Fusion Deck. The Fusion Deck should always be kept separate from the Deck, and placed face-down in the Fusion Deck Zone of the Duel Field. Remember that the cards of the Fusion Deck are NOT counted in the 40 card minimum limit of the deck.

D.  Effect Monster Cards

Monster Cards that possess magical effects are referred to as Effect Monster Cards. The broad range of Effects are divided into the types listed. For details regarding the effects, refer to the instructions printed on each individual card. Effect Monster Cards are color-coded ORANGE.

MAGIC CARDS

There are several types of Magic Cards. Magic Cards can only be played during a Main Phase. The only exception to this rule is a Quick-Play Magic Card. Magic Card types are identified by the card icons listed at the end of this section. magic cards are color-coded green.

A. Normal Magic Cards
Once their magic is activated these cards are destroyed.

B. Continuous Magic Cards
These cards remain on the field once they are played and their magic effect continues until they are destroyed or removed. There is often a cost involved to maintain the effect of this type of Magic Card.

C. Equip Cards
These cards allow you to modify the strength of monsters. When playing this card to the field, place it so that it overlaps with the Monster Card that you wish to equip. Usually, this card can only be used with monsters that are face-up on the field. However, you may equip either your own OR your opponent's Monster Cards with Equip Magic Cards. In some cases, certain monsters cannot be equipped with these cards (refer to the individual card's text).

D. Field Magic Cards
These cards are used to alter the conditions on the field and modify the Attack and Defense capabilities of monsters. They are placed in the Field Card Zone and NOT included in the Magic & Trap Zone's 5-card limit. They may be placed face-down in the Field Card Zone, but will not be activated until flipped face-up. There can only be 1 active Field Magic Card on the field at any given time between both players. When a new Field Magic Card is activated, the previous active card is sent to the Graveyard. Also, if a Field Magic card is destroyed and there are no active Field Magic Card on the field, the field returns to the original state that it was at the beginning of the game. If a player's Field Magic card is Set when an active Field Magic Card is destroyed, the Set card does not automatically activate. Field Magic Cards can only be activated by the owner, but never during an opponent's turn.

E. Quick-Play Magic Cards
Aside from the Main Phase, this type of card can be activated during the Battle Phase. Also, if you have this card Set on the field, you can activate it during your opponent's turn.

TRAP CARDS

You can Set these cards on the field and activate them at any time after the start of your opponent's  next turn. Trap Card types are identified by the card icons. Trap Cards are color-coded PURPLE.

A. Normal Trap Cards
A Normal Trap card has no icon. Once activated, this type of card is destroyed.

B. Counter Trap Cards
These Trap Cards are activated in response to the Summon of monsters or to neutralize the effect of a Magic or Trap Cards. Once activated, this type of card is destroyed.

C. Continuous Trap Cards
These cards remain on the field once they are activated and their effect continues until they are destroyed or removed. There is often a cost involved to maintain the effect of this type of Trap Card