Beginner's Guide: Tips For Starting Out

New to Yu-Gi-Oh? Fret not! This is our beginner's guide for Yu-Gi-Oh Master duels! Read on to know the best starter decks, learn every game mechanic such as Synchro and Pendulum, and learn more about deck building!

Before Starting Master Duel

Different from Duel Links

While Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links established the basics of a duel Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel brings all of the additional rules and complexity of the physical card game. Not only are there no Character Skills, but the field has been extended and life points doubled.

Full Rules and More Summon Types

Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel brings the full physical card game experience to all platforms! In Master Duel, there are more archetypes for cards, zones for both monsters and spell/trap cards, as well as an increase in Life Points to 8000, boiling the game down to a pure duel between two masters and their Decks.

Key Terms

Term	Definition
Life Points (LP)	The amount of "health" a Dueler has. The main goal would be to reduce the opponent LP to zero while preventing one's own LP from hitting that mark.**
Turn	Refers to which player on the field will have the opportunity to make their play.**
Phases	Refers to the "opportunity" of a player to perform actions within their turn. Players are given two Main Phases to set their cards on the field, and one Battle Phase to attack an enemy, along with two other phases that automatically occur.**
Draw Phase	Refers to the mandatory action in certain phases where each player will draw a card from their Deck.**
Monster Cards	The primary cards that players use to deal damage against enemies – during opponent attacks, they can also help prevent the player from taking any direct damage to their Life Points.**
Spell/Trap Cards	Special cards with unique effects. Effects can differ, ranging from taking out an opponent's card to reviving or activating a card from the Graveyard, amongst other effects.**
Hand	Cards that the players have drawn from their Deck and are ready to be used on the field.**
Deck	Refers to the "inventory" of cards that a player has. Players can pull a random card from their Deck during a Draw Phase, which they can add to their Hand.**
Graveyard	Also referred to as GY, this refers to the player's discard pile where spent cards are sent to after being used.**

Terms and Glossary

Gameplay Beginner's Guide

Preparing a Deck

Prior to entering a match, players will have an opportunity to prepare the Deck that they'll be using in duels. Each deck contain cards that they can draw in-game to better compete against opponents. The better the cards in a Deck and the better they complement each other, the better the chances are for a player to succeed against opponents

If you're unsure of what extra cards could be added to your deck or crafted, then check out our Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duels staple card guide!
Staple Cards: The Best Cards to Craft

Main Objective

The main objective during a Duel is to reduce the opponent's Life Points or LP to zero. This is done primarily through the use of cards that each player has the opportunity to place on the field.

Attacking Enemy LP

During a match, there are very rare instances where a player will be able to directly attack an opponent's LP. This usually occurs when the opponent does not have a card placed on the field capable of absorbing the player's attacks.

Players, however, will have an opportunity to inflict some damage to the LP of an opponent if their attacking card's ATK is greater than that of the opposing player's card. This effect is greatly reduced if the attacked card has a high DEF stat, with each attacking card only being able to attack once per turn.

Alternate Win Conditions

Aside from reducing the opponent's Life Points to 0, there are other ways to win a Duel! For example, players can Deck Out their opponent, as the player who can no longer draw cards from their Deck will automatically lose!

Some cards also include special win conditions that can be fulfilled once specific requirements are met! Make sure to keep in mind how your Deck will do win conditions with your added cards!

Match Phases

In a match, each player takes turns in trying to get their opponent's LP to reach zero. Each turn a player possesses has three Phases where they can perform actions that build up to the main objective of the game. Although there are 5 phases officially, only three are actually usable within a given turn, as the other two are automatically activated.

Phase	Effect
Draw Phase	The beginning phase in each player's turn, where players are allowed to draw 1 card from their Deck.**
Standby	Phase where players will have to wait while the opponent completes their turn.**
Main Phase One	First active phase in a player's turn where they will be able to set or activate card effects on the field.**
Battle Phase	Phase where players can actively try to assault an opponent's LP or cards.**
Main Phase Two	Similar to effects to Main Phase One.**

Summoning Monsters

In each of the player's Main Phases, they'll be given the opportunity to summon Monster Cards onto the field. Players can choose to either Normal Summon a card to the field, or Set it in a facedown position.

Take note however that players can only summon or set monster cards once per turn. Meaning that if a player chooses to summon a monster during Main Phase One, they can no longer do the same action in Main Phase Two.

Using Spell/Trap Cards

Similar to Monster Cards, Spell or Trap Cards can be selected in each of the game's phases. Unlike Monster Cards, these cards have a very specific effect beyond simply just attacking opponent cards, and it is due to this fact that these cards can be activated during the Main Phases of a turn, and not just in the Battle Phase.

However, this effect is entirely dependent on the effects of a card, as it is usually described there when exactly players can utilize their effects.

New Account Tips

Pick a Starter Deck

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel presents its players a choice between three starter decks they can use as a base deck. It is worth noting that while your initial choice matters, you can get the two decks you didn't pick as rewards from Ranked Duels and Solo Mode Mission.
Best Starter Deck to Choose

Link your KONAMI Account

To prevent any form of loss progress, we advise you to link your game to a KONAMI account. Not only will this save your progress, but it will also allow you to play on other platforms.

Cross Progression: How to Transfer Data

Gold and Normal Duel Pass

Yu Gi Oh! Master Duel also ships with a brand new Duel Pass that rewards players with Gems, Craft Points, and Rare Cosmetics. All new players have access to the Normal Duel Pass while the Gold Duel Pass can be bought for 600 Gems at the store.

Is the Duel Pass Worth it?

Master Duel Solo Mode

Master Duel's Solo Mode is split into Gates that are essentially mini-campaigns that have chapters within them, granting rewards as you progress through. This is a solid way to earn gems and cards from the very beginning and can act as a extension of the game's tutorial.

Solo Mode Guide: Chapters and Rewards

Buy the Structure Decks

In addition to card packs, Master Duel is offering players Structure Decks they can buy and use immediately. These decks save new players the trouble of collecting cards and building a deck. And while the deck itself is not meta-breaking, it is enough to give players different playstyles they can try on ladder.

Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Related Guides

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Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Guides

News and Events	Beginner Guides
Card List	Deck Lists
Accessories	Card Packs
Solo Mode Guide	Best Deck Engines
Proficiency Test	Message Boards