Makayla Joanne - April, 14th 2023

Yu-Gi-Oh! – The Iconic Trading Card Game

Yu-Gi-Oh is a very popular magna series cartoon (first comic book launched circa 1996) that first debuted on television April 4 th , 1998 in Japan. The premise of the initial launch of the TV series (known as Season 0) followed the trials and tribulations of a Japanese high school student named Yugi Moto. He is passed down an Egyptian relic from his grandfather which is know as the Millennium Puzzle. Upon reassembling the puzzle, Yugi is possessed by a 3,000-year-old pharoah. The season has various protagonists trying to steal the puzzle because of the power it contains, with the main characters Yugi, Joey, Tea and Hondo protecting it.

Season 1, which aired in Japan on April 18 th , 2000 followed a similar story line but instead of an ancient puzzle, pharaoh possession and the quite dark “death games,” they follow a more PG path that involve a card game. This is the story of Yu-Gi-Oh!, as we know it today.

How did Yu-Gi-Oh! become a game?

Yu-Gi-Oh!, season 1 really kicked off the franchise by following the four high school aged protagonists on a journey to Duelist Kingdom to free Yugi Motos grandfather, who had his ultra super rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon card stolen in episode 1 of season 1. In the cartoon series, Yu-Gi-Oh! The card game was played extensively and this was before the game even existed in physical form.

The card game itself was never intended to be made available to the public, in fact, the card game was only set to make a few appearances in the magna, but due to original readers of the comic book series from 1996 and their feedback, YGO’s creator Kazuki Takahashi decided to make it more prevalent within the cartoon. With the success of Pokémon: The Trading Card Game, which was created in Japan in 1998, and Magic: The Gathering which was successfully released to the Japanese market in 2001, the creation of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Card Game was the obvious next step.

The first Booster set: The Legend Of The Blue-Eyes White Dragon

How do you play Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a card game that is played between 2 players, who take turns summoning monsters, casting spells and activating traps to defeat their opponent. The game starts first by shuffling your opponent’s deck and the game begins with both players drawing 5 cards from their deck and 1 card at the beginning of each turn. Each player starts with 8,000 life points and the ultimate objective of the game is to drain your opponent’s life points to zero at which point you would win the game.

Monster cards can be played one of two ways, in either attack or defense mode. Using the attack and defense values at the bottom right of the card will determine which card wins the bout and if any incoming damage is taken, as leftover damage is usually distributed to the opponent, unless their monster card was in defense mode.

Trap and Spell cards can aid you or disrupt your opponent during gameplay. Trap cards have to be placed out during your turn, face down, but can be used during your opponent’s turn. Spell cards can be used during your turn.

There are 7 attributes or card types (located on the top right) which are Dark, Divine, Earth, Fire, Light, Water and Wind. Some cards synergize only with certain attributes, for example, a spell card that serves as a buff might only equip to a Light monster. Monster cards also have levels which range from level 1- 12 which may require sacrificing or “tributing” a card to the graveyard in order to summon or play onto the game field. Monster cards also have types, which again certain cards can affect specific monster types. This is why Yu-Gi-Oh! decks can be customized so well.

Image from https://www.konami.com/

Yu-Gi-Oh! is actually quite easy to learn and to begin playing with friends, however, the advanced set of rules can make this game highly complex, competitive and strategic. This is one of the most popular card games still played all around the world and Konami the maker still regularly release expansions and new content. Check out our Yu-Gi-Oh! Starter Decks and Booster Packs to get started and keep a flow of new YGO cards every month. Thanks for reading!.

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