Deck Building
A. Deck Construction Rules
A Deck must contain at least 40 cards. Keep in mind that Decks with
too many cards mean you will have a smaller chance of drawing the
cards you need, so its best to limit your cards to around 40.
You can have up to 3 duplicates of the same card in your Deck. Cards
included in your Side Deck count towards this 3 duplicate limit. Also, be
aware of Forbidden and Limited Cards.
B. Deck Construction Hints
I. Keep the Monster Card to Spell/Trap Card ratio at 1 : 1
The building blocks of your Deck are the Monster Cards. No matter
how many powerful Spell or Trap Cards you have, no monsters on the
field means you've got nothing to defend your Life Points. A general
rule of thumb is that roughly half of your Deck should be made up of
monsters. Therefore, if you've got a Deck of 40 cards, around 20
should be Monster Cards.
II. Keep The Number of High Level Monsters To A Minimum
In order to perform a Tribute Summon (required for a Level 5 or higher
monster), you will have to offer monsters as a Tribute. If your Deck is
filled with high-level monsters, summoning them to the field will be very
costly. Instead, include lots of Level 4 or lower monsters in your Deck
and keep the number of high-level monsters to a minimum.
III. Make Good Use Of Your Effect Monsters
Effect Monsters with Spell or Trap effects play an important strategic
role in your Duels. You can create a powerful Deck if you take full
advantage of these effects. For example, the "Hane-Hane" card forces
your opponent to return one monster from the field to their hand. Using
this card at the right moment could leave your opponent's Life Points
wide open for an attack from a high-level monster.
IV. Include Cards That Increase Opportunities To Draw
In a Duel, the basic rule is that you can only draw 1 card during the
Draw Phase. Therefore, it is strategically to your advantage to be able
to draw more cards than your opponent. For example, cards like "Pot
Of Greed" increase your chances of drawing vital cards from your deck.
V. How To Create Your Side Deck
In between Duels, you are allowed to use a Side Deck of 15 cards to
adjust the contents of your Deck. Prepare your Side Deck with cards
that help address the weaknesses in your Deck or have the power to
neutralize specific cards.
