Now I have been into Yugioh since about episode 10 of the series, and waited excitably for a chance to actually get in the card game. I got the PS1 gameForbidden Memories (it's one of my top rated review so please click on the link) but was disappointed when it wasn’t a real version of the game. That is why I preorder the Eternal Duelist Soul for my GBA and played that and got hooked. While I haven't collected to many of the real cards, I have played both the GBA game to death, and played several duels using the real cards.

How did Yugioh start.
Believe it or not it Yugioh the comic and the Anime series wasn’t created around the card game, rather the card game was spawn from the anime. The reason why the Anime was dubbed was to sell the Card game, that is why they don't start at the beginning. That's the first reason, the 2nd reason why is because the first real season of the show had a darker story line, and an almost homicidal Yami Yugi. To see what I mean then read my review of Yugioh Graphical novel number 1

The original story of Yugioh at a 15 year old High School Japanese student named Yugi who puts together a magic puzzle. Yugi being a shy kid gets possed by the spirit that lives in the puzzle. When Yugi is ever in danger the spirit intervenes and usually invents creative, and often dangerous to play with Yugi's tormenters. The games where dangerous in one game they play Russian food roulette and which Mokuba and Yugi play a game of where they eat food on a turn table, if they get the wrong food they get posion to death. Like I said not for children so these got cut out.

When the trading card game hit the comic Japanese readers liked the idea they wrote into the Shonen Jump Magazine and asked for the real rules for the game. This got the author into creating the trading card game we know today. Of course the game maker Konami (known for it's popular Castlevania games) saw a chance to bring it to the USA picked up the series and that's how it got here.

So what are the rules
The rules of the game are easy. The idea is to get the other players life points to zero. Other ways of winning is to let the other opponent run out of cards (and yes this can be a strategy with the right cards), or to draw all 5 pieces of the exodia monster (the cheapest and worst strategy to use).

The game is played in rotating turns each turn has different phases.

Draw Phase. The player draws one card.

Main Phase. This is the phase that let's summon one monster either in attack mode or defense mode. It's a bit complicated because stronger monsters with 5 to 7 stars on them require you to sacrifice a monster on the field to summon, 7 or more will require you to sacrifice 2 monsters.
traps and magic cards can be used and set at this time, any number can be used, but only 5 face down magic or trap cards can be on the field at a time.

Battle Phase.
Any of your monster in attack mode when battle phase starts get's to attack an oppontant monster. If they have more attack points then there oppontants attack or defense points (depending on what mode the monster is in) the monster is destroyed. If it is in attack mode the opponent looses the difference in life points. If defense mode then it's destroyed no body looses life points from there monster when it's in defense mode.

Main Phase 2.
An often skip phase it’s the same thing has phase one but it becomes after battle phase. A good time to set traps and magic cards, or to recover from an opponents trap.

End Phase.
You end your turn and your opponents draw phase begins.

Types of cards.
There are different types of cards
monster cards.
Regular monster cards are yellow and can be summoned one at a time. They don't have any special rules or abilities, these of course are a foundation of a good deck. You don't want all regular monster cards in a deck or else your going to get corner easily, but your going to want a good amount.

Effect cards.
Monster cards with special effects are redish brown. The effects can be many and vary some of them making the cards more useful by letting a weak monster destroy a stronger card like the case of man eater bug, or making a strong card weaker like dark elf my making you pay life points in order to use. The most treacherous ones are flip effects when set face down in defense mode when your oppontant attacks they flip over and activate. They can make you draw cards, destroy monsters, or let you draw more cards. Flip effect cards are a necessary must.

Magic cards.
Most games have some sort of card you can throw down that has some sort of effect that in powers the user with the ability to do something that ultimately may turn the game around. Magic cards are that in Yugioh. From destroying monsters, to bringing them back, and powering up magic cards are also good cards to have.

Traps.
Traps are what make the game of Yugioh special. These are purple and must be set on the field rather then just used. After the turn there set is over they can then be used at any time after that (inless there is a specific effect that can only be used in a certain situation) even your opponents turn. These are the most deadly ones and since you can set magic cards face down it is often tricky to guess what your opponent has in store.

Fusion monsters.
To use this you must use the magic card Polymerization and then sacrifice the two monsters listed on the card from the field or your hand. Once sacrificed the monster can be special summoned to the field. Fusion monsters are good because they can be sacrificed from your hand and there are a lot of them that are really powerful. But it’s a pain to draw the right combination + Polymerization. But the fusion monsters are in a side deck and can’t be destroyed by cards like morphing jar intill after there summoned.

Ritual Monsters.
Not big on Ritual monsters by self to get these you must get both the right ritual magic card for that creature, has well has the creature it summons. After you set down the magic cards you must sacrifice monsters in till you get the total number of stars or more that is listed has tribute on magic cards (in other words to summon a monster requiring 8 magic cards you can sacrifice a 5 and a 3 star monster) from your hand and deck. Why I am not big on these is like fusions these to require the patience to draw the correct cards, but unlike fusion you must place the card in your hand. The advantage is any combination of cards will work so it’s your choice if you want fusion or ritual monsters in your deck.

Now there are a few other things like the element of the monster, and the type. These are important because there are magic cards that only effect monsters that are a certain type or field. Field cards a good example some monsters get field powered bonus if there on the field that helps with what kind of element they are.

What I like about the game
Well first off Yugioh is easy to learn, while all the monsters and traps might make it sound confusing, but what you really just need to know is what to do during the different phases. After that it’s just a matter of following the instructions listed on the cards. So the game is simple and by no means complex. The hard parts is putting together a good deck with cards that can work together and can support each other. After that the whole premise of the game is to put on your best poker face because with things like effects cards and trap cards it’s easy to bluff, and be bluffed.

Also the amount of cards and there effects really let’s you change your deck and your strategy. There is no card that is better then the rest, or a perfect strategy. With all the traps and tricks you can play on your opponent the game can be changed from where one player has the upper hand is going to win in 2 turns, to where it’s just the opposite.

Good ways to learn the game, without spending a lot of money.
The game comes with instruction booklets in every starter deck that is sold. There are also video games. The video games are the best way to practice and playing Yugioh, but watch out there are a lot of bad games. I recommend the Yugioh games for the GBA, mainly the eternal duelist soul, and the new world tournament game released last spring. The rest of them don’t really use the Yugioh card game rules, and a lot of them just plain suck.

Once you get into the game the decks cost about 10 dollars, they contain an instruction booklet and half of a field map (the idea is that you both have bought decks and have 2 field maps). and the booster packs are about 3 to 4 dollars. I haven’t bough ten to many of these mainly because I don’t have the money to spend on them but if you like spending money on playing cards then this could get pretty expensive.

Final Recommendation.
The Yugioh trading card game is a pretty addictive and fun game to play.




Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 10.00deck
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older