Monster Cards

Monster cards are the main focus of Yu-Gi-Oh! and are the primary way of playing the game. Monster cards are used to both take away from your opponet's life points as well as protect your own. Monster cards have two stats, attack and defense. Attack points are how you deal damage to your opponent, and when two monsters in attack mode fight eachother, the monster with more attack points stays on the field while the other monster goes to the graveyard. Then the difference between the two monster's attack points is taken out of your opponent's life points. Attack position monster can also attack your opponent directly, as long as they have no monsters on their side of the field, and if they do you take that monster's attack points out of your opponent's life points. Monsters also have a defense state the is used to protect your life points. If an attack position monster attack a defense position monster then even if the attack position monster's attack stat is higher than the defense position monster's defense stat, no damage is deal. The only time damage would be taken is if a monster attack a defense position monster with more defense points that the other monster's attack points.

Monster cards come in different types, attributes, and level, each of which determines something about the monster. The main thing you want to focus on is the monster's level which indicates how stong a monster is. Monster can have a level between 1-12 and their level is represented by the starts under their name. Monsters with levels 1-4 can be normal summoned but any monster higher than that requires a tribute, which is where you send a mosnter(s) to the graveyard to bring out a stonger monster. Monsters with levels between 5 and 6 only require 1 tribute while monsters with levels between 7-12 require 2 tributes(NOTE: once on the field it cannot be returned to the hand unless by an effect). For the most part, the attribute and type of a monster won't matter unless it's needed for a card effect.

Lastly there are different categories of monster cards. Monster cards can be divied into 9 different categories being: normal, effect, ritual, fusion, synchro, xyz, pendulum, link, and token and each of these categories of monster cards have different colored borders. A normal monster is a monster without any special effects and has a light tan border. An effect monster is a monster with an effect and has a dark tan border. Ritual monster are mosnter that require a spell card and for you to tribute mosnter whose levels add up to it's level to special summon it, they have light blue borders. Fusion monsters are monsters that require a polymirization spell card and 2+ specific monster to summon, they have purple borders. Synchro monster are mosnters that require a tuner monster and a non tuner monster whose levels add up to the synchro monster's level to special summon it, they have white borders. Xyz monsters require 2+ monster with the same level to be special summoned, they have black borders. Pendulum monsters are monsters that are both monster cards and spell cards and have the ability to special summon mosnters whose levels fall inbetween their pendulum scale, they either have a normal or effect monster border split with a spell card border. Link monster are monster that require 1-6 monsters (depending on their link ranking)to be tributed to special summon them, they have dark bule borders. Finally there are token mosnter which are monster with no effects and are summoned becasue of monster/spell/trap effects, they have gray borders.