• Is the first to win 2 Duels in a Match OR
• Has 1 win and 2 draws, is declared the WINNER.
   

• 1 win, 1 loss and 1 draw OR
• 3 draws, the match is considered a DRAW.

Winning a Duel

• Each player begins a Duel with 8000 Life Points.
  
   
• Life Points decrease as a result of damage calculation after battle.
  
  You win a Duel if you reduce your opponents Life Points to 0. If your opponent reduces your Life Points to 0, YOU lose!
  
   
• If you and your opponent both reach 0 Life Points at the same time, the Duel is declared a DRAW.
  
   
• If either players Deck runs out of cards during a Duel, the first player unable to draw a card is declared the LOSER. Bearing this in mind, a good duelist should make every card count.
  
   
• If at any time during the Duel you hold the following cards in your hand, you instantly win the Duel:
  
   

  Right Leg of the Forbidden One
  Left Leg of the Forbidden One
  Right Arm of the Forbidden One
  Left Arm of the Forbidden One
  Exodia the Forbidden One

• The Deck used for dueling should contain a minimum of 40 cards. Aside from this minimum limit, your Deck can contain as many cards as you like.
  
   
• In addition to your dueling Deck, you can also have 15 additional cards in a separate pile known as the Side Deck. The Side Deck allows you to modify your Deck to better suit your strategy during a Match.
  
   
• Between Duels, you can exchange any card from your Side Deck with any card in your Deck - as long as you end up with the same number of cards that your Deck began the Match with.
  
   
• The Side Deck you create must contain exactly 15 cards at the beginning of a Match. In other words, if you don't have enough cards to create a 15 card Side Deck, you cannot use one at all. NOTE: This Starter Deck contains 50 cards, so you will need 5 more cards to create a Side Deck.
  
   
• In any Match, the Deck and Side Deck combined cannot contain more than 3 copies of the same card. Also, be aware of Forbidden and Limited Cards.

• Before you start a Duel, greet your opponent with a friendly handshake.
  
   
• Both players shuffle their respective Decks and hand them to their opponent to shuffle (this is called Cutting the Deck). The Decks are then returned to their owners and placed face-down in their respective Deck Zones on the Duel Field.
  
   
• When using Fusion Monster Card(s), place the card(s) face-down on the Fusion Deck Zone of the Duel Field. A Fusion Deck is a card or a group of cards consisting only of Fusion Monsters formed by fusing 2 or more monsters during a Duel (Fusion Monsters). NOTE: The cards of the Fusion Deck are NOT counted in the 40 cards minimum limit of the Deck.
  
   
• Show your opponent that your Side Deck contains exactly 15 cards (the cards may be counted face-down). When your Side Deck cards are exchanged with those in your Deck, count the cards of your Side Deck with your opponent once again to verify that the Deck still contains the same number of cards.
  
   
• For the first Duel in a Match, decide who starts first with a coin toss. For subsequent Duels in the Match, the loser of the previous Duel decides who starts first.
  
   
• Finally, each player draws 5 cards from the top of their respective Decks. Once both players have 5 cards in their hand, the Duel begins, following the rules in Phases of Gameplay. Before you learn how a Yu-Gi-Oh! turn proceeds, it is important to fully understand the Duel Field and game cards. Understanding how each type of card works will help you plan strategies to ensure that you will emerge from the Match victorious!

I. Keep the Monster Card to Magic/Trap Card ratio at 1 : 1

The building blocks of your Deck are the Monster Cards. No matter how many powerful Magic 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 youÍve 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 Magic 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.

The following cards will help strengthen anyone's Deck:

Raigeki              Monster Reborn              Dark Hole

  Pot of Greed          Change of Heart

C. Forbidden And Limited Cards
According to the Official Rules, certain cards have specific quantity restrictions that limit the number that can be included in a Deck. These limited cards are announced at Official Tournaments, and should be taken into account when customizing your Deck.