The Essential Guide to Starting Your Yu-Gi-Oh Card Collection
Is the Yu-Gi-Oh trading card game popular? You bet! In 2020, pre-Covid, over 2,200 duelists battled at the Yu-Gi-Oh Card Championship Series. There was a recent event scheduled, but unfortunately, it was canceled.
Japanese company Konami released the Yu-Gi-Oh card game in Japan in 1999. It was then released three years later in North America. So, the game is over 20 years old and just as famous. The live dueling events will be back soon. But, in the meantime, you can take part in online duels or play with your friends.
So, in preparation, spend some time curating the ultimate Yu-Gi-Oh card-battling deck. The creators, Konami, have not released a recent count of how many different Yu-Gi-Oh cards exist. But fans have suggested about 12,000.
That's quite a lot to collect. Luckily, you only need 40 cards for your main deck. So, let's take a look at the best way to build a winning Yu-Gi-Oh card collection.
Consider What Type of Player You Want to Be
Your deck will look different if you want to play competitively rather than as a casual player. For this purpose, you can split players into four main categories.
The Aggro Player: wants to finish the game as quickly as possible. They will attack with the strongest monsters they have and aim to wipe out all of your cards. Aggro players will invest in mighty Dinosaur or Gren Maju decks.
The Combo Player: This player will lay cards in succession to beat opponents. In their mind, every Yu-Gi-Oh card can connect to another. Potential combo decks include Adamancipator and Infernoblade.
The Control Player: These players will continue to attack you until you lose your life points. Unlike the aggro player, it's not a quick finish. It's slow, calculative, and painful. They aim to stop you from playing the cards you want. Both Eldich and Sky Striker decks are popular with control players.
The Stun Player: They will focus on limiting the cards you can play. For example, Macro Cosmos and Vanity's Fiend are considered stun cards. Inspector Boarder and Barrier Statue are popular stun decks.
Buy a Starter Pack or a Structure Deck, or Start From Scratch
There are three different ways to start collecting cards. A starter pack will give you various cards for beginners. Starter packs aim to teach you how to play with the cards and get you used to the game's flow.
A starter pack is a great way to have a general understanding of different card types. It will also be helpful to learn how people can counter-attack your cards.
A structure deck will provide the same knowledge but with clearer links between the cards. You will find a more structured play as the cards in the pack work together. From then, learn which cards you enjoy playing and what feels most valuable to you.
Finally, you could build your card entirely from scratch. To do so, you'll need to do a lot more research. Deck profiles can help you identify the future Yu-Gi-Oh card to include in your hand.
Find Deck Profiles Online
A Yu-Gi-Oh card deck profile is a list separated into monster, spell, and trap cards. There are hundreds of deck profiles available to view online for free.
However, a quick word of warning, a new Yu-Gi-Oh card set is released every year. So when searching online, be sure to include the year. For example, our dinosaur deck from 2006 will have different cards from our dinosaur deck this year.
So, you've decided what kind of player you want to be, and you've chosen the core of your first deck. Now it's time to practice and explore which other cards complement it.
Online and offline, there are different ways to test your decks. One of the best places is Duellingbrook because every Yu-Gi-Oh card is unlocked. So you can make your dream Yu-Gi-Oh card deck with a good selection of the three card types.
Study the Different Cards
There are three main types of Yu-Gi-Oh cards. When you are collecting cards, you'll need all three classes in your deck. Within these categories, there are also many subcategories, which will talk about more later.
Monster Cards
Your monster card is your attack. You should aim for 18 monster cards in your first deck. On the card, a stronger monster will have a higher level.
You will have to sacrifice a monster on the field to summon your monster. A level 5 monster or below needs one sacrifice. However, a level 7 monster will need two sacrifices.
As a beginner, don't fall for the belief that you're more likely to win if you have the strongest cards. If you don't understand how the different cards connect and support one another, you will still lose.
Spell Cards
A spell Yu-Gi-Oh card will do one of two things. Either its spell will somehow weaken your opponent or make you stronger. Have another look at your deck profile to see which spell cards are most beneficial to your specific deck.
A word of warning because some spell cards are limited. Meaning you can only have a set number in your deck. These are often the most potent spell Yu-Gi-Oh cards.
For example, the Reinforcement of the Army card allows you to bring any level 4 or lower monster from your deck to your hand. However, you are limited to three Reinforcement of the Army cards in your deck.
There are various levels of limited cards, so be sure to check online before you buy a powerful Yu-Gi-Oh card.
Trap Cards
There are three types of trap cards: continuous traps, standard traps, and counter traps. A continuous trap card will stay in play on the field throughout the game. You can use a standard trap card for one effect in your game. Then finally, a counter trap card will stop your opponent from summoning a card or making a move.
Think of Your Deck as a Rainbow
Each Yu-Gi-oh card is a different color for ease of identification in your hand. For example, monster cards are yellow, spell cards are green, and trap cards are purple.
When collecting cards, make sure you understand how the different cards work and try to have a mixture in your decks.
- Orange - Effect Monsters
- Half green - Pendulum Monsters
- Light blue - Ritual Monsters
- Dark Blue - Link Monsters
- Violet - Fusion Monsters
- White - Synchro Monsters
- Gray - Token Monsters / Counters
- Dark Gray - Dark Synchro Monsters
- Black - Xyz Monsters
There are also three God cards, but these are forbidden at tournaments because they are so strong. However, don't let that stop you from summoning them during a game with your friends.
- Dark yellow - The Winged Dragon of Ra
- Red - Slifer the Sky Dragon
- Navy Blue - Obelisk the Tormentor
Buy Doubles of Useful Cards
Once you have played a few hands of your deck, either in real life or online, you should realize which of your cards are most helpful. Then purchase doubles to increase the probability of drawing them.
With a 40 card deck, the probability of drawing the one card you want is 15%. However, with a second copy of the same card, your chances rise to 28%. But watch out because you can only have three copies of the same card across all of your decks.
Consider an Extra Deck and Side Deck
We know that having three decks in a game can confuse beginners. To clarify, you will primarily draw a Yu-Gi-Oh card from your main deck during gameplay. This deck should have between 40 - 60 cards.
An extra deck isn't necessary but can be helpful. It will consist of 15 cards that mix Synchro, Xyz, Fusion, and Link Monsters. You will need a Special Summon to draw these cards in your play.
Finally, the side deck has 15 cards. Again it is not compulsory to play with a side deck, but they can come in handy for removing spells and traps. During gameplay, you can use the cards from your side deck to alter your main or extra deck. However, you can only use your side deck in a tournament after the first battle has finished.
Research the Cost of Your Desired Set
With most trading cards, the rarity of the item determines the price. However, the Yu-Gi-Oh market is unique in that pricing is also determined by the card's usefulness.
Everyday gaming cards with no special holograms cost as little as 16 cents. However, a Secret Rare Yu-Gi-Oh card has a rainbow-colored tint and can fetch between 100 to 200$.
Interestingly, one of the most expensive Yui-Gi-Oh cards is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon LOB 1st Edition. There are only three copies of this card globally, and it would set you back between 1,500 to 2,000$.
Buy Online or Face-To-Face
Some Yu-Gi-Oh players only purchase cards they have physically seen. This is because they want to inspect the quality of the card before getting it.
However, in recent years we've seen an increase in traders online. As a result, several recognized sellers of the Yu-Gi-Oh card exist. But buying directly from us guarantees excellent quality and price.
By choosing to buy your Yu-Gi-Oh card online, you can usually find better deals, see everything in stock at a glance and even get free shipping. It will save you time, effort, and money. So, you'll have more free time to practice your Yu-Gi-Oh card skills.
Protect Your Yu-Gi-Oh Card Collection
Yu-Gi-Oh cards can be easily damaged because they are made from paperboard. After you've spent so much time collating your ideal deck, it would be a shame for them to get ruined.
We'd recommend investing in quality card sleeves. Try to avoid the cheap, thin sleeves because they offer little in the way of support for your deck. Also, be sure only to purchase transparent covers.
Remember that each Yu-Gi-Oh card has a set color, so you may be accused of cheating if you are buying colored sleeves.
Continue to Upgrade Your Decks
As your skill develops, you may want to rotate, remove or upgrade your decks. You'll quickly learn new combo sets and counter chains. As you do, update your decks to match your newly acquired knowledge.
A great way to upgrade your desk is to invest in booster packs. Inside you'll find a rare card, seven standard cards, and a mystery card chosen at random.
Remember to test out the gameplay online with each new upgrade or change. When you change your deck depends entirely on you. Some hardcore player changes their Yu-Gi-Oh card deck every other week. Other less frequent players might change it every year.
Join the Fantastic Yu-Gi-Oh Community
The Yu-Gi-Oh card community is alive and kicking. Although face-to-face duels have taken a backseat, the online community is growing. You can join many different Yu-gi-Oh groups.
Check on general sites such as Facebook and Reddit. There are also dedicated forums such as YGOPRO. In these forums, you can challenge people to duels, ask questions and make Yu-Gi-Oh fan friends.
Let's Battle With Your Yu-Gi-Oh Card Deck
That's it. Yu-Gi-Oh is a fun, fast-paced, and thrilling game from your very first card to the last. For the past 20 years, people have loved battling together on the field.
And now, you have all the information you need to build your very own Yu-Gi-Oh card deck. Just follow the simple guidelines we've provided, and you'll soon be ready for your first challenge.
Next, study the rules and learn the tricks of the game. There's quite a lot, so it will take time to get used to the game. The best way to learn the rules is by playing. So, play some fun games with your friends and duel at competitions. Then, we look forward to battling you in the future.
Visit us online for all your trading card game needs, and get dueling.