Looking to build a Yugioh deck? A wise choice, and the start of your path towards becoming the greatest duelist who ever lived… Or number one among your circle of friends and fellow trading card game enthusiasts, at least.
This handy guide covers all the basics for building decks, explaining the official deck building rules, key terminology, and what to keep in mind as you approach your first duel. If you want to find a deck that will help make sure you win, we have another guide to the best Yugioh decks out there. If you want to learn about the game’s most famous cards, try our up to date list of the rarest and most expensive Yugioh cards of all time!
Here’s how to build a Yugioh deck:
- How many cards in a Yugioh deck?
- How many copies of a card in a Yugioh deck?
- What are Yugioh archetypes?
- How many monster, spell, or trap cards should my Yugioh deck have?
- What are Yugioh Side Decks and Extra Decks?
- Are there banned Yugioh cards?
How many cards in a Yugioh deck?
Every Yugioh deck has to have a minimum of 40 cards, and can have up to a maximum of 60 cards. In general, it’s best to have a smaller deck because that increases your odds of drawing your most important cards.
It’s likely that you will need an Extra Deck to hold a variety of special summon monsters. This can have up to 15 cards. If you’re playing in a tournament you’ll also build a 15 card a Side Deck with cards you can swap into your deck between games.
How many copies of a card in a Yugioh deck?
You can have up to three copies of any one card across your Main Deck, Side Deck, and Extra Deck. The Yugioh banlist may add further limits: you cannot take any copies of a banned card, up to one copy of a limited card, and up to two copies of a semi-limited card.
What are Yugioh archetypes?
Yugioh archetypes are themes to build your decks around. They are a set of cards – monsters, spells, and trap – that are linked together. One card might refer to another by name. Or they might share certain descriptions: for example, a card that lets you search your deck for a Lightsworn card could let you find ‘Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner’, ‘Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon’, or any card with the word Lightsworn in its name.
You’re free to build any legal deck, but you will create a more powerful deck by sticking close to an archetype. Most Yugioh structure decks are fitted to one archetype in particular!
Each archetype is like a particular fighter in a beat-em-up videogame, with a unique playstyle, combos, strengths and weaknesses. Finding an archetype that you gel with, and working out how to get the most from it, is a big part of the fun!
How many monster, spell, or trap cards should my Yugioh deck have?
With a 40 card deck, aim for 16 to 24 monsters, with the remainder being spells and traps. This is a good rule of thumb to get you started.
Make sure that you have enough low level monsters, and monsters with appropriate types, to summon the more powerful monsters you want to include in your deck. In the most basic terms, it’s no good having level 5 or higher monsters if you don’t have enough level 4 monsters to act as sacrifice materials so you can tribute summon them.
As most high power monsters now require special summoning from your Extra Deck, it’s important to understand what conditions you have to meet. Our how to play Yugioh guide explains all the different summon types. For example, to Synchro summon, you need to tribute a Tuner monster and another monster with a specified combined level – make sure that your deck can fulfil both requirements.
If you’re getting into competitive play, it’s a good idea to start by copying an online deck list. The best combos are well established, as are the most important hand trap cards that will protect you from them.
What are Yugioh Side Decks and Extra Decks?
Side Decks and Extra Decks are complementary cards to your main deck. Your Side Deck and Extra Deck may each contain up to 15 cards.
Extra Decks contain monsters that cannot be Normal or Tribute summoned and depend on a special summoning method, effects, or spells to enter the field. Fusion, Xyz, Synchro, Link, and Pendulum monsters will usually start the game in the Extra Deck.
If you haven’t played Yugioh for a long time, you may know this as the ‘Fusion Deck’: it has been renamed now that there are so many ways to special summon monsters.
The Side Deck is only required for officially sanctioned competitions. Each round of the tournament, you and your opponent will play your first match with your main deck. Then, after your first match, you have the option to replace main deck cards with cards from your side deck.
You and your opponent have to reveal what these 15 cards are at the start of your match, but you don’t have to make any swaps if you don’t want to.
Side Decks are incredibly handy for providing answers to problems you suspect you will face in the tournament. You can build in a plan B for when the armor in your punchy dragon deck falters, or your elaborate Synchro is just too slow for a particular opposing playstyle.
Are there banned Yugioh cards?
Some Yugioh cards are banned, or limited to just one or two cards in a deck, and it’s a list that changes over time. This list applies to all official events, and in casual play it’s impolite to use banned cards without first getting your opponent’s consent.
Our guide to the Yugioh banlist explains which cards are currently forbidden, limited, or semi-limited. Forbidden cards cannot be used in official play at all. If a card is limited, you can have up to one copy in either your Main Deck, Side Deck, or Extra Deck. If a card is semi-limited, you can have up to two copies.
That’s everything you need to know! In case you were wondering, we also have primers explaining how to build a Pokemon TCG deck, and how to build a Magic: The Gathering deck.