Victory condition

Victory Conditions refer to the various ways a player can win a Duel.

Normal Victory conditions

These are the typical ways to win in the game's mechanics.

• Your opponent's Life Points are reduced to 0.
• Your opponent has no cards in his/her Main Deck when he/she is required to draw a card.
• Your opponent surrenders.
• Most major tournament duels are timed for certain reason(s). The player with more Life Points by the end of the time limit wins the Duel.

Special Victory conditions

These cards allow you to win the duel through their effects.

• Exodia: If you hold "Exodia the Forbidden One" along with "Left Arm of the Forbidden One", "Right Arm of the Forbidden One", "Left Leg of the Forbidden One" and "Right Leg of the Forbidden One" in your hand at the same time, you win the Duel.
• Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord: If "Exodia the Forbidden One", "Left Arm of the Forbidden One", "Right Arm of the Forbidden One", "Left Leg of the Forbidden One" and "Right Leg of the Forbidden One" are sent to the Graveyard by the effect of "Exodius", you win the Duel. "Exodius" sends monsters from your hand or Deck to the Graveyard every time it attacks.
• Destiny Board: If "Destiny Board", "Spirit Message "I"", "Spirit Message "N"", "Spirit Message "A"" and "Spirit Message "L"" were all placed on your side of the field in that order through "Destiny Board's" effect, you win the Duel. "Destiny Board's" effect allows you to place one of the "Spirit Message" cards from your hand or Deck onto the Field during each of your opponent's turns.
• Final Countdown: Once "Final Countdown" is activated by paying 2000 Life Points, you win the Duel in 20 turns.
• Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes: If "Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes" on your side of the field has three Hyper-Venom Counters on it, you win the Duel. "Vennominaga" gains a Hyper-Venom Counter every time it inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent's Life Points.
• The Creator God of Light, Horakhty: If "The Creator God of Light, Horakhty" is Special Summoned by Tributing "Slifer the Sky Dragon", "Obelisk the Tormentor" and "The Winged Dragon of Ra", the player that Summoned it wins the Duel. Its Summon cannot be negated, so cards like "Solemn Judgment", "Solemn Warning", etc. are useless against it.
• Number 88: Gimmick Puppet - Destiny Leo: If "Destiny Leo" has three Destiny Counters, its controller wins the Duel. It can gain a Destiny Counter each turn the player removes an Xyz Material and decides to skip their Battle Phase while they control no Spells or Traps.
• Last Turn: When you activate "Last Turn", you choose one monster on your side of the field, and all other cards on the field and in the players' hands are sent to the Graveyard. Your opponent then Special Summons a monster from his/her Deck. A special Battle Phase occurs in which the two monsters battle (Battle Damage is ignored). The player whose monster remains alone on the field at the End Phase of this turn wins the Duel. This card is currently Forbidden in the Advanced Format.
• Match Winners: If a Match Winner attacks your opponent directly and makes his/her Life Points 0 by the Battle Damage it inflicted, you win the entire Match instead of just the Duel. All Match Winners printed are Illegal, except for "Victory Dragon", which is instead Forbidden in the Advanced Format.
• Deuce: If you damage your opponent two times in a row after activating when both players have under 1000 Life points, you win the Duel. This is an anime-only card.

"Pseudo" Victory Conditions

These cards don't directly cause you to win the Duel, but rather can set up a situation in which is it impossible for your opponent to win the Duel.

• Arcana Force XXI - The World: This card is the main card of the World Lock, a Lockdown that allows the player to Tribute 2 monsters for The World's Heads effect, skipping their opponent's turn, while the particular effects of those 2 monsters allow them to return to the field to be immediately Tributed on the next turn. This prevents the opponent from ever having another turn, making it impossible for the opponent to win.
• Yata-Garasu: If you successfully inflict damage by an attack from "Yata-Garasu" while your opponent controls no cards and has no cards in his/her hand, then it will be impossible for your opponent to win as long as you keep attacking. Because "Yata-Garasu" skips the opponent's next Draw Phase each time it inflicts damage, they will never be able to play any cards and will be stuck in an inescapable Lockdown loop. In most video games, such as the Tag Force series and the World Championship series, the AI opponent will surrender during their Main Phase 1 after this Lockdown is set up (the only way the AI will ever surrender). This card is currently Forbidden in the Advanced Format.
• Tsukuyomi, Mask of Darkness, Time Seal: If you control these three cards, then you can use Tsukuyomi's effect to flip Mask of Darkness face-down and Flip Summon it every turn, using Mask of Darkness's Flip Effect to bring back Time Seal and activate it every turn. This causes your opponent to never have another Draw Phase for the rest of the Duel. If they had no cards in their hand or on their side of the field, they will never be able to play any cards and it will be impossible for them to win. Time Seal is currently Forbidden in the Advanced Format.
• Relay Soul: If you activate Relay Soul and then allow the monster Special Summoned by its effect to leave the field without being destroyed (such as by Tributing it), then it will be impossible for you to lose the Duel, since it will be impossible to destroy that monster. This is an anime-only card.
• Divine Serpent: In a similar way to Relay Soul, if you Summon Divine Serpent and then allow it to leave the field without being destroyed, it will be impossible for you to lose the Duel, since it will be impossible to destroy Divine Serpent. This is an anime-only card.

Infinite Life Points

These cards don't directly cause you to win the Duel, but rather allow you to get an unlimited number of Life Points at once, making it very difficult for your opponent to win the Duel.

• Flint, Flint Lock, Flint Lock, and Morale Boost: If you control Flint, two copies of Flint Lock, and Morale Boost, then you can continuously equip Flint, switching between the two Flint Locks, while Morale Boost gives you 1000 Life Points each time you do so. This can be repeated infinitely.
• Butterfly Dagger - Elma, Gearfried the Iron Knight, and Spell Absorption: If you control Gearfried the Iron Knight and Spell Absorption with Butterfly Dagger - Elma in your hand, then you can continuously equip Butterfly Dagger - Elma to Gearfried the Iron Knight (since Butterfly Dagger - Elma will be destroyed and returned to the hand each time it is equipped) while Spell Absorption gives you 500 Life Points each time you do so. This can be repeated infinitely. Butterfly Dagger - Elma is currently Forbidden in the Advanced Format.

Changing Victory Conditions

• Relay Soul and Divine Serpent: These cards remove all of the opponent's Victory Conditions (apart from surrendering). Instead, the opponent's sole Victory Condition becomes the destruction of a particular monster on the field. Both these cards are anime-only.
• Infernity Zero: While this card is face-up on the field, it removes the opponent's Victory Condition of being able to win if the player's Life Points become 0. This card exists only in the anime and in the video game Tag Force 6.