Monster Card

Monster Card
Japanese	モンスター(カード)
Japanese (romanized)	Monsutā(kādo)
English	Monster Card or monster
Other names French: Carte Monstre or monstre German: Monster(karte) Italian: Carta Mostro or mostro Korean: 몬스터 (카드) Monseuteo (Kadeu) Portuguese: Card de Monstro or monstro Spanish: Carta de Monstruo or monstruo Traditional Chinese: 怪獸(卡) Guàishòu(kǎ) / Gwaai3 sau3 (kaat1)
Lists	members

Monster Cards (Japanese: モンスターカード Monsutākādo) represent monsters that players battle against each other or directly against either player during the Battle Phase. Monsters are the main focus of Duel Monsters. Monster Cards are differentiated by their names, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF, Level/Rank/Link Rating. Monster Cards can be subdivided into Normal Monsters, Effect Monsters, Ritual Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters, Xyz Monsters, Pendulum Monsters, Link Monsters and Token Monsters, each with a distinctive colored card frame to differentiate them.

Normal Monsters lack effects and are not typically paired with any other Monster Card types (with the exception of Gemini monsters, a class of Effect Monsters which are summoned as Normal Monsters, and some Pendulum Monsters, which can also be Normal Monsters). Effect Monsters cannot also be Normal Monsters (with the exception of the aforementioned Gemini monsters), but they can also be Ritual Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters, Xyz Monsters, Pendulum Monsters, and Link Monsters. Some Ritual Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters, Xyz Monsters, and Link Monsters lack effects and are thus not also Effect Monsters, but they are not considered Normal Monsters. Such monsters are known as Non-Effect Monsters.

During play, monster cards can be played in either face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. The importance of monster cards lies in their effects (which usually activate during their controller's Main Phase) and their ATK and DEF values during the Battle Phase (or more specifically, the Damage Step).

When a card's text reads a word or phrase in quotation marks followed by monster, it means a monster with the word or phrase in its name. e.g. a "Six Samurai" monster is a monster with "Six Samurai" in its card name.

Examples

• 

  A Token Monster.
  For a list of Token Monsters, see List of Token Monsters.

• 

  A Normal Monster.
  For a list of Normal Monsters, see List of Normal Monsters.

• 

  An Effect Monster.
  For a list of Effect Monsters, see List of Effect Monsters.

• 

  An Union Monster.
  For a list of Union monsters, see List of Union monsters.

• 

  A Spirit Monster.
  For a list of Spirit Monsters, see List of Spirit Monsters.

• 

  A Flip Monster.
  For a list of Flip Monsters, see List of Flip monsters.

• 

  A Gemini Monster.
  For a list of Gemini monsters, see List of Gemini monsters.

• 

  A Ritual Monster.
  For a list of Ritual Monsters, see List of Ritual Monsters.

• 

  A Tuner Monster.
  For a list of Tuner monsters, see List of Tuner monsters.

• 

  A Fusion Monster.
  For a list of Fusion Monsters, see List of Fusion Monsters.

• 

  A Synchro Monster.
  For a list of Synchro Monsters, see List of Synchro Monsters.

• 

  An Xyz Monster.
  For a list of Xyz Monsters, see List of Xyz Monsters.

• 

  A Pendulum Monster.
  For a list of Pendulum Monsters, see List of Pendulum Monsters

• 

  A Link Monster.
  For a list of Link Monsters, see List of Link Monsters.