Linked

This article is about the gameplay mechanic. For the property on Link Monsters, see Link Rating. For other uses, see Link (disambiguation).

Linked
Japanese	リンク状（じょう）態（たい）
Japanese (ruby)	リンクじょうたい
Japanese (base text)	リンク状態
Japanese (romanized)	Rinku Jōtai
Japanese (translated)	Link State

A monster is linked (リンク状（じょう）態（たい） Rinku Jōtai, "Link State") if its Link Arrow is pointing to a monster, or if another monster's Link Arrow is pointing to it.

Co-linked

Co-linked (相（そう）互（ご）リンク Sōgo Rinku, "Mutual Link") is a kind of linked that occurs when two Link Monsters' Link Arrows are pointing to each other. For example, if one player controls a Link Monster with a Down Link Arrow in an Extra Monster Zone, and a Link Monster with an Up Link Arrow in their Main Monster Zone in the same column, then those two Link Monsters are co-linked.

Extra Link

An Extra Link is a chain of co-links that connects both Extra Monster Zones. This allows a player to control monsters in both Extra Monster Zones simultaneously. Since both are occupied, the opponent cannot use either of the Extra Monster Zones unless they remove a monster from one of those zones.

A player can perform an Extra Link, so long as the following conditions are met:

1. The player controls a Link Monster in an Extra Monster Zone while the other Extra Monster Zone is unoccupied.
2. The three middle Main Monster Zones on one side of the field must be occupied by Link Monsters.
3. Each of the Link Monsters involved in the Extra Link must be co-linked with the other orthogonally adjacent Link Monsters involved in the Extra Link.
4. The Link Monster involved in the Extra Link occupying the Main Monster Zone in the same column as the unoccupied Extra Monster Zone must point to that zone.

In that case, a Link Monster can be Summoned to the unoccupied Extra Monster Zone, as long as it is co-linked with the Link Monster involved in the Extra Link that is in the same column as it, and performing the Link Summon does not disturb the Extra Link (by using the monsters involved in the Extra Link as Link Materials).

The final result is a U-shaped chain of five Link Monsters, in which each Link Monster is co-linked with the monsters orthogonally adjacent to it.