Type

Types are a means to split monsters into groups (in a broader way to what Attributes do) in order to enable Support Cards granting various effects, to a specific order of monsters. Players use Field Spell Cards to use Type divides to their advantage.

Each monster has 1 Type, and there are 21 different legal Types in the OCG & TCG:. Divine-Beast is exclusive to the Egyptian Gods, while Immortal only appears in "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses".

Aqua

Aqua monsters represent water and liquid for the most part, if not ice in certain cases, such as "Mobius the Frost Monarch". They may also represent aquatic or amphibious creatures that do not fall under the category of Fish or Sea Serpent. In the same respect, most Aqua-Type monsters are Water-Attribute monsters. Aqua-Type effects are varied, but many of the best focus on hand control.

The powerful Archetype of Frog monsters fall into this category.

Other notable Aqua-Type monsters include: "Tribe-Infecting Virus", "Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon", "Penguin Soldier", "Abyss Soldier", "Servant of Catabolism", and "Yomi Ship".

The monsters that belong to this Type also gain a boost from "Umi", "Power of Kaishin" and "Wetlands".

Beast

Beast monsters are often overlooked, but work well with Beast-Warrior Type monsters.

Archetypes such as the Ojamas, Sphinx, and Koala monsters, in addition to a good portion of the Crystal Beasts fall underneath this Type.

Some other respectable Beast-Type monsters are "Bazoo the Soul-Eater", "Berserk Gorilla", "King Tiger Wanghu", "Outstanding Dog Marron", "Mosaic Manticore", "Rescue Cat", and "Voltech Kong".

Beast-Warrior

Beast-Warriors monsters usually resemble anthropomorphic animals or other half-man, half-animal creatures such as centaurs. Their effects generally apply after destroying a monster, and help them destroy monsters easier.

Beast-Warrior is its own Type of monster and Beast-Warriors are not affected by effects that affect either Beast or Warrior-Type monsters (though occasionally support cards for either will include Beast-Warriors).

There are only 2 Beast-Warrior [[Archetype|Archetype]. these are the Phantom Beastsand gladiator beasts (though not all gladiator beasts are beast warriors) though other notable monsters include "Cat's Ear Tribe", "Chiron the Mage", "Exarion Universe", "Gene-Warped Warwolf", "Ghost Knight of Jackal", "Enraged Battle Ox", "Pitch-Black Warwolf", "Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei", "Lycanthrope", "Mother Grizzly", and "Panther Warrior" .

Dinosaur

Dinosaur monsters are a type of monster who primarily rely on brute strength,and sometimes their effects, to help a duelist prevail in a Duel. There are many high-level Dinosaur-types, so the general strategy and most support is to get out Tribute Dinosaur monsters from your hand.

A lot of Dinosaur-Type monsters have high ATK like "Frostosaurus", "Super Conductor Tyranno", "Black Tyranno", "Super-Ancient Dinobeast", "Dark Driceratops", "Ultimate Tyranno", and "Guardian Grarl".

They also now have their own Structure Deck, Dinosaur's Rage.

Dragon

Dragon monsters are a powerful Type to contend with, often focusing on brute ATK strength and Fusion monsters, but most have special effects that add to their devastation.

As of now, the highest ATK monsters in the game, "Dragon Master Knight" and "Five-Headed Dragon" are Dragons. In addition, the most powerful Normal Monster is also a Dragon; "Blue-Eyes White Dragon", including all its support cards. "Red-Eyes B. Dragon" and "Rainbow Dragon" are also noticeable. Plus two of the most powerful LV series, Armed Dragons and Horus are also Dragon Types.

Dragons also have their own two Structure Decks, Dragon's Roar and Revival of the Great Dragon, whose TCG counterpart is Rise of the Dragon Lords.

To date there are no Flip Effect Dragon-Type monsters.

The Dragon Type has probably the most cards in the entire game in which the type of card is also part of the name. The word "Dragon" also exists in many non-Dragon monsters' names, typically denoting a creature of exceptional power, such as Cyber Dragon, Blowback Dragon, Solar Flare Dragon, or Megarock Dragon.

Fairy

Fairy monsters usually represent beings of Light such as sprites or angels. Many times, the effects of Fairy monsters involve some restoration and protection of the player's Life Points.

They are at a disadvantage when "Yami" is on the field, though fairies do have their own Field Spell Card, "The Sanctuary in the Sky". Plus many gain a 500 ATK point boost from cards such as "Luminous Spark", "Rising Air Current" or "Gaia Power" because most Fairy monsters are either Light, Wind, or Earth Attribute (and in a few cases, Dark and Water Attributes too.)

The Agent and Archlord cards of the Ancient Sanctuary series are perhaps some of the best-known Fairies and some possess good effects. Union monsters "Aitsu" and "Koitsu" work very well together as a low-level union with a high ATK, as do "Soitsu" and "Doitsu". "Cloudians" are a Water attribute but share the fairy sub type, they also use "The Sanctuary in the Sky" in their main gameplay. The Majestic Mechs are also another good breed of Fairies.

One of the best-known Fairy archtypes are the Synthetic Angels, who have effects revolving around the use of Counter Trap Cards. Bountiful Artemis and Voltanis the Adjudicator are examples of this. This archtype was featured prominently in the OCG Structure Deck Wave of Flashing Light.

In the OCG, Fairies are called Angels.

Fiend

Fiend Monsters are a particularly nasty type of card to face. Fiends also power up from the "Yami" Field Spell Card, and since many Fiends are Dark, also get a boost from "Mystic Plasma Zone". Many have effects that limit the opponents options, though they have to be sent to the Graveyard in order to work.

Popular Fiend Archetypes include Archfiend and Dark World, a new Archetype being the new Evil Hero monsters pemiered in Gladiator's Assault. "The Wicked Avatar" and its support cards also fall under Fiend Type monsters in addition to LV monsters such as Dark Lucius, and Dark Mimic.

In the OCG, Fiends are called Demons.

Fish

Fish monsters are among the least supported types in the game, if not the absolute least supported type. Recently, however, Tactical Evolution and Phantom Darkness sets have released some new Fish that make using them a viable strategy, including a possible trump card in "Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth." Fish are excellent sychronizers, as many of their effects require the presence or tribute of other Fish to activate.

Some of the better Fish monsters include: "Fortress Whale" "Terrorking Salmon", "7 Colored Fish", "Cranium Fish", "Abyssal Kingshark", "Amphibian Beast", "Ocean's Keeper", "Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth", "Golden Flying Fish ", "Deepsea Macrotrema" and "Thousand-Eyes Jellyfish".

Support cards include "Umi" and "Fishure Charge" while weakness include "Eternal Drought".

Insect

Insect monsters are a versatile, and somewhat well-supported Type of Monster that go hand-in-hand with plant-type monsters. The common attributes associated with them is Earth and Wind.

An early strategy with insect-types was with the card "Parasite Paracide", which would summon on the opponents field, and change the types of the opponents monsters to insect as well as deal them 1000 points of damage. Later, as of Invasion of Chaos, this could be accelerated by playing "Jade Insect Whistle", and if your opponent didn't have any insect monsters besides Parasite Paracide is his/her deck, they were forced to put Parasite Paracide on top, and then they would be forced to summon it next turn when they entered their draw phase, and it would just go on from there. But recently, Insect type monsters have increased in playability, and are more common to see in a deck than they would have been earlier. An example of this is are the two new gemini monsters released in Tactical Evolution; "Blazewing Butterfly" and "Grasschopper". Blazewing butterfly's effect states that it can be tributed after it is summoned to special summon another gemini insect type monster from the graveyard (The aforementioned Grasschopper) and allowing the summoned monster to immediately gain it effect, allowing Grasschopper to attack all of your opponent's monsters at once.

Noticable Insect Type monsters include "Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth", "Anteatereatingant", "Chainsaw Insect", "Grasschopper", "Jirai Gumo", "Magical Merchant", "Brain Crusher" and "Needle Worm".

Machine

Machine monsters are powerful, and in some cases, fearsome to face in battle. They rely on high ATK and the ability to rapidly boost ATK, and have some of the strongest Fusion monsters in the game, made even stronger by the ATK-doubling power of Power Bond and Limiter Removal. Most machine monsters have Dark, Earth, or Light attributes. Their general strategy varies, but they often have the ability to negate the effects of specific opposing cards or destroy them. Machines monsters also have their own Structure Deck, Machine Re-Volt.

There are numerous Machine Archetypes, some of them being the Ancient Gears and Gadgets, Cyber Dragon, Cyberdark, Cyber Ogre, Gradius, B.E.S., Victory Viper, Vehicroids, VWXYZ monsters, and the Machiners.

Plant

Plants were until Phantom Darkness, a very unsupported type. The general strategy for Plant-Type monsters is to swarm the field using cards like Gigaplant, Lonefire Blossom and Lord Poison. They can go hand-in-hand with Insect-Types as well with cards like Arcane Archer of the Forest and Prickle Fairy. The most usual Attribute associated with Plants is Earth but another Attribute getting increasingly associated with Plants is Fire.

Some of the more commonly used Plant-Type monsters include "Mystic Tomato", "Homunculus the Alchemic Being", "Dandylion", "Neo-Spacian Glow Moss", "Lonefire Blossom", "Gigaplant", "Samsara Lotus" "Lord Poison" and "Rigorous Reaver".

Plant types only have 3 "strong" monsters, the 2 really usable ones being "Gigaplant" and "Camellia Princess Titanial", the third being "Fairy King Truesdale". Massive support is provided to Plants in Crossroads of Chaos.

Psychic

This Type was released in The Duelist Genesis. So far, 17 cards are known. The Psychic types seen so far often resemble robots or cyborgs, and often feature elements of cyberspace, circuit board patterns, and yellow electricity in their art. It's worth to note that many Psychic-type monsters resemble what in the past were Machines or Fiends (most noticeably Jinzo and its branch). The majority of their effects and support cards require Life Point payment. However, some recover Life Points. Some have both.

Those include: "Mental Master", "Psycho Walld", "Psycho Commander", "Mental Sphere Archfiend" and "Magical Android"

Reptile

Reptile monsters were once one of the most overlooked types, their only use previously being tribute fodder for "Ultra Evolution Pill". However, with the release of the Alien and Venom monsters, Reptiles have come into their own as a Type that focuses on controlling the opponent by the use of Counters. This is also the only Type of card which does not have any Fusion card (Counting the OCG and TCG).

Reptiles gain no boost from any Field Spell Card; however, Aliens do get a helping hand from "Otherworld - The "A" Zone", while Venoms benefit from "Venom Swamp".

Archetypes include Alien monsters, Venom monsters, Gagagigo plus its transformations, and the Attribute reptiles.

Other notciable Reptiles are "Sinister Serpent", "Balloon Lizard", "Granadora", "Serpentine Princess", "Ananta the Wicked Serpent" and "Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes".

Support cards include: "Snake Rain", "Snake Whistle", "Damage = Reptile", and "Razor Lizard".

Rock

Rock monsters are an often-overlooked Type, though there were many released in The Lost Millennium series. Usually, Rock monsters belong to the Earth Attribute and possess high DEF and defense-related effects.

Archetypes include Monk, the Hex-Sealed Fusion family, and Sphinx cards.

Some of the more notable cards include: "Exxod, Master of The Guard", "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior","Gigantes", "Legendary Jujitsu Master", "Mine Golem", "Moai Interceptor Cannons", "Muka Muka", "Neo-Spacian Grand Mole", "Sand Moth", "Stone Statue of the Aztecs", "Multi Piece Golem" and "Castle Gate"

Four Field Spell Cards exist that work particularly well with Rock monsters. "Wasteland" increases the ATK and DEF of Rock monsters by 200. "Canyon" inflicts double damage to anyone attacking a Defense Position Rock Monster with a weaker monster, "Gaia Power" increases the ATK of Earth monsters by 500 points, though it weakens their DEF, an important part of Rock Monsters' strategy, and "Acidic Downpour" which is the reverse of Gaia Power, decreasing their ATK by 500 but gain 400 DEF. Rock-Type monsters are weak against the card, "Breath of Light".

They also have their own Structure Deck, Invincible Fortress.

Support cards include:

Sea Serpent

Sea Serpent monsters make up the smallest portion of monster cards in general, and it is one of the most unsupported Types. In the early days of the game, Sea Serpent monsters had a similar relationship to Fish that Dinosaurs once had to Reptiles--Fish were the weaker, lower-level water monsters and Sea Serpents were the more powerful, higher-level monsters, "Big Fish," essentially. This has changed since Fish have recently increased in number and utility. What few Sea Serpents there are, however, tend to be very powerful in Water-based decks, and they should not be dismissed.

Some of the major Sea Sepents include "Levia-Dragon - Daedalus", "Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo-Daedalus", "Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness", "Spiral Serpent", "Water Dragon","Gemini Lancer" and "Kaiser Sea Horse".

The only support card Sea Serpent monsters have is "Umi", and many good strategies for them revolve around this card.

Spellcaster

Spellcasters usually represent beings that control magic or some mystical force, such as witches and mages. While the Spellcaster type isn't well supported as a whole, the majority of these creatures contain effects and can be very versatile Monsters, used often with support of spell cards. Many of the most well-known and powerful monster cards are Spellcasters. Also, most of the currently banned/forbidden monster cards are also Spellcasters including Breaker the Magical Warrior, Thousand-Eyes Restrict, and Magical Scientist.

A great amount of Spellcaster monsters are either Light or Dark types.

Many Spell Counter related cards are Spellcasters.

Archetypes include the Exodia cards, Gravekeeper's, Dark Magician-related cards, the Charmers and their Familiar counterparts, and Pikeru and Curran-related cards. Spellcaster Type LV monsters include Allure Queen and Silent Magician.

They also have their Structure Deck, Spellcaster's Judgment.

Thunder

Thunder monsters are generally Light-Attribute, and represent beings with energy powers or that are made of pure energy. The Batteryman Archetype are purely composed of Thunder-Type monsters. Thunder monsters generally have effects related to destroying monsters by means other than battle.

Some of the more noticable ones include "The Creator", "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder", "Zaborg the Thunder Monarch", "Thunder Nyan Nyan", and "Lightning Punisher".

"Thunder Dragon" is also a well-known Thunder monster, for his deck-thinning abilities and for his fusion counterpart, Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon.

Support cards include "Electro-Whip", "Judgment of Thunder" "Mountain", "Umi", and "Makiu". Thunder monsters' effects generally have to do with destroying cards like "Zaborg the Thunder Monarch" and "Short Circuit".

Warrior

Warrior monsters are perhaps one of the most versatile, if not the most versatile Monster Type. Many support cards exist for the Warrior Type, and many useful monsters are categorised under the Warriors. Nearly all the Elemental Hero and Destiny Hero monsters are Warriors, in addition to Amazonesses, Dark Scorpions, D.D., Knight, Silent Swordsman, Mystic Swordsman, Sasuke Samurai, Six Samurai, and Cyber Girls.

Warriors also have their own Structure Deck, Warrior's Triumph.

In the OCG, Warriors are called Soldiers.

Winged Beast

Winged Beast monsters represent creatures of flight, such as birds or bats. One of the most renowned and fan favorite Archetypes, the Harpie family, are Winged Beasts. Winged Beasts commonly have effects related to removing cards from the field.

Few Winged Beasts are truly considered powerful cards, though some of the best are "Stealth Bird", "Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys", "Simorgh, Bird of Divinity", "Raiza the Storm Monarch", and "Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry".

While it focuses on the Wind Attribute mainly, Winged Beasts feature in the Lord of the Storm Structure Deck.

In the OCG, Winged Beast was known as Bird.

Zombie

Zombie monsters represent undead beings, mostly mummies or apparitions. They are perhaps the best sub-type at Swarming the field. Zombie monsters may be easy to dispose of, but in many cases, they'll just keep returning to the field. They are usually Dark monsters, although a noticable number are Earth, and represent the living dead.

Zombies also have two of their own Structure Decks, Zombie Madness and Zombie World. Bonz, from the anime uses a Zombie deck also.

In the OCG, Zombies are called Undead, although close examination shows that it is actually Undeat. This possibly resulted when staff from Konami mistakingly printed 「アンデット」 instead of 「アンデッド」 on every Zombie card in Volume 1, and came into the spotlight when Undeat Warrior was released in Volume 2. While this stirred confusion back then, it is now treated as a long running joke by the OCG community.

Divine-Beast

These cards to any avid Yu-Gi-Oh player means one thing and one thing only: Trouble. For the sub-type of Divine-Beast are only listed on 4 cards, which are the "immortal" Egyptian God Cards: Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor , The Winged Dragon of Ra and The Creator God of Light, Horakhty.

These 4 God Cards are deemed as legendary and to be the most powerful cards in the entire game in the anime and manga, each having their own unique and devastating effects. However, you are not allowed to play any of these cards in the TCG.

Immortal File:Immortal.png

Immortal is a monster Type that exists in the game Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses. Immortal cards are not affected by the effect of "Crush Card Virus" (in fact, they're powered by it).

Bandai Types

Black Magic

Commonly used to refer to "Dark" Monsters, Black Magic itself refers to the "Dark" arts of Magic, specifically, the use of Elemental Forces, Negative Effects, and generally anything that causes harm to your opponent.

White Magic

Commonly used to refer to "Light" Monsters, White Magic itself refers to the "White" arts of Magic, specifically, the use of Healing & Regenerative Forces, Positive Effects, and generally anything that helps and/or protects you from your opponent.

???

This indicated that the Type is either unknown at this time, or is not a fixed value, such in the case of some Tokens.