Master Rule

Master Rule is the set of official rules for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game. It is the successor of the New Expert Rules. Unless stated otherwise, all official Konami-sanctioned tournaments in the OCG territories are to abide to the most current iteration of these rules. When the Master Rule is updated through the introduction of its new iteration, all terms introduced and changes implemented in the previous versions are carried over as-is, unless said terms/rules are explicitly removed or modified by the new iteration.

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game, while the rules typically follow the OCG, they are managed separately and may differ. As of its 2020 iteration, the TCG had begun using the Master Rule as implicit basis for TCG rules, introducing the latest iteration's rule changes around the time the TCG version of that iteration's introductory set came into TCG territory.

Iterations

Master Rule

The first iteration of Master Rule, it came into effect in the OCG with the release of Starter Deck 2008, on March 15, 2008.

• Newly introduced terminology:
  • Tuner monster
  • Synchro Monster
  • Synchro Summon

• Changes to existing terminology:
  • Sacrifice Summon → Advance Summon
  • Sacrifice → Release
  • Fusion Deck → Extra Deck

• Changes to existing rules:
  • Introduced limitations on the number of cards allowed in the Deck.
    • Main Deck: 40-60 cards
    • Extra Deck: 0-15 cards
    • Side Deck: 0-15 cards

Master Rule 2

The first revision of Master Rule, it came into effect in the OCG with the release of Starter Deck 2011, on March 19, 2011.

• Newly introduced terminology:
  • Xyz Monster
  • Xyz Summon
  • Rank

• Changes to existing rules:
  • Removed the Ignition Effect Priority.

Master Rule 3

Came into effect in the OCG with the release of Starter Deck 2014, on March 21, 2014.

• Newly introduced terminology:
  • Pendulum Zone
  • Pendulum Monster
  • Pendulum Summon
  • Pendulum Scale

• Changes to existing terminology:
  • Monster Card Zone → Monster Zone
  • Spell & Trap Card Zone → Spell & Trap Zone
  • Field Card Zone → Field Zone

• Changes to existing rules:
  • The first player no longer draws during their first Draw Phase.
  • Each player can control 1 face-up Field Spell Card on their field.
    • If a player places a Field Spell on their field, the previous Field Spell is sent to the Graveyard instead of being destroyed.
  • Simplified the Damage Step into 5 timings:
    • Start of the Damage Step
    • Before damage calculation
    • During damage calculation
    • After damage calculation
    • End of the Damage Step

• Miscellaneous:
  • Introduced a new standardization of the card texts similar to the Problem-Solving Card Text used by the TCG.

New Master Rule

New Master Rule came into effect in the OCG with the release of Starter Deck 2017, on March 25, 2017, and in the TCG with the equivalent Starter Deck: Link Strike, on July 20, 2017.

• Newly introduced terminology:
  • Link Monster
  • Link Summon
  • Link Arrow
  • Linked
  • Co-linked
  • Extra Link

• Changes to existing rules:
  • Changed the layout of the playing field.
    • The Pendulum Zones were moved into the outermost Spell & Trap Zones.
    • The pre-existing Monster Zones were classified as Main Monster Zones.
    • 2 new Monster Zones, the Extra Monster Zones, were introduced, located in the 2nd and 4th columns between the two sides of the field, and were exclusively used for the Summoning of monsters from the Extra Deck. While an Extra Monster Zone is unoccupied, it does not belong to either player's field.
  • Monsters in the Extra Deck must be Special Summoned to either an Extra Monster Zone, or a Main Monster Zone a Link Monster points to.

Master Rule (April 1, 2020 revision)

This revision came into effect in the OCG on April 1, 2020. The first of the following rule changes came into effect in the TCG at the same time, while the others followed in November 2021. In Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, the rest of the rule changes were applied in Version 4.6.0, which was released on April 20, 2020 and became mandatory on April 28, 2020.

• Changes to existing rules:
  • Face-down Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters in the Extra Deck can be Special Summoned to either an Extra Monster Zone or a Main Monster Zone, even if it is not pointed to by a Link Monster (Link Monsters and face-up Pendulum Monsters in the Extra Deck must still be Special Summoned to either an Extra Monster Zone, or a Main Monster Zone a Link Monster points to).
  • Trap Monsters that are still treated as Trap Cards no longer occupy a Spell & Trap Zone.
  • Monster effects that activate when the monster leaves the field no longer activate if the monster is returned to the Extra Deck face-down, unless specified (such as "Elemental HERO Magma Neos").
  • Cards can no longer activate their Trigger Effects if they were sent to different locations, or to a location that is not public knowledge. If the location of a card was moved from where it fulfilled its activation requirement before its effect activates, that effect will/can no longer activate.
  • If a Summon was negated, it is not counted towards card effects that would otherwise count it as if it were successful. For example, if the Normal Summon of a player's monster was negated, the player would be able to activate "Rage with Eyes of Blue", which cannot otherwise be activated if the player had Normal or Special Summoned a monster that turn.