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.