Surrender

Surrender icon in Yu-Gi-Oh! BAM.

To surrender means to forfeit a Duel to the opponent, allowing them to automatically win the Duel.

Surrendering is often informally known as scooping, because after surrendering a player "scoops" up all of their cards and shuffles them back together in preparation for the next Duel.

Surrendering can be used strategically in a Match if it would not result in a Match loss. For example, if the player wants to conceal specific cards or their overall Deck theme from their opponent but is very unlikely to win from their current position, surrendering would prevent the possibility of the opponent finding out.

In most video games, in contrast to the official OCG and TCG rules, a player is only allowed to surrender the Duel during their own Main Phase. In some games, they cannot surrender until the 10th turn of the Duel or later. Usually, an AI opponent will never surrender, with the only known exception being the Yata-Garasu Lockdown. In some games, surrendering a Duel shows the player's LP becoming 0.

Rules

Players may concede a game at any point during a game or match, including during the opponent's turn. Once a match result is determined, the result is final and cannot be altered; it is too late for a player to concede.

Players may not offer nor accept any form of compensation for conceding. Players who partake in bribery or collusion violate Konami policy and will be subject to penalties for Unsporting Conduct—Cheating.

Players must clearly announce their intention to concede a game or match.

In the anime

In the anime, a player surrenders by placing their hand over their Deck or Duel Disk. This has occurred ten times:

• Mai Valentine against Téa Gardner
• Mai Valentine against Yami Yugi
• Solomon Muto against Arthur Hawkins
• Yugi Muto against Rebecca Hawkins
• Johnny Steps against Yami Yugi
• Marik Ishtar against Yami Yugi
• Joey Wheeler against Mai Valentine
• Elroy Prescot against Belowski
• Reginald Kastle against Yuma Tsukumo
• Declan Akaba against Yuya Sakaki
• Yuya Sakaki against Yuto

Joey Wheeler, Yami Yugi, Leon von Schroeder, Zane Truesdale, Aster Phoenix, Vellian Crowler, Jean-Louis Bonaparte, Greiger, Carly Carmine, Misty Tredwell, Pip, Yuma Tsukumo, and Kite Tenjo have attempted to surrender at least one of their Duels, albeit unsuccessfully.

In the anime, Marik used "Holding Arms" and "Holding Legs" to pin Mai Valentine against the Sacred Stone of Ujat. Marik declares a direct attack with "The Winged Dragon of Ra", whose attack would kill her due to the Duel being a Shadow Game. Due to being bound by "Holding Arms" and "Holding Legs", she is unable to reach her Deck to surrender in order to avoid this fate.

In the anime and manga, forfeiting occasionally shows the losing player's LP being reduced to 0, such as during the Duel between Marik and Yami Yugi.