Spell Card

Spell Cards (Japanese: 魔（ま）法（ほう）カード Mahō Kādo), called Magic Card in the English TCG until the release of Magician's Force, are a type of cards that can be directly used from the hand to apply effects in the player's own turn. Their card frame is colored in green.

Characteristics

Spell Cards are played in the Spell & Trap Zones, with the exception of the Field Spell Card, which is played in the Field Zone.

Spell Cards can be activated or set from the hand, and, excluding Quick-Play Spell Cards, can be activated in the same turn they are set. Spell Cards, except Quick-Play Spell Cards, can only be activated during their possessor's Main Phase. Quick-Play Spell Cards can be activated during either player's turn while set on the field.

The activation of Spell Cards are Spell Speed 1, with the exception of Quick-Play Spell Cards, which are Spell Speed 2.

At the resolution of its activation, a Spell Card resolves the "primary effect" written as the first sentence of its card text, if it has any.

After activation and resolution, Spell Cards are sent to the Graveyard, with the exception of Continuous, Equip, and Field Spell Cards, which remain face-up on the field.

Secondary effects

Spell Cards may describe effects that do not apply once on the card's activation, and instead follow their own activation and application parameters.

These effects can be informally categorized based on classifications of monster effects:

• Continuous-like Effect: An effect that continuously applies while the Spell Card is face-up on the field.
• Ignition-like Effect: A Spell Speed 1 activated effect that the player can freely activate in their Main Phase; the activation is Spell Speed 1 even for Quick-Play Spell Cards.
• Trigger-like Effect: A Spell Speed 1 activated effect that the player can activate after certain actions have occurred.
• Unclassified effect

Types

Spell	Icon	Characteristics
Normal	N/A	N/A
Continuous		Remains face-up on the field after activation.
Equip		Are equipped to Monster Cards, and remains face-up on the field after activation.
Quick-Play		Are Spell Speed 2, and cannot be activated in the same turn they are set.
Field		Are placed in the Field Zone, and remains face-up on the field after activation.
Ritual		Can Ritual Summon Ritual Monsters.

Examples

• 

  Normal Spell Card ("Return of the Dragon Lords")

• 

  Continuous Spell Card ("Temple of the Kings")

• 

  Field Spell Card ("Dark Sanctuary")

• 

  Equip Spell Card ("Power of the Guardians")

• 

  Quick-Play Spell Card ("Blaze Cannon")

• 

  Ritual Spell Card ("Hymn of Light")

Icons

These are icons used to represent Spell Cards.

TCG/OCG

• 

  English (pre-Magician's Force)

• 

  English

• 

  French

• 

  German

• 

  Italian

• SPELL-PT.svg

  Portuguese

• 

  Spanish

• SPELL-JP-2.svg

  Japanese (early OCG Series 3)

• 

  Japanese

• 

  Korean

• 

  Chinese

Rush Duel

• 

  Japanese

Interactions with effects

Card effects can Special Summon Spell Cards as monsters, as if they are Monster Cards.

Trivia

• Contemporaneously with the renaming of Magic Cards to Spell Cards in the English TCG with the release of Magician's Force in the North American English TCG (released October 10, 2003), the TCG set Magic Ruler was renamed to Spell Ruler with its release in the European English TCG (released October 24, 2003).

In other languages

The "Magic" to "Spell" terminology change only happened in English; thus, other languages still use names that translate to "Magic [Card]" (other than German, which has always used a name that can be translated as "Spell [Card]").

"Spell Card" in languages other than English

Language	Name	Romanized	Translated
French	Carte Magie		Magic Card
German	Zauberkarte
Italian	Carta Magia		Magic Card
Portuguese	Card de Magia		Magic Card
Spanish	Carta Mágica		Magic Card
Japanese	魔（ま）法（ほう）カード	Mahō Kādo	Magic Card
	まほうカード (kana)
	魔法カード (base)
Korean	마법 카드	Mabeop Kadeu	Magic Card
Chinese (Traditional and Simplified)	魔法卡	Mófákǎ	Magic Card

"SPELL" in languages other than English

Language	Name	Romanized	Translated
French	MAGIE		MAGIC
German	ZAUBER
Italian	MAGIA		MAGIC
Portuguese	MAGIA		MAGIC
Spanish	MÁGICA		MAGIC
Japanese	ま	MA	MAGIC
Korean	마법	MABEOP	MAGIC

"Magic Card" in languages other than English

Language	Name	Romanized
Japanese	魔法（マジック）カード	Majikku Kādo
	マジックカード (kana)
	魔法カード (base)

"MAGIC" in languages other than English

Language	Name	Romanized
Japanese	マジック	MAJIKKU

See also

• List of Spell Cards
• List of Spell Card support cards
• List of Spell Card anti-support cards