FOREWARD Salutations, my dear Duelist! Thank you for purchasing this Starter Deck. The creation of Magic & Wizards was a labor of love for me and my design team, and I am thrilled that the international gaming community has embraced our curious little card project and turned it into such a massive sensation. Back in 1990 I became enthralled with ancient Egypt- specifically its mythology, conflicts, and ancient games. To learn more, I embarked on several expeditions to explore the Theban Necropolis and other sites in Upper Egypt with a team of very knowledgable experts. Truly, I am forever indebted to Prof. Yoshimori, Prof. Hopkins, Mr. Heishin, Mr. Muran, and the rest of our team. Without them, I would not have been able to give this game the wonderfully rich flavor that so thoroughly defines it. My studies of the royal conflicts inspired me to create a game modeled in their likeness. But traditional board and card games simply could not capture the full scope of these magnificent battles of antiquity. I needed to make something more flexible, more grand…a system that was exponentially modular; that would make it so you might never play the same game twice. Magic & Wizards is a complex game system with infinite strategic potential. To win, you must have a solid grasp on both your own game plan and your opponent’s, while also adapting to new situations as they arise. Other players will have many different kinds of deck compositions, so you must strive to improve your deck by getting more cards. This will ensure that you are always able to stay one step ahead of the competition! If you truly desire to become the King of Duelists…it is absolutely imperative that you never fail to grasp the image of victory that lies in your mind’s eye! I pray for the success of all worthy Duelists! -Pegasus J. Crawford, creator of Magic & Wizards OVERVIEW Welcome to the world of Magic & Wizards! In this game, you play as a seasoned wizard locked in a duel with a fellow sorcerer. Both players can summon creatures and conjure up magic spells to try and gain an advantage over their foe. Only the truly cunning will prevail- so ready your repertoire and prepare to Duel! This rulebook contains everything you need to know to start playing a basic game of Magic & Wizards. NOTE: In this booklet, you will learn to play by the “Standard” rule set. The “Expert” rule set is detailed in our separate “Advanced Guide to Magic & Wizards” handbook, which will be releasing later this year. BASIC INFORMATION PLAYING A MATCH In “Standard”, the typical format is for players to play only 1 Duel, which is a complete and self-contained set of turns with a winner decided at its end (see pg. 37). This is the basic building block of competition in this game. However, as an alternative you also have the option to play a Match, which consists of 3 consecutive Duels. When you do this, whoever wins at least 2 out of the 3 Duels takes the Match. PREPARATION Before a Duel, each player builds a Deck of exactly 40 cards. Remember- you can only have a maximum of 3 copies of any unique card in your Deck. OPTIONAL ANTE RULE You have the choice to play a special kind of Duel with an “ante”. If both players agree to this, 1 or more players bets their rarest card on the outcome of the game, and the winner takes all staked cards as their prize! Note that antes are completely optional and not a required part of the “”Standard” format. We recommend that new players get a feel for the game by getting some practice Duels under their belt before they attempt to play a Duel with the ante rule. THE FIELD This is the layout of the field. When playing a Duel, arrange your cards as shown. [An image of the field, a large square area representing a table. Across the center of this space is the text ‘MAIN FIELD’. This is further divided into 2 sections, with the top one labelled “OPPONENT’S SIDE” and the bottom labelled “YOUR SIDE”. In the top-left corner are two rectangles, long sides facing left, parallel to each other. The rectangle on the right is labelled “DECK”. The rectangle on the left is labelled “GRAVEYARD”. The bottom right corner is a reflection of the top-left, with the rectangles located in the bottom-right. Here, the rectangle on the left is labelled “DECK” and the rectangle on the right is labelled “GRAVEYARD”. Additionally, there are 2 more outlined rectangles, both labelled “GRAVEYARD”; one is in front of the “DECK”, oriented towards the center, while the other is located on the far left of the section labelled “YOUR SIDE”.] DECK During a Duel, your Deck goes face-down on the right-hand side of the player’s area as shown here. GRAVEYARD This will be a pile of face-up cards typically placed to the right of your Deck (though you may also choose to place it in front of your Deck or on the far left side of your field, if you would like). The Graveyard is the space where you put all used, destroyed, and discarded cards during the course of a Duel. The contents of both player’s Graveyards are public information available to both players, and you are obligated to show the full contents of your Graveyard to your opponent if they ask to see it. MAIN FIELD All other cards in play go right in front of you, directly to the left of your Deck (and possibly your Graveyard). Monster Cards are placed closer to the center of the field, while Magic, Trap, Illusion, and Virus Cards are placed the area behind them, parallel to your Deck. REMOVED CARDS Cards removed from play are taken out of the play area entirely, and you can decide where they go. For instance, you may choose to place them in your pocket, or put them back in the Starter Box, to show that you cannot use them again for the duration of a single Duel. STARTING A DUEL Each player begins with 2000 Life Points. Find a way to keep track of these numbers, i.e. with pen and paper or with a pair of calculators. Keep this in mind- the only way to reduce your opponent’s Life Points is through the Battle Phase (see pg. 30). Now, decide whether or not you are playing for ante, and what card(s) the players will be staking if so. Before starting the Duel, always remember to shuffle your Deck. Both players then hand their Decks to each other and cut them, returning the Decks back to their opponent when they are finished. Now, place your Decks on your right, as indicated i the previous section (see pg. 10). Next, decide who goes first. You can do this by methods such as flipping a coin, or playing Rock-Paper-Scissors; anything is fine as long as an order is established. Then, each player draws a starting hand of 5 cards from the top of their Deck. Remember- although you may have as many cards in your hand as possible during the course of a turn, you are limited to keeping a maximum ion 7 cards in your hand at the end of your turn. The player going first cannot draw a card on their first turn. Do not show your hand to your opponent. Its contents are meant to be known only to its owner. Before we continue, let’s look at all the different kinds of cards you will be putting in your Deck, as well as how to use them. BASIC CARD TERMINOLOGY A quick rundown on some necessary terms for understanding card text: PLAY: The action of taking a card from your hand, Deck, or Graveyard and placing it face-up on the field. SET: The action of taking a card from your hand and placing it face-down on the field. ACTIVATE: A card is considered “activated” when you decide to use the card and carry out the actions listed in its text. (Attacking with a card is not considered activating a card.) Typically, you have the freedom to decide when to activate a Monster Card’s Special Ability, whereas you generally need to activate Magic/Trap/etc. Cards as soon as they are face-up on the field (unless a card’s text specifically states otherwise). NEGATE: This chiefly refers to 2 things, both related to the cancellation of player actions. -The first is when any card effects cancels a player’s monster attack (see pg. 31). -The second is when a Magic/Trap/etc. Card or Monster Card’s Special Ability stops you from carrying out the actions described on another Magic, Trap, Illusion, or Virus Card. Typically, destroying 1 of these cards will also negate its abilities, but be aware that there are some situations where this is not the case. Remember, ALWAYS refer to the text of a card to verify the specifics of its abilities. DESTROYED: An on-field card is “destroyed” when a game action causes it to be placed in the Graveyard. This happens in 2 circumstances: -A Monster Card with a higher ATK value attacks a Monster Card with a lower ATK or DEF value, or when a Monster Card attacks another card with an equal ATK value. Cards with lower or equal values are then placed face-up in the Graveyard. (See also pgs. 31 & 32.) -A Monster Card’s Special Ability, or a Magic/Trap/etc. Card’s text tells you take a card of any kind from the main field and place it face-up in the Graveyard. DISCARD: When a Magic/Trap/etc. Card or a Monster Card’s Special Ability text tells you tel take a card of any kind from a player’s hand or Deck and directly place that card face-up into that player’s Graveyard. REMOVED: Short for “removed from the game”. Any card “removed” can no longer be used during the course of a single Duel. To mark that face, put it somewhere outside of the play space. After that Duel is over, you can put that cards back in your Deck. (See also pg. 8). CARD TYPES BREAKDOWN Now let’s take a look at the 3 main card types and how they function during a Duel. MONSTER CARDS [An image showing the face of a typical Monster Card. It is a 3.5” x 2.5” treated paperboard rectangle with rounded corners. It has a thin black border and a white background. Its Name is at the top, its Level (a row of red stars) are underneath that to the right. The Illustration, a square-bordered image, is located centered below the Level. The Special Ability text is below that, and the Attack and Defense Points (as 4-digit numbers, with the Attack value to the left of the Defense value) are across a single line on the bottom of the card, just above the bottom border.] -Name: Card identification. -Level: Indicates strength of card and rarity- the more stars it has, the better it is in-game (and the harder to find in boosters!) -Illustration: Card identification. -Special Ability: Some Monster Cards have Special Abilities. This is text that allows you to affect the game in different ways, similar to a Magic Card. -Attack Points: As “ATK”. Tells you how hard the monster hits during the Battle Phase. -Defense Points: As “DEF”. Tells you the level of damage the monster can withstand from your opponent’s monster’s attacks in the Battle Phase (see pg. 30). Monsters are you primary means to interact with your opponent in this game. Typically, Monster Cards are placed anywhere in the rows in front of your Deck and/or Graveyard, closer to the center of the field. “Normal Summoning” is the act of playing a Monster Card face-up onto the field. You are allowed to do this once per turn. Before you play it, you must decide if you want to place it in either Attack or Defense Position. For more information, see the section titled “Turn Phases” on pg. 25. Monster Cards have certain types attributed to them. There are cards that are only compatible with certain monster types. A full list is below: [This is a list containing the following words: BEAST, BEAST-WARRIOR, BIRDFOLK, DARK KNIGHT, DINOSAUR, DRAGON, FISHMAN-BEAST, GADGET, INSECT, KNIGHT, MACHINE, PLANT, SEA SERPENT, UNDEAD, WINGED-BEAST, WARRIOR, and MAGIC-USER. Below “Magic-User” is a subheading reading “Subtypes”, which consists of these 4 words arranged in a circular chain: “BLACK MAGIC, WHITE MAGIC, DEMON, and ILLUSION”. ] Magic-User-types are special in that they also have a subtype. The diagram shows which of the subtypes are stronger or weaker than others. Black Magic types are strong against White Magic types, White Magic types are strong against Demon types, Demon types are strong against Illusion types, and Illusion types are strong against Black Magic types. Magic-User-types also have another special property: their attacks are known as “Magical Attacks”, and these have unique interactions with other types in the grander type chart. For instance, some Machine-type monsters have an ability called “Anti-Magic Armor”, which makes those cards impervious to all “Magical Attacks”. For more information, be sure to read and check the specific Special Ability text listed on each card. ATTRIBUTES In addition to types, Monster Cards also have assigned Attributes as well. Both monsters and their attacks can have an Attribute. In total, there are 7 Attributes a monster and its attack can have: [A series of labelled rectangles in a circular chain, with arrows pointing from one rectangle to another. The top rectangle reads “LIGHTNING”, and the rest follow in this order: “WATER”, “FIRE”, “WOOD”, EARTH”, “LIGHT”, and “DARK”. The last rectangle points back at “LIGHTNING”.] Monsters and attacks of certain Attributes are stronger or weaker than others; above, arrows indicate which Attributes are stronger than others. For instance, Lightning is stronger than Water, Water is stronger than Fire, and so on. MAGIC CARDS [An image showing the face of a typical Magic Card. It is a 3.5” x 2.5” treated paperboard rectangle with rounded corners. It has a thin black border and a white background. Its Name is at the top, its Type Line (text reading “(MAGIC CARD)”) is centered below its Name. The Illustration, a square-bordered image, is located centered below it, and its Effect Text takes up the rest of the space on the bottom of the card.] -Name: Card identification. -Type Line: Can also contain subtype. -Illustration: Card identification. -Card Effect Text: Explains how card is used. Typically, Magic Cards are placed in the row behind your Monster Cards, parallel to your Deck. There are 2 ways to use Magic Cards: -You can choose to play them immediately from your hand on your turn, in which case you activate their effects as soon as they are successfully placed on the field. -You can also choose to set them and activate them on any future turn, starting with the opponent’s turn following its placement. This is great way to set a response for whatever your opponent may do on their turn! Once activated, Magic Cards go to the Graveyard when their effects are fulfilled, or when their are destroyed by the effects of a Magic/TRap/etc. Card or by a Monster Card’s Special Ability. Keep in mind: if a Magic Card is destroyed, it stops working and ceases to affect cards on the field (see definition of “Negate” on pg. 14). Fulfill the effects of all Magic Cards to the greatest extent you are personally able to. It is ok if you cannot perform all parts of a Magic Card’s effect text. Example: “Double Pincer Attack” states: “Discard a card from your hand and destroy 1 of your monsters on the field, then destroy 1 of your opponent’s monsters and 1 of their Magic or Trap Cards on their side of the field.” If your opponent only has 1 Monster Card on their side of the field, you can still carry out the effects of this card. NOTE: The “Veil of Illusions” expansion set introduced a new class of cards called “Illusion Cards” to the game. In terms of function, please treat these cards as if they were Magic Cards. TRAP CARDS [An image showing the face of a typical Trap Card. It is a 3.5” x 2.5” treated paperboard rectangle with rounded corners. It has a thin black border and a white background. Its Name is at the top, its Type Line (text reading “(TRAP CARD)”) is centered below its Name. The Illustration, a square-bordered image, is located centered below it, and its Effect Text takes up the rest of the space on the bottom of the card.] -Name: Card identification. -Type Line: Can also contain subtype. -Illustration: Card identification. -Card Effect Text: Explains how card is used. Like Magic Cards, Trap Cards are placed in the row behind your Monster Cards, parallel to your Deck. Trap Cards are different from Magic Cards in that they MUST be set and activated on a future turn (either yours or your opponent’s). The specific activation condition for a Trap Card is written on the card itself, typically near the top and offset by a colon (:). If not, that card can be activated in response to any turn action on any turn after the turn in which it is set. Trap Cards are an always an excellent way to respond to your opponent’s actions, and the right card at the right time can really be a big snare in their plans! Once activated, Trap Cards go to the Graveyard when their effects are fulfilled, or when they are destroyed by the effects of a Magic/Trap/etc. Card or by a Monster Card’s Special Ability. NOTE: The “Plague of Despair” expansion set introduced “Virus Cards” to the game. In terms of function, please treat these cards as if they were Trap Cards. TUIRN PHASES Let’s go over the structure of a turn! [A column of 5 labeled thin rectangles. The top rectangle reads “DRAW PHASE”. The rectangle underneath that reads “MAIN PHASE 1”. The center rectangle reads “BATTLE PHASE”. The penultimate rectangle reads “MAIN PHASE 2”. The bottom rectangle reads “END PHASE.”] The player who goes first does not draw a card at the start of their turn and it not allowed to attack with any monster they may put down for the entirety of their first turn. It is important that you verbally declare every action you perform to your opponent. This makes for a clearer, fairer game which allows everyone involved to make decisions that best benefit their game plans. DRAW Draw 1 card from the top of your Deck and place it in your hand. Do not show this card to your opponent. (If it is the first turn of a Duel and you are going first, do not draw a card.) MAIN PHASE 1 Now you have several options. You may choose to play or set 1 card of any kind from your hand and activate any set cards on your side of the field. You can EITHER: NORMAL SUMMON: The term for when you play 1 Monster Card face-up from your hand. When you do this, decide whether or not you want to play it in Attack Position (with the card oriented vertically, name facing forwards) or in Defense Position (with the card oriented horizontally, name facing to the right). [Two rectangles are shown here, representing cards. The one on the left is oriented vertically; the one on the right is oriented horizontally.] ATTACK POSITION Seen on the left. Allows your Monster Card to attack your opponent’s Monster Cards. More info is in the “Battle Phase” section on pg. 30. DEFENSE POSITION Seen on the right. You cannot declare an attack with Monster Cards in Defense Position. The tradeoff here is that you do not lose Life Points if your Defense Position monster is attacked or even destroyed. Furthermore, it is possible for the opponent to lose Life Points if the ATK value of their card is lower than your Monster CArd’s DEF value! Always take the time to carefully consider your monster’s stats when deciding what position to put them in. During your Main Phases, you can also change the position of 1 of your on-field Monster Cards. You can only do this once per Monster Card per turn. SET MONSTER CARDS Instead of performing a Normal Summon, you can decide to set a Monster Card instead. Set Monster Cards in Attack or Defense Position cannot be activated normally. The only way for them to be flipped face-up is when they are selected as the target of an attack during your opponent’s Battle Phase. Remember: once a card is turned face-up, you cannot turn it back face-down again. OR: You can play/set 1 Magic, Illusion, Trap, or Virus Card. Again, doing this precludes you from performing a Normal Summon or setting a Monster Card on your turn. ACTIVATING SET CARDS Outside of that, you can also choose to activate any set Magic/Illusion Cards you may have on the field (or Trap/Virus Cards if their specific condition are met). You are free to activate as many these over the course of your turn as you like; this does NOT stop you from either Normal Summoning/setting a Monster Card or playing/setting a Magic/Trap/etc. Card. RESPONSES Keep in mind that your opponent can respond to your played Magic/Illusion Cards with their own set Magic/Trap/etc. Cards or Monster Card Special Abilities during your turn.You then have the chance to respond to their cards with your own cards if their effects allow you to do so. Responses should occur in a back-and-forth manner, 1 at a time, until neither player has a response to their opponent’s card effects. Then following the logical course of action starting from the most recent/last played card all the way through to the initial inciting card. Once you have performed all actions you want to perform in your Main Phase 1, you can either choose to move to the Battle Phase by declaring its start, or move to the End Phase and finish your turn. BATTLE PHASE When you are ready to start this phase, declare that you are starting your Battle Phase. Only your Monster Cards in Attack Position are able to attack, and each card can only attack once per turn. You cannot attack with Monster Cards that are set in Attack Position or otherwise face-down. During this phase, you must verbally declare every attack you intend to carry out. Example: if you want to attack your opponent’s Defense Position “Little Winguard” with your Attack Position “Blade Knight”, you must say to your opponent: “I attack ‘Little Winguard’ with my ‘Blade Knight.’” After this, calculate the damage Monster Cards and/or players take from that exchange. Any excess damage dealt in this phase is taken from the affected player’s Life Point total. This is normally the only way for players to reduce each other’s Life Points. Let’s go over how damage is handled in battle. When you attack your opponent’s Attack Position Monster Card and: [A sample of 2 cards, as vertical rectangles. The one on the left reads “ATK 2000”, and the one on the right reads “ATK 1000”. An arrow points from the left rectangle to the one on the right. Below this is a line of text that reads “RESULT:”, and at the bottom of the image an arrow points to the rectangle on the right, with the caption “DESTROYED”.] Your monster has higher ATK: their monster is destroyed, and the difference in ATK points is subtracted from your opponent’s Life Points. In the example shown, they would lose 1000 Life Points. [A sample of 2 cards, as vertical rectangles. The one on the left reads “ATK 1000”, and the one on the right reads “ATK 2000”. An arrow points from the left rectangle to the one on the right. Below this is a line of text that reads “RESULT:”, and at the bottom of the image an arrow points to the rectangle on the left, with the caption “DESTROYED”.] Your monster has lower ATK: your monster is destroyed, and the difference in ATK points is subtracted from your Life Points. In the example shown, you would lose 1000 Life Points. [A sample of 2 cards, as vertical rectangles. The one on the left reads “ATK 2000”, and the one on the right reads “ATK 2000”. An arrow points from the left rectangle to the one on the right. Below this is a line of text that reads “RESULT:”. 2 arrows point to the 2 rectangles, 1 each, and they both lead to the caption “DESTROYED”.] Both monsters have equal ATK: both monsters are destroyed, and neither player loses any of their Life Points. SPECIAL RULE: FLYING MONSTERS Some Monster Cards have the “Flying” ability. When a “Flying” monster is in Attack Position and is attacked by a non-flying card with an ATK value equal to its own, there is a 35% chance that your flying monster survives the attack; ONLY their monster is destroyed. When you attack your opponent’s Defense Position Monster Card and: [A sample of 2 cards as rectangles. The one on the left is vertical; the one on the right is horizontal. The one on the left reads “ATK 2000”, and the one on the right reads “DEF 1000”. An arrow points from the left rectangle to the one on the right. Below this is a line of text that reads “RESULT:”, and at the bottom of the image an arrow points to the rectangle on the right, with the caption “DESTROYED”.] Your monster’s ATK is higher than their DEF: their monster is destroyed. Your opponent does not lose any Life Points. [A sample of 2 cards as rectangles. The one on the left is vertical; the one on the right is horizontal. The one on the left reads “ATK 1000”, and the one on the right reads “DEF 2000”. An arrow points from the left rectangle to the one on the right. Below this is a line of text that reads “RESULT:”. There is no text at the bottom of this image.] Your monster’s ATK is lower than their DEF: neither monster is destroyed. In this example, you lose 1000 Life Points. [A sample of 2 cards as rectangles. The one on the left is vertical; the one on the right is horizontal. The one on the left reads “ATK 2000”, and the one on the right reads “DEF 2000”. An arrow points from the left rectangle to the one on the right. Below this is a line of text that reads “RESULT:”. There is no text at the bottom of this image.] Your monster’s ATK and their DEF are equal: neither monster is destroyed. Neither player loses any Life Points. RESPONSES DURING BATTLE PHASE You and your opponent both have the ability to use set Magic/Trap/etc. Cards during the course of a Battle Phase. This can affect the outcome of any given battle, so make your choices with that in mind. OTHER NOTES/SPECIAL SITUATIONS Normally, you can only select your opponent’s monsters as the target of your monster’s attacks. You cannot attack your opponent directly. Monsters that were just Fusion Summoned cannot attack on the first turn they were put on the field. (See pg. 40 for more info on this.) If for whatever reason you declare an attack and the target of that attack disappears, your attack is cancelled. That attack is “wasted”, and you cannot declare another attack with them that turn. On the other hand, if you declare an attack and during the course of the Battle Phase a new attack target appears (i.e., a new monster is Summoned to the field by the effects of a Trap CardS), you can choose to attack that newly summoned monster instead of your first target. You cannot cancel your own attack once it has been declared. Once you have finished attacking with all monsters you with to attack with, declare the end of your Battle Phase and move onto Main Phase 2. You can also choose to move to the End Phase instead, if you wish. MAIN PHASE 2 If you decide not to enter your Battle Phase, you skip this phase as well. Treat this as a continuation of Main Phase 1. You can Normal Summon/set a Monster Card OR play/set a Magic/Trap/etc. Card if you have not done so already. Otherwise, the only actions you can take are: -Activate a previously set Magic/Illusion Card (if applicable). -Change a Monster Card’s position (unless that monster’s position was already changed in the earlier Main Phase). Once you have performed any number of these actions, you are free to move onto the End Phase. END PHASE If, at this point, you do not have any Monster Cards on your side of the field, you must play 2 Monster Card from your hand in face-up Defense Position. Before you end your turn, if you have more than 7 cards in your hand, you must discard cards from your hand until you have exactly 7 cards in your hand. Once you have finished, declare the end of your turn to pass the game to your opponent. They then take their turn, starting with the Draw Phase as outlined on pg. 25. Players alternate taking turns until a winner is decided in any of the ways mentioned in the next section. WINNING A DUEL When your opponent’s Life Points are reduced to 0, you win! By the same token, if your own Life Points are reduced to 0, you lose! Alternatively, if either player runs out of cards and is then required to draw a card (either for their Draw Phase or because a card tells them to), they lose the game. At any time, you can choose to surrender the Duel by placing your hand over your Deck and announcing your intention to surrender to the other player. Rumor has it that there may exist another method by which a player can win a Duel. Some say it can only be known to Duelists who are dedicated to studying the cards… OTHER SUMMONING TYPES Besides Normal Summons, there are 3 other ways to Summon monsters in this game. You can perform as many of these Summons in a turn as you would like, provided you have the necessary means to do so. FUSION SUMMON If you have the ”Fusion” Magic Card in your hand and at least 2 viable Monster Cards on your field, you can attempt a Fusion Summon! If successful, you may be able to Summon a monster with stronger stats or Special Abilities! But beware: if the monsters you chose have incompatible Attributes, the Fusion Summon will be unstable and you will be left with a monster that loses ATK points equal to the ATK value of the weaker monster every turn! Worst of all, if the fused monster’s ATK reaches 0, all component cards will be destroyed! To Fusion Summon, play the “Fusion” Magic Card and declare the names of the on-field Monster Cards you wish to fuse; then, in order to represent the Fusion Monster, lay 1 of the component monsters used in the fusion over the other, so that they take up the same “slot” on the field. Next, take note of the combined monster’s new stats and/or Special Ability and keep them handy for reference. If 1 of the component monsters has an attribute that is directly stronger than 1 of the other component monster’s Attributes (see pg. 17), make a note of the weaker monster’s ATK and subtract it from the fused monster’s ATK value at the start of every turn until it reaches 0; at which point the “Fusion” Magic Card and all component Monster cards are destroyed. This process is known as “Attribute Repulsion”. You cannot declare an attack with a newly-summoned Fusion Monster on its initial turn. This is known as “Summoning Sickness”. Fusion Monsters can start attacking on your next turn following their initial Summoning. “Fused” monsters only stay in play so long as the “Fusion” Magic Card is on the field. If it is destroyed, the fusion ends and the Fusion Monster separates back into its constituent parts. (Put all Monster Cards back in their original positions; if there is no position available, destroy any monsters that cannot have a valid field slot.) You can find a partial list of all viable Fusion Monsters in our upcoming “Advanced Guide to Magic “& Wizards”. For a full list, check out the dedicated page on our web site at: http://magic&wizards.com/fusionmonster.list. SPECIAL SUMMON Some monsters require you to fulfill special qualifications before you can bring them to the field. In most cases, this is the only way for that monster to be Summoned. The specific qualifications are listed either on the card itself or on related cards, so to Summon them you will need to refer to those cards. Unlike Fusion Monsters, you CAN declare an attack with a Special Summoned monster on the turn it is Summoned. For a full list of valid Special Summoned monsters and their stats, check out the page on our web site at: http://magic&wizards.com/specialsummon/list RITUAL SUMMON [An image showing the face of an archetypical Ritual Magic Card. It is a 3.5” x 2.5” treated paperboard rectangle with rounded corners. It has a thin black border and a white background. Its Name is at the top, its Type Line (text reading “(MAGIC CARD)”) is centered below its Name. The Illustration, a square-bordered image, is located centered below it, and its Effect Text takes up the rest of the space on the bottom of the card.] Ritual Summoning is a BRAND NEW method of Summoning introduced in the “Dawn of Chaos” expansion set! To Ritual Summon, you will need a Ritual Magic Card, Monster Cards of the exact specifications listed on each card, and another Monster Card to act as a “host”. Each Ritual Magic Card has a different set of requirements, so be sure to read the card to learn what you need to do to Summon that particular monster! Sometimes, a card will ask you to “sacrifice” 1 of your Monster Cards. This is a common requirement for many Ritual Magic Cards. SACRIFICE: When you are required to destroy at least 1 on-field monster you control to carry out the effects of a Magic/Trap/etc. Card, or a Monster Card’s Special Ability. These cards hold many mysteries, and much about them remains unclear. If you want to uncover their secrets and unlock their mythical powers, you will simply have to get your hands on these cards! A new page regarding Ritual Magic Cards and Ritual monsters will soon be up on our web site at: http://magic&wizards.com/ritualcardsummon. DECK CONSTRUCTION TIPS Making your own unique Deck can be quite an intimidating prospect. Here are a few tips to help you get started: -Try to give your Deck an even 50:50 ratio of Monster Cards:Magic/Trap/etc. Cards. For our 40-card maximum, this would mean about 20 of each category. A balanced approach ensures you will usually have easy access to both types of cards over the course of a Duel. -Try to theme your Deck around a certain type. Dedicated support in this game usually tends to revolve around 1 type, so limiting your Deck to 2 or 3 types will make it easier to find the type of support Magic and Trap Cards that will best work with your monsters. -Are you a fan of big, powerful cards? Try a Warrior or Knight Deck! Perhaps you are keen on defensive plays? Seek out Beast-types! Are you the sort who is more technically inclined? Try a Magic-User or Undead-type Deck! -In terms of Magic Cards: ideally, you should try to find cards that help you draw more cards or search through your Deck. Cards that can affect the Battle Phase are always a plus. And you can never go wrong with Magic or Trap Cards that have the ability to negate your opponent’s turn actions. -Monster Cards with Special Abilities are rare. If you can get your hands on some, make sure that they work well with the monster types you have before you put them in your Deck. Try to find abilities that compliment your Magic and Trap Cards. -Though the composition of your Starter Deck is partially random, we have tried to include cards that will allow you to test out all 3 of the unique Summoning types in this game. Look through all of your cards closely and see if you can find which cards will allow you to perform these Summoning types- it may seem tricky, but there is always a way! And if you’re really having trouble, you can always turn to the World Wide Web for support. Our dedicated fans will always be happy to help you out!