How Yu-Gi-Oh! works

Each duelist starts with 8000 Life Points, and you win by bringing your opponent to zero. The Main Deck has 40 to 60 cards, and the Extra Deck holds up to 15 Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Link Monsters, summoned using materials on the field.

There are three kinds of cards: monsters, Spells and Traps. Monsters have an Attribute, Type, Level (or Rank and Link rating), ATK and DEF. Spells are played on your turn (Quick-Play Spells on your opponent's too), and Traps must be Set before they can be activated.

Konami publishes the Forbidden & Limited List: Forbidden cards cannot be used, Limited cards are restricted to one copy and Semi-Limited to two. Everything else allows up to three copies per deck.