Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is acardgame that was recently released on mobile phones. This is an excellent take on the popular card game brought about by the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters up to the latest arc. If players are familiar with the anime, then it would mean that they are also familiar with how to game works. Since there are new ways to summon and go about the game since the first arc, this Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel beginners guide and a couple more can teach players about what they need to know and what they missed when playing the game itself. Just like in the anime and arcs, go ahead and read through this guide and it would be time to duel!
Gameplay Overview
The objective of each duel in the game is to reduce the opponent’s life points to zero or go through a win condition. This means that players can automatically win the game without having to reduce their opponent’s life points to zero.
Players are given trial decks and starter decks to start their journey and can use more when they acquire the necessary requirements. A deck is a player’s main weapon and can freely experiment and match cards and combos however they like and that it suits their decks and winning strategies. Some decks can be unlocked by players and allow them to have those cards for also strengthening their preferred deck in the long run.
Some older players rely on the old-school beatdown mechanic of the game while others are also keeping up with the current meta. Players are free to build any kind of deck they can and want as long that would allow them to enjoy and also win in the game.
Introducing the basics of Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Main Menu
The main menu is fairly simple and players can also navigate through them to get to where they need to be when they start playing the game. Here is a short guide on what each option brings for the players.
Duels
Here, players can go through ranked games or what it’s usually called “duels.” Players can go for ranked duels and hope to increase their rank for the season. And as another option for Duel, players can also join or create rooms for casual duels or maybe to try out some limit testing with their newly formed decks.
It is also worth noting that since the game supports cross-platform play, mobile players are matched with those playing on different platforms and in some cases, could suffer from opponents having a slow internet connection.
Deck
In this option of the main menu, players can check out their acquired decks from certain stages and also edit them. Since the game is fairly new and released, there are some cards that have yet to be added to the game. Here is also where players can see all the cards, they have received from all the card packs that they open or unlock when they purchase them.
Solo
This is the option that can be similarly compared to a story mode of most games. Here is also where the game would lead players when they start their journey as duelists. This is the game mode where players can still earn some experience points for leveling up and also get some neat items in the game. Some examples are avatars for the dueling field of players and also some pre-created decks based around a certain archetype.
Since this option is like the story mode of the game, this is also where the game acts as a tutorial for newer players as well when it comes to learning more about the new kinds of summoning or how to use the different types of cards.
Shop
As this is the option that would seem like the most obvious, this does hold some features for players that they might not even know about. This is where players can purchase card packs with their gems. As gems are quite easy to obtain in the game, this is where players can go to spend those gems too. Players can then choose to purchase card packs that would also lead tosecret packs. These are the packs that come out for twenty-four hours once a player unlocks them.
These secret packs would also have more cards belonging to the specific archetype to match the card pack system Yu-Gi-Oh! Usually goes by. Not only can players get cards here, but they can also get accessories for their dueling field in-game.
These accessories range from the dueling field itself, card sleeves or protectors, graveyard and banishing zones, and everyone is a lovable avatar and icon. It is also worth mentioning that there are also structure decks that are available for purchase for those players who would love to get right into the game with a certain archetype.
Missions
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel also has some missions for players to reap their rewards once they complete them. There is one mission line that is fairly easy to accomplish as it requires players just to log in once per day. Other missions would require them to duel in Solo Mode or have some specific requirements in Ranked Duels. These may come up as fairly easy once players get the hang of it.
This may also be the bread and butter of most duelists as the main rewards of these missions are gems. These gems are the in-game currency and what players could use for purchasing items in the shop. Aside from gems, players also have the chance to unlock certain borders and icons once they accomplish the certain mission assigned for those rewards.
Friends
As it is named, the Friend system on the upper-right part of the main menu is where players can follow fellow duelists as well and see if they are online or not. The player must follow that person and then the other player must also follow them back in order for them to be part of each other’s friends list. Otherwise, players would only be entitled to following one person and that would be just it.
Types of Cards in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
1. Monster Cards
These cards are the most common ones in the game and are the most in number as well. These are also the cards that players would commonly use to win and inflict battle damage to the opponent to reduce their life points.
Some monster cards have no effects and are categorized as normal monsters. While there are also monsters with special abilities just like in the anime and are called effect monsters. Players should take note that each effect monster’s ability is different and can be activated at different times.
2. Spell Cards
These cards have powerful effects and a lot of players rely on the effects of spell cards to boost their deck’s performance and winning chances. To older players, these were calledMagic Cards back in the day but now have been renamed.
There are different types of spell cards that can be used in a variety of ways. Most of the time, players can use these spell cards during their main phase one and main phase two part of their turns.
3. Trap Cards
These are the cards that could be known as counters. These cards have specific conditions to be met in order for their effect to activate.
Some trap cards can be activated during the opponent’s turn and some during the player’s turns. The use of this card can be the difference makes when it comes to winning a duel as trap cards have very powerful effects and can also negate certain effects as well.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Beginners Guide: Tips and Tricks
Here are some of our tips in our Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Beginners Guide to help you, newbies, to kickstart your journey.
1. Be patient and strategise your next move carefully
Since this is the closest thing to a virtual game representing real-life dueling and the card game on the anime, a lot of players are competitive, and stick to a lot of hard and long combos during the duel. Players should take note that there are other players out there who can go all out in one whole combo just for a complicated way of bringing out their best monsters and moves.
Some of these combos take an insanely huge amount of time despite there being a timer. While the game is rather mechanical, some players can make it a bit tougher to play against thanks to those moves, but players should be advised to be patient as it could also lead them to learn more and also become better while climbing the ranks.
2. Having a stable internet connection can win you half the duel
Another thing worth going into detail about is how the frequency of longer duels or disconnections of opponents is in the game. Since it was mentioned earlier that the game is available for cross-platform play, a lot of players have slower internet wherever they are in the world and might cause delays with their duels. Players could easily win their duel from the start if this would happen as it is still common because of the cross-platform system the game is on.
3. Use your Trap Cards efficiently to counter opponents
One other thing to take note of is that there are players who give up or surrender the duel if another player disrupts their whole or main combo point in their deck. Some decks rely on timing and precision when it comes to bringing out their own win condition and making sure that that happens early on, players would have to bring out that specific combo that allows them to do so.
And to counter that, as the goal of the game is to win duels, there are specific cards that can negate certain ones and cause a huge hole in their strategies. If players come across players like this, they can use some of theirtrap cards orquick-play spells to negate the effects of their opponents and give themselves the edge when it comes to getting a win.
4. Build the strongest possible deck using your Craft points
When trying to build up a deck, players might come across some luck in the shop, and some may not. In the deck editing part of the game, players are given the chance to dismantle extra cards since the maximum of each card in a deck is three, unless stated otherwise. Players can generate certain cards that they do not have yet with theirCraft points.
All they have to do is click on the desired card if they don’t have it yet and click on generate at the bottom right part of the card information screen. Around that area is where players can also have the option to dismantle their extra cards and gain morecraft points. They can also gain craft points through the Duel Pass which is available for purchase in the shop for some gems as well.
5. Be careful of the Ban list while planning your combos
Some cards are far too powerful in the game and play a huge role regardless of whether they are used correctly or as part of a joke. This is the reason for the ban list. Older players of the game would recall a time there was not a ban list and players would often use cards that were input in the game but part of the ban list. Now it has been part of the game through some updates, that the ban list is live and follows the standard one announced by Konami for the TCG.
Most players may not have a use for knowledge of the ban list. This could mean bigger things for players who have a use for certain cards affected by the ban list. While some cards are not totally banned, they may be limited to one copy of a specific card per deck or up to two only. Players should take note of this in order to make sure their deck moves and combos would not be so affected when it comes to winning despite the ban list.
Final Thoughts
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a great game that is the closest to the real thing and will only get better over time. Players still have a lot of freedom when it comes to building their decks and there is no set of rules that will define what players can and cannot play. If players could go for winning and getting number one on the ranks, they can easily go for the higher meta decks and keep winning.
And for those who play around with the anime decks or their favorites, they can also go far with that.Keep in mind, players can still have a lot of fun enjoying this game, and the game itself is rewarding enough. That’s all for the basic tips and tricks, if you find it difficult progressing in the game, you can always fall back to this Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel Beginners Guide for help.
Related -Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel review: Experience the decade-old fun gameplay on your mobileThat’s all for today’s Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel beginners guide. Did you find our Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duelbeginners guide helpful? Do let us know in the comments!
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