Build a Beginner Yu Gi Oh! Deck

Yu-Gi-Oh! is a great yet difficult game with an overwhelming choice of cards. Here's some deck building tips for people just starting to get into the game. With these steps, you can create a powerful deck in no time.

Steps

  1. Know the rules of Yu-Gi-Oh. If you aren't very familiar with them, keep the guidebook close by to refer to when you duel or build a deck.
  2. Pick a theme for your deck (i.e. Elemental HEROs, Dinosaur, Pyro, Exodia). Decks focused around a central archetype or theme will be more consistent and have access to good support, making you more likely to win.
  3. Find the cards you need. Look through your collection and pick out cards belonging to or supporting your archetype, or research good cards online. If you need, buy or trade for some cards.
  4. Pick some monster cards (around 15-20) that correlate with your deck theme. (i.e. Dino monsters for a dino deck.) Use effect monsters with helpful effects, such as Man-Eater Bug and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, as well as some with good attack. Good attack stats for monsters below level 4 are 1600-1800, monsters level 5-6 should have at least 2300, and ones with levels 7 or higher should have at least 2500. Don't include more than 4 or 5 high level monsters in your deck, unless you can reliably special summon them. Also, remember that attack points are not everything. A weak monster can have devastating effects, and a powerful monster could be easily destroyed by a spell or trap.
  5. Pick spell cards (10-15 cards) that correlate with your deck theme. Ensure you pick power-ups for your type of monster. If you don't have a specific type, then choose general ones. You should have good sources of spell/trap destruction, monster destruction, searching, and summoning.
  6. Pick trap cards (8-12 cards) that will help you. It may be harder to find trap cards that support your deck, so you can just go for generic traps. You should have good sources of attack protection, effect negation, summon negation, and/or spell/trap negation, depending on your deck type.
  7. Build an Extra Deck. The Extra deck can contain up to 15 cards, and you should fill it if possible. Add your archetype support cards, then get good generic Xyz monsters. They will work in almost any deck, as long as you have at least 3 monsters of the same level. Include Synchro monsters if you have a tuner. Fusion monsters are for more specialized decks.
  8. If you're building this deck for tournaments, you'll want a side deck. A side deck consists of up to 15 cards which are kept separate from your main deck. Between each duel in a Match (best out of three duels) you can swap cards between your Side and Main/Extra deck, depending on what you are facing. Side in cards that will help a lot against certain matchups, but are too situational to put in your Main deck. If you aren't planning to play in tournaments, you won't need to build a side deck.
  9. Review your deck and see if it fits well. Make sure all the cards work well together and you will not get too many dead draws. Try it out against a friend in a duel to see how it runs.
  10. Remember to try out new combinations of cards, as you could come up with something good. Also, don't give up if it doesn't seem to work. Change some cards and try again.

Tips

  • Don't have too many of one type of card (Spell, Trap, Monster).
  • Approximately half of your deck should be spells and traps. The other half should be monsters.
  • A deck must contain between 40 and 60 cards. Your deck should be 40 cards, or as close to 40 as possible. The limit is 42. With too many cards, it will be harder to draw what you actually need.
  • If you are new to the game, it is a good idea to start by buying a starter or structure deck. These will contain pre-built decks containing cards that work well enough together, as well as a rulebook. When you get better at the game, you can add and replace cards to improve the deck, or build a new one. Structure decks are generally better than starter decks, and buying three of the same deck and combining them will make it much better.
  • If you will be participating in tournaments, make sure your deck follows banlists. Your friends may not be OK with you using banned cards either.
  • Remember attack power is not all that matters. A weak monster with a good effect is perfectly capable of defeating a strong monster.

Things You'll Need

  • Yu-Gi-Oh! cards
  • Deck box, card sleeves, and play mat to protect your cards
  • Calculator/pen and paper to track life points

Related Articles

  • Play Yu Gi Oh
  • Increase the Chances of Winning and Selling Yu Gi Oh Cards
  • Build a Sacred Beast Yu Gi Oh! Deck
  • Build a Yu Gi Oh! Water Deck
  • Improve Your Yu Gi Oh Tournament Play
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Build_a_Beginner_Yu_Gi_Oh!_Deck&oldid=298349"