Yu-Gi-Oh! Formats Explained: Choose Your Rules Before Building

Choose where you will play before buying cards or copying a deck list. Ask your shop or playgroup which format they run, or check the digital game’s selected mode.

Common formats: what changes?

These examples are a starting point, not every local variant.

Format	Rules to check
Advanced (TCG)	Regional card eligibility and the effective Forbidden & Limited List. Updates have no guaranteed quarterly schedule.
Traditional (TCG)	Advanced’s Forbidden cards become Limited; other limits remain. Confirm that your event offers Traditional.
Time Wizard; Goat and Edison	Historical play: Goat relates to 2005, Edison to 2010. Obtain the host’s exact card-pool cutoff, list and card-text/rulings policy.
Genesys	Points list and event cap replace the Advanced banlist. No Link or Pendulum Monsters. Add points across Main, Extra and Side; caps can vary.
Speed Duel	Its rules, eligible marked cards and Skill Cards. An ordinary TCG printing is not automatically eligible; Skills are for Speed Duel.
Master Duel	The digital mode’s in-game rules, available cards and list. A valid digital deck does not establish paper-event legality.
Rush Duel	Its own cards and game rules, including an Extra Deck. Ordinary TCG deck construction does not apply.

TCG and OCG also have distinct regional rules and releases. A shared card name does not guarantee printing eligibility everywhere.

Before assembling your deck

1. Confirm the game. Record the platform, format, region and event date. For historical play, get the exact snapshot and rules document; agree on them with your opponent for home play.
2. Check the cards. Verify release eligibility, section sizes and copy limits against the effective list, or points and cap. The banlist guide explains combined TCG Advanced copy counting.
3. Check the physical deck. Compare every card and quantity with your finished list. Resolve unclear card text or eligibility with the organizer or judge before registration.

YuScan’s deck builder on iOS and Android helps organize Main, Extra and Side cards and quantities. Keep the format and rules date beside your list, then check it against official rules. YuScan does not certify legality across these formats.