Basic rules of Yu-Gi-OH!

Players have 8000 life points, they take turns trying to deplete the others life points through battle of special effects. Both players start with a five card hand. (max 7) Players can have up to 5 monsters and 5 spell/traps on the field at one time (special field spells do not count)

Turn contents

Draw phase:

draw a card, simple

Standby phase:

Nothing happens unless a card effect says otherwise

Main phase 1:

Players can normal summon 1 monster per turn, low level monsters (1-4 stars) can be summoned immediately, Mid level (5-6 stars) require a sacrifice of 1 monster already on the field. High level (7-12 stars) require 2 sacrifices. If a card effect allows it, players can special summon with no limit to how many can be special summoned. Players can switch monsters from attack to defense and vise-versa. Players can set trap cards for use next turn or when an opponent triggers it. Players can set spells facedown for later use or play them straight from the hand. Spells and traps have powerful effects that aid in a duel.

Battle phase:

Each monster can attack once per turn, if Blue-eyes white dragon (3000 attack) battles dark magician (2500 attack) Dark magician is destroyed, sent to the graveyard, and the owner loses 500 life points (3000-2500=500) Monsters in defense mode can be destroyed, but you take no damage. If you have no defending monsters, you opponent can attack your life points 8000 life points being attacked by blue eyes (3000) results in 3000 damage, lifepoints 5000. Ouch!

Main phase 2:

If a player hasn't summoned already, he can do so now, as well as play some final spell/traps. You cannot battle again until your next turn.

End phase:

You end your turn, now your opponent goes!

Both players take turns until either one player's lifepoints reach 0, or they run out of cards in their deck and cannot draw, which causes them to lose by default. Certain cards, Like Final Countdown, cause an instant loss after 20 turns, Or drawing the five pieces of Exodia results in an automatic win. (try picking up a deck of cards and try drawing all four aces in 15 draws and you'll see how hard it is.)

Turbo duels

CARD GAMES ON MOTORBIKES!

You read right, Turbo duels are duels on a special motorcycle called a duel runner

(D-wheel in Japan) The rules are pretty much the same except:

The runners go on autopilot.

The field spell Speed world is in play and cannot be removed or negated.

During every standby phase, both players gain 1 Speed Counter,(max 12) which makes them go faster. They lose a Speed Counter for every 1000 damage they take.

Speed Counters are used to play special Speed Spell cards, any other spell card is forbidden. In the anime, you take 2000 damage if you break the rule, ,and they only get 4000 lifepoints!

There is also a Speed World 2, which is the same, but with extra effects, like

Remove 4 of your speed counters to inflict 800 damage for every speed spell in your hand

Remove 7 of your speed counters to draw an extra card

Remove 10 of your speed counters to destroy any card on the field (except Speed World)

That's pretty much it.

Race duels

Something I made up for my story, pretty much the same as a Turbo duel with 2 exceptions,

#1 No autopilot, you have to steer a motorcycle while playing a card game at close to 100mph. Sometimes in traffic.

#2 If neither player wins by the time you reach the finish, whoever reaches the finish first wins.

Some things to be aware of:

In Real 5ds/Gx there are five people called signers, who have glowing red birthmarks on their arms. These marks, are pieces of an ancient Crimson Dragon, who appears every 5000 years with its servants, five more dragons that are also cards, to defeat the Earthbound immortals (earthbound gods in Japan) These marks give the bearers special powers.

There are "Psychic duelists" who are able to make a card hologram attack with physical force, stronger psychics are able to use cards like Final flame to start an inferno.

There exist several demons called earthbound immortals whose sole purpose is to destroy the world. In the last fight with the crimson dragon, they were sealed into the ground, creating the Nazca lines in Peru. They have been turned into cards capable of summoning the real beasts. The cards fall into the hands of "Dark Signers" people who have a Nazca line glyph of their on their arm. The dark signers exist to start shadow duels, which cause the monsters to inflict real damage, like a psychic, but stronger. No one can escape until the duel is over, the loser dies. Shadow duels absorb the souls of anyone nearby, giving power to their immortal. A person becomes a dark signer when they die with hatred in their heart and accept an immortals offer of revenge.

Another threat is the Seal of Orichalcos, A field spell imbued with ancient magic. Both players are trapped until the duel is over, the losers soul is trapped for eternity within the seal, giving strength to some unknown deity. For this reason the card has been banned.

In the anime there also existed 7 Millennium items, objects of great and dark power created by the pharaoh of Egypt 5000 years ago. Each item has unique and powerful effects (the millennium rod allows mind control while the necklace gives sight into the future) If all 7 items are gathered and returned to the tablet in Kul-Elna, Egypt they summon Zork, the king of hell, who's power is unstoppable and wishes nothing more than to destroy everything. The Pharaoh defeated Zork Long ago with the power of the items and the Three Egyptian Gods: Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra. The gods have also been made into cards. Also, legend has it this game was played in ancient Egypt, but not with cards, but real monsters sealed inside stone tablets.

Certain people with magic/dark powers can start a Shadow game, where they make their own twisted rules, like every time you take damage, you lose all memory of a loved one, until your all alone… The loser is sent to the shadow realm, essentially purgatory. The only way to escape is if the person who sent you there loses a shadow duel.