The general game rules is a summary of the detailed rules of the Trading Card Game.
Details
Although all players that play the game don't need to be completely familiar with all of the rules in order to know How to Play, the general game rules can be useful if one wishes to know more details or help solve specific rules that may come up during a game.
The general game rules are based on the OCG and it can be applied on TCG for the most part. However, there are differences between the OCG and TCG rules. For example, rule 100.2. states that a deck must contain 40 cards exactly, while there is no maximum deck size in TCG.
- The March 25, 2017 Rules revision can be optionally ignored by TCG players.
- This is also true for the March 16, 2021 Rules revision.
The general game rules are officially provided only in Japanese, but the rules are translated by Duel Masters Wiki users.
Other Details
It was first announced in July 2015 and can be viewed on the Duel Masters Official Homepage, and was implemented due to the first Certified Grand Prix of "Duel Masters Grand Prix 1st".
Its not intended to be used for casual games between friends or information competitions, instead to be used for Official Tournaments and Championship events.
While it was only introduced in the games 14th year, official rules were posted in various places on the homepage previously with errata used for any conflicting card information.
Some information sure as the appearance of the Final supertype and Core as a card type weren't seen in the rulebook before the appearance of Dormageddon X, Forbidden Armageddon, resulting in provisional answers at the national tournament in December 2016.
Current version
From the Duel Masters - General Game Rules: Version 1.28 (April 8, 2022)
- 1. Game Basics
- 100. What You Need to Play
- 101. Absolute Law of Duel Masters
- 102. Player
- 103. How to Start a Game
- 104. Victory Conditions
- 105. Step
- 106. Civilization
- 107. Mana
- 108. Number
- 109. Card
- 110. Ability and Effect
- 111. Timing
- 112. Cost
- 113. Shield
- 114. Draw
- 115. Battle
- 116. Seal
- 117. Hyperspatial Zone
- 118. Super Gacharange Zone
- 2. Card Frame
- 200. General
- 201. Cost
- 202. Card Name
- 203. Race
- 204. Card Type
- 205. Text Box
- 206. Power
- 207. Mana Number
- 208. Miscellaneous Information
- 3. Card Type
- 4. Zone
- 400. General
- 401. Deck
- 402. Hand
- 403. Battle Zone
- 404. Graveyard
- 405. Mana Zone
- 406. Shield Zone
- 407. Hyperspatial Zone
- 408. Super Gacharange Zone
- 409. Anywhere Zone
- 5. Turn
- 500. General
- 501. Start of Turn Step
- 502. Draw Step
- 503. Charge Step
- 504. Main Step
- 505. Attack Step
- 506. Attack Declaration Step
- 507. Block Declaration Step
- 508. Battle Step
- 509. Direct Attack Step
- 510. End of Attack Step
- 511. End of Turn Step
- 512. Proceeding to the Next Turn
- 6. Card Usage, Abilities and Effects
- 600. General
- 601. Using a Card
- 602. Activated Ability
- 603. Trigger Ability
- 604. Static Ability
- 605. Resolution
- 606. Effect
- 607. Oneshot Effect
- 608. Continuous Effect
- 609. Substitution Effect
- 7. Additional Rules
- 700. General
- 701. Keyword Action
- 702. Turn-Based Action
- 703. State-Based Action
- 8. Special Card
- 800. General
- 801. Evolution Creature
- 802. Neo Creature
- 803. God
- 804. Psychic Creature
- 805. Psychic Super Creature
- 806. Dragheart
- 807. Forbidden Impulse
- 808. Twinpact
- 809. Gacharange Creature
- 810. Ceremony of Zeron
- 811. Star Evolution Creature
- 812. King Cell
- 813. Star Max Evolution Creature
Sources
Latest Edition
- Official Duel Masters website containing current rules
- Event Management Rules (August 21, 2020)
Older Editions (As of March 1, 2022, links to any .pdf files before 1.13 may be broken.
| File: | Version: | Last Updated: |
|---|---|---|
| 20220408 | 1.29 | April 8, 2022 |
| 20220218 | 1.28 | February 18, 2022 |
| 20211216 | 1.27 | December 16, 2021 |
| 20210924 | 1.26 | September 24, 2021 |
| 20210907 | 1.25 | September 7, 2021 |
| 20210624 | 1.24 | June 24, 2021 |
| 20210316 | 1.23 | March 16, 2021 |
| 20201119 | 1.22 | November 19, 2020 |
| 20201023 | 1.21 | October 23, 2020 |
| 20200717 | 1.20 | July 17, 2020 |
| 20200710 | 1.19 | July 10, 2020 |
| 20200626 | 1.18 | June 26, 2020 |
| 20191212 | 1.17 | December 12, 2019 |
| 20190927 | 1.16 | September 27, 2019 |
| 20190805 | 1.15 | August 5, 2019 |
| 20190612 | 1.14 | June 18, 2019 |
| 20190315 | 1.13 | March 15, 2019 |
| 20180928 | 1.12 | September 28, 2018 |
| 20180921 | 1.11 | September 21, 2018 |
| 20180907 | 1.10 | September 7, 2018 |
| 20180809 | 1.9 | August 9, 2018 |
| 20180611 | 1.8 | June 11, 2018 |
| 020180302 | 1.7 | March 2, 2018 |
| 20171006 | 1.6 | October 6, 2017 |
| 20170406 | 1.5 | April 6, 2017 |
| 20170120 | 1.4.1 | January 1, 2017 |
| 20160913 | 1.4 | September 9, 2016 |
| 20160524 | 1.3.2 | May 24, 2016 |
| 20160520 | 1.3.1 | May 20, 2016 |
| 20160513 | 1.3 | May 13, 2016 |
| 20160201 | 1.2.2 | February 1, 2016 |
| 20151215 | 1.1 | December 15, 2015 |
| 20150 | 1.0.2 | July 22, 2015 |
| 20150715 | 1.0.1 | July 15, 2015 |
Keyword Actions
Awaken ● Battle ● Block ● Break ● Cast ● Charge ● Cross
Destroy ● Discard ● Dragsolution ● Expand ● Forbidden Liberate
Fortify ● Gachinko Judge ● Generate ● Gacharange Summon ● Link ● Reveal ● Seal
Search ● Shuffle ● Summon ● Switch ● Tap ● Trigger ● Upside Down ● Use
Other Terms
Attack ● Active Player ● Draw ● Defending Player ● Equip ● Flip ● Ignore ● Instead ● Leave
Look ● Mana ● Number ● Object ● Opponent ● Owner ● Player ● Summoning Sickness
Characteristic
Ability ● Artist ● Card Illustration ● Card Name ● Card Number
Card Rarity ● Card Type ● Cost ● Civilization ● Mana Cost ● Mana Number
Power ● Race ● Soul ● Subtype ● Summon Cost ● Supertype
Category
Name Category ● Race Category
Card Frame
Old Frame ● New Frame
Silver Frame ● Metal Frame
Full Frame ● Full Frame Foil
Block Icon
PS Icon ● E1 Icon ● E2 Icon ● E3 Icon ● DS Icon
Other
Ability Words ● Back ● Flavor Text ● Keywords
Reminder Text ● Text ● Timeline ● Forbidden Characters
Giga ● Happiness ● King ● Mono ● Moonless Night ● Neo ● Orega ● Psychic ● Psychic Super ● Star Evolution ● Star Max Evolution ● T2 ● Zeron
Evolution Creature ● Evolution Cross Gear ● Evolution Dragheart Creature ● Evolution Exile Creature ● Evolution Psychic Creature
Exile Creature ● Faerie Field ● Final Forbidden Creature ● Final Forbidden Field ● Forbidden Core ● Forbidden Creature
Forbidden Field ● Forbidden Impulse ● Gacharange Creature ● Giga Orega Aura ● Happiness Field ● King Cell ● Moonless Night Field
Mono Artifact ● Neo Creature ● Neo Evolution Creature ● Neo Gacharange Creature ● Orega Aura
Psychic Creature ● Psychic Field ● Psychic Super Creature ● Star Evolution Creature ● Star Max Evolution Creature
T2 Field ● Ceremony of Zeron ● Zeron Creature ● Zeron Nebula
Lists of Card Types
List of Dragheart ● List of Exile Creatures ● List of Psychic Creatures
Main Zones
Battle Zone ● Deck ● Graveyard
Hand ● Mana Zone ● Shield Zone
Side Deck Zones
Hyperspatial Zone ● Super Gacharange Zone
Other Zones
Anywhere Zone ● Bottom of Deck ● Top of Deck
Top of Evolution Creature ● Zone other than the battle zone ● Collection
Under
Under a Creature ● Under Evolution Creature
Under this field ● Under a Deck ● Under a Shield
Zone Types
Public Zone ● Private Zone
Effects
Oneshot Effect ● Continuous Effect ● Substitution Effect
Destruction Replacement effect ● Sprout
Abilities
Static Ability ● Trigger Ability ● Activated Ability ● Spell Ability
List of Static Abilities
Triggers
When you put / Come Into Play
Attack Trigger ● Put Into Graveyard ● Leave Trigger
List of Trigger Conditions
Hall of Fame
(History / Timeline / Reasons)
Cheating ● Errata ● Metagame (summary) ● Stalling ● Restricted Card
March 25, 2017 Rules revision
Tournament Formats
Block Constructed ● 2 Block Constructed
After Generate League
Special Restriction
Hall of Fame Zero Duel ● 10 Races Deck Battle
Mega Deck Duel 7 ● Zero Civilization King Finals
Monocolored Tournament
Sealed
Limit 10 ● Tokkyu 8 ● Booster Draft
Prebuilt Decks
Super Deck Zero Duel ● Start Deck Champion Finals
Events
Duel Road ● Due Festival ● Duema Festival
Certified Grand Prix ● Certified Judge Test ● Official Tournament
Championship ● Challenge Cup ● Super CS
Adds Civilization ● Adds Race ● Alternate Win ● Alternative Cost
Attack Bend ● Basic Card ● Cantrip ● Card Discard ● Chump Block
Cost Reduction ● Clutch ● Deck Manipulation ● Degenerate ● Diamond State
Draw Engine ● Draw Lock ● Draw Source ● Draw Spell
Extra Turn ● Finisher ● Graveyard Fertilizer ● Graveyard Summon
Hand Addition ● Hand Change ● Increase Power
Infinite ● Infinite Attacker ● Infinite Blocker
Mana Acceleration ● Mana Burn ● Mana Curve ● Mana Summon
Opponent Reliance ● Peeping ● Prevents Attack ● Prevents Defeat
Reset ● Resistance ● Reverse Fury Charge ● Reverse Slayer ● Shield Addition
Shield Burn ● Shield Change ● Shield Peek
Suicide ● Skip the rest of the turn ● Trample
Unattackable ● Unblockable ● Unchoosable
Vigilance ● Win All Battles ● 3D Dragsolution
Cards that can be put into the Battle Zone at the start of the game
Recovery (Salvage)
Graveyard Recovery ● Mana Recovery ● Shield Recovery
For No Cost
Madness ● Reanimate ● Recruit ● Shield Trigger creature
Removal
Blocker Based Removal ● Bounce ● Can Attack Untapped Creatures
Card Based Removal ● Decrease Power ● Fixed Removal ● Force Battle ● Mass Removal
Power Based Removal ● Reset ● Sealing ● Self Removal ● Tap In ● Tap and Destroy
Deck Feed ● Graveyard Feed ● Mana Feed ● Shield Feed
Advantage (Merit)
Disadvantage ● Board Advantage ● Field Advantage
Hand Advantage ● Information Advantage ● Mana Advantage
Tempo Advantage ● Time Advantage ● Suppression
Demerits
Can't Attack ● Can't Block
Attack if Able ● Block if Able
Alternate Loss Condition
Characteristic support
Cost 1 ● Cost 3 ● Cost 7 or less ● Cost 9
Power 6000 or more ● Power 12000 or more
Last 3 Digits
Activation Cost ● Additional Cost ● Attacking Creature
Can't be destroyed ● Choose a race ● Color Accident ● Concept ● Consists of ● Counter ● Cycle
Dead Card ● Deck Building ● Deck Compression ● Designer's Combo ● Evolution Icon
Evolution Source ● Face Up ● Forced ● Gacha Figure ● Game
Game Table ● Hyperspatial Cost ● Key Card ● Limited Card ● Mode ● More than 4 of this card in your deck
Name Rule ● Optional ● Overkill ● Play ● Power Creep ● Quasi-Vanilla ● Real Cost ● Repair
Rock-Paper-Scissors ● Stop ● System Creature ● The Over Eggplant-cross
Touch ● Trivia card ● Twinpactification ● Vanilla
Reprint Policies
DASH Golden List ● Duema Golden List
