Subject: Basic Duelist Tips - By The Kid


Here are some basic dueling tips for anyone new to the Yu-Gi-Oh card game:

BASICS
Some magic cards that should be in any deck you're making are:

Monster Reborn
Change of Heart
Pot of Greed
Card Destruction

It would be a good idea to have these monsters in pretty much any deck too:

Summoned Skull
Maneater Bug
Witch of the Black Forest 
Magician of Faith

It wouldn't hurt to include these trap cards in every deck too:

Trap Hole
Ultimate Offering

I didn't include the ultra rares that should be in every deck, but if you're 
lucky enough to grab any of these, be sure to add them in your deck too.

Raigeki
Swords of Revealing Light
Magic Jammer
Mirror Force
Heavy Storm

KINDS OF DECKS
If you're creating a deck that focuses mainly on damaging your opponent with 
strong monsters, then you're making what's commonly called a Beatdown deck. 
Any good Beatdown deck will contain Blue Eyes White Dragon, Summoned Skull, 
and two of my favorites, 7 Colored Fish and La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the 
Lamp. Don't be suprised if you see Witch of Black Forest and Magician of 
Faith in most of the Beatdown decks too. This kind of deck is currently the 
most popular and most successfull kind of deck.

Decks that concentrate solely on winning by drawing the five Exodia pieces 
are commonly called Exodia decks. If you're making an Exodia deck, be sure to 
include the five Exodia pieces(duh). It's extremely important to include 
Witch of the Black Forest, and magic and trap cards that stop other magic 
traps. Exodia decks may also be commonly called Control decks if they don't 
contain the Exodia pieces. They're called control because their main purpose 
is to have a controlled deck, where the user is basically able to get the 
cards he wants when he wants. Some good cards to have when playing against 
Exodia/Control decks are:

Card Destrustion
The Forceful Sentry
Robbin' Goblin
White Magical Hat
The Masked Sorcerer

If these cards are already in your main deck then great! If not, you can add 
them or add them to your sidedeck, so when you encounter someone with an 
Exodia deck you can add them to your deck.

Decks that focus on summoning or using one monster are called theme decks. 
The cards you should have in this kind of deck varies on your theme.

Decks that focus mainly on inflicting direct damage are commonly called 
Burners. Good cards to have in these decks are Ookazi, Tremendous Fire, 
Hinotama, Sparks, and Catapult Turtle. 

Decks that concentrate on fusioning monsters are commonly called Fusion 
decks.(No kidding.) Be sure to include Polymerization and tons of fusion 
monsters in these decks.

Decks that focus on Toon World and the toon monsters are commonly called Toon 
decks. Great cards to have in these decks are Toon world, lots of toon 
monsters and plenty of cards that heal life points.

TIPS
Adding Dian Keto the Cure Master gives you 1000 life points. This may seem 
like alot at first, but as you play the game more you'll realize it's not. It 
doesn't hurt to have one in your deck for a lifesaver, but don't add multiple 
copies, they just take up space.

The Forceful Sentry is not only a great card to have in your deck when 
playing an Exodia deck, but any deck for that matter. This card lets look at 
your opponent's hand, choose one card and place it back in their deck.

Don't be brainwashed by Gate Guardian's amazing attack power, it's nearly 
impossible to summon. You must first be lucky enough to get this card, then 
be lucky enough to get the three cards required to tribute: Sanga of the 
Thunder, Suijin, and Kazejin, all three are super rares, and have seven 
stars, meaning a grand total of nine tributes to summon Gate Guardian.

Always remember to attack after using Raigeki, that way you get direct 
damage! :D

Toon decks are great, but not that great. Only create a toon deck if you have 
another deck, otherwise don't waste your time.

If you're running a deck with lots of cards, be sure to add a weather report. 
It stops the annoying Swords of Revealing Light.

If you have Red Eyes Black Dragon, that's cool, but it's really not that 
good. It's 8 stars, and it only has 2400 attack. Don't add this card to your 
deck unless you plan on using a Lord of D./Dragon Flute combo.

Remember when using Monster Reborn, that it works on your opponent's monsters 
too, and that you can bring back a card with 5 or more stars.

That's about it, you can e-mail me at Extremehappy4@aol.com if you want to 
complain, be annoying, or if you have any questions. - The Kid