Lesson 3: Monster card

Monster Cards (Japanese: モンスターカード Monsutākādo) represent monsters that players battle against each other or directly against either player during the Battle Phase. Monsters are the main focus of Duel Monsters. Monster Cards are differentiated by their names, Type, Attribute, ATK, DEF, Level/Rank. Furthermore, there are Normal Monsters, which are monsters that lack effects and aren't any of the other kinds of monsters (except Gemini monsters which are summoned as Normal Monsters, and some Pendulum Monsters, which can be Normal Monsters), in addition to Effect Monsters, Ritual Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters, Xyz Monsters and Token Monsters. Note that Effect Monsters cannot also be Normal Monsters (except for the Gemini monsters, which are capable by their effect to be Normal Monsters and then turn to Effect Monsters), but they can be Ritual Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters, Xyz Monsters, or Pendulum Monsters. Also note that Ritual Monsters, Fusion Monsters, Synchro Monsters and Xyz Monsters can lack effects, making them unable to be Effect Monsters, but they are not considered Normal Monsters. In short, a Normal Monster is a card with the Normal Monster card frame (colored yellow).

During play, monster cards can be played in either face-up Attack Position or face-down Defense Position. The importance of monster cards lies in their effects (which usually activate during their controller's Main Phase) and their ATK and DEF values during the Battle Phase (or more specifically, the Damage Step).

When a card's text reads a word or phrase in quotation marks followed by monster, it means a monster with the word or phrase in its name. e.g. a "Six Samurai" monster is a monster with "Six Samurai" in its card name.


Normal monster




Effect monster



Ritual Monster



Fusion monster



Synchro monster



Xyz monster



Pendulum monster