Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is a brand-new video game based on the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. Whether you’re a seasoned Yu-Gi-Oh! veteran, a fan of the popular anime show, an old fan coming back, or someone completely new, there’s plenty to learn about the game. Here’s how to get started with Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
When you start the game, you’ll be asked a series of questions about your level of experience with Yu-Gi-Oh! and then be introduced to three tutorials. The tutorials can be skipped, but if you’re new to Yu-Gi-Oh!, it’s a good idea to play them. After you have completed or skipped the tutorials, you’ll be given gems, the in-game currency used to buy card packs, decks, and accessories. You will also get to choose your starter deck.
Choosing a Starter Deck
There are three starter decks in Master Duel:
- Power of the Dragon
- Synchro of Unity
- Link Generation
If you’re brand new to Yu-Gi-Oh! or haven’t played in a long time, Power of the Dragon may be the best choice. It’s more beginner-friendly and less complex than the other choices. On the other hand, if you’re a very experienced player who knows all the newest cards and tactics, you may want to choose Link Generation. This deck is considered the most complicated and has a higher learning curve. Standing in the middle is Synchro of Unity. This deck provides a solid middle-ground between the other two options. Synchro of Unity can be a great choice for players with intermediate experience or those who want an accessible introduction to more challenging play styles. Don’t sweat your starter deck choice too much though. You can unlock the other choices later and will be building your own decks soon.
Solo Mode
After you’ve picked a starter deck, it’s a good idea to head into solo mode and play through the first scenarios. The first three available are “Duel Strategy”, “The Absolute Monarch”, and “The Warriors of the Six Elemental Lords”. These scenarios will teach you more about the game’s rules and strategies. When you click on a duel within a scenario, make sure to click “My Deck” and choose the starter deck you selected previously (unless you want to use the default deck). Upon completing the duels and practices within each scenario, you’ll receive a variety of rewards including gems, cards, and more. The more solo mode scenarios you complete, the more become available. Continuing to play through the scenarios will give you a solid base of cards and gems that can be used to create your first custom deck.
The Shop
To start redeeming your gems for more cards and items, you need to visit the shop. If you’re planning on playing a lot of online ranked duels, your first purchase should be the Duel Pass (Gold) found under the “Special” tab in the shop. The Duel Pass (Gold) will give you extra rewards for participating in and winning ranked and event duels. Be aware that duel passes have expiration dates, as do their rewards. Be sure to take advantage of duel passes while you have them!
Next, you can start looking at the various card packs and structure decks available in the shop. You’ll be able to see what cards are in a deck as well as the featured cards you could get from a certain pack. Most packs have a pool of 40 to 80 cards in them, but the Master Pack is an exception. This pack includes thousands of potential cards. When you’re first starting out, it’s worth purchasing the three available Bundle Deals under the “Special” tab in the shop. Each bundle includes an Ultra Rare (UR) card and 10 Master Packs for a discounted price. The featured UR card in each bundle is strong, and the Master Packs will give you a ton of cards.
Card Crafting
Solo mode and the shop can be great ways to get cards, but learning card crafting is essential to strong deck building.
When you go into the “Deck” tab on the main screen of Master Duel, you can see your current decks and create new ones. In the deck creator, you’ll find a massive card list for you to browse. You’ll see the cards you own, and ones you can craft using craft points. You can earn craft points from dueling, completing missions, or by dismantling unwanted cards. Every card in the game has a rarity associated with it. Cards can be Normal (N), Rare (R), Super Rare (SR), or Ultra Rare (UR). When you dismantle a card of a certain rarity, you get craft points for that rarity. You can then use these points to craft any card of that same rarity in the card list. Cards take 30 craft points to generate, but the points you get from dismantling a card can vary. Crafting is a great way to obtain specific cards you need, and it can also unlock Secret Packs for the shop.
Secret Packs
Buying secret packs is one of the best ways to obtain powerful cards and build synergistic decks. Each secret pack follows a theme, and the cards in the pack usually work well together. If you’re looking to build a deck around a certain card or theme, buying secret packs will be a huge help. Secret packs can be obtained two ways. One way to unlock a secret pack is by pulling an SR or UR card from another card pack. If that SR or UR card is included in a secret pack, that pack will now be available for you to buy. The other way to unlock secret packs is by crafting an SR or UR card. Just like the previous method, if that SR or UR card is found in a secret pack, the pack will be available to purchase. When you buy a secret pack, you receive eight cards. Four of the cards will be from that secret pack's pool, and the other four will be random. Be warned, secret packs are only available for 24 hours after unlocking them. After the timer is up, you will have to unlock the pack again. Plan ahead to make the most of this time! A list of secret packs and the cards included in them can be found here.
Building a Deck
Now that you’ve mastered the basics in solo mode, and understand the shop, crafting, and secret packs, you’re ready to build a deck! To build a deck, go back into the “Deck” section. This will allow you to edit an existing deck, build a new one, or copy a public deck or structure deck (providing you have the appropriate cards). In the deck builder, you can see the cards you own and a full list of ones you don’t. Clicking on a card in the card list will give you everything you need to know about it, including how to obtain it (the packs it’s in), and cards related to it. The card list can be filtered in countless ways, making it easy to find exactly what you want. To add or remove cards from your deck, simply drag them into or out of the “Main Deck” or “Extra Deck” areas. You can also click the +1 or -1 buttons. Decks can be anywhere from 40 to 60 cards. But remember, the fewer cards in your deck, the higher the chances of drawing the card you need. If you want ideas or inspiration for decks, there are a lot of great resources in-game and online. Try viewing public decks in-game and check out the trending and top decks on Master Duel Meta. Most importantly, build a deck you like!
After You’ve Built a Deck
Once you have a deck you’re happy with, you can continue playing through solo mode, or try some online duels against strangers or friends. You can play ranked duels online to level up your account or join event duels for special rewards. New missions are always being added as well, offering you ways to earn additional rewards. Overall, there’s a ton of creativity, freedom, and fun in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can play the game any way you want!