A modern combo can look like a blur: monsters in, monsters out, a pile of new cards on the field. Slow it down and every step is one of a few simple sums. This lesson drills those sums with your own cards, using the rules in Konami’s rulebook and the 2021 Rules Update.
The three sums
Synchro: add Levels. Send exactly 1 face-up Tuner and any number of face-up non-Tuners from your field to the GY. Their Levels must add up exactly to the Synchro Monster’s Level.
Xyz: match Levels. Stack face-up monsters of the same Level as the recipe asks, usually two or more. The new Xyz Monster’s Rank equals that Level in most recipes, but always follow the card. The stacked monsters become Xyz Materials. They are no longer cards on the field.
Link: count monsters. Send face-up monsters to the GY equal to the Link Rating, matching the recipe. A Link Monster used as material can count as 1, or as its own Link Rating, whichever helps.
Every Extra Deck Summon happens during your Main Phase, and none of them uses your Normal Summon.
What has no Level
Xyz Monsters have a Rank, and Link Monsters have a Link Rating. Neither has a Level. So neither can be counted toward a Synchro Summon’s Level sum or used as a matching Level for an Xyz Summon, unless a card says otherwise. Returning players trip over this often, because a Rank 4 looks a lot like a Level 4.
Where they land
Under the 2021 Rules Update:
- Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Monsters from the Extra Deck can go into any of your Main Monster Zones, or into your Extra Monster Zone.
- Link Monsters, and face-up Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck, must go into your Extra Monster Zone or a Main Monster Zone a Link Arrow points to.
- A monster that started in the Extra Deck but is Summoned from the GY or banishment goes into a Main Monster Zone and needs no arrow.
You normally use only one Extra Monster Zone. That is why the first Link Monster of a turn usually goes there, and its arrows open the zones the next ones need.
Five drills
Use any cards as stand-ins. A sticky note on top, or just saying the Level out loud, is enough.
Drill 1: a simple Synchro. You control a Level 3 Tuner and a Level 4 non-Tuner. Sum: 3 + 4 = 7. You can Synchro Summon a Level 7 Synchro Monster. You cannot Summon a Level 6 or a Level 8 with these two. The sum must be exact.
Drill 2: a Synchro with three materials. A Level 2 Tuner, a Level 2 non-Tuner, and a Level 4 non-Tuner. Sum: 2 + 2 + 4 = 8. Or leave the Level 4 out: 2 + 2 = 4. Same field, two different Synchro Levels to choose from. Two Tuners plus a non-Tuner would not work for most Synchro Monsters, because a Synchro Summon uses exactly 1 Tuner.
Drill 3: an Xyz. Two Level 4 monsters. Stack them and place a Rank 4 Xyz Monster that asks for 2 Level 4 monsters on top. If one of them were a Level 4 Xyz Material from before, it would not count, because Xyz Materials are not on the field.
Drill 4: a Link 2, then a Link 3. Two monsters on the field. Link Summon a Link 2 Monster into your Extra Monster Zone. Now you control the Link 2 plus one more monster you Summon. A Link 3 that needs 2 or more materials can use the Link 2 counted as 2, plus the other monster counted as 1. That is 3, from two cards.
Drill 5: the zone puzzle. Your Link 2 Monster in the Extra Monster Zone has arrows pointing down-left and down-right. Point to the two Main Monster Zones those arrows reach. Those are the only Main Monster Zones a second Link Monster could go into this turn. A Synchro Monster, though, could go into any open Main Monster Zone.
Read the recipe twice
Most Extra Deck Monsters ask for more than a count. The rulebook lists three things to check on every Link recipe, and the same habit works for all of them:
- The total. Levels for Synchro, matching Levels for Xyz, Link Rating for Link.
- The number of materials. “2 or more,” “2+,” or an exact count.
- Any other limits. Only Effect Monsters, a specific Type, a named card, and so on.
Tokens can be Link Material if they meet the recipe. They cannot be Xyz Material.
Practice at full speed
Once the drills feel easy, open Master Duel, Konami’s free-to-play digital card game. The game checks every sum and every zone for you, so you can watch real combos and pause on any step that surprises you. Then come back to paper, where you are the one who has to get it right.
Next lesson
Upgrading Your First Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck on a Budget
Next, your first upgrades: how to turn a starter into a real deck by buying singles, without chasing every shiny card.
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