A deck is the most important part for playing a Trading Card Game, you don't have a deck, you can't play. Here's just some tips for building a deck.

1. First, to understand the game more, buy the Structure Deck
Structure Deck are Japanese already built, tournament ready deck. It designed out so people could be competitive with expert deck in very low price. The 4 new structure decks that are coming out would be themed up more than the old structure...so, if you're starting right now, wait for about a month and WAIT until the 2 new structures came out, because they would help you guys more!!

2. Once you get familiar, you may start building your first own deck, here's some tips:

a. Control the number of cards in your deck
A deck of card consist of at least 40 cards and at most 15 cards Side Deck. You don't want to have a deck too big. A deck is best to have 40-42 cards in there. You may built a deck with more card, but that will kill the ratio of drawing a card at the right time (important in a duel). You may put the card you really want to be in a deck, but not always need, or base on situations, to SIDE DECk.

b. Control the ratio of Monster to Magic/Trap
Many people (and experts) will tell you to built a deck with 1:1 ratio (like in 40 cards deck, 20 Monster and 20 M/T). That's not really the case that works in the environment anymore. Since you only can normal summon ONE monster per turn (unless some M/T or Effect that you can special summon more monster to the field), while you may play any number of M/T per turn as you want, and also, most of the Staples (in next section) are M/T, so control the ratio.

c. Use the Staples Card
The game of Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters, unlike others, have "staples" card, means card that belongs to any deck. In the following is a list of cards that's highly recommended (**BUT NOT ALWAYS NEEDED!!**) in any deck:
Monster:
Magic Warrior - Breaker
Initiate Troops
Exclusivity Virus
Cyber Pod

Magic:
Brainwash - Brain Control -
Cyclone
Robbery
Jar of Greed
Early Burial
Sealing Swords of Light
Heavy Storm
Lightning Vortex

Trap:
Destruction Ring
Cry of Living Dead
Tidal Wave
Holy Barrier - Mirror Force -

TIPS: Remember to follow the Restriction List (Different between English and Japanese game) . You may always check for the update on the list on the official website of Yu-Gi-Oh: www.yugioh-card.com

d. Choose carefully which card you add to your deck
Once you start to build deck, some players may start to think some cards are good. I can tell you, card that are too situational never work. You may add card such as [Thief's Seven Tools] (e. Seven Tools of Bandit), but think about how frequent you could use that card, and how many times you can use that card in a duel. Also, some players may think 4 stars non-tribute 1900s monster are "unbeatable". WRONG! Non-effect monster are out-of-date for long, unless you use them in a theme deck (i.e. Demon Soldier in Chess Demon Deck, Mad Dog of Darkness in Primal Deck). Remember: Brute Strength alone won't work, it's effect of a monster that matter the most

e. Don't buy random stuffs
It's a waste of money just to buy random packs and get the cards to built your first deck. In the first deck, I recommand people to save up money to buy some "singles" (especially the staples) and trade some cards with people (some people like to help newbies, some don't.). After you finish your first deck 90%, you may then start to buy some packs that you feel it would boost up your deck.

f. Use your head when dueling
Don't make a scanario that you will draw that that that cards and you will win...although it will happen some day, a deck needed different backup and support for a "god draw scanario" to work. Also, when you're dueling, PLEASE, think twice before you put down a card on the field, or, it would probably hurt you. At last, I MEAN THIS: DON'T EVER FEAR TO ATTACK JUST BECAUSE OF FACE-DOWN CARDS!!

Also, if you have searching card (i.e. Sangan/Witch) or Deck Thinning Card (i.e. Toon Index, Thunder Dragon), use them first before you activate any drawing magics (i.e. Jar of Greed/Angel's Gift/etc.)

g. Comboing
NOT ALL DECKS NEED COMBO TO WIN. But, most decks have certain way that you would win, no matter it's "big monster beating" or "twist your opponent head around" (or...decks that are unpredictable), to 1-2 cards combo decks (my favorite...not recommand for beginners, through). WHY combos?? Even if your deck want to be "unpredictable", you would not want the deck goes one way in one card and other way for another card (just say...putting [Necrovalley] in a Zombie deck, which relies heavily on summoning from Graveyard)

h. Learn from deck testing, always changing the deck
There's no "best" deck or "perfect" deck in this world, any deck could lost, depends on your luck. But after testing, if you feel some card "block your way" more than so, take it out, and find some card that could speed up the combo, and put it in. You can ALWAYS change cards, swapping cards from decks to collection. If you get mad just because someone say "this deck looks pretty crappy" (talking about more than 1 people), and you feel that you are the best...quit the game.

3. Deck types
There's a BUNCH of cards out in the game (more than 1500), but, all the cards could divided into three general types of deck, and each type would include different archtype.

a. Beatdown
A beatdown deck is a deck type where, you're using brute strength and speed to win the game. This deck type is the most basic of all decks. The only real thing the deck-user would care when using this type of deck is: opponent's lifepoint.

EXAMPLE:
- The 2000s attack beats
- Rush
- Most sub-type decks, especially Warrior, Undead, Dragon, Machine, Beast/Beast-Warrior, and Demon
- (A main type) Aggro deck (Aggro basically means Beatdown, it's the SAME thing)

b. Control
A control deck is where a player would interfere/disturbe with opponent's strategy. Most tournament winners fall into this category. This type of deck, however, is still win most likely by the "beatdown" element.

EXAMPLE:
- Aggro Control (the #1 common deck)
- Chaos Control (also could be Aggro Control)
- Virus (DDVD) Control (include sub-type Virus Control)
- Bounce
- Metamorphsis/Goat Control
- Gravekeeper/Graveyard Control

c. Combo
My favorite type of deck. This type of deck basically win by 2-4 cards combo, no matter it is win by attacking or using a card's effect to win. Not many decks are 100% combo decks, most of the combo decks also win by the "beatdown" element.

EXAMPLE:
- All of the "Cheese Deck" (a.k.a. One Turn Kill Deck): Reversed World, Magical Scientist/Mirage Knight/Catapult, Exodia, Last Battle! Deck, Reversed Quiz, Greed, etc.
- A specific card or Card Series deck: like [Blue Eyes Shining Dragon], [Castle Gate], [Horus], etc.
- Fusion/Ritual deck that depend on the Fusion or Ritual monster to win
- Field card deck (a deck build around 1 field card...)
- Burner
- Staller/"Turtle"

At last, I want to tell you guys to have fun with this wonderful game, and I hope this little "essay" would help you. At last, you may always submit your deck for me to fix personally at redbaronii@hotmail.com

- Baron
First Written 12/25/2003 (REVISED 4/6, 6/2, and 11/4/04)

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