Are you ready to become the King of Games in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel?
The brand new digital card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, has just launched and hordes of players are already jumping in to play across PC and console.
Unlike Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links – another Yu-Gi-Oh! game that released in 2016 – Master Duel returns to a much more traditional Yu-Gi-Oh! format that fans of the original trading card game will instantly recognize.
Here's everything you need to about Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, how to play it, and when we expect to see it come to mobile.
How can I play Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel?
If you want to try out the new game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is currently playable on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC (via Steam).
The game is free to play but does feature in-game transactions – and with the goal being to collect the best cards for the best decks you may find you need to spend money in order to keep up with the best players.
If you have a single deck type in mind though then you're in luck – as Master Duel lets you exchange cards you have no interest in for cards you actually want.
Is Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel on mobile?
Unfortunately, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is currently not available to play on iPhone, iPad, or Android smartphones.
The game's developers have said the game will launch on these platforms in the near future, but haven’t given a clearer of exactly when that will be. Given the burgeoning success of the game, we hope it'll be soon, or at least within 2022.
If you want to play Yu-Gi-Oh! on your smartphone, you’ll need to check out a slightly older game from 2016 – Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. This game remixes the core ideas from Yu-Gi-Oh!, so that your deck and battlefield are roughly half their usual size (a bit easier on small screens), and you gain access to unique character abilities that can help turn the tide of battle or cement a victory.
We’d recommend giving this free-to-play game a chance if you’re desperate for some Yu-Gi-Oh! action. However, your Duel Links card collection won’t transfer over to Master Duel, so you’ll need to virtually collect your cards all over again if you decide to transition over to the other game.
What is Yu-Gi-Oh?
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a collectible card game where players create decks of between 40 and 60 cards and then battle against each other to be the first to reduce their opponent’s life points to zero.
They do this using a mixture of monster, spell and trap card types that feature in decks that have near limitless variation – though a few standout archetypes will run the game's meta at various points in time.
The card game is also heavily featured in an anime of the same name, with the show’s flashy effects being what initially attracts some players to the game.
Virtual interpretations of Yu-Gi-Oh!, such as Master Duel, finally live up to the show’s promise by delivering cards with stand-out effects that make the card game feel more dynamic than it does on a tabletop.
If you’ve never played Yu-Gi-Oh! before, these free-to-play games can be a great entry point as a way to try it out – and players from Magic: The Gathering or the Pokemon Trading Card Game may recognize plenty of the ideas that are present, albeit with different names and terminology.
What's the best deck in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel?
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a constantly evolving card game that changes every time new packs are released, and as player understanding morphs and evolves – so there's never just one ‘best' deck in the game.
And if there is ever an ultra-powerful set of 40 cards that nothing else can beat, then you can expect the Forbidden and Limited list to be updated with some of those cards fairly soon.
Our advice would be to keep an eye on what the top players using to get a feel for what the current meta is like – but don't be afraid to try out your own strategies too.
You might just discover a new winning combo that none of your competitors have anticipated.
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