25 years later, it’s the perfect time to play Yu-Gi-Oh!

Released in 1993, the collectible card game Magic very quickly met with success as dazzling as it was unexpected. Obviously, other publishers are trying to step into the breach to take advantage of the financial windfall, and wheelbarrows of other games are quickly arriving in stores.

But the father of all collectible card games snatches up everything in his path, leaving only crumbs for his competitors, who all disappear one after the other.

All ? No. Two diehards stand up to him, and are still present at his side decades later. Best known to the general public, Pokemonobviously, and a second, more discreet in the West, but very appreciated by his many fans: Yu Gi Oh!.

And that’s good, since on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the collectible card game Yu Gi Oh!the publisher had the good idea of ​​offering a starter kit for two players, ideal for beginners.

But what is it, Yu Gi Oh! ?

At the beginning, Yu Gi Oh! (literally “the king of games”) is a shōnen type manga, pre-published between 1996 and 2004, then compiled into a collection of 38 volumes. It is imagined by mangaka Kazuki Takahashi, and inspired by his passion for both games (traditional, card or role-playing) and manga. He unfortunately died as tragically as heroically in July 2022.

The manga features young Yûgi, a high school student who is an expert in games. After assembling a thousand-year-old puzzle passed down from his grandfather, the spirit of an Egyptian pharaoh escapes and takes possession of his body. Together, and helped by their friends, they try to find the memories of the pharaoh and fight the dark forces… through a game of cards.

The success of the manga made it a franchise, with its host of derivative products: animated series and films, derivative series, video games on most imaginable consoles, and, the one that particularly interests us today, a game of collectible cards.

The collectible card game Yu Gi Oh!

From the whole franchise Yu Gi Oh!, the collectible card game is undoubtedly the most successful product. Originally released in 1999 in Japan, the game is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Obviously inspired by the manga and the animated series, the game quickly introduces new monsters. Not surprising, since we have to regularly rekindle the interest of players, who are rather spoiled at the moment with more than 80 expansions released! The strongest and rarest cards fetch several hundred or thousands of euros.

As usual, each player comes with their own deck (pack of cards), assembled from his personal collection. We face it through monsters, which we can use both in attack and defense, but also through trap or magic cards. The main victory condition is to bring your opponent’s life points to zero.

The game pleases with its iconic monsters, epic duels and complex rules. The competitive scene is very developed, with different levels of tournaments (local, regional, etc.) which lead to the ultimate Grail: the World Championship.

Note a small particularity all the same (like its counterpart Pokemon): the game is divided into two distinct universes. The first reserved for Japan and South Korea, the second for the rest of the world. The expansions are released several months before in Asia, certain cards are exclusive in one or the other zone, and two competitive circuits are held in parallel.

And if you needed further proof of its impact, the trading card game Yu Gi Oh! was even the subject of a master’s thesis in anthropology from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the University of Montreal… just that!

The ideal kit for starting out as a couple

The Two Player Starter Kit comes in a small box containing two decks of around forty cards each, ready to play.

But it is above all the little booklet supplied with it which makes all the difference. In around sixty pages, you are guided by a character from the manga to take your first steps. Literally, he explains to you, in turns, what to do with this or that card, how to attack, how to defend, etc.

The cards in the two decks are ordered in a certain way, and should not be shuffled before your first game, to be drawn in the correct order, following the instructions provided in the booklet.

This is, in memory, the most complete tutorial that we have encountered in a collectible card game, and more generally in a board game. And by far.

The basic concepts are explained one after the other, then repeated several times to be well integrated. Each time with concrete examples implemented with the cards drawn.

The first rules are quite simple to understand. We learn how to summon a monster, how to fight an opposing monster, the difference between an attacking or defending monster, etc. Then we move up little by little, ending with special summons. Sync And X Y Z (the names are scary, but it’s not that complicated) and increasingly complex and interactive card effects.

It must be admitted that the game is full of good ideas. Contrary to Magic, for example, no need for mana to play your cards (with all the problems that this causes). You can place trap cards face down which only reveal themselves at the appropriate time. Or even the notion ofextra decka second deck of a few cards, not mixed with the rest of the deck, and from which you can summon the monsters of your choice under certain special conditions.

It is commonly accepted that Magic is the hardest card game in the world. Certainly, the authors of this study did not play games Yu Gi Oh! Because beyond the rather accessible basic rules, many cards offer a wall of text dotted with cryptic terms, in a font that makes reading difficult for the oldest among us.

But then, who is this starter kit for? To fans of the universe obviously, and even more so to card game fans. If you are looking for something simple to start with, look instead to Pokemon Or Lorcana. But if your pleasure lies in the complexity of card mechanics and effects, then Yu Gi Oh! is clearly made for you. It is this aspect which sets it apart from its competitors and which, without a doubt, gives it this breathtaking longevity. And the gentle learning thanks to the booklet is an example of the kind that other games should take inspiration from.

This starter kit is obviously only a first step. You can then complete your collection with decks of structure and boosters, as with other games of the genre. Then participate in meetings or tournaments in store. And maybe win titles if you believe enough in the soul of cards…

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