The gameplay of Yu-Gi-Oh! has changed throughout its many anime series and the physical card game. From the number of life points characters have to the summoning mechanics and type of monsters playable, each rendition of the show has developed and added a variety of new features.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! will be building on the rules that were introduced in its previous season, Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS, which saw the game take a dramatic turn from the formats that each previous anime has followed. Unlike the traditional game fans know and love, Rush Duels offers a more simplified game style, similar to Speed Duels, that harkens back to the old-school days of the game. Since Yu-Gi-Oh SEVENS has yet to be released outside of Japan, many fans may still be unfamiliar with the new mechanics of the upcoming show, so here’s a breakdown of what to expect.
What Changes To The Rules Have Been Made?
The first thing that fans of the game will notice is that the duel field has been scaled down in size. Now, players only have three monster zones and spell and trap zones rather than the traditional five. Pendulum and Extra Monster zones no longer exist; however, this might be something that's developed within this new series.
The mechanics for normal summoning monsters has also changed. Typically, characters have only been able to Normal Summon once per turn -- unless they’re cheating to enhance the plot, which can be seen pretty often in Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duels allows characters to Normal Summon or Set as many monsters as they want within a single turn; however, all Level 5 or higher monsters still must be Tribute Summoned.
To balance this mechanic, all monster effects can only be activated once per turn while they are face up on the field. Although this has an impact on how players play in real life, it's unlikely to dramatically alter how cards are used in the show.
As both the name of the series and the card game it is based upon suggest, the pace of duels is much quicker than fans have come to expect. This means that not only can characters summon monsters at a faster pace, but the number of cards that they draw has also increased. Rather than getting one card per turn during the Draw Phase, players are able to continuously add cards to their hand from the top of their deck until they have five cards. Moreover, there is no limit to the number of cards a character can have in their hand.
Since this occurs each turn and characters will lose a duel if they run through their deck too quickly, every game will likely be a rush to see who can win before this happens. Fans of the show can likely expect to see a few close games in which one character loses simply due to their inability to draw.
Other slight tweaks to the game have been made, although the rest of the rules have largely remained the same. Characters start with 4000-8000 LP and can only have 40-60 cards in their Main Deck. However, there are other innovations present when it comes to the summoning mechanics of certain monsters.
How Does Fusion Summoning Work?
Over the course of Yu-Gi-Oh’s history, fusion summoning has occurred in a plethora of different ways, from using the classic Polymerization card to unique Contact Fusions. Under the majority of circumstances, players are able to fuse monsters from their hands, field and sometimes even deck. However, in Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush!!, a fusion can only occur when monsters are on the player's field and the spell card “fusion” has been activated.
What’s Maximum Summoning?
Maximum Summoning is a mechanic that's exclusive to Rush Duels and was first introduced in Yu-Gi-Oh! SEVENS. Characters initiate this summon by having all three pieces of a Maximum Monster in their hand and either an empty field or the ability to send all monsters they control to the grave.
The monster summoned is treated as a single card and can only attack once unless it's otherwise stated. If the monster is destroyed or returned to the hand, the rest of the pieces follow suit. However, the effects of each card can be activated separately and summoned individually. Similar to Link Monsters, Maximum Monsters do not have any Defense and cannot be changed to Defense Position.
As Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! progresses, it's possible that new mechanics and rules will come into play. When looking at its counterpart, Speed Duels, it's reasonable to assume that as time goes on, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum and even Link Summoning will enter the game as characters discover new and exciting ways to duel each other. However, with space on the field being limited and Konami wanting to simplify the game for older fans of the show, it might be a while until this happens, if at all.
