Pendulum Monster

A Pendulum Monster (Japanese: ペンデュラムモンスター Pendyuramumonsutā, abbreviated モンスター in card text), known as a Pendulum Card in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime, is a type of Main Deck Monster Card that is half green and half orange or yellow (dependent on whether it is an Effect Monster or a Normal Monster). They were introduced in Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. Pendulum Monsters can be activated from the hand as a Spell Card, placing it in a Pendulum Zone. These monsters can be used to perform Pendulum Summons.

While in the Pendulum Zone, it is treated as a Spell Card and not as a monster until it leaves the Pendulum Zone. After resolving, it will remain face-up as a Spell, and continues to apply its Pendulum Effects, if any (its Monster Effects are not applied). Pendulum Monsters cannot be Set in the Pendulum Zone. Although they are treated as Spells, they are special cards that are not treated as a Normal, Continuous, Field, Equip, Quick-Play, or Ritual Spell Cards. Unlike Field Spell Cards, you cannot send an existing Pendulum Monster to the Graveyard by game mechanics by placing a new Pendulum Monster over it. As long as there are open Pendulum Zones, there is no limit to the number of times a Pendulum Monster can be activated from the hand per turn.

Once per turn, during the Main Phase, while there are Pendulum Monsters in both Pendulum Zones, the turn player can perform a Pendulum Summon, using the Pendulum Monsters' Pendulum Scales to determine the Levels of the monsters that can be Summoned.

When a Pendulum Monster (even if it is face-down) would be sent from the field to the Graveyard, either as a Monster Card or Spell Card, it is placed face-up in the Extra Deck Zone instead. (Pendulum Monsters can cause the total size of the Extra Deck to be larger than would be allowed during Deck building.) If a Pendulum Monster is sent from the hand, Main Deck or Extra Deck to the Graveyard; has its activation as a Spell Card or Summon negated; or is detached, it is sent to the Graveyard like normal. A Pendulum Monster in the Extra Deck Zone can be Summoned again by Pendulum Summon, as long as its Level is within the Scales.

Pendulum Monsters are not Special Summon monsters like Fusion, Ritual, Synchro and Xyz Monsters. They can still be Normal or Tribute Summoned.

As the Pendulum Effects and the Pendulum Scales take up the space where the Set Number would usually be placed, this value is placed in the bottom left corner of the card instead, in the same line as the ATK/DEF values of the Pendulum Monster.

In the anime, Yuya's Pendulum Monsters were originally Effect Monsters, but they were transformed by the power of Yuya's Pendant into their current state. When a Pendulum Monster is placed into a Pendulum Zone, it appears in a transparent column of blue light from a portal in the ground not dissimilar to the Summoning of monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. In the anime, Pendulum Monsters are a valid target for cards that affect monsters and cards that affect Spells.