Synchro Summon

A Synchro Summon ( Shinkuro Shōkan, シンクロ in card text before Duelist Alliance) is the act of Special Summoning a Synchro Monster from the Extra Deck using a Tuner monster with additional non-Tuner monsters.

Of all the summoning methods so far Synchro Summoning has the highest skill ceiling, with many Synchro-based decks requiring intricate combos with upwards of 20-steps.

With the introduction of Link Monsters, Synchro Monsters can now only be Synchro Summoned to either the Extra Monster Zone or a Linked Zone.

How to Synchro Summon
During their Main Phase 1 or 2, the turn player can Synchro Summon a Synchro Monster from the Extra Deck by first declaring the action and then selecting the Synchro Monster in their Extra Deck that they intend to Synchro Summon. Following this, they send the requisite Synchro Materials they control to the Graveyard, as listed on the Synchro Monster itself (which include 1 Tuner and at least 1 or more non-Tuner monsters), provided that those monster are face-up and the total combined Levels of those monsters exactly matches the Level of that Synchro Monster. After that, the Synchro Monster is taken from the Extra Deck and placed on either the Extra Monster Zone or an unoccupied Link Point in face-up Attack or Defense Position.

Monsters that do not have Levels, such as Xyz Monsters (which have Ranks instead) cannot be used as Synchro Materials.

Advanced rulings

 * A Synchro Summon is a kind of built-in Special Summon, therefore, it does not start a Chain.


 * The player can Synchro Summon while "Macro Cosmos" is active. In this case, the Synchro Material Monsters are banished.
 * Token Monsters and Trap Monsters can be used as Synchro Material Monsters.


 * Provided the Synchro Monster is not a Nomi monster, once it is properly Synchro Summoned, it can be later Special Summoned with "Call of the Haunted", "Soul Charge", etc. If the Synchro Monster is sent to the Graveyard without being Summoned, such as by the effect of "Gale Dogra" or "Zaborg the Mega Monarch", then it cannot be Special Summoned.


 * Face-down monsters cannot be used to perform a Synchro Summon.


 * A Synchro Summon can be negated with "Black Horn of Heaven", "Horn of Heaven", "Thunder King Rai-Oh", "Solemn Warning", etc.
 * In this case, the Synchro Material Monsters are still sent to the Graveyard. The Synchro Monster is not considered properly Summoned, so it cannot be revived with "Call of the Haunted" or other similar effects. In addition, effects like "Odin, Father of the Aesir"'s do not activate, since they have not yet reached the field nor have been properly Summoned.


 * If the Synchro Monster requires Synchro Material Monsters of a specific Attribute (like "Hydro Genex"), the player can use a monster with multiple Attributes (like "Elemental Mistress Doriado") as a Synchro Material Monster.


 * The Synchro Material Monsters are treated as neither Tributed nor destroyed.


 * It is allowed to Synchro Summon more than once per turn if the player has the appropriate monsters out on the field to perform it.

Alternate methods
Apart from the basic method of performing a Synchro Summon outlined above, certain cards allow the controller to perform a Synchro Summon outside of its parameters.
 * Some monsters, including the "Yang Zing" non-Tuner monsters, "Formula Synchron", and "T.G. Wonder Magician", allow their controller to Synchro Summon during the opponent's Main Phase or Battle Phase.


 * "Superheavy Samurai Battleball" and "Synchro Material" allow the controller to use their opponent's monster as Synchro Material.


 * "T.G. Cyber Magician" "Tatsunoko", "Eccentric Boy", "Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala", "Mara of the Nordic Alfar", and "Malefic Parallel Gear" allow the controller to use non-Tuner monsters from their hand as Synchro Materials.
 * See lists Performs a Synchro Summon and Treats Special Summon as Synchro Summon.

Synchro Substitute Monsters

 * See main article Synchro Substitute Monsters.

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
While Synchro Summoning, the Tuner monster is said to be tuned''' with the other monsters. '''

Many characters in the Japanese anime have chants, often unique to them and each of their Synchro Monsters, which they recite while Synchro Summoning. Before the chants, the Duelist announces the monsters being used, starting with the Levels and names of all non-Tuner monsters, from the lowest to the highest Level, then the Level and name of the Tuner monster. In the English dub, this is reversed; the Tuner monster's name is said first and the non-Tuner monsters' names are said last.

During a Synchro Summon, the Tuner monster transforms into a number of green rings which corresponds to its Level. These rings then "scan" the non-tuner monsters, which first change into a glowing yellow "outline" of themselves before turning into a number of stars which correspond to their Levels. A beam of light then envelops the stars, passing through the rings, and the Synchro Monster appears thereafter. In some special versions of Synchro Summons, the rings are a different color or are completely redesigned, for example, when "Shooting Quasar Dragon" is Limit Over Accel Synchro Summoned, the rings are gold instead of green, and when "Red Nova Dragon" is Synchro Summoned, the Tuner monsters transform into rings of fire, which form a sphere around the non-Tuner monster. Additionally, when "Malefic Paradox Dragon" is Synchro Summoned, the Synchro Rings are black instead of green, and the non-Tuner monsters become a purple outline, and a cyclone of darkness envelops the stars instead of a beam of light. Also, the characters may have personalized backgrounds and other graphics for Synchro Summons (most noticeably Vizor).

Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Synchro Summoning appears to be more advanced than it was in ''Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's'' as can be seen by the Synchro Rings are surrounded by multiple small rotating rectangles, which gives them a more futuristic look, implying that in the future the actual Synchro Summoning method has evolved. Like in 5D's, when Jack Atlas performs a Double Tuning, the two Tuners become rings of fire rather than Synchro rings.

A Synchro Summon performed using monsters that have been Pendulum Summoned is referred to as a "Pendulum-Synchro".