Team Dueling Rules

The following are rules for Duels consisting of teams of two players.

Currently, the only instance of Team Duels being sanctioned by Konami Digital Entertainment is the Anual YATA Yu-Gi-Oh! Tag Team Tournament held in Oceania and various Parts of Europe. The following are the rules previously used by Upper Deck Entertainment.

Team Dueling
The match is between two teams of two players each (designated player A and player B). Teammates are seated next to each other with the other team on the opposite side of the table.

For a tournament, each player's designation (A or B) is chosen at the start of the tournament, and never changes.

Basic Rules

 * Each player has 5 Monster Card Zones.
 * Each player has 5 Spell & Trap Card Zones.
 * The zones from both players on a team create 1 large side of the field. So there are 2 sides of the field, Team One’s side of the field and Team Two’s side of the field.
 * Each player uses their own Deck (2 Decks per team).
 * Each player has their own Graveyard (you cannot use your teammate's Graveyard as if it was your own).
 * Each team has 1 Life Point total of 8000 (if it reaches 0, the team loses).
 * There can only be 1 Field Spell Card in play at a time, just like a 1-on-1 Duel.
 * Each player has their own Extra Deck (you cannot use your teammate's Extra Deck for your Fusion Summon or Synchro Summons or card effects).
 * Each player has their own Side Deck to use only with their Deck.
 * Limited Cards are counted per player, not per team. So, for any given Limited Card, each player on a team could include 1 copy in their Deck, making a total of 2 copies that team can use. However, one player cannot include 2 copies of a Limited Card, even if the other player doesn't include any.
 * During a turn, a player can only control their cards, not their teammate's, unless it is on the field.
 * Teammates may talk, compare hands, and share information freely with each other. They should make their decisions in a timely manner, so as to not delay the game.
 * A team loses if either player on that team cannot draw a card from their Deck when required to.
 * A player can equip a spell or trap to a parters monster/ or opposing monster on the field.

Turn Procedure
Players on the same team sit next to each other, player A sits to the right of player B. Team 1 is players 1A & 1B and Team 2 is players 2A & 2B. The turn order starts with player A of the team that is chosen to go first and then alternates between teams. The first player who can make an attack is the player who goes fourth.

Continue until one team wins.



Card Effects
EXAMPLES: "Confiscation", "Memory Crusher", "Soul Release", "Secret Barrel", "Crush Card Virus". EXAMPLE: Player 2A activates "Lightning Vortex". It destroys player 1A and player 1B's face-up monsters. EXAMPLE: "Dark World Dealings" is activated. All 4 players will each draw a card, then each discard a card. EXAMPLE: It is player 1A's turn, and player 1B controls a "Gravekeeper's Spy". With permission, player 1A Tributes that "Gravekeeper's Spy" to Tribute Summon his "Jinzo". EXAMPLE: Player 1A Summons "Dark Magician". Player 2B activates "Brain Control" and selects the "Dark Magician". He moves it to one of his Monster Card Zones. Player 1A is the owner of "Dark Magician" and Player 2B is the controller of "Dark Magician".
 * If any part of a card affects your opponent's hand, Deck, Extra Deck, Graveyard, or Removed from Play Zone, then the player activating the card effect must choose 1 of their opponents to apply the entire effect of the card to.
 * If a card affects only your opponent's side of the field, it affects the entire side, or both your opponents.
 * If a card affects "both players", all 4 players are affected.
 * Cards Set by a player can be viewed by the teammate, but they must be activated by the player who Set them.
 * A player can allow their teammate to use cards they control as Tributes, Fusion Materials/Synchro Materials, or to pay the cost of a card or as part of an effect.
 * "Owner" and "controller" mean the same thing as a standard Duel. The "owner" is the player who's Deck the card started in. "Controller" is the player who currently has the card in one of their zones.

Attacking
EXAMPLE: Player 1A has "Elemental Hero Sparkman" in Attack Position. Player 2A has no monsters, but Player 2B has "Dark Magician" in Attack Position. Player 1A cannot attack directly, because the opponents have "Dark Magician" on the field.
 * You can only attack with monsters you control (in your 5 Zones) during your turn. You cannot attack with your teammate's Attack Position monsters.
 * If there is a monster on the opponent's side of the field (controlled by either player) then you must attack it before attacking their Life Points directly.

Additional Rules
EXAMPLE: "Swords of Revealing Light" is activated by Player 1A. Team 2 cannot attack on Player 2A's next turn (1 turn), Player 2B's next turn (2 turns), and Player 2A's turn after that (3 turns) player 2B can attack in his turn. "Swords of Revealing Light" will be destroyed at the end of that turn, because three opponents' turns have passed.
 * During a player's turn, either opponent may activate Spell Speed 2 or higher effects (just as they could in a standard Duel). The teammate may also activate Spell Speed 2 or higher effects (as if it was an opponent's turn).
 * When a player activates an effect, each other player must be given the opportunity to add an effect to the chain before it is resolved (starting with an opponent and then alternating between teams).
 * If multiple Trigger Monster Effects activate at the same time, the turn player's effect(s) will be added to the chain first, followed by their teammate's effect(s), and finally the opponents' effect(s) (in an order of their choosing).
 * Card effects that count turns count all appropriate turns.