Xyz Monster

An Xyz Monster (pronounced ik-seez ) is a new type of Monster Card that is colored black. They are stored in the Extra Deck. The card frame is also stylized by having it appear as if one is flying through space with many stars in the frame giving the appearance of one streaking by them and other stars appearing stationary due to relative distance (giving a realistic depiction of moving through space). According to Konami, Xyz Monsters are made of antimatter, and have traveled to our dimension from the other side of a black hole.

Instead of a Level, Xyz Monsters have a Rank. This Rank determines the required Levels of the Xyz Materials needed in order to Xyz Summon your Xyz Monster. An Xyz Monster's Rank is depicted by a row of yellow stars in black orbs (as opposed to the yellow stars in red orbs of a monster's Level) that extend outwards from the left-hand side of the card (opposite to where a monster's Level would be depicted), similar to Dark Synchro Monsters. However, unlike Synchro Monsters, a Xyz Monster's Rank is not the total sum of the monsters' Levels used to Summon it; thus, if 2 Level 3 monsters are required, then the Xyz Monster`s Rank would be 3 not 6.

An Xyz Monster's Rank is not its Level. Xyz Monsters do not have levels. Therefore, they cannot be used for Synchro, Ritual, or Xyz Summons. Any effects that would refer to the Level of a monster, such as those of "Gravity Bind", "Level Limit - Area B", "Roulette Barrel", "Star Changer" and even "Burden of the Mighty" cannot be applied to an Xyz Monster under any circumstances.

Most Xyz Monsters require you to "detach" (meaning "send to the Graveyard") their Xyz Materials in order for their effects to activate, limiting their effect usage. Some also have negative effects when they have no more Materials attached, so it may be best to use such effects sparingly.

In terms of ATK, so far Xyz monsters are not as strong as Ritual, Fusion or Synchro monsters. Few Xyz Monsters have more than 2400 ATK, and currently only one has 3000 ATK. However, Xyz Monsters are easier to summon since they don't need a specific kind of monster (like a Tuner) or a Spell Card (such as Ritual Spell Card, "Polymerization" or "Future Fusion"). Thus, there is little restriction in the monsters that can be used as Xyz Materials.

Trivia

 * When Xyz Monsters were revealed in the OCG, they were mistakenly translated as "Exceed Monsters" by fans. Many translators acknowledged after the official term was revealed that "Xyz" was also a valid translation, but that they assumed it was not correct during the initial translation since it does not have any obvious pronunciation. The fact that it was meant to be pronounced "ik-seez" was not obvious from the katakana "エクシーズ", which has a romaji reading of "Ekushīzu" and the closest English equivalent to it was "Exceed".


 * Similar to how Synchro Monsters played a big role in the plot of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's and were meant to destroy the world, Xyz Monsters play a similar role in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL and are claimed to be destined to destroy all universes, namely the "Numbers."