The Rule of 3000 ATK and DEF is a completely unwritten rule stating that in order for a monster to have an original ATK or DEF of over 3000, it either must have negative effects to limit its playability, or otherwise have special conditions for being Summoned. This rule has never been acknowledged by UDE or KDE. This rule is similar to the "Level 4 ATK and DEF Rules".
General Statements About Monsters[]
"Super Conductor Tyranno", a monster that breaks the rule by having over 3000 original ATK and being Normal Summonable with no drawback.
In general, monsters may be Normal Summoned with neither any special conditions nor any negative effects, such as the iconic "Blue-Eyes White Dragon". Many such monsters even have beneficial effects. However, monsters sometimes either possess negative effects in order to remain Normal Summonable, such as "Arcana Force XXI - The World" (which also happens to have one of the best effects in the game if you win a coin flip) or "Ultimate Obedient Fiend", or must have Summoning conditions that prevent them from being Normal Summoned. Extra Deck monsters do not fall into the latter category as it is an inherent game mechanic, no monsters can be Normal Summoned from the Extra Deck as a monster needs to be in the hand to be Normal Summoned.
"Super Conductor Tyranno", "Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju" and "Jizukiru, the Star Destroying Kaiju" are examples of exceptions to this rule. There are currently 519 monsters with 3000 or higher ATK(as of 19th January 2023).
TCG/OCG Cards with at least 3000 ATK[]
| Japanese name | Primary type | Secondary type | Attribute | Type | Level/ Rank | DEF | ATK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-to-Z-Dragon Buster Cannon | ＡｔｏＺ－ドラゴン・バスターキャノン | Effect Monster Fusion Monster | LIGHT | Machine | 10 | 4000 | 4,000 | |
| ABC-Dragon Buster | ＡＢＣ－ドラゴン・バスター | Effect Monster Fusion Monster | LIGHT | Machine | 8 | 2800 | 3,000 | |
| Abominable Unchained Soul | 雙極の破械神 | Effect Monster | DARK | Fiend | 8 | 1500 | 3,000 | |
| Abyss Actor - Evil Heel | 魔界劇団－デビル・ヒール | Effect Monster Pendulum Monster | DARK | Fiend | 8 | 2000 | 3,000 | |
| The Abyss Dragon Swordsoul | 深淵の相剣龍 | Effect Monster | FIRE | Wyrm | 8 | 2900 | 3,000 | |
| Adamancipator Risen - Dragite | 魔救の奇跡－ドラガイト | Effect Monster Synchro Monster | WATER | Rock | 8 | 2200 | 3,000 | |
| Agave Dragon | 竜絶蘭 | Effect Monster Link Monster | EARTH | Wyrm | 3,000 | |||
| Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo | 羅阿邪神将アギバ | Effect Monster | LIGHT | Fiend | 10 | 3000 | 3,000 | |
| Albion the Sanctifire Dragon | 真炎竜アルビオン | Effect Monster Fusion Monster | LIGHT | Dragon | 8 | 2500 | 3,000 | |
| All-Eyes Phantom Dragon | ゴッドアイズ・ファントム・ドラゴン | Effect Monster Pendulum Monster | LIGHT | Dragon | 10 | 2500 | 3,000 | |
| ... further results (585 more) | ||||||||
Further General Statements About Monsters[]
"Neo Aqua Madoor" is a 1 Tribute 3000 DEF Normal Monster.
Identically to the above rule, in general, monsters may be Normal Summoned (or Set) without either special conditions or drawbacks. Monsters in this category include "Labyrinth Wall" and "Millennium Shield", both Level 5 Normal Monsters with 0 ATK and 3000 DEF. Many monsters with greater than 3000 DEF have greater than 3000 ATK as well.
An example of a monster is "Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei", with the ability to be Normal Summoned/Set with a beneficial effect.
There are currently 287 monsters with 3000 or higher DEF(as of 19th January 2023).
TCG/OCG Cards with at least 3000 DEF[]
| Japanese name | Primary type | Secondary type | Attribute | Type | Level/ Rank | ATK | DEF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-to-Z-Dragon Buster Cannon | ＡｔｏＺ－ドラゴン・バスターキャノン | Effect Monster Fusion Monster | LIGHT | Machine | 10 | 4000 | 4,000 | |
| Aegaion the Sea Castrum | 魔海城アイガイオン | Effect Monster Xyz Monster | WATER | Machine | 8 | ? | 3,000 | |
| Aggiba, the Malevolent Sh'nn S'yo | 羅阿邪神将アギバ | Effect Monster | LIGHT | Fiend | 10 | 3000 | 3,000 | |
| Ally of Justice Decisive Armor | Ａ・Ｏ・Ｊ ディサイシブ・アームズ | Effect Monster Synchro Monster | DARK | Machine | 10 | 3300 | 3,300 | |
| Alsei, the Sylvan High Protector | 森羅の守神 アルセイ | Effect Monster Xyz Monster | LIGHT | Plant | 8 | 2300 | 3,200 | |
| Amaterasu | 天照大神 | Effect Monster | Spirit monster | LIGHT | Fairy | 9 | 3000 | 3,000 |
| Ancient Fairy Dragon | エンシェント・フェアリー・ドラゴン | Effect Monster Synchro Monster | LIGHT | Dragon | 7 | 2100 | 3,000 | |
| Ancient Gear Dark Golem | 古代の機械暗黒巨人 | Effect Monster | EARTH | Machine | 8 | 3000 | 3,000 | |
| Ancient Gear Golem | 古代の機械巨人 | Effect Monster | EARTH | Machine | 8 | 3000 | 3,000 | |
| Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound | 古代の機械巨人－アルティメット・パウンド | Effect Monster | EARTH | Machine | 8 | 3000 | 3,000 | |
| ... further results (311 more) | ||||||||