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3 vs 3 Team Tournament: A special tournament in which players participate in teams of three, and face off against other teams of three.

Each member of each team is designated as Duelist A, Duelist B, or Duelist C. When 2 teams play against one another, Duelist A on one team plays against Duelist A on the opposing team, Duelist B on one team plays against Duelist B on the opposing team, and Duelist C on one team plays against Duelist C on the opposing team. The first team to have two of their three players win a Match wins the round.

A

Advanced Format: In an Advanced Format tournament, some cards are restricted according to the Forbidden and Limited Lists.  If a card is Forbidden, you can’t play it in your Advanced Format Deck.  If a card is Limited, you can only play 1 copy, while you can play up to 2 copies of Semi-Limited cards.

ATTACK OF THE GIANT CARD!!: These events award GIANT versions of popular cards to top finishers!  They’re usually normal Advanced Format tournaments, but with exclusive (and GIANT!) prizes.

B

Battle Pack: Battle Packs are Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Booster Packs specifically designed to be used in Battle Pack Tournaments.

Battle Pack Tournament: Battle Pack Tournaments are special tournaments in which players participate by using Decks constructed out of cards pulled in Battle Packs at the start of the tournament.  There are 2 types of Battle Pack Tournaments – Battle Pack: Sealed Pack Tournaments and Battle Pack: Booster Draft Tournaments. Players can compete in Battle Pack Tournaments even if they don’t own any cards prior to the start of the tournament.

Booster Draft: Booster Draft Tournaments are special tournaments in which players take turns choosing cards from newly opened Booster Packs and build Decks out of the chosen cards. Players use those Decks to face one another in the Booster Draft Tournament.

At the start of a Booster Draft Tournament, all players sit around a table with a set number of unopened packs. All players open one pack at the same time, and select a card from that pile to keep. Once everyone has selected a card, they pass the remaining cards to the player next to them. Each player chooses one more card to keep from the cards that were passed to him or her, and then passes the remaining cards. This process is repeated until no more cards are left to choose from. Then, the entire process is repeated for the remaining unopened packs. This is the “Draft” portion of the Booster Draft Tournament. Once the Draft is complete, each player constructs a Deck out of his or her chosen cards, and uses that Deck in a tournament.

Booster Pack: Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG cards are most often distributed in Booster Packs – packs of cards that vary in rarity and randomization.

C

Card Binder: A binder with pocketed plastic pages, for the display of your Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG collection.

Card Sleeves: Flexible plastic sleeves that protect your cards while you trade and Duel.

Common Card: The most basic rarity of Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG card. Commons don’t have foil embellishments.

COSSY: Konami’s Card Game Official Tournament Support System is Konami’s global ranking system for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. COSSY lets you track your performance in sanctioned tournaments.  Your COSSY ID identifies you as a Duelist, and COSSY ID cards are available at Konami’s Official Tournament Stores (OTS).

D

Deck: In the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, Duelists assemble a Deck of 40 or more cards to Duel opponents.  Secondary Decks called Side Decks and Extra Decks offer further options.

Deck Box/Case: Protection for one’s Deck, Deck boxes or cases are commonly constructed from rigid plastic or cardboard.

Deck List: When a Duelist enters a tournament, he or she may be asked to submit a Deck List.  This lists the complete contents of a Duelist’s Main Deck, Side Deck, and Extra Deck, ensuring that the contents don’t change during the tournament.

Dragon Duel: A tournament program for young Duelists born after a certain year. Dragon Duels give younger players a chance to compete against Duelists their own age, playing for prizes in a friendly environment.  Look for Dragon Duel tournaments at Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series events, as well as some Regional Qualifiers and conventions.

Duel: A Duel is a single 1-on-1 game in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME. A Match is comprised of two or more Duels.

Duelist: Players of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME are sometimes referred to as Duelists.

Duelist League: A casual play program for young and beginning Duelists. Duelist Leagues are hosted by Konami’s Official Tournament Stores.  These tournaments always consist entirely of Swiss Rounds, so players are never eliminated from a Duelist League. Young Duelists eligible to participate in Dragon Duel tournaments may always enter a Duelist League; but older competitors participating in an Official Tournament Store’s Duelist League may only win three times before becoming ineligible to compete in future Duelist Leagues at that store. Every Duelist earns an exclusive Custom Rare promo card for participating. Check here to find a Duelist League near you!

Duelist Pack: Each Duelist Pack spotlights a single Duelist from the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated series; Yu-Gi-Oh! GX; or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, and every pack contains 5 cards played by the highlighted Duelist, plus a Tip Card with strategy and tactics.

Duel Terminal: A Duel Terminal is a Yu-Gi-Oh! arcade machine. Duel Terminals contain special cards that are dispensed each time someone plays on it. Check here to find a Duel Terminal near you!

E

Event Manager: The Event Manager makes sure each Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME event runs smoothly. If you have any questions about an event you’re attending, direct those questions to the Event Manager.

G

Game Mat: Rubberized Game Mats are often awarded for participation or performance in tournament events, and feature popular characters, monsters, and more.  They provide a clean, portable play surface to protect your cards.

Ghost Rare: A Ghost Rare card has a rainbow foil embossing on the name of the card, and the card art is a unique three-dimensional hologram.

Ghost/Gold Hybrid Rare: A Ghost/Gold Hybrid Rare card combines the holographic characteristics of Ghost Rare cards and Gold Rare cards. Ghost/Gold Hybrid Rare cards are available in Gold Series: Haunted Mine.

Gold Rare: A Gold Rare card has gold lettering and a holographic foil image, as well as a gold card border and other gold coloring on the foiling of the card.

I

Invite/Invitation: Some high-level tournaments (like the World Championship Qualifier) require Duelists to earn invitations in order to compete. 

J

Judge: Judges volunteer their time to help tournaments run smoothly.  They answer gameplay questions, verify Deck Lists, provide logistics, and provide Duelists with rulings when needed.

K

Konami’s Official Tournament Store: A local game store sanctioned by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. to host Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG tournaments. Konami’s OTS are permitted to host events that contribute to Duelists’ COSSY rankings. These stores can also offer participants exclusive Astral Pack boosters for participating in tournaments. You can find a listing of Konami’s Official Tournament Stores here.

L

Life Points: Life Points keep track of who is winning in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME.

In the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, each player starts a Duel with 8000 Life Points. Throughout the Duel, those players use different cards to gradually reduce their opponent’s Life Points. When a player reduces his or her opponent’s Life Points to 0, that player wins.

Live Duel: A Live Duel is a Duel enacted by voice actors from the Yu-Gi-Oh! animated television series for the entertainment of a crowd. Konami often offers these events at the North American World Championship Qualifier and at select Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series.

Local Tournament: A local tournament is hosted independently, usually by a local game store, and often on a weekly basis.  Levels of competition at locals can vary, and those hosted by KDE Official Tournament Stores can award exclusive  Astral Packs to competitors for participation and performance.

M

Match: A Match is a best-of-three set of Duels. When two players play against one another in a Match, the first player to win two individual Duels wins the Match.

Match Slip: When you compete in a large-scale tournament, you’ll report your results each round by filling out a Match Slip with the results of the Match.  Your slip will be delivered to your table by a judge during the round, and requires a signature from both Duelists to confirm the winner.  If you wish to withdraw or “drop” from the tournament before the end of the tournament, you may also use the Match Slip to do so.

Mosaic Rare: A Mosaic Rare card has several blocks of foiling scattered across the entire card. Mosaic Rare cards are available in Battle Pack 2: War of the Giants Booster Packs.

O

Open Dueling: Dueling outside of a tournament-structured format, Open Dueling allows you to choose who you Duel and when.  Open Dueling areas are often hosted at large-scale events, and are a great chance to play at your own pace and meet other Duelists.

OTS Championship: The Official Tournament Store Championship (or “OTS Championship”) is a special high-level event held at Official Tournament Stores. At an OTS Championship, Duelists compete for an OTS Championship Game Mat and invitations to the World Championship Qualifier. Click here for more information about the OTS Championship!

P

Pairings: Each time you Duel in a tournament, you’ll check the pairings list to see who you’ll be Dueling against in each round.  In larger tournaments, printed pairings are posted listing your opponent’s name and the table at which you’ll Duel. Find your name on the pairings, look for the table number and opponent next to your name, and take your seat.

Parallel Rare: A Parallel Rare card has foiling along the entire front side of the card. Part of this foiling appears as foil parallel lines.

Pegasus Challenge: Pegasus Challenge events are a local-level tournament program that have added guidelines for Deck-building.  Each challenge makes Dueling a little bit different, tweaking the rules to create a new experience. Click here for a list of locations that host the Pegasus Challenge.

Player Meeting: A meeting in which judges and event staff talk to all of a tournament’s competitors before the start of a tournament. During the Player Meeting, the players are given important information about the tournament. Players are usually seated alphabetically during the Player Meeting.

Playoff: In a Swiss Round tournament, Duelists compete to see who can score the most wins in a set number of rounds.  Once the Swiss Rounds are over, the Duelists with the best win records in the tournament proceed to the Playoffs.  They then compete in Single Elimination play to determine a winner.

Promo Card: Any Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG card offered for attendance, participation, or performance at an event (or included as a bonus with a product).  Promo cards can be earned through programs like Duelist League; won at events like the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series; or found in some Special Edition or Collectible Tin products.

R

Rankings: COSSY Rankings tell you how your sanctioned tournament performance compares with the performance of other Duelists around the world. Click here to check your COSSY Ranking. You’ll need your COSSY number in order to access the site.

Rare: A Rare card has an embossed silver foil name and regular card art.  Some Rare cards have a different color of foil name: these are called Custom Rares, and can be earned through Duelist League.

Rating: When you compete in a sanctioned tournament, your performance will contribute to your overall rating in the COSSY system.  You can use COSSY to track your growth as a Duelist, and compare your ranking to Duelists across the globe. 

Regional Qualifier: Regional Qualifiers are higher-level (Tier 2) tournaments where Duelists compete to earn invites to their World Championship Qualifiers, along with exclusive prizes. Regional competitors are held to a high standard of sportsmanship, and are expected to be fully prepared for the event.

Registration:  Registration takes place in a set area and at a set time. Any payment for entry into the event is due when you register.  At some high-level tournaments, registration may be offered prior to the start of the event.  Always make sure of the registration times, and give yourself lots of time since if you do not register in time, you may start off with a game loss. Registration always ends at a set time.

Round: Tournament play consists of a set number of rounds, with each Duelist playing one Match per round.  The number of rounds in a tournament is usually determined by attendance, with more rounds for events with more Duelists.

S

Sanctioned: A Duelist’s performance in a sanctioned tournament counts toward his or her global COSSY Ranking. Performance in non-sanctioned tournaments are not tracked and do not contribute to COSSY Rankings.  Aside from the larger events, note that only Konami’s Official Tournament Stores (OTS) can hold sanctioned tournaments.

Sealed Play: In Sealed Play tournaments, you don’t build your Deck from your entire collection of cards.  Instead, you’re provided with booster packs, Structure Decks, or other sealed product, and you follow event guidelines to build your Deck on the spot.  You only use the cards you receive specifically for use in that tournament.

Secret Rare: A Secret Rare card has a rainbow foil name, and the card art has a sparkling holographic finish.

Single Elimination: In a Single Elimination tournament, Duelists who lose a Match are eliminated from the tournament.

Starfoil Rare: A Starfoil Rare card has starburst-patterned foiling scattered across the entire front of the card. Starfoil Rares are available in Battle Pack: Epic Dawn Booster Packs and Star Pack 2013 and Star Pack 2014 Booster Packs.

Starter Deck: A pre-constructed Deck designed to introduce new Duelists to the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. Starter Decks are designed to help teach basic gameplay.  Starters aren’t randomized the way booster packs are. One Starter Deck will have the same cards as any other copy of the same Starter.

Starter Deck Tournament: In a Starter Deck Tournament, each participant uses a Starter Deck to Duel against other participants, instead of using a Deck that he or she constructed from the cards in his or her collection.

Structure Deck: A pre-constructed Deck that’s playable right out of the box. Structure Decks are built around a specific monster theme or Yu-Gi-Oh! character.  Like Starter Decks, Structure Decks aren’t randomized. One Structure Deck will have the same cards as any other Structure Deck with the same name.

Structure Deck Tournament: In a Structure Deck Tournament, each participant uses a pre-constructed Structure Deck to Duel against other participants, instead of using a Deck that he or she constructed from the cards in his or her collection.

Super Rare: A Super Rare card has no foil on the name of the card, but the card art has a reflective, holographic finish.

Swiss Round: In a Swiss tournament, Duelists compete to see who can earn the most wins in a given number of Swiss Rounds.  Losing a Match won’t eliminate you, but only Duelists with a sufficient win record will move on to the Playoffs.

T

Tag Duel: Tag Duels are Duels between two separate teams, each consisting of two players. Click here for more information about Tag Duels!

Tier 1: Tier 1 events are designed for casual play. They focus on fostering a friendly and fun atmosphere for Duelists. Tier 1 events include Official Tournament Store-level events and Duelist Leagues. For more information about Tier 1 events, see the Official Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Policy Document available here.

Tier 2: Tier 2 events are designed for competitive play. These events include Regional Qualifiers, Dragon Duels, Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Extravaganzas, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series, World Championship Qualifiers, and the World Championship. For more information about Tier 2 events, see the Official Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Policy Document available here.

Token Card: Some cards in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME put monsters on the field that can be represented by any object from outside of the game. Players often use “Token Cards” to represent these monsters. Some Token Cards are available in official Konami products, like Legendary Collection 4: Joey’s World. Other Token Cards are promotional items given away at large Yu-Gi-Oh! events. At special Konami events, players can have their picture taken and placed on a unique personalized Token Card with a Yu-Gi-Oh! themed background.

Top Cut: The “Top Cut” refers to the players who make it to the Single Elimination Rounds that follow the Swiss Rounds in a tournament. At Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series events, a special Game Mat is awarded to Duelists who are part of the Top Cut.

Tournament Organizer: Every Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME tournament has a Tournament Organizer that deals with the logistics of running an event in order to make sure the event runs smoothly. The Tournament Organizer’s duties include preparing pairings for each round, securing space in which participants can play, and handing out prizes.

Trading Card Game: In a Trading Card Game like the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, players build their Decks with cards they trade and collect.  Since you choose the cards you want to play with, gameplay is extremely varied, and players can tailor strategies for their personal style.

Traditional Format: In a Traditional Format tournament, some cards are restricted according to the Forbidden and Limited Lists.  If a card is Limited, you can only play 1 copy of it in your Deck, while you can play up to 2 copies of Semi-Limited cards.  No cards are Forbidden in the Traditional Format.

U

Ultimate Rare: An Ultimate Rare card has a gold foil name, as well as embossed foil accents on the card art, card border, and other elements.  Ultimate Rares are often alternate versions of a card also available as an Ultra Rare.

Ultra Rare: An Ultra Rare card has a gold foil name, and the card art has a reflective, holographic finish.  Ultra Rares are similar to Super Rares, but Ultras have a gold name stamp while Supers have no foil on the card name.

W

Win-A-Mat: Single Elimination tournaments with just 8 competitors. Win-A-Mat tournaments last just 3 rounds and award an exclusive Game Mat to the victor. 

World Championship: The Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME World Championship is held once a year, and challenges the top Duelists from countries around the world to compete for the highest honor in Dueling.  This tournament is invite-only, and invitations must be earned through World Championship Qualifier events.

World Championship Qualifier: To play in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME World Championship, you have to either win the previous year’s Championship, or earn an invitation through Regional Qualifiers, Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series, Dragon Duels, OTS Championships, National Championships.  These are the highest level of competition: competitors are held to a high standard of sportsmanship.

Y

Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series: The Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (YCS) is a series of big tournaments hosted by Konami in cities all around the world. In addition to the main tournament, which usually draws between 600 and 2,000 Duelists and spans 2 days, there are always lots of short Public Events for players to play in at Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series events. These Public Events include Dragon Duels, Win-A-Mat Tournaments, Structure Deck Tournaments, Battle Pack Tournaments, and Regional Qualifiers. Check here to see if there’s a Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series event coming to a city near you!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Extravaganza: A Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME Extravaganza is a weekend of official Konami Public Events, including Regional Qualifiers, Win-A-Mats, Sealed and Draft tournaments, and Dragon Duels and are normally offered in conjunction with another convention or event, such as Gen Con. Check here to see if there’s a Yu-Gi-Oh! Extravaganza coming to a city near you!