Cards can also be obtained using codes in the deck builder menu or through "reincarnation", which is where owned cards can be sacrificed to give three different cards of a slightly lower deck cost. Cards are obtained mainly through the "graveyard slots", which is a slot machine that appears after each win allowing the player to obtain cards from an opponent's deck that were sent to the graveyard during the duel. The game adds difficulty by forcing the player to have a lower overall deck cost than their opponent in order to duel that opponent, essentially forcing the player to have a weaker deck. Each card in the game has a "deck cost", which is a value given to a card based on its strength. Some deck leaders have special abilities based on their type and rank, which include raising the strength of nearby monsters, increasing life points by a small number each turn, or being able to move two spaces each turn instead of just one.Ī deck of exactly 40 cards is required to duel. A monster must be promoted at least once in order to act as a deck leader. When a monster accumulates enough experience, it will be promoted to the next rank. When monsters survive face-up on the field, destroy enemy monsters, or inflict life point damage to the opponent, they gain experience (monster experience is hidden). Monsters can be "promoted" with use in duels.
A duel also ends after 100 turns have elapsed, at which point the player with the most remaining life points is declared the winner. The duel ends when one player's life points are reduced to zero or when a player ends a turn with their deck leader completely surrounded by enemy monsters in their summoning areas. When two monster cards on the field collide with each other, they are flipped face-up, and a battle takes place in the same manner as the trading card game, with life points being subtracted appropriately. Each card on the field as well as the deck leader itself can be moved one horizontal or vertical space each turn. Each duel in the game takes place on a 7×7 table, with each player commanding a "Deck Leader" that acts as the representation of their life points as well as the means through which cards are played from the hand-one card each turn can be placed on the board in a space adjacent to the deck leader.