We’ve talked a lot in the past few articles about the importance of having a legal deck; it’s a crucial part of taking your game to its highest level. One of the most important resources you’ll need when building your deck is Upper Deck Entertainment’s Yu-Gi-Oh! limited card list. A duelist won’t get very far in the game without being familiar with this list, so we’re going to take a look at it today and explain what it is and what it is for.

Now then . . . it's a basic rule in Yu-Gi-Oh! that your deck can contain up to three copies of any card that is not limited or semi-limited. Limited cards are cards of which you may only have one copy in your deck, and semi-limited cards are cards of which you may have up to two copies in your deck. This includes your side deck! To make certain that duelists know which cards are limited and semi-limited, Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) posts a list on their website. It can be found at upperdeckentertainment.com/yugioh/forbidden.asp. Let’s take a look at the list and examine the different sections.

The first section is called forbidden cards. It sounds like it could be the name of a new Yu-Gi-Oh! video game, but at any rate, you’ll see there are no cards in that section. All cards printed by UDE are legal for play. The important thing to remember here is “cards printed by UDE.” This is what frequently confuses duelists—the most notable example being the Egyptian God cards. Obelisk the Tormentor, Silfer the Sky Dragon, and Osiris the Winged Dragon of Ra are all promotional cards printed for distribution in the Japanese edition of “Yu-Gi-Oh! Worldwide Edition—Stairway to the Destined Duel.” UDE didn't print them, so even though the cards are in English, they are not official and cannot be used in a deck. A duelist looking over the limited list might think these cards can be used, since they are not on the list, but the important thing to remember here is that they will not be found on the UDE forbidden cards list because the list only deals with cards printed by UDE. Only cards printed by UDE are legal for play.

The forbidden section was pretty easy to memorize, so now we’ll move on to the longest section, the limited section. Now remember, cards listed in this section are limited to (hence the name) one copy per deck. (Your main deck and side deck combined are considered “one deck” for the purposes of counting total copies of any given card.) You’ll see a lot of cards you recognize in this section; many of the cards on this list are cards that nearly all players would like to have in their decks. Very powerful or very useful cards like Raigeki, Heavy Storm, Sangan, or Jinzo are limited to one per deck, to help balance the game. Imagine playing against an opponent who had three of each piece of Exodia in his or her deck, or three Monster Reborns. Three Mirror Forces combined with three copies of Yata-Garasu and three Forceful Sentries would have you pulling your hair out.

Duelists familiar with the last few expansions might remember playing against opponents (or builiding decks!) with multiple copies of Fiber Jar, Injection Fairy Lily, Ring of Destruction, Magical Scientist, or Vampire Lord. Some powerful deck types emerged designed around cards like these, and were tough to beat until key cards became limited.

Now let’s move on to the last section on the list, the semi-limited list. This is a much shorter list, and your deck can include up to two copies the cards listed here. Cards placed in the semi-limited section are cards that are considered less powerful than the limited cards, but useful enough to have a noticeable impact on the game. If you ever play an opponent with two copies of Morphing Jar #2, you’ll be glad he or she didn’t have three.

 There—you’ve had an overview of the forbidden/limited/semi-limited card list. Did you notice the NEW! note at the bottom of the limited section? Those are the cards that were added most recently. Updates to the list rarely come out as soon as a new set is released; there is usually a space of time between the release and a card list update. It is the responsibility of the duelist to ensure that his or her deck contains a legal number of copies of each of the cards included in it. If you go to a tournament with an illegal deck, telling the judge “I didn’t know this card was limited!” probably won’t be enough to keep you from being penalized. Bear in mind that it is not always cards from the newest expansion that are affected by updates to this list, either. Sangan was on the semi-limited list for some time before it was moved to the limited list, and Backup Soldier and Limiter Removal were both removed from the semi-limited and limited lists respectively, allowing three copies of each per deck.

 Knowing one’s own cards is definitely one of a duelist's responsibilities, but knowing all the cards from either section of the list is a good idea as well. For example, say you have no Exiled Force or Tribe -Infecting Virus in your deck, so you don’t bother to check to see if it is limited or not. If you enter a tournament and face off against an opponent who has three copies of each, you will probably find yourself at a disadvantage. Judges and tournament organizers try to catch illegal decks, but it’s also up to duelists to pay attention to what their opponents are playing.

 You won’t want to enter into a duel with an unfair disadvantage,  and you won’t want to get penalized for an illegal deck....both excellent reasons to study the Forbidden/Limited/Semi-Limited list frequently. Check it when building a new deck, and go over it to refresh your memory before leaving to attend a tournament. Don’t rely on your friends (or opponents) to tell you what’s legal-- it’s easy to check up with the official listing, and ensure that your duels are conducted in accordance with the latest version of the list. Why not take a look through your deck right now?