If you've gone to any Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments or even just read some tournament descriptions, then you've probably heard the term "Limited play." What is Limited play? While it sounds like it might have something to do with the Limited list, or not using certain cards, Limited play actually refers to taking sealed booster packs or sealed theme decks, choosing cards pulled from them, and then building a deck from the cards you have chosen. It's a fun and challenging format, but the rules are a little bit different from Constructed play. Today we're going to have an overview of how Limited play works, what the rules are, and few suggestions for those of you who haven't yet had the opportunity to experience this format.

The most familiar type of format, Constructed, involves a duelist bringing a preconstructed (hence the name!) deck to the tournament. The duelist will have all the cards currently legal for play to choose from, so Constructed decks often run many of the same types of powerful cards and leaving out some of the weaker ones. How many times have you looked at a card with an interesting effect and thought, "If it wasn't for the low attack, or the popularity of some other power cards, this would be fun to try and find a use for"? Keep on reading, because Limited play is where that type of card can really shine!

Limited play comprises two specific formats—Sealed Deck and Booster Draft. The main difference between the two is how the cards are selected. There are some major adjustments to gameplay rules that are made when playing in these formats, but they are quck to learn and remember. Let's start off there, and then move on to talk about the differences between the two.

First of all, the deck size is much, much smaller. Instead of at least 40 cards, a duelist will choose at least 20 cards. Just like Constructed, it's a good idea to keep the deck size as close to the minimum as possible, to help ensure the good cards are there when they are needed. Second, life point totals. Since the minimum deck size is cut in half, it stands to reason that the life point total is cut in half as well! Duels in Limited play will begin with 4000 life points, instead of 8000. And finally, card restrictions. Unlike Constructed decks, which have a maximum of three copies of unrestricted cards, two copies of semi-Limited cards, and one copy of a Limited card, decks built in a Limited format can have as many copies of a card as the duelist can fit in. If a duelist is building a deck from packs of Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon and has the amazing good fortune to pull three copies of Pot Of Greed, in they go!

You know the basic rule changes, and now you want to learn how to build a Limited deck. Earlier we mentioned the two types of Limited play, Sealed Deck and Booster Draft. Decks in each of these types are built a little differently, and we are going to cover both. Sealed Deck is the easier of the two formats, so let's start with that.

In Sealed Deck, a duelist is given three or more booster packs (and/or a sealed starter deck), opens them in a controlled environment, and chooses at least 20 of the cards with which to build a deck. There is usually a time limit involved for the deck construction, generally around fifteen minutes. Sealed Deck is easy, since all the duelist has to do is open the packs, read the cards, think of strategies that will work with the cards he or she has, choose cards to fit the strategy, and assemble the deck. This should all be done without the interference of other duelists or judges, and it's important to remember that only cards from the boosters given to the duelist can be used. Trading with other duelists is not allowed, and a duelist cannot add cards from his or her collection, so cross your fingers and hope you get some good pulls!

Booster Draft is a little more challenging. In a Booster Draft, a duelist will have to make rapid decisions about which cards to choose and which cards to pass up, and there will be other players involved during the selection process. It might sound complicated, so let's break it down into steps and explain how the draft will run.

Just like in Sealed Deck, each duelist will receive three or more sealed booster packs. The number of packs and the expansion can change and are determined by the tournament organizer. All duelists participating in the draft will receive the same number of booster packs from the same expansions. The head judge will make sure each duelist has the correct number of packs, and then the drafting will begin.

Each duelist will open his or her first and second booster packs. The head judge will tell the duelists which expansion should be opened first, if there is more than one expansion involved in the draft. If the duelists are using multiple booster packs from an expansion, then two of those should be opened together to make it easier for the duelists to choose cards that will work together. Cards from the packs are then combined, giving each duelist eighteen cards.

Once the head judge has made sure everyone has eighteen cards, then each duelist will choose two cards he or she would like to keep, placing these two cards in a face down stack. These will be the cards each duelist will use to build his or her deck, and they are referred to as the "draft pile." Then, each duelist will pass the remaining sixteen cards to the duelist seated to his or her left, placing those sixteen cards in a face down stack. When all duelists have chosen two cards and passed the rest to the left, the head judge will instruct the group to pick up the stacks of sixteen, choose two cards they wish to keep, and place them face down on the draft pile, then pass the remaining fourteen to the left in a face down stack.

This process is repeated until the stacks passed contain only two cards. Each duelist will add these two cards to his or her draft pile.

If three packs are being used in the draft, the duelists will open the remaining pack, choose two cards, and place them in their draft piles, then pass the remaining seven to the right until one card remains. Each duelist will eventually receive one card and place it on his or her draft pile. If four or more packs are being used, then two packs would be opened and combined, just like in the original step, except the remaining cards are passed to the right.

These steps are repeated until all the booster packs have been opened and passed around. Each duelist should have the same number of cards; the head judge will usually ask for all the duelists to count and make sure.

Once the judge is certain that all duelists have the same number of cards, then it's time to each duelist look through his or her draft pile and choose the cards to build a deck with. There will be a limited amount of time allotted for this, so it's important to make the most of that time. Read through the cards, make certain they do what you think they do, and assemble your deck!

Taken step by step, it's not so intimidating, is it? The best way to prepare for a Booster Draft is to know the cards in the expansions, especially the ones that don't see a lot of play. Think about possible strategies in advance. If you know what expansions will be used in the draft, read up on the card texts and rulings. Cards and deck themes that are underplayed in Constructed can be amazingly effective in Limited. While it's not likely a duelist could put together an entire Gravekeeper's deck in a Limited event that features Pharaonic Guardian, common cards like Des Lacooda or Swarm of Scarabs can be a strong part of a deck. A duelist isn't likely to pull a Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End at a Limited event featuring Invasion of Chaos, but a few Balloon Lizards and Stealth Birds can hit your opponent hard, especially with only 4000 life points to start with.

There are a lot of things to keep track of in a Booster Draft. It's important to remember what you've already selected, since you won't get to pick up your draft pile and look through it each time. Keep the cards you've picked in mind, and look for cards that will combo well with them. Think about what kinds of cards are in each expansion. If you are drafting from a set that has no spell or trap removal, then strategies that revolve around spell and trap cards will be extra effective. Try and remember what kinds of monsters are in the set, and what their attack and defense values are. Remember that the rare and holo cards aren't always the best cards for your deck, and try to resist the temptation to choose them just because they are rare. Pay attention to what cards are being picked to get an idea of the strategies that your opponents might be planning, and learn to deal with the fact that someone in the draft will probably get that secret rare you've been pining for. And finally, don't rely on pulling all the cards you'll need for a combo you might be hoping for! If you lock your deck idea around a combination of a few cards, and you don't get all the cards you will need for that combo, you might have a hard time building your deck.

There you go—Limited play in one easy lesson. The basics are all covered for you here, so if you haven't had the chance to try Limited, get out there and find an event! Ask your local tournament organizer to sanction one, or head to the card shop with your friends, buy three boosters each, and take a shot at it yourselves! Even if you have gone out and gotten some packs on your own, open them and try and build yourself a Limited deck, examining the cards and thinking out ways to use what you pulled. You'll find it's a great way to change the way you think about your decks, learn some new strategies and combos, and become a better all-around player. What are you waiting for?