How to play the Digimon TCG

All text belongs to my affiliate The DigiVice

Setting Up the Game

The first thing you need to do is to either take turns picking out cards from a 62 card deck until you have 30 and place the other aside, or play with pre-customized decks made of 30 cards and no doubles. When this is done, each play goes through his or her deck and selects a ROOKIE card and places it face down in the DUEL ZONE on the game mat. Then, the remaining cards are shuffled and are placed on the ONLINE section of the mat. The player then deals 10 cards to him/herself as their hand. Only when this is done do the players turn over their Rookie card in the Duel Zone.

Before beginning/deciding to digivolve or battle, each player looks at his/her opponents BATTLE TYPE. When you have discovered your opponents Battle Type, then you check the DIGIMON POWER that they can hit their opponent with. The person with the higher Digimon Power has the advantage at this time. If no one decides to play another card, the person with the higher Digimon Power wins the duel. After discovering your opponents Battle Type, they should review their cards to find a strategy. If you want to increase the digimon power you can blast at your opponent, then you might want to DIGIVOLVE to the next level.

How to Digivolve

After reviewing your hand, check to see if you have a digimon that digivolves from your Rookie in the Duel Zone. To find out if digivolving to this digimon is possible, look in the DIGIVOLVE REQUIREMENTS for the name of the digimon currently in play. If you do have this card and it has the name in the Digivolve Requirements, place the card face down the DIGIVOLVE ZONE. Also in the Digivolve Requirements, you must do what it asks beside the digimon's name in order to digivolve to the next level. Use the following steps to digivolve in the correct way:

1. Flip a coin, rock paper scissors, or do what ever to see whomever goes first.
2. Whomever goes first, turns over the card in the Digivolve Zone and places it face up on the digimon in the Duel Zone.
3. In order to fully digivolve, the play must fulfill the Digivolve Requirements. To digivolve from Rookie to Champion, you have to move the indicated number of cards to the Offline from the Online. Digivolving from Champion to Ultimate or from Ultimate to Mega either requires:
A. Using a DIGIVICE Power Option card and place it on the POWER PORT or,
B. Doing a DNA digivolve by playing two lower leveled cards instead of one. To do this, you place a second digimon face up on the Power Port when you turn over the digimon you want to digivolve to on the Duel Zone.
There is two other Power Option cards which you can use to digivolve. They are names ULTRA DIGIVOLVE and DIGIVOLVE TO CHAMPION. The effects differ so be sure to read the effects section of the card.

After the first person has digivolved, then the second player can either

1. Digivolve using the steps above.
2. Decide not to digivolve and just simply say, "pass." If they decide not to digivolve, the card they placed in the Digivolve Zone (if the placed a card there), is then moved to Offline.

You can only digivolve once per Duel. If you can't digivolve you must pass. After digivolving you go to on to the BATTLE.

How to Battle

WOW! WHAT A SURPRISE! You start with a coin toss to see who goes first. Now, with taking turns, you use POWER OPTION cards on the POWR PORT using only one card per turn. Each of the Power Option cards has an effect that you try and use to get an advantage over your opponent. If some have requirements, you must fulfill them in order for the card to have an effect. Be sure to keep track of your DIGIMON POWER while you do this to know how powerful you are. You keep on taking turns till someone either runs out of Power Option cards or decides to stop. The other player can still play them till he or she decides to stop playing them or runs out. At the end of this, the player with the most Digimon Power wins the Duel.

The winner scores points according to the Digimon Level of the defeated digimon. The score is shown at the bottom of the card. The winner then adds this amount to their score. The winner then keeps all of his or her digimon on the Duel Zone while the opponent clears them all except the Rookie to the Offline pile. Both players send their used Power Option cards to the Offline pile as well.

If there is a TIE, all of the Digimon cards remain and all the Power Option cards are sent to Offline and the Duel is started again.

The first player to 1000 beautiful points is the winner!

Before you start a new Duel….

Before you start a new Duel, you must:

1. Restore the cards in your hand to 10 cards. You may discard some of the cards, but them you must restore your hand to 10 cards by drawing from the Online deck. If there are not enough cards in the Online deck, move all cards except the Rookie in the Duel Zone to the Offline area, shuffle, and place face down on the Online part, then deal yourself 10 cards. If this happens while you play, just do as said by sending ALL cards except the Rookie card.
2. At this time, you or your partner may change your starting Rookie. Place the new Rookie on top of the old one face down until playing begins.
3. Basically, follow the sets all over again and battle till someone reaches 1000 nice points.