Every effect, one by one
Every card that is not a monster uses one of the game's 20 effects. The table below describes what the game really does, with an example card for each. The values (heal, damage, boost…) come from the cards themselves.
| Kind | Example card | What the game does |
|---|---|---|
| Spell | The End of the Fifth Sun | Destroys all of the opponent's monsters. |
| Spell | Sacred Obsidian Blade | Destroys the opponent's highest-ATK monster (tie: the leftmost). |
| Spell | Wind that Erases Seals | Destroys all of the opponent's spells and traps. |
| Spell | Chocolate of the Gods | You gain 800 Life (Life has no cap). |
| Spell | Sparks of the New Fire | 500 / 600 direct damage to the opponent. |
| Spell | Huéhuetl War Drum | +400 / 500 / 600 / 700 ATK and DEF, permanently, on YOUR monsters on the field of the type or element shown. |
| Spell | Copal Smoke | −400 / 500 ATK on all the opponent's monsters until the end of their next turn (stacks). |
| Spell | Eye of the Obsidian Mirror | Flips the opponent's face-down MONSTERS face up. Their hand and face-down spells/traps stay hidden. |
| Spell | The Five Empty Days | The opponent cannot attack during their next 1 / 2 / 3 turns. |
| Spell | Mask of Xipe Tótec | Swaps the ATK and DEF of the OPPONENT's monsters. |
| Spell | Folded Codex of the Elders | You draw 2 / 3 cards. |
| Spell | Gust of the Wind Serpent | Returns the opponent's strongest monster to its owner's hand. |
| Spell | Fox Possession | You take the opponent's strongest monster. It returns to its owner at the end of YOUR turn; if their side is full, it is destroyed. |
| Trap | Chimalli Shield Wall | Trap: negates the attack. |
| Trap | Stake Pit | Trap: destroys the attacking monster. |
| Trap | The Smoking Mirror | Trap: the damage you would take goes to the attacker. |
| Trap | Scorpion's Sting | Trap: the attacker's ATK becomes 0 in this battle. |
| Field | Templo Mayor at the Fifth Sun's Dawn | Field: +500 to monsters of the favoured types/elements and −400 to the weakened ones — for BOTH players. |
| Equipment | Obsidian Macuahuitl | Equipment: +500 / 700 / 1,000 ATK and DEF, permanently, on a compatible monster (the types are on the card). |
| Ritual | Rite of the New Fire | Ritual: needs the 3 exact monsters on YOUR field; they are destroyed and the ritual monster enters face up. |
Spells
A spell from your hand can be activated at once (face-up) or set face-down to be activated later; in that case, activating it later does not spend your play from hand. The boost of a type/element spell applies to your monsters of that type that are on the field right now; those that enter later do not get it.
Traps
There are four traps: negate the attack, destroy the attacker, reflect the damage and set the attacker's ATK to zero. They only enter face-down ("Set") and you do not activate them: when you are attacked, even by a direct attack, the first face-down trap in your row, left to right, triggers on its own. One per attack.
Equipment
An equipment gives +500, +700 or +1,000 ATK and DEF, permanently, to a compatible monster (the types are on the card). Played alone from your hand, face-up, it goes to your strongest compatible monster. An equipment can also enter a fusion (monster + equipment).
Fields
A field gives +500 ATK and DEF to monsters of the favoured types and elements and −400 to the weakened ones, and that applies to the monsters of both players. There is only one field for the whole table: activating another sends the previous one to its owner's graveyard.
Rituals
A Ritual card requires its 3 exact monsters on your field. They are destroyed and the ritual monster enters face-up (in Attack by default). Ritual monsters only enter this way.
Bearer of the New FireATK 1000 · DEF 1100
Sun HummingbirdATK 700 · DEF 500
Apprentice Eagle WarriorATK 1100 · DEF 900
Rite of the New Fire
Huitzilopochtli, Hummingbird of the SouthATK 2950 · DEF 2500