Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel guide: Tips and tricks to duel your way to the top
So you might have been comfortablyplaying Master Duelwith the traditional ruleset, but now Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel shakes up the formula with competitive and cooperative 4-player matches. This means you can expect new rules, different game modes, and plenty of Yu-Gi-Oh! fan service while you’re learning how to play. So make sure to grab yourfavorite wireless earbudsto enjoy the game’s soundscape as you embrace the new ruleset outlined in our handy Cross Duel beginner’s guide; this way, you’ll become a master-classed dueler in no time.
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Cross Duel shifts away from the official TCG ruleset in favor of more MOBA-like gameplay. Your LP now represents your tower, and you summon monsters to attack or defend lanes.
Usage of Spell and Trap cards now have restrictions, but this trades off by having the freedom to set skills on your monsters played from your deck. These skills become active traits that boost stats and enhance your monster’s capabilities during a match. Below we’ve summarized the new rule set.
Cross Duel general mechanics
Restrictions on cards and skills
Selecting your starter UR (your Ace monster)
It’s vital to pick the best starter UR that you plan to build your deck around. Below we have the list of which UR cards are in the selection pool:
Don’t forget that acquiring new cards requires spending on the gacha, so you’ll need to be careful which starting UR you select; this determines your starting deck. We strongly recommend selecting Blue-Eyes White Dragon as your first UR since it is the easiest to summon, offers well-rounded stats, and is simple to build around.
The best decks in Cross Duel
The new take on Yu-Gi-Oh! means that decks are all now played out differently than you’re previously accustomed to, but this is why we’ve laid out some of the most powerful (meta-defining) decks to help you focus on where to spend your limited Gems.
Playstyle and strategy in Cross Duel
Every season introduces new cards, so the meta might shake-up. For example, the introduction of Giant Trunade and Trap Dustshoot provided a buff to burn and control type decks, adding some more play with Bloom Diva, Red-Eyes, and Trickstar Holly Angel. The following season should add more cards that’ll buff other Archetypes/strategies, so you’ll want to know the overall playstyle or type of deck you’re constructing.
Terminology and breakdown
Aggro: Designed to overwhelm the monsters you encounter in the lane, the aggro-oriented monsters will have powerful effects and should win battles singlehandedly. These deck types are often fast-paced and monster-heavy — one of the more accessible deck types for building as a beginner (e.g., Blue-Eyes White Dragon).
Control: Designed to control the game’s overall pacing, the best decks will deploy monsters defensively to protect their lanes and prevent powerful cards from overtaking the game’s balance. Control decks are often more difficult to construct in Cross Duel due to the game leaning slightly towards aggro-favored tactics.
Stall: Designed to slow down your opponent by negating effects and preventing damage. It’s one of the most challenging tactics since you must have everything lined up perfectly to fulfill your win condition; the most common stall deck is Exodia.
Game modes
Ranked and casual matches will become your bread and butter after you’ve created and upgraded your deck. Still, the campaign and PvE modes are essential to play to comfortably grasp the new rules and collect all the free-to-play Gems that you’ll eventually pour into this game’s gacha system.
Event Matches: Where you’ll play limited-timed content.
Raid Duels: A PvE mode where you team up with three other players (shared LP) to take down a raid boss.
Ranked Matches: Playing Ranked gives you Rank Points (boost your points using Rank Match Tickets), which determines your rank placement. You can go up and down, and you’ll earn season rewards by ranking up during the season.
Room Matches: Host and search for private and public rooms. Your primary hub to duel with your friends.
Tag Duels: The single-player (2v2) campaign where you’ll encounter characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. You partner with an AI to take down your opponents.
Tips and tricks for beginners
Add raid bosses and tower defense gameplay to Yu-Gi-Oh! with Cross Duel
While raid bosses may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it still provides a solid opportunity to practice the new rule set during cooperative play. In addition, the Tag Duels mode pays homage to the nostalgic Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series, and there’s nothing like seeing epic 3D clashes with your favorite Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters — one of the main selling points for picking up Cross Duel.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Cross Duel takes some adjusting, so we’ve included the widget below if you want to get a head start now. Otherwise, plenty offantastic Android card gamescan tide you over if your experiences with Cross Duel don’t pan out.
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