Expand search form
Menu

Edison Format Rules

Rules

Edison Format uses version 7.0 of the Yu-Gi-Oh rulebook.

yugioh5dsofficialrulebookDownload

Differences between Edison and Modern Yu-Gi-Oh

Many player of modern standard Yu-Gi-Oh are interested in Edison format. Below is a useful table which identifies the rules difference between the two formats.

Edison Rule #1: Drawing

Both players draw 5 cards at the start of the duel.

The player going first draws during their draw phase of their first 1st turn.

(i.e. they will have 6 cards)

Edison Rule #2: Field Spells

Only one Field Spell can be active at a time.

Activating a field spell while there is already a field spell on the field will destroy the field spell that is already on the field.

Below are some examples demonstrating how field spells work in Edison format.

  • Player A activates “Mountain” (starting a Chain) while Player B’s “Umi” is active. When “Mountain” resolves, “Umi” is destroyed.
  • Player A activates “Mountain” (starting a Chain) while Player B’s “Umi” is active. Player B chains “Dust Tornado” targeting “Mountain”. When the chain resolves, “Dust Tornado” destroys “Mountain”, and “Umi” is not destroyed.
  • Player A activates “Mountain” (starting a Chain) while Player B’s “Umi” is active. When “Mountain” resolves, “Umi” is destroyed.
  • Player A activates “Mountain” (starting a Chain) while Player B’s “Umi” is active. Player B chains “Dust Tornado” targeting “Mountain”. When the chain resolves, “Dust Tornado” destroys “Mountain”, and “Umi” is not destroyed.

Edison Rule #3: Union Monsters

In Edison format all union monsters have the effect:

“A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time.”

Also, the Continuous-like Effect “If the equipped monster would be destroyed, destroy this card instead.” ONLY appears on:

  • “Armored Cybern”
  • “Oilman”
  • “Heavy Mech Support Platform”
  • “Spirit of the Six Samurai”
  • “Machina Gearframe”
  • “Machina Peacekeeper”

Edison Rule #4: Trap Monsters

In Edison Format, Trap Monsters takes up 1 Monster Card Zone and 1 Spell / Trap Card Zone. The physical location of the Trap Monster is the Monster Card Zone, it is not counted as a card in the Spell / Trap Card Zone (even though 1 of those Zones can’t be used).

More Trap Monster Rulings

  • You cannot activate (flip the Set Trap Card face-up) a Trap Monster if you have no empty Monster Card Zones.
  • To gain control of a Trap Monster, you must have both an open Monster Zone and an open Spell / Trap Card Zone.
  • A Trap Monster whose effect is negated (by “Jinzo”) reverts to being a Trap Cards in the Spell / Trap Card Zone immediately.
  • A Trap Monster that attacks a Set “Jinzo” reverts to a Trap Card when “Jinzo” if flipped. Damage Calculation is not applied.
  • Your Trap Monster stolen by “Snatch Steal” returns to your Spell / Trap Card Zone when “Jinzo” is Summoned.
  • If a Trap Monster would be Set face-down (by “Book of Moon”), it becomes Set to its corresponding Spell / Trap Card Zone.
  • If your opponent controls your “Embodiment of Apophis” (with “Snatch Steal” / “Creature Swap”), and it is flipped face-down, it goes to your opponent’s Spell / Trap Card Zone because they are the controller.
  • Trap Monsters are affected by cards / effects that would affect Trap Cards as well as those that affect Monster Cards.
  • If “Heavy Storm” is used against a Trap Monster, “Fake Trap” can prevent its destruction, but “My Body as a Shield” cannot.
  • If “Lightning Vortex” is used against a Trap Monster, “My Body as a Shield” can prevent its destruction, but “Fake Trap” cannot.
  • If “Raigeki Break” is used against a Trap Monster, both “My Body as a Shield” and “Fake Trap” can prevent its destruction.
  • If a Trap Monster is removed from the field, it is removed as a Trap Card.
  • A Trap Monster sent to the Graveyard cannot be revive with “Time Machine”, retrieved with “Return of the Doomed”, will not allow the effect of “Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame” to trigger, and you cannot activate “Michizure”.
  • If “Caius the Shadow Monarch” removes from play “Zoma the Spirit”, no damage will be inflicted.
  • A Trap Monster returned to the hand by “Penguin Soldier” is returned as a Trap Card. You cannot activate “Major Riot”.
  • If a Trap Monster is temporarily removed from play (by “Dimensionhole” or “Interdimensional Matter Transporter”), it returns to the field as a Trap Card and is destroyed IMMEDIATELY by game mechanic. If “Dimensionhole” was used, you cannot use the Monster Card Zone while the Trap Monster is removed from play, but you can use the Spell & Trap Card Zone it was occupying.

Edison Rule #5: 0 ATK monsters

If two attack position 0 ATK monsters battle both monsters are destroyed by battle.

EDISON FORMAT RULE # 6 – Ignition Effect Priority

“Priority” refers to a player’s right to use a card or effect (It is not a property Cards themselves possess. “Priority” exists whether or not the Turn Player declares their intent to use “Priority)

The Turn Player has “Ignition Effect Priority” when the Summon does not start a chain.

  • Example 1: Player A discards “Destiny Hero – Malicious” to Special Summon “Dark Grepher”. In the Summon response timing, Player A activates “Destiny Hero – Malicious’s” Ignition Effect (banishing itself as cost) before Player B can activate “D.D. Crow’s” effect.
  • Example 2: Player A Special Summons “Chaos Sorcerer”. In the Summon response timing, Player A activates “Chaos Sorcerer’s” Ignition Effect, targeting Player B’s “Goyo Guardian” before Player B can activate “Bottomless Trap Hole”.
  • Example 3: Player A Ritual Summons “Demise, King of Armageddon”. In the Summon response timing, Player A retains priotity to activate “Demise, King of Armageddon’s” Ignition Effect before Player B can activate “Torrential Tribute”.

The Turn Player does NOT have “Ignition Effect Priority” when the Summon starts a chain.

  • Example 1: Player A Special Summons “Dark Armed Dragon” while Player B’s “Black Garden” is active. In the Summon response timing, “Black Garden’s” Trigger Effect starts a Chain. Priority is then passed to Player A to build onto the Chain with fast effects.
  • Example 2: Player A Synchro Summons “Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier” using “Sangan” as Material. In the Summon response timing, “Sangan’s” Trigger Effect starts a Chain, and Player A cannot activate “Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier’s” Ignition Effect.
  • Example 3: Player A Normal Summons “Armageddon Knight”. In the Summon response timing, Player A can activate “Armageddon Knight’s” Trigger Effect OR pass priority to Player B; who may respond with “Torrential Tribute”. Player A does NOT have priority to activate any other card/effect as Chain Link 1 (including Ignition Effects).

EDISON FORMAT RULE # 7 – Simultaneous Effects Go On Chain

In Edison Format, the rules established in the tradition called “Simultaneous Effects Go On Chain” (SEGOC) apply with one minor exception: if two or more effects in the same “step” were triggered at different times, the earlier trigger(s) must be placed on the chain before the later ones [REF]. This rule concerning SEGOC would be changed in 2017 [REF]. In Edison Format, when multiple Trigger/Trigger-like Effects are triggered simultaneously, the players construct a chain with these effects in accordance with the following rules:

  • Step 1: The Turn Player’s Mandatory Effects go on the Chain in the order they were triggered.
  • Step 2: The Non-Turn Player’s Mandatory Effects go on the Chain in the order they were triggered.
  • Step 3: The Turn Player’s Optional Effects go on the Chain in the order they triggered.
  • Step 4: The Non-Turn Player’s Optional Effects go on the Chain in the order they triggered.

What about this makes Edison Format different from contemporary Yugioh? Pay attention to Example 1 to find out!

Example 1: Player A Tributes “Sangan” to Tribute Summon “Caius the Shadow Monarch”. Both mandatory effects are activated by the Turn Player (Step 1). Since “Sangan” triggers when sent from the field to the Graveyard, it is Chain Link 1, and the effect of “Caius the Shadow Monarch” is Chain Link 2, since it doesn’t trigger until the Summon is successful.

Example 2: Player A activates “Soul Exchange”, targeting Player B’s “Sangan”. Player A Tributes Player B’s “Sangan” to Tribute Summon “Caius the Shadow Monarch”. The Turn Player’s mandatory “Caius the Shadow Monarch” effect (Step 1) is Chain Link 1, and the Non-Turn Player’s mandatory “Sangan” effect (Step 2) is Chain Link 2.

EDISON FORMAT RULE # 8 – The 7 substeps of the Damage Step

EDISON FORMAT RULE # 9 – Trigger Location & Recognition

In Edison Format, triggers can be recognized as being met in the middle of a chain, whereas in current format Yu-Gi-Oh! this is generally not the case. Trigger Effects will also activate from outside their trigger location (unless they specify that they must remain there to trigger), even activating from within the Deck!

  • If you discard “Dandylion” as cost for “Monster Reincarnation” and add that “Dandylion” back to the hand, the effect to Special Summon 2 “Fluff Tokens” will still trigger and activate from the Graveyard (even though “Dandylion” is now in the hand).
  • “Necroface” is Normal Summoned while “Future Visions” is active. If Chain Link 1 is “Necroface’s” effect, thenwhen the chain resolves: “Necroface” will be returned to the Deck along with all removed from play cards. Then the other effect of “Necroface”, to remove the top 5 cards from both Decks, will start a new chain because “Necroface” was removed from play by “Future Visions.”
  • If “Earthbound Immortal Aslla Piscu” is returned to the Deck from the field (by “Phoenix Wing Wind Blast”), its effect to destroy monsters and inflict damage DOES NOT activate.
  • If a face-up “Elemental Hero Absolute Zero” is returned to the Extra Deck from the field (by “Phoenix Wing Wind Blast”), its effect to destroy all monsters the opponent controls DOES activate.

EDISON FORMAT RULE # 10 – End-of-Turn Discard

In Edison Format, players can’t respond to the end-of-turn discard for hand size at all, as this must be the last action a player performs in a turn . However, when a mandatory Trigger Effect is triggered by this discard, a chain will be built with special properties:

  • Spell Speed 2 effects can be Chained here IF (and only if) they negate activations or effects.
  • Spell Speed 3 effects can be Chained here, regardless of whether or not they negate activations or effects.

Categories

Close Menu