Excavate
When a card says to “excavate” cards from your Deck, you reveal
those cards to both players. Then, before you do anything else,
apply the instructions from the card effect that excavated them.
Cards that are being excavated are still treated as being in the Deck
until sent elsewhere by the card instructions.
Original ATK (or DEF)
The Original ATK (or DEF) is the number of ATK (or DEF) points printed on
the Monster Card. This does not include an increase from an Equip Spell
Card or other card effect
Pay a Cost
To pay a cost is an action required in order to activate a card, an effect,
or to Summon a monster. Tributing to Tribute Summon a Level 5
monster is an example of a cost. Other common costs are discarding,
paying Life Points, or banishing cards. You have to pay any costs
before you declare the activation of the card. Even if the activation of
the card is negated, you cannot get a refund of the cost that you have
paid.
Piercing Battle Damage
Some monsters can inflict piercing Battle Damage when they attack a
Defense Position monster. This means that you inflict damage to your
opponent’s Life Points equal to the difference between the attacking
monster’s ATK and the defending monster’s DEF.
Random
When a card effect says to choose a card randomly, there is no official
way of doing so, but it is fine as long as neither player has a way of
knowing which card is being chosen.
Reveal
When an effect says to reveal a card, you show it to both players.
You may have to reveal a face-down card, a card from your hand,
or from the top of your Deck. Revealing a card does not activate
the card or its Flip Effect. Normally, revealed cards are returned
to their original position after being looked at by both players.
Search your Deck
Whenever an effect instructs you to add a card from your Deck to
your hand, or to Special Summon a monster from your Deck, you
can pick up your Deck and search through it for the appropriate
card. You must shuffle your Deck after any time you search it and
let your opponent shuffle or cut. You cannot activate an effect to
search your Deck for a card if there are no cards that meet the
requirements in your Deck.
Send to the Graveyard
A card can be sent to the Graveyard in various ways. Destroying a
card, discarding, and Tributing a monster are all actions that send a
card to the Graveyard, and will normally activate “When this card is
sent to the Graveyard…” Trigger Effects. EXCEPTION: When a
banished card is moved to the Graveyard, it is not considered to be
“sent to the Graveyard”.
Set
Playing a card face-down is called a Set. For Monster Cards, playing
it in face-down Defense Position is called a Set. Any card that is
face-down on the field is a Set card.
Shuffle
There is no rule for how to shuffle, but while shuffling you cannot
look at the cards you are shuffling, or arrange the cards and then
shuffle them.
Tribute
Tributing is sending a monster you control to the Graveyard. You
can Tribute a face-up or face-down monster, unless otherwise
specified. Tributing a monster is one possible cost for Summoning
a monster or activating an effect. A monster sent to the Graveyard
by Tributing is not treated as “destroyed.”
A card can be sent to the Graveyard in various ways. Destroying a
card, discarding, and Tributing a monster are all actions that send a
card to the Graveyard, and will normally activate “When this card is
sent to the Graveyard…” Trigger Effects. EXCEPTION: When a
banished card is moved to the Graveyard, it is not considered to be
“sent to the Graveyard”.