OCG Official Rules (Vol.1)
On release, the Yu-Gi-Oh! Official Card Game (OCG) established many of the core rules and mechanics by which we play to this day. However, there have also been many changes in the past 23 years that many people aren't aware of. This post is intended to put this information down into the English-speaking space for posterity.
The OCG Official Rules (公式ルール Kōshiki rūru) were the first rules under which Yu-Gi-Oh! was played. They lasted from release to the official date of April 20, 2000. As mentioned previously, these rules established the core tenets of Konami's Yu-Gi-Oh! to the world of cardboard. So before we cover the unique elements of the Official Rules on release, we'll first be covering the basics of the Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Official Rules
BASIC RULES AND CONCEPTS
Yu-Gi-Oh! has both players begin with a minimum of 40 cards in their Decks. The Deck consists of the Monsters, Spells and Traps that the player will be using in that Duel. At the start of the Duel, both players draw 5 cards and can have as many cards in hand as they want without limit. Both players begin with 8000 LP, and the way to win is to drop your opponent's LP to 0.
For matches, player have a Side Deck of 10 cards. Yu-Gi-Oh! matches are a best of 3 in which the player with two victories wins the Match. However, a DRAW (
MONSTERS
Monsters are the lifeblood of a Deck. They are the main way the player will inflict damage to the opponent while protecting your own Life Points. Through the Official Rules' time as the main way to play Yu-Gi-Oh!, the only kind of monsters available were the Normal Monsters that had no effects, but there was no real distinction at the time of release. While other types of monsters would become available through Series 1, Normal Monsters remained a strong core of Beatdown strategies in Official Rules duels.
In an Official Rules Duel, any monster can be Summoned from hand regardless of Level. Levels during this time denoted rarity instead of being important to game mechanics. That meant a card like Gaia the Fierce Knight could be Summoned from hand without any cost. The same concept applied to Setting a card, meaning that same Gaia could be Set face-down. You could only Summon/Set 1 monster per turn, but you may also Flip Summon a monster from face-down Defense Position to face-up Attack Position.
Speaking of that, a monster can be placed into three kinds of positions at this point in the game. When a monster is Summoned from hand, it will be placed in Attack Position. It will be face-up with the name facing the opponent.
To Set (セット) a monster from hand, you must place it so the card backing is visible. In this state, the monster is completely unknown. Only its controller knows what it is. A face-down monster is considered in Defense Position. When a monster attacks a Set monster, the Set monsters is flipped face-up before damage calculation as the picture below shows. You can also place a monster in face-up Defense Position from Attack Position and the reverse. Unlike Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, you can only switch a monster's Position once per turn. The Position isn't neutral when you can decide what position your monster takes for that and your opponent's turn.
When a monster attacks a Set monster, the Set monsters is flipped face-up before damage calculation. You can also place a monster in face-up Defense Position from Attack Position and the reverse. Unlike Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, you can only switch a monster's Position once per turn. The Position isn't neutral when you can decide what position your monster takes for that and your opponent's turn.
SPELLS & TRAPS
Magic Cards (TCG: Spell Cards) and Trap Cards are powerful cards that have effects that can change the direction of a Duel. Unlike monsters which can only battle/deal damage, Magic/Traps have more variety to them. Magic Cards can be activated from hand to resolve the effect listed on the card. Traps have to be Set before the effect can be activated, and the activation requirement tends to be more specific. However, you can only activate/Set 1 Magic or Trap per turn each.
Something unique to Trap Cards are the fact that they aren't destroyed once activated. They must remain face-up on the field after you activate it. The exceptions are cards that say "Destroy this card after activating" 「発動後このカードを破壊する」with the name of the card being placed where "this card" would be.
As with Monsters, you can also Set Magic/Trap Cards. You Set them as you would activate them but displayed face-down instead of face-up.
THE FIELD
モ - Monster Card Zone - This is where your monsters are Summoned.
魔 - Spell & Trap Zone - This is where almost all Spells & Traps are Set or activated.
デ - Deck Zone - This is where you place your Deck
墓 - Graveyard - Where all cards are sent once they're destroyed.
CONCLUSION
Yu-Gi-Oh! in its infancy was a surprisingly simplistic game. The vast majority of the rules and regulations that we know of today just didn't exist. More would be added through Series 1, which is why I didn't discuss Fusion Monsters or Field Spells here. These are the rules that are to be established before we begin exploring the first Core Booster of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s history: Volume 1 or Vol.1.
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