How do Yugioh Chains Work?

Learn how to understand how chains work for the trading card game Yu-gi-oh quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules. Check out the other videos in the series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1J4a71zJINbkwQNIH9OM1bEjmlsgU99j Setup: https://youtu.be/iOxFwMR9HbA Basic Gameplay: https://youtu.be/uXOhZ-UIxaA Card Text: https://youtu.be/41FhWVwdPyY Fusion: https://youtu.be/M6rernKz4TQ Link: https://youtu.be/RuiKYiOxRcY Pendulum: https://youtu.be/uvThmTvCimw Ritual: https://youtu.be/y4VrI_lJXcE Synchro: https://youtu.be/sLPNxO3aUXw XYZ: https://youtu.be/7uYTEqb_iBc Don't own the game? Buy it here: https://buy.triplesgames.com/yugioh (As an TCG Player Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases) amazon.com - https://amzn.to/417YpNh amazon.ca - https://amzn.to/41nwM4d amazon.co.uk - https://amzn.to/430QwvG amazon.es - https://amzn.to/414eTpJ amazon.de - https://amzn.to/4hYZlKy amazon.it - https://amzn.to/4hEruXy amazon.nl - https://amzn.to/3X4SJCg amazon.com.au - https://amzn.to/3QotWFC (As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases) https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4154/yu-gi-oh-trading-card-game Official Written rules: https://link.triplesgames.com/yugiohrules RULES: Card effect text is sometimes separated with a colon and/or semi-colon. Conditions are always followed by a colon. Activation text is separated by a semicolon. And the resolving effects are ended with one or more periods. The basic structure for an effect is CONDITIONS (colon) ACTIVATION (semi-colon) RESOLUTION (period). Some effects only have a Resolution, some only have Activation and Resolution, some only have Condition and Resolution, while others may have multiples of any of these combinations. Whenever an effect is used, it either starts a chain or it doesn’t. If an effect does not start a chain, then other cards cannot be added to the chain. For example: Cyber Dragon says: If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters, you can Special Summon this card (from your hand). This effect does NOT start a chain because it does not use a colon. Therefore, a card like Divine Wrath, which says: When a monster effect is activated: Discard 1 card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy that monster, cannot be used because a chain was not started. Other events that do not start chains are: normal summon, flip summon, change battle position, setting a card, Declaring an attack, and any type of Summoning by special procedure. If an effect starts a chain, and it is the only effect used, and no other effects are added to the chain, then it still starts a chain, it will just be a chain-link of 1 and resolve as a single event. For example: Exiled Force says: You can Tribute this card to target 1 monster on the field; destroy that target. You activate the effect and tribute the card and target a monster. No other cards are added to the chain, so Exiled Force resolves and you destroy the targeted monster. When an effect has a colon or semi-colon, then it always starts a chain link at the colon or semi-colon: whichever is closest to the description of the effect’s resolution. The colon is there to show that the effect has a specific condition in order to activate it. The semicolon is there to separate what you do when you activate the effect before it resolves. This is what you must do before another card can be added to the chain. The text ending in one or more periods, is what you do when the effect resolves. For example: the card Sangan says: When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard colon Add 1 monster with 1500 or less ATK from your Deck to your hand. Because of the colon, this effect starts a chain after it is sent to the graveyard but before you add the monster from your deck to your hand. This is when another effect could add to the chain. The card Greenkappa says: FLIP colon Target 2 Set Spell or Trap Cards on the field semicolon destroy those targets. This effect has both a colon and semi-colon. So, the effect starts a chain not when the card is flipped but instead after you target the 2 facedown spell or trap cards; this is when another effect could be added to the chain. Effects that are optional will either include the word “may” or “can”, or will be a card you choose to play or reveal from your hand, or will be a facedown card you can choose to activate and flip over: like a trap. If an optional effect is declined, then no chain starts. For example: Swift Scarecrow says: When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack colon You can discard this card semi-colon negate the attack, then end the Battle Phase. So, if the conditions are met and you choose to not activate the effect, then no chain starts and no effects can be activated in response. All spell and trap cards start a chain regardless if they have a colon or semicolon in their text. For example: Creature Swap says: Each player chooses 1 monster they...