Introduction
Think back to August of 2008 when the first Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds Starter Deck was released, bringing in the era of Synchro Monsters. Well folks it seems we're going to go through this yet again with the introduction of the "Xyz" Monsters, better known as Exceed Monsters in the Japanese Trading Card Game. Xyz Monsters are very similar to Synchro Monsters but in some cases are even better, mainly for the fact that they do not require tuner monsters. That's right, Xyz Monsters do not require anything more than the appropriate monsters to "overlay". Also Xyz Monsters are pronounced as ik-seez.

What are Xyz monsters?
You can identify Xyz Monsters by simply looking at the card. Xyz Monsters are pitch-black colored cards, much like the DARK Synchro Monsters in the anime used by the Dark Signers. Their levels are on the left side of the card rather than on the right like every other monster in the game, however their level is no longer called levels. An Xyz Monsters level is actually called their "Rank". This means cards such as Gravity Bind, Level Limit - Area B and any other card that affects a monsters "level" will not affect your Xyz Monsters. Xyz Monsters also do not require any adjustments to be made to your deck as you do not need Tuner Monsters to summon them. Isn't that useful?

How do I perform an Xyz Summon?
To perform an Xyz Summon you have to "overlay" your material monsters instead of sending them to the Graveyard. This is similar to card games such as Pokemon, where they overlay their basic Pokemon with an evolution Pokemon card such as overlaying a Charizard card over a Charmeleon card to perform its evolution. The same goes for an Xyz Summon, however most require certain level monsters. Take for example Yuma's ace Xyz Monster Number 39: Utopia which will be in this years Starter Deck.


Utopia is a Rank 4 Xyz Monster. To Xyz Summon it's very similar to a Synchro Summon, needing certain levels to make your new monster. In Utopia's case he needs 2 Level 4 monsters. That is all, simply any 2 Level 4 monsters to overlay and you can bring out Utopia. There's also sort of a catch when it comes to Xyz Monsters. Because their levels are considered Ranks and not levels you can not use an Xyz Monster as a material monster for another Xyz Monster so keep this in mind.

What can't I do with Xyz Monsters and Xyz Summons?
• You may not use Token Monsters for Xyz Materials.
• Reborn Tengu will not get its effect if used for an Xyz Summon or sent to the Graveyard for an Xyz Monster's effect that requires detaching a Xyz Material Monster.
• You may not use Xyz Monsters as Synchro Material Monsters as their levels are considered Ranks.

Currently this is all you really need to know about Xyz Monsters. Be sure to look out for the 2011 Yu-Gi-Oh! Starter Deck: Dawn of the Xyz which will likely include more info on Xyz Monsters and clarify rulings regarding the Xyz Monsters. Also keep an eye open for Generation Force, the new set scheduled for release on August 18th which will contain many new Xyz Monsters and much much more!