Why are Yu-Gi-Oh Turns So Long?

Whether you’d played Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, the TCG, or the OCG, or even if you’ve only played similar card games you’ve likely heard the horror stories of how long a turn can be in Yu-Gi-Oh. Turns out lack of mechanics between card games can cause serious damage. We look at Hearthstone for inspiration as well as what Yu-Gi-Oh has done right and wrong to undo this curse and find out Why are Yu-Gi-Oh turns so long?

[Blitz]

Describing handtraps as the right to bear arms against turn 1 tyrants is the funniest description for them by far.

[Akranejames]

The old ressource system - and I mean the VERY old ressource system - was simply to have a quite limited set of actions you could do each turn.
Summon a monster, than maybe a second through its effects, place a trap or two, play a spell and you're done, turn finished.
With the power creep of Yu-gi-Oh came "action creep" so to speak, and that's where it went nuts.

[Aimlesswaves.]

Defending? Did you see the MBT video? He straight up agrees with him for the entire thing.

[akiraishin]

This right here is the exact reason why I think the problem with Red-Eyes isn't that it's Fusion Spell is too restrictive. It's that the archetype doesn't use a "Towers" playstyle in order to facilitate a single Fusion per turn, and that's it. It should be given support that allows it to just use spell/traps more easily and to protect whatever boss monster you summon

[ryuuronin]

I think the Extra Deck being a third hand is the biggest factor. It started with Synchros building summon chains to climb the levels, but you were at least limited by the tuners on the field, and needing to match correct levels. And the following formats eased up on that a bit. You could upgrade XYZ, but usually only if you drew a rank up spell from your deck, with a couple of exceptions like Galaxy Eyes. Pendulum was really powerful, but you still needed to get said cards from your deck into your hand.

Then Links came out: where most of the small Links are made to summon other monsters to flood the field and build bigger Links. At that point the Extra Deck really did become a third hand: instead of the Extra Deck usually being where you house your boss monsters that your main deck is trying to make, it became mostly extenders. The Extra Deck became the mechanisms of the deck, and the Main Deck was only needed to provide a way into the card that will serve as the ignition to those mechanisms, with some tech cards splashed in. And since the ED is always there, you don't need to set it up and move the needed cards into it like the GY or the actual Hand. Not to mention how many Links are generic, making them accessible to any deck that floods monsters on the field: further rewarding the long chains of summons play style. Then when that became the norm, other decks needed to start doing the same to keep up.

Pendulums were very strong, but I will always maintain that Links were an overcorrection that harmed the game more than it helped in the long run. That and hand traps, because when you add a mechanic to just draw into a free negate that can't be removed, you're just asking for the other deck to start doing more effect activations to keep playing past it.

[honxiu]

I was once in a losing side of a match after being hit with evenly match. They proceed to NS Aleister, do a shaddoll combo, then do a branded fusion combo then BOOM they lost by time out before completing their board😂

[John-rnnm]

When you just want to complete your dailies but your opponent takes ten minutes to finish his turn. When he is done he practically locked you out of the game and wasted 10 minutes you can't get back.

[pickyphysicsstudent]

I've noticed a lack of Xenolocks on the most recent meta decks. Stuff like Kashtira and Tearlaments which allows them to do crazy combos with wiggle room to make Abyss Dweller. I'm not saying they should all be Flower Cardians but generic combo access is an advantage for tech choices these meta decks do not deserver.
A good middle ground would be something like Arcjet Lightcraft where the Xenolock is a Continuous Effect - not a lingering restriction/effect. Meaning it would only apply while on the field. It can make for much more complex decisions by preventing pivoting to tech choices in the middle of xenolock combos but still allow them as an eventual option.

[misterOrca]

Konami really has to make their 5-minute time limit absolute. Why even have a time limit if you're just gonna reset it every single time the player does something. People will literally abuse that gimmick and make the opponent rage quit.

[tetra]

"Even the most unknown, pack filler, only seen on a cultishly devoted youtube channel archetype that you can imagine probably has some one card combo setup that goes at least +3"
*Cries in Fortune Lady*

[XmortoxX]

Lack of a "resource" system is not the answer either. When you see MTG's legacy formats like Legacy or even Vintage, they still do a lot of broken combos, matches end in one or 2 battle phases and they barely spend any mane for anything.

IMO this is more of a fundamental desing flaw(s) in YGO card design. The push for every box to sell forces them to elevate the power curve more exponentially without track consideration on how balanced they can be.

Like, they allow things like Testament and Zodiac to happen, and they were fine with them.

[marchmelloow]

Yugioh used to be a game where your 5 starting cards _were_ your only resource in a turn. You'd even try not to use your entire hand so you wouldn't lose it all and have no follow up. The problem started when searching and mass draw effects became a thing. Even graveyard effects wouldn't be that bad of a problem if you only got 1 extra card go into play every 2 turns.

[lancerguy]

I’d argue the actual evolution they’ve taken with the main game is in the form of “our turn” decks.

Fewer decks are built around ten minute turn 1s, with more of them doing five minutes of plays on every turn instead… whether that’s better or worse is a matter of some debate.

[artemthegoatlobov]

Ramen's video brought me back to how i felt on the realse of master duel

[RogueVisionary]

Another problem is "Special Summon". There is nothing special about it if it's happening so frequently. If anything, normal summoning is special

[deadlineuniverse]

Old style Yugioh is still somewhat possible.


Just have a friend to open random packs of the same set with and play with that.

[omegaheartless]

The game does not need a resource system, it needs legitmate balance, the new cards can seemingly make damn near free plays on either turn which drains a lot of the enjoyment of the game, especially when you get hit with that 3 minute play when its on your turn.

[Megamanlanprime]

You know what’s funny? We have seen a format with a “mana system” - it’s called Turbo Duels from 5D’s. I really do like Speed World/Speed World 2 and the idea of Speed Spells and kinda wish we could get that as an actual format.

[JimIBobIJones]

In person, Yu-gi-oh has a lot more back and forth. I don't know if its because of different banlists, or because its more difficult to predict hand traps (in MD 90% of the time you can guess what hand-traps they have and 50% of the time what their back row is by when the game pauses) - but most games at my locals go on for at least a good 5 or 6 turns, even with meta decks that would 1-2 turn in MD.

[jibrilamvs]

Remember when a single cyber dragon getting dropped on you was the scariest thing you had to worry about?
Neither does Konami.