In a Pendulum Zone, a Pendulum Monster Card is treated as a Spell Card and can be targeted by effects targeting Spell Cards, but not Continuous Spell Cards. Placing a Pendulum Monster Card in the Pendulum Zone is treated as activating a Spell, and it can be Summoned like regular monsters in your Monster Zones or activated as Spell Cards in your Pendulum Zones.
Pendulum Zones are special card zones used by Pendulum Monsters to perform a Pendulum Summon. They overlap with the right-most and left-most Spell/Trap Zones, and Pendulum Monsters must be activated as Spells in either of those zones. Playing Pendulum Monster Cards as Pendulum Spells doesn’t take up Spell and Trap Card Zones, so you can still use all your favorite Spells and Traps without worrying about running out of Zones.
The leftmost and rightmost Spell and Trap Zones double as Pendulum Zones, and Pendulum Monsters must be activated as Spells in either of those zones. If your pendulum monsters are summoned to (or back to) the Monster card zones, they can be used for fusions, synchros, and Xyz material for summonings.
To activate a Pendulum Monster Card in the Pendulum Zone, add 1 “Pendulum” Pendulum Monster or “Pendulum” Spell/Trap from your Deck to your hand. You can only activate one “Pendulum” Pendulum Monster or “Pendulum” Spell/Trap from your Deck.
📹 Yu-Gi-Oh! The Idiots Guide To Pendulum Monsters (Pendulum Summon, Scales, Pendulum Zone)
What Is A Pendulum Monster: (0:00) How To Pendulum Summon: (1:28) Important Pendulum Mechanics: (6:02) Outro: …
Do pendulum monsters count as spells for spell counters?
The text posits that upon the activation of a card, a single Spell counter is appended to it. Furthermore, Pendulum Monsters are defined as a synthesis of Spell and Monster, rendering the activation of a Pendulum Effect analogous to that of a Spell Card.
What are the rules for pendulum summoning?
A pendulum summon is a unique summoning technique that enables the player to call forth multiple monsters from their hand and additional deck, with levels ranging from 1 to 8. This particular summoning technique can only be employed on a single occasion during the course of a single turn. It is therefore classified as a once-per-turn ability.
Are pendulum zones spell zones?
Location ( ). Current field ( ). The leftmost and rightmost Spell & Trap Zones double as Pendulum Zones, and Pendulum Monsters must be activated as Spell in either of those zones. These Spell & Trap Zones are treated as Pendulum Zones only if there is a Pendulum Monster (that is not treated as any other type of Spell or Trap Card ) in that zone, but they are still Spell & Trap Zones. Effects that place Pendulum Monsters in Pendulum Zones will place them in these zones even while they are unoccupied.
Old field ( ). Prior to the release of Starter Deck 2017 in the OCG and Starter Deck: Link Strike in the TCG, the Pendulum Zones were distinct zones in which only Pendulum Monsters could be placed, and only as Spell Cards. The left Pendulum Zone was located in between the Field Zone and the Extra Deck Zone, and the right Pendulum Zone was located in between the Graveyard Zone and the Deck Zone.
- See also ( ). Pendulum Monster
- Pendulum Scale
- Pendulum Summon
- Pendulum Effect
Do pendulums count as normal spells?
Although a Pendulum Monster is treated as a Spell Card while in the Pendulum Zone, it is not considered a Normal, Continuous, Field, Equip, Quick-Play, or Ritual Spell Card. As long as there is an available Pendulum Zone on the player’s field, they can activate a Pendulum Monster from their hand in that zone. Unlike Field Spells, however, players cannot send cards in the Pendulum Zone to the Extra Deck face-up to activate a new one.
Pendulum Summon ( ). Once per turn, during the Main Phase, while there are Pendulum Monsters in both Pendulum Zones, the turn player can perform a Pendulum Summon, Special Summoning multiple Monsters from their hand as well as Pendulum Monsters that are face-up in the Extra Deck at the same time, using the Pendulum Monsters’ Pendulum Scales to determine the Levels of the monsters that can be Summoned.
( ). While most Pendulum Monsters are also Normal or Effect Monsters and put in the Main Deck, a small number of Pendulum Monsters are also Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Monsters. These cards are put face-down in the Extra Deck, and can be Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summoned (depending on their monster card type) as normal while face-down.
Do pendulums eventually stop?
The pendulum is not a perpetual motion machine.. Because of air friction and gravity the pendulum would eventually stop swinging, but a magnet encircling the cable pulls on the cable with each swing. Electric current controlling the magnetism is turned on and off with each swing of the pendulum.
The pendulum is not a clock.. However, the time it takes to go around the circle is predictable. Imagine yourself hovering above the Earth’s axis at the North or South Pole. The Earth below appears to be spinning like a merry-go-round. The pendulum would complete the circle in 24 hours.
Now imagine yourself hovering above the equator.. The Earth appears to be rolling like a barrel. As the pendulum swings, it does not move around the circle at all. Latitude determines the length of time required for a complete trip around the circle. Here in San Diego, the pendulum makes its way around the circle in 44½ hours.
Do pendulums go to the extra deck?
Pendulum Monsters have a unique ability that sends them face-up to the Extra Deck when sent from the Field to the Graveyard. They can be summoned back to the field via Pendulum Summoning, but they must follow the same restrictions as Link Monsters. Pendulum Monsters cannot be used to activate effects that require sending Monsters from the Field to the Graveyard, as they cannot get there. Banishing the Monster overrides this property, and cards that revive Monsters like Monster Reborn and Called by the Grave are more difficult to use with Pendulum Monsters.
Additionally, Pendulum Monsters that are Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz cannot exist in hand, so they cannot be placed in the Pendulum Zone as normal. Instead, they have effects that can place them there from the field.
Does a pendulum summon count as a normal summon?
Pendulum Summoning is one of the game’s six types of Special Summon. Unlike some other types of Special Summons, you can only Pendulum Summon once per turn, but you can summon multiple monsters at once with it. To do this, you’ll need special monsters known as Pendulum Monsters.
You can identify a Pendulum monster by it being a Monster card colour the top half, and a Spell card on the bottom. They also have two gems on either side of the card – a blue on the left, and a red on the right. The number underneath this is the monster’s Pendulum Scale. For example, D/D Dog has a Pendulum Scale of three, while Archfiend Eccentrick has a Pendulum Scale of seven.
Pendulum Monsters are special because they can either be summoned as monsters, or placed on the field as Spell cards. When used as spells, they’re placed into the farthest left and farthest right of your Spell and Trap zones – known as Pendulum Zones when a Pendulum Monster is in them. When a Pendulum Monster is in a Pendulum Zone, it’s treated as if it was a Spell card, not a Monster. You couldn’t Raigeki a Pendulum Monster in the Pendulum Zone, but you could Mystical Space Typhoon one.
Can you fuse monsters in the pendulum zone?
A Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from the player’s Extra Deck may be performed using monsters that are under the player’s control as Fusion Materials. In the event that two cards are present within the Pendulum Zones, it is possible to utilise said cards as Fusion Materials. A single “Pendulum Fusion” may be activated per turn.
Do creature cards count as spells?
In the context of Magic, creatures are regarded as spells when they are cast and remain on the stack. Upon resolution and subsequent entry into the battlefield, these objects become what is referred to as “permanents,” as opposed to “spells.” The term “spell” may prove confusing for novice players, as it may not be immediately apparent that it does not simply refer to instant or sorcery. Nevertheless, the input of a Level 1 judge can assist in elucidating the concept.
What do pendulum cards do?
In order to initiate the summoning process, it is necessary to have two pendulum monsters on the field. Furthermore, it is possible to summon multiple monsters simultaneously.
Do pendulums synchronize?
A study in Scientific Reports suggests that pendulum clocks, observed almost 350 years ago by Dutch inventor Christiaan Huygens, synchronize their swing over time. The cause of this phenomenon has been a subject of scientific debate. Portuguese scientists proposed that the pendulums transfer energy to one another through sound pulses. They developed a mathematical model and conducted experiments with clocks attached to a wall rail.
The theoretical predictions and simulations matched, and the energy transfer was confirmed through a sound pulse. This not only solves a fundamental problem but also enhances understanding of other types of oscillators.
📹 Pendulum Monsters Explained Very Quickly & Easily
Pendulum Monsters are half-Monster, half-Spell cards that can either be summoned or placed in a Pendulum Zone as a special …
Yuya: I’ll use stargazer magician and timegazer magician to set the pendulum scale – I’m taking control of this duel starting now Now I’m allowed to summon as many monsters from levels 2 – 7 all at the same time – swing far pendulum, carve the arc of victory – my monsters are ready to swing into action!!!
Well done as always. While Pendulums look daunting, they’re really not too bad to pick up, it just takes some practice. Also, I’ll be down to see articles for each extra deck type, as having them is beneficial to those looking to learn, or get back into the game, and those that could use a quick refresher
Just a little thing that’s worth mentioning, since the exemples that people tend to use to describe a pendulum summon can cause some confusion: you CAN pendulum summon multiple monsters with the same level, some exemples makes it look like they need to be all different levels but that’s not the case.
Update regarding pendulum monsters in the extra deck and extra monster zones: as of Master Rule 5, this no longer applies. You can summon Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and Pendulum monsters from your extra deck to any monster zone again, PLUS the extra monster zones. The restriction only applies to link monsters now, and the extra monster zones only now exist to facilitate link monsters. Do note that if you summon anything to an extra monster zone, you cannot summon to the other extra monster zone unless you have a chain of link monsters that point to that zone. Honestly, I kinda wish that they kept that restriction specifically for pendulum monsters. The thing with pendulum monsters is that they can basically just come back every turn as long as the pendulum scale is intact. Forcing them to rely on links heavily restricts the amount of monsters that can be brought back each turn.
Man… I’m 31 years old, and I’m really lost on Pendulum and Links… XYZ was where it was at for me… I’m over here perusal this to understand the rules of it and I’m still lost like man… it’s hard to memorize them all… I guess I’ll watch this over and over to understand it lol since I still collect to this day…
Fun fact you may not know, but cards with Macro Cosmos like effects do affect Pendulum Monsters and will be banished instead of going to the Extra Deck face up Found this out the other day by playing Dark Law against a pend deck only to see all the monster used for a link summon be banished instead of going to the extra deck
For a while I was confused about pendulums being used as overlay units for Xyz’s monsters. For a long time I thought that being attached to a Xyz monster counted as being on the field thus going to the extra deck when detached. Now I know all the conditions for pendulums going to the GY. discarded from hand. detached from an Xyz monster. summon negated. sent to the GY from deck.
Pendulum monsters(PM) have their own mechanics, in TCG following master rule these are: 1) can’t go FROM FIELD to GY, instead they’re placed face-up in the extra deck, 2) can be used as spell cards (they aren’t treated as any spell card type) by placing them in an specific zone (just like fields spells) to the most left or right spell/trap zones, that zone becomes a pendulum zone when occupied by a PM used as a spell, also they can’t be set as spell cards, 3) can used exactly as monster of it’s CARD TYPE would. 4) PM are cards used to perform a special summon mecanic (like polymerization, or ritual spell cards, etc) that summon is called PENDULUM SUMMON (this summon can be performed once per turn), in order to do it, you must control 2 PMs used as spells in your pendulum zones, 5) PS allow you to special summon monsters(that can be special summoned) from your hand or PMs face-up in your extra deck(they can only be summoned to a monster zone that is treated as an extra monster zone that you are allowed to use) as you want, whose levels are an integer number between the SCALE NUMBERS(see number “7)”) of the PMs used to perform the PS. 6) PMs have 2 text boxes, the first one is applied when they are treated as spells, the second is their monster effect or flavor text and it is applied whenever they are used as monsters, 7) they have a number next to diamond shape, that is called a scale number. BETWEEN means whichever the margins or borders are, they’re excluded from the available options.
The invention of pendulum, as a mechanic in the anime, is exactly like that obnoxious kid no one wants to play with because they invent new powers so they can’t lose. It just feels exactly like that. “Nyeeeh~ you can’t win because I am invulnerable to fire!” -But… you were invulnerable to ice five minutes ago… “But now I am to fire, nyeeeh~ I win!”
Missed 1 thing when explaining if the pendulum scales are the same -AS it is also the case that if the difference between the 2 scales is 1 (say 3 & 4) then you also cant pendulum special summon, as there is no level between this either.. sorry if someone has already said this as i thought it might take a bit to find it
I think Konami can stretch pendulums a little and give each archetype specific pendulum monster(s) like they did with links. Ex. Two lv4 koaki meiru rock pendulums, one scale 3, another scale 5, maybe the three is treated as iron core (everywhere except the Main deck) and the five can tribute itself to negate a hand effect. Each has a pendulum condition that can only summon rocks and their effects are negated the turn they are summoned. Ex2. A single skull servant pendulum with scale 0, but you can discard a zombie (hard once per turn, maybe the wind-up restriction (“once while face-up”)) to increase its scale by that monsters level until eot. The idea is you have two of these and manipulate one of them. Of course, only pendulum summon zombies, effects negated, etc. Monster effect, discard it to add a skull servant (except itself) from the grave to hand. It’d be nice to recur their archetype hand traps. By extension, this could be done for ice barriers, fire fist, any non-meta-relevant deck that struggles with “too many normal summons” and doesn’t have any pendulums yet.
So Herald of the abyss, despite being asked to send a monster from the field to the graveyard can work even though the pendulum monster would be sent to the extra deck instead? My understanding from your subsequent explanation is that this shouldn’t be possible because it can’t be sent to the graveyard?
Funny how every official source has it so you need the low scale in the left zone and the high scale in the right to Pendulum summon, but the games with the mechanic seem to only check the difference between the numbers. I remember hearing that this is because they planned on having Pendulum monsters whose scale depends on which zone it is placed in. This never came to be, but we did recently get one called “Clocked Arc” whose scale changes depending on which zone it is in. I assumed that the reason why it doesn’t matter in the games was because it was just easier to check the scale number instead of checking that and where they were placed. The anime makes this even more confusing since they always place the zones opposite of official rule sources. It’s never addressed and we only get two misplays with the mechanic. Yuya tries to Pendulum summon monsters whose levels don’t fit the scales he played in episode 3 and then there was the Aladdin inspired kid who placed his scales in the monster zones during the battle royale. Though in the latter’s case I chalk that up to the zones not being marked at all on the duel disks.
So I wanna proofread a custom card I had made in a separate article comments section, a retrain idea for “Five-Headed Dragon”. But the text ran so long I wound up turning it into a pendulum monster just to fit it all, so with these rules stated here let me know if this all checks out and let me know if you have any critique. Seven-Headed Archfiend Dragon (DARK) Level 12 Pendulum effect: Once per turn (quick effect), you may banish any number of Dragon or Wyrm monsters with different attributes from your hand or field, and activate the following effect(s) depending on the attribute(s) of the monster banished (You may only use each of these effects once per turn, and you cannot attack the turn you use this effect): ⚫️: FIRE Destroy 1 card on the field⚫️: WATER Gain 3000 LP⚫️: WIND shuffle 1 card in either players hand into their deck⚫️ EARTH: Target 1 facedown card on the field; It cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect until the end of this turn⚫️ DARK: Negate the effects of 1 card on the field until the end of this turn⚫️ LIGHT: 1 card on the field gains original ATK and DEF equal to the ATK or DEF of the monster banished (your choice) ⚫️ DIVINE: Flip all other cards on the field facedown, and immediately afterwards special summon 1 Divine-Beast monster from your hand, deck or GY, ignoring its summoning conditions._ Pendulum Scale: 0 (Dragon/Pendulum/Fusion/Effect) 5+ Dragon or Wyrm Monsters Must either be fusion summoned with the above cards or pendulum summoned. When you would summon this card, or if your opponent would remove it from the field, you may instead place it in your pendulum zone.
I’m so glad I found your website. My brother and I were practically OG Yu-Gi-Oh! players. We got our first cards in, like, 2002. Back in those days, no one knew what “removed from play” even meant. The first cards I got were from that Joey Wheeler collecter’s tin, the one with Black Skull Dragon (I lost it a long time ago). As the years went by, I lost interest and, before I knew it, there was Synchro, and Xyz summoning, and I wanted to find out what I’d been missing all those years. Plus, I’ve been a fan of YGOTAS for years.
It would be great to have a article like this for XYZ summons and Link summons. I know the basics for xyz and pendulum but I have no understanding of Links. As far as I’m concerned my last Yugioh series was 5Ds, the last cards I bought were also a few synchros. I haven’t gotten any of the new xyz, pendulum, or link monsters. I really want to get back into collecting them but it’ll cost a fortune.
Note: if a card such as Dimensional Fissure or Macro Cosmos is in effect, they overwrite the built in pendulum monster effect of being sent to the extra deck. This makes them especially vulnerable to graveyard hate. Dimensional Shifter, Kyubi Shenshen, and Masked HERO Dark Law are all capable of doing the same. Pendulum Monsters are sent to the GY as monsters, hence why Dimensional Fissure still works, even when the card was sent to the GY from the pendulum zone.
I hated pendulum summoning when it first came out because it was so confusing to me. After discovering Zarc, it became one of my favorites (sorry not sorry). After perusal this article, even I, someone who knows how this mechanic works very well, was getting lost AGAIN. I forgot just how complicated this can appear to someone new.
I could be using my yu-gi-oh account to comment here,but I guess I won’t. I bought enough cards to buy, and make a pendulum deck which I had the money for at the time. I don’t normally have money for something like that though. Just got it, because I used to have this friend who would duel with me. In fact how I got good at the card game was,because of him. he was a year older than me. His deck had heritic sun dragon overlord of heliopolis. Among other cards. He could get it out really quickly. The deck I had while it could of been a good match for his it just couldn’t get monsters out quickly enough to really do anything really. That was the downfall of that deck. He used to use a melific deck which he still had,and my deck that I had back then could beat that rather easily I suppose. I mean i beaten him with it. Now that I use pendulums I kind of solved the issue I was having not that I have played with him. I mean I haven’t seen him in a few years. The old youtube account he had actually showed some improvements to his deck too though. It would still be a lot better of a match than that old deck was at least. My best card I’d say is red eyes flare metal dragon which can’t be destroyed by card effects with xyz material. What I seen in this article their were a few things that I might of been wrong about though. like pendulum monsters when in extra deck go to extra monster zone, so maybe not as good. I still think it doesn’t make much of a difference,and my deck is way better than the old deck.
Me reaching Arc-V in DL. “Goodness gracious!! What is this history of mankind!!” Me trying to pendulum summon for the first time. “Wha-?! Why?!. Oh great, just ff” Thankfully I found this article… after DL teached me by force the mechanic. Anyway, I appreciate the explanation. It cleared pretty much all doubts I had. And I’m glad I found a pendulum deck that I like for use. BTW, are you planning on doing a article about the SolFachord (or DoReMichord, as I’ve seen it listed in some places) archetype article? Cheers from an unknown country ✌
3:15~3:27 & 9:13~9:18 I commented on this before, but no, scales do not apply to Ranks. The reason you can Pendulum Summon Xyz Monsters is because of their Pendulum Summoning conditions. Xyz Monsters can theoretically have a Pendulum Summoning condition for a completely different Level than its Rank, and an Xyz Monster without a Pendulum Summoning condition cannot be Pendulum Summoned at all, hence why they have said conditions in the first place. Additionally, if, theoretically, Konami decided to create Link Pendulum Monsters, those would also have Pendulum Summoning conditions because they wouldn’t be able to use their Link Rankings for Pendulum Summoning.
Yu-Gi-Oh is getting more complicated every year it passes, i remember back before 16 years ago, we had only Tribute summon and special summon, as well as ritual summon,,,, now all this Link, Xyz synchro pendulum gives me headache.. But IMO, the more complicated a game becomes the more challenging and tricky it gets which adds a lot of fun into it the time you master it
Am I the only one who thinks everything was better when you simply had monsters, monsters with effects, spells and traps? 🙁 now there are synchro, XYZ, tuners, links, pendulum, it is just too much, I just played with my regular deck against someone with links and they summoned liked 6 monsters and their attack when up like x2 and of course murdered my ass, I wish I had a master who teached me haha 😢
How come Pendulum monsters detached as Xyz material go to the grave? They’re still technically going from field to graveyard since if they’re part of an Xyz monster as material they’re technically “on the field”. Or is it because it is material that it’s technically treated as its “on the monster” and therefore not technically “on the field”?
I like pendulum monsters, it was my main deck before mr4, but I want to give an idea that might have been cool/interesting, how would it be if at least some pendulum monsters have different scales in the left and right zones, maybe even give effects depending on which zone you play them in? It could add some additional strategies to pendulum cards…I think it could be an interesting mechanic
So I grew up with the original American version of yugioh and my niece is perusal the original cus she’s 5 and we’ll it’s a cartoon….better than the dumb shit made today because at least it makes you think and develop strategy skills. Anyway the point of looking into this is to familiarize with it again and all I can say is wtf happened. It went from straight regular stuff to fusion to a more strict fusion by star count essentially to now you practically gota do algebra geometry and sell your first kidney…….they realize this was started as a kids show right and the more complex you make it its gona drop off.
3:15~3:27 & 9:13~9:18 Wrong. Xyz Monsters have Pendulum Summoning conditions because Pendulum Summoning only works for levels. You even showed one such condition later when talking about effects that move Extra Deck Pendulum Monsters to the Pendulum Zone. Edit 3/16/2024: Changed time stamps to time ranges.
for an old player perspective returning to this game since synchro era pendulum is the worst ruling hell to learn, link is much more easier to understand. I still think creating something so convoluted as pendulum is the biggest mistake in yugioh so far and they even double down and went ahead creating pendulum-fusion pendulum-xyz and pendulum-snychro
This is so far the hardest summoning method. Is it too hard to understand? I don’t think so, but what can be struggling is that there’s so much of them to be consider. Monsters effects and summoning condition, spell effects, scales and the rules of the mechanic itself. Sure is a LOT more than other methods where they mostly just summoning condition and only Link has special ruling on them like no Defense position. Also in Duel Links they nerfed Pendulum even more, if you’re not using character that has skill to create Pendulum zone separately, you’re stuck with only 1 backrow slot if using Pendulum which is quite crippling. And there’s only 3 slots for monsters, no Extra zone and Link yet so the Pend summon from extra deck is locked to 1.
Can pendulum extra deck monsters be special summoned by their original summoning method again once they’re face up in the extra deck, or can they only be pendulum summoned after they’re summoned the first time? Also what happens if they get hit with an effect that returns a pendulum card to the hand, is it face up or face down?
Thank you. I hate pendulums, and im still not sure if i like them or not, but the mechanics are interesting i will admit. I recently started playing pendulums in master duel to farm for a deck i truly want to play and i thought i could learn the mechanics by just playing and there were some situations i just absolutely did not know why i could not do something i was sure i could do. This article cleared up all of that. Thanks for the article.
I get pendulum for the most part. But I just have one question, if the pendulum monsters aren’t in the extra deck and only in the main deck. Would they still go face up in the extra deck if you already have 15 cards in the extra deck? Just a few questions I had, hopefully someone can answer this for me
Well, you can’t even attempt to target a pendulum scale since it is counted as a spell card…. You might as well also say a pendulum monster in the pendulum zone can’t be equipped with a spell. Also, if a pendulum summon is negated it stops the whole summon—so if you summon 5 monsters none of them are summoned.
If I may, I’ll try and summarize the conditions a pendulum card is sent to the graveyard and possibly add one thing that wasn’t mentioned. Pendulum cards cannot be sent to the graveyard if they were on the field eg: summoned as a monster or activated as a spell. The only way they’re sent to the graveyard is discarding from the hand or straight from the deck/extra deck (they start face down if from extra deck). Reason being they were not on the field at the time of destruction. A tricky thing for me though is returning from banishment. If a pendulum monster is banished, do they return to the graveyard if effects bring them back there, or do they go to the extra deck like normal?
I have a question ..Homie & I disagreed on Pendulum Card “MAGISTER OF ENDYMION” this Cards (Pendulum Effect) says Each Time a Spell Card is Activated place 1 Spell Counter on this Card …when that Spell resolves. In the (Monster Effect) when this Card declares an Attack: You “can” place 1 Spell Counter on it. ( The question is if a Card Mentions anything about Spell Counters, when any Spell is Activated would that Card get a Spell Counter on it?) Or in this case, is this “MAGISTER OF ENDYMION” Monster Effect states when he attacks he gets the 1 Counter, need to know, is that considered the only way you can place a Spell Counter on it? Or as a Monster Card only when he Attacks? Please let me know.
Question, in the hand are they treated as monsters, spells, both? Example 1: Opponent activates Magic Drain on a pendulum monster on the field being activated as a scale to destroy it, to counter you can discard 1 spell to negate Magic Drain…. does the pendulum monster count a spell that can be discarded for this effect? Example 2: You wanna summon a Swap Frog and need to discard a water type monster to special summon it, would that same pendulum monster from example one count as a monster here? Are both legal moves? Neither a legal move?
I love Pendulums. They are my favorite type of monster cards in the modern era. Admittedly, they are very complex to play, what with the massive amounts of text and the special rulings, but I just find them extremely fun and rewarding. Playing them effectively and defeating a strong opponent with them almost feels like cracking a puzzle. It’s a shame they’re in a bad spot in terms of the competitive play right now. Having an inherent three card combo mechanic just puts them at disadvantage against current top decks capable of using one card and two card combos. I really wish Konami would give them more support.
Honestly, I like the Pendulum mechanic, but all of them are combo decks which I don’t play that much, outside of Endymion and I don’t heavily play it that much. It’s cool that they’re expanding on how to use the pendulum cards in archetypes like Nemurelia or the Earth Plunder Ship, but I think a pure midrange/control Pend deck is possible, and I would love to see that happen one day… Big copium
7:45 Thank you for saying this. So many people inherently misunderstand the Pendulum summon and call it a free soul charge. It actively costs a lot of resources and having the wrong ones get negated is basically an instant scoop. There’s a reason why there’s only been one good pendulum archetype since MR4 started.
Metalfoes are my fave deck. It’s really hard being pend player right now when all the modern meta deck has one card combo that can turn the tide of the game. While pend is somewhat still 2-3 card combo and have a really bad follow up. In the future I think creating pendulum deck that’s like ddd and abyss actor is important. You don’t want pendulum is used just because it can provide a lot of bodies in the field.
Pendulum monster in Master rule 3 is the strongest since you can pen summon as many as possible as long your fullfill the requirements. Now master rule 4, it nerf by loosing 2 extra space at backrow and your can only pendulum summon pendulum monster extra deck to link monster point to, where this is does not occur before link monster introduce. Currently we don’t have a very competitive pendulum deck. in OCG currently have a lot a new card support pendulum and some new card do double pendulum summon.
Jesus, no wonder people don’t play with this mechanic. I’ve been playing Abyss Actors in Master Duel for months now, but I never ran into much trouble with negates (probably due to the 1 duel nature of the game) outside of the usual big boss monsters. I always assumed Solemns would only be able to negate 1 of the monsters pendulum summoned to the field. Being able to just shut down the whole summon is a massive weakness, and don’t even get me started on Eradicator Epidemic Virus.
I am THE pendulum player at my locals. A few others know strats using them, but don’t constantly play them like I do. As such, I am a threat to even some meta decks people have used. Everyone was shocked when I placed 2nd in a box tourney we held Needless to say, I near instantly clicked this article because I’m on break
Ooh, that makes it way simple to understand, I used to be scared of those by those double text boxes. Although I have two silly doubt left. Pendulum Summoning (And to an extent, placing both Pendulums) uses up your Normal Summon? Or is everything treated as a special summon? You can place both Pendulum monsters on the field in the same turn to start Pendulum summoning right away?
This give me an idea to expand upon the dual border idea to create: Duality Cards Cards that are any two types of cards depending on the color of their borders. Spell/Trap, Normal/Effect, Fusion/Xyz, etc… Something LIKE… (Insert Monster Name) (INSERT ATTRIBUTE) (Insert Level/Rank) (Insert Monster Picture) ——————————————————————————— I Dragon/Xyz/Duality/Effect I I I I I I I I I —————————————————————————- —————————————————————————- I Dinosaur/Fusion/Duality/Effect I I I I I I I I I ——————————————————————————— ATK/? DEF/?
Ok, let me try something then: Pendulum Pandemonium Field Spell You can add this card to your hand (from your field or GY) if you conduct and resolve a Pendulum Summon. This card cannot be destroyed by card effects while you control a monster in your pendulum zone. If you have 2 pendulum monsters in your pendulum zones, Monsters you control gain 500 ATK/DEF X the difference in their pendulum scales. If a card or effect would be activated or applied in response to your pendulum summon of a monster: You can tribute 2 cards from your hand or field to negate the activation. The following effects are applied depending on the scales of any pendulum monsters in your pendulum zones: 0-4: If a Pendulum Monster from your hand or field would be sent to the GY or banished face-up: it is placed face-up in your extra deck instead. If a pendulum monster from your hand or field is banished facedown: You can add 1 “Pendulum” card from your field, deck or GY to your hand. 5-8: You can normal summon/set monsters with 1 less tribute, and change their battle positions after their summon/set. Once per turn, you can tribute 1 normal summoned/set monster you control: Place 1 pendulum monster from your GY or Extra deck into your pendulum zone. 9+: You can tribute 1 monster from your hand or field: Add 1 Pendulum monster to your hand (from your deck or GY) with a scale that matches that tribute’s level/rank/Link-rating. Pendulum monsters in your pendulum zone are unaffected by the effects of opponents monsters who’s level/rank/link-rating match their pendulum scales.
Another thing to point out is that pendulum cards in the pend zone still count as a monster card . I found out through the interactions between Deviser King Deus Machinex and Pend monsters. Setting your scales is an activation of a card (like activating a continuous spell). Deus Machinex can activate upon setting the scales. I was confused as well 🤷♂️
To not be overwhelmed by the long texts of Pendulums, you can just ignore one part of its text depending on where it is. If it’s on the Pendulum zone, you can ignore its monster effect entirely. If it’s anywhere outside the Pendulum Zone, you can ignore its Pendulum Effect. With this, you can ignore half of the card text of cards like Nirvana High Paladin. There are exceptions to this, particularly if you attempt to remove Pendulum cards from the pendulum zone (by destroying, banishing, etc.) because once they’re destroyed, pendulum cards in the PZ will activate their Monster effects instead.
I raged quitted Yugioh when Pendulums first came out. I first thought this was a broken as hell concept and would ruin the game. Thanks to Duel Links and Master Duel though i came to love Pendulum Summoning. You can then go into XYZ or Synchro Summoning through this method. I cant see myself not use Pendulum as a base method for any style I try. I also loved to use Pendulum Impenetrable for protection and Pendulum Switch for trolling and quick Summoning a beat stick monster, like Odd Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon.
I appreciate that someone would genuinely try to explain a seemingly complex mechanic in as short a time as possible, but man, looking at the title and then looking at the length is a whiplash. perusal it with minimal understanding of the modern game (i think the last time i played it was a game on the GBA) is really hard to follow. I have no problem playing complex games like GMT games or simulationist stuff but I think I’m just missing the thread. I don’t understand how this game onboards new players!
I take this vid opportunity just to remind me of my phobia of pends (the texts!). Yet i ended up playing them because i love their artworks and in MD, i got them from secret packs. I started using Qliphort, and now Abyss Actor, reachjng my highest stage of diamond 4. Pend is great, and every1 should give it a chance
I don’t think it was addressed however.. how does the pendulum mechanic work with monsters that are originally from the extra deck such as xyz, fusion, etc? Are they summoned as normal since they are extra deck monsters? How do you go about using their spell effects if you can’t play them from the hand?
Small correction: At 4:06 and 11:03, you say that Pendulum Monsters are considered Continuous Spells while scaled. While they do act like Continuous Spells, they are not actually considered Continuous Spells. The difference doesn’t come up very often, but it means that you can’t destroy them with Spell Purification or use them to summon Hamon, for example.
0:00 Idea for an pendulum equip spell: Pendulum Blade Equip Spell Can only be equipped to a pendulum monster. If you conduct a pendulum summon: You can equip this card from your hand, Deck or GY to a monster you control. The equipped monster can attack all of your opponents monster’s once each if you conduct a pendulum summon this turn. The equipped monster gains the following effects depending on it’s pendulum scales: 0-3: Cannot be destroyed by trap cards or effects. (Quick Effect) If your opponent would activate a trap card or effect: You can Set 1 normal or continuous Trap from your hand or deck. 4-7: Cannot be destroyed by Spell cards or effects. (Quick Effect) If your opponent would activate a spell card or effect: You can Set 1 normal or continuous spell from your hand or deck. 8+: Cannot be destroyed by battle or monster effects. (Quick Effect) If your opponent would declare an attack or activate a Monster effect: You can normal Set 1 non-effect or flip monster from your hand or deck.
Despite being only 26 years old, apparently I’m a Yugiboomer now because I hated everything about Pendulum cards, Xyz and Synchro weren’t that complicated to understand but holy shit, the Mucho Texto Curse in Pendulums is REAL. Yesterday I found out you can roughly gauge when a YGO card came out by the amount of text in them, it doesn’t work 100% of the time, but it’s still very accurate.
It was really bizarre when I stopped playing after high school around the synchro era and when I came back there were these weird monster zones in the middle and pendulum zones. And all the rules about pendulum monsters and the extra deck were difficult to wrap my head around. I tried to get used to it when pendulum became a thing in Duel Links but it was ultimately the thing that made me lose interest, when so many effects would happen at once and I’d have to use up a lot of time trying to parse what and how things happened in the previous turn.
I don’t play Pendulum cards no more, never play Pendulum cards Except for Guiding Ariadne, never play Pendulum cards Maybe once in a while, a little bit of Qliphort Scout But thats okay, not right now, I don’t run that deck Cause I don’t play Pendulum cards no more, never play Pendulum cards But Skullcrobat Joker, that is not a Pend It’s an incredible searcher that other archetypes wish they had Searching for Odd-Eyes and searching for Performapals Perfect scale of 8, and had to be emergency banned That’s not a Pend, that’s an old school thing That’s not a Pendulum, that like fucking Stratos! You know I don’t play Pendulum cards no more, maybe some Pendulum cards I guess I do play fucking Pendulum caaaaaaards!
People defending pendulums really don’t seem to understand why people don’t like them. It is all just “lol yugiboomer no like extra deck lol” No, it is because they are overly complicated walls of text (especially considering how often the meme that yugioh players don’t read holds true) that have weird mechanics attached. They need several minute long tutorials to understand the basics of the mechanic. Even if you understand the basics it is easy to lose track and get confused because of the strange way they are removed from the field compared to every other card type. They are pretty far removed from the majority of yugioh card design, even considering the mechanic that came after them. I will admit my bias made me quit the game when pendulums were released, but I have been following the game again for years and generally understand how pendulums work. They just aren’t fun to some people and attempting to cope by saying the only people who disagree are yugiboomers that hate basically anything newer than GX does nothing to gain support, or even just acceptance, from the wider player base.
Idea for a normal summon support pendulum monster: Inversion Summoner (DARK) Level 1 Pendulum Scales: 13⬅️➡️0 Cannot be destroyed/negated by card effects while you control a normal summoned/set monster. During turns you control this face-up card: You can normal summon/set monsters without limit, but can only special summon once. Once per turn, you can tribute 1 monster from your hand/field: Apply 1 of the following effects based off it’s ATK/DEF (your choice) until your next draw phase: Less then 2500: You can normal summon/set monster with 1 less tribute. Each time you normal summon/set a monster; You can shuffle 1 monster you own that is banished or from the field/GY into the deck. 2500 or more: Each time you normal summon/set a monster; You can either set 1 spell/trap card directly from your hand/deck OR You can add 1 monster that cannot be Normal Summoned and/or set to your hand from your field/deck/GY. Spellcaster/Tuner/Pendulum/Effect Cannot be destroyed/negated by card effects while you control a normal summoned/set monster. During turns you control this face-up card: You can normal summon/set monsters without limit, but can only special summon once. Once per turn, you can tribute 1 monster from your hand/field: Apply 1 of the following effects based off it’s ATK/DEF (your choice) until your next draw phase: Less then 2500: Each time you normal summon/set a monster; You can place 1 Pendulum Monster from your hand/field/GY into your pendulum zones, OR You can add 1 spell/trap you own to your hand that is banished or from the field/GY.
….this game is really, really dumb isn’t it. Most games would be comfortably explained in a article this long. One summoning mechanic (out of 10+ now?) Taking this long to explain properly, and having so many intricacies and logical contradictions is just really bad design. And I think it’s time people really started seeing this. Because it’s affecting the longevity of the game hard at this point.