Xyz Monsters (pronounced ehk-zees) are a type of Monster that reside in the Extra Deck. As such, they cannot be Normal Summoned, and need to be Special Summoned via Xyz Summoning. They were introduced into the game in 2011, and mark the first time Extra Deck Monsters can be summoned without the use of a special card. In this guide, we'll take a look at what they are, how to play them, and special rulings that only apply to them.

Table of Contents

    Table of Contents

    What Are Xyz Monsters

    Xyz Monsters are a type of Extra Deck Monsters, meaning that, when building your deck, you add them to the Extra Deck instead of the Main one. Furthermore, any sort of effect that would return them to your hand or shuffle them into your Main Deck would send them back into the Extra Deck instead.

    Xyz Monsters have a set of characteristics that set them apart from the other types of Monsters. Their card border is black, with a pattern resembling moving trough outer space at high speed, with stars zooming by. The stars that denote the Level on Monster cards have been moved to the right, and are now black as well.

    Xyz Monsters don't have a Level. Instead, the stars now denote something called Rank. Most Xyz Monsters will also reference the act of detaching materials, which we will cover more in depth down below.

    Number 39: Utopia Card Image
    A typical Xyz Monster.

    Xyz Summoning

    Summoning an Xyz Monster is relatively easy. First, you'll need a number of face-up non-token Monsters (known as materials) on the field who each have a Level equal to the Rank of the Xyz Monster you're trying to summon. How many and what kind is written on the first line on the Xyz's Monster's Effect. A lot of Xyz Monsters, like Number 39: Utopia, require Monsters of any kind, while some are more specific, like Evolzar Laggia, which requires Dinosaur monsters. The materials needed are listed on the first line of the card, so pay attention to that when performing the summon.

    Highlighted are the Monster's Rank and the required materials.

    Once you have the necessary materials on the field, you can summon the Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck. An Xyz Summon is a built-in Special Summon, so you do not start a Chain. 

    Once the Monster is summoned, the materials used are NOT sent to the graveyard. Instead, they are placed under the Xyz Monster, and are no longer treated as Monster Cards on the field. In this state, they are attached to the Xyz Monster. The majority of Xyz Monsters have effects that activate when you detach the material. This means that the material is removed from the Xyz Monster and sent to the Graveyard.

    Other Ways to Xyz Summon

    While the procedure mentioned above is the standard way to summon an Xyz Monster, there are cards that allow to do it through other ways, or that have different conditions on the materials necessary. Number 93: Utopia Kaiser, for example, requires 2 or more Xyz Monsters of the same Rank (they don't have to be the same rank as Kaiser) with materials. In this case, when Kaiser is summoned, the materials on the Xyz monsters used to summon it are instantly detached.

    Some cards can also be brought out using an existing Xyz Monster you control as the sole material, at which point the materials of the latter are transferred to the new Monster (though this is not a general rule). Most of the Zoodiac Xyz Monsters, such as Zoodiac Boarbow and Zoodiac Drident, can be summoned this way, by using another Zoodiac as a material.

    Finally, there's the Rank-Up-Magic cards, such as Rank-Up-Magic Argent Chaos Force or Rank-Up-Magic - The Seventh One. These cards allow you to use an Xyz monster you control as material for another one in your Extra Deck that's 1 Rank higher. There's a good number of these spells, and they all vary slightly from each-other, so if you want to use them, see which one fits your deck the best.

    Xyz Card Staples

    In this section we'll go over the support cards the Xyz mechanic as a whole has received. First off: Easy to Summon Level pairs. Then, one part dedicated to the most used Xyz Monster, Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder, and lastly a selection of useful Xyz Monsters, ordered by Rank. Depending on the goal of the Deck, a single Level difference can be a deciding factor. The cards within the following topics are ordered by Level/Rank, from highest to lowest.

    Level Pairs

    Astral Kuriboh Card Image Tour Guide From the Underworld Card Image

    Due to the less restrictive nature of Xyz Summoning compared to prior mechanics, it's tough to point at any given Rank and name 1 card that can make an Xyz Summon happen. That's especially the case for Level 5 or higher Monsters. Summoning Monsters of the same Level is easier to accomplish for archetypes themselves, so there wasn't much need to support the mechanic outside of them.

    The number next to them shows their Levels:

    • Astral Kuriboh - [1-12] Starting off with an exception, this one is a placeholder for any Level necessary, but can only be used for Xyz Monsters with the word "Number" in their name. Also protects the Summoned Xyz from destruction.
    • Rescue Rabbit - [1-4] Can only Summon 2 Normal Monsters from the Deck, by tributing itself as cost. More often than not, 4 will be the Level of choice.
    • Summoner Monk - [4] It, well, Summons. Any Level 4 from Deck, for the steep cost of discarding a Spell.
    • Tour Guide From the Underworld - [3] Has the ability to Summon another copy of itself, or any other Fiend, on Normal Summon.
    • Speedroid Terrortop - [3] Deserves a mention as well, for not using up the Normal Summon. Searches Speedroid Taketomborg, which Summons itself.
    • Dark Beckoning Beast - [2] Disregarding the actual purpose of this card, it can search Opening of the Spirit Gates, that can then be used to add another Beckoning Beast to Normal Summon for the second time.
    • Kinka-byo - [1] Doesn't actually get there on its own, but revives another Level 1 from the GY, which is as close as it gets.

    The Divine Arsenal

    Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS - Sky Thunder Card Image Downerd Magician Card Image

    If there's any other Xyz Monster in your Extra Deck, chances are it's accompanied by this giant robot. The ability alone to wipe the entire field clean can be game deciding. Add on to that the fact that it's a quick effect and not once per turn, or even once per chain, and ZEUS is suddenly a Monster with cards only dedicated to enabling the Summon and stacking up more materials.

    When a regular Xyz Monster with 2 Materials is used for ZEUS, it ends up with 3 in total. However, since the effect works in multiples of 2, a fourth material can be as important as the first 2. Another thing to note is that for ZEUS to be summoned ontop of an Xyz Monster, which Xyz has battled doesn't matter. You can attack the Xyz Monster of the opponent, or attack directly with your own Xyz and it would still count.

    Xyz Ranking

    Concerning the variety for Xyz Monsters, it's clear that Konami has a favorite in the form of Rank 4's, sometimes referred to as "R4nk Toolbox". From removal, to OTK potential, and even negates or floodgates, they have it all. An exhaustive list could be made about them alone.

    Instead, we'll go over the most notable generic ones of each Rank, starting with 10, since 11 and 12 are currently reserved for alternative Summons of Xyz (Rank-Up, etc.). There's not much to add to Rank 1s either, as they were already mentioned in the ZEUS section above. 

    The number next to them shows their Ranks:

    Number F0: Utopic Draco Future Card Image Number 39: Utopia Double Card Image Toadally Awesome Card Image

    Learn More About Yu-Gi-Oh

    Beginner Guides - Card Anatomy 101 |  Summoning Xyz Monsters 

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