Everything you need to know about Pendulum Monsters

[Atypical-Abbie]

Previously on DNF, I thought it would only be fair to bring this over here as well. It's the same as on that site, so here it is:

 

Today, I'm going to teach you how Pendulum Monsters work. I'm going to go over all of what has currently been revealed in how they work, both mechanically and Ruling-wise.

 

If you have anything that you believe is either missing, or that you are confused about, let me know.

 

To learn about other aspects of the game, I recommend that you check out my Unofficial Yu-Gi-Oh! Rulebook. It goes over both the basics, as well as more advanced, but still important, rules:

 

http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/322818-the-unofficial-yu-gi-oh-trading-card-game-rulebook/

 

Overview:

 

Pendulum Monsters are a unique kind of monster and aid you in Special Summoning higher Level monsters from your hand or face-up Pendulum Monsters in your Extra Deck.

 

 

The card above is Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser.

 

 Pendulum Effect:

 

"If you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card from your Pendulum Zone. You can only use this effect of "Abyss Actor - Curtain Raiser" once per Duel."

 

Monster Effect:

 

" Gains 1100 ATK if you control no other monsters. Once per turn: You can send 1 "Abyss Script" Spell from your Deck to the GY; add 1 face-up "Abyss Actor" Pendulum Monster from your Extra Deck to your hand."

 

The first thing you'll probably notice is that it has two colors, brown-orange and green, which indicates two things. First, that it's an Effect Monster, meaning that it goes into the Main Deck, second that it's a Spell. This might be confusing at first, but later you'll know when they are a monster and when they're a Spell.

 

Second thing you'll notice is probably the two crystals with numbers below them. These are called Pendulum Scales. These are used to determine the Level of the monsters you can Pendulum Summon. More later.

 

Next, you'll probably see that instead of the one effect box, you now have two instead. The smaller one is the Pendulum Effect, and the bigger one is the monster effect.

 

There also exists Pendulum Monsters which are Normal Monsters instead of Effect Monsters, such as Dragon Horn Hunter. They may or may not have a Pendulum Effect, but as long as they're not in the Pendulum Zone, they're still Normal Monsters, meaning that any card that can affect a Normal Monster can also affect them.

 

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The Mechanics:

 

So, now you know the new things on these cards, but how do you use them? As I already said, they aren't like your normal monsters as they're also a Spell, but only at a very specific time, that being when they are placed in your Pendulum Zones. Below is an image showing the Pendulum Zones.

 

Pendulum Zones were previously their own zone, but are now part of the Spell & Trap Zone, and are placed in the leftmost and rightmost Spell & Trap Zone. Do note that this is only a Pendulum Zone as long as there are Pendulum Monsters in them, you can still activate and Set other kind of Spell/Traps in them, even if you have a Pendulum Monster in the other Pendulum Zone.

 

You activate Pendulum Monsters in these Pendulum Zones like you would a Normal Spell, and this is treated as activating a Spell. In here, they are treated as Spells and instead of the monster effect, they only have their Pendulum Effect. If they're outside of the Pendulum Zone, they only have their monster effect.

 

You can only have 1 Pendulum Monster in each Pendulum Zone, and you cannot activate a new Pendulum Monster if you already have one in there, as well as other kinds of Spell/Traps.

 

While you have a Pendulum Monster in both Pendulum Zones you can then perform what is called a Pendulum Summon during your Main Phase 1 or 2. This can be done once per turn (including if you place new Pendulum Monsters in there), and Summons as many monsters you want as possible from your hand, or face-up Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck (more about that later).

 

You do this by finding the difference between the two Pendulum Scales (the numbers below the crystals). For example, you have a Pendulum Scale of 1 and one of 8, then you can Pendulum Summon as many Level 2-7 monsters from your hand or face-up Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck as possibly, all at the same time. For a visual representation, view the image below.

 

 

This is a Special Summon that does not start a Chain, just like Synchro and Xyz Monsters, but instead of just one monster, you can Summon a bunch at once, but only if the monsters you're attempting to Summon are not Special Summon only monsters.

 

Now, as I said, Pendulum Monsters can also Pendulum Summon Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck, but you might have noticed that I said that they're a Main Deck card. "How do they get to the Extra Deck"? you might ask. Well, this is quite simple, as Pendulum Monsters that are on the field (including face-down or in the Pendulum Zones) go to the Extra Deck if they are sent from the field to the Graveyard. So, if Mystical Space Typhoon destroys a Pendulum Monster in a Pendulum Zone or Dark Hole takes care of them while they're a monster, then you simply place them face-up in the Extra Deck, but if they're sent from the hand or Deck to the Graveyard, they aren't placed in the Extra Deck.

 

Wait, face-up? Yes, that wasn't a typo, unlike other monsters in the Extra Deck, you place these face-up, and unlike others, these are public knowledge, so both players get to view them at any time they want. Also, these are allowed to exceed the normal 15 card limit in the Extra Deck. After the duel is done, they go to the Main Deck again.

 

So, as with Pendulum Summoning monsters from your hand, you can also Pendulum Summon Pendulum Monsters from your Extra Deck that are face-up in there. You can do both or only do it from the hand if you choose.

 

When you Pendulum Summon monsters in the Extra Deck, they go to the Extra Monster Zone instead of the Main Monster Zone, however using Link Monsters that point to the Main Monster Zones, you can Pendulum Summon to any of those as well (see 21: Link Monsters for more information about this).

 

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Pendulum Normal Monsters:

 

 

Pendulum Effect:

 

All Normal Monsters gain 200 ATK. You take no battle damage from battles involving Normal Monsters you control.

 

Flavor Text:

 

The horns were needed to prepare a medicine for her village, suffering from a plague. Unknown to her, the dragons burned and trampled her village, once displaced from their den.

 

There also exists Pendulum Monsters which are Normal Monsters instead of Effect Monsters. They may or may not have a Pendulum Effect, but as long as they're not in the Pendulum Zone, they're still Normal Monsters, meaning that any card that can affect a Normal Monster, or a non-Effect Monster, can also affect them.

 

Note that they still act the same as Pendulum Monsters, so you still can't send them from the field to the Graveyard as a cost, even if the card says "Send 1 Normal Monster you control to the Graveyard; "some effect here"".

 

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Xyz Pendulum Monsters:

 

 

The card above is Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon.

 

Pendulum Effect:

 

Once per turn, if you have no cards in your other Pendulum Zone: You can place 1 Pendulum Monster from your Deck in your Pendulum Zone.

 

Monster Effect:

 

 2 Level 7 Dragon-Type monsters

If you can Pendulum Summon Level 7, you can Pendulum Summon this face-up card in your Extra Deck. If this card is Xyz Summoned by using an Xyz Monster as a Material: Destroy as many Level 7 or lower monsters your opponent controls as possible, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent for each card destroyed, and if you do, this card can make 3 attacks during each Battle Phase this turn. If this card in the Monster Zone is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can destroy as many cards in your Pendulum Zones as possible (min. 1), and if you do, place this card in your Pendulum Zone.

 

Xyz Pendulum Monsters are the newest kind of Pendulum Monsters we have! Rather than being a Main Deck monster, these go face-down in your Extra Deck at the start of your duel, and you then first have to Xyz Summon them to get them out, then like other Pendulum Monsters, if they destroyed or sent to the Graveyard, they go face-up in the Extra Deck. From here, you can Pendulum Summon them if you have Scales that matches their Rank.

 

Note that Xyz Pendulum Monsters do not have Levels, so they will say in their text that you need the Scales that you would normally require for Summoning a monster with the corresponding Level.

 

You cannot Xyz Summon them again after being placed face-up in the Extra Deck, and if they were not first Xyz Summoned, you cannot Pendulum Summon them either.

 

They cannot be activated in your Pendulum Zones like you would with Main Deck Pendulum Monsters, rather they will have effects that specify how they are placed there.

 

Synchro and Fusion Pendulum Monsters have now also been released, but they work very much in the same way, requiring to be Synchro and Fusion Summoned first before being able to Pendulum Summon them (and some don't even allow you to Pendulum Summon them), so there is not much else you need to know about them, a Synchro Pendulum would be Nirvana High Paladin, a Fusion Pendulum would be Supreme King Z-ARC.

 

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Additional Rules and Specific Rulings:

 

So, now you know how to perform a Pendulum Summon, but when in dueling, you'll probably need some other specific rules regarding them, so here are other things you need to know:

 

• Pendulum Summoning does not stop because you destroy a Pendulum Monster when you perform a Pendulum Summon. This is because, as said before, these are do not start a Chain, so at the time you destroy the card, the monsters are already on the field.
• Some cards that negate Summons currently don't have their text updated to reflect how they interact with Pendulum Summons. What I mean by this is that cards like Thunder King Rai-oh have been updated to say something like "when exactly 1 monster would be Summoned" instead, so it's clear that they only work if 1 monster would be Summoned. This was not needed before, as those kinds of cards could never negate more than 1 Summon at a time, since they negate Summons that don't start a Chain, and the only way to Summon multiple monsters without starting a Chain is by Pendulum Summoning.
• If your opponent has Pendulum Monsters in their Pendulum Zones, this only allows them to perform Pendulum Summons. You need your own Pendulum Monsters in your Pendulum Zone to perform Pendulum Summons.
• If you negate a Pendulum Summon of a Pendulum Monster, it will not go to the Extra Deck. This is because the monster is never considered to have been on the field, so it isn't sent from the field to the Graveyard, thereby automatically putting it in the Extra Deck.
• If you negate the activation of a Pendulum Monster in the Pendulum Zone, it will go to the Graveyard, as it is not currently on the field.
• If you are not allowed to activate Spells, because of an effect like Number 16: Shock Master, then you cannot activate Pendulum Monsters, because they are treated as being activated as a Spell.
• Pendulum Monsters cannot be Set face-down in the Pendulum Zones. You must activate them from the hand face-up.
• You cannot replace Pendulum Monsters in the Pendulum Zones with other Pendulum Monsters. They must be removed by other ways, such as being destroyed or returned to the hand.
• If a card such as Macro Cosmos is up, and a Pendulum Monster would be sent to the Graveyard, it will be banished, and not returned to the Extra Deck. Side note, do remember that Dimensional Fissure only banishes monsters, which means that if they're destroyed in the Pendulum Zone, they WILL go to the Extra Deck, since they're being treated as being sent as Spells.
• It is not possible to send a Pendulum Monster to the Graveyard to Special Summon Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, therefore, you cannot use a Qliphort Pendulum Monster (which are all Machine-Type) on the field and Cyber Dragon to Special Summon it.
• If a Pendulum Monster activates a Pendulum Effect, then if Mystical Space Typhoon is Chained, then the Pendulum Effect resolves without effect. This works similarly to how Continuous Spell/Traps work in that you are required to have the card on the field. Do remember that this is not the same for monster effects, unless they say "This card must be face-up to activate and to resolve this effect", like other monsters.
• If a Pendulum Monster is equipped to a monster and is placed in the Pendulum Zone, it is not a Pendulum Monster, only a an Equip Card and does not any any effects and does not allow you to Pendulum Summon. Only if they were placed there as a Pendulum Monster does it become an active Pendulum Zone.
• You might want to know more about Xyz Pendulum Monsters? Well, for now, everything you need to know can be found by clicking here.

Edited December 3, 2018 by Zaziuma

[Atypical-Abbie]

Was just notified on the DNF version that I made a typo by saying that if a Pendulum Monster's Summon was negated, it will go to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard, when it should be the other way around. Here's the correct version:

 

"If you negate a Pendulum Monster's Summon (Normal Summon or Pendulum), it will not go to the Extra Deck. This is because the monster is never considered to have been on the field, so it won't go to the Extra Deck as normal, but the Graveyard instead."

[eternalInfinity]

how do xyz pendulums work?

[Flash Flyer - Sakura]

Considering the Arc-V anime revealed them only yesterday (or Sunday for most people at this time), we don't have a clear picture of them.

Presumably, you cannot re-Pendulum Summon if they return to the Extra Deck, assuming we follow the above mechanics for Main Deck things.

 

But for the purposes of Custom Cards, since a few people have jumped the gun on that matter, we'll assume that Ranks are included as Levels, and assuming you have indeed Xyz Summoned them properly AND they were sent back to the Extra Deck, you can Pendulum Summon from the Extra if the Rank falls within the scales.

 

 

That being said, this ruling is subject to change with new information regarding the mechanic as it becomes available.

[Atypical-Abbie]

how do xyz pendulums work?

Sakura Haruno pretty much said it, I just want to add that I won't put anything in the OP before the cards come to the real game with rules regarding how they work. That's how it will be done if/when they do Synchro, Fusions etc.

[Neutrality Man]

You left out a detail: The non-Effect Pendulums count as Normal Monsters. i.e.

 

 

 

The current OP suggests through implication that all Pendulum Monsters are Effect Monsters, when entire Decks have been built around the fact there are Normal Monsters among them.

[Atypical-Abbie]

You left out a detail: The non-Effect Pendulums count as Normal Monsters. i.e.

 

 

 

The current OP suggests through implication that all Pendulum Monsters are Effect Monsters, when entire Decks have been built around the fact there are Normal Monsters among them.

True, I should add something about Normal Monsters as well.

[Slinky]

I also fully disagree with Sakura on them being able to be pendulum summoned. Xyzs don't have levels, therefore, they can't be pendulum summoned, even if they are a pendulum monster.

[Atypical-Abbie]

I also fully disagree with Sakura on them being able to be pendulum summoned. Xyzs don't have levels, therefore, they can't be pendulum summoned, even if they are a pendulum monster.

Let's try not to discuss this here, there isn't any point, this is a thread dedicated to the real aspects of Pendulum Monsters, not the anime ones. We don't even know if it's going to be released IRL, Dark Synchros were neve released either.

[Slinky]

Let's try not to discuss this here, there isn't any point, this is a thread dedicated to the real aspects of Pendulum Monsters, not the anime ones. We don't even know if it's going to be released IRL, Dark Synchros were neve released either.

 

Yeah, but those weren't used BY THE MAIN CHARACTER. So, it most certainly will be released.

 

Also counter-point. They released Accel- Synchro, Double Tuning, Rank-up, and Rank-down. Dark synchroes were the exception, not the rule.

[Atypical-Abbie]

Yeah, but those weren't used BY THE MAIN CHARACTER. So, it most certainly will be released.

 

Also counter-point. They released Accel- Synchro, Double Tuning, Rank-up, and Rank-down. Dark synchroes were the exception, not the rule.

True, but they were still an important point of the series.

 

Those aren't really a whole new card type though, a bit different I would say.

[Atypical-Abbie]

I think it's about time I added something about Xyz Pendulum Monsters, so that is what I did. Check out the OP for more information.

[Atypical-Abbie]

I decided to add a section about Pendulum Normal Monsters, and updated a few other things as well, such as Black Horn of Heaven now having a reprint.

[Atypical-Abbie]

This thread has now been updated with everything in regards to the new field changes, like the Extra Monster Zone and the change position of the Pendulum Zones.

[yankana]

It's good to note that, just as Pendulum Summons, when the activation of a Pendulum Monster as a Spell in the Pendulum Zone is negated, it's not sent to the Extra Deck, since it's not considered to have been on the field and thus not following the rule "Pendulum Monsters sent from the field to the Graveyard are sent to the Extra Deck instead".

[Archtoddler]

I can't help but feel these things are extremely broken. I mean, get two dudes as spells and now I can summon my entire hand with no chance of the opponent disrupting it? What is this?

[Atypical-Abbie]

It's good to note that, just as Pendulum Summons, when the activation of a Pendulum Monster as a Spell in the Pendulum Zone is negated, it's not sent to the Extra Deck, since it's not considered to have been on the field and thus not following the rule "Pendulum Monsters sent from the field to the Graveyard are sent to the Extra Deck instead".

Yes, I don't know how I forgot to include that, added to the notes.

I can't help but feel these things are extremely broken. I mean, get two dudes as spells and now I can summon my entire hand with no chance of the opponent disrupting it? What is this?

It is possible to disrupt it, either by destroying the cards in the Pendulum Zone before they get the chance to perform the Pendulum Zone, or negating the Summon with a card like Solemn Warning.

[Archtoddler]

Yes, I don't know how I forgot to include that, added to the notes.

It is possible to disrupt it, either by destroying the cards in the Pendulum Zone before they get the chance to perform the Pendulum Zone, or negating the Summon with a card like Solemn Warning.

But didn't you say they dont' start a chain?

[Dokutah]

But didn't you say they dont' start a chain?

action that didnt start a chain =/= cannot be responded by card effect

 

Zaziuma probably will explain this better, but you can respond tribute summon with say solemn judgement without creating chain but if your opponent activate 7 tools of bandit in respond to said solemn now thats the start of the chain with solemn as Chain link 1 and tool at 2

 

Adding to your concern though technically pendulums are not as broken as you imagine. Its the supports that making the mechanic broken. Strip all of that down, whats left is a hard -2 investment that require even more pendulums to actually worth it

[Atypical-Abbie]

But didn't you say they dont' start a chain?

Pendulum Summoning does not start a Chain, that is correct, it is like a Normal/Tribute Summon or a Synchro, Xyz or Link Summon, which do not start a Chain, but can be responded to be certain effects, as these actions cause the game state say "the player is performing a Summon, do you wish to negate this Summon with a card?" Each player has the chance to perform an action when the other player does something. There's an official article that explains more on that below:

 

http://yugioh-card.com/en/gameplay/fasteffects_timing.html

[Archtoddler]

Oh I see! Guess I still don't fully grasp the whole timing deal as well as I thought...

 

@Dr. Jolly Glot the III That said, I still think it's quite broken. it's not quite a -2 investment, because you get pendulum effects, and even with a bit of a loss of card advantage, the sheer amount of tempo gained from summoning a whole bunch of monsters...

[Dokutah]

Oh I see! Guess I still don't fully grasp the whole timing deal as well as I thought...

 

@Dr. Jolly Glot the III That said, I still think it's quite broken. it's not quite a -2 investment, because you get pendulum effects, and even with a bit of a loss of card advantage, the sheer amount of tempo gained from summoning a whole bunch of monsters...

i mean if you not summon the fellow pendulum the initial tempo fizzle rather quickly especially with our pool of generic removal and MR4. Also konami kinda do a good job to make most pendulum effect to be not bonkers so the -2 disadvantage still stand (well you also lose 2 slot for stronger spell/trap by MR4) that being said i understand your dislike towards it though