PSCT Guide

[WhiteThunder777]

PSCT in 5 year old speak, is the way Yugioh cards are written, which also goes true for custom cards.  If your cards are not readable, chances are, people will be less likely to duel you.  

The basic format is Condition; Cost; Effect.  Sometimes effects can be continuous, in which case no comma or semi-colon is required.

Condition is the thing you have to meet in order to do something.  For example, "If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: Gain 500 LP." Meaning that if the monster is successfully Summoned, you gain 500 LP.

Cost is the requirement you have to pay in order to do something.  Anything before the ; is a cost.  Costs must be kept reasonable for a card to be balanced.  

The Effect is the part that resolves once the conditions and costs have been met.  

Now here's another case.  Keep in mind that A and B are two distinct parts of the same effect. 

• A, then B - in order to resolve B, A must happen first, and then B. If B cannot happen, you still do A.  
• A, and if you do, B - both happen at the same time.  If A does not happen, stop.  
• A and B - both are required.  If you cannot do both, do nothing.
• A also B - neither is required for the other. Do as much as you can!! 

Sometimes PSCT goes hand-in-hand with card rulings.

Examples of PSCT with card rulings

Example 

Say if you have a Field Spell that says "If your <archetype> monster(s) would be destroyed by a card effect, you can remove  2 Counters from this card instead".  You activate the effect of your <archetype> monster and your opponent angrily wants to Solemn Strike the monster's effect.  Since the Solemn Strike is destroying by effect, if you have less than 2 Counters on your field spell, your monster is automatically destroyed, but if you have 2 or more Counters, you can declare to your opponent "By removing 2 Counters on my field, I can prevent the destruction" but in the end the monster's effects are negated with the field spell having 2 less Counters on it than usual.  But if your opponent strikes the <archetype> monster on summon, the monster is destroyed because negating a summon and negating an effect are two different things. 

I hope you find this PSCT guide useful in order to make your custom cards, or archetypes readable.  

If you want to provide feedback for my PSCT guide, write so in the comments below!!