How to Make Your Own Yu-Gi-Oh Card

Fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game have a number of options if they don't have copies of a particular card they want to play. The Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Maker, an online website, can help you make your own Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, whether they be rare cards which you can't find or afford, or versions of your own cards with your own special rules. The process is extremely quick and you can print them up using any household printer. You will need a few existing Yu-Gi-Oh! cards to serve as backs, along with plastic sleeves to hold them.

Things You'll Need

• Flexible plastic card sleeves
• Common-type Yu-Gi-Oh! cards
• Scissors
• Printer

Instructions

1. Register on the Yu-Gi-Oh Card Maker website (see Resources) and then login. The program there allows for quick generation of Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.

2. Type in the name of the card you wish to print out. If you want a copy of an existing card, make sure the name is completely accurate. (It affects certain rules in the card game itself.) If you are making your own card, you can give it whatever name you like.

3. Identify the type of card, its attribute, its proper level, its rarity, and its type if it is a trap card or a magic card. Again, if you are copying an existing card, you need to be 100 percent accurate. If you are creating your own, make sure these statistics are balanced before playing with the card.

4. Type in the set ID, circulation, year of publication and serial number in the boxes on the card maker. These numbers are not hugely important if you are creating your own card: they won't affect game play in any way.

5. Upload an image that you wish to use for the card art. Images of complete cards can be found on a number of sites, the most prominent being Meta Game (see Resources below). Download the image of the whole card, then crop it using Image Preview of Adobe Photoshop so that it only contains the card art itself. Upload the results onto a URL and paste it into the art box. If you are creating your own card, you can upload any art you like--a still from the TV show, an image drawn by hand or a piece of promotional art available online. The card art has no impact on game play. Leave it blank if you prefer.

6. Type in the rules text and the ATK/DEF numbers for the card: accurate to the letter if you are printing an existing card and containing your own rules if you are creating one.

7. Add your name in the "Creator" section if you are creating your own card.

8. Hit the "Generate" button to create the card and then the "Save" button to save it. Download the card to your hard drive either by clicking on the saved file, or simply dragging the image of the completed card onto your desktop. The image should appear on the screen when you are done creating it.

9. Print the card out on a color printer, using Adobe PhotoShop, Print Preview or whichever image viewing software your computer contains. Most computers come with at least a basic image viewing program as part of their standard packages.

10. Cut the printed image to size using a pair of scissors.

11. Slide an existing Yu-Gi-Oh! card (preferably a common-type card that you have no other use for) into a flexible plastic sleeve. Then slide the printed card on top of it so that the rules and the image are facing outwards.

12. Place all the other cards on your Yu-Gi-Oh! deck in identical plastic sleeves. Otherwise, you will be able to tell which card is your printout, which is a violation of the rules.

Tips & Warnings

• This method can also be used for cards you already possess, but which you want to keep in good condition. They let you practice and run casual sessions without subjecting valuable cards to wear and tear. The Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Maker has a forum where fellow enthusiasts gather to swap card ideas and discuss the process. Make use of those resources whenever you can and solicit their advice when creating your own Yu-Gi-Oh! card.

• Cards generated in this manner--even copies of cards which already exist--are not legal in any sanctioned Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament. You need to have the actual cards themselves to play. Similarly, cards used in unofficial store tournaments, and even among friends, must be cleared by the tournament organizer if they are to be used. Self-created cards are never allowed in any kind of tournament regardless and should only be used for casual play with your friends. You should always inform them that you are using a new card before you start to play and give them a chance to veto it if they don't like it.

Resources

• Yu-Gi-Oh! Card Maker, which allows you to make your own cards.
• Metagame.com, the web's best search engine for Yu-Gi-Oh! card text and images.