Yugioh: what are Link monsters?

[JeenLeen]

I stopped playing Yugioh about 7 years ago or so, slightly after syncro became popular, but out of nostalgia I started watching some Youtube commentaries on the game, and I've learned Link monsters are now a thing.

From a couple things I watched and some rules I read, I think I get that they are monsters you special summon from your extra deck, and they can only be in attack mode.
But how do you summon them, what does the Link number mean, and how do the 'arrows letting them link to things on the field' work?

Anyway, I was hoping someone here might explain it better than the wiki to someone who has never seen them before. (I also got out before the new XYZ types became popular.)

[Otomodachi]

Link Monster? You mean like this guy?

https://i.imgur.com/oVrvjyw.jpg

Here's some actual help. (http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Link_Monster)

[Blackhawk748]

Here's Cimoooo's video on how it all works. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBrXaX-qp4)

Basically they were made to slow down Extra Deck SPam.

[Blackhawk748]

Just for record, a lot of older decks don't care because they can't summon more than 1 monster from the Extra Deck to the field at a time anyways :)))

I don't really get how you think Pend Summoning up to 5 from hand is supposed to be good, but sure w/e

Nobody mentioned Pendulum Summoning from the hand? And plenty of old decks could dump out multiple extra deck monsters: Invoked, Junk, various Rank 4 decks, Gem Knights, etc.

Frankly Invoked was one of the higher abusers and as much as I like it, it did need to get slowed down.

[Seerow]

Nobody mentioned Pendulum Summoning from the hand? And plenty of old decks could dump out multiple extra deck monsters: Invoked, Junk, various Rank 4 decks, Gem Knights, etc.

Frankly Invoked was one of the higher abusers and as much as I like it, it did need to get slowed down.

Y'all make me feel old. You list older decks then a bunch of mechanics I never heard of.

Around the time I stopped playing yata had just gotten banned, and chaos emperor dragon otks were making waves. I've tried picking the game back up a few times but I just don't recognize it at all.

[JeenLeen]

Nobody mentioned Pendulum Summoning from the hand? And plenty of old decks could dump out multiple extra deck monsters: Invoked, Junk, various Rank 4 decks, Gem Knights, etc.

Frankly Invoked was one of the higher abusers and as much as I like it, it did need to get slowed down.

I quit around when Synchros were really strong (and still newish), and I think I often saw 2-3 Syncho monsters show up in a turn.


Y'all make me feel old. You list older decks then a bunch of mechanics I never heard of.

Around the time I stopped playing yata had just gotten banned, and chaos emperor dragon otks were making waves. I've tried picking the game back up a few times but I just don't recognize it at all.

Part of why I quit (besides time and money) was how fast the game had gotten. I started around when you stopped, it sounds like, and my favorite deck was Warrior Toolbox with a dash of Envoy of the Beginning chaos.

I don't think I could like how fast-paced it is. Plus, from watching videos on Youtube, it sounds like a lot of rules changes (some cards errata'd, playing field changed, and maybe stuff like starting life points and the priority rule.)

[Blackhawk748]

Part of why I quit (besides time and money) was how fast the game had gotten. I started around when you stopped, it sounds like, and my favorite deck was Warrior Toolbox with a dash of Envoy of the Beginning chaos.

I don't think I could like how fast-paced it is. Plus, from watching videos on Youtube, it sounds like a lot of rules changes (some cards errata'd, playing field changed, and maybe stuff like starting life points and the priority rule.)

It is faster, but that's because people's first turns are no longer set a monster and a backrow or two and pass. I mean, my Gun Dragon deck does that, but I have BM4 Blast Spider in there, so I can.

Honestly if you tone the deck down a bit from the competitive level it's not insanely fast and the games go on for awhile. Personally I would recommend buying 2 of the new Zombie Structure decks and putting them together to make a new 40 card deck. Probably grab a third Zombie World, Mezuki and Gozuki from somewhere and just play with that. I thoroughly enjoy that deck.