Hello everyone -
For quite some time, many players have wanted to know if there were rules for team dueling. Until today, there weren't any, and players had to take it upon themselves to create their own rules. Undoubtedly, many sets of rules were often different. Therefore, we have decided to release a set of rules that we encourage that everyone can and should use when dueling in 2 vs 2 matches. "The Team Dueling Rules" are now available for everyone to use. They can be found at the end of this post, and also as as part of the Tournament Policy Document Appendix A: Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, which can be found at www.ude.com/policy. They will also be available on the main Yu-Gi-Oh! website shortly.

However, it does not end there. UDE will be backing up Team Dueling with support throughout its current Organized Play structure of Yu-Gi-Oh! events. You will soon be able to play in Team Dueling matches to win prizes in your local hobby league, and also as side events at Regionals and Shonen Jump Championships. All of these events - local hobby league, Regionals side events and SJC side events - will qualify the top teams for a "Yu-Gi-Oh! Team Dueling National Championship" event to be held at US Yu-Gi-Oh! Nationals as well. There will be some prizes at that event as well, but keep in mind that Team Dueling is meant first and foremost as a fun, alternative way to play Yu-Gi-Oh!, so don't expect that the Team Dueling Championship prizes will be on par with the Individual Nationals prizes. We will make an announcement when this part of the program is ready to get under way, likely sometime in early 2008. However, you can still play in Team Dueling tournaments for fun in your local stores and maybe even as side events at some Regionals and Shonen Jump Championships until then, although there will be no "nationals qualification" until then.

Team Dueling events can already be run easily using MANTIS. When you choose the option to Create New Tournament, go to the Advanced Settings tab and you can set the "Team Structure" to "Two players per team". You will then be able to assign players to teams and pair the teams up, run the event using MANTIS, and upload the results as you normally would a regular tournament.

And now, without further adieu, The Team Dueling Rules

A-28 Team Dueling
I. Basic Rules
The match is between two teams of two players each (designated player A and player B). Teammates are seated next to each other with the other team on the opposite side of the table. For a tournament, each playerís designation (A or B) is chosen at the start of the tournament and never changes.

Each player has five Monster Card Zones and each player has five Spell & Trap Card Zones. The zones from both players on a team create one large side of the field, so there are two sides of the field: Team Oneís side of the field and Team Twoís side of the field.

Each player uses their own Deck (two Decks per team). Each player has their own Graveyard (you cannot use your teammateís Graveyard as if it was your own).

Each team has one Life Point total of 8000 (if it reaches zero, the team loses). Each team has two Fusion Decks (you cannot use your teammateís Fusion Deck for your Fusion Summons or card effects). Each player has their own Side Deck to use only with their Deck.

There can only be one Field Spell Card in play at a time, just like a 1-on-1 Duel.

Limited Cards are counted per player, not per team. So, for any given Limited Card, each player on a team could include one copy in their Deck, making a total of two copies that team can use. However, one player cannot include two copies of a Limited Card, even if the other player doesnít include any.

During a turn, a player only can control his or her cards, not his or her teammateís. Teammates may talk, compare hands, and share information freely with each other. They should make their decisions in a timely manner as to not delay the game.

A team loses if either player on that team cannot draw a card from the playerís Deck when required to.

II. Turn Procedure
Players on the same team sit next to each other, player A sits to the right of player B. Team 1 is players 1A & 1B and Team 2 is players 2A & 2B. The turn order starts with player A of the team that is chosen to go first and then alternates between teams.

The first player who can make an attack is the player who goes fourth. (In the example below, player 2B)

Turn Turn Player
----------------------------------------------------
1: Team 1 Player 1A
2: Team 2 Player 2A
3: Team 1 Player 1B
4: Team 2 Player 2B
5: Team 1 Player 1A

Continue until one team wins.

III. Card Effects
If any part of a card affects your opponentís hand, Deck, Fusion Deck, Graveyard, or Removed Zone, then the player activating the card effect must choose one of their opponents to apply the entire effect of the card to.
Examples: ìConfiscationî, ìMemory Crusherî, ìSoul Releaseî, ìSecret Barrelî, ìCrush Card Virusî

If a card affects only your opponentís side of the field, it affects the entire side, or both your opponents.
Example: Player 2A activates ìLightning Vortexî. It destroys player 1A and player 1Bís face-up monsters.

If a card affects ìboth playersî, all four players are affected.
Example: ìDark World Dealingsî is activated. All four players will each draw a card, then each discard a card.

Cards Set by a player can be viewed by the teammate, but they must be activated by the player who Set them.

A player can allow their teammate to use monsters they control as Tributes, Fusion Materials, or to pay the cost of a card or effect.
Example: It is player 1Aís turn, and player 1B controls a ìGravekeeperís Spyî. With permission, player 1A Tributes that ìGravekeeperís Spyî to Tribute Summon his ìJinzoî.

ìOwnerî and ìcontrollerî mean the same thing as a standard Duel. The ìownerî is the player whoís Deck the card started in. ìControllerî is the player who currently has the card in one of their zones.
Example: Player 1A Summons ìDark Magicianî. Player 2B activates ìBrain Controlî and selects the ìDark Magicianî. He moves it to one of his Monster Card Zones. Player 1A is the owner of ìDark Magicianî and Player 2B is the controller of ìDark Magicianî.

IV. Attacking
You can only attack with monsters you control (in your 5 zones) during your turn. You cannot attack with your teammateís Attack Position monsters. If there is a monster on the opponentís side of the field (controlled by either player) then you must attack it before attacking their Life Points directly.
Example: Player A has ìElemental Hero Sparkmanî in Attack Position. Player C has no monsters, but Player D has ìDark Magicianî in Attack Position. Player A cannot attack directly, because the opponents have ìDark Magicianî on the field.

V. Additional Rules
During a playerís turn, either opponent may activate Spell Speed 2 or higher effects (just as they could in a standard Duel). The teammate may also activate Spell Speed 2 or higher effects (as if it was an opponentís turn).

When a player activates an effect, each other player must be given the opportunity to add an effect to the chain before it is resolved (starting with an opponent and then alternating between teams).

If multiple trigger effects activate at the same time, the turn playerís effects will be added to the chain first, followed by their teammateís effects, and finally the opponentsí effects (in an order of their choosing).

Card effects that count turns count all appropriate turns.
Example: ìSwords of Revealing Lightî is activated by Player A of Team 1. Team 2 cannot attack on Player Cís next turn (1 turn), Player Dís next turn (2 turns), and Player Cís turn after that (3 turns). ìSwords of Revealing Lightî will be destroyed at the end of that turn, because three opponentsí turns have passed.

VI. End of Match Procedure
When time is up at the end of a round, complete the current turn of each game that is still in progress. If a winner is not determined by the end of that turn, play continues for three additional turns. After the three additional turns, if a winner still has not been determined, play stops and the match winner is determined using the following process:

1. The team with greater Life Points wins the game. If both teamsí Life Points are equal, continue playing until the first change in Life Points. If Life Points change during a resolving chain, always resolve all effects on that chain before comparing the teamsí Life Points.

2. After the winner of the game in progress is determined, a team wins the match if it has more game wins than the opposing team. If both teams have an equal number of game wins, they will start a new game. This game will last for a maximum of eight turns, two for each player. Side Decks may not be used before starting this game. At the end of the eight turn, the team with greater Life Points wins the match. If Life Points are equal, continue playing until the first change in Life Points. If Life Points change during a resolving chain, always resolve all effects on that chain before comparing the teamsí Life Points.

3. If players are between games when time is called, and one team has a greater number of game wins, that team wins the match.