Yu-Gi-Oh! Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Yu-Gi-Oh! Wiki
Face-down

Face-down

Japanese

(うら) (がわ) (ひょう) ()

Japanese (ruby)

うらがわひょうじ

Japanese (base text)

裏側表示

Japanese (romanized)

Uragawa Hyōji

English

face-down

Face-down ( (うら) (がわ) (ひょう) () Uragawa Hyōji) is a position in which a card's backing is visible; as the term "face-down" suggests, the card's face is placed against the playing surface, preventing it from being seen. This is the opposite of face-up.

Face-down cards have no properties (name, Attribute, Type, Level/Rank, ATK, DEF, effect) until they are changed to face-up. A face-down card being looked at or revealed is still considered face-down (although its properties can be determined by card effects while being revealed) and is returned to its original position once the player(s) have finished viewing it.

In Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, small orbs with glowing red eyes appear on top of face-down monsters.

In the Decks[]

Each player's Main and Extra Deck is placed face-down in their respective zone at the start of each game. Cards in the Main deck are always face-down, unless stated otherwise

Face-down cards in the Extra Deck can be looked at by their possessor at any time, but cannot be looked at by their opponent.

Summoning a Pendulum Monster from Extra Deck[]

Extra Deck Pendulum Monsters (Fusion, Synchro, Xyz/Pendulum) can be summoned by its own mechanic only while face-down in the Extra Deck, and cannot be Pendulum Summoned.

On the field[]

During a game, cards are normally placed face-down by Setting them. Face-down cards on the field can be looked at by their controller at any time, but cannot be looked at by their opponent, unless stated otherwise.

Face-down cards on the field can be flipped face-up. (Flip Summon for monster and Activation for Spell/Trap cards, in general cases) However, face-up cards cannot be Flipped face-down, unless an effect specifically states so.

Monster Cards[]

Face Down Defense Position

A horizontal face-down card, specifically face-down defense position monster card

Monster Cards can be placed on the field in face-down Defense Position, generally by Normal Set (it is not possible for monsters to be in face-down Attack Position, post errata of "Darkness Approaches"). Some effects may Special Summon face-down, but only if a card states explicitly that it can do so. In some video games, card effects that Special Summon multiple monsters face-down also shuffle them on the same side of the field.

Face-down Monster Cards cannot be equipped with Equip Cards; if a monster equipped with an Equip Card(s) is flipped face-down, the Equip Card(s) equipped to that flipped monster is destroyed.

Link Monsters cannot be placed face-down.

Spell/Trap Cards[]

Spell and Trap Cards can be Set in the Spell & Trap Zones or the Field Zone (in the case of Field Spell Cards). Quick-Play Spell Cards and Trap Cards cannot be activated during the turn they are Set. Pendulum Monsters cannot be played face-down in Pendulum Zones.

Information lost upon being flipped face-down[]

When a monster is flipped face-down, it will lose some specific information/applications on it[1].

Lost[]

  • Any particular properties that the materials used for its Summon had
  • Any previously-applied effects
  • The location it was Summoned from

Retained[]

  • Which particular cards in another location were sent there as materials for its Summon[Note 1]
  • Whether it was Special, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum, Tribute, or Link Summoned
  • Whether it was Summoned this turn

Banished[]

Some card effects can banish cards face-down. Cards that are banished face-down can be looked at by their possessor at any time, but cannot be looked at by their opponent. However, the number of banished cards (including face-down banished cards) is public knowledge.

References[]

Notes[]

  1. It could be argued that this is a property of those cards, not of the monster that was flipped face-down.
Advertisement