A maintenance cost is a usually-optional cost required to keep a card on the field. These costs are typically paid during a player's Standby Phase or End Phase, although there are exceptions to this.

Maintenance costs cannot be negated and they do not activate (or start a Chain Link).

Here is a list of OCG/TCG cards with with maintenance costs:

Monster CardsEdit

• Armor Exe
• Darkbishop Archfiend
• Desrook Archfiend
• Gaia Plate the Earth Giant
• Grapple Blocker
• Imprisoned Queen Archfiend
• Infernalqueen Archfiend
• Koa'ki Meiru Beetle
• Koa'ki Meiru Bergzak
• Koa'ki Meiru Crusader
• Koa'ki Meiru Doom
• Koa'ki Meiru Drago
• Koa'ki Meiru Ghoulungulate
• Koa'ki Meiru Gravirose
• Koa'ki Meiru Guardian
• Koa'ki Meiru Ice
• Koa'ki Meiru Maximus
• Koa'ki Meiru Powerhand
• Koa'ki Meiru Rooklord
• Koa'ki Meiru Sandman
• Koa'ki Meiru Sea Panther
• Koa'ki Meiru Speeder
• Koa'ki Meiru Urnight
• Koa'ki Meiru Valafar
• Koa'ki Meiru Wall
• Koa'ki Meiru War Arms
• Mind Protector
• Rocket Arrow Express
• Shadowknight Archfiend
• Skull Archfiend of Lightning
• Terrorking Archfiend
• The Unfriendly Amazon
• Vilepawn Archfiend

Maintenance Costs for Effect Monsters cannot be negated by cards such as "Skill Drain". Even if "Skill Drain" is on the field, you still need to pay the cost. Also, cards such as "Card Guard" cannot protect these cards from destroying themselves.

Spell CardsEdit

• Clear World
• Degenerate Circuit
• Mask of Brutality
• Messenger of Peace
• Spiritual Energy Settle Machine
• Summoning Curse

Maintenance costs for Spell Cards cannot be negated by cards such as "Spell Canceller". Even if "Spell Canceller" is on the field, you still need to pay the cost. Also, cards such as "Field Barrier" cannot protect these cards from destroying themselves.

Trap CardsEdit

• Aerial Recharge
• Fairy Box
• Firewall
• Imperial Order
• Mirror Wall
• Red Screen
• The Regulation of Tribe
• Spirit's Invitation

Maintenance costs for Trap Cards cannot be negated by "Jinzo" or "Royal Decree". Even if "Jinzo" or "Royal Decree" are on the field, you still need to pay the cost. Also, cards such as "Imperial Custom" cannot protect these cards from destroying themselves.

Compulsory CostsEdit

In the case of "Archfiend" Monster Cards, there is no option to destroy the Monster Card if you don't want to pay the cost, since the cost is compulsory. You may, however, use "Pandemonium" to avoid paying these costs for "Archfiend" monsters.

In the case of "Degenerate Circuit", there is no option of destroying this card if you don't want to pay the cost, since the cost is compulsory.

In cases like these, if a player can no longer pay their costs because of an insufficient amount of Life Points, then these cards are destroyed. In the OCG, if a player has exactly the amount of Life Points left to pay the cost, he/she must lose the Duel.