The Rule of 3000 ATK and DEF is a general rule that few monster cards have an original ATK or DEF of over 3000. Those that do typically have Special Conditions for being Summoned, to limit the card's overall usefulness. This rule is similar to the "Level 4 ATK and DEF Rules", however, it is generally more flexible.

3000 ATK or moreEdit

A very small number of monsters with over 3000 ATK can be Normal Summoned without special conditions, and with only one exception ("Super Conductor Tyranno"), they have negative side effects that can hamper their usefulness. There are currently 80 monsters with over 3000 ATK.

Notably, all monsters with 3000 or higher ATK are usually the trump cards of their archetype or series: "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8" for the Horus LV monsters, "Volcanic Doomfire" for the "Volcanic" archetype, "Ancient Gear Golem" for the "Ancient Gear" archetype, "Judgment Dragon" for the "Lightsworn" archetype, "Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon" for the "Cloudian" archetype and "Vampire Genesis" for Zombies, are some notable examples.

Monsters with 3000 ATK or more are usually used towards the end of a Duel, as a last resort (such as "Gladiator Beast Heraklinos" in a "Gladiator Beast" Deck), although sometimes the Deck's focus will be on summoning that card (commonly seen with "Valkyrion the Magna Warrior"). "Super Conductor Tyranno" is sometimes included in Beatdown Decks, as they have very few ways of stopping extremely high ATK monsters.

TCG/OCG Cards with at least 3000 ATK Edit

3000 DEF or moreEdit

Monsters with 3000 DEF points are plenty, some with very low ATK and 1 Tribute (such as "Labyrinth Wall" and "Millennium Shield"). However, cards with over 3000 DEF points are rare and usually are good for both attacking and defending. There are currently 32 monsters with over 3000 DEF.

TCG/OCG Cards with at least 3000 DEF Edit