Spell Cards (魔法(まほう)カード Mahō Kādo), called Magic Cards in the TCG until the release of Magician's Force, and still called such in the OCG are cards with green-coloured borders that have various effects to alter the play of the game. Often, a Spell Card has a single effect to provide a bonus to the user or a weakness to the opponent. All Spells are Spell Speed 1, with the exception of Quick-Play Spell Cards, which are Spell Speed 2. You may play as many Spell Cards as you would like per turn.

Although Spell Cards are as powerful as Trap Cards, they have the advantage that they may be played the turn they are drawn without having to Set them first. A Set Spell Card may be activated only during your turn Set as well (with the exception of Quick-Play Spell Cards).

Some very powerful Spell Cards have been banned from tournament play, like "Raigeki". Konami has released new, less-powerful replacements for some of these cards. For instance, "Raigeki" has been replaced in Advanced Format by "Lightning Vortex", which requires a discard and only destroys face-up monsters, or "Flash of the Forbidden Spell" (whose card's title is indicative of a less-powerful replacement to "Raigeki"), which requires that all five of your opponent's monster card zones be filled with monsters in order to activate.

Used properly, a single Spell Card can significantly alter the game in the user's favor. It isn't uncommon for a player to win a Duel with the use of a single Spell Card. "Snatch Steal" (which has also been banned from tournament play) is a common example of a Spell Card that is capable of winning a Duel.

Types

A Spell Card's Type is designated by a symbol to the right of the words "Spell Card". The various Spell Card Types are:

• Normal Spell: No symbol, however some media give them a capital N symbol.
• Continuous Spell, symbolized with a lemniscate.
• Equip Spell, symbolized with a simple crosshair.
• Quick-Play Spell, symbolized with a lightning bolt. 30px
• Field Spell, symbolized with a compass rose.
• Ritual Spell, symbolized with a flaming chalice.