Face-down

Face-down ( 裏 ( うら ) 側 ( がわ ) 表 ( ひょう ) 示 ( じ ) 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.

Contents

• 1 In the Decks
  • 1.1 Summoning a Pendulum Monster from Extra Deck
  • 2.1 Monster Cards
  • 2.2 Spell/Trap Cards
  • 2.3 Information lost upon being flipped face-down
    • 2.3.1 Lost
    • 2.3.2 Retained
    • 4.1 Notes

    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 [ ]

    Main article: Pendulum Monster § Extra Deck Pendulum Monsters

    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 [ ]

    

    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 [ ]

    Main articles: Banish and Banishes face-down

    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.