Digital Monster Card Game

The Digital Monster Card Game (デジタルモンスター カードゲーム Dejitaru Monsutā Kādo Gēmu) is a trading card game produced by Bandai, based on the Digimon franchise. It was the first Digimon card game, and ran from 1999 to 2005.
In the 2010s and 2020s, Premium Bandai marketed several commemorative collectors' sets, often under the label Digital Monster Card Game Returns (デジタルモンスターカードゲームリターンズ Dejitaru Monsutā Kādo Gēmu Ritānzu).
Overview[edit]
Formats[edit]
Over the years, Bandai promoted multiple variant ruleset formats for the Digital Monster Card Game.
- Street Battle 「ストリートバトル」
- A simplified format for quick play, which only uses Digimon Cards. Battles are decided entirely by which Digimon uses the stronger attack with no other effects coming into play, the game ends when one player's deck is emptied, and whoever has won the most battles at that time wins the game.[1][2]
- Extend Battle 「エクステンドバトル」
- A slightly more advanced variation of Street Battle, which adds Option Cards and the points scoring system. The game ends when either one player reaches 0 remaining points or one player's deck is emptied, and whoever has the most remaining points at that time wins the game.[3]
- Hyper Colosseum Battle 「ハイパーコロシアムバトル」
- The standard format, using all features of the game, as described below.[4]
- Ultimate Battle Level 「アルティメットバトルレベル」
- An advanced format in which each player plays three Digimon at once, instead of the usual one. Introduced in 2000 with the Ultimate Battle Deck 1. Also used as one of the regulation formats in some official Bandai tournaments from 2001 onward.[5]
Terminology[edit]
Sheet[edit]
The Sheet 「シート」 is the playing mat on which the card game takes place. The playing field is divided into your sheet 「自分シート」 and the opponent's sheet 「相手シート」.
The sheet consists of the following fields:
- Point Gauge 「ポイントゲージ」
- A gauge on the left side of the sheet, denoting how many points you have remaining. A card from your Net Ocean (deck) is placed face-down at the 100 mark during game setup, denoting 100 points remaining (which is also the maximum amount of points you may have at any point of time during the game), and is moved downwards as you lose points. Cards stacked onto your point gauge during the game can also be considered to be moved "out of play."
- Net Ocean 「ネットの海」
- Players' decks are referred to as their "Net Oceans" in this game. Your deck will consist of 30 cards, at least one of which must be a Level III Digimon card, and you may only include up to 3 cards with the same name in your deck (regardless of whether they have different card numbers), unless the card itself states otherwise.
Your Net Ocean also denotes your Digimon's lifespan 「寿命」, which ends when your Net Ocean runs out of cards.
- Dark Area 「ダークエリア」
- Players' discard piles are referred to as their "Dark Areas" in this game. When your cards are "sent to the Dark Area" (i.e. discarded) during play, place them face-down onto your Dark Area.
- Digimon Box 「デジモンボックス」
- The Digimon card that you use for battle (in other words, your current Digimon) will be placed here.
- Evolution Requirements Box 「進化条件カード置き場」 (a.k.a. Power Box「パワーボックス」)
- Cards required to fulfill the Evolution Requirements of the Digimon you are planning to evolve to will be placed here.
- Evolution Box 「進化ボックス」
- Place the Digimon card that you wish to evolve your current Digimon into here.
- Support Box 「援護ボックス」
- Support Digimon will be placed here. In order to use Support Abilities, your support Digimon must possess a Support Ability, denoted by a ■ icon.
- Option Slot 「オプションスロット」
- Option cards to be used will be placed here. They are typically placed face-down during the Preparation Phase, and activated during the timing stated on the card.
Digimon Cards[edit]
Digimon cards 「デジモンカード」 are cards depicting Digimon, that are used in-game either to battle or to support.
Digimon cards have the following properties:
- Card Name 「カード名」
- The name of the Digimon as written on the card (e.g. Omegamon). Certain Option card effects/abilities are capable of targeting or temporarily changing the card's name.
- Card Number 「カードNo.」
- The number of the card, written below the card name (e.g. St-994). "St-" and "Sx-" are prefixes used for cards originating from starter sets, while "Bo-" and "Bx-" are prefixes used for cards originating from Booster packs. Various other promotional cards may include card numbers with different prefixes/suffixes; however, official tournaments typically only allow cards prefixed with St-, Sx-, Bo-, or Bx- to be used.
- Battle Type 「バトルタイプ」
- An icon on the card's top right marking it as either A, B, or C (e.g. "Battle Type B"). A Digimon's Battle Type determines which Attack Type its opponent must use.
- Evolution Requirements Field 「進化条件欄」
- The requirements that have to be fulfilled before you are able to play the Digimon card into your Digimon Box are stated here. These can consist of:
- Evolution Requirements, for normal evolution into this Digimon
- Fusion Requirements, for special evolutionary methods, such as those that require Digimentals or other Option cards
- Appearance Requirements, for other means of playing this Digimon card
- Level 「レベル」
- The Digimon's Evolution Stage, determining its evolutionary progression and general power level. The standard Level progression consists of four Levels:
- Level III (Child) 「レベルIII」, abbreviated Ⅲ
- Level IV (Adult) 「レベルIV」, abbreviated Ⅳ
- Perfect Level 「完全体」, abbreviated 完
- Ultimate Level 「究極体」, abbreviated 究
There also exists two Levels that exist outside of the standard Level progression:
As these Levels are not part of the progression and do not have a "higher" or "lower" level, they may not be taken as "a Digimon of the next level," nor can they "evolve into a Digimon of the next level."
Digimon with no Level may have a level equivalent stated in their level, e.g. — (Ⅳ). This determines the point loss the opponent takes if they lose, but is not considered as having an actual Level.
- Type 「種族」
- The Digimon's Type (e.g. Holy Knight). Digimon Types may be referenced or required in certain abilities/Option card effects.
- Attribute 「属性」
- The Digimon's Attribute. Attributes may be referenced in, required by, or even changed by certain abilities and Option card effects.
The Digital Monster Card Game features six Attributes:
- Vaccine 「ワクチン」
- Data 「データ」
- Virus 「ウィルス」
- Unknown 「属性不明」
- Variable 「バリアブル」
Variable Digimon always change Attribute to have the same Attribute as their opponent (e.g. when a Variable Digimon faces a Data Digimon, its attribute becomes Data), including if the opponent's Attribute is changed by card effects or abilities. When facing another Variable Digimon, its attribute remains as Variable. - None 「属性なし」
- Group 「所属」
- The group that the Digimon belongs to (e.g. "Royal Knights"). Groups may be referenced or required in certain abilities/Option card effects.
- Field 「フィールド」
- The Field that the Digimon belongs to. Digimon may belong to more than one Field at a time. Fields may be referenced or required in certain abilities andOption card effects.
Earlier cards do not state a Field, but may use abilities of cards stating "having the same background" as a requirement if they share the same background image.
The Digital Monster Card Game features eight fields:
- Nature Spirits (NSp) 「ネイチャースピリッツ」
- Deep Savers (DS) 「ディープセイバーズ」
- Nightmare Soldiers (NSo) 「ナイトメアソルジャーズ」
- Wind Guardians (WG) 「ウインドガーディアンズ」
- Metal Empire (ME) 「メタルエンパイア」
- Virus Busters (VB) 「ウィルスバスターズ」
- Dark Area (DA) 「ダークアリア」
- Unknown (UK) 「アンノウン」
- Attack 「攻撃」
- The Digimon's three attack techniques. Each has two stats:
- Attack Type 「アタックタイプ」
Every Digimon has one attack for each of the three Attack Types: A, B, and C. In battle, each Digimon must use the attack whose Attack Type matches its opponent's Battle Type (unless abilities or Option card effects say otherwise). - Base Attack Power 「基本攻撃力」
The base Attack Power value stated for the attack (e.g. [St-994 Omegamon] has a Basic A Attack Power of 900). A Digimon's final Attack Power to determine the winner is calculated from this value, plus/minus any Attack Power increases/decreases provided by card abilities or effects.
Many Digimon cards have one attack (usually the C attack) that is marked (x→0) 「(xを0に)」, where x is an Attack Type. This effect sets the Base Attack Power of the opponent's attack of the stated Attack Type to 0. (e.g. [St-994 Omegamon]'s C attack, Guard, sets the Base Attack Power of the opponent's A attack to 0.)
- Attack Type 「アタックタイプ」
- Lost Points 「ロストポイント」
- Denotes how many points you lose when you lose the battle. Refer to your Digimon's lost points field and the opponent Digimon's level to determine the amount of points lost.
- Abilities Field 「能力欄」
- The Digimon's abilities are stated here (e.g. "◎Has the ability 'Proud'"). There are three types of abilities, identified by the symbol they are marked with:
- Abilities marked with a ◎ symbol are Special Abilities
- Abilities marked with a ■ symbol are Support Abilities
- Abilities that are not marked with any symbol are written abilities
- Information/Coordination Field 「情報・連携欄」
- Present on cards from Starter Ver. 9/Booster 20 and later. This field states:
- Card information (e.g. "The Evolution Requirements cannot be ignored")
- Support Abilities (e.g. "■ When the opponent is a Red Frame Digimon, add 610 to the Attack Power of your Ultimate Level.")
Information stated here does not count as Special Abilities.
- Frame Color 「枠色」
- The color of the frame/border surrounding the card (e.g. [St-994 Omegamon] is Blue Frame). The two main frame colors are:
- Blue Frame 「(青枠)」, for non X-Antibody Digimon
- Red Frame 「(赤枠)」, for X-Antibody Digimon
Some Digimon are printed with a Gold Frame 「枠色が金色」 on their first print. Gold Frame cards are not considered as either Blue Frame or Red Frame cards, though certain abilities may specifically target Gold Frame cards.
Evolution Requirements Field[edit]
Evolution Requirements[edit]
Digimon whose Evolution Requirements Field is identified as Evolution Requirements 「進化条件」 evolve through the standard Level progression: Level III → Level IV → Perfect → Ultimate.
- Evolutions from Level III to Level IV typically have Evolution Requirements that are denoted as a combination of ● (Regular Growth) and/or × (Irregular Growth) icons. To fulfill these Evolution Requirements, during the Preparation Phase:
- Draw cards from the Net Ocean equal to the number of ● or × required for evolution.
- Without looking, place them face-down onto your Evolution Requirements Box, vertically for ●, and horizontally for ×.
- The evolution can then be carried out during the Evolution Phase.
- For example: To evolve a Lopmon into [St-414 Gargomon] (pictured right), an Evolution Requirement of "●×" must be fulfilled. To do so, draw 2 cards from your Net Ocean and place both cards, one vertically for ● and one horizontally for ×, into your Evolution Requirements Box.
- Perfect and Ultimate evolutions typically require the use of one of the three types of Winning Percentage cards: Winning Percentage: 40%! 「しょうりつ40%!」, Winning Percentage: 60%! 「しょうりつ60%!」, or Winning Percentage: 80%! 「しょうりつ80%!」.
- In the case of Jogress Evolution 「ジョグレス進化」, the Evolution Requirements will list one or more pairs of Digimon, linked together with a ⇔. This means that one Digimon in a pair must currently be in the Digimon Box, and the other Digimon in the same pair must be placed in the Evolution Requirements Box.
- If your card's Evolution Requirements state "Send one additional card from your hand to the Dark Area", you must send one card (or whatever number is required) from your hand that is not used at all for your regular Evolution Requirements to the Dark Area.
- If you are unable to fulfill the "Send one additional card from your hand to the Dark Area," or similar requirements required in the middle of Warp Evolution, you may carry out any evolutions before this evolution.
- When you use an effect or ability that states "ignore the Evolution Requirements", you may ignore everything stated in the Evolution Requirements field, including Digimon to be evolved from, cost of evolution, and any additional requirements stated in your Digimon's Evolution Requirements field, such as "Send one additional card from your hand to the Dark Area" or "Can only evolve from Virus Attribute Digimon," unless that Digimon's abilities field contains "The Evolution Requirements cannot be ignored."
- You may not evolve into a Digimon that evolves using Fusion/Appearance Requirements when using an effect or ability that states "ignore the Evolution Requirements."
Fusion Requirements[edit]
Digimon whose Evolution Requirements Filed is identified as Fusion Requirements 「融合条件」 generally require certain Option cards in order to evolve, such as in Armor Evolution 「アーマー進化」.
- If "Cannot be fused from Virus attribute Digimon," or similar requirements are listed in your Digimon's Fusion Requirements, it applies to all Digimon to be used for the fusion.
- If "At the end of the turn during which fusion took place..." or similar requirements are listed in your Digimon's Fusion Requirements, they will still apply even if you had made this card directly appear from your hand through the use of Option cards.
- You may not evolve into a Digimon that evolves using Evolution/Appearance Requirements when using an effect or ability that states "ignore the Fusion Requirements."
Appearance Requirements[edit]
Digimon whose Evolution Requirements Field is identified as Appearance Requirements 「出現条件」 will only be made to appear in your Digimon Box when their requirements are fulfilled.
- If "During battle" is stated in your Digimon's Appearance Requirements, they will be made to appear during the Battle Phase, during the timing where Special Abilities are activated, with the player second to attack going first. (If the player first to attack is making a Digimon appear through Appearance Requirements, they will do so after the player second to attack has activated all their Special Abilities.)
- If both players have fulfilled their Appearance Requirements, the player second to attack will carry out their appearance first.
- If "At the start of the battle" is stated in your Digimon's Appearance Requirements, they cannot be made to appear after Special Abilities that state "At the start of the battle" have been activated.
- If "At the start of the battle" is stated in your Digimon's Appearance Requirements, and they have a Special Ability that states "When this card makes its appearance," activate that Special Ability before activating other Special Abilities that state "At the start of the battle" or "during battle" (the person second to attack activates theirs first).
- You may not evolve into a Digimon that evolves using Evolution/Fusion Requirements when using an effect or ability that states "ignore the Appearance Requirements."
Abilities[edit]
Special Abilities[edit]
Special Abilities 「特殊能力」 are abilities written in the Digimon's Special Abilities field, marked with a ◎ symbol.
Special Abilities are typically activated during the Battle Phase, and their effects only apply during that phase (e.g. Attack Power additions do not carry over to the next Battle Phase), unless otherwise stated.
Despite remaining in the Digimon Box, you may not use the Special Abilities of your Level III Digimon card unless it is the top card in your Digimon Box (except when the ability is specifically stated to affect Digimon that evolve from this Digimon).
Common Special Abilities include:
- ◎Has the ability "x" 「能力「x」をもつ」
- These abilities do not have any gameplay effect on their own, and only come into play when an Option card or ability makes reference to these abilities. These abilities include:
- Sky 「くうちゅう」/「空中」
- Underwater 「すいちゅう」/「水中」
- Underground 「あなのなか」/「穴中」
- Grappling 「かくとう」/「格闘」
- Flame 「火炎」
- Freezing 「氷結」
- Proud 「騎士道」
- Gale 「疾風」
- Marksmanship 「射撃」
- Fencing 「剣術」
- Strategy 「戦略」
- Ardor 「熱血」
- ◎The opponent loses its Special Abilities 「◎相手は「◎特殊能力なし」になる」
- This ability is always active. When successfully activated, the opponent loses their Special Abilities that are marked with a ◎ symbol (including abilities marked with a ◎ symbol that have been added through the effects of Option cards), and regains their abilities when you lose this ability. If both players' Digimon have the same ability, both parties lose their Special Abilities. Support Digimon will not lose their Special Abilities.
- ◎Cannot receive the effects of the opponent's Option cards 「◎相手オプションカードの効果を受けない」
- This ability is always active, and only applies to cards used by your opponent directed at you. When your Digimon has this ability, it does not prevent you from using your own Option cards on that Digimon; however, when the opponent tries to invalidate an Option card you are using on your Digimon through the effects of an Option card, the ability takes effect and prevents the invalidation. This ability does not prevent the opponent from using Option cards to invalidate the effects of an Option card used by you with effects directed at the opponent.
- ◎This Digimon will always attack last, regardless of original turn order 「◎このデジモンは本来の順番を無視して、必ず「後攻」になる」
- When a Digimon with this ability is being played, this ability's effects come into effect starting from the next battle phase, until that Digimon is sent to the Dark Area. If both players' Digimon have this ability, follow the original turn order.
Support Abilities[edit]
Support Abilities 「援護能力」 are abilities used by support Digimon that you place in your support box, written in their Information/Coordination Field or Special Abilities Field, marked with a ■ symbol.
- In order to make use of a Support Ability, you must fulfill the requirements for the whole duration of the ability being active (e.g. when your points are 60 and below). If you are unable to fulfill the requirements, you are still able to place a Digimon card into your support box, but you cannot activate their Support Ability until you fulfill the requirements. A Digimon whose Support Ability is not activated is not counted as a "Support Digimon."
- Support Digimon are also counted as "Digimon on your sheet," and can be counted towards effects that state "When there is...on your sheet."
- You may only place up to one support Digimon at a time, unless your Digimon card states otherwise.
- Support Digimon are sent to the Dark Area at the end of the turn, during Point Calculation Phase.
- Support Abilities will only remain in effect for the phase during which they were activated; for example, Support Abilities that provide Attack Power modifications only do so for that phase, and the modification is lost when the next phase begins. However, as the support Digimon still remains in the box until the end of the turn, you may not place another support Digimon even if their Support Ability's effects have ended during the previous phase.
- You may not place a support Digimon that shares the same card number as a card already on the sheet. If the Digimon in your Digimon Box evolves into a Digimon with the same card number as your support Digimon, your support Digimon is sent to the Dark Area.
Written Abilities[edit]
Written abilities 「表記能力」 are any abilities denoted in the Digimon's abilities field that are not marked with a ◎ or ■ symbol.
- Written Abilities are typically activated at the same time as Special Abilities during the Battle Phase, and their effects last only for that phase.
- As they are not considered Special Abilities, these abilities are not lost even when the opponent Digimon has the ability "the opponent loses its Special Abilities." However, they are still considered abilities, and are counted if the description states "caused by effects or abilities."
Option Cards[edit]
Option cards 「オプションカード」 are support cards with various effects, ranging from pushing the battle in your favor to helping out with evolution. They are set face-down from your hand into one of your Option slots during the Preparation Phase, and activated during the activation timing stated on the card. Once set, the Option cards may not be returned to your hand, and may only be discarded or moved to another slot during Preparation Phase. If the card states to set the card face-up, the card is to be set face-up during Preparation Phase, during which the cost stated on the card will be paid, and activated during the activation timing stated on the card.
When an Option card states "You may only place one of this card in your slots," you may place more of that card into your slots, but can only turn face-up and activate one at a time. "One of this card" refers to cards with the same card number, thus you may activate two cards with the same name but different card numbers at the same time.
Option cards have the following properties:
- Icon 「アイコン」
- Denotes the type of Option card (e.g. Program Option card). Option cards come in three categories:
- Program 「プログラム」
- Item 「アイテム」
- Field 「フィールド」
Certain effects and abilities only target specific types of Option cards.
- Capacity 「容量」
- Denotes the card's capacity (e.g. "+20"). Capacity may be referenced or required in certain abilities/Option card effects.
- Activation Timing Field 「発動タイミング欄」
- Denotes the phase during which this card has to be turned face-up and activated under Activation Timing (発動タイミング); this card's effects typically only remain for the phase during which this card was activated, unless the card states otherwise. Any additional information on how to set/play the card (e.g. "Send this card face-down from your hand or slot to the Power box"), as well as what kinds of effects it cannot receive (e.g. "Cannot receive any effects caused by Blue Frame cards") will be stated here. For older cards without a Cost field, if there are any costs stated here (e.g. Send one card to the Dark Area), it has to be paid when the card turns face-up, even when the card is invalidated.
- Category 「カテゴリー」
- Denotes any category the card belongs to, if any (e.g. "Evolution: Winning Percentage"). Option card categories may be referenced or required in certain abilities/Option card effects.
- Cost 「コスト」
- Denotes the cost you have to pay before you are able to activate this card (e.g. "3 cards from your Net Ocean"). You are only required to pay the cost once, when you turn the card face-up to activate it. If you are unable to pay the cost when the card is turned face-up, it is sent to the Dark Area. If the cost states to "discard your whole hand," having zero cards in your hand when the card turns face-up does not fulfill this cost.
- Requirements 「条件」
- Denotes any requirements that have to be fulfilled to activate this card (e.g. "None"). Unlike Cost, the requirements have to be fulfilled constantly for as long as the card is active in order for it to stay in effect; should you fail to meet the requirements while the Option card is still active, the Option card will be sent to the Dark Area immediately.
- Effects Field 「効果欄」
- Denotes the effects of the card. If the card states "When you are..." before an effect but you do not meet the requirements for that effect, you will be unable to use that effect, but as it is not a requirement, the Option card will not be sent to the Dark Area. For older cards without a Cost field, if there are any costs stated here (e.g. "Send one card to the Dark Area"), the cost is paid when the card takes effect, and the cost does not have to be paid if the card is invalidated.
- Limit 「リミット」
- Denotes how long the card remains in play before it gets sent to the Dark Area, or point gauge if the card states so (e.g. "Remains in the Power box until the end of the turn of evolution"). If the card states "until the end of the Digimon's lifespan", the card remains in the slot even if your Digimon evolves or is sent to the Dark Area not via reaching its lifespan. For cards that state a turn limit (e.g. after 3 turns), count the current turn as one of the turns. For cards that do not state any time frame or limit, send the card to the Dark Area at the end of the phase during which it was activated.
- Frame Color 「枠色」
- The color of the frame/border surrounding the card (e.g. "Red Frame"). As with Digimon cards, the two main frame colors for Option cards are Blue Frame and Red Frame.
- You may discard as many cards as you like from your hand, placing them face-down into the Dark Area; ensure that your hand contains 6 cards or less after discarding.
- You may send as many cards in your Option slots as you like to the Dark Area, as well as move cards between Option slots. Ensure that the cards that you discard do not contain any description preventing you from discarding them.
- Draw cards from your Net Ocean until you have 6 cards in your hand, or whatever the upper limit of your hand is, if you have played any cards that have altered the limit. If your Net Ocean does not have sufficient cards, draw everything from your Net Ocean. If your Net Ocean is empty, you may not replenish your hand.
- You may announce a switch of Level III Digimon, only if your Digimon Box currently only contains one Level III Digimon. Place a Level III Digimon card from your hand face-down onto the Level III Digimon card currently in your Digimon Box.
- You may place the Digimon card you plan to evolve your Digimon into face-down into your Evolution Box, and place the cards required for the Evolution Requirements of the Digimon you are planning to evolve into face-down into your Evolution Requirements Box.
- You may activate any abilities or Option cards now that require to be activated during the Preparation Phase.
- Place Option cards face-down from your hand onto your Option slots. You may not discard any Option cards during this time.
- The player who is first to attack will carry out the switch of their Level III Digimon that they have announced during their Preparation Phase. The player second to attack may decide whether or not to go through with their announced Level III Digimon switch after seeing the first player's actions.
- The player who is first to attack will carry out any regular evolutions that they have announced and prepared for during their Preparation Phase. The player second to attack may decide whether or not to go through with their announced evolutions after seeing the first player's actions.
- Send the cards used for Evolution Requirements placed in the Evolution Requirements Box to the Dark Area after evolution.
- After evolution, send all Digimon cards from before the evolution to the Dark Area, excluding the Level III Digimon card. The player should only have their current, evolved Digimon card, and their Level III Digimon card remaining in their Digimon Box after evolution.
- You may activate any abilities or Option cards that require to be activated during the Evolution Phase; they may be activated at any time throughout your phase.
- Activate any abilities that immediately activate once their requirements are met (e.g.: "When you evolve into this Digimon, send the opponent's 'Dark Tower' card to the Dark Area.")
- After both players have carried out their evolutions, any cards left in the Evolution Box and Evolution Requirements Box that were not used will be sent to each player's Dark Area respectively.
- Starting with the player second to attack, if any player has fulfilled the Appearance Requirements of any Digimon with "At the start of the battle" stated in their Appearance Requirements, they may make their Digimon appear now. If that Digimon has a Special Ability that states "When this card makes its appearance," they are activated immediately after the card makes its appearance (the person second to attack will activate this ability first, before the person first to attack makes their Digimon appear).
- Starting with the player second to attack, both players will use any effects or abilities that state "At the start of the battle.
- Starting with the player second to attack, both players will check each other's Battle Type to determine which Attack Type they must use. Then, each player determines their Attack Power, based on the Base Attack Power value of the Attack Type they must use; if the opponent's Attack Type has a (x→0) effect on the player's attack type, then their Base Attack Power becomes 0.
- Starting with the player second to attack, both parties will now use any Option cards or abilities that require to be used during the Battle Phase. This includes abilities or Digimon being made to appear whose Appearance Requirements state "During battle." The player first to attack will only start after the second player has finished activating all their effects/abilities and made their Digimon appear.
- When both players have finished using their Option cards/abilities, determine both parties' final Attack Power. Attack Power additions/subtractions will stack; however, Attack Power multiplications do not stack, and only the last activated multiplication will apply. The player with the higher Attack Power wins the battle; if both parties have the same Attack Power, the battle ends in a draw.
- Starting with the player first to attack, both parties will now use any Option cards that require to be used during the Point Calculation Phase.
- After that, the player who lost the battle will calculate the amount of points lost by looking at their Digimon's Lost Points field, and subtracting the points lost corresponding to the opponent Digimon's level, by moving the card on their Point Gauge down. If the battle ended in a draw, both players lost 10 points, and their Digimon remain as is.
- Starting with the player first to attack, both parties will now use any Digimon abilities that require to be used after point calculation.
- If the Digimon that lost the battle is a non-Level III, discard all other cards from the Digimon Box such that only the Level III Digimon card remains.
- Send any support Digimon in your support box to the Dark Area.
- If the player's Net Ocean has run out of cards, regardless of whether they won or lost the battle, discard all other cards from the Digimon Box such that only the Level III Digimon card remains (this is treated as the Digimon reaching its lifespan). After that, shuffle your Dark Area, and use it as your new Net Ocean. The cards in your hand and slots remain as is.
- See also: Full Card List
- Jump Festa Limited Edition Boosters
- Lotteria Limited Edition Boosters
- Digimon Music Limited Edition Boosters
- Main article: Hyper Colosseum Promotional Series
- Digital Monster Card Game official website on Digimon Web (Archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
- Digital Monster Card Game Premium Bandai Series on the Carddass official website (Archived by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
- Shining Evolution
- Digital Monster Card Game on Juggernaut's TCG Catalog
Gameplay[edit]
The below rules apply to the standard Hyper Colosseum Battle format. Other formats have different rules.
Game Setup[edit]
Before the game, select a Level III Digimon card from your deck, and place it face-down in your Digimon Box. Shuffle your remaining deck of 29 cards, as well as shuffle your opponent's, and place your deck face-down onto your sheet to form your Net Ocean (your deck on the playing sheet). Draw the top card of the Net Ocean, and place it face-down without checking its contents onto your Point Gauge, where it will be used to keep track of how many points you have remaining throughout the game. At the start of the game, the card will be placed at the "100" mark, denoting 100 points remaining.
After the above setup has been completed, the game starts, and both players draw 6 cards from the top of their Net Ocean to form their hand. Play a game of rock-paper-scissors; the winner will be first to attack, and the loser will be second to attack. The game ends when either player's points reaches zero.
Preparation Phase[edit]
During the Preparation Phase 「準備フェイズ」, each party will carry out the following steps. The player who is first to attack will complete their Preparation Phase first, followed by the person who is second to attack, before moving on to the next phase.
When both players have completed their Preparation Phase, turn both Level III Digimon cards in the respective Digimon Boxes face-up.
Evolution Phase[edit]
During the Evolution Phase 「進化フェイズ」, both parties carry out the evolutions they have announced during the Preparation Phase. The player who is first to attack will complete their Evolution Phase before the second player begins theirs, before moving on to the next phase.
Battle Phase[edit]
During the Battle Phase 「バトルフェイズ」, both players' Digimon will do battle. When a winner is decided, the game moves on to the next phase.
Point Calculation Phase[edit]
During the Point Calculation Phase 「ポイント計算フェイズ」, both players will calculate how many points they lose due to the battle. The turn ends at the end of this phase.
After the above has taken place, the turn ends, and the next turn starts again from the Preparation Phase. The game ends when either player reaches zero points and loses the game.
The player who won the battle will now be the "first to attack" during the next turn. If the battle ended in a draw, the turn order remains the same as the previous turn.
Card Sets[edit]
Starter Decks[edit]
| Set Name | # of Cards | Release Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
「スターターVer.1」 |
60 | [1] | |
「スターターVer.2」 |
60 | [2] | |
「スターターVer.3」 |
57 | [3] | |
「スターターVer.4」 |
57 | [4] | |
「アルティメットバトルセット |
99 | [5] | |
「スターターVer.5」 |
60 | [6] | |
「アルティメットバトルセット デジタルハザードデックセット」 |
52 | [7] | |
「スターターVer.6 ~三大天使降臨~」 |
57 | [8] | |
「アルティメットバトルセット |
120 | [9] | |
「スターターVer.7 ~超融合の闘士たち~」 |
80 | [10] | |
「拡張キットS デジモンボックス/デジモンパック」 |
66 | [11] | |
「スターターVer.8 ~真・融合伝説~」 |
60 | [12] | |
「アルティメットバトルセット ロイヤルナイツセット/十闘士セット」 |
120 | [13] | |
「スターターVer.9 ~戦慄のドルゴラモンデック/粛清のオメガモンデック~」 |
74 | [14] | |
「アルティメットバトルセット |
60 | [15] | |
「スターターVer.10 ~Xコンボデック~」 |
32 | [16] |
Booster Series[edit]
Jumbo Carddass Series[edit]
| Set Name | # of Cards | Release Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
「拡張ボード」 |
24 | [41] | |
「拡張ボード2」 |
24 | [42] | |
「拡張ボード3」 |
24 | [43] | |
「拡張ボード4」 |
24 | [44] | |
「拡張ボード5」 |
24 | [45] | |
「拡張ボード デジモンアドベンチャーVテイマー01 SP」 |
27 | [46] | |
「拡張ボード6」 |
24 | [47] |
Limited Edition Booster Series[edit]
Premium Bandai Series[edit]
| Set Name | # of Cards | Release Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
「デジモン15thアニバーサリーボックス」 |
192 | [48] | |
「プレミアムセレクトファイル Vol.1」 |
93 (95) | [49] | |
「プレミアムセレクトファイル Vol.2 ~スペシャルアニメエディション~」 |
93 | [50] | |
「デジモンアドベンチャー15thアニバーサリーセット」 |
162 | [51] | |
「ディーアーク ver.15th Edition」 |
65 | [52] | |
「デジモンアドベンチャーtri.ファーストメモリアルセット」 |
60 | [53] | |
「デジモン20thアニバーサリーセット」 |
60 | [54] | |
「デジモン20thメモリアルセット」 |
60 | [55] | |
「デジモンカードプレミアムエディション - カードゲームver.」 |
14 | [56] | |
「デジモンカードプレミアムエディション |
14 | [57] |
Promotional[edit]
Appearances[edit]
Anime[edit]
Digimon Tamers[edit]
The Digital Monster Card Game is popular among Japanese children. Matsuda Takato, Shioda Hirokazu, Kitagawa Kenta and some of their other friends are casual players;[6] Makino Ruki[7] and Akiyama Ryo[8] are competitive players; Lee Jianliang once used them with a Digital Monster PC game;[9] and Katou Juri is secretly a collector.[10]
Takato has a collection of approximately 70 cards, most of them being Digimon Cards,[11] which he keeps in an old cake tin.[12] Jianliang has approximately 40, most of them being Digimon and rare cards. Ruki has a collection of approximately 120, mainly consisting of Option Cards,[11] and keeps a supply for battles in a belt-mounted carry case.[12]
All cards have a metallic stripe along their left-hand (face) side, which contains data pertaining to the card's effects. The stripes are intended for use with Card Fighter Ex devices, to assist card game players with calculations by swiping cards into the device;[6] and with the Digital Monster PC game, to give Digimon boosts by swiping cards through a card reader peripheral.[9] However, this also makes them usable by Tamers in real Digimon fights, who swipe ("Card Slash") cards into their D-Arks to give their partner Digimon temporary power-ups, equipment, or new attack techniques.
The Card Game has a popular competitive play scene. Ruki has a certain amount of fame and notoriety as the "Digimon Queen" due to recent tournament successes, including winning the Cathode Tamer Tournament[7] and the D-1 Grand Prix (for which real Digimon, including Renamon, sought her out to be their Tamer),[13] and placing second in the previous year's Digimon Card Battle Tournament. However, she only gained this reputation following the disappearance of Ryo, who himself has a legendary reputation, who had defeated her and taken first place in the Card Battle Tournament.[8]
Video Games[edit]
Digimon World: Digital Card Battle & Digital Card Arena[edit]
The designs of the cards used in the two PlayStation Digimon World Digital Card spinoffs are taken directly from the Digital Monster Card Game. The gameplay also very loosely resembles that of the Digital Monster Card Game and includes some of the same structure and concepts, but is much simpler and features many differences and new mechanics.
Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution[edit]
Items in Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution take the form of Digital Monster Card Game cards that appear, face down, during battle.
Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer[edit]
Both items and equipment plug-ins in Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer take the form of Digital Monster Card Game cards. The contents of the cards, however, are entirely unrelated to the original card game.
Digital Monster Card Game Ver. WSC[edit]
Digital Monster Card Game Ver. WSC is a relatively straightforward video game adaptation of the Digital Monster Card Game.
Digimon World 3: The Door of A New Adventure[edit]
The designs of the cards used in the Card Battle mode are taken directly from the Digital Monster Card Game, although the actual gameplay of the mode is entirely different.
TCG[edit]
| Hyper Colosseum | ||
| Battle Spirits | ||
|
| ||
Localization[edit]
Digi-Battle Card Game[edit]
From 1999 to 2002, Bandai America—initially in collaboration with Upper Deck[14]—produced the Digi-Battle Card Game for (primarily) Western markets. Broadly speaking, it was a simplified adaptation of the Japanese Digital Monster Card Game which retained many of the same core rules while also reducing the complexity of some mechanics.
Starter Deck 1 and Boosters 1 and 2 of the Digi-Battle Card Game were relatively direct adaptations of the Japanese Starter Ver. 1 and Boosters 1 and 2; almost all of the original Japanese cards in these sets were retained with the same art and numbering, but experienced some alterations to their stats and effects. From Booster 3 and the Street Starter series onward, however, releases of the Digi-Battle Card Game totally diverged from those of the Digital Monster Card Game, coinciding with a total redesign of the Digi-Battle cards that reduced the resemblance of their layout to that of the Digital Monster Card Game.
American localizations of video games that depict the Digital Monster Card Game always replaced visuals relating to its cards with those of the Digi-Battle Card Game. However, the American English dub of Digimon Tamers, "Digimon: Digital Monsters season 3," did not do likewise, as the Digital Monster Card Game cards that appear in it are not altered in any way.
Releases[edit]
| To-do list | |
|---|---|
| Release dates! | |
In addition to the below releases, individual cards were also often enclosed in Bandai America and Bandai Asia toys for Digimon Tamers.
| Set Name | # of Cards | Release Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | [58] | ||
| 54 (62) | [59] | ||
| 54 (62) | [60] [61] | ||
| 30 | [62] | ||
| 30 | [63] | ||
| 54 | |||
| 30 | |||
| 30 | |||
| 54 | [64] | ||
| 54 | |||
| 54 |
South Korea[edit]
Bandai Korea and Daewon C&A marketed a Korean-language version of the Digital Monster Card Game in South Korea in the early 2000s, beginning with the launch of Booster 1 on March 5, 2001.[15]
Releases[edit]
| Set Name | # of Cards | Release Date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
“부스터1” |
54 | [65] | |
“스타터 세트” |
60 | [66] | |
“부스터2” |
54 | [67] | |
“부스터3” |
54 | [68] | |
“스타터 세트Ver.2” |
60 | [69] | |
“부스터4” |
48 | [70] | |
“부스터5” |
48 | [71] | |
“부스터6” |
48 | [72] | |
“부스터7” |
49 | [73] | |
“스타터 세트Ver.3” |
60 | [74] | |
“스타터 세트 Ver.4” |
60 | [75] | |
“부스터 8&9 Ver.blue” |
96 | [76] | |
“부스터 8&9 Ver.red” |
96 | [77] | |
“부스터 10” |
49 | [78] | |
“스타터 세트 Ver.5” |
60 | [79] | |
“부스터 11” |
48 (96) | [80] | |
“빈티지 에디션A” |
82 | [81] | |
“빈티지 에디션B” |
82 | [82] | |
“스타터 세트 Ver.6” |
60 | [83] | |
“스타터7 ~초융합 전사들~” |
80 | [84] | |
“부스터 12” |
48 | [85] | |
“부스터 13 ~초시공의 붉은 기사~” |
48 | [86] | |
“부스터 14” |
49 | [87] | |
“부스터 15 ~폭염의 초수전사~” |
15 | [88] | |
“~하이퍼 콜로세움배틀세트 3~ 네오메탈 A 네오메탈 B” |
120 | [89] [90] | |
“~확장킷트S - 디지몬 박스~” |
60 | [91] | |
“스타터 8탄” |
32 | [92] | |
“ 부스터16탄” |
49 | [93] | |
“하이퍼콜로세움-Ⅳ (로열나이트)” |
60 | [94] | |
“확장보드” |
60 | [95] | |
“부스터 17탄” |
62 | [96] | |
“부스터 17&18” |
123 | [97] | |
“스타터 세트 Ver.9” |
37 (70) | [98] | |
“부스터 19탄” |
62 | [99] | |
“스페셜 부스터 2탄” |
40 | [100] | |
“디알부스터1” |
50 | [101] | |
“부스터 19&20 ~묵시록의 암흑마룡~ &~X -진화의 계보~” |
136 | [102] | |
“디알부스터 2” |
50 | [103] | |
“부스터 21 ~X 섬멸 부대의 맹위~” |
64 | [104] | |
“부스터 22 ~각성, 금단의 암흑진화~” |
54 | [105] | |
“디알 부스터 3” |
50 | [106] |