YU-GI-OH! TCG Announces New Genesys Format

Yugi-Millenials and Yugi-Gen Z duelists, rejoice? I was minding my own business the other day when I saw the news that Konami has announced a new, alternative format for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG called Yu-Gi-Oh! Genesys.

While you can head over to the official announcement for Genesys, I’m going to break things down as best I can to help you understand what we know starting with the four core rules.

First, Genesys uses all Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG cards EXCEPT Pendulum Monsters and Link Monsters. Second, there is no Forbidden & Limited List. Technically all cards that are not Pendulum nor Link Monsters are legal.

Third, decks are constructed using a point system. Fourth, the standard point cap will be 100 points, but Official Tournament Stores can run events at any point cap they wish (including 0!).

If Pendulums and Links offend you but Synchros and Xyz are fine (sorry Yugi-Boomers), this format sounds like a dream! Now, if you have a favorite archetype that doesn’t fall into the banned mechanics, maybe it will actually be able to shine in Genesys. Another detail is that there will be no Pendulum Zones nor Extra Monster Zones once again hearkening back to the pre-Pendulum fields.

Now let’s talk about the point system and deck building. As previously mentioned, the standard point cap will be 100 points, but what does that actually mean. Well, as it currently stands, there are 505 cards that have a point value between 1-100. All other cards in the format are worth 0 points! Konami does have a website to help you look up cards and build decks, but it’s currently in early access and as of writing not really working (probably due to high traffic).

However, the original format page does have a table of the 505 cards and their values. For example, Pot of Greed will cost you 30 points per copy while Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon costs you 100 points and Dark Magician costs 0 points. Heck, if you want to play everyone’s favorite cockroach (Maxx “C”), each copy will cost you 50 points. This creates an interesting balancing act as you build your deck.

What’s more, we have word from Konami-favored content creators including Dzeeff and Ruggles who shared that the point values will be updated fairly regularly. Ruggles even says he believes that it will happen monthly (Joshua Schmidt does mention that the team was discussing monthly or bi-monthly updates).

Honestly, at least for the first several months, this is probably going to be necessary as it currently feels pretty arbitrary as to the values for some cards. For instance, why is Koa'ki Meiru Wall worth any points? Why does Pot of Greed cost 30 but Pot of Prosperity is worth 40? If Konami does support Genesys, it could be huge, especially for more casual duelists.

Essentially, Genesys comes across as a low-powered format that will allow for many duelists to potentially find more success with their pet decks. Hypothetically, this will also be less complicated allowing new players to more easily learn the game before advancing to the Advanced Format. This is actually a smart move by Konami.

Now, on the bright side, we know that Konami does plan on supporting Genesys at least for a while. They’ve already announced that Genesys will be a side event at four upcoming YCS events (Anaheim, Sao Paulo, Pittsburgh, and Merida). Plus, they are going to have a North American Genesys YCS (Genesys will be the main event) in 2026! They are actually looking at supporting this which is exciting!

If Konami were really thinking, they’d listen to “7x YCS Champion” Ruxin34 (note sarcasm for the meme), and do two things to help Genesys. First, they’ll bring Genesys to Master Duel and not just as a limited time event.

They need to add it as its own game mode. This would really be good for Master Duel as it has been lacking in meaningful updates since launch and many people are simply not playing it. Additionally, it would give everyone a good chance to practice and fine tune their decks.

Second, they will release some Genesys-specific products. They could repurpose reprint sets to actually be geared towards Genesys and if they do things right with rarity distribution to help collectors then they could actually see some product selling!

I am personally stoked for Yu-Gi-Oh! Genesys. I’m very interested to see what people make in this format and how Konami adjusts the point system. I know that Konami has a recent history of kicking fans down and this does not erase those problems.

However, that doesn’t take away from this genuinely good announcement of a new format that has the potential to bring fresh air into the game. Let me know your thoughts and your hopes for the new Genesys format below.