Pendulum Summoning is one of the newer types of Special Summoning in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players can use this powerful mechanic to summon multiple Monster Cards simultaneously. Introduced with the Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V anime series, Pendulum Monsters are unique cards that can act as both Monsters and Spells depending on how they’re played on the field. This makes Pendulum Monsters incredibly versatile, and combined with other types of Special Summoning, Pendulum Summoning can easily become one of the most effective Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel strategies.
Pendulum Cards are a hybrid between Monster Cards and Spell Cards and have two separate card descriptions that activate depending on whether they’re played in a Monster Zone or a Pendulum Zone. Pendulum Zones are located on either end of the player’s Spell and Trap Card Zone and are only considered Pendulum Zones when occupied by a Pendulum Card. When played as Monster Cards, Pendulum Monsters can simply be Normal Summoned or Tribute Summoned like any of the iconic Monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel.
Pendulum Monsters are kept in the main deck and always count as a Monster Card while in the main deck or graveyard, but when played in the Pendulum zones, their Pendulum effects are activated, and their Monster effects cannot be used. Pendulum Monsters can be played in the Pendulum Zone whenever Spell Cards can be played, usually during either main phase of the player’s turn. When Pendulum Cards would be sent from the field to the graveyard, either as a Monster or from a Pendulum Zone, they are sent face-up to the player’s extra deck instead. However, if a Pendulum Card would be sent to the graveyard from any other location, such as the player’s hand or main deck, they go to the graveyard like any other card.
How To Perform A Pendulum Summon In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
In addition to their level, Pendulum Monsters also have a Scale, which allows Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players to perform a Pendulum Summon. In order to Pendulum Summon, players must have two Pendulum Monsters with different Scales in their Pendulum Zones. When both of these zones are occupied, players can Pendulum Summon any number of Monsters from their hand or face-up in the Extra Deck whose levels are between the numbers designated by the Pendulum Cards’ Scales.
For example, if a Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel player has a Scale 1 Pendulum Monster and a Scale 8 Pendulum Monster in their Pendulum Zones, they will be able to summon as many Monsters between level 2 and 7 as they have in their hand or face-up in the Extra Deck and have room for on the field. However, Pendulum Monsters that are face-up in the Extra Deck count as Extra Deck Monsters and can only be summoned to Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel's Extra Monster Zone or to a zone linked by a Link Monster, which are indicated by the red arrows on the Link Monster Card. Pendulum Cards can still be used to perform a Pendulum Summon even if their Pendulum effects have been negated.
How To Build A Pendulum Summoning Deck In Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
Pendulum Monsters are a great addition to many different types of decks in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel since they allow players to summon multiple Monsters at once, making it much easier to perform other types of Special Summons such as Fusion, Synchro, or XYZ Summons. While players can only Normal Summon once per turn, there’s no limit to the amount of Special Summons they can perform, and players can use Pendulum Summons to quickly get all of the materials they need for a Special Summon on the field. By choosing Pendulum Cards whose effects synergize with their deck build, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel players can set up incredible combos that suit their own play style.
In addition to regular Pendulum Cards, there are also Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ Pendulum Cards, which are kept face-down in the Extra Deck. However, since they can’t be summoned directly from the hand to the Pendulum Zone like most Pendulum Cards, these special Monsters usually have specific card effects that allow them to move to the Pendulum Zone. With powerful Monsters like these available in Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, players can easily incorporate Pendulum Summoning into their own deck build to give themselves a competitive advantage.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox X|S Series, and Nintendo Switch.