Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG: Meet Genesys, the New Format!

On September 22nd, 2025, KONAMI announced a new format that should shake up the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG community: Genesys.

Unlike Advanced, Genesys is supposed to bring back that classic Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG feel, but also features a never-before-seen way to balance the meta.

No Links! No Pendulum! No Banlist!

Genesys is a unique format that should attract both nostalgic veterans as well as curious beginners.

Check out how it works below!

Genesys also features the original and traditional structure for Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG battlefields, that is, the original layout without Extra Monster Zones.

Just this detail already considerably changes how summons work. It favors strategies from before the complex Link/Pendulum era, which are not available in this format, by the way.

Another crucial detail is that Genesys doesn't have a banlist. At first, all cards are available to play, as long as you limit yourself to three copies of each. But that doesn't mean the format is unbalanced: what sets it apart from the others is its never-before-seen point system.

In Genesys, each card is worth a certain number of points and may or may not add to your total deck score. Most cards are worth 0 points, but the "stronger" cards are worth a lot more. When you build a deck for an event, you have to respect the set number of points allowed at that event. The standard amount is usually 100 points.

The iconic Pot of Greed, for instance, is worth 30 points. So, if you use three copies of it in your Genesys deck, you'll only have 10 points left for the rest of the cards.

This system adds another layer of strategy because, though we can use very powerful cards, if we do, we won't have much space for other cards. This way, even without a banlist, duelists will have to make intelligent decisions and balance consistency, power, and flexibility.

Please note that each tournament works with a different set number of points, so they can go over 100 or even abolish the point system entirely. Each Genesys tournament you play will be different.

You can check out the full list of cards and how much they're worth (505 cards are worth at least 1 point) here.

The idea behind Genesys is clear: it is supposed to be a space for veteran players to relive the classic Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG experience and, at the same time, a space that lets beginners explore the game without forcing them to learn complex mechanics like Link and Pendulum.

Competitively speaking, this format could be a new way to be creative once we don't have to focus on what the meta is like at first. We could all just play what we enjoy most as long as we respect the point system.

Genesys is a bold new move for KONAMI, somewhere we can explore new ways to play but still enjoy traditional cards. This new format balances nostalgia and innovation and is an alternative "solution" for the eternal dilemma regarding how we should balance Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG. Whether it will be successful or not, only time will tell, but it seems very promising already.

What do you think? Are you anxious to play this new format? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

To learn more about the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG universe, keep browsing our articles.

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