Combien de Starters faut-il dans un deck Yu-Gi-Oh! ?

La règle compétitive recommande entre 9 et 12 copies accessibles de votre combo d'ouverture, en comptant les garnets (cartes cherchées par un Starter). La loi hypergéométrique montre qu'avec 9 copies dans un deck de 40 cartes, tu as environ 85 % de chances de piocher au moins une de ces cartes sur 5 tirages. En dessous de 9 copies, la consistance chute significativement et tu risques de trop souvent ouvrir sans Starter.

Quelle est la différence entre Going 1st et Going 2nd pour la consistance ?

Going 1st, tu joues avec 5 cartes et l'objectif est de construire un board de négations le plus tôt possible. Une seule main avec un Starter peut suffire pour poser ton combo. Going 2nd, tu reçois 6 cartes mais tu dois briser le board adverse : tu as besoin de board breakers comme Kaijus, Evenly Matched ou Lightning Storm. La composition optimale du deck diffère selon que tu privilégies le premier ou le second tour.

C'est quoi un Brick dans un deck ?

Un Brick est une carte qui bloque ta main d'ouverture : tu ne peux pas la jouer normalement au premier tour et elle prend une place précieuse. Il ne faut pas confondre un Brick avec un Garnet. Un Garnet est une carte volontairement limitée à 1 copie, cherchée par un Starter (par exemple un monstre de bas niveau nécessaire pour une invocation spéciale). Un Brick pur est une carte sans synergies immédiates qui nuit systématiquement à ta main.

Combien de fois faut-il simuler pour avoir un résultat fiable ?

La loi des grands nombres stipule que plus le nombre d'essais est élevé, plus les résultats convergent vers les probabilités réelles. En pratique, simuler au moins 100 mains donne déjà une bonne tendance. Pour des résultats statistiquement solides, vise 200 à 500 simulations. En dessous de 50 mains, les fluctuations aléatoires sont trop importantes pour tirer des conclusions. Notre simulateur te permet de relancer autant de fois que nécessaire pour atteindre un échantillon significatif.

Le simulateur prend-il en compte les effets des cartes ?

Non, le simulateur effectue uniquement un tirage aléatoire pur depuis ton Main Deck, sans interpréter les effets des cartes. Il ne simule pas les chaînes d'effets, les recherches ou les invocations spéciales. Son rôle est de tester la distribution statistique de ton deck : quelle proportion de mains contient un Starter, un Hand Trap, ou un Brick. Pour une analyse complète des probabilités et des calculs hypergéométriques, utilise l'outil de probabilités complémentaire.

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Opening hand simulator
Yu-Gi-Oh!

Draw 5 cards (1st) or 6 cards (2nd) randomly from your deck. Check for Starters, identify Bricks, and measure your opening hand consistency.

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How does the simulator work?

Build your deck

Add your cards in the deckbuilder. The simulator uses your Main Deck in real time.

Run the draw

Click "Draw a hand" to randomly draw 5 cards (1st) or 6 cards (2nd).

Analyze and adjust

Identify weak hands, spot Bricks, and adjust your list to improve consistency.

Why test opening hands in Yu-Gi-Oh!?

The opening hand is the number one factor in competitive Yu-Gi-Oh!. A consistent deck must be able to play a functional hand in the vast majority of games.

By simulating hundreds of hands, you can objectively measure how often you open with at least one Starter, how often you are "bricked", or how often you have too many Hand Traps.

The YGO-Decklab simulator displays card images, lets you draw one at a time with the "Draw 1" button, and relaunch as many times as needed to calibrate your deck.

Opening hand: 1st or 2nd?

Going 1st (5 cards)

You play first without drawing. The goal is to set up as many negations as possible. Drawing 1 Starter is often enough.

Going 2nd (6 cards)

You play second with one extra card. You need "going second cards" (Kaijus, Evenly Matched…) to break the opponent's board.

Simulator FAQ

How many Starters should a Yu-Gi-Oh! deck have?

Competitive wisdom recommends 9 to 12 accessible copies of your opening combo, counting garnets (cards searched by a Starter). The hypergeometric distribution shows that with 9 copies in a 40-card deck, you have around 85% chance of drawing at least one in 5 draws. Below 9 copies, consistency drops significantly and you risk opening without a Starter too often.

What is the difference between Going 1st and Going 2nd for consistency?

Going 1st, you play with 5 cards and the goal is to build a negation board as early as possible. A single Starter in hand can be enough to execute your combo. Going 2nd, you receive 6 cards but must break the opponent's board: you need board breakers like Kaijus, Evenly Matched or Lightning Storm. The optimal deck composition differs depending on whether you prefer the first or second turn.

What is a Brick in a deck?

A Brick is a card that clogs your opening hand: you cannot play it normally on the first turn and it takes up a precious slot. Don't confuse a Brick with a Garnet. A Garnet is a card intentionally limited to 1 copy, searched by a Starter (for example a low-level monster required for a Special Summon). A pure Brick is a card with no immediate synergies that systematically hurts your hand.

How many times should you simulate for a reliable result?

The law of large numbers states that the more trials performed, the closer the results converge to the true probabilities. In practice, simulating at least 100 hands already gives a good trend. For statistically solid results, aim for 200 to 500 simulations. Below 50 hands, random fluctuations are too large to draw conclusions. Our simulator lets you relaunch as many times as needed to reach a significant sample.

Does the simulator account for card effects?

No, the simulator only performs a pure random draw from your Main Deck, without interpreting card effects. It does not simulate effect chains, searches or special summons. Its role is to test the statistical distribution of your deck: what proportion of hands contain a Starter, a Hand Trap, or a Brick. For a full probability analysis and hypergeometric calculations, use the complementary probability tool.

Glossary: Starters, Bricks, Hand Traps

STARTER

Starter

Card that initiates the main combo on the first turn. A good competitive deck aims for 9 to 12 accessible copies of its Starter (including garnets) to maximize the chances of opening a playable hand.

BRICK / GARNET

Brick / Garnet

A Brick is a card that is unusable in your opening hand and hurts consistency. A Garnet is a special case: a card intentionally limited to 1 copy, searched by a Starter but never meant to be drawn directly.

HAND TRAP

Hand Trap

Monster playable from the hand to disrupt the opponent's combo. Examples: Ash Blossom, Effect Veiler, Nibiru. Hand Traps are essential but having too many in your opening hand can reduce your ability to develop your own board.

Other available tools

Yu-Gi-Oh! Deckbuilder → Analyze my Yu-Gi-Oh! deck → Calculate my deck probabilities → Prepare my competitive Side Deck →

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