Play 40 cards
40 is the minimum and almost always the right size: every extra card lowers your chance of drawing your best starters. Go above 40 only when a deck's own effects reward it.
Deckmaster AI Agents
Yu-Gi-Oh! deck builder
An AI deck builder for the Advanced format that checks every card against the current TCG banlist, plus the meta, the big events and our deck-building tips.
AI deck builder · Deal Hunter · Meta decks · Tournaments · Deck-building tips
AI deck builder Bring your own key
Which AI do you want to use?
No key? Use ours Agents Plus: C$5 a month plus AI credits. Coming soon.
Your key stays in your browser. It is kept in this tab only (or on this device if you tick Remember) and sent only to the AI company you picked, straight from your browser. It never reaches pokemonpack.com, and we never see or store it. Your builds are billed to your own AI account; the shop pays nothing. A remembered key can be read by anyone using this browser: press Forget key when you're done on a shared computer.
What's an API key? How do I get one?
An API key is like a password that lets an app use your own account with an AI company. You paste it here, and the deck builder uses your AI account to do its thinking. The AI company bills you for what you use, usually a few cents per deck.
Why we ask for one. The deck builder is free: we don't charge for it and we don't run the AI ourselves. Your key goes straight from your browser to the AI company you picked. We never see it, store it or take a cut.
A subscription is not an API key. ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Gemini in the Google One plans and other app subscriptions don't include an API key or API credit. The API is a separate, pay-as-you-go account on the developer sites below (you can sign in with the same login).
Stay safe
- Set a spending limit on your AI account or on the key (a few dollars is plenty), so a lost key can't run up a bill.
- Don't share it or post it anywhere. Make a separate key just for this site.
- Delete it any time on the same page where you made it: it stops working at once. Here, press Forget key to remove it from this browser.
- On a shared computer, don't tick Remember on this device.
How to get one (pick any)
Anthropic (Claude)
- Go to console.anthropic.com/settings/keys and sign up or sign in.
- Add a little credit under Billing (prepaid; a few dollars covers dozens of decks).
- Press Create Key, name it "Deckmaster", copy it (it starts with
sk-ant-). - Pick Anthropic above, paste it and press Use this key.
OpenAI (GPT)
- Go to platform.openai.com/api-keys and sign in (your ChatGPT login works, but API use is billed separately).
- Add credit under Settings, Billing, and set a monthly budget under Limits.
- Press Create new secret key and copy it (it starts with
sk-; it's shown only once). - Pick OpenAI above and paste it.
Google Gemini
- Go to aistudio.google.com/app/apikey (Google AI Studio) and sign in with a Google account.
- Press Create API key and copy it.
- Pick Gemini above and paste it.
Free tier: Google's Gemini API has a free tier: many models, including the Flash models, cost nothing within daily limits, with no card needed. On the free tier Google may use what you send to improve its products; on the paid tier it doesn't. The newest Pro models need billing turned on.
OpenRouter (one key, many models)
- Go to openrouter.ai/keys and sign in.
- Buy a few dollars of credits.
- Press Create Key, give it a credit limit (OpenRouter recommends one on every key) and copy it (it starts with
sk-or-). - Pick OpenRouter above and paste it. You can then choose from hundreds of models: Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek, Grok, Qwen, as well as Claude, GPT and Gemini.
What a deck costs
A build reads about 25,000 to 60,000 tokens and writes 4,000 to 9,000 (a token is about three-quarters of a word). With list prices on 8 Oct 2026:
| Model | Per deck, roughly |
|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 (Anthropic, our default) | US$0.09 to US$0.21 |
| Claude Haiku 4.5 (Anthropic, cheaper) | US$0.04 to US$0.10 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol (OpenAI) | US$0.09 to US$0.21 |
| GPT-5.4 mini (OpenAI, cheaper) | US$0.04 to US$0.09 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview (Google) | US$0.10 to US$0.23 |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash (Google, paid tier, until 31 Dec 2026) | US$0.03 to US$0.08 |
| Gemini Flash models on Google's free tier | US$0 (within the daily limits) |
| OpenRouter | The model's own price: the builder shows the estimate when you pick one |
Asking for changes afterwards costs a little more each time. The page shows the real token count after every build. Price lists: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter.
Deck builderBuild a deck and check every card
Deal HunterSales, flyers, restocks and MSRP finds near you
What Ace does
Tell it your format, play style, budget and the cards you own. It looks up every card in the card database while it works, builds a legal YDK-style list (names) + .ydk download list, then explains the game plan, the key combos, how to mulligan, tech options, budget swaps and the non-obvious synergies most players miss. Before you see the list, this page checks the card counts and legality again and flags any problem.
It works with Claude (Anthropic), GPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), or hundreds of other models through OpenRouter. You bring the key; open What's an API key? above for a two-minute how-to.
Agent recipes
One click fills in the form and a detailed request that gets the most out of Ace. You can edit all of it before you press Build.
Deck names are suggestions from 2026-10-08; the meta moves fast, so check YGOPRODeck for this week's top decks.
Cards I own (optional: attach your TCGplayer, Collectr or other export, or just paste a few cards below, one per line)
or drag the file onto this box
Your collection stays in your browser. The file is read on your device and is never uploaded to pokemonpack.com or saved anywhere. When you press Build, only the card names and counts go to the AI you picked, and card names to the public card database. Reads YDK files, YGOPRODeck, Collectr, Dragon Shield and TCGplayer exports (CSV or Excel .xlsx), or lines like “3 Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring”.
Your deck
Example output · hand-written sample, not a live build
Example: Snake-Eye (Advanced)
Game Yu-Gi-Oh! · Format Advanced · Style: combo · Budget: no limit · Build around Snake-Eye Ash
Main Deck (40) 3 Snake-Eye Ash 3 Snake-Eyes Poplar 1 Snake-Eye Oak 1 Snake-Eye Birch 1 Snake-Eyes Diabellstar 1 Diabellstar the Black Witch 3 Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring 3 Effect Veiler 2 Ghost Ogre & Snow Rabbit 1 Original Sinful Spoils - Snake-Eye 2 WANTED: Seeker of Sinful Spoils 1 Bonfire 2 Called by the Grave 1 Crossout Designator 2 Triple Tactics Talent 2 Pot of Prosperity 2 Forbidden Droplet 3 Infinite Impermanence 2 Sinful Spoils of Subversion - Snake-Eye 2 Evenly Matched 2 Dominus Impulse Extra Deck (13) 1 Snake-Eyes Doomed Dragon 1 Promethean Princess, Bestower of Flames 1 I:P Masquerena 1 S:P Little Knight 1 Accesscode Talker 1 Knightmare Unicorn 1 Salamangreat Almiraj 1 Linkuriboh 1 Underworld Goddess of the Closed World 1 Moon of the Closed Heaven 1 Apollousa, Bow of the Goddess 1 Saryuja Skull Dread 1 Knightmare Phoenix Side Deck (15) 3 Droll & Lock Bird 3 Nibiru, the Primal Being 2 Dark Ruler No More 2 Lightning Storm 1 Harpie's Feather Duster 2 Cosmic Cyclone 2 Anti-Spell Fragrance
Game plan
Open a Snake-Eye starter, chain the Fire monsters into each other and end on a board that interrupts your opponent's turn. Going second, the hand traps and Evenly Matched do the work.
Key combo
Snake-Eye Ash searches Poplar; the pair makes a Link that brings back Fire monsters, and Diabellstar sets up Original Sinful Spoils to keep the chain going.
Opening
Any hand with a Snake-Eye starter is a keep. Two hand traps and no starter is still fine going second.
Side deck
Going second: Dark Ruler No More, Lightning Storm and Feather Duster in, Evenly Matched stays. Going first: Droll & Lock Bird and Nibiru in for the extenders you didn't need.
This is a hand-written example to show the layout. It was not checked against the current banlist: run a real build to get a validated list.
Deal Hunter Searches the web
Finds flyer deals, sales, restocks, MSRP finds and new releases for Yu-Gi-Oh! near you or online. The AI you picked searches the web with its own search tool, and every find comes with its sources and the date we found it.
Searches run on your own key. Each hunt uses your AI account's web search and may cost you a few cents, billed to your own AI account. The shop pays nothing and never sees your key.
Leave it empty to look at online shops only. Your area is kept on this device and sent only to the AI you picked, with the search.
AI finds can be wrong or out of date: the AI reads public web pages and we don't check its answers. Call the store before you go.
Meta decks
Where the winning Yu-Gi-Oh! lists live. We link to these sites rather than copying them. Links checked 2026-10-08.
- YGOPRODeckCard database, tournament-topping decklists and deck-building tools for the TCG.
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Meta (yugiohmeta.com)TCG tier list and top-cut decks from YCS, Regionals and other big events.
- Master Duel MetaThe same team's site for Master Duel (the online game). Its card pool and banlist differ from the paper TCG, so use it for ideas, not legality.
- Forbidden & Limited listKonami's official TCG banlist (Advanced format). Check the effective date: it changes a few times a year.
Major tournaments
- Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series (YCS)Konami's largest open events, held several times a year across North America and Europe; a top finish earns a World Championship invite.
- WCQ Regional QualifiersStore- and convention-run qualifiers: top finishers earn an invite to their National Championship.
- National Championships (incl. Canada)Each country's WCQ National Championship sends its top players to the World Championship. Check Konami's events page for this season's Canadian date and city.
- Locals and OTS tournamentsWeekly store tournaments; Official Tournament Stores also run Regional Qualifiers. Our tournament locator below lists the ones we know near you.
Deck-building tips
Count starters
A starter is a card that begins your combo alone. With 12 one-card starters in 40 cards you open at least one about 85% of the time in a 5-card hand; with 15, about 92%. Track starters, extenders (cards that help only after a starter) and bricks separately.
Engine plus non-engine
Most decks run a 20 to 28 card engine plus hand traps and board breakers. Going first, hand traps protect your combo; going second, they stop your opponent's. Keep the engine tight enough that drawing hand traps doesn't leave you with nothing to do.
The Extra Deck is a toolbox
15 slots: your deck's own boss monsters first, then generic Link and Rank monsters that your engine can reach and that solve problems (removal, negation, recovery). Every Extra Deck card should have a line that summons it.
Side deck by turn order
Most siding is about going first or second. Going second you want board breakers (mass removal, cards that negate or banish set cards); going first you want more hand-trap protection or floodgates. Plan the swaps before the event.
Mind the banlist
Advanced format allows 3 copies of a card across the Main, Extra and Side Deck together: 1 if Limited, 2 if Semi-Limited, 0 if Forbidden. The list changes a few times a year, so check the effective date.
Budgeting
Buy the engine first (often from a structure deck or a core set), play the cheapest hand traps, and add expensive staples last. Reprints are frequent: a card's price can fall a lot when it lands in a tin or a reprint set.
Card data: YGOPRODeck, read by your browser while you build. Card names link to their YGOPRODeck pages (we don't copy their images). Card text © Konami / 4K Media. Meta and event links go to the sites that run them: we link to them, we don't copy them. AI answers can be wrong: check a list before an event.