Digimon Card Game: how to play

Digimon Card Game is Bandai's card game about digital monsters that evolve over the course of the match. You win by taking your opponent's five security cards and then hitting the player directly. The game's defining feature is the memory gauge: instead of resources that build up over time, the players share a single gauge that is pushed back and forth, which decides who gets to keep playing.

Quick facts

Publisher	Bandai
Launch	2020
Number of players	2
Deck size	50 cards, plus a separate egg deck
Security cards	5
Maximum per card	4 copies
Card size	Standard, 63 × 88 mm

What makes the game different

1. Both players share the memory gauge. If you play expensive cards, the gauge moves over to your opponent, who then gets to act. So turn order is something you pay for.
2. Digimon evolve on top of each other. The cards are stacked, and the whole stack counts as one unit with the top level's stats.
3. Security cards are both life and luck. When they are hit they are flipped over and can strike back.
4. The egg deck is separate. A small extra deck that gives you new starting creatures during the match.
5. Colours shape deck building. Each colour has its own play style, and most decks stick to one or two.

The card types

Digimon	Your fighting cards, in levels from rookie upwards.
Digi-Egg	Kept in the separate egg deck and hatches into a starting creature.
Tamer	Stays in play and gives ongoing effects.
Option	One-time effect, the equivalent of spells.

The release types

BT	The booster sets, the main releases with the most new cards
ST	Starter decks, ready-made decks
EX	Smaller theme releases between the main sets
Other	Anniversary releases and special packs

The set code is printed on the card together with the card number. A code like BT17 followed by a number identifies the card. The parallel versions with alternate art share their number with the base card.

The sets

The sets are listed with the code first, and under each is what sets it apart from the others.

ST-4 Giga Green

Giga Green is the green starter deck and is built on suspending the opponent's Digimon and then finishing with an evolution to mega level. The deck has two evolution lines, Palmon to Rosemon and Tentomon to HerculesKabuterimon, with Izzy Izumi as tamer, and the box also includes a pack of Great Legend.

EX-02 Digital Hazard

Digital Hazard was released as a theme booster for the 20th anniversary of the anime Digimon Tamers, and every Digimon, tamer and option card in the set is connected to that series. The tamer cards include Takato Matsuki, Rika Nonaka and Henry Wong, and the secret rare cards are Gallantmon Crimson Mode and Beelzemon Blast Mode. The set has 74 card types and 30 parallel cards, and each display contains one of two promo cards with alternate art.

The chase cards are the secret rare cards Gallantmon Crimson Mode and Beelzemon Blast Mode.

EX-03 Draconic Roar

Draconic Roar was the third theme booster and has dragons as its theme, with many Dramon Digimon and the Four Great Dragons group. The set also contains cards that strengthen dragon Digimon from earlier sets. The secret rare cards are Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode and Examon, and the super rare cards include Goldramon, Chaosdramon and Darkdramon. Each display contains one of two promo cards with alternate art.

The chase cards are the secret rare cards Imperialdramon: Fighter Mode and Examon.

BT-23 Hackers' Slumber

Hackers' Slumber takes many characters from the game Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory, where the hacker group Hudie gets its own deck with Erika Mishima and Hudiemon as secret rare. From Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth also come Mastemon as secret rare and a new King Drasil_7D6 card, which can give a Royal Knights Digimon the keywords Rush, Raid, Reboot and Blocker. From Digimon Liberator comes Dullahamon, Ghostmon's new mega form, and from Digimon Universe: App Monsters Eri Karan and Poseidomon.

The chase cards are the secret rare cards Hudiemon and Mastemon, both from the crossover with Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory.

AD-01 Advanced Booster Digimon Generation

Digimon Generation was the first Advanced Booster release and consists mostly of reprints of cards that have been strong in tournament play. The 25 cards that are not reprints are new versions of Gallantmon, ShineGreymon, Siriusmon, WarGreymon, MetalGarurumon and Omnimon, among others, and the set has new alternate art with gold foil. A display holds 12 packs, half as many as in the regular booster sets.

The chase cards are the gold foil versions of the returning favourites, such as WarGreymon, Omnimon and Gallantmon.

BT-26 Timeless Bonds

Timeless Bonds continues with the game Digimon Story Time Stranger: Olympos XII appear as Dual cards, and Chronomon: Holy Mode and Plutomon are included, Plutomon as ultimate rare. The set introduced the keyword Succession for Jupitermon, which carries over the effects from the top Jupitermon card in the evolution stack. Appmon with the Seven Code trait get the keyword Detach, and the set also has more cards from Digimon Beatbreak and Digimon Data Squad.

The chase cards are the secret rare cards Jupitermon: Wrath Mode and Kunlun. One step down are the Ultimate Rare card Plutomon and the super rare cards Chronomon: Holy Mode and ZombiePlutomon.

EX-13 Chivalrous XIII

Chivalrous XIII has the Royal Knights as its theme and gives new cards to decks for all thirteen knights. Each of the thirteen has an alternate art card with a shiny gold finish, and the secret rare cards are Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode and Omnimon: Merciful Mode. The tamer cards feature Tai Kamiya & Matt Ishida from Digimon Adventure tri. Davis Motomiya & Ken Ichijoji from Digimon Adventure 02: Diaboromon Strikes Back are also included. Each display contains one alternate art card.

The chase cards are the secret rare cards Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode and Omnimon: Merciful Mode.

LM-09 Limited Card Pack Distancia Cero

Distancia Cero is the ninth set in the Limited Card Pack series and is sold through Premium Bandai, with delivery in the US from 2 November 2026 and release in other regions on 27 November; the new cards are tournament legal from 11 December 2026. A box has six packs of ten cards, and the set consists of 33 card types: six cards with new text – the training cards Endurance Training, Bobbing Training and Weight Training, and cards for Zephagamon, Gundramon and HeavyMetaldramon – and 27 reprints with alternate art, including four new alt-art versions of BeelStarmon (X Antibody), Jesmon, Tsumemon and Leviamon; the other 23 reprints have coloured frames.

The chase cards are the four new alt-art cards BeelStarmon (X Antibody), Jesmon, Tsumemon and Leviamon.

BT-27 Ignition of X

Ignition of X gives the Royal Knights new versions with X Antibody and supports the decks from the Royal Knights set Chivalrous XIII. King Drasil from the game Digimon Story Time Stranger plays a central role, and Dual cards let the player use powerful option effects while a Digimon evolves into its X Antibody form. Decks from Digimon Beatbreak and Digimon Data Squad get continued support, including Chiropmon and Gaogamon, and there are support cards for the starter decks Rubeusdramon and Yukinamon.

ST-25 Rubeusdramon

Rubeusdramon is one of two starter decks with characters from the mobile game Digimon Alysion and is built around Kanata Hondo and Gemmon, with Rubeusdramon as a Dual card. The deck has 54 cards, and the box includes a pack of Ignition of X.

ST-26 Yukinamon

Yukinamon is the second starter deck from the mobile game Digimon Alysion and centres on Valner Dragnogh and Renamon, with Yukinamon as a Dual card. The box has the same setup as Rubeusdramon, 54 cards and a pack of Ignition of X.

EX-14 Malevolent VII

Malevolent VII has the Seven Great Demon Lords as its theme, including Beelzemon and Lilithmon, and follows the Royal Knights set Chivalrous XIII. All seven Demon Lords have special alternate art cards found in packs at low odds. The set also has characters from the manga Digimon Next, such as VictoryGreymon and ZeedGarurumon, and strengthens the Sakuyamon and Shambala decks, where Enmamon makes its debut in the card game.

The chase cards are the alternate art cards of the seven Demon Lords, among them Beelzemon and Lilithmon, found in packs at low odds.

The rarities

C	Common, the most common
U	Uncommon
R	Rare
SR	Super rare. The level above is UR, ultimate rare.
SEC	Secret rare, the rarest
Alternate art	The same card with a different illustration, often the most sought after

Getting started

1. Buy a starter deck. It contains a ready-made deck with matching eggs.
2. Buy two if nobody else nearby plays, so you have one deck each.
3. Play a few matches before you change anything in the decks.
4. Build on with boosters in the same colour as your starter deck.
5. Sleeve your decks. The cards are shuffled often and the egg deck gets handled a lot.

Common beginner mistakes

• Playing expensive cards early and giving your opponent the whole memory gauge.
• Building a four-colour deck. Two is almost always better.
• Forgetting the egg deck, which gives you new starting creatures for free.
• Running too few rookie cards, so you never get an evolution stack going.
• Chasing secret rares in packs instead of buying the card.

Frequently asked questions

• Do I need to have seen the series? No. The rules stand on their own.
• What is the memory gauge? A shared gauge that decides who gets to keep playing.
• Which sleeves fit? Standard size, 63 × 88 mm.
• Does the format rotate? Bandai has used restriction lists and limitations rather than full rotation.
• Are there Japanese and English cards? Yes, and the Japanese ones are normally released first.

Glossary for Digimon Card Game

Memory	The memory gauge both players share
Digivolve	Placing a higher-level Digimon card on top of a lower one
Security	The five security cards, your life total
Digi-egg deck	The separate egg deck
Tamer	Card that stays in play and gives ongoing effects
Option	One-time effect
Inheritable effect	Effect that lives on in the evolution stack
DP	The Digimon card's strength in battle

Building your own deck

1. Choose a colour and an evolution line to build around.
2. Run enough rookie cards, otherwise you will never get going.
3. Build an even curve so you have something to play every turn.
4. Add tamers. They are easy to forget but often carry the deck.
5. Don't forget the egg deck, which is a small deck of its own with its own purpose.

What makes a Digimon card expensive

• Alternate illustrations of popular Digimon. Often the most expensive cards in the series.
• Secret rares from early sets, which were printed in smaller volumes than later releases.
• Tournament strength, which shifts quickly when new sets are released.
• Nostalgia. Digimon from the original series have their own group of buyers.
• Japanese exclusive versions that were never released in English.

Collecting instead of playing

Many people buy Digimon cards for the illustrations rather than for the game, and that is a perfectly reasonable path. The alternate illustrations are among the most elaborate in the hobby, and they are made to hang on a wall as much as to be played with.

If you collect that way, you should buy single cards instead of packs. The odds on the highest rarities are low, and it is almost always cheaper to buy the card directly than to open packs chasing it.

Read more about the rarities, the pack types and English or Japanese cards.

Shop: Digimon at Bangerpack.

Written by us who run Bangerpack. Range and prices change continuously. What applies when you read this is shown in the category.