Tokyo Dome 1999 Format
Format Overview
The Tokyo Dome 1999 Format aims to recreate the first major official Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament, held in July 1999 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. This historic event is notable for the release of the Head of Exodia card and for riot that happened over it.
This format is characterized by its simplicity. The card pool is limited to the cards available at the time, and the rulings are based on the original Series 1 rules, which were somewhat loose.
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Main Ruling Changes
- No hand size limit: Players can hold any number of cards in their hand without discarding.
- No first turn draw: The player who goes first does not draw a card on their first turn.
- Limited cards: Raigeki, Dark Hole, and Trap Hole are each limited to one copy per deck.
- Deck-out condition: If a player runs out of cards to draw, the player with the higher Life Points at that time wins the duel.
- Side Deck:Each player can have either no side deck, or 10 cards in their side deck.
Specific Card Rulings
Traps
Traps destroy themselves after use unless their original Series 1 printing lacks specific card text indicating this. For example, Kunai with Chain remains on the field after activation, functioning similarly to Call of the Haunted for both of its effects.
Cards That Do Not Leave the Field Upon Activation
The following cards remain on the field after their activation instead of being destroyed:
- Dragon Capture Jar
- Ultimate Offering
- Kunai with Chain
An exception is Crush Card Virus, which sacrifices itself and the monster used for its activation cost. Although it leaves the field, it does so through a different mechanic (sacrifice) rather than destruction.
Rulings and Sources
This format uses the final rulings of Series 1 when available. Given the looseness of the early rules and the scarcity of concrete sources from that era (pre-Internet or very early Internet in Japan), some liberties are taken. If an early ruling or a definitive source cannot be found, the earliest available ruling is used, or the Goat Format ruling is applied as a backup.
Sample Decks
Umi 1999 focuses on using the Field Spell 'Umi' in order to boost the attack of cards like Great White to 1800, as well as to make the fusion materials for Deepsea Shark hit harder. Steel shell lets Deepsea Shark crash with Summoned Skull. Aggressive deck with a focus on getting in damage whenever possible.
View DeckEarth Aggro 1999 leverages the power of "Invigoration" in combination with Giant Soldier of Stone and The Beautiful Headhuntress to create a mid-range aggro deck that hopes to be able to both wall up and attack as needed. Warrior side deck helps get around Card Crush Virus.
View DeckMystical Elf is a defensive staple, while Curtain of the Dark Ones, though weak, serves as a viable target for Crush Card Virus. Together, they fuse into "Kamionwizard." With only 1300 attack, it’s not much, but at this stage of the game, that extra special summon can provide the tempo you need to fully capitalize on the powerful effects of Crush Card Virus.
View DeckLeverages Elegant Egotist to flood the field with Harpie Lady Sisters. Highly aggro, but lacks in true killing power due to the limited attack of the Sisters. Cards like Gust Fan and Mountain help keep the pressure up. Skelengel gets you to Egotist faster, as that's the lynchpin of the deck.
View DeckInsects 1999 focuses on powering up Giant Flea with "Insect Armor with Laser Cannon" to reach 2200 attack. In theory, the deck can nearly OTK if your opponent has a Summoned Skull in the graveyard. Two Fleas with Armor hit for 2200 each—boosted by Forest to 2400—dealing 4800 total. Add 2500 from Summoned Skull, and you're at 7300 damage.
View DeckThe key feature of this deck is the combo of tributing a Summoned Skull from your hand to summon Rider, then reviving Summoned Skull with Monster Reborn. While this combo can be inconsistent, when executed, it puts your opponent on a two-turn clock by dealing over 4000 damage.
View DeckWithout using Magician of Faith to recycle the spells, you can deal 5700 damage with the (honestly weak) burn spells in this format. Recycle 3 Oozakis with Faith? That's 8000 LP damage. Makes use of Castle Walls as a pseudo burn card to increase damage dealt when your opponent attacks into one of your 2000 DEF walls. Experimental kind of deck.
View DeckThis deck aims to capitalize on the two FIRE fusion monsters: the legendary Flame Swordsman and his spellcaster counterpart, Vermillion Sparrow. Three copies of Salamandra are included to boost your monsters' attack, but saving the swords for a game-winning push is always a viable strategy. Vermillion Sparrow equipped with three Salamandra can deal a massive 4000 damage—a huge blow to your opponent.
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