Get Started
Go from your first duel to your first tournament.
Goat Format is Yu-Gi-Oh! as it was played in the summer of 2005. The games are long, every card matters and the card pool never changes. This page walks you from knowing nothing to sitting down in your first tournament.
Learn the format
Start with What is Goat Format? for the short version. When you want the details, History & Banlist covers the legal sets and every restricted card.
Play your first duel
Most players duel online on DuelingBook. It is free, runs in your browser and has every Goat Format card. How to Play shows you how to set it up and find a game.
Build a deck
You don't need to invent a deck. Build Your First Deck helps you pick a proven list and learn why it works. Then browse decklists from real tournaments and deck guides for each archetype.
Learn the rulings
Goat Format uses the rulings a 2005 head judge would have applied, and some differ from modern Yu-Gi-Oh!. Read the rulings guide for the big ones, and search the rulings database when a specific card comes up.
Enter a tournament
Online events are free and run by our tournament bot on Discord. You sign up, submit your deck and report results without leaving the server. Your First Tournament walks through a whole event, and Tournament Bot explains each command.
- Find your next event on the calendar.
- Goat Fridays run every week and are the easiest place to start. See every tournament series.
Find other players
The Goat Format Discord is where events, deck help and rulings questions happen. There is a channel just for new players, so ask anything.
