Pendulum Lesson!

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN!!!!! Yeah as far as I'm going to go in ripping off Yuya. Anywho today's lesson will be about pendulum summoning. When it was first announced many duelists, like myself, were confused as hell as to how it worked. Well today I'm here to hopefully enlighten everyone out there that is still confused on the subject.


Pendulums were introduced in the latest anime series, Arc-V in which Yuya somehow manages to generate pendulum monsters when he was about to lose his duel against the reigning champion. His new summon method shocked the audience and the dueling world as he the first and for a while only owner of pendulum monsters, not counting when they were stolen or taken in a duel.


The look of pendulum monsters are quite different from normal monster cards. Lets take a look at their differences.

Visually pendulum card art doesn't stretch as low but takes up more of the space towards the card's trim. also the lower half of their card's color resembles that of a spell card. Next they have red and blue scale markers that indicate their pendulum scale. Finaly Almost all pendulum monsters have 2 different effects at least, a monster zone, the lower box and a pendulum zone effect, the upper box.


Normal Summon and related effects
Pendulum monsters can be summoned in normal methods, of course level 5 or higher need to have tributes. However while in your hand you can activate them and place them in your pendulum scales. Note that when you use them in this fashion they are considered spell cards, and can be counters by cards that counter or destroy spell cards. Also if you have a pendulum monster with a yellow background like a normal monster does, they are still considered normal monsters and can be treated as such when effects involving normal monsters would resolve such as heart of the underdog.

Pendulum Scale
All pendulum Monsters have a scale, currently the lowest scale is 1 and the highest is 10. When you activate a pendulum monster, aka setting the scale* their scale is then locked into that side, unless a card effect is used that can change their scale* each player has 2 pendulum zones to place pendulum monsters, and they do NOT work like field spells so you can't just replace them when ever you want like you would a field spell, they have to be destroyed or removed by card effects.

Pendulum Destruction
Pendulum monsters have an interesting mechanic unique to them. When they are destroyed by battle or card effect, instead of being sent to the grave they go face up in your extra deck. There are many other methods in which they go to your extra deck. If they are used for a synchro summon they go to your extra deck. If they are on the field and used for a fusion summon they go to your extra deck. If they are tributed while on the field they go to the extra deck. Basicly if they are sent from the field to the grave, they instead go to the extra deck. There are exceptions to this. If they are sent from your hand, main deck, or extra deck to the grave, they stay there. If they are detached from an xyz monster they go to your grave. If their summon or pendulum activation are negated they go to the grave. If macro cosmos or dimensional fissure is on the field they are banished instead of going to the extra deck.

Pendulum Summon
Now to pendulum summon you need both of your pendulum zones occupied. Also you can only pendulum summon once a turn, even if its negated. When you go to pendulum you look at your pendulum scales, so say you have the 1 monster who's scale is 2 and another who's scale is 8. It does not matter what side they are on when you measure the scales by the way.
You can then pendulum summon, aka special summon, as many monsters as possible from your hand or monsters that are face up in your extra deck, who's level is between the scales but not equal to the scales themselves. Meaning if your scales are 2 and 8, you can special summon any level 3,4,5,6, or 7 monster. You do not have to pendulum summon pendulum monsters, you can pendulum regular monsters as well, from your hand of course.
You can not pendulum other monsters in your extra deck except pendulums. Arc-V threw this rule for a loop when it revealed Odd Eyes Rebellion Dragon. It is an XYZ Pendulum monster that when its sent to the extra deck AFTER it is already been summoned normally, it can be resummoned like any other pendulum monster as long as a level 7 monster can be pendulumed.
As an example lets use the same scales again, 2 and 8. Lets say you have a blue eyes white dragon, level 8, a red-eyes black dragon, level 7, an alexandrite dragon, level 4, and a white stone of legend, level 1. You can then pendulum summon red eyes and alexandrite dragon as their levels fit between but are not equal to the pendulum scales. You can not pendulum summon blue eyes as its level is equal to the scale and maiden cant be summoned because she doesn't even fit in the scales to begin with.

Odd-EyesPendulum Dragon This Monster is quite useful in many pendulum decks as his pendulum effect is not restricted to an archetype. In which during the endphase  you can destroy this card if its in your pendulum zone and then add any pendulum monster who's attack is 1500 or less.

Pendulum Arise You send 1 monster you control to the grave and special summon any pendulum monster who's level is the same as the sent monster's ORIGINAL level. But the monster is destroyed at the end phase.
Now this card doesn't seem that dangerous since the pendulum monster will go to your extra deck, and useful i fyou need a specific pendulum monster.

Pendulum Shift This card is both offensive and supportive as it can shift any pendulum monster's scale from 1 to 10 till the end phase, meaning you can prevent your opponent from pendulum summoning that turn, or help you summon higher or lower level monsters at once.

Pendulum Impenetrable This card prevents the destruction of any pendulum zone cards the turn its used, this counters any MST's your opponent might try to use. Surprisingly this card can be used offensively if your opponent is trying to destroy their own scales for their own reasons, this even locks down Igknight's search effects that turn since they cant self destruct.

Pendulum Osculation Strategic card if your opponent destroys your own scales, and lets you use their own scales when you pendulum summon from your extra deck only, however this is highly situation as both duelists have to use pendulums to begin with.

Pot of Riches Lets you recycle pendulum monsters in your extra deck or grave and draw 2 cards afterwards. However it does restrict non pendulum summons that turn.

Swaying Gaze A very interesting card as it blows up every card in the pendulum scales and gets an effect for each one broken. 1, 500 burn damage, 2 search any pendulum monster, 3 banish 1 card on the field, 4 search another swaying gaze.

Pendulum Back If your scales are both occupied you target 2, exactly 2, monsters in your grave who's level are between the scales and return them to your hand. A useful recycle card if you pendulum and xyz summon.

Echo Osculation Once per turn destroy 1 pendulum monster in your pendulum zone and draw a card. Basic draw engine.

Thats it for today's lesson everyone, and remember to entertain your audience when you duel! yeah i lied about more references .