by Yugioh! has introduced many Extra Deck monsters over the years: Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link. Each of these monster forms have their own unique summoning mechanic. Today, let’s take a look at Link Summoning and what is a Link Monster!
Link?
A Link Monster is a unique Extra Deck monster characterized by its distinctive arrows and blue, hexagon background. These cards are called Link Monsters due to their arrows that “link” them with other monsters on the Field. These Link Arrows are often at the core of a Link Monster’s effects. Often, a Link Monster has an effect that interacts with monsters or zones it points to like Trickstar Holly Angel, or the Link Monster itself benefits from cards it points to like Gouki the Solid Ogre.
Arrows and Link Rating
Speaking of arrows, Link Monsters also have a Link Rating. These two parts of the monsters are very important and are linked to each other… Get it!? Linked!… Okay… Looking at a Link Monster, you will notice that it has no DEF like other monsters, instead, it has a Link Rating where it’s DEF would be. This Rating acts similarly to an Xyz Monster’s Rank. Now, a Link Monster’s number of arrows matches its Link Rating. A Link 2 monster has 2 arrows, link 3 has 3 arrows, etc.
Link Summoning
Link Summoning can be compared to Xyz Summoning, but it has several distinct differences. Firstly, the Lv.’s of it’s materials does not mater (unless specified by the Link Monster). Rather than Lv., a Link Monsters just needs a certain amount of monsters to be summoned. In many case, the number of monsters needed for Link Monster’s summon is equal to its Link Rating, but this is not always the case. It is important to note a Link Monster’s required materials.
A Link Monster’s required materials are listed in the card textbox under it’s Type. Some Link Monsters will require a certain number of monsters, others may require a specific monster Type or name. It is also important to note that Link Monsters you control can also be used as material for Link Summoning. When doing this, you can count that Link Monsters as a number of materials equal to it’s Link Rating. For example, if you want to Link Summon Gouki Thunder Ogre, you would ordinarily need 3 monsters. But, if you control, say, Gouki Jet Ogre, a Link 2 monster, you can Link Summon Thunder Ogre using only Jet Ogre and one other Gouki monster. This is because Thunder Ogre is a Link 3, but your Jet Ogre can be used as 2 materials.
Link Archetypes
There are tons of generic and one-off Link Monsters out there, but there are also many archetypes that focus on Link Summoning. Some popular Link-focused archetypes are Gouki, Trickstar, Altergeist, Sky Striker, Salamangreat, Code Talker, Tri-Brigade, Fiendsmith, Rokket, Marincess, and more! Give them a try today!
