How to be a card hustler in Yu-Gi-Oh! BAM Pocket - hints, tips, and tricks

Yu-Gi-Oh! BAM Pocket is on the App Store, and no doubt tearing a gigantic hole in the wallets of many a duellist.

Because we're so good to you, we've decided to put together a short guide for all you wannabe card sharks out there.

There are lots of crucial tips below for busting through the single-player campaign and getting a head start over your opponents. We've even included a few general battling pointers.

Ready to learn? Let's begin.

Going pro



The very first thing you need to do is ensure that you've upgraded to the Pro version of the game. If you're serious about progressing, then the small charge for the full experience - including multiplayer and access to top-tier cards - is worth the investment.

Once you've upgraded, set aside any sense of personal pride and start battling with opponents online. You'll usually lose - since the Pro paywall separates the casual players from the ultra-hardcore - but that really doesn't matter early on.

Multiplayer battles don't cost Energy, and you'll get 5000 Coins for completing all five encounters. If you do somehow manage to beat your opponents, there are rich rewards on offer for those that end each week with a high score. It only takes a few minutes per day, and the injection of money is extremely worthwhile.

In terms of multiplayer-specific battle tactics, there's not too much I can recommend here. Unless, of course, you're prepared to be "one of those people". In that case - and if victory means everything to you - you definitely can pay to win by purchasing Power-Ups. I don't condone such actions, but the option's there.

Battling



There are some general rules you can follow for success in battling, though there's no single strategy (without paying) that will result in your being triumphant every time.

Might makes right in Yu-Gi-Oh! BAM Pocket, so try to prioritise your deck to use powerful cards as a matter of course. You can tailor complex strategies to your needs all you like, but if you don't reduce your opponent's life quickly, then you're in for a prolonged battle.

On a similar note, the longer monster cards are on the playfield, the more threatening they become. Creatures with special boosts often gain attack points, or deal player damage, or heal their owner each round, so if you don't deal with them sharpish, they can become a nuisance. Use a powerful monster to remove them in one hit, or perhaps a spell card to cripple them.

You're also very much at the whims of the deck you're dealt. So, if things aren't going your way, don't stress out and start using up those Power-Ups. Instead, you might want to restart the duel, or use the shuffle facility. It's limited to one per match, so use it wisely.

Conquering the single-player mode



The single-player element is pretty straightforward. Again, though, there are a few things you can do to assist you on your journey.

Firstly, travelling costs Energy. Thus, if you want to complete an area quickly, you should always take the shortest route possible. You'll also run into random battles on the 'empty' points of the map, so keep that in mind when plotting your course.

With that said, you will want to sometimes deviate from the path to go back and explore alternative avenues. Down these side-alleys, you'll find treasure chests full of loot, as well as new challenges. True completists will want to revisit these sections to extract the most value from each area.

You can also go back and complete missions a second time. If you do so on a higher difficulty level, you'll gain even more rewards. Completing the three-star challenges is incredibly tough - each battle is heavily weighted in favour of your opponent. It's worth leaving these until you've gained enough powerful cards to properly tackle them.

In addition, don't get too caught up with the extra objectives you can try and complete. Though a couple are quite easy to get fairly quickly - such as buying a new booster pack or selling a certain number of cards - you'll complete the majority simply by playing normally.

Got any tips to share? Let us and the rest of the PG community know them by leaving them in the comments section below.