Currently, single-player is the only way to earn new cards through gameplay. You earn points for actions during duels (e.g., successful summons, high damage); every 20 points awards you one card (up to 15 per match).

The game is split between a challenging single-player campaign and various online multiplayer options:

The game is notorious for a steep difficulty curve because the initial starter deck is considered "pathetically bad" compared to AI opponents who use powerful Synchro and Fusion monsters early on.