Duel Masters: Sempai Legends is a new Game Boy Advance card battling game that is similar in vein to the popular Yu-Gi-Oh!, which is set to hit the small screen this June. The game is based on the real-world collectible card game Duel Masters, which was conceived by Magic: The Gathering creator Wizards of the Coast in an attempt to target that age demographic between the audiences of Magic and Wizard's other big game, Pokémon. We recently got some new details about Duel Masters' gameplay mechanics, and we're eager to share them with you.

　　Sempai Legends will contain a whopping 180 cards. Amazingly, 120 of them come from the base set that's available now, while the other 60 come from the upcoming expansion Evo-Crushinators of Doom. You'll start playing with a deck of 40 cards, and by battling successfully against artificially intelligent opponents, you'll be able to build your deck as you progress through the game's storyline. Of course, you'll also be able to trade your cards with other players via link cable. Additionally, you'll have access to a practice room (later in the game) in which all of the game's cards will be available so that you can employ any strategy you can think of against opponents.

　　The nuts-and-bolts gameplay of Duel Masters will be essentially identical to that of its collectible card game counterpart, which is itself similar to Magic: The Gathering but is less complicated. As in Magic, you'll have a store of mana that will let you both summon creatures and cast spells (based on the cards you're holding). However, replenishing your mana will be more straightforward in Duel Masters than it is in Magic. Turn progression is also somewhat simplified, since each player will only have one main phase and one battle phase to keep up with per turn.

　　There will be five civilizations in Duel Masters, and cards will be aligned with one of these five. Furthermore, each civilization's cards will provide it with unique properties and discrete abilities for use in combat. The five civilizations are fire, which features powerful and swift attack creatures but has no defensive blockers; nature, which is a support class that can help you increase your mana quickly; water, which presents lots of defensive options and special abilities with which to strategize; light, which is a flexible civilization that's strong in both offensive and defensive categories; and darkness, which excels at destroying opposing creatures and features a fearsome army. Each civilization also has its own history, which helps to flesh out the gameworld.

　　The Game Boy Advance release of Duel Masters: Sempai Legends will come in a limited-edition, foil-stamped package that will include five Duel Masters cards that won't be available anywhere else. As a result, fans of the collectible card game will definitely want to keep this in mind. The game is said to include about 20 hours of gameplay the first time through, so even if you're not interested in the physical cards, there will be plenty of meat in the game to chew on. Duel Masters: Sempai Legends is due around the beginning of June, so look for more on the game soon.