Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Structures (遊☆戯☆王 ＯＣＧストラクチャーズ, Yūgiō Ofisharu Kādo Gēmu Sutorakuchāzu) is a manga series in the overarching Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, written and illustrated by Masashi Sato, who previously worked on illustrations for the Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds manga.
The story follows Shoma Yusa, a young teenager who loves Duel Monsters, as he relocates to Tokyo to be with his sister so he can enjoy the card game in the big city while making new friends along the way.
Unlike previous manga spinoffs, OCG Structures does not have an anime counterpart, but features characters from the Japan-exclusive 3DS title Saikyo Card Battle. It also focuses on teaching newcomers the mechanics of Duel Monsters, complemented with deck builds and strategies to experiment with in the real card game.
Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG Structures contains examples of:
- Artistic License – History: The 25-year old Ageha has been using a Traptrix deck since elementary school (c. 2006). Given that OCG Structures is implied to be set at the same time period as that of the real world, the Traptrix archetype in-universe has somehow existed prior to their real world OCG debut in the Judgment of the Light booster, which was initially released on April 20, 2013.
- Discard and Draw: The characters of Structures are constantly switching Decks so that the manga can show off new cards as they debut. This is a stark contrast to characters in the anime series sticking to and upgrading a single Deck and archetype. On the rare occasion they do revisit their roots and upgrade a Deck they've previously used to show how new cards can synergize with old ones.
- Distinguishing Mark: The Yusa siblings both sport a pair of jagged lines for markings above their left eye.
- Mr. Imagination: Shoma regularly "communes" with the archetypes he's building to grasp how they perform.
- Real Life Writes the Plot: The releases of new chapters coincide with major real world OCG booster pack and starter deck releases, starting with the Rising Rampage booster which was initially released April 13, 2019. Shoma builds and experiments with new decks using cards from those releases as they go on sale proper.
- Ageha swapping archetypes from Traptrix to Time Thief makes sense if you understand that Redoer is also a mainstay in a Traptrix Extra Deck.
- Serious Business: Heavily downplayed — the characters love the game and do their best to win, especially when things like tournament placements are on the line. However, the stakes never get unrealistically high so the protagonist can afford to lose and grow from their loss.
