Yu-Gi-Oh! Rulings FAQThe game of Yu-Gi-Oh! has many complex interactions between card effects, some arguably unintuitive. This post will aim to list common ruling mistakes that lead to false bug reports.
Many sources in this post will reference the official TCG Rulebook. Rather than link it each time, I will simply do so
here. Note that YGOPro Percy uses OCG rulings, however the official TCG Rulebook and other TCG sources are referenced because they are in English. For fundamental game rules, there is no significant difference. Where necessary, sources will be in Japanese as a result of coming from the OCG.
Another source is the OCG Perfect Rulebook. A partial translation of it can be found
here . This website is not official, but the linked article is a translation of an official source. It is used in place of the official source, because the Perfect Rulebook is A) a physical product and đ not free. Because the translation is unofficial, however, and also because the article is long, Iâve tried to reference the TCG rulebook instead where possible and valid.
Reviving Special Summon MonstersThis question has an illustrative tutorial in Gideonâs custom puzzles. Monsters from the Extra Deck, as well as Ritual Monsters, are âSpecial Summonâ monsters - this means they have a certain procedure they must be summoned by, and if you send them directly to the Graveyard or banish them, or summon them ignoring that procedure and then theyâre sent to the Graveyard or banished, you cannot Special Summon them again. This rule is not the same thing as a summoning condition, and cannot be ignored by card effect.
Examples
- Summoning âStardust Dragonâ with âStarlight Roadâ, then Tributing âStardust Dragonâ to activate its effect. It cannot Special Summon itself during the End Phase.
- Discarding âBlue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragonâ to activate âTrade-Inâ, then wanting to activate âFulfillment of the Contractâ. You cannot.
- âDark Flattopâ cannot Special Summon âFlying Fortress SKY FIREâ from the Graveyard if it was not first summoned properly, even though it ignores the summoning conditions.
SourcesCosts Are Not Card EffectsIn card effects written with Problem Solving Card Text*, costs are written before semicolons (;) and are paid when an effect activates, and effects are written after and applied when the effect resolves. Some cards have effects that activate only when a certain action is done to them by a card effect. Such effects will not activate if that action is done to pay a cost.
*See AppendixExamples
- Discarding âGrapha, Dragon Lord of Dark Worldâ to activate âTrade-Inâ. âGrapha, Dragon Lord of Dark Worldââs effect will not activate.
- Sending âShaddoll Falcoâ from the Deck to the Graveyard to activate âDante, Traveller of the Burning Abyssâ. âShaddoll Falcoââs effect will not activate.
SourcesCosts Must Be Paid As WrittenWhat a cost is, and how to tell, is described in the above question. If there is a card effect or rule of the game preventing you from paying the cost as it is written, you cannot activate the effect.
Examples
- âWonder Wandâ equipped to âDouble Iris Magicianâ. Because Pendulum Monsters go to the Extra Deck, and not the Graveyard, you cannot activate âWonder Wandâ.
- âWonder Wandâ equipped to âAleister the Invokerâ, while your opponent controls âMasked HERO Dark Lawâ. Because of âMasked HERO Dark Lawâ, cards are banished instead of going to the Graveyard, so you cannot activate âWonder Wandâ.
Sources
- âCostsâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 131
Missing The TimingIf an effect is written âWhen (condition): You can (cost and/or effect)â, the condition being fulfilled must have been the most recent thing to happen in order to activate the effect. You cannot activate a card during the resolution of a Chain, so if the âtimingâ window for the effect comes and goes during a Chain, you have âmissedâ your chance. This does not apply to effects worded âIf (condition):â, nor mandatory effects.
Examples
- Destroying âSuanni, Fire of the Yang Zingâ with âNine Pillars of the Yang Zingâ at Chain Link 3 or higher, such that Chain Link 1 still resolves normally. You cannot activate âSuanni, Fire of the Yang Zingââs effect.
- Using âFormula Synchronââs effect to Synchro Summon âBlack Rose Dragonâ at Chain Link 2 or higher. You cannot activate âBlack Rose Dragonââs effect.
Sources
- âEffects that Meet Their Activation Requirements in the Middle of the Resolution of an Effect or Chainâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 134
Negating Special SummonsThis question is about a specific application of the same rule as the above question. Please ensure you understand âMissing The Timingâ first.A card effect that activates âWhen a monster would be Summonedâ cannot be activated in response to an activated card effect that Special Summons. When that card effect resolves, first the monster
would be Special Summoned, and then, before you can activate cards in response, the monster is successfully Summoned, a different timing window, and the appropriate window for the card you want to activate has been missed. Such card effects can only negate built-in Special Summons, by either game mechanic (for example Synchro, or Xyz) or summoning condition (which is not an activated effect - you can tell the difference because activated effects have a colon (:) or semicolon (;) ).
Examples
- Your opponent activates âPolymerizationâ while you have âSolemn Strikeâ set. You cannot activate it.
- Your opponent activates âDarklord Superbiaâ while you have âBlack Horn of Heavenâ set. You cannot activate it.
- Your opponent Synchro Summons âStardust Dragonâ while you have âSteelswarm Roachâ on the field. You can activate it.
- Your opponent Special Summons "Cyber Dragon" while you have âSolemn Judgementâ set. You can activate it.
SourcesSpecific Card TextExactly what a card says is often important. There are multiple ways cards can be sent to the Graveyard, and exactly which way matters for the activation of card effects. Effects that âdestroyâ, âdiscardâ, âTributeâ, just âsendâ, and âreturnâ cards to the Graveyard are all different, and are determined solely by what the card performing such actions says, not where the card came from or anything else. However, all but âreturnâ are also classed as âsendingâ. Also, whether an effect targets or not is also determined entirely by card text, not by how many cards it affects or anything else.
Examples
- âSouleating Oviraptorâ sends âBabycerasaurusâ from the Deck to the Graveyard. âBabycerasaurusâ must be destroyed, so it does not activate.
- âDragonic Diagramâ destroys âBabycerasaurusâ in your hand. âBabycerasaurusâ does activate, even though it was sent from the hand, because âDragonic Diagramâ states `destroy`.
- âDragonic Diagramâ destroys âGrapha, Dragon Lord of Dark Worldâ in your hand. âGrapha, Dragon Lord of Dark Worldâ does not activate, even though it was sent from the hand, because âDragonic Diagramâ states `destroy`, not `discard`.
- âDragonic Diagramâ destroys âShaddoll Falcoâ in your hand. âShaddoll Falcoâ does activate, even though âDragonic Diagramâ states `destroy`, because it was sent to the graveyard.
- âBurial From the Different Dimensionâ returns âShaddoll Falcoâ to the Graveyard from being banished. âShaddoll Falcoâ does not activate, because it was `returned` to the Graveyard, not `sent`.
- âArtifact Moralltachâ is summoned and destroys the opponentâs âLeo, Keeper of the Sacred Treeâ. This is legal, as âArtifact Moralltachâ does not state that it âtargetsâ.
Sources
- âDestroyâ, TCG Rulebook pg. 53
- âDiscardâ, TCG Rulebook pg. 53
- âSend to the Graveyardâ, TCG Rulebook pg. 55
- âTributeâ, TCG Rulebook pg. 55
- âEffects that targetâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 136
The Ways Effects Refer to CardsBe careful not to confuse the different ways card texts can refer to other cards. Monster types, like Dragon-type, and card types, like Synchro, are written without quotation marks (â). Archetypes, part of a cardâs name, are written with quotes, like `âZoodiacâ monster` or `âTrue Dracoâ card`. However, a cardâs exact name is also written with quotation marks - the difference in this situation is that it will not say `card`, `monster` or anything similar after them.
Examples
- âSupreme King Z-ARCââs Fusion Materials are `4 Dragon-Type monsters (1 Fusion, 1 Synchro, 1 Xyz, and 1 Pendulum)`. This means cards like âStardust Dragonâ. The effect of âAstrograph Sorcererâ requires monsters `(1 each with "Pendulum Dragon", "Xyz Dragon", "Synchro Dragon", and "Fusion Dragon" in their names)`. This means cards like âClear Wing Synchro Dragonâ. Double Iris Magician states `(This card is always treated as a "Pendulum Dragon" card.)`. Because of the quotation marks, this means the latter category - you can use it with âAstrograph Sorcererââs effect, but not a Fusion Summon of âSupreme King Z-ARCâ. This example has an illustrative tutorial in Gideonâs custom puzzles.
- âDark Magical Circleâ states `1 Spell/Trap Card that specifically lists the card "Dark Magician"`. This includes cards like âDark Magic Attackâ, which states `If you control "Dark Magician":`. Note how that phrase ends immediately after the quotes. Compare âThe Eye of Timaeusâ, which states `Target 1 "Dark Magician" monster`. As it says monster, it lists the archetype, not the specific card, and cannot be added to your hand by âDark Magical Circleâ. This example has an illustrative tutorial in Gideonâs custom puzzles.
Sources
- âCard Nameâ TCG Rulebook pg. 6
Destruction is not NegationThis question has an illustrative tutorial in Gideonâs custom puzzles. Removal of a card from the field does not negate the activation of its effects. However, Continuous Spells/Traps, Field Spells, Equip Spells, and Pendulum Monsters treated as Spell Cards must remain face-up on the field for their effects to resolve.
Examples
- âMystical Space Typhoonâ is chained to the activation of âCompulsory Evacuation Deviceâ, destroying it. Its effect still resolves, returning the targeted monster to the hand.
- âMystical Space Typhoonâ is chained to the activation of âFire Formation - Tenkiâ, destroying it. When it resolves, its effect is not applied.
Sources
- âEffect Resolutionâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 126
- âContinuous Spell Cardsâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 117
- âField Spellsâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 119
- âContinuous Trapsâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 124
Xyz Materials and Leaving the FieldThis question has an illustrative tutorial in Gideonâs custom puzzles. Xyz Materials are not considered to âleave the fieldâ at any point, neither when being overlaid for an Xyz summon or being detached to activate an effect or because the Xyz monster left the field.
Examples
- If âSanganâ is used as Xyz material or detached, its effect will not activate.
- If âElder Entity Nordenâ Special Summons a monster from the Graveyard, then is used as Xyz material, the summoned monster is not banished.
Sources
- âLeaves the Fieldâ TCG Rulebook pg. 51
Activated Cards vs EffectsThe activation of a card and the activation of a card effect are technically different things. Many Counter Traps and other effects activate `When a Spell/Trap Card, or monster effect, is activated`. Activating a card is placing it face-up on the field. Some Spell and Trap Cards have effects that activate other than when the card is activated, such as in the Graveyard, or Continuous Spell/Trap Cards that are already face-up on the field. This is not the activation of a Spell/Trap Card, and effects such as those mentioned above cannot be activated in response.
Examples
- If âInvocationââs effect in the Graveyard is activated to add âAleister the Invokerâ to the hand, âNine Pillars of the Yang Zingâ cannot be chained.
- If "Disciples of the True Dracophoenix"'s effect to shuffle cards into the deck is activated, "Nine Pillars of the Yang Zing" cannot be chained.
Sources
- âActivating Cards and Effectsâ, Perfect Rulebook starting pg. 130
Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and Ultra PolymerizationThis question has an illustrative tutorial in Gideonâs custom puzzles. âUltra Polymerizationâ cannot Special Summon the monsters used for the Fusion Summon of âStarving Venom Fusion Dragonâ. This is because âStarving Venom Fusion Dragonâ's Fusion Materials are `2 DARK Monsters on the field`, while âUltra Polymerizationâ will `Special Summon all the Fusion Materials used for its Fusion Summon from your Graveyard`. Combining those two phrases, Ultra Polymerization will `Special Summon all the 2 DARK Monsters on the field used for its Fusion Summon from your Graveyard`, but cards in the Graveyard are not on the field, so it is not valid and cannot be done.
SourcesDecode Talkerâs Upwards MarkerDecode Talker cannot Tribute your opponentâs monster it points to for its effect, as Tributing is an action you perform only to cards you control unless a card effect specifically says otherwise.
SourcesAppendixWhat is PSCT?Problem Solving Card Text is the name for the standardised way Yu-Gi-Oh! Card text has been written starting in 2011, to simplify card effects to the point that most situations can be resolved simply by applying logic. This card text is key to understanding some of the rulings laid out in this FAQ, so it only discusses cards which have them.
Source:
https://yugiohblog.konami.com/articles/?p=2906
Edited by moderator
2017-09-10T13:44:00Z
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Reason: minor punctuation tweak