Basic Rulings Part 2

A good day to all duelists! Today I gonna share another ruling article that can help you guys further understand the game play of Yugioh. Sorry for delaying in posting this article because I'm quite choosy and I have re-written this article for several times. Hopefully you guys can understand it much better now. Okay, let's back to the topic.

1st, what is inherent special summon? Inherent special summon is also known as built-in special summon or special summon that you cannot chain with its special summon effect. It is a kind of special summon where you would special summon a monster without using any card effect but its own effect and the special summon is not count as special summon by card effect. As a result, card that negate the activation of an effect can't stop this kind of special summon. Generally, the group of special summon that belong to this category is Synchro monster, Xyz monster and some of the effect monster(s). Eg of inherent special summon are most of the cover cards in Structure Deck series, Stardust Dragon, Wind-up Zenmaines, Dark Armed Dragon, Chaos Sorcerer, Lightpulsar Dragon(1st effect) and etc.

2nd, what is non-inherent special summon? Non-inherent special summon is also known as effect that special summon or special summon that you can chain with its special summon effect. It is a special summon where you would required to special summon a monster using an card effect. The group of special summon that belong to this category is Fusion monster, Ritual monster, Monster Effects/Spell/Trap that special summon the monster(s). Eg of non-inherent special summon is Gorz the Emissary of Darkness(SS token effect), Summoner Monk, Elemental Hero - Shining, Herald of Perfection, Monster Reborn and etc.

3rd, what is the biggest difference between inherent and non-inherent special summon? For inherent special summon, you cannot chain to the activation of effect for special summon the monster. Eg, when you discarding a Machina Force to the graveyard and target the Machina Fortress from your graveyard, your opponent cannot chain to the special summon of Machina Fortress with D.D. Crow. This is because the special summon of monster is resolve simultaneously with the discard of card(s).

For non-inherent special summon, you can chain to the activation of effect for special summon the monster.  Eg, when you activate the effect of Summoner Monk by discarding 1 Spell card from your hand as the cost for activate its effect, your opponent can chain with Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror to negate its effect from resolving. This case happen due to the discarding of spell is not happen simultaneously with the special summon of monster.

4th, how to differentiate whether the card can negate the inherent or non-inherent special summon? Most of the card effect that can negate a special summon eg, Thunder King Raioh, Solemn Judgment, Saber Hole, Horn of Heaven and etc can only negate the inherent special summon but not non-inherent special summon. Only 2 cards that capable to negate the inherent and non-inherent special summon which is Solemn Warning and Royal Oppression. For the case of negating the Ritual or Fusion summon of a monster, you can only negate its ritual/fusion spell activation before they started sends the monster/material(s) to special summon the ritual/fusion monster.

Once the ritual/fusion materials have been sent to the graveyard, the ritual/fusion summon no longer can be negate with any cards effect that can negate inherent or non-inherent special summon. I have seen this case happens for numerous times especially in DN. Hopefully players whose have read this article will not repeat this mistakes again. Besides that, synchro summon that perform by the effect of Formula Synchron / T.G. Wonder Magician can be negated by Solemn Judgment/Warning/Royal Oppression/Horn of Heaven right after the monster is sent to the graveyard if there only 1 chain existed during that time. For further understanding towards the synchro summon with card effect, please visit this article.

5th, long time ago, Konami did not set any rules for activate an card effect although the target or condition for activating the card effect cannot be achieved anymore. Eg, you can activate the effect of The Agent of Creation - Venus as long as you still have life point even though you don't have any Mystical Shine Ball in your deck or hand during those ages. However, Konami have made a rulings so that you are no longer allow to activate a card if you knew you no longer have the target or the condition for activating the card effect cannot be achieved. In simple term, you can't activate an card effect if you knew its condition cannot be achieved.

6th, many players especially new OCG players thinks that priority is not longer existed in OCG ruling. Hereby, I clarify that this statement is a false message and priority is still existing in OCG ruling. The only change that Konami have made on priority in OCG is the priority for activating an ignition monster effect when the monster is successfully normal summon/flip summon/special summon is not longer valid but not the priority for the others(including trigger effect, quick effect and etc).

7th, what is lingering effect? Lingering effect is an card effect where you cannot negate its effect once it has successfully resolve its effect. Its effect will be applied till its limit/condition has finish resolve. As a result, you can only negate its effect when it is activate but not after it has resolved its effect. Eg, Final Countdown, Last Will, Cold Wave, Gold Sarcophagus and etc. Besides that, token that have effect also categories in the group of lingering effect. Thus even Skill Drain, Effect Veiler also can't negate its effect.

8th, what is condition effect? Condition effect is also known as Rule effect(in OCG). It consists of 2 type of conditions which is an card effect will not treated as an effect thus cannot be negated by any card effect while the another one is it is treated as an effect and can be negated by Skill Drain or etc. Generally, it does not activate the effect and it is apply same like the case of continuous effect. Overall, monster effect that categorised under inherent special summon is belongs to condition effect. Eg, most of the SD series cover cards, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, Cyber Dragon, Quickdraw Synchron and etc. Due to condition effect can be further categorised, thus I won't cover it in this article. For further details of condition effect, please visit here.

9th, what is replay and how does replay occur? Replay is the action where you would replaying an monster attack due to the number of target being changed during battle step. Replay will only occur if there is a change for the battle target(removed from the field) or new monster is summon to the field. If replay happens then you will not perform attack declaration again for the monster that have declare attack. Therefore, you can't activate cards that can only activate during the attack declaration if replay is happening. You have only 2 choices if replay occur which is continue attack or retrieve attack. Once you choose to retrieve attack, then the monster that have retrieve attack no longer can declare attack in this turn.

Many players thought that effect of Battle Fader is resolving on the field but this definitely is the wrong answer. It is an effect that activate and resolve from the hand. Thus, if you unable to negate its special summon or its effect activation then you will not be able to negate its effect for ending the Battle Phase. Furthermore, this special summon is non-inherent special summon thus you can only negate it with those cards that can negate the non-inherent special summon.

10th, what is the difference between destroy and sends to graveyard? Destroy is same as sends to graveyard but sends to graveyard is not the same as destroy. Destroy can only be done through battle destroy or card effect that destroy a card. The card effect with the DESTROY in text description can only destroy the card that on the field and in your hand. Cards that stay in the deck, extra deck or graveyard cannot be destroy by card effect. As a result, Gladiator Beast monster that return to the main or extra deck for special summon another GB monster from the deck cannot be destroy by the effect of Royal Oppression/Solemn Warning.

11th, what is trap monster? Trap monster is trap card that have the identity of monster and it occupy the monster zone and spell & trap zone. It is consider as a monster on the field but not in the graveyard or else where other than field. Trap monster can be used as synchro or Xyz materials whereas token can only be used as synchro material but not Xyz material. If trap monster is negated by Jinzo or Royal Decree, then it will return to the spell & trap zone as continuous trap card with no effect and it will remain the same even after Jinzo or Royal Decree have removed from the field.

12th, how does we know the card effect is targeting or non-targeting effect? Generally, a targeting effect will have the term of SELECT or TARGET in the effect description and normally its effect will only affect either one player's field, graveyard, banished zone or hand card but not both players. All equip card/equip spell also in the category of targeting effect. Eg, Icarus Attack, Gladiator Beast Gyzarus, Zero-Max(1st effect), Scrap Dragon and etc. For non-targeting effect, its effect description may consists of the term of SELECT but its effect will affect both player's field, graveyard, banished zone or hand card. Eg, Creature Swap, D.D. Warrior Lady, Number 39: Utopia, D.D. Warrior and etc.

Before I ended my post, let me share a news regarding the new booster, Return of the Duelist(REDU) that will be released on this coming Saturday. The full card list have been released and it can be view in Dueling Days. There is a lot of good cards in this booster. One of the cards that I feel good enough is the continuous trap, Soul Drain. Its effect is "paid 1000 life points to activate this card. While this card is face-up on the field, monster that are banished or in the graveyard cannot activate their effects." This card is the answer from Konami to against the Dark World, Rabbit Laggia and Hieratic deck. I bet this is the side for Inzektor to against to META deck. Thus I think this card will affect the whole OCG environment very soon.

Generation Force - Normal Spell
If you control an Xyz monster: Add 1 "Xyz" card from your deck to your hand.

Besides the Heroic Challenger(H.C) set that everyone looking for in this booster, OOParts, Madolche and Geargia which introduced in this set is really playable and their system is good enough to build a deck. Another card that I have seen in this booster, Generation is the new support card for Xyz deck and this card shows that Konami may introduce the Xyz series of monster very soon. Anyway, let us watch out what will happen to the Asian Championship Series tournament on this coming Sunday.

Ok, that's all I wanna share to you guys. Thanks for your time and wish you guys have a nice day. Next post I gonna discuss about Dark World and how should you counteract it. Please stay tuned for my next post.