Things you should know before asking Questions

[iAmNateXero]

This is a list generated to Better or create more thought to the Yugioh Q&A Section. Im starting it, but I have no authority over it. Im just sick of people asking Questions that can easily be looked up. Because I have no authority, I can only ASK that before you ask a question in the TCG, Please check the following web pages to see if a ruling is passed on the Card in question.

 

Netrep

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG

even lolWikia works half the time.

 

Some other things you should know (Keep in mind, this isn't to put anybody down, its just the more you know, the more fun you will have) before asking a question.

 

[spoiler=Advance Game Play]

All this can be found at this sourse. I just wanted to bring a few, not all, to light.

 

Continuous Trap Cards with Ignition-Like Effects July 2008

When you activate (flip face-up) a Continuous Trap Card that has an Ignition-like effect, you can choose to activate that effect. The Ignition-like effect does not create an additional Chain Link. You simply state if you will also activate the effect of the Continuous Trap Card at the same time you activate the card itself.

 

Example 1:

Player A activates “Stamping Destruction” and selects Player B’s face-down “Skull Lair.” Player B activates “Skull Lair” and says that she will also activate its effect, removing 4 monsters in her Graveyard from play to destroy Player A’s “Luster Dragon.”

 

“Skull Lair” resolves first and destroys “Luster Dragon,” then “Stamping Destruction” destroys “Skull Lair.”

 

Example 2:

Player A has “Elemental Hero Neos” in Attack Position equipped with “Premature Burial.” Player B has “Malevolent Catastrophe” and “Ultimate Offering” Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone. Player A attacks with “Elemental Hero Neos.” Player B activates “Malevolent Catastrophe” and chains “Ultimate Offering.” Player B says that he will also activate its effect, and pays 500 Life Points.

 

“Ultimate Offering” resolves and Player B Normal Summons a monster from his hand. Then “Malevolent Catastrophe” destroys all the Spell and Trap Cards on the field, including “Premature Burial” which also destroys “Elemental Hero Neos.”

 

Example 3:

Player A activates “Monster Reborn” and selects a monster in Player B’s Graveyard. Player B can activate “Royal Oppression” and also activate its effect to negate “Monster Reborn.”

 

 

 

Missing the Timing - Optional Trigger Effects Updated May 2008

 

Sometimes a Trigger Effect says that “when” a condition happens, you “can” activate its effect. In this case, you are only allowed to activate the effect when the condition being met was the last thing to happen in the game (activating cards & effects that haven’t resolved yet doesn’t count).

 

If the triggering condition happened for an optional Trigger Effect, but something else has happened after that, then you have “missed the timing” and you cannot activate it. For example, this can happen if the optional Trigger Effect monster was Tributed for a Tribute Summon or to activate a card effect, or if the triggering condition happened in a chain and wasn’t Chain Link 1, or if another card effect or game effect has happened since then. The triggering condition has to be the very last thing that happened in order for a “when… you can” optional Trigger Effect to activate.

 

If the triggering condition for an optional Trigger Effect happens as Chain Link 2 or higher, it will still “miss the timing”, even if all of the effects lower on the chain resolve with no effect (disappear), or are negated by a Continuous Effect.

 

EXAMPLE 1: Player A controls a face-up “Skilled Dark Magician” and a face-down “Magical Dimension.”

Player B has four cards in their hand, including “Dragon Ice” and “Tribute to the Doomed.” He activates “Tribute to the Doomed” and targets Player A’s “Skilled Dark Magician.”

Player A chains “Magical Dimension”. “Magical Dimension” resolves, and Player A Tributes his “Skilled Dark Magician” and Special Summons “Dark Magician” from his hand.

Player B’s “Tribute to the Doomed” now does nothing, because the target isn’t on the field any more. (Its effect disappears.)

Player A cannot Special Summon “Dragon Ice” from his hand. Even though the effect of “Tribute to the Doomed” disappeared, its resolution is still considered to be the last thing that happened.

 

EXAMPLE 2: Player A has a “Solar Flare Dragon” face-up on the field, and its effect activates during his End Phase. He also has a “Dragon Ice” in his hand.

Player B chains “Call of the Haunted”, targeting a “Prime Material Dragon” in his Graveyard.

Player A chains “Skill Drain”. “Skill Drain” resolves, then “Call of the Haunted” resolves, Special Summoning “Prime Material Dragon”. “Solar Flare Dragon’s” effect is negated by “Skill Drain”.

Player A cannot Special Summon “Dragon Ice” from his hand. Even though the effect of “Solar Flare Dragon” was negated by “Skill Drain”, its resolution is still considered to be the last thing that happened.

 

For some good specific examples of “missing the timing”, see the rulings for “Pinch Hopper”, “Peten the Dark Clown”, or “Dark Magician of Chaos”.

 

 

 

Battle Position Changes Added June 2005

A Monster Card’s battle position in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME can be changed in one of two ways:

 

1. A "manual" change. This is when you use your once-per-turn battle position change on a monster, during your Main Phase 1 or 2, to change it from attack position to defense position or vice versa. This includes a Flip Summon. There are some restrictions on when you can do this (see below).

 

2. A change because of a card effect. Examples: “Enemy Controller”, “Zero Gravity”, “Guardian Sphinx”, “Book of Moon” and “Tsukuyomi”.

 

A “manual” change can only be performed during your Main Phase 1 or 2. There are 3 exceptions that will prevent you from “manually” changing a monster’s battle position:

 

Exception #1: You cannot “manually” change the battle position of a monster if it declared an attack that turn (even if the attack was negated or a replay occurred).

 

Exception #2: You cannot “manually” change the battle position of a monster if it was Summoned or Set that turn by the turn player.

 

Exception #3: You cannot “manually” change the battle position of a monster if its battle position was already changed “manually” that turn (including if it was Flip Summoned).

 

Please note that:

 

You CAN always change the battle position of a monster with a card effect, even if any of the above exceptions prevent you from changing its battle position “manually”.

 

You CAN change the battle position of a monster “manually” if its battle position was changed by a card effect previously that turn (as long as none of the 3 exceptions exist). Example: You activate “Book of Moon” and flip a monster into face-down Defense Position. Then you can Flip Summon it that same turn, as long as none of the 3 exceptions exist.

 

You CAN change the battle position of a monster “manually” if it was Summoned or Set, but not by the turn player. Example: “Cyber Jar” Summons a monster on the opponent’s side of the field, and the turn player uses “Change of Heart” to take control of it, then Flip Summons it that same turn. This is a legal play (as long as none of the 3 exceptions exist).

 

You CAN change the battle position of a monster “manually” if it was returned to the field because of “Dimensionhole”, because it does not Summon the monster (as long as none of the 3 exceptions exists).

 

Returning Activated Cards Added June 2005

When cards are activated, and a chain is formed, the cards activated in the chain are not sent to the Graveyard until the chain is completely resolved OR they are destroyed by a card effect in the middle of the chain (see “Chains, Activation, and Resolution”).

 

However, once a Normal Spell Card, Quick-Play Spell Card, Normal Trap Card, or Counter-Trap Card has been activated (even though it has not resolved yet), the fact that the card will be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard after the chain resolves has already been decided.

 

Because it has already been decided that the card will be destroyed, the card cannot be returned to the hand or Deck. This is similar to how Monster Cards that have been destroyed by damage calculation cannot be returned to the hand, even though they are not actually sent to the Graveyard until after effects are resolved.

 

Example 1: “Giant Trunade” is activated. Because “Giant Trunade” has been activated, it is already decided that it will be destroyed, so it does not return itself to the hand.

 

Example 2: “Giant Trunade” is activated, and “Jar of Greed” is chained to it. Because “Jar of Greed” has been activated, it is already decided that it will be destroyed, so it cannot be returned to the hand. (Any other cards will be returned to the hand, but “Jar of Greed” will not.)

 

Example 3: “Phoenix Wing Wind Blast” is activated targeting a face-down card. The card is “Jar of Greed” and the controller chains it to “Phoenix Wing Wind Blast”. Because “Jar of Greed” has been activated, it is already decided that it will be destroyed, so it cannot be returned to the Deck. (The effect of “Phoenix Wing Wind Blast” disappears.)

 

Exception: Because “Swords of Revealing Light” is destroyed by its effect, rather than by the game mechanics, it can be returned to the hand or Deck before it is destroyed by its effect.

 

Simultaneous Effects

Sometimes, you will have simultaneous effects attempting to activate at the same time, such as when Mystic Tomato attacks Mystic Tomato, or 2 Sangans are sent to the Graveyard at the same time because of Dark Hole.

 

Whenever you have simultaneous effects, resolve them in a chain, even if they are Spell Speed 1 effects. This is a special case when Spell Speed 1 effects can be chained to each other, because they are all trying to activate at the same time and the players are not choosing to activate them.

 

If only one player has simultaneous effects being activated, then that player can choose the order in which they resolve.

 

Example #1:

Player A activates Swords of Revealing Light. Player B controls a face-down Cyber Jar and a face-down Morphing Jar #2. Both effects activate simultaneously, and Player B chooses the order in which they go on a chain. Player B can choose to have Cyber Jar be Step 1 (and resolve last) and Morphing Jar #2 to be Step 2 (and resolve first), or vice versa.

 

If both players have simultaneous effects being activated, then the "turn player" (the player taking his/her turn) automatically has his/her effect become Step 1 of the chain. The turn player has no choice but to be Step 1 of the chain, although if he/she has multiple effects being activated, he/she does choose which of those effects is Step 1.

 

Example #1: Mystic Tomato vs. Mystic Tomato

Player A, the turn player, attacks Player B's Mystic Tomato with his own Mystic Tomato. Both monsters are destroyed and then sent to the Graveyard. Their simultaneous effects form a chain.

Step 1: Player A's Mystic Tomato effect, because he is the turn player.

Step 2: Player B's Mystic Tomato effect.

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 2 resolves first, and Player B Special Summons an appropriate monster.

Step 1 resolves second, and Player A Special Summons an appropriate monster.

 

Example #2: Mystic Tomato vs. Shining Angel & Jowgen the Spiritualist

Player A, the turn player, attacks Player B's Shining Angel with his Mystic Tomato. Both monsters are destroyed and then sent to the Graveyard. Their simultaneous effects form a chain.

Step 1: Player A's Mystic Tomato effect, because he is the turn player.

Step 2: Player B's Shining Angel effect.

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 2 resolves first, and Player B Special Summons Jowgen the Spiritualist from his Deck. Jowgen the Spiritualist's effect prevents any more Special Summons from occurring as long as he remains face-up on the field. Step 1 would resolve next, but because of Jowgen the Spiritualist, the effect disappears and Player A does not Special Summon a monster.

 

Example #3: Witch of the Black Forest vs. Witch of the Black Forest

Player A, the turn player, attacks Player B's Witch of the Black Forest (in Attack Position) with his own Witch of the Black Forest. Both players have 4 pieces of Exodia in their hand and the 5th piece in their Deck. Both Witches are sent to the Graveyard. Their simultaneous effects form a chain.

Step 1: Player A's Witch of the Black Forest effect, because he is the turn player.

Step 2: Player B's Witch of the Black Forest effect.

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 2 resolves first, and Player B retrieves the 5th piece of Exodia from his Deck.

The Duel ends. Player B is the winner. Player A, the turn player, never gets to retrieve his 5th Exodia piece.

 

Example #4: Black Pendant vs. Sangan/Exodia

Player A, the turn player, has Sangan on the field and 4 Exodia pieces in his hand, but only has 400 Life Points. Player B has a monster equipped with Black Pendant. Player A activates Dark Hole. All monsters are sent to the Graveyard. There are two simultaneous effects: Sangan's effect and Black Pendant's effect. They form a chain.

Step 1: Player A's Sangan effect, because he is the turn player.

Step 2: Player B's Black Pendant effect.

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 2 resolves first and does 500 damage to Player A. Player A has no Life Points remaining. The Duel ends and Player B is the winner.

(Had Player B activated Dark Hole during his turn, then the chain would have been reversed, Black Pendant's effect would be Step 1, and Player A would win with Exodia.)

 

 

 

Negating Continuous Card Costs

 

Costs for cards come in three varieties.

 

The first kind is activation costs. These are paid when you activate (play) a card. Activation costs cannot be negated by cards that negate the effect of a card.

 

The second kind is "maintenance" costs. "Maintenance" costs are costs that are paid in order to keep a card on the field. Examples of cards with "maintenance" costs include most of the Archfiend monsters from the Dark Crisis expansion, "Imperial Order", "Messenger of Peace", "Mirror Wall", "Regulation of Tribe", "Armor Exe", and more.

 

"Maintenance" costs cannot be negated by card effects that negate the effects of another card. They can only be negated by a card that specifically does so (such as "Pandemonium").

 

Example #1: "Imperial Order" will negate the effects of "Messenger of Peace", but will not negate the "maintenance" cost of 100 Life Points during your Standby Phase. If you do not pay the 100 Life Points, then "Messenger of Peace" is destroyed (you always have the choice whether to pay or not to pay).

 

Example #2: "Jinzo" will negate the effects of "Imperial Order", but will not negate the "maintenance" cost of 700 Life Points during your Standby Phase. If you do not pay the 700 Life Points, then "Imperial Order" is destroyed (you always have the choice whether to pay or not to pay).

 

Example #3: "Skill Drain" will negate the effects of "Armor Exe" (so with "Skill Drain" active, "Armor Exe" can attack the same turn it is Summoned), but will not negate the "maintenance" cost of removing 1 Spell Counter during each Standby Phase. If you do not remove 1 Spell Counter, then "Armor Exe" is destroyed (you always have the choice whether to pay or not to pay).

 

Example #4: "Skill Drain" will negate the effects of "Terrorking Archfiend" (so "Terrorking Archfiend" will not negate the effects of monsters it destroys in battle, and will not get to roll its die when targeted by an opponent's card effect), but will not negate the "maintenance" cost of paying 800 Life Points during your Standby Phase. If you cannot pay the 800 Life Points, then "Terrorking Archfiend" is destroyed (you must pay if possible, because "Terrorking Archfiend" says "this is not optional").

 

The third kind of cost is non-"maintenance" costs for cards that remain on the field. Examples include paying Life Points to attack with "Dark Elf", "Jirai Gumo", or Toon Monsters. These are not "maintenance" costs because they are not costs that are paid to keep the card on the field. These costs are negated when the card's effect is negated. So if "Skill Drain" is active, for example, you do not have to pay to attack with "Dark Elf", "Jirai Gumo", or a Toon Monster.

 

 

 

Activation & Targeting Eligibility

 

Many cards and effects can only be activated under certain conditions, or can only be used against certain targets. But because other cards and effects can be chained to them, and resolve before the original card resolves, those conditions aren't always still correct at the end of the chain.

 

In general, if a card has specific conditions in order to be activated, those conditions only have to be correct at the time the card is activated. If they are no longer correct when the card resolves, the card's effect still resolves.

 

However, if a card has specific conditions regarding its target, and those conditions are no longer correct at the time the card is activated and when the card resolves, then the card's effect disappears.

 

Examples of cards with specific conditions for activation, and how those conditions no longer have to be correct at resolution:

 

Example #1: Player A has "Lord of D." face-up on the field and activates "The Flute of Summoning Dragon." Player B chains "Ring of Destruction" and destroys "Lord of D." "The Flute of Summoning Dragon" still resolves because its condition only had to be correct at activation.

 

Example #2: Player A has 2 cards in his hand and Player B has 6 cards in his hand. Player A activates "Gamble." Player B responds by chaining 2 "Mystical Space Typhoons" from his hand, so he now has 4 cards in his hand when "Gamble" resolves. "Gamble" still resolves because its condition only had to be correct at activation.

 

Example #3: Player A has no cards in his Graveyard and activates "Dimension Distortion." Player B chains with "Ring of Destruction" to destroy one of Player A's monsters on the field and send it to the Graveyard. When "Dimension Distortion" resolves, Player A now has 1 card in his Graveyard, but "Dimension Distortion" still resolves because its condition only had to be correct at activation. Examples of cards with specific conditions for selection of targets, and how those conditions must still be correct at resolution:

 

Example #1: Player A activates "Ring of Destruction," targeting Player B's "Dark Magician." Player B chains "Book of Moon" to flip "Dark Magician" face-down. When "Ring of Destruction" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-up monster on the field.

 

Example #2: Player A Summons "Yata-Garasu." Player B activates "Eatgaboon" to destroy it. Player A chains "Rush Recklessly" to increase "Yata-Garasu"'s ATK by 700 points. When "Eatgaboon" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a monster with ATK 500 or less.

 

Example #3: "Mystic Plasma Zone" is active. Player A Summons "Lord of D." Player B activates "Trap Hole." Player A chains "Reverse Trap" to decrease "Lord of D."'s ATK by 500 points combined with "Mystic Plasma Zone." When "Trap Hole" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a monster with ATK 1000 or greater.

 

Example #4: Player A activates "Nobleman of Crossout", targeting Player B's face-down monster. Player B chains "Ceasefire", flipping all monsters face-up. When "Nobleman of Crossout" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-down monster.

 

Example #5: Player A activates "Nobleman of Extermination", targeting Player B's face-down card. Player B chains the card, which is "Waboku." When "Nobleman of Extermination" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-down Spell or Trap Card. Example #6: Player A activates "Nobleman of Extermination", targeting Player B's face-down card. Player B chains the card, which is "Gravity Bind." When "Nobleman of Extermination" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-down Spell or Trap Card.

 

 

 

Chains, Activation, and Resolution July 1 2008

 

A chain is what happens when several card effects are trying to happen at the same time. By building a chain, you can more easily determine how the effects resolve. The basic information on chains and Spell Speeds is found on pages 35-37 of the Official Rulebook version 6.0.

 

"Activation" is when you declare an intent to use a card: flipping a Trap Card face up, announcing that you are using a monster's effect, flipping a face-down Spell Card, and playing a Spell Card from your hand are all examples of activation.

 

"Resolution" is when you carry out the effects of a card.

 

When you chain multiple Spell/Trap Cards together, their activation (intent to use the card) is declared, one after the other. But no cards have resolution until nobody wishes to chain (activate) more Spell/Trap Cards.

 

A simple 2-card chain works like this:

Step 1 is activated (Spell Card played, Trap Card flipped face-up, etc.).

Step 2 is chained to Step 1 (activated).

(neither player wishes to chain additional cards)

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 2 Resolves.

Step 1 Resolves.

 

In a 3-card chain:

Step 1 is activated.

Step 2 is activated.

Step 3 is activated.

(neither player wishes to chain additional cards)

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 3 resolves.

Step 2 resolves.

Step 1 resolves.

 

Note on terminology: Some Continuous Trap Cards have effects that can be re-used, such as "Ultimate Offering", "Skull Lair", etc. To "activate" these Trap Cards is to flip the Trap Card from face-down to face-up, just like with any other Trap Card. Once the card is activated, you may "use" the card, or "use its effect", or "activate the effect." These are all synonymous terms but are different from activation of the card (which still means flipping the Trap Card face-up). The "use" of a Continuous Trap Card's effect (which has a Spell Speed of 2) can be chained and can be chained to. See the entry "Continuous Trap Card with Ignition-Like Effects" for additional information.

 

IMPORTANT: When resolving a chain, as the cards resolve they are NOT sent to the Graveyard until the entire chain has resolved, or a card specifically destroys them. This is important for cards such as "Princess of Tsurugi" and "Secret Barrel" where the effect depends on the number of Spell & Trap Cards on the field.

 

Example #1:

Step 1: Player A Flip Summons "Princess of Tsurugi."

Step 2: Player B chains "Barrel Behind the Door" to the effect.

Because "Barrel Behind the Door" remains on the field until the chain resolves, Player A takes 500 points of damage (1 Trap Card on the opponent's side of the field) from "Princess of Tsurugi"'s Flip Effect.

 

Example #2:

Step 1: Player A Flip Summons "Princess of Tsurugi."

Step 2: Player B chains "Barrel Behind the Door" to the effect.

Step 3: Player A chains "Seven Tools of the Bandit" to "Barrel Behind the Door."

"Seven Tools of the Bandit" resolves first, and destroys "Barrel Behind the Door", which is sent to the Graveyard immediately. "Princess of Tsurugi" does zero damage to Player B because Player B has no Spell or Trap Cards remaining on the field since "Barrel Behind the Door" was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.

 

Example #3:

Step 1: Player A activates "Secret Barrel."

Step 2: Player B chains "Ring of Destruction", his only card on the field or in his hand.

Even though "Ring of Destruction" resolves first, "Secret Barrel" still does 200 damage to Player B because "Ring of Destruction" is on the field when "Secret Barrel" resolves.

 

 

 

Counter Traps and Chains

 

The basic rule is that Counter Traps can only be used against the card they are immediately following in a chain.

 

So for Counter Traps:

Chain Link 2 used against Chain Link 1 only

Chain Link 3 used against Chain Link 2 only

Chain Link 4 used against Chain Link 3 only

Chain Link 5 used against Chain Link 4 only

Chain Link 4 CANNOT be used against Chain Link 1's effect.

 

So:

Player A activates "Raigeki."

Player B chains "Magic Jammer."

Player A chains "Seven Tools of the Bandit."

Player B cannot chain a second "Magic Jammer", "Magic Drain", etc. The only Counter-Traps he may activate are ones that would negate the previous step ("Seven Tools of the Bandit").

 

This also prevents "loading on" of "Magic Drains." So you cannot chain 2 "Magic Drains" to the same Spell Card, hoping your opponent won't be able to discard 2 Spell Cards to save his original Spell Card.

 

 

 

Summons & Chains

 

You CANNOT chain to a Summon, because a Summon does not have a Spell Speed (it is not listed on page 37 of the rulebook on the Spell Speed chart). When you use cards like "Horn of Heaven", "Trap Hole", "Torrential Tribute", you are NOT chaining to the Summon. If you are starting a chain (because your opponent responds to your Trap Card), the Trap Card you are using is Step 1 of the chain; the Summon is NOT a step in the chain.

 

You CAN chain to a Flip Effect, Trigger Effect, or Ignition Effect. So you can chain to the Flip Effect of "Man-Eater Bug" (with "Royal Command", "Two-Pronged Attack", etc.) when "Man-Eater Bug" is Flip Summoned. You CANNOT chain to the Flip Summon itself, but you can chain to the Flip Effect. Likewise you can chain to effects like "Cannon Soldier", "Sanga of the Thunder", etc. (Also note that if "Man-Eater Bug" is flipped by an attack, you cannot chain "Royal Command", etc. to it because you're in the Damage Step).

 

You CANNOT chain to a Continuous Effect Monster's effect when it is Summoned.

 

Which means that...

You CANNOT chain a Trap Card to the SUMMON, NOR to the EFFECT, of "Jinzo." So you cannot chain "Waboku", "Call of the Haunted", etc. to the Summoning (or effect) of "Jinzo." You CAN use "Solemn Judgment"/"Horn of Heaven" to negate the Summon of "Jinzo" from happening in the first place. But that's it.

 

 

 

 

Chaining to Your Own Cards

 

You can chain to your own cards (example: chain "Backup Soldier" to "Backup Soldier") even if your opponent doesn't have any "intermediate" steps.

 

Example #1:

Player A attacks.

Player B activates "Enchanted Javelin."

Player A does not respond.

Player B chains another "Enchanted Javelin."

 

Example #2:

Player A attacks.

Player B activates "Gravity Bind."

Player A does not respond.

Player B chains "Enchanted Javelin."

 

Example #3:

Player A attacks.

Player B activates "Mirror Force."

Player A does not respond.

Player B chains "Magic Cylinder."

 

Example #4:

Player A Summons a monster.

Player B activates "Trap Hole."

Player A does not respond.

Player B chains "Chain Destruction" to "Trap Hole."

 

Example #5:

Player A activates "Ring of Destruction."

Player B does not respond.

Player A chains "Barrel Behind the Door" to "Ring of Destruction."

 

These are all legal moves.

 

Remember that a Counter-Trap can only be chained to negate the step immediately preceding its activation.

 

Example #6:

Player A activates "Ring of Destruction."

Player B chains "Waboku."

Player A cannot chain "Barrel Behind the Door" to "Ring of Destruction" because "Ring of Destruction" was not the immediately preceding step of the chain.

 

 

 

 

Winning in a Chain

 

You can win a Duel between steps of a chain, ending the Duel and preventing the complete chain from resolving.

 

For example, if both players have less than 1000 Life Points, and both players chain "Ceasefire" with 2 Effect Monsters on the field, the player whose "Ceasefire" resolves first (the one that was activated second) wins the Duel, and the other "Ceasefire" never resolves.

 

Likewise, if your opponent activates "Ookazi" and you have less than 800 Life Points, and you chain "Backup Soldier" to retrieve enough Exodia pieces so you have all 5 in your hand, you win before "Ookazi" resolves.

 

You cannot win the Duel during resolution of a step. For example, if you activate "Graceful Charity", and have all 5 pieces of Exodia in your hand, you cannot win until the current step is resolved by discarding 2 cards from your hand.

 

 

 

"Negate" vs. "Destroy" and Continuous Cards

 

Chaining "Mystical Space Typhoon" (or "Dust Tornado") to a card like "Raigeki" (or another Normal Spell or Normal Trap Card, a Quick-Play Spell Card, or a Ritual Spell Card) has no effect, as it does not negate the card's effect. So if "Raigeki" is activated, and the opponent chains "Mystical Space Typhoon" to destroy "Raigeki", "Raigeki"'s effect still resolves as normal.

 

But, if you chain against a Continuous or Equip Spell Card, or a Continuous Trap Card, with "Mystical Space Typhoon" (or "Dust Tornado"), the Continuous/Equip Card is no longer active because it is destroyed, and the effect does not resolve and disappears.

 

Example #1:

Step 1: Player A activates "Raigeki."

Step 2: Player B chains "Imperial Order" to negate the effect of "Raigeki."

Step 3: Player A chains "Mystical Space Typhoon" (or "Dust Tornado") to destroy "Imperial Order."

(resolve in reverse order)

Step 3 resolves first. "Mystical Space Typhoon" destroys "Imperial Order."

Step 2 would resolve next. "Imperial Order" has been destroyed though and its effect disappears.

Step 1 resolves. "Raigeki"'s effect activates as normal.

 

For the exact same reason, if you chain "Mystical Space Typhoon" to "The Eye of Truth", or "Premature Burial", or "Call of the Haunted", the effects from those cards never happen.

 

 

 

Rules for Quick-Play Spell Cards

 

You can chain Quick-Play Spell Cards from your hand as long as it is during your turn.

 

Example #1:

Player A activates "Dark Hole."

Player B chains "Imperial Order."

Player A chains "Mystical Space Typhoon" from his/her hand.

 

Also, you can chain or play a Quick-Play Spell Card from your hand during any Phase of your turn, even during your Battle Phase. Activating/chaining/playing Quick-Play Spell Cards from your hand, during your turn, is not limited to Main Phase 1 or 2 and can occur in the Draw, Standby, Battle, and End Phases. Of course, you cannot activate a Quick-Play Spell Card from your hand during your opponent's turn.

 

You can also Set a Quick-Play Spell Card during your Main Phase 1 or 2. Once you Set a Quick-Play Spell Card, you cannot activate it that turn (similar to a Trap Card) but can activate it on any subsequent turn. (This rule does not apply to normal Spell Cards; you may Set "Raigeki" during your turn and still activate it that same turn).

 

 

 

[spoiler=How the Damage Step Works(Official)]

Source

The Damage Step

The Damage Step is comprised of a series of events. The start of the Damage Step, flipping the face-down attacked monster face-up, damage calculation, inflicting Battle Damage, activating the Flip Effect of the flipped monster, and sending a monster destroyed by battle to the Graveyard are seperate events that all happen during the Damage Step.

 

The Damage Step has specific rules that govern what can or cannot be activated. Some cards can't be activated at all, while others can only be activated during very specific events that occur within the Damage Step.

 

Please refer to Pgs. 34-36 of the rulebook (ver. 7.0) before reading this post.

 

Start of the Damage Step

 

Some cards have effects that activate at the start of the Damage Step. Monsters like “Steamroid”, “Rampaging Rhynos”, “Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger”, “Etoile Cyber”, “Super Robolady”, “Super Roboyarou”, “Black Veloci”, and “Jain, Lightsworn Paladin” with Continuous Effects that are applied when attacking a monster, attacking directly, or being attacked are applied at this time without starting a Chain.

 

Some monsters have Trigger Effects that activate when attacking a face-down monster and start a Chain at this time because they do not flip the face-down monster face-up, like “Neo-Spacian Grand Mole”, the “Mystic Swordsman” cards, “The Six Samurai – Irou”, “Razor Lizard”, “Sasuke Samurai”, and “Sasuke Samurai #4”. Each of these effects destroys, etc. the monster without flipping it face-up or applying damage calculation.

 

The effect of “Nanobreaker” starts a Chain if it is attacking a face-up Level 3 or lower monster. “Disciple of the Forbidden Spell’s” effect starts a Chain if it is attacking a face-up monster with an Attribute that was selected by its effect. “Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke’s” effect activates if it attacks a face-up, Defense Position monster. (These effects won’t activate if the opponent’s monster is face-down)

 

Effects that increase, decrease, halve, or double the ATK and/or DEF of a monster can be activated at this time. This includes cards like “Shrink”, “Limiter Removal”, “Rush Recklessly”, “Rising Energy”, and “Mirror Wall”, though it is uncommon to do so.

 

Flipping the Face-Down Monster Face-Up

 

If the monster being attacked is face-down, it is flipped face-up at this time. If the monster has a Flip Effect or a Trigger Effect that activates when it is flipped face-up, the effect will not activate at this time.

 

If the flipped monster has a Continuous Effect that is active while it is face-up on the field, the Continuous Effect is applied at this time. This includes the Continuous Effects of monsters like “Star Boy”, “Hoshiningen”, “Jinzo”, and “Spell Canceller” that apply as long as the monster is face-up on the field. Effects that would prevent the flipped monster from being attacked, like “Command Knight’s” effect, are not applied at this time, because the monster is already being attacked. If the monster survives the battle, its effect will be applied against any following battles.

 

Sometimes the flipped monster will have a Continuous Effect that causes it to "self-destruct" if proper field conditions are not met ("Giant Kozaky", "Zombie Mammoth", "Thunder Nyan Nyan", etc.) When this occurs, the monster is not immediately destroyed. Damage calculation is still conducted. If the monster is destroyed by the battle, its effect is not applied. If the monster survives the battle, it is destroyed by its effect after damage calculation.

 

Effects that increase, decrease, halve, or double the ATK and/or DEF of a monster can be activated at this time, though it is uncommon to do so.

 

Before Damage Calculation

 

The effects of cards like “Drillroid” and “Ehren, Lightsworn Monk” activate at this time, after the face-down monster has been flipped face-up and before damage has been calculated. Sometimes these effects will state something similar to “without applying damage calculation”, which means that damage calculation will not occur and will actually be skipped over. (The remainder of the Damage Step that occurs AFTER damage calculation will continue as normal)

 

Cards like “Blast Sphere”, “Adhesive Explosive”, “Kiseitai”, and “Ancient Lamp” have effects that activate when they are flipped face-up by an attack and their effects are activated at this time. These cards typically have effects that state that they are activated without applying damage calculation.

 

The damage-inflicting effects of “Reflect Bounder”, “Yubel”, and “Yubel – Terror Incarnate” are also activated at this time.

 

Effects that increase, decrease, halve, or double the ATK and/or DEF of a monster are typically activated at this time. You are allowed to have multiple Chains for the use of activating these types of effects. If you activate “Rush Recklessly” and it is negated by your opponent’s “Magic Jammer”, you can start another Chain by activating “Rising Energy”, etc.

 

"During Damage Calculation"

 

Some effects in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG are applied “during damage calculation”. Damage calculation is a specific event in the Damage Step during which we compare the ATK and/or DEF of the monsters in battle and inflict Battle Damage, if appropriate, following the rules on Pages 35-36 of the rulebook (Version 7.0). Some effects are applied during this very specific event, like “Injection Fairy Lily” and “Kuriboh”, begin a Chain, while Continuous Effects that are applied during damage calculation do not.

 

We only get one Chain with which to activate effects that are activated "during damage calculation". Only effects that are activated "during damage calculation" and effects that negate them, such as Counter Trap Cards and the effects of cards like “Herald of Orange Light” and “Light and Darkness Dragon”, can be activated at this time. Effects that increase, decrease, halve, double, etc. the ATK and/or DEF of a monster cannot be activated at this time, unless they are specifically allowed to be activated "during damage calculation". This means that cards like “Shrink”, which are not specifically activated "during damage calculation", cannot be activated, while “Injection Fairy Lily’s” effect can be activated.

 

Any Continuous Effects specific to damage calculation are applied (turn on) before the “during damage calculation” Chain begins, but some can be applied or disappear during the Chain’s resolution if the conditions of the battle change (ATK/DEF change, Life Point change, etc.) After the “during damage calculation” Chain has finished resolving and all appropriate Continuous Effects have been applied, the results of the attack are determined and any resulting Battle Damage is inflicted.

 

If a monster is destroyed by a card effect during damage calculation (“Divine Wrath”, etc.), any remaining effects on the Chain finish resolving. After the Chain finishes resolving, damage calculation stops. No battle damage is inflicted and neither monster is destroyed by the battle. The monster that is destroyed by a card effect is not considered to have been destroyed by battle, because damage calculation stopped and this determination wasn’t made. The remainder of the Damage Step continues as normal.

 

“Honest” is a bit odd, because it can be activated anytime from the start of the Damage Step up to and including damage calculation. A player’s ability to respond to its effect will depend on when “Honest’s” effect is activated. Some card texts do no indicate that a card can be activated during damage calculation, but their card rulings do, like “Injection Fairy Lily” and “Honest”. Be sure to check the FAQ and Judge Forum if you are uncertain. (Keep in mind that a very, very small number of cards use this specific portion of the Damage Step.)

 

Example 1: Injection Fairy Lily and Rising Energy

 

Player A has “Dark Magician” in Attack Position and "Rising Energy" set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone. His opponent has “Injection Fairy Lily” in Attack Position. Player A attacks “Injection Fairy Lily” with “Dark Magician”. During damage calculation, Player A’s opponent activates “Injection Fairy Lily’s” effect. Player A cannot chain “Rising Energy” to increase the ATK of “Dark Magician”.

 

Example 2: Injection Fairy Lily and Divine Wrath

 

Player A has “Goyo Guardian” in Attack Position and “Divine Wrath” Set in his Spell and Trap Card Zone. His opponent, Player B, has “Injection Fairy Lily” in Attack Position. Player A attacks “Injection Fairy Lily” with “Goyo Guardian”. During damage calculation, “Injection Fairy Lily’s” effect is activated. Player A chains “Divine Wrath” to negate the effect of “Injection Fairy Lily” and destroy it. Damage calculation stops, no Battle Damage is inflicted to Player B’s Life Points, and “Goyo Guardian’s” effect does not activate because “Injection Fairy Lily” was destroyed by the effect of “Divine Wrath” and not by battle. The remainder of the Damage Step continues as normal.

 

Example 3: Injection Fairy Lily and Skyscraper

Player A has “Skyscraper” in her Field Spell Card Zone and “Elemental Hero Wildedge” in Attack Position. She attacks her opponent’s Attack Position “Injection Fairy Lily”. During damage calculation, her opponent activates “Injection Fairy Lily’s” effect, increasing its ATK to 3400. After “Injection Fairy Lily’s” effect resolves, “Skyscraper’s” Continuous Effect is applied to increase the ATK of “Elemental Hero Wildedge” to 3600.

 

Example 4: Honest Vs. Honest

 

Player A has “Honest” in his hand and “D.D. Warrior Lady” in Attack Position. His opponent, Player B, has “Honest” in her hand and “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” in Attack Position. Player A attacks the “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” with “D.D. Warrior Lady”. During damage calculation, he activates the effect of “Honest”. If Player B wants to activate the effect of their “Honest”, they would need to chain it. They cannot wait until after Player A’s “Honest” resolves and start another Chain, because when the current Chain finishes resolving damage will be calculated and the timing to activate the effects of cards like “Honest” will have passed.

 

Battle Damage is Inflicted - After Damage Calculation

 

If the flipped monster had a "self-destruct" effect ("Giant Kozaky", Zombie Mammoth", "Thunder Nyan Nyan", etc.) and it has survived the battle, it is destroyed by its effect at this time if its proper field conditions are not met.

 

Some cards have effects that activate when Battle Damage is inflicted to a player’s Life Points. Cards like “Don Zaloog”, “Spirit Reaper”, “Doom Dozer”, “Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer”, “Sasuke Samurai #3”, “Evil Hero Wild Cyclone”, and “Magna Drago” activate at this time. The effect of “Red Dragon Archfiend” that destroys every Defense Position monster on the defending player’s side of the field also activates at this time. If the attack was a direct attack, the Spell Card “Sebek’s Blessing” may be activated.

 

"Attack and Receive", "Numinous Healer", "Damage Condenser", and the effect of a face-up "Damage = Reptile" may be activated at this time.

 

We have one exception, which is entirely rulings-based: “Flashbang”. “Flashbang”, if activated, is actually activated before the effects of cards that activate when Battle Damage is inflicted to a player’s Life Points, and if its effect resolves properly the effects of cards that activate when Battle Damage is inflicted will not activate, because the turn ends.

 

Activating the Flip Effect of the Flipped Monster and a few Guest Stars

 

After damage calculation, the infliction of Battle Damage, and any effects that activate as a result, the Damage Step has a section devoted to dealing with the Flip Effect of the Flip Effect Monster that was flipped face-up by the attack. If the flipped monster had a Trigger Effect that activates when the monster is flipped face-up (“Royal Keeper”, “Nightmare Penguin”, etc.), it will be activated at this time.

 

The Trigger Effects of “D.D. Warrior”, “D.D. Warrior Lady”, and “D.D. Assailant” activate at this time. If “Wall of Illusion” was attacked, its Trigger Effect activates at this time.

 

If a monster destroyed by the battle has a Continuous Effect that is applied while the monster is face-up on the field (“Jinzo”, “Spell Canceller”, etc.), the Continuous Effect is no longer applied. Continuous Effects that change where a monster goes when it is removed from the field at the end of the Damage Step are unaffected (“Crystal Beast” monsters, “Dark Magician of Chaos”, etc.).

 

If the Flip Effect of the flipped monster targets, you cannot select a target that has been destroyed during damage calculation. (Ver. 7.0 rulebook, Pg. 34)

 

End of the Damage Step - Monster(s) Destroyed by Battle are Sent to the Graveyard

 

Monsters that have been destroyed by battle are now sent to the Graveyard. If the monster destroyed by battle has an effect that activates when it is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, its effect starts a Chain. Effects that can be activated when a monster is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard (“Tualatin”, "Desrook Archfiend", “Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest”, “Time Machine”, “Destiny Signal”, “Domino Effect”, etc.) may be activated/chained at this time. A monster that activates its effect when it destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard (“Hydrogeddon”, “Elemental Hero Flame Wingman”, etc.) are also activated at this time.

 

If the effect of a card like “Macro Cosmos” is active, a monster destroyed by battle will be removed from play instead. Some monsters like “Apprentice Magician” will still activate their effect if they only need to be “destroyed by battle”, and not the stricter requirement of “destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard”. Monsters with effects that activate when they destroy a monster by battle, without the additional requirement of “sending it to the Graveyard” (“Fenrir”, etc.), will also activate at this time.

 

A Counter on a “Crystal Core” monster or on “Big Core” is removed. If “Des Mosquito” was destroyed by the battle, 1 counter is removed. If “Spacegate” is active, 1 Gate Counter is placed upon it if the opponent’s monster attacked or was attacked.

 

Some effects are given specific allowanced by Konami that allow them to be activated at this time, like “Michizure” and “Chthonian Blast”. Cards such as these will typically have a ruling on the FAQ mentioning that they may be activated during the Damage Step, and they usually apply at this time.

 

The effects of cards like "The Six Samurai - Zanji", "Ryu Kokki", "Getsu Fuhma", "Rallis the Star Bird", "Ancient Gear Engineer", "Chainsaw Insect", and "Gonogo" are applied at this time.

 

 

 

[spoiler=Spell Speed and Priority]

Source

Spell Speed is not the same thing as Chain Link. A Chain can have any number of links. A cards Spell Speed tells you what types of cards it can chain to.

 

Spell Speed 0 (No Spell Speed) effects are those effects which are always active. These effects are applied immediately as soon as the card is summoned or resolved successfully. All of the following effects have no Spell Speed (which I and many others refer to as Spell Speed 0):

 

* Continuous Monster Effects

* Continuous Spells with a Continuous Effect

* Continuous Traps with a Continuous Effect

* Field Spells with a Continuous Effect

 

Spell Speed 1 effects can only be activated during your Main Phase 1 or 2, and cannot be chained to any card. In other Words, Spell Speed 1 effects can only be placed on Chain Link 1. All of the following are Spell Speed 1:

 

* Ignition Effects

* Trigger Effects (optional or mandatory)

* Normal Spells

* Equip Spells

* Field Spells (excluding the Seal of Oricalchos, see below)*.

* Continuous Spells*

 

Spell Speed 2 effects can be activated at any point during either players turn, and can be chained to any Spell Speed 1 or Spell Speed 2 effect. The only exception to this, is the Damage Step. Only Spell Speed 2 effects which specifically activate during the damage step (eg. Kuriboh, Damage Condenser etc) or which affect a monsters ATK or DEF scores (Rush Recklessly, Shrink, Blast with Chain, etc) can be activated during this step. All of the following are Spell Speed 2:

 

* Multi-Trigger Effects (optional or mandatory)

* Quick Play Spells

* Normal Traps

* Continuous Traps*

 

Spell Speed 3 effects can be activated at any point during either players turn, and can be chained to any Spell Speed 1, Spell Speed 2, or Spell Speed 3 effect. The effect of all Spell Speed 3 effects have activation requirements, and can only be activated when those requirements are met by the chain link immediately preceeding it, or (in some cases) in response to a change in the game state which does not have a Spell Speed (monster being summoned, phase start/end, etc). All of the following are Spell Speed 3:

 

* Counter Traps.

 

Spell Speed 4 effects can be activated at any point during either players turn, and can be chained to any Spell Speed 1, Spell Speed 2, Spell Speed 3, or Spell Speed 4 effect. Nothing else is known about Spell Speed 4 Effects. All of the Following are Spell Speed 4 Effects:

 

* The Seal of Orichalchos (Field Spell). Not legal for tournament play and owned by members of the R&D team exclusively.

 

Priority, Spell Speed, and Chains are fully explained in the Basic Gameplay and Advanced Gameplay FAQs respectively. These are readily available by any duelist on the official yugioh website. www.yugioh-card.com

 

* This only counts for when a Continuous Spell/Trap or Field Spell can be activated. The effects of all Continuous Spells/Traps and Field Spells fall under one of the following categories: Trigger Effect (Optional or Mandatory), Multi-Trigger Effect (Optional or Mandatory), Ignition Effect, or Continuous Effect. The effects of Continuous Spells/Traps have a Spell Speed appropriate for their effects type.

 

At its most basic... Priority simply means the following:

 

The turn player always has the choice of activating legal card effects first. The turn player's opponent can only activate their own legal card effects first if one of the two situations occurs:

 

* The Turn Player chooses not to activate a legal card effect at a point where their opponent is able to.

* The Turn Player cannot activate a legal card effect at a point where their opponent is able to.

 

 

Also JoC Provides a basic Break down of the Game (along with Crab and many others here.

Im sure there is more to add, so please feel free.

[Guest PikaPerson01]

Err, what's source for all this? I'm not calling your bluff or anything, since it seems accurate, however "Nate from YCM said X, Y and Z" doesn't exactly seem credible.

[iAmNateXero]

Your right, I provided some sources, but every source that I have not provided comes from UDE Forums. I will edit with Sources.