Home
"Snoww and Goldd doesn't get their effects when discarded by your own card effects" or "Atlanteans get effects when discarded by Swap Frog". These are some of the issues admins have to deal with on a daily basis. The purpose of this guide is to educate on what are cost, effects, activation requirements (conditions) and Targeting. I am tired of seeing players trying to negate Gorz's effect with either Black Horn of Heaven or Thunder King Raioh. Written by senior admin Bilaterus, I believe this is one of the best guides written about PSCT and is easy enough to understand even for the casual player. So kick back, relax and enjoy learning!
Note that if you are studying PSCT for the first time, it's advised to study it section by section, over time. Fully understand one part before moving on to the next.
1. PSCT? What's that?
PSCT stands for Problem-Solving Card Text, and it means the new card text that Konami have used to write Yugioh cards since roughly when Xyz monsters were introduced. It's important because this new text was designed to give a lot of information about the way the cards work.
PSCT, along with some other basic mechanics to do with Chains, cover perhaps 90% of all ruling situations. It's definitely worth becoming familiar with it!
The following rules are only for cards with this new card text. Older cards will not necessarily follow these rules. Make sure the card has PSCT before applying any of these rules!
2. Chains, and Costs/Effects
When a card is written with this new text, It is easy to tell which card effects, especially monster effects, uses the Chain (and as before, activating Spell and Trap cards themselves always starts a Chain.)
If a card effect has a colon ( : ) or a semi-colon ( ; ) in its effect text, activating that effect uses the Chain. If not, that effect does not activate or use the Chain.
Examples:
Mermail Abyssmegalo
You can discard 2 other WATER monsters to the Graveyard; Special Summon this card from your hand. When you do: You can add 1 "Abyss-" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. You can Tribute 1 other face-up Attack Position WATER monster; this card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase this turn.
-We see that its summon effect, its search effect, and its double-attack effect all start Chains.
Collapserpent the Ebony Dragon
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 LIGHT monster from your Graveyard, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. You can only Special Summon "Collapsarpent the Ebony Dragon" this way once per turn. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Wyburstar the Ivory Dragon" from your Deck to your hand.
-We see that its Special Summon effect does not start a Chain, but its effect when it is sent to the Graveyard does start a Chain.
Fusion Gate
While this card is on the field: Either player can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster without using "Polymerization", but the Fusion Material Monsters are banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard.
-We see that a Fusion Summon using Fusion Gate starts a Chain. This is separate to activating Fusion Gate itself onto the field, which obviously also starts a Chain.
Now, when a card is activated, it may have a cost, or you have to choose a target for it, and both of these actions are done at the same time as activating the card.
If an action is written before a semi-colon, it is done at activation of the effect. If it is written after a semi-colon, or there is no semi-colon, it is done when the effect resolves.
Examples:
Super Polymerisation
Discard 1 card; send, from either side of the field to the Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Monster Card, then Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) Spells, Traps, and card effects cannot be activated in response to this card's activation.
-We see that discarding 1 card is a cost to activate Super Polymerisation and this discarding is done when the card is activated, but sending the Fusion Materials to the Graveyard is not a cost, and is part of the effect.
Trance Archfiend
Once per turn: You can discard 1 Fiend-Type monster, and this card gains 500 ATK until the End Phase. When this card you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 of your banished DARK monsters; add that target to your hand.
-We see that discarding a Fiend-Type is not written before a semi-colon and is therefore not a cost. Discarding is part of its effect.
Card Trooper
Once per turn: You can choose a number from 1 to 3, then send that many cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard; this card gains 500 ATK for each card sent to the Graveyard this way, until the End Phase. When this card you control is destroyed and sent to your Graveyard: Draw 1 card.
-We see that sending 1-3 cards to the Graveyard is a cost to activate the effect of Card Trooper, so the milling is done when the effect is activated and not when the effect resolves.
3. Special Summons
There are lots of cards with effects that negate Special Summons. However, these can only negate Special Summons which do not start a Chain. To prevent the Special Summon effect that starts a Chain, the effect itself must be negated.
Examples of cards that negate Special Summons:
Thunder King Rai-Oh
Neither player can add cards from their Deck to their hand except by drawing them. During either player's turn, when your opponent would Special Summon a monster: You can send this face-up card to the Graveyard; negate the Special Summon, and if you do, destroy it.
Solemn Judgment
When a monster would be Summoned OR a Spell/Trap Card is activated: Pay half your Life Points; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Evolzar Laggia
2 Level 4 Dinosaur-Type monsters
During either player's turn, when a monster(s) would be Normal or Special Summoned, OR a Spell/Trap Card is activated: You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Examples of Special Summons
Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK monster from your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can activate 1 of these effects.
● Target 1 monster on the field; banish that target face-up. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.
● During the Damage Step, if this attacking card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: It can make a second attack in a row.
-We see that its Special Summon effect does not start a Chain (no colon or semi-colon) so Evolzar Laggia could negate its Special Summon.
Gorz, Emissary of Darkness
When you take damage from a card your opponent controls: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You must control no cards to activate and to resolve this effect. When Special Summoned this way, activate the appropriate effect, based on the type of damage.
● Battle Damage: Special Summon 1 "Emissary of Darkness Token" (Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK ?/DEF ?). Its ATK and DEF are each equal to the amount of Battle Damage you took.
● Effect Damage: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the amount of damage you took.
-We see that its Special Summon effect does start a Chain. This means that to prevent its Summon, a card would have to negate the activation of the effect of Gorz, Emissary of Darkness. Something like Solemn Judgment could not do so because it cannot negate monster effects.
Monster Reborn
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.
-We see that it starts a Chain, and so to prevent the Special Summon a card would have to negate the activation of Monster
Reborn itself. Something like Thunder King Rai-Oh could not do so because it cannot negate Spell Cards.
4. Targeting
Targeting is the technical term for selecting what cards are going to be affected by a card effect. A card with PSCT only targets if it uses the word 'target' in the text before the semi-colon.
Examples:
Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
During your Main Phase: You can target 1 Spell/Trap card your opponent controls; change this card you control from face-up Attack Position to face-up Defense Position, and destroy that target, but this card's battle position cannot be changed until the end of your next turn, except with a card effect. During each of your End Phases: Send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. You must control this face-up card to activate and to resolve this effect.
-We see that its effect does target a Spell or Trap Card at activation of the effect, so the opponent could Chain the targeted card to the effect of Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, if they can.
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole
At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles an opponent's monster: You can return both monsters to the hand (without damage calculation).
-We see that the word 'target' is not used, so this card does not target the opponent's monster.
Creature Swap
Each player chooses 1 monster they control and switches control of those monsters with each other. Those monsters cannot change their battle positions for the rest of this turn.
-We see that this card does not use the word 'target' so both players choose a monster when the effect of Creature Swap resolves, and not at activation of Creature Swap.
Any conditions on the chosen card when it is chosen must be correct when the effect resolves if the card says 'target' after the semi-colon as well.
If it does not say 'target' after the semi-colon, the chosen card just needs to be in the same place.
Atlantean Marksman
When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Atlantean" Sea Serpent-Type monster from your Deck, except "Atlantean Marksman". When this card is sent to the Graveyard to activate a WATER monster's effect: Target 1 Set card your opponent controls; destroy that target.
-We see that the text refers to 'that target' after the semi-colon, so the target must still be correct when the effect resolves; that is, it must still be a Set card. If the targeted card is flipped face-up by the time the effect of Atlantean Marksman resolves, the card is not destroyed.
Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon
2 Level 5 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up card your opponent controls; destroy it.
-We see that it does not refer to 'that target' after the semi-colon, so even if the targeted card is flipped face-down by the time the effect of Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon resolves, it is still destroyed.
Circle of the Fire Kings
Target 1 FIRE monster you control and 1 FIRE monster in your Graveyard; destroy the first monster, and if you do, Special Summon the second monster from your Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Circle of the Fire Kings" per turn.
-We see that it does not use the word 'target' after the semi-colon, so even if the monsters on the field are no longer FIRE monsters by the time the effect resolves, the first monster is still destroyed and the second monster is still Summoned.
5. Multiple target effects
There are many effects which target more than 1 card at once. As above, if they use the word 'targets' after the semi-colon, any conditions on the chosen cards must still be correct when the effect resolves, and if it doesn't use 'targets' then the cards chosen only need to be in the same place.
Additionally, if it uses the word 'both', then if one chosen card is no longer correct no others are affected.
Otherwise, if one chosen card is no longer correct, the others are still affected.
Examples
Pain Painter
While this card is face-up on the field, its name is treated as "Plaguespreader Zombie". Once per turn: You can target up to 2 face-up Zombie-Type monsters you control, except this card; they become Level 2 until the End Phase. They cannot be used as Synchro Material Monsters except for the Synchro Summon of a Zombie-Type monster.
-We see that, for its targeting effect, there is no mention of 'those targets' after the semi-colon, so even if the targets are no longer Zombie-Type by the time the effect resolves, that monster is still changed to Level 2. Also, there is no mention of 'both', so if one of the targets is removed by the time the effect resolves, the other monster is still affected.
Constellar Star Cradle
Target 2 "Constellar" monsters in your Graveyard; add those targets to your hand. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activated this card.
-We see that there is no mention of 'both' in this text, so if one of the targets is removed from the Graveyard by the time the effect resolves, the other target will still be added to the hand.
Naturia Marron
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can send 1 "Naturia" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. Once per turn: You can target 2 "Naturia" monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle both those targets into the Deck, then draw 1 card.
-We see that the term 'both' is used, so if one of the targets is removed from the Graveyard by the time the effect resolves, the other is not returned, and no card is drawn.
6. Causation and Timing
Sometimes a card effect does several things, and there are lots of possible ways the parts of the effects can relate to each other, in terms of whether the parts are treated as simultaneous (at the same time) or not, and whether the first part must be successful for the second to go on at all. The main phrases are explained here.
Do A, and if you do, do B
-A and B happen simultaneously.
-If A can't be done, B isn't done.
-A is still done even if B can't be done.
Examples:
Solemn Warning
When a monster would be Summoned, OR when a Spell Card, Trap Card, or monster effect is activated that includes an effect that Special Summons a monster(s): Pay 2000 Life Points; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
-A is negating the Summon or activation, and B is destroying the card that is being Summoned or activated. If the card cannot be destroyed, its effect is still negated.
Circle of the Fire Kings
Target 1 FIRE monster you control and 1 FIRE monster in your Graveyard; destroy the first monster, and if you do, Special Summon the second monster from your Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Circle of the Fire Kings" per turn.
-A is destroying the first monster, and B is Summoning the second monster. If the first monster cannot be destroyed, the second isn't Summoned.
Do A, then do B
-B happens strictly after A.
-If A can't be done, B isn't done.
-A is still done even if B can't be done.
Examples:
Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World
If this card is discarded to the Graveyard by a card effect: If it was discarded from your hand to your Graveyard by an opponent's card effect, you can target up to 2 cards your opponent controls; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard, then destroy those cards (if any).
-A is Special Summoning this card, and B is destroying the targets. If targets are destroyed, it will cause cards which respond to Summons to miss their activation timing.
Battle Break
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Your opponent can reveal 1 monster in their hand to negate this card's effect, otherwise destroy the attacking monster, then end the Battle Phase.
-A is destroying the attacking monster, and B is ending the Battle Phase. This will cause 'when' optional effects that are triggered by destruction to miss their activation timing.
Do A, also do B
-A and B happen simultaneously
-If one of A and B cannot be done, the other is still done
Examples:
Offerings to the Doomed
Target 1 face-up monster on the field; destroy that target, also skip your next Draw Phase.
-A is destroying the target, and B is skipping the Draw Phase. If the monster cannot be destroyed, the Draw Phase is still skipped.
Masked Ninja Ebisu
Once per turn, if you control a face-up "Ninja" monster other than "Masked Ninja Ebisu", you can activate this effect: Return a number of your opponent's Spell/Trap Cards to the hand, equal to the number of "Ninja" monsters you control, also every face-up "Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja" you control can attack your opponent directly this turn.
-A is returning Spell/Trap cards to the hand, and B is the effect allowing Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja to attack directly. Even if no cards are returned to the hand, Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja can still attack directly.
I hope you found this article useful. If you have questions/suggestions/corrections, feel free to PM me.
| Table of Contents : |
| 1. PSCT? What's that? |
| 2. Chains, Costs and Effects |
| 3. Special Summons |
| 4. Targeting |
| 5. Multiple Target Effects |
| 6. Causation and Timing |
Note that if you are studying PSCT for the first time, it's advised to study it section by section, over time. Fully understand one part before moving on to the next.
1. PSCT? What's that?
PSCT stands for Problem-Solving Card Text, and it means the new card text that Konami have used to write Yugioh cards since roughly when Xyz monsters were introduced. It's important because this new text was designed to give a lot of information about the way the cards work.
PSCT, along with some other basic mechanics to do with Chains, cover perhaps 90% of all ruling situations. It's definitely worth becoming familiar with it!
The following rules are only for cards with this new card text. Older cards will not necessarily follow these rules. Make sure the card has PSCT before applying any of these rules!
2. Chains, and Costs/Effects
When a card is written with this new text, It is easy to tell which card effects, especially monster effects, uses the Chain (and as before, activating Spell and Trap cards themselves always starts a Chain.)
If a card effect has a colon ( : ) or a semi-colon ( ; ) in its effect text, activating that effect uses the Chain. If not, that effect does not activate or use the Chain.
Examples:
Mermail Abyssmegalo
You can discard 2 other WATER monsters to the Graveyard; Special Summon this card from your hand. When you do: You can add 1 "Abyss-" Spell/Trap Card from your Deck to your hand. You can Tribute 1 other face-up Attack Position WATER monster; this card can make a second attack during each Battle Phase this turn.
-We see that its summon effect, its search effect, and its double-attack effect all start Chains.
Collapserpent the Ebony Dragon
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 LIGHT monster from your Graveyard, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. You can only Special Summon "Collapsarpent the Ebony Dragon" this way once per turn. If this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Wyburstar the Ivory Dragon" from your Deck to your hand.
-We see that its Special Summon effect does not start a Chain, but its effect when it is sent to the Graveyard does start a Chain.
Fusion Gate
While this card is on the field: Either player can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster without using "Polymerization", but the Fusion Material Monsters are banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard.
-We see that a Fusion Summon using Fusion Gate starts a Chain. This is separate to activating Fusion Gate itself onto the field, which obviously also starts a Chain.
Now, when a card is activated, it may have a cost, or you have to choose a target for it, and both of these actions are done at the same time as activating the card.
If an action is written before a semi-colon, it is done at activation of the effect. If it is written after a semi-colon, or there is no semi-colon, it is done when the effect resolves.
Examples:
Super Polymerisation
Discard 1 card; send, from either side of the field to the Graveyard, Fusion Material Monsters that are listed on a Fusion Monster Card, then Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.) Spells, Traps, and card effects cannot be activated in response to this card's activation.
-We see that discarding 1 card is a cost to activate Super Polymerisation and this discarding is done when the card is activated, but sending the Fusion Materials to the Graveyard is not a cost, and is part of the effect.
Trance Archfiend
Once per turn: You can discard 1 Fiend-Type monster, and this card gains 500 ATK until the End Phase. When this card you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 of your banished DARK monsters; add that target to your hand.
-We see that discarding a Fiend-Type is not written before a semi-colon and is therefore not a cost. Discarding is part of its effect.
Card Trooper
Once per turn: You can choose a number from 1 to 3, then send that many cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard; this card gains 500 ATK for each card sent to the Graveyard this way, until the End Phase. When this card you control is destroyed and sent to your Graveyard: Draw 1 card.
-We see that sending 1-3 cards to the Graveyard is a cost to activate the effect of Card Trooper, so the milling is done when the effect is activated and not when the effect resolves.
3. Special Summons
There are lots of cards with effects that negate Special Summons. However, these can only negate Special Summons which do not start a Chain. To prevent the Special Summon effect that starts a Chain, the effect itself must be negated.
Examples of cards that negate Special Summons:
Thunder King Rai-Oh
Neither player can add cards from their Deck to their hand except by drawing them. During either player's turn, when your opponent would Special Summon a monster: You can send this face-up card to the Graveyard; negate the Special Summon, and if you do, destroy it.
Solemn Judgment
When a monster would be Summoned OR a Spell/Trap Card is activated: Pay half your Life Points; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Evolzar Laggia
2 Level 4 Dinosaur-Type monsters
During either player's turn, when a monster(s) would be Normal or Special Summoned, OR a Spell/Trap Card is activated: You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
Examples of Special Summons
Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK monster from your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can activate 1 of these effects.
● Target 1 monster on the field; banish that target face-up. This card cannot attack the turn you activate this effect.
● During the Damage Step, if this attacking card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: It can make a second attack in a row.
-We see that its Special Summon effect does not start a Chain (no colon or semi-colon) so Evolzar Laggia could negate its Special Summon.
Gorz, Emissary of Darkness
When you take damage from a card your opponent controls: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You must control no cards to activate and to resolve this effect. When Special Summoned this way, activate the appropriate effect, based on the type of damage.
● Battle Damage: Special Summon 1 "Emissary of Darkness Token" (Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Level 7/ATK ?/DEF ?). Its ATK and DEF are each equal to the amount of Battle Damage you took.
● Effect Damage: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the amount of damage you took.
-We see that its Special Summon effect does start a Chain. This means that to prevent its Summon, a card would have to negate the activation of the effect of Gorz, Emissary of Darkness. Something like Solemn Judgment could not do so because it cannot negate monster effects.
Monster Reborn
Target 1 monster in either player's Graveyard; Special Summon it.
-We see that it starts a Chain, and so to prevent the Special Summon a card would have to negate the activation of Monster
Reborn itself. Something like Thunder King Rai-Oh could not do so because it cannot negate Spell Cards.
4. Targeting
Targeting is the technical term for selecting what cards are going to be affected by a card effect. A card with PSCT only targets if it uses the word 'target' in the text before the semi-colon.
Examples:
Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress
During your Main Phase: You can target 1 Spell/Trap card your opponent controls; change this card you control from face-up Attack Position to face-up Defense Position, and destroy that target, but this card's battle position cannot be changed until the end of your next turn, except with a card effect. During each of your End Phases: Send the top 3 cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. You must control this face-up card to activate and to resolve this effect.
-We see that its effect does target a Spell or Trap Card at activation of the effect, so the opponent could Chain the targeted card to the effect of Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress, if they can.
Neo-Spacian Grand Mole
At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles an opponent's monster: You can return both monsters to the hand (without damage calculation).
-We see that the word 'target' is not used, so this card does not target the opponent's monster.
Creature Swap
Each player chooses 1 monster they control and switches control of those monsters with each other. Those monsters cannot change their battle positions for the rest of this turn.
-We see that this card does not use the word 'target' so both players choose a monster when the effect of Creature Swap resolves, and not at activation of Creature Swap.
Any conditions on the chosen card when it is chosen must be correct when the effect resolves if the card says 'target' after the semi-colon as well.
If it does not say 'target' after the semi-colon, the chosen card just needs to be in the same place.
Atlantean Marksman
When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Atlantean" Sea Serpent-Type monster from your Deck, except "Atlantean Marksman". When this card is sent to the Graveyard to activate a WATER monster's effect: Target 1 Set card your opponent controls; destroy that target.
-We see that the text refers to 'that target' after the semi-colon, so the target must still be correct when the effect resolves; that is, it must still be a Set card. If the targeted card is flipped face-up by the time the effect of Atlantean Marksman resolves, the card is not destroyed.
Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon
2 Level 5 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 face-up card your opponent controls; destroy it.
-We see that it does not refer to 'that target' after the semi-colon, so even if the targeted card is flipped face-down by the time the effect of Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon resolves, it is still destroyed.
Circle of the Fire Kings
Target 1 FIRE monster you control and 1 FIRE monster in your Graveyard; destroy the first monster, and if you do, Special Summon the second monster from your Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Circle of the Fire Kings" per turn.
-We see that it does not use the word 'target' after the semi-colon, so even if the monsters on the field are no longer FIRE monsters by the time the effect resolves, the first monster is still destroyed and the second monster is still Summoned.
5. Multiple target effects
There are many effects which target more than 1 card at once. As above, if they use the word 'targets' after the semi-colon, any conditions on the chosen cards must still be correct when the effect resolves, and if it doesn't use 'targets' then the cards chosen only need to be in the same place.
Additionally, if it uses the word 'both', then if one chosen card is no longer correct no others are affected.
Otherwise, if one chosen card is no longer correct, the others are still affected.
Examples
Pain Painter
While this card is face-up on the field, its name is treated as "Plaguespreader Zombie". Once per turn: You can target up to 2 face-up Zombie-Type monsters you control, except this card; they become Level 2 until the End Phase. They cannot be used as Synchro Material Monsters except for the Synchro Summon of a Zombie-Type monster.
-We see that, for its targeting effect, there is no mention of 'those targets' after the semi-colon, so even if the targets are no longer Zombie-Type by the time the effect resolves, that monster is still changed to Level 2. Also, there is no mention of 'both', so if one of the targets is removed by the time the effect resolves, the other monster is still affected.
Constellar Star Cradle
Target 2 "Constellar" monsters in your Graveyard; add those targets to your hand. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activated this card.
-We see that there is no mention of 'both' in this text, so if one of the targets is removed from the Graveyard by the time the effect resolves, the other target will still be added to the hand.
Naturia Marron
When this card is Normal Summoned: You can send 1 "Naturia" monster from your Deck to the Graveyard. Once per turn: You can target 2 "Naturia" monsters in your Graveyard; shuffle both those targets into the Deck, then draw 1 card.
-We see that the term 'both' is used, so if one of the targets is removed from the Graveyard by the time the effect resolves, the other is not returned, and no card is drawn.
6. Causation and Timing
Sometimes a card effect does several things, and there are lots of possible ways the parts of the effects can relate to each other, in terms of whether the parts are treated as simultaneous (at the same time) or not, and whether the first part must be successful for the second to go on at all. The main phrases are explained here.
Do A, and if you do, do B
-A and B happen simultaneously.
-If A can't be done, B isn't done.
-A is still done even if B can't be done.
Examples:
Solemn Warning
When a monster would be Summoned, OR when a Spell Card, Trap Card, or monster effect is activated that includes an effect that Special Summons a monster(s): Pay 2000 Life Points; negate the Summon or activation, and if you do, destroy that card.
-A is negating the Summon or activation, and B is destroying the card that is being Summoned or activated. If the card cannot be destroyed, its effect is still negated.
Circle of the Fire Kings
Target 1 FIRE monster you control and 1 FIRE monster in your Graveyard; destroy the first monster, and if you do, Special Summon the second monster from your Graveyard. You can only activate 1 "Circle of the Fire Kings" per turn.
-A is destroying the first monster, and B is Summoning the second monster. If the first monster cannot be destroyed, the second isn't Summoned.
Do A, then do B
-B happens strictly after A.
-If A can't be done, B isn't done.
-A is still done even if B can't be done.
Examples:
Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World
If this card is discarded to the Graveyard by a card effect: If it was discarded from your hand to your Graveyard by an opponent's card effect, you can target up to 2 cards your opponent controls; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard, then destroy those cards (if any).
-A is Special Summoning this card, and B is destroying the targets. If targets are destroyed, it will cause cards which respond to Summons to miss their activation timing.
Battle Break
When an opponent's monster declares an attack: Your opponent can reveal 1 monster in their hand to negate this card's effect, otherwise destroy the attacking monster, then end the Battle Phase.
-A is destroying the attacking monster, and B is ending the Battle Phase. This will cause 'when' optional effects that are triggered by destruction to miss their activation timing.
Do A, also do B
-A and B happen simultaneously
-If one of A and B cannot be done, the other is still done
Examples:
Offerings to the Doomed
Target 1 face-up monster on the field; destroy that target, also skip your next Draw Phase.
-A is destroying the target, and B is skipping the Draw Phase. If the monster cannot be destroyed, the Draw Phase is still skipped.
Masked Ninja Ebisu
Once per turn, if you control a face-up "Ninja" monster other than "Masked Ninja Ebisu", you can activate this effect: Return a number of your opponent's Spell/Trap Cards to the hand, equal to the number of "Ninja" monsters you control, also every face-up "Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja" you control can attack your opponent directly this turn.
-A is returning Spell/Trap cards to the hand, and B is the effect allowing Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja to attack directly. Even if no cards are returned to the hand, Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja can still attack directly.
I hope you found this article useful. If you have questions/suggestions/corrections, feel free to PM me.
