Edit: Rulings for Invoked Caliga and Performapal Five-Rainbow Magician were added the day after this was posted. Updated below.
Q: Tyrant’s Tirade is face-up in my opponent’s Spell & Trap Zone, and its effect that prevents the effects of monsters on the field and in the hand from activating is applying. In this situation, if my Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes inflicts battle damage to my opponent, can I activate its effect that places a Hyper-Venom Counter on it?
A: In this situation, while the effect of Tyrant’s Tirade is applying, neither player can activate monster effects on the field or in the hand. Therefore, even if your Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes inflicts battle damage, its effect that places a Hyper-Venom Counter on it does not activate.
Q: During this turn, the effect of my opponent’s Number 16: Shock Master that prevents me from activating monster effects is applying. In this situation, if my Number 86: Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad has 5 Xyz Materials, can I activate its effect that destroys all cards on my opponent’s field?
A: While the effect of Number 16: Shock Master is applied, if “Monster” was declared, neither player can activate monster effects. Therefore, the “● 5” effect of Number 86: Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad cannot be activated.
Q: I activated the effect of Ghost Fairy Elfobia this turn by revealing a Level 9 WIND monster. In this situation, if my Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes inflicts battle damage to my opponent, can I activate its effect that places a Hyper-Venom Counter on it?
A: If the effect of Ghost Fairy Elfobia was activated by revealing a Level 9 WIND monster, the effects of the Level 10 Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes cannot be activated. Therefore, even if your Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes inflicts battle damage, its effect that places a Hyper-Venom Counter on it does not activate.
Q: During my opponent’s turn, I activate the effect of my Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora, targeting my Tellarknight Ptolemaeus. If my opponent Normal Summons a Majesty’s Fiend this turn, can I still activate the effect of Tellarknight Ptolemaeus?
A: While the effect of Majesty’s Fiend is applying, neither player can activate monster effects. Therefore, in this scenario, you cannot activate the effect of Tellarknight Ptolemaeus.
Q: A Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing that was Synchro Summoned using Jiaotu, Darkness of the Yang Zing as a material is face-up in my Monster Zone. In this situation, if my opponent’s Number 86: Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad has 5 Xyz Materials, can my opponent activate its effect that destroys all cards on my field?
A: If Chaofeng, Phantom of the Yang Zing was Synchro Summoned using Jiaotu, Darkness of the Yang Zing as a material, its first effect prevents your opponent from activating the effects of DARK monsters. In this scenario, since Number 86: Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad is a DARK monster, its “● 5” effect cannot be activated.
Q: If my Zushin the Sleeping Giant battles my opponent’s Number S39: Utopia the Lightning, what happens?
A: In this scenario, since the effect of Number S39: Utopia the Lightning prevents your opponent from activating cards or effects during this battle, the effect of Zushin the Sleeping Giant that makes its ATK become 1000 higher than the ATK of the monster it battles does not activate during damage calculation. During damage calculation, your opponent can activate and resolve the effect of Number S39: Utopia the Lightning that makes its ATK become 5000 normally.
Q: Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon is face-up in my opponent’s Monster Zone. In this situation, during my Main Phase 1, I activate the effect of Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora targeting my Injection Fairy Lily. If my Injection Fairy Lily battles this turn, can I activate its effect during damage calculation?
A: In this scenario, the effect of your opponent’s Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon prevents you from activating monster effects during the Battle Phase. Therefore, you cannot activate the effect of Injection Fairy Lily.
Q: My opponent activated the effect of their Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora this turn, targeting their Stardust Spark Dragon. In this situation, if I Synchro Summon a Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity and activate its effect, can the effect of Stardust Spark Dragon be activated this turn?
A: If the effect of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend King Calamity is applied, your opponent cannot activate the effects of monsters on the field. In this scenario, even if the effect of Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora was already applied, the effect of Stardust Spark Dragon cannot be activated.
Q: Timaeus the Knight of Destiny is face-up in my opponent’s Monster Zone. In this situation, I Xyz Summoned Outer Azathot and applied the effect that prevents my opponent’s monster effects from activating that turn. During this turn, if my Outer Entity Azathot attacks my opponent’s Timaeus the Knight of Destiny, can the effect of Timaeus the Knight of Destiny be activated during damage calculation?
A: In this scenario, since the effect of Outer Entity Azathot prevents your opponent from activating monster effects, the effect of Timaeus the Knight of Destiny cannot be activated.
Q: While the effect of my Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman that prevents my opponent from activating the effects of Dragon monsters is applying, if my opponent activates the effect of Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora targeting their Red Dragon Archfiend, can that Red Dragon Archfiend activate its effects this turn?
A: While the effect of Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman is applying, if a Dragon monster (Red Dragon Archfiend in this scenario) is unaffected by other cards’ effects due to the effect of Number 81: Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Super Dora, that Dragon monster can be changed to Attack Position, but its effects still cannot be activated.
Q: The Pendulum Effect of Amorphage Gluttony is applying. If the effect of Forbidden Lance is applied to an Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer on my field, can I activate its effect?
A: In this scenario, since the Pendulum Effect of Amorphage Gluttony is applying, neither player can activate monster effects other than “Amorphage” monsters’ effects. Therefore, you cannot activate the effect of Ignister Prominence, the Blasting Dracoslayer.
Q: While the effect of Gendo the Ascetic Monk is applying, can I activate the effect of an Attack Position Raidraptor – Ultimate Falcon?
A: While the effect of Gendo the Ascetic Monk is applying, neither player can activate the effects of Attack Position monsters. Therefore, the effect of Raidraptor – Ultimate Falcon also cannot be activated.
Q: Triamid Kingolem is face-up in my opponent’s Field Zone, and Triamid Dancer is face-up in my opponent’s Monster Zone. In this situation, if my Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes attacks my opponent’s Triamid Dancer, can I activate its effect that places a Hyper-Venom Counter on it?
A: In this scenario, the effect of your opponent’s Triamid Kingolem prevents you from activating cards and effects when a “Triamid” monster battles. Therefore, even if your Vennominaga the Deity of Poisonous Snakes inflicts battle damage, its effect that places a Hyper-Venom Counter on it does not activate.
Q: I activated the effect of Ancient Gear Gadget that prevents my opponent from activating monster effects when a monster on my field attacks. If my monster attacks, can my opponent activate the effect of Paleozoic Anomalocaris that destroys a card on the field?
A: While the effect of Ancient Gear Gadget is applied, if “Monster” was declared, your opponent cannot activate the effect of Paleozoic Anomalocaris when a monster on your field attacks.
Q: Invoked Caliga and Paleozoic Opabinia are face-up in the Monster Zone. In this situation, if I already activated a monster effect this turn, can I activate the effect of Paleozoic Opabinia?
A: In this scenario, since the effect of Invoked Caliga is applying, if you have already activated a monster effect while that effect was applying, you cannot activate the effect of Paleozoic Opabinia.
Q: Performapal Five-Rainbow Magician is in my opponent’s Pendulum Zone, and there are no cards in my Spell & Trap Zone, so the Pendulum Effect that prevents my monsters from attacking or activating their effects is applied. In this situation, if the effect of Forbidden Lance is applied to my monster, can that monster attack or activate its effects?
A: If the “● 0” Pendulum Effect of Performapal Five-Rainbow Magician is applying, a monster unaffected by the Spell effects can still attack, but you cannot activate its effects.
The sixteen rulings above are a (mostly) mechanic-wide reversal to how various cards that prevents monster effects from activating interact with monsters that are unaffected by that type of card effect. For example, previously Utopia the Lightning could not prevent Zushin from activating its effect on the field. The cards involved in these rulings are no longer treated as effects that affect monsters, and therefore still prevent those monsters that are unaffected by other cards’ effects from activating theirs. This fits the trend of reversals involving Amano-Iwato and Number S0: Utopic ZEXAL in the OCG recently, and makes these older cards fall in line with how certain newer cards are ruled, such as Inspector Boarder and Magician of Black Chaos MAX.
Note that some related cards were left alone, such as Invoked Caliga and Performapal Five-Rainbow Magician, whose effects that prevent monsters from activating their effects are still treated as “affecting” those monsters. Also note that in the wild west of lawlessness that are TCG rulings, you’d still want to check with tournament officials on how these work.
And a few more Legend Duelist 5 rulings that were posted this week…
Q: Dark Sanctuary is face-up on my field, and I have a face-down Spell/Trap Card on my field. In this situation, if I activate the effect of Curse Necrofear during the End Phase, can I destroy up to 2 of my opponent’s cards?
A: The effect of Curse Necrofear allows you to destroy cards on your opponent’s field, up to the number of Spell/Trap Cards on your field with different names. In this scenario, Dark Sanctuary is the only face-up Spell/Trap Card on your field, so you can only destroy 1 card on your opponent’s field.
Q: Dark Sanctuary and Destiny Board are face-up on my field, and a Spirit Message “I” that was Special Summoned as a monster using the effect of Dark Sanctuary is face-up in my Monster Zone. In this situation, if I activate the effect of Curse Necrofear during the End Phase, can I destroy up to 3 of my opponent’s cards?
A: The effect of Curse Necrofear allows you to destroy cards on your opponent’s field, up to the number of Spell/Trap Cards on your field with different names. In this scenario, since you applied the effect of Dark Sanctuary, Spirit Message “I” is not considered a Spell Card. Therefore, since you only have 2 Spell/Trap Cards on your field with different names, you can destroy up to 2 of your opponent’s cards.
Q: If I do not have Destiny Board face-up on my field, can I activate the effect of Death Sentence that places a “Spirit Message” card face-up in my Spell & Trap Zone?
A: Even if you do not have a Destiny Board on your field, you can activate and resolve the effect of Death Sentence that places a “Spirit Message” card face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone normally.
Q: My Evil HERO Malicious Bane, which was Fusion Summoned using Polymerization while the effect of Supreme King Castle was applying, is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. After that, if I have Elemental HERO Brave Neos on my field and activate Double Hero Attack, can I Special Summon Evil HERO Malicious Bane from the Graveyard?
A: In this scenario, Evil HERO Malicious Bane was still properly Fusion Summoned. Therefore, it can be Special Summoned from the Graveyard with the effect of Double Hero Attack.
Q: Can I chain Mystical Refpanel to Evil Mind?
A: Mystical Refpanel must be chained to the activation of a Spell Card that affects 1 player. You can chain Mystical Refpanel to Evil Mind if the “● 1+” effect was activated. If the “● 4+” or “● 10+” effects were activated, you cannot chain Mystical Refpanel.
Q: I activated The Monarchs Stormforth this turn. In this situation, when Tribute Summoning an “Earthbound Immortal” monster and applying the effect of Earthbound Geoglyph that treats Synchro Monsters as 2 Tributes, can I Tribute an opponent’s face-down Defense Position Synchro Monster?
A: If you apply the effect of The Monarchs Stormforth to Tribute your opponent’s face-down Defense Position monster for a Tribute Summon, you cannot apply the effect of Earthbound Geoglyph.
