Common Rulings and Misconceptions

So this wasn't meant to be the next post.  I actually wanted to talk about what different effects are worth in the game and then about sideboard but after browsing through the NA Buddyfight group on Facebook, I realize there are somethings in this card game that are still confusing to newer people because I see a lot of questions repeatedly asked in the group.

I wanted to post some common rulings and misconceptions here so if people in the future aren't sure about a situation, maybe my post can help.  I plan to expand upon this post in the future when new cards with weirder effects occur. Veterans may already know all of these but who knows.  Maybe you'll learn something new!

Now get these right or Teachmodai
has a backdrop with your name on it.

Ruling #1: Card Effect Names

This is the question that if I got a nickel every time someone asked, I could buy a play set of every card in Buddyfight.

The situation is the confusion between when card effects have names (such as Cyber Analysis on Electron Ninja Shiden) and when that card says "This card's ability only activates once per turn" or "<Skill Name> only activates once per turn".

This combination of text can be separated into three unique situations

Situation #1: Card has an effect with no name AND at the end, it says "This card's ability can only be used once per turn".  

Example of this card:  Return to the Underworld

Ruling:  When a card like Return to the Underworld is played, the once per turn reference is that *points at the card* physical card on the field.  This doesn't apply to all Return to the Underworld set spells on the field.  This means you can activate multiples of that set spell on the field without an issue.

Situation #2: Card has an effect name AND says "This card's ability can only be used once per turn".

Example of this card: Electron Ninja, Shiden

Ruling: This ruling is the same as above even though it has a name.  It's this physical card's ability that can only be used once per turn.  That means that you can call multiple Shidens and use each of their abilities.

Situation #3: Card has an effect name AND says "<Effect name> can only be used once per turn".

Example of this card: Red-eyed Succubus

Ruling: This ruling is different than the above two.  The once per turn clause is going deeper into the card than just the physical card.  It's pointing to the actual effect name.  So you can't activate multiple cards with this effect because that unique effect with that name has been used.

I chose the Succubus and Shiden for the later examples because both card's effects are the same but because the once per turn clause is different, it means Succubus's effect can only be used once per turn while Shiden can keep drawing you a fat hand if you keep playing him.

Ruling #2: Boy Transformation, Yamigitsune's ability

You're so misunderstood little boy

This card has caused it's fair share of misplays for newer players of Skull Warriors.  Let's copy and paste his ability here for the sake of easier analysis:

"Sense Synchronization" When a 《Skull Warrior》monster on your field deals damage to your opponent, you may put that monster from your field into your drop zone. If you do, deal damage to your opponent equal to that card's size! "Sense Synchronization" only activates once per turn.

People are treating his ability as if it's the exact same as Evil in Heart, Yamigitsune's ability.  While it's similar, it's still different and it's a minor thing that matters a lot.

Boy Yami's ability activates as soon as damage is dealt to your opponent. It doesn't matter whether you want to actually send the Skull Warrior to the drop or not, his ability activates.

"But Billeh" you may say "The same thing happens with normal Yamigitsune and I can choose when I want to use it".  You are correct random stranger in my head.  But there is a major difference.

Since Boy Yami states "Sense Synchronization can only activates once per turn, you can choose not to send a card to the drop and that's fine.  But Sense Synchronize already activated and as such, you can't send another Skull Warrior to the drop later on in the turn.

A common example is this:
>You play Boy Yami

>You play Thunderclap, Goraiko and deal the 1 damage upon entering the field.

>Boy Yami's ability activates now.  You can choose to send Thunderclap to the drop or not.  If you do, you deal 2 damage with Boy Yami's ability.  If you don't, the ability still activated and can't be used again.  Even with another Boy on the field because it's a named ability that's only once per turn.

You cannot deal 1 entrance damage, attack with Thunderclap and then try to Sense Synchronize for 2. Sense Synchronize already activated.

In other words, if you don't his ability, you lose it.

Ruling #3: Counterattack and post-battle effects

Ziun is number one.
Therefore Skull Warriors are number one.

I haven't seen anyone have this question but this happened locally and we were confused as far as what happens until we looked deeper at the rules.  The situation is as follows:

>Boy Yami and normal Ziun are on the field.

>Star Guardian, Jackknife is in the center with a soul in him on your opponent's field.

>Ziun attacks Jackknife and the opponent plays Speculight Ring.

>The attack (along with the penetrate) goes through (8k attack vs 8k defence) and deals damage to your opponent.

The  question becomes this: Does counter attack from Jackknife occur before or after Boy Yami's Sense Synchronize activate?

The answer is the counter attack from Jackknife goes off first.

In the rulings, counter attack is still apart of the battle.  There is no play timing yet for Boy Yami's effect to go off.  Your opponent kills Ziun.  Then Boy Yami's effect activates but because Ziun has already left the field due to counterattack, there is no target for Boy Yami's ability and therefore, no additional damage can be dealt AND this also means Boy Yami's effect has activated and can't be used for the rest of the turn.

Ruling #4: Demon Way, Geppakugiri

The rulings behind Demon Way, Geppakugiri even surprised me when I looked it up.  This card has some interesting play timings that not a lot of cards have.

The first ruling with this card is that during your opponents battle, you may cast as many Geppakugiris that you want from your hand.  Reason being is that when your monster is destroyed, a play timing occurs of monster destruction.  At this point, you can counter and use Geppakugiri.  Then it goes back to the play timing of a monster being destroyed and you can cast another.

The second ruling is that if your opponent destroys your monster during their main phase, you cannot cast Geppakugiri immediately. You have to wait until the next counter timing and here's an example:

Situation:

>It's your opponent's turn and they have a Black Death Dragon, Abygale on their field.
>You have Electron Ninja, Shiden on your field and a Geppakugiri in your hand.
>Your opponent uses Abygale's ability and destroys Shiden.

You do not have a play timing for Geppakugiri after a card's effect resolves during the opponent's main phase but Geppakugiri can be cast as a counter to the first instance of an action taken by your opponent that does not refer to the destruction of that monster.

So if your opponent decides to play, let's say, Abyss Symphony, a counter timing occurs which allow Geppakugiri to be cast and you can kill Abygale.  Unlike the first ruling above, you can only cast one Geppakugiri in this counter timing.

Ruling #5: Art of Explosive Hades Fall

... they all fell down

This one is in regards to when a monster enters the field with an on-enter ability and Hades fall activates at the same time.  Generally speaking, the monster called still gets to use its on-enter ability. The card was successfully called so the ability activates.  Then Hades Fall will activate and destroy the monster.

The only way the on-enter ability can be nullified is if the call itself is nullified with Begone!! or one of the other clones of the card in other worlds.

Also do keep in mind that normal [Act] abilities on monsters (like Shiden) do not get a chance to activate when the monster gets destroyed by Hades Fall.

Ruling #6: Gojinmaru's call cost

This section is about a couple things with Gojinmaru but it can also apply to other cards that have a call cost of putting monsters on the field into the soul of a new, summoned card.

The first question is: "During the counter timing of calling Gojinmaru onto the field, can I cast a Death Grip (or equivalent counter destruction card) to destroy Byakuya or Tsukikage to stop Gojinmaru from entering the field?"

The short answer is no. During the call, the counter timing is after the call cost has been paid.  At this point, Tsukikage and Byakuya are already off the field and in the soul of Gojinmaru.  You can't counter destroy Gojinmaru at this moment either because he isn't on the field yet.

The second question is: "If I cast Begone!! on Gojinmaru, does Byakuya and Tsukikage along with the gauge cost go to the drop?"

That answer is yes.  The call cost was paid so the gauge was paid and the ninja brothers are in Gojinmaru but Gojinmaru's call was nullified so everything goes into the drop.

Ruling #7: Destruction of cards

Pray for your life points

Buddyfight cards rely a lot on wording to determine if certain requirements are fulfilled for something to activate.  Destroying a card is not the same as putting a card to the drop zone. So lets run down a list of some common events that occur in this game related to that:

1. Evil in Heart, Yamigitsune's "To Darkness" puts the card to drop.  So cards like Demon Way, Geppakugiri do not proc off of it.

2. Demon Way, Arukuyou procs off of any destruction of Skull Warriors. Even if you do it.  That makes it very easy to proc.  Especially with Yamigitsune, "White Fire, Shigaisoshi" and Skull Warrior Bones of the Four Birds "Akutenhaba".  The latter allows you to destroy as many Skull Warriors as you want. So if you have three size 1's on the field, don't destroy just one and put the rest to drop for size rule, just destroy them all then you can use Arukuyou to draw three.

3. Putting cards to drop because of call over or size rule do not constitute as destruction.

4.  Calling a card on top of another one like Bal Dragon, "Bal Burst Smasher!!" is not considered destruction either.

Ruling #8: Lifelink

This one is pretty straightforward but I wanted to be clear with everyone on Lifelink. Lifelink is damage.  So any abilities that proc off of taking damage do go off with Lifelink.  Lifelink occurs whenever that creature leaves the field.  Literally whenever.  Obviously there can be cards like Dragon Kid, Ricky who nullify lifelink of Raging Spirits but here are some examples just to lay it out in plain English:

• Calling over because of size rule
• Calling over a monster to take its position on the field
• A monster destroyed by an attack and sent to the drop zone.  Lifelink doesn't activate if the monster destroyed has a soul and Soulguard is used to keep it on the field.
• Bounced back to hand (e.g. Magical Goodbye)
• When you put the card with lifelink on the field into the soul of another card, you take the lifelink damage.  The monster is leaving the field to go into the soul of the monster you're calling.  Souls are not on the field. 

An example of this is Billion Knuckle, "Spirit of the Chief!" being called on top of Leadbanger. You will take Leadbanger's lifelink. He left the field to go into Billion Knuckle's soul. Now Ricky can nullify that lifelink damage but if he's not on the field, you're taking it.