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Chain Mechanics

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Chain Mechanics Empty Chain Mechanics

Post by [TwK] Phase Sun Sep 21, 2014 7:28 pm

Ruling Article Preface:

Rules are not just something that you "need to learn", they are not a chore that you have to work through before you get to the real fun in Yugioh! You must have a certain knowledge of the rules to start playing of course, but rule knowledge goes so much further than that. A truly great player will know every ruling involved with their match, and they will know how to exploit this to their fullest advantage. Rule knowledge doesn't just stop from making you illegal plays, it enables you to outsmart your opponent, bait them into ruling traps and ultimately to win more games. I hope you enjoy the series of rulings articles I will be writing over the next few days.

So, there seems to be a little bit of confusion about chain mechanics amongst Yugioh! players wherever you might find them. As a result, here will be a (hopefully) informative article looking into the dreaded chain.

First of all - things that are NOT part of a chain and do NOT start a chain:

Change of phase

The normal summon of a monster, or the special summon of a monster via INHERENT special summon (EG. DAD, Judgement Dragon)

Any effect whatsoever that takes place as part of a chain resolving (Including monsters summoned at the end of the chain)

Declaring an attack

Setting a card

Other misc. oddities


Things that DO start a chain

Attempting to activate a spell or trap card

Attempting to active a monster effect (including cards that special summon themselves like dragon rulers)


That's really it! People only get confused because they don't realise that so few things start a chain! Okay. So a chain has been started, now what happens?

There are 3 speeds in Yugioh! for monster effects, spells, and traps

Spell Speed 1:

Most spell cards; cards with no symbol (normal spell cards), field spell cards, continuous spell cards, equip spell cards and ritual spell cards

Flip effects ("FLIP:" or "When this card is flipped face up" or "When this card is flip summoned")

Ignition effects (Once per turn, you can <--- key words to look for. If it's in your own turn, and you have an option (can) activate it)

Trigger effects (Compulsory effects in your own turn, example monarchs. "When this card is Normal Summoned; etc etc")

Also some "Trigger like effects" and "Ignition like effects" but these are very uncommon and you will probably not even notice they exist, as you will think they ARE ignition or trigger effects and they essentially are!

Spell Speed 2:

Normal trap cards

Quickplay spell cards (lightning bolt top left)

Continuous trap cards (With the "infinity" symbol)

(Monster) Quick effects (Key words to look for - "During either player's turn:"

Spell Speed 3:

Counter Traps (Solemn Warning, Dark Bribe, etc)

-------------------------------------------------------

That's it for spell speeds! Now we can move on to actually building a chain.

Building The Chain

So, we all know by now what STARTS a chain. Any attempted activation of a monster effect, spell card, or trap card. Now we need to work out how to build the chain

In Yugioh!, you can "chain" card effects to others. Essentially allowing you fast ways to respond to what your opponent is doing on the battlefield, keeping them on their toes!

What You Can Chain

Any spell speed 2 or 3 card, provided the previous card in the chain was the same speed or lower. You cannot chain spell speed 1 cards to anything. For example, Player A activates a speed 1 card. Player B can chain any spell 2 or 3 card to this, and so on. A chain written in speeds might look like this: Speed 1 ---> Speed 2 ---> Speed 2 --> Speed 3. It could also look like this: Speed 2 --> Speed 2 --> Speed 3 --> Speed 3.

Another important requirement to note is that the card you are chaining -must- respond to either the LAST existing card in the chain, or respond to the action that chain link 1 is responding to.

Example: You activate a monster effect as CL1 --> I chain fiendish chain as CL2 --> you chain MST, targeting a spell/trap card as CL3 --> I chain MST, targeting a spell/trap card as CL4 --> If you have a wiretap set, you can no longer add it at this part of the chain, even though it is spell speed 3. This is because you can only respond to the last chain link to activate, (MST) or to whatever CL1 was responding to (if anything). This means it's important to remember to use your conditional cards (like ones that respond to a certain thing) whilst you still can!

The Chain Itself

A chain starts. Player A has activated a monster effect, spell card, or trap card as Chain Link 1. Player B now has an opportunity to chain a card of their own as Chain Link 2. Player A now has the opportunity to chain a card as Chain Link 3 and so on and so forth. The opportunity to chain a new card keeps passing between players back and forth like this. When players have finished building the chain, and neither want to keep adding, the chain resolves.

NB: When a player declines to add to the chain, the other player now has an opportunity to continue to build the chain if they so wish. Example: Player 1 starts a chain. Player 2 adds Chain Link 2. Player 1 adds Chain Link 3. Player 2 has no response, and now Player 1 is free to add to the chain again. If he declines, the chain resolves. If he does add to the chain, you go back to the back and forth adding described above.

Example of the above note: Player A activates Dark Hole --> Player B declines the option to add a chain link 2 --> Player A now has the option to add to the chain, and decides to activate Forbidden Lance as chain link 2, targeting one of his monsters.

Resolving Chains

After both players have passed the opportunity to add to the chain, it resolves. In Yugioh! chains resolve backwards. This is a convention from Magic: The Gathering called "Going down the stack", or some other such terms. It originated from a player putting a card down to activate it. The next player would put a card on top of that to respond, and so on. At the end they would read the stack from the top down, with the most recent card resolving first. Hence the "stack"

So, the effects are resolved from the highest chain link first in descending order.

So for example, Chain Link 4 --> Chain Link 3 --> Chain Link 2 --> Chain Link 1

It is very important to remember this. It has a huge effect on gameplay

Example: Player A activates Chaos Sorcerer's banish effect --> Player B responds by chaining Fiendish Chain as CL2.

Player B's Fiendish Chain attempts to resolve first, and succeeds. Now Player A's Chaos Sorcerer effect attempts to resolve. Since Fiendish Chain is affecting Chaos Sorcerer, his effect is negated.


Example 2: In Main Phase 1, Player A summons Exciton Knight, seeking to clear the field. Player B, trying to protect his cards, sends Effect Veiler to the grave, activating it as Chain Link 1. In response, Player B activates Exciton Knight's effect as Chain Link 2. Since chains resolve backwards, Exciton Knight's effect resolves BEFORE Effect Veiler has a chance to resolve to stop it.

Example 3: Player A activates Dark Hole. Player B chains Legenday Six Samurai - Enishi's quick effect as Chain Link 2. Enishi returns himself to the hand, and then Dark Hole resolves, not destroying anything.

Example 4: Player A activates Dark Hole to attempt to destroy an opponent's monster. Player B activates Forbidden Lance to protect his monster as CL2. Player A activates Compulsory Evacuation Device as chain link 3. It resolves backwards; Player B's monster returns to hand, Forbidden Lance fizzles, and Dark Hole applies its destruction effect to any other remaining monsters on the field.

Multiple Chains At The Same Time & Additional Effects During Chain Resolution

SEGOC

Any effects that activate at exactly the same time go on chain. If Dark Hole is activated whilst two players each have, say, Sangan set, then both Sangans will go into the grave and activate at the same time. In this case, they go on chain. The little method used is as follows

Turn player's mandatory effects
Non-turn player's mandatory effects
Turn-player's optional effects
Non-turn player's optional effects

Following on from the above example, that means that the turn player's effect will be Chain Link 1, the non-turn player's effect will be Chain Link 2. That means that the non-turn player's Sangan will resolve first.

Mandatory Effects Mid-Chain

If a mandatory effect attempts to activate in the middle of a chain, if cannot resolve immediately so it will resolve after the current chain has resolved in a new chain.

Example: Player A activates Upstart Goblin --> Player B chains Raigeki Break, discarding a card and targets Player A's set monster as CL 2 (Sangan). The chain resolves backwards, CL 2 resolves before CL 1. Sangan goes to grave, but its effect does not activate because the chain has not finished resolving. Instead, upstart goblin will resolve first (Player A draws a card and Player B gains 1000 life points), and then Sangan's effect will attempt to activate as Chain Link 1.

Optional Effects Missing Timing

If there is an opportunity for an optional effect to activate mid-chain; it cannot, and it misses timing. This essentially cancels or prevents the effect from being activated.

Example: Player A activates Mystical Space Typhoon, targeting Player B's face down set spell or trap card --> Player B chains the targeted face down card, Asceticism of The Six Samurai, targeting their Legendary Six Samurai - Enishi as CL 2. CL 2 attempts to resolve first, and The Six Samurai - Irou is special summoned to Player B's side of the field. Player A attempts to activate Bottomless Trap Hole, in response to the summon of a monster with 1500 ATK or greater. Bottomless Trap Hole fizzles, going to grave with no effect. This is because Chain Link 1 has not yet resolved, and so the chain is still in progress. Because the chain is still in progress, Bottomless Trap Hole is unable to resolve. Note that even though Mystical Space Typhoon destroying Asceticism of the Six Samurai has no effect, it will still attempt to resolve.

Note that the above example is an excellent way to improve your odds at winning games. If your opponent attempts to use an effect, spell, or trap, you can actually chain an effect/spell/trap of your own that summons a monster as Chain Link 2 or higher. When it resolves, your opponent will be unable to use Bottomless Trap Hole in response. (Cards like Solemn Warning can still be used against you, because they can chain to activation of the card itself, as opposed to the resolution. In-keeping with the requirement for cards to respond to either what CL 1 is responding to or to the last Chain Link.) Despite the vulnerability to cards like Solemn Warning, you are bypassing a potential Bottomless, Torrential Tribute, or other "in response to a monster being summoned" cards.

That's it for this article for now, I might come back and add more later. I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope you learnt something along with some tips and tricks!


Last edited by [TwK] Phase on Mon Sep 22, 2014 2:47 pm; edited 1 time in total
[TwK] Phase
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Chain Mechanics Empty Re: Chain Mechanics

Post by Angel Sun Sep 21, 2014 7:39 pm

Wow you are great teacher! (:
That is right lesson i wanted to see ^^
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Post by Lux Sun Sep 21, 2014 7:41 pm

Excellent leason even I didn't read it xD
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Post by Kylo Ren Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:27 pm

wow, for seeing your first lesson, looks like you haven't been doing something else. Amazingly done!

guys, if you need someone to teach you, I think this is the proof Phase is the one to contact.
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