STBL Part 4: That's no moon...

Like any set, Starstrike Blast includes some Cards used in the anime. Let's take a look:

First, we have Swift-Attack Scarecrow:

When your opponent's monster declares a direct attack, you can discard this card to negate that attack and end the Battle Phase.

Scarecrow has an Optional Trigger Effect that you activate upon Attack Declaration. Discarding it is a cost. This effect doesn't target, and you can only activate one Scarecrow in response to the attack.

Next, we have Mirror Ladybug:

If you control at least 1 face-up monster and have no monsters in your Graveyard, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. When this card is Special Summoned this way, this card's Level becomes equal to the total Levels of all other monsters you control. If the Level of this card is higher than 12, destroy this card.

Ladybug has a Summoning Condition that gives it an Inherent Special Summon. Then, it has a Mandatory Trigger Effect activated upon its successful Special Summon using that method, which can be negated by Swallow Flip. This effect counts the Levels of the other monsters you control when it resolves. Finally, it has a Continuous Effect which will destroy Mirror Ladybug if its Level ever exceeds 12. This isn't limited to its own Trigger Effect. Anything that would cause its Level to be too high will result in Mirror Ladybug being destroyed.

Then, we have Reed Butterfly:

If your opponent controls a face-up Synchro Monster(s) and you control no face-up Synchro Monsters, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Reed Butterfly's Summoning Condition gives it an Inherent Special Summon. It has no further Monster Effects.

Moving on, we have Needle Soldier:

If this card is used as a Synchro Material Monster for a Synchro Monster, during battle between that Synchro Monster and a Defense Position monster whose DEF is lower than the ATK of that Synchro Monster, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

Needle Soldier has a Continuous Effect. It is applied as soon as the Synchro Summon is successful, and it doesn't depend on Soldier remaining in the Graveyard (or wherever it's sent after the Synchro Summon). It sets a Condition on the Synchro Monster which gives it a trampling effect that doesn't use the chain. If the Synchro Monster is flipped face-down or is Removed from the Field, it will lose this effect.

Then, we have Necro Linker:

You can Tribute this card to select 1 "Synchron" Tuner monster in your Graveyard. Special Summon that monster. It cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster during the turn it is Special Summoned by this effect.

Necro Linker has an Ignition Effect. You tribute Linker as a cost, and it targets a monster in your Graveyard. Then, it sets a Condition on the Summoned monster, preventing it from being used as a Synchro Material this turn. Flipping the monster face-down will get rid of this Condition.

The last regular Yusei monster is Rescue Warrior:

You take no Battle Damage from battles involving this card. If this card is destroyed by battle, select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls that you own, and take control of it.

Rescue Warrior's first effect is a Continuous Effect that prevents Battle Damage. Then, it has a Mandatory Trigger Effect activated at the End of the Damage Step when Rescue Warrior is destroyed in battle. It targets a face-up monster that you originally own, and that your opponent has taken control of. This will override the effect that gave control of that monster to your opponent, so even if your opponent has used Creature Swap, Snatch Steal or Mind Control, you will regain control of your monster "permanently" (or at least until another effect takes control of it). Note that you must target a face-up monster, so if your opponent controlled your monster and turned it into a Spell Card (such as an Equip Card with Relinquished, or a Continuous Spell Card in the case of a Crystal Beast), then you cannot target it.

Now let's look at Jack's Cards, starting with Power Giant:

You can send 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from your hand, and decrease this card's Level by the Level of that monster. If this card attacks or is attacked, until the end of the Damage Step any effect damage you take becomes 0.

Power Giant's Summoning Condition gives it an Inherent Special Summon. You must send the monster to the Graveyard, so you cannot Special Summon Power Giant if Macro Cosmos is active. Modifying Power Giant's Level is part of this Inherent Special Summon, and so, it doesn't start a new chain. If Power Giant has its effects negated, its Level will return to normal. In addition, Power Giant has a Continuous Effect that starts applying since Attack Declaration, which will reduce any Effect Damage you take to 0.

Then, we have Vice Berserker:

If this card is sent to the Graveyard as a Synchro Material Monster, inflict 2000 damage to the player that Synchro Summoned, and the Synchro Monster that used this card as a Synchro Material Monster gains 2000 ATK until the End Phase.

Vice Berserker has a single Mandatory Trigger Effect activated upon the successful Synchro Summon of the Synchro Monster. It inflicts Effect Damage to the player that used it as a Synchro Material, and gives an ATK increase to the Synchro Monster. If the player doesn't receive the Effect Damage, such as if that player controls Black-Winged Dragon, then the ATK increase is still applied. If the Synchro Monster is flipped face-down, the ATK increase is lost.

Next, we have Lancer Archfiend:

Once per turn, when a monster you control declares an attack targeting a Defense Position monster your opponent controls, you can activate this effect. If you do, during this battle, if the ATK of the attacking monster is greater than the DEF of the Defense Position monster it battles, inflict the difference as Battle Damage to your opponent.

Lancer Archfiend has an Optional Trigger Effect. You activate it upon Attack Declaration. When the effect resolves, it sets a Condition that will grant the attacking monster the ability to trample during this battle. This effect doesn't target.

Moving on, we have Power Breaker:

When this card is destroyed by your opponent's attack or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, select 1 face-up Spell/Trap Card your opponent controls, and destroy it. If this card attacks, it is changed to Defense Position at the end of the Damage Step.

Power Breaker's first effect is a Mandatory Trigger Effect. You activate it at either the End of the Damage Step after it's destroyed in battle, or after the chain in which it was destroyed by a Card Effect. It targets the opponent's Card that you will destroy. Much like other monsters that depend on the opponent destroying this Card, if your opponent controls Power Breaker and it is destroyed, then it can't activate its effect. Its second effect is a Continuous Effect.

Then, we have Extra Veiler:

When your opponent Special Summons a monster(s), you can Special Summon this card from your hand. During the turn this card is Special Summoned by this effect, your opponent takes any effect damage you would have taken from their card effects, instead.

Veiler has an Optional Trigger Effect to Special Summon itself from the Hand in response to the successful Special Summon of an opponent's monster. You cannot activate this effect during the Damage Step, and you cannot Special Summon more than one Veiler off a single Special Summon. When this effect resolves properly, Veiler sets a Condition that will reflect all Effect Damage you take this turn from your opponent's effects. This Condition doesn't depend on Veiler, so if Veiler has its effects negated or it's no longer face-up before the End Phase, your opponent will still take the reflected damage.

Next, we have Synchro Soldier:

Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1, you can select 1 face-up Synchro Monster you control. Remove that face-up Synchro Monster you control from play and inflict 600 damage to your opponent. If you use this effect, during your next Standby Phase the removed from play monster returns to the field.

Synchro Soldier has an Ignition Effect. It targets one of your Synchro Monsters. Removing the Synchro Monster from Play and inflicting damage are considered to be simultaneous events. If you cannot Remove the Synchro Monster from Play, damage isn't inflicted. Returning the monster to the Field doesn't use the chain, and doesn't depend on Synchro Soldier remaining on the Field.

And finally, some Tuners, one being Creation Resonator:

If you control a face-up Level 8 or higher Synchro Monster, you can Special Summon this card from your hand.

Creation Resonator's Summoning Condition gives it an Inherent Special Summon. Nothing else.

The other Tuner being Attack Gainer:

If this card is sent to the Graveyard as a Synchro Material Monster, select 1 face-up monster your opponent controls. The selected opponent's monster loses 1000 ATK until the End Phase.

Attack Gainer has a Mandatory Trigger Effect. It activates upon the successful Summon of the Synchro Monster, and it targets an opponent's monster.

Now, let's look at some of Crow's Cards, starting with Blackwing - Etesian of Two Swords:

If a "Blackwing" monster you control battles an opponent's monster, and that opponent's monster is still on the field at the end of the Damage Step, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.

Etesian has an Optional Trigger Effect that you activate at the End of the Damage Step. Sending this Card to the Graveyard is a cost, so you can't activate this effect if Macro Cosmos is active. Your Blackwing monster doesn't need to remain on the Field, but your opponent's monster must.

Next, we have Blackwing - Aurora the Northern Lights:

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play 2 face-up monsters you control (1 "Blackwing" Tuner and 1 non-Tuner). Once per turn, you can remove from play 1 "Blackwing" Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck. This card's name, ATK, and effects become the same as that monster's, until the End Phase.

Aurora has a Summoning Condition which gives it an Inherent Special Summon. Then, it has an Ignition Effect. Removing from Play the Blackwing Synchro Monster for this Ignition Effect is not a cost. If Aurora has its effects negated after gaining the effects of the Synchro Monster, only the effects of the Synchro Monster will be negated, and it will keep the ATK and name of that monster. Having an ATK of "?", Aurora cannot be added to the Hand via Black Whirlwind or Against the Wind.

And finally, we have Blackwing - Abroholos the Megaquake:

This card cannot be Special Summoned. Any monsters that battles with this card is not destroyed by that battle, and returns to the hand after damage calculation. Once per turn, during your Main Phase 1, you can have this card lose 1000 ATK, and return all cards in your opponent's Spell and Trap Card Zone to the hand.

Abroholos has a Summoning Condition that prevents it from being Special Summoned. Then, it has a Continuous Effect that prevents the monsters it battles with from being destroyed in battle. It also has a Mandatory Trigger Effect that will return any monster it battles with to the owner's Hand After Damage Calculation, even if Abroholos is destroyed in battle. Additionally, Abroholos has an Ignition Effect. Reducing its ATK is part of the effect, and if Abroholos isn't face-up at the time of the resolution, the effect resolves without effect, as Abroholos cannot reduce its ATK. Note that Abroholos cannot return Field Cards to the opponent's Hand. The ATK loss remains as long as Abroholos remains face-up.

And the last regular monster is one of Aki's mosters, Glow-Up Bulb:

You can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard and Special Summon this card from the Graveyard. Each player can only use the effect of "Glow-Up Bulb" once per Duel.

Bulb has an Ignition Effect. Sending the top Card of the Deck to the Graveyard is part of the effect, so you can activate this effect even if Macro Cosmos is active. If Bulb isn't in the Graveyard at the time the effect resolves, you still send the top Card to the Graveyard, but if you run out of Cards to send to the Graveyard, Bulb isn't Summoned. Sending the Card to the Graveyard and Special Summoning Bulb isn't considered to be simultaneous, so a monster like Jinzo - Returner will miss the timing.

Bulb's effect has a restriction of only being able to activate its effect once per Duel, similar to Spore. And similar to Spore, even if the activation of this effect is negated, the effect is negated, or if Bulb leaves the Graveyard and later returns, you still cannot activate this effect more than once per Duel. Lately, a common question regarding both Spore and Bulb is about the wording of their restriction. "Each player" means that a single player can only activate the effect of these monsters once per Duel. Activating the effect of your Bulb won't prevent the opponent from activating the effect of his/her Bulb.

There's only one Spell Card from the anime, and that is Tuning:

Add 1 "Synchron" Tuner monster from your Deck to your hand. Then send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard.

Tuning adds a monster from your Deck to your Hand, so it doesn't target. Sending the top Card to the Graveyard is not considered to be simultaneous with adding the monster to your Hand. Also, sending the top Card to the Graveyard is part of the effect, so you can activate this Card while Macro Cosmos is active. If you fail to find a monster to add to your Hand, you do not send the top Card to the Graveyard.

Now, let's look at some Trap Cards, starting with D2 Shield:

Select 1 face-up Defense Position monster you control. Its DEF becomes double its original DEF.

D2 Shield targets a monster you control. It can be activated during the Damage Step, before Damage Calculation. It works similarly to Shrink, only that it doubles the value instead of halving it (and it works with DEF). Unlike Shrink, this modification lasts as long as the monster remains face-up. Much like Shrink, activating multiple copies of D2 Shield won't double the DEF twice. It will only set the DEF at a value equal to the original DEF's double, twice.

Next, we have Red Screen:

Your opponent's monsters cannot declare attacks. This card's controller must pay 1000 Life Points during each of their End Phases (this is not optional), or this card is destroyed. If "Red Dragon Archfiend" is face-up on the field, you can select 1 Level 1 Tuner Monster in your Graveyard, then destroy this card and Special Summon that monster.

Red Screen has a Continuous Effect that stops your opponent's monsters from declaring attacks. It has a Maintenance Cost that forces you to pay 1000 Life Points during your End Phases. Finally, it has an Optional Quick-like Effect that you can activate if either player controls a Red Dragon Archfiend, which doesn't need to be a monster (it could be equipped to Relinquished or similar). This effect targets a Tuner in your Graveyard, and Red Screen is destroyed as part of the effect. This effect cannot be activated during the Damage Step. You also cannot activate this effect if you don't have the Tuner monster in your Graveyard (to avoid losing Life Points) or if Imperial Custom is face-up.

Then, we have Blackback:

Activate only during your turn. Select 1 "Blackwing" monster with 2000 or less ATK in your Graveyard, and Special Summon it. You cannot Normal Summon or Set the turn you activate this card.

Blackback targets a monster in your Graveyard. As usual, you cannot Normal Summon/Set, and then activate Blackback later during the turn.

Moving on, we have Defenders Intersect:

Activate only during the Battle Phase. Defense Position monsters your opponent controls are changed to face-up Attack Position, and their effects are negated.

Intersect can be activated during the Battle Phase, outside of the Damage Step. It only affects the monsters that your opponent controls when this Card resolves, not those placed on the Field afterwards. The effect negation is only applied for effects that are applied on the Field, so it won't negate the effect of Sangan and similar monsters.

Next, we have Gravity Collapse:

Activate by sending 1 face-up Synchro Monster you control to the Graveyard when your opponent Summons a monster. Negate the Summon and destroy that card. Your opponent cannot Summon a monster until the End Phase of this turn.

Gravity Collapse sends a Synchro

Then, we have Blackwing  - Boobytrap:

When this Set card is destroyed by your opponent's card effect while you control a face-up "Blackwing" monster, inflict 1000 damage to your opponent and draw 1 card.

Boobytrap has a Mandatory Trigger-like effect that is activated when it is destroyed while face-down. You cannot activate this Trap Card like other Normal Trap Cards, you must meet its triggers. You must control the Blackwing Monster upon this effect's activation and its resolution. The damage and drawing a Card are considered to be simultaneous events, but if you cannot inflict the damage to your opponent, you do not draw a Card.

Moving on, we have Star Siphon:

Activate only when a Synchro Monster is Special Summoned, by selecting it. Special Summon 1 "Siphon Token" (Spellcaster-Type/DARK/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0). Its Level is that of the selected monster, and the selected monster is now Level 1.

Siphon is activated upon the successful Special Summon of the Synchro Monster, and it targets that monster. A Level 1 token is Special Summoned, and it has its Level modified to become the Level of the target Synchro Monster, while the target Synchro Monster has its Level reduced to 1. It the Synchro Monster is no longer face-up by the time this effect resolves, the token remains a Level 1 monster, and the Synchro Monster never has its Level modified by this effect. Siphon cannot be activated during the Damage Step.

And finally, we have Half Counter:

Activate only during damage calculation if a monster you control is being attacked. The attack target monster you control gains ATK equal to half the original ATK of the attacking monster, until the End Phase.

Half Counter is activated during Damage Calculation. It only targets your monster.

Now, let's look at the Synchros, starting with Red Nova Dragon:

2 Tuners + "Red Dragon Archfiend"
This card gains 500 ATK for each Tuner monster in your Graveyard. This card cannot be destroyed by the effects of your opponent's Spells, Traps, or monsters. When your opponent's monster declares an attack, you can select it, then remove this card from play and negate the attack. During the End Phase, Special Summon this card that was removed from play by this effect.

Red Nova Dragon uses exactly 2 Tuners along with a specific monster. You can use a monster that has gained Red Dragon Archfiend's name, but you must still add up its 12 stars with the Synchro Materials. Nova's first effect is a Continuous Effect that gives it an ATK boost. Then, it has a second Continuous Effect that prevents it from being destroyed by your opponent's effects, but it still can be destroyed by yours (like your own Dark Hole). Its third effect is an Optional Trigger Effect that you activate upon Attack Declaration. It allows you to negate one attack by Removing from Play Nova Dragon as part of the effect. This effect targets the attacking monster. Even if the attacking monster is Removed from the Field before this effect resolves, Nova is still Removed from Play. Finally, it has a Mandatory Trigger Effect activated at the End Phase that Special Summons Nova back to the Field if you Removed it from Play with its own effect.

Next, we have Formula Synchron:

1 Tuner + 1 non-Tuner Monster
When this card is Synchro Summoned, you can draw 1 card. During your opponent's Main Phase, you can Synchro Summon using this face-up card you control as a Synchro Material Monster.

Formula Synchron is the first Synchro Monster that is also a Tuner Monster (and vice-versa). It is also an Effect Monster, even though it's not listed as one and it lacks the characteristic orange border. It has an Optional Trigger Effect activated upon its successful Synchro Summon that allows you to draw a Card. It can be negated by Swallow Flip. Other than that, it has an Optional Quick Effect that you can activate during your opponent's Main Phases. It allows you to perform a Synchro Summon with this effect, much like Urgent Tuning. You must still meet all the requirements for a Synchro Summon, so the Levels of the monsters must add up those of an eligible Synchro Monster in your Extra Deck. Since the Synchro Summoned is performed when the effect resolves, sending the Synchro Materials to the Graveyard is not performed while activating the effect, and you don't have to announce which Synchro Monster you are Summoning or which Synchro Materials you will use while activating the effect. Once the effect is activated, you must perform a Synchro Summon as long as you have eligible Synchro Materials, even if it is no longer possible to Summon the Synchro Monster you intended to Summon (for example, if you wanted to Synchro Summon Arcanite Magician and your Spellcaster-type non-Tuner monster disappears, but you still have other face-up monsters).

Regarding its activation timing, you can activate it when your opponent wants to end the Main Phase (and proceed to the Battle Phase or End Phase), but this doesn't force your opponent to proceed to the next Phase. You can chain Formula's effect to any Spell Speed 2 or lower effect, but you cannot activate Formula's effect more than once per chain. This is because otherwise you would be able to chain Formula's effect to itself infinitely.

The last Card for today is the cover Card of the set: Shooting Star Dragon:

1 Tuner Synchro Monster + "Stardust Dragon"
Each of these effects can be activated once per turn: ● Reveal the top 5 cards of your Deck. Shuffle them back in, and this card's maximum number of attacks this turn is equal to the number of Tuner monsters revealed. ● Negate the activation of an effect that would destroy a card(s) on the field, and destroy that card. ● When your opponent's monster declares an attack you can select it, then remove this card from play and negate the attack. During the End Phase, Special Summon this card that was removed from play by this effect.

Much like Red Nova Dragon, Shooting Star Dragon asks you to use a monster named Stardust Dragon, but you can also use a monster that has gained Stardust's name. You can also use a Synchro Monster that has been turned into a Tuner Monster by a Card Effect. In either case, you have to add up Shooting Star Dragon's 10 stars while Synchro Summoning it. As for its effects, note that the first sentence sets a restriction for each individual effect, meaning  all three effects can be used in a single turn, but each can only be used once.

The first effect is an Ignition Effect. Revealing 5 Cards is part of the effect. Being an Ignition Effect, this effect is completely optional. That is to say, you don't need to activate it in order for Shooting Star Dragon to attack. You only activate it to try to obtain more attacks. If you don't activate it, Shooting Star Dragon can attack once like any regular monster. This effect determines the maximum number of attacks that SSD can perform this turn, so if you reveal 0 Tuner monsters, SSD cannot declare any attacks, even if it gains the ability to attack twice with another Card's effect like Wonder Clover. Similarly, if the maximum number of attacks gained by SSD's effect is 3 or higher, an effect like Wonder Clover won't override it: It's already able to attack twice, and even more times.  You cannot activate this effect if you don't have at least 1 Tuner Monster in your Deck or 5 Cards to reveal, but if you don't meet either requirement when the effect resolves, you resolve the effect as much as possible, trying to reveal 5 Cards on the top of your Deck. You do the same if SSD is no longer face-up too.

The second effect is an Optional Quick Effect. It's similar to the Quick Effect of Stardust Dragon, only that it doesn't have a cost. Much like Stardust Dragon, it cannot negate effects that aren't certain to destroy a Card on the Field like Snipe Hunter. The third effect is an Optional Trigger Effect, and it works exactly as that of Red Nova Dragon's. And much like Red Nova, it also has a fourth effect that is a Mandatory Trigger Effect that Special Summons SSD after the third effect Removes it from Play.

That's all we have on STBL for today. Stay tuned for more Starstrike Blast!

The Forgotten Dust

Sigh...now I forgot two Stardust Dragons. Silly me.

One is Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode:

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except with its own effect or with "Assault Mode Activate". You can Tribute this card to negate the activation of a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect, and destroy that card. If you negate an effect this way, you can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard  during the End Phase. When this card on the field is destroyed, you can Special Summon 1 "Stardust Dragon" from your Graveyard.

Stardust Assault has a Summoning Condition that restricts every possible method to Summon it, other than Assault Mode Activate or its Trigger Effect. Speaking of which, Stardust/Assault is very similar to Stardust Dragon: It has an Optional Quick effect that negates other effects, and an Optional Trigger Effect to Summon itself. Every rule on Stardust also works for Stardust/Assault Mode: The negation effect can be activated during the Damage Step, the tribute is a cost, and so on. In addition, much like the other Assault Mode monsters, Stardust/Assault has an Optional Trigger Effect that Summons its previous form. This effect targets, and will activate even if Stardust/Assault is destroyed and Removed from Play (such as with Bottomless Trap Hole). Note that the target must have been properly Synchro Summoned, so if you used Starlight Road, you cannot Special Summon a Synchro Stardust Dragon with this effect.

The other dusty dragon is the upcoming JUMP Promo, Malefic Stardust Dragon:

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by removing from play 1 "Stardust Dragon" from your Extra Deck. There can only be 1 face-up "Malefic" monster on the field. Field Spell Cards cannot be destroyed by card effects. Other monsters you control cannot attack. If there is no face-up Field Spell Card on the field, destroy this card.

Malefic Stardust has the staple abilities and restrictions of Malefic monsters: A Summoning Condition that prevents its Summon except by Removing from Play the original monster, a Condition that allows you to control only one Malefic monster, a Continuous Effect that restricts your other monsters from attacking, and a Continuous Effect to explode if you don't have a Field Spell Card. Other than that, Malefic Stardust Dragon has a Continuous Effect that prevents Field Spell Cards from being destroyed by Card Effects. Note that activating a new Field Spell Card is not a Card Effect, so they can still be destroyed by this method.

So yeah, a very short article T_T If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ness00[at]gmail[dot]com.

Biker Dragons From Mars

As usual, some of the most prominent monsters in the anime are Dragon monsters, and Yusei makes use of them in the form of Stardust Dragon and a number of variations of it.

The first monster we'll look at is Debris Dragon:

When this card is Normal Summoned, you can Special Summon 1 monster  with 500 or less ATK  from your Graveyard in Attack Position. That monster's  effect(s) is negated. This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster. The other Synchro Material Monster(s) cannot be Level  4.

Debris Dragon has an Optional Trigger Effect that you activate upon its successful Normal Summon. It targets a monster in the Graveyard, and it can be negated by Pulling the Rug. After the target monster is successfully Special Summoned, a Condition is set on it negating its effects. This Condition works exactly as Junk Synchron's. Other than that, Debris Dragon has two Conditions on itself, regarding its use as a Synchro Material. The first Condition restricts you to only being able to Synchro Summon Dragon-type Synchro monsters with Debris. The Synchro must be a Dragon while in the Extra Deck. The second Condition stops you from using a Level 4 monster as Synchro Material. This means that you can use a Level 1 and Level 3 monster along Debris to Summon a Level 8 Synchro, but you cannot use Debris, a Level 4 monster, and a Level 2 Dragon to Summon Trident Dragion (one of the monsters is Level 4). Both Conditions (only Dragons and no Level 4) cannot be negated.

Now, into the main dish, the ever-popular Stardust Dragon:

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
You can Tribute this card to negate the activation of a Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect that destroys a card(s) on the field, and destroy that card. If you negate an effect this way, you can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard during the End Phase.

Stardust Dragon has two effects. The first is an Optional Quick Effect. Tributing Stardust Dragon is a cost. Despite its wording, Stardust Dragon negates effects not Cards (Card activations). This means that the effect can negate the effect of already-active S/T Cards. This effect doesn't target, and must be chained immediatly to the activation of the effect. Being a Quick Effect that negates activations, it can be activated during the Damage Step, and even during Damage Calculation.

The second effect is an Optional Trigger Effect that you activate during the End Phase. This second effect depends on the first one, as you must succeed in negating an effect with the first effect. If the second effect is negated for any reason, it won't activate again, because you need to negate an effect once again. Despite its wording ("you" negate...), it doesn't matter which player controlled Stardust Dragon at the time of the negation. This means that if your opponent used Brain Control on your Stardust Dragon, and activated its negation effect, then, during the End Phase, YOU can activate its effect to Special summon itself.

In order to evolve to a next stage, there are two monsters to help Stardust. The first one is Majestic Dragon:

This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster, except for the Synchro Summon of a "Majestic" monster.

Which only has a lame Condition, similar to Debris Dragon's. The other monster is Stardust Xiaolong:

When you Synchro Summon "Stardust Dragon", you can Special Summon this card from your Graveyard  in face-up  Attack Position. Once per turn, if this card would be destroyed by battle, it is not destroyed.

Xiaolong's first effect is an Optional Trigger Effect that you can activate upon Stardust Dragon's successful Synchro Summon. It can be negated by Swallow Flip. You can activate the effect of multiple copies of Xiaolong upon the same Summon. The second effect is a Continuous Effect, your usual protection effect.

These two monsters help Summoning Majestic Star Dragon:

"Majestic Dragon" + "Stardust Dragon" + 1 non-Tuner monster
You can Tribute this card to negate the activation of an opponent's Spell Card, Trap Card, or Effect Monster's effect and destroy all cards your opponent controls. Once per turn, you can negate the effect(s) of 1 face-up monster your opponent controls until the End Phase. Also, if the negated effect can be activated, you can activate it once as this card's effect. During the End Phase, return this card from the field to the Extra Deck, and Special Summon 1 "Stardust Dragon" from your Graveyard.

Let's look first at the required Materials. Majestic Dragon is a Tuner by default, but Stardust Dragon can also be treated as a Tuner. Furthermore, if you have a non-Tuner monster named "Majestic Dragon", but Stardust is a Tuner, then you can still Synchro Summon this Card.

As for the effects itself, the first effect is an Optional Quick Effect that tributes Stardust as a cost. This time, the doesn't need to destroy anything. Note that it only destroys Cards in the Field, so if you negate an effect that activates in the Hand (such as Tragoedia or Battle Fader), that Card won't be destroyed. Other than that, it's very similar to the regular Stardust Dragon. 

The second effect is an Ignition Effect. It targets a monster, and it negates that monster's effects. The negation is similar to Junk Synchron's. Seriously, reviewing that guy has been convenient, huh?

The third effect can only be activated during the same turn that you negate a monster's effect with Majestic Star, and only if one of the monster's effects can be "activated". That is to say, it uses the chain, meaning its either Ignition, FLIP, Trigger or Quick. Of course, it's kinda hard to mimic a FLIP Effect, because flipping Majestic Star face-down would reset its effect, but you can mimic some others. Note that it can't copy Continuous Effects, Maintenance Costs, or Conditions. You still have to meet every cost and activation requirement to activate an effect, so if you copy something like Judgment Dragon, you have to pay 1000 Life Points to activate the effect, and if you copy Infernity Mirage, you must have zero Cards in Hand in order to activate its effect.

The fourth effect is a mandatory Trigger Effect that activates during the End Phase. It targets a Stardust Dragon. Even if Stardust isn't there, or if it's impossible to Summon it, Majestic Star still returns to the Extra Deck. You only Special Summon Stardust if Majestic Star returns to the Extra Deck. Even so, the actions are considered to be simultaneous.

Ugh, too much star dust for me. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ness00[at]gmail[dot]com.

Route 66

Starlight Road has become a very popular Card lately. Not only its effect is pretty powerful, but more importantly, people are having a really hard time understanding its rulings. The Card does have some strange bonus against certain Cards, but it's nowhere as difficult as people are making it out to be.

Activate  only when an effect is activated that would destroy 2 or more cards you control. Negate the effect and destroy that card. Then, you can Special Summon 1 "Stardust Dragon" from your Extra Deck.

This Normal Trap Card responds to an effect that would destroy at least 2 Cards on your side on your side of the Field (more about this in a minute). It cannot be activated during the Damage Step. It negates the destructive effect and destroys the Card that performs it, and additionally, if it succeeds in destroying that Card, you can Special Summon a Stardust Dragon. Since its an effect that may perform a Special Summon, Royal Oppression's effect can be chained to Starlight Road (even if it is impossible to Special Summon for any reason). Starlight Road must be chained directly to the effect that you want to negate.

The first thing people get mixed up is what it means that an effect would destroy 2 or more Cards on a side of the Field. Here, you need a principle of certainty. That is to say, how sure are you (or rather, the Game State) that 2 Cards on that side of the Field are going to be destroyed? This is not as hard as the examples suggest. The easiest way to do this is to ignore every other Card that you may think of, and assume that Starlight Road will resolve properly. If it were to resolve properly, how many Cards would be destroyed and where? The answer lies there. Here are some examples for you to get the idea:

1) My opponent activates Torrential Tribute, while he has 3 set S/T Cards, and I control 2 monsters. I wish to activate Starlight Road. I ignore that my opponent has an Enemy Controller to take control of one of my monsters, or a Bottomless Trap Hole to get rid of my second monster. If none of those possiblities existed, how many monsters would Torrential Tribute destroy? My two monsters. And so, I can activate Starlight Road.

2) My opponent controls Yubel - Terror Incarnate, while I control 2 monsters and an active Skill Drain. Terror Incarnate's mandatory effect activates, and I wish to activate Starlight Road. I proceed to ignore Skill Drain. If it didn't exist, would Terror Incarnate destroy my two monsters? The answer is yes, so I can activate Starlight Road, even if Skill Drain would actually negate Terror Incarnate's effect and my monsters would remain intact anyway.

3) My opponent activates Saber Slash while he controls 3 X-Saber monsters, and I control 3 face-up monsters. I wish to activate Starlight Road. Even if I ignored every other Card, I cannot be certain that Saber Slash will destroy 2 Cards on my side of the Field, because my opponent has the possibility of destroying his own X-Saber monsters. I can suppose it will destroy 3 Cards, but I cannot know which three Cards. Note that this is true even while ignoring outside Cards. You never consider "what ifs" other than the effect itself that you want to negate. Otherwise, reffer to example #1.

4) My opponent activates Detonate. Ignoring every outside Card, I can determine that my opponent is allowed to destroy a number of my Cards. Let's say, my opponent has 3 Kuribohs, so he can destroy 3 Cards on my side of the Field. However, my opponent can choose a number up to 3, and so, I cannot determine if my opponent will choose to destroy a single Card I control. Not even if I ignored outside Cards. And so, I cnanot activate Starlight Road.

5) My opponent Tribute Summons Mobius the Frost Monarch and targets 2 Cards in my S/T Zone. I can activate Starlight Road, because ignoring outside Cards, Mobius has targeted 2 Cards on my side of the Field and aims to destroy it. This  shows that the term "up to" doesn't equal a failed Starlight Road.

Once you grasp that concept, any scenario is much simplier than merely guessing. It's all reduced to interpretating which Cards can the effect destroy, how many, and where.

Other than that, there's the Special Summoning effect. The first thing to notice is that you must succeed in destroying the Card that generates the destructive effect. If something like Mystical Space Typhoon is chained to destroy that very Card, you are not allowed to Special Summon Stardust Dragon. Another important note is that this Special Summon is NOT a Synchro Summon, so the Stardust Dragon cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard or Removed from Play Zone by Card Effects (not even its own). This improper Special Summon cannot be "ignored" by flipping Stardust Dragon face-down or other shenanigans.

Finally, notice how Starlight Road does not negate activations. This means that the destructive effect still takes up a chain link in the chain, which is actually empty. This empty chain link causes some timing issues, which stop both players from responding to the destruction of the Card or the Special Summon of Stardust Dragon. If Terror Incarnate has its effect negated, you would miss the timing to activate its effect. If Stardust Dragon is Special Summoned, you cannot respond to its Summon (with Torrential Tribute and so on).

As a side note, a really common question is if you are able to activate Starlight Road when you activate Heavy Storm and your only other S/T Card is Starlight Road. The answer is that you can't. Heavy Storm is not considered to be destroyed by its own effect (it's sent to the Graveyard by Game Mechanics, like all Normal Spell Cards), so it would only be trying to destroy a single Card you control. Starlight Road does count itself while considering that 2 or more Cards would be destroyed.

Hopefully that clears up most questions about Road. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail at ness00[at]gmail[dot]com.