Activation and Targetting (Expert Gameplay)

Often duelists get confused about whether a chain will "fizzle" the effect of a card on the field or whether a card will resolve successfully. This tutorial will explain what happens when conditions on the field change when a chain occurs and what happens to certain effects.



There are cards and effects that can only be activated under certain conditions or used on certain targets. When a chain begins, these conditions won't always stay the same as what they were when the chain first begun. In some cases, card effects will "fizzle" and in other cases card effects will resolve normally.
NOTE: "Fizzling" is a term used to describe a card which does not resolve successfully because of changed conditions. It is when an effect of a card simply disappears.
It is important to be able to identify and understand what card effects will not resolve in a chain and what card effects will.




I. Activating Conditions
II. Targeting Conditions




I. Activating Conditions:
Cards can have specific conditions that sometimes need to be met before they can be activated. These conditions only need to be correct at the time that the card is activated. If these conditions change during a chain then the card's effect will still resolve successfully.

Example #1:
Player A has 4 cards in his/her hand.
Chain Link 1: Player B activates Trap Dustshoot
Chain Link 2: Player A activates Hand Destruction from his/her hand. (Making the hand = 3)
-----Chain resolves backwards-----
Chain Link 2: Hand Destruction resolves - Player A is left with 3 cards in his/her hand.
Chain Link 1: Trap Dustshoot resolves successfully.

Trap Dustshoot only requires 4 cards in the opponents hand at the time of activation. After it has been activated, if a chain occurs, the amount of cards left in your opponents hand at the end of the chain becomes irrelevant as the initial conditions to activate the card have already been met.


II. Targeting Conditions:
Cards can also have specific conditions regarding its target, when those conditions are no longer correct at the time the card is activated because of a chain, then the card's effect disappears and will "fizzle".
NOTE: Card effects that "fizzle" will NOT only be cards that require a target.

Example #2:
Player A attacks his/her opponent directly with Mezuki.
Chain Link 1: Player A activates Mirror Force.
Chain Link 2: Player B activates Book of Moon
------Chain resolves backwards------
Chain Link 2: Book of Moon resolves successfully - Mezuki is flipped into face-down Defense Position.
Chain Link 1: Mirror Force does not resolve - the effect will "fizzle".

Mirror Force's effect will destroy all face-up Attack Position monsters on the field. Now that Mezuki is face-down, when Mirror Force resolves, their are no face-up monsters to destroy and the effect simply disappears.



Overall, the thing to look out for is:
Does my card require and activating condition? (Example #1)
Does my card have an effect that affects specific cards? (Example #2)

Example #2 will be the only situation that may involve effects disappearing.

--The Detonator--

When there is face-up "remove brainwashing" on the field, and "Dark Necrofear" on the field is destroyed, and it's eff active targeting one of my opponent's face-up monster to control, What will gonna happen??
cz remove brainwashing eff :

As long as this card remains face-up on the field, the control of all monsters on the field returns to the original owners

and dark necrofear eff
I just found it, It's different effect explanation on wikia and KCvds
In Kcvds there'is statement like this

as long as it's equipped with this card, you control the equiped monster.

while on In wikia not,

@ Aludra,
I believe the following scenario will occur, however I am not 100% but I'm pretty sure this will happen.


Player A has Remove Brainwashing face-up on the field. Player B's Dark Necrofear has just been destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.

1). Dark Necrofear's effect activates.
2). Player B targets a monster on Player A's side of the field and takes control of it (Dark Necrofear is equipped to the monster).
3). Remove Brainwashing activates (because a monster has changed from one side of the field to another).
4). Remove Brainwashing will nullify the effects of Dark Necrofear and control of the face-up monster reverts back to its original owner. (Dark Necrofear's effect fizzles but will stay equipped to the monster).

--The Detonator--

yes, I of course it will happen, cz I plan to build deck that includes dark necrofear and remove brainwashing

hmm ur explanation makes senses It's probably like that
but how it will gonna happen if it's vice-versa??

my necrofear eff resolves 1st,,
and after necrofear succesfully targets one monster and switch it's sides,
then somehow I activates remove brainwashing or even Owners Seal without performing a chain with necrofear, @.@ I'm confused

SO if you control Dark Necrofear and Remove Brainwashing.

Once again i'm not 100% sure because of the way Dark Necrofear is worded but I would say the same thing would happen, if Dark Necrofear is equipped to something, a card like Remove Brainwashing should revert control of the monster back to the owners side of the field and nullify Dark Necrofear's effect.

--The Detonator--

Ok thxa lot,
because u're even not 100% sure,,
I will avoid that,

Yeah a bit of research should be made in this. If anyone canhelp it would be appreciated.

--The Detonator--

But I think ur opinion was right, because in wikia there's no word like this

as long as it's equipped with this card, you control the equiped monster.

but it's effect like this

This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by removing from play 3 Fiend-Type monsters in your Graveyard. If this card is destroyed by battle, or by your opponent's card effect while it is a Monster Card, equip it to a monster your opponent controls during the End Phase of this turn. Take control of the equipped monster.

theres no words like "as long as it's equipped with this card"

maybe it's deleted because It will makes problem like I said before,,

Necrofear will stay on the field. And the monster goes back/stays on its side.

hmm, thanx for all of your explanation,,

I have a question xD,the card is Widespread Dud:

Select 2 face-up Attack Position monsters on the field. When any of the selected monsters are removed from the field, destroy this card. When this card is destroyed, destroy the selected monster(s).

Widespread Dud targets the 2 face-up monsters and the effect to destroy the targeted monsters does not start a Chain
So Stardust Dragon it cannot negate this card's effect

I think it is like when a monster card equipment is destroyed in battle, what happens with the equipment?, Its like this? xD

How can i know when a card does not start a Chain?

The reason why Stardust Dragon cannot negate the "activation and effect" of widespread dud is because widespread dud does not have the ability to destroy cards at its activation. Only when it is removed from the field or if one of the monsters cards are removed from the field.

When it is removed from the field, it does not use the chain since it has already been activated and is just lingering until its second effect is triggered. So, it doesnt get "re-activated" to start a chain, all that happens is its second effect resolves as it leave the field, not starting a chain.

--The Detonator--

thanks