Egyptian God Card Rulings

So, the Gods aren’t as popular as I predicted them to be, but they have seen a bit more play (on Dueling Network at least). It amazes me how many people don’t know the basic God card rulings. Beginners and experienced players alike, consistently get them wrong, so I’m going to try and clear them up.

Universal Rulings (applies to Slifer, Obelisk and Ra)

-          “This card’s Normal Summon cannot be negated”. This is pretty straight forward and it’s usually beginners who get this wrong, and if you are a beginner and you get a God card used against you I feel sorry for you, because you will have no idea what to do against it. Most decks still run Solemn Warning. It is a pretty good card but it won’t negate the Normal Summon of Obelisk, Slifer or Ra because their Normal Summons cannot be negated. It will however negate their Special Summon if they are summoned from the Graveyard (or Deck or Banished pile).

-          “When Normal Summoned, cards and effects cannot be activated”. This is a common mistake made by players and is actually a misprint on the cards themselves. It is an understandable mistake to make though. You read that and you think “This is awesome. Summon this boss monster and I lock down my opponent”. Sorry, that’s not how it works. What the sentence should say is this: When Normal Summoned, cards and effects cannot be activated in response to the summon. That makes it a lot clearer on what it actually means. It means that if I summon Slifer, Obelisk or Ra, my opponent can’t activate a Torrential Tribute or a Bottomless Trap Hole or any card or effect that would normally activate when a monster is summoned. There is kind of an exception to this though. If I summon Slifer the Sky Dragon while my opponent also controls a Slifer the Sky Dragon, my Slifer will lose 2000 ATK. This is because Slifer’s effect activates upon each successful summon. Since the Normal Summon of my Slifer the Sky Dragon cannot be negated and my opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response, Slifer is successfully summoned and therefore my opponent’s Slifer the Sky Dragon will have its effect activated. Once the God has been successfully summoned, cards and effects can be activated normally.

-          “During the End Phase, if this card was Special Summoned, send it to the Graveyard”. So this really only applies to Obelisk and Slifer because Ra can’t be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. It’s amazing how many players get this wrong and it’s usually because they have Mound of the Bound Creator active at the time and they think that stops the monster from being destroyed. It doesn’t. This is because the God isn’t destroyed, it is simply sent to the Graveyard. Players think that being sent to the Graveyard is the same as being destroyed. It isn’t the same, they are two different functions. Think of it this way. Normal spells and traps are sent to the Graveyard once their effects resolve, but they are not considered to have been destroyed. You can, however, protect the Gods from this effect. You can Special Summon Obelisk by the effect of The Shallow Grave (which will set it on the field) and you can use Book of Moon on Slifer after you Special Summon it. In both cases, Obelisk and Slifer will avoid being sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase, even if they are flipped face up or Flip Summoned on a later turn. The Gods must be face up on the field to be sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase.
EDIT: This protection does not completely work. After experimenting with it, there does not seem to be a loophole in the Rulings. Obelisk and Slifer will send themselves to the Graveyard on the turn they are flipped summoned or flipped up by an attack. So there are two ways I see of preventing this. 1) Use Skill Drain, but this is danagerous as if Skill Drain is destroyed, Slifer and Obelisk will be sent to the Graveyard at the end of that turn. It also kind of defeats the purpose of Summoning Slifer. 2) Continually reset the card. This is tedious, but does work. The problem is that you would have to continually recycle your Book of Moon (which will not work on Obelisk as it targets) or any other effect that flips monsters facedown. I'll keep working on it, but for now, if you're going to Special Summon them, keep them facedown until you can push for game OR Xyz Summon with them.I'll let you know if I find a way to permanently break this effect.

The Winged Dragon of Ra- Sphere Mode Rulings

-          “Requires 3 Tributes from either side of the field to Normal Summon to that side of the field (cannot be Normal Set)”. This is a condition, not an effect so it cannot be Effect Veilered or Skill Drained. Also, even it was an effect, it does not target so you can use it to tribute your opponent’s difficult to destroy monsters.

-          “then shift control to this card's owner during the End Phase of the next turn”.  This is also a condition but it can only be activated if this card is still on the field. Your opponent can tribute this card for a Tribute Summon. If this card is sent to the Graveyard (or destroyed by a card effect) it is not returned to you during the End Phase.

-          “Cannot attack. Your opponent cannot target this card for attacks or by card effects”. This is an effect can be Effect Veilered or Skill Drained. If summoned to your opponent’s field, they can tribute it for a Tribute/Synchro/Xyz Summon. This card can be destroyed by non-Targeting effects, such as Raigeki.

-          “You can Tribute this card; Special Summon 1 "The Winged Dragon of Ra" from your hand or Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions, and if you do, its ATK and DEF become 4000”. This is not an effect but is actually a Summoning Condition for The Winged Dragon of Ra and therefore cannot be negated with Effect Veiler or Skill Drain. Be sure that your opponent does not have the God Cards in their deck or hand before summoning this card to their side of the field as they can tribute this card to summon their own 4000 ATK/DEF Ra before you regain control of Sphere Mode. Additionally, if you Normal Summon this card to your side of the field, you can tribute it immediately to summon your Ra with 4000 ATK/DEF.
EDIT: It's not a Summoning Condition, but I have not seen it successfully negated. Skill Drain could, but it would have to activated before Sphere Mode's effect is activated as Skill Drain won't negate effects that activate off the field. Effect Veiler won't negate it either as Sphere Mode has already left the field so there will be nothing to target.

The Winged Dragon of Ra Rulings.

-          “Cannot be Special Summoned”. This is a condition and only The Winged Dragon of Ra- Sphere Mode can bypass this condition (though more cards may be released that may be able to bypass this condition).

-          “Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set)”. This is a condition and cannot be negated through Effect Veiler or Skill Drain.

-          “When this card is Normal Summoned: You can pay Life Points so that you only have 100 left; this card gains ATK and DEF equal to the amount of Life Points paid”. This is an effect and can be negated by Effect Veiler or Skill Drain. If the effect is successfully negated, then this card’s ATK/DEF become 0. Also the effect is optional in two ways. You do not need to pay any Life Points if you don’t wish too (though, why wouldn’t you? It’s a bit point less having a 0 ATK monster on the field). You also do not need to pay all your Life Points bar 100 of them. You can pay any amount you want, be it 100 Life Points or 10 000 Life Points, as long as you have at least 100 Life Points left. If you activate this effect, you must activate it immediately after you summon this card. This effect starts a Chain and is always Chain Link 1.

-          “You can pay 1000 Life Points, then target 1 monster on the field; destroy that target”.  This is an effect and can be negated by Effect Veiler or Skill Drain. The effect is optional. The effect starts a Chain and is always Chain Link 1. Paying 1000 Life Points is a cost. If you do not have 1000 Life Points, you cannot activate this effect.

Obelisk the Tormentor Rulings

-          “Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set)”. This is a condition and cannot be negated with Effect Veiler or Skill Drain.

-          “Cannot be targeted by Spells, Traps, or card effects”. This is an effect and can be negated by Skill Drain (not by Effect Veiler because Effect Veiler targets). This card be affected by cards and effects that don’t target and it can be destroyed by cards and effects that don’t target, such as Raigeki, Dark Hole, Mirror Force, etc…

-          “You can Tribute 2 monsters; destroy all monsters your opponent controls. This card cannot declare an attack the turn this effect is activated”. This is an effect and can be negated. Tributing two monsters is a cost to activate this effect and Obelisk can tribute himself as part of the cost. This effect does not target. This effect starts a Chain and is always Chain Link 1.

Slifer the Sky Dragon Rulings

-          “Requires 3 Tributes to Normal Summon (cannot be Normal Set)”. This is a condition and cannot be negated by Effect Veiler or Skill Drain.

-          “This card gains 1000 ATK and DEF for each card in your hand”. This is an effect and can be negated. If it is successfully negated, Slifer’s ATK and DEF become 0. Normally, the ATK and DEF values change according to the number of cards in the controller’s hand. However, if these values are changed by the effect of another monster (including the effect of your opponent’s Slifer the Sky Dragon), an Equip Spell card or a Field Spell, then Slifer’s ATK and DEF will stay at this new value even if the number of cards in the controller’s hand changes (this can be a useful tactic to use against Slifer the Sky Dragon). This effect is activated immediately and does not start a chain (so Effect Veiler cannot negate this effect). If Slifer is attacked while it is facedown, its DEF is treated as 0 (flipping Slifer facedown is useful way to reset this effect if it has been altered by a monster effect or an Equip Spell card, as when it returns to a face up position, it will no longer be affected by those effects).

-          “When a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned to your opponent's side of the field in face-up Attack Position: That monster(s) loses 2000 ATK, then if its ATK has been reduced to 0 as a result, destroy it”. This is an effect and can be negated by Effect Veiler or Skill Drain. This effect starts a Chain but is not always Chain Link 1. For example, if you control two copies of Slifer the Sky Dragon, one Slifer will have its effect activated at Chain Link 1 and the other Slifer’s effect will activate at Chain Link 2. This effect does not target. If the summoned monster had 0 ATK to begin with, it will not be destroyed by Slifer’s effect because it is impossible for the ATK reduction to occur. Slifer must already be on the field for this effect to activate. If it summoned simultaneously with your opponent’s monsters, Slifer’s effect will not activate because it was not already on the field when your opponent’s monster(s) were summoned. This effect can be activated multiple times per turn. If your opponent Pendulum Summons, each of their Pendulum Summoned Monsters will have their ATK reduced by 2000 points and destroyed if they have 0 ATK as a result. The monsters must be Normal or Special Summoned for Slifer’s effect to activate. If the monster is Flip Summoned, Slifer’s effect will not activate.

I hope that clears up the rulings for a lot of you. There are more situation specific rulings, but I’ve tried to keep it general rulings here. A Google search should turn up situational rulings if you need them.