Dealing with Priority

[JesusofChaos™]

Ok i decided to post this help thread to help new players get their heads around difficult rules.

 

What it Means

Priority is the right of the player whose turn it is to have their effects placed first on the chain. This means that the player can activate the effect even if the opponent targets the card with a removal card such as bottomless trap hole.

 

When can it be used

 

Monsters

If a Monster has an optional trigger effect then it can maintain priority as long as you could activate the effect as soon as it is summoned (it has no limiting factors that have not been fulfilled). Lets for example take Card Trooper-

Once per turn, you can send up to 3 cards from the top of your Deck to the Graveyard. This card gains 500 ATK for each card sent to the Graveyard this way, until the end of this turn. When this card on your side of the field is destroyed and sent to your Graveyard, draw 1 card.

 

Say your opponent has Torrential Tribute face down

 

Now when you summon Card Trooper you can declare priority, you then pay the cost (Mill 3 Cards) and your opponent has a chance to chain any cards they want to the summon or the activation of the effect, so the opponent activates torrential tribute.

 

So the chain looks like this- Card Trooper Effect <--- torrential tribute.

 

Torrential first of all destroys all monsters on the field, then Card Troopers second effect activates in the graveyard allowing you to draw 1.

 

Lets look at another card that can maintain priority, Exiled Force-

You can Tribute this card to destroy 1 monster on the field.

 

Now this card maintaining priority can be very helpful. If you summon exiled force with priority, the opponent would not respond with Trap Hole or other single card destruction, as when the effect activates the card pays the cost of tributing itself and activate a card in response would be a waste as it would lose its target.

 

Quick Play Spells

Quick Play Spells can also maintain priority . First of all you can maintain priority when you draw them. For example your opponent has Trap Dustshoot face down and you have 4 cards in hand. You draw enemy controller and declare priority to play it, you opponent chains trap dustshoot. The Chain resolves like this-

Enemy Controller <---- Trap Dustshoot

 

So Your opponent checks the remaining 4 cards and sends one back to deck, then enemy controllers effect activates and you either tribute a monster and take control or change a monster to defense.

However this act is frowned on by judges, it is best to declare before you draw that " If i draw a quick play I am going to retain priority." This means that the judge can have no complaints.

 

Traps

You can declare priority with traps however it is advisable not to declare priority. For example you summon Zombie master with no lvl 4s in graveyard and have torrential tribute face down. Your opponent activates bottomless trap hole, you can chain torrential tribute and the chain resolves thus-

Bottomless <---- Torrential

Torrential destroys all monsters on the field and sends them to the graveyard before bottomless can remove Zombie master.

 

When it cant be used

Priority can only be used once. For example you have Lyla on the field and summon lumina and declare priority. You can either use Lylas effect or Luminas, not both.

 

Priority cannot be declared if the summon is negated with solemn/ horn of heaven. If the monsters summon is negated the monster never hits the field so does not get a chance to activate its effect.

 

Priority cannot be declare if you summon a monster with a mandatory trigger effect for example Raiza. Raiza's effect automatically takes up your priority. So if your opponent chains bottomless trap hole the chain resolves thus-

Raiza's effect <---- Bottomless Trap Hole

So Raiza is removed then one card on the field is returned to the top of the deck.

 

Priority must be declared as soon as the the action is carried out, not when the opponent chains a card. For example if you play a monster with an optional trigger and you wait 10 seconds and your opponent activates Torrential tribute then it is too late. To be a fair player if your opponent summons a monster with an optional trigger it is a good to question wether they retain priority by just saying "Priority?". This stops confusion with people not having enough time to declare priority

 

So thanks for reading if you spot any errors, please post and tell me what to correct or if anything needs to be added.

[armageddon08]

I think this post was helpful(I'm not a noob, priority just isn't what I do best at).

[Exiro]

Very helpful, but the examples that you have taken aren't the easiest ones and contain errors.

 

1) Zombie Master needs to be face-up to activate his effect, so when priority is declared, you will first discard 1 card because it is a cost. If BTH is then chained, a chain occurs and BTH will resolve first, so Zombie Master will be removed from play. Zombie Master will now try to activate, but it isn't face-up on the field so the effect will disappear.

 

2) If Exiled Force is summoned and priority is declared, he will be tributed because it is a cost. Trap Hole can still be chained because a monster was summoned and the timing is still correct. A chain occurs and Trap Hole will resolve first, but it's effect will disappear because Exiled Force is not face-up on the field anymore. Exiled Force's effect will now resolve and destroy a monster on the field.

 

Also, make sure that people will understand that Prior has to be declared before you give the opponent a chance to chain. If you summon Lyla, wait 10 seconds, and Torrential Tribute is chained, it's too late to declare priority.

[JesusofChaos™]

Very helpful' date=' but the examples that you have taken aren't the easiest ones and contain errors.

 

1) Zombie Master needs to be face-up to activate his effect, so when priority is declared, you will first discard 1 card because it is a cost. If BTH is then chained, a chain occurs and BTH will resolve first, so Zombie Master will be removed from play. Zombie Master will now try to activate, but it isn't face-up on the field so the effect will disappear.

 

[b']I need to check this[/b]

 

2) If Exiled Force is summoned and priority is declared, he will be tributed because it is a cost. Trap Hole can still be chained because a monster was summoned and the timing is still correct. A chain occurs and Trap Hole will resolve first, but it's effect will disappear because Exiled Force is not face-up on the field anymore. Exiled Force's effect will now resolve and destroy a monster on the field.

Why would summon activate trap hole anyway i will change the wording to make this more obvious

 

Also, make sure that people will understand that Prior has to be declared before you give the opponent a chance to chain. If you summon Lyla, wait 10 seconds, and Torrential Tribute is chained, it's too late to declare priority.

Agreed added

 

edit: you were correct about zombie master any idea what example to add instead?

[Tickle Me Emo]

you could use Lyla as an example right?

[JesusofChaos™]

I dont think that would work either because the turn to defense and monster destruction are part of the effect so lyla would be removed before its effect could be used

[Tickle Me Emo]

can you chain BTH to the re-summoning of a gemini? If so, then Gigaplant could work I guess.

 

or creator.

 

Once per turn you may select one card in your graveyard. Then send 1 card in your hand to the graveyard and special summon the selected monster.

[JesusofChaos™]

Ive edited it to show that zombie masters effect does not resolve

[Tickle Me Emo]

again what about Creator? Would he work?

[JesusofChaos™]

No because if bottomless trap hole it is chained, it is no longer on the field for its effect to resolve. Also i just though of a great one, cyber valley with torrential tribute

[Tickle Me Emo]

kk thanks for clearing that up.

[Exiro]

Cyber Valley is indeed a great example, but once again, you've got it wrong.

 

Cyber Valley's effect states

You can remove from play this card and 1 face-up monster you control and draw 2 cards.

 

It says AND draw 2 cards, so it's, just like with Lyla, not a cost to remove them from play. The monsters are targeted and removed when the effect resolves, which will be never if Torrential Tribute destroys them. You won't be able to draw 2 cards.

 

This is btw also the reason why you can use Cyber Valley to remove a token and himself to draw 2 cards.

[JesusofChaos™]

yea your right again, i really cant think of a good example maybe ill just use fire trooper

cant remember does card trooper still get its mill effect?

[Exiro]

yea your right again' date=' i really cant think of a good example maybe ill just use fire trooper

cant remember does card trooper still get its mill effect?

[/quote']

 

I don't think he needs to be on the field to mill the 3 cards, but I'm not completely sure.

[Fh-Fh]

This should be stickied.

[Tickle Me Emo]

yea your right again' date=' i really cant think of a good example maybe ill just use fire trooper

cant remember does card trooper still get its mill effect?

[/quote']

 

it doesnt say that he needs to be on the field for his effect to work so no he doesnt need to be on the field.

[「tea.leaf」]

Should I stick this?

[Fh-Fh]

Yes. Informative to noobs.

[Exiro]

yea your right again' date=' i really cant think of a good example maybe ill just use fire trooper

cant remember does card trooper still get its mill effect?

[/quote']

 

it doesnt say that he needs to be on the field for his effect to work so no he doesnt need to be on the field.

 

Zombie Master doesn't say that he needs to be on the field to work but he needs to be on the field, so that says nothing.

 

Maybe Card Trooper does say something about being on the field in the OCG version, or maybe it is enforced by a BKSS ruling. I don't know.

 

Also, I wouldn't sticky this. It's better if someone makes a thread that links to all (currently 2) 'Dealing with' and related threads/guides and sticky that one.

[JesusofChaos™]

I am going to check the card trooper ruling and i will update if this is true i will update as this is a more used card than fire trooper. Also making threads with links to help topics would be better as i am making a whole series

 

edit: Updated with card trooper instead