Card Rulings:Otohime

OCG Rulings

• The effect "When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; change that target's battle position." is a Trigger Effect that activates when "Otohime" is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. (This effect targets 1 monster face-up in your opponent's Monster Zone.)

• Even if "Otohime" is flipped face-up by battle during the Damage Step, the effect "When this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: You can target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; change that target's battle position." can be activated. (In this case, it can be activated after damage calculation.)

Previously Official Rulings

Mentions in Other Rulings

• Amazoness Archers: If ... "Otohime" are flipped face-up by "Amazoness Archers' ^[sic] effect, their effects are activated because their effects are not Flip Effects; their effects begin a new chain that resolves after the current chain.

Spirit monster Rulings

OCG Rulings

• "Cannot be Special Summoned" is not treated as a monster effect.

• The effect "During the End Phase of the turn this card is Normal Summoned or flipped face-up: Return it to the hand." is a Trigger Effect that activates once during the End Phase this card was Normal Summoned or flipped face-up. (It does not target.)

• This effect is not activated during the End Phase if this card was changed to face-down Defense Position by the effect of "Book of Moon", or if this card was sent to the Graveyard because it was destroyed by battle or card effect.

• The negating effect of "Alector, Sovereign of Birds" does not end during the End Phase. The effects of the targeted card remains negated during the entire turn.
  • Example: The effects of Spirit monsters, "Majestic Mech - Goryu", and "Jain, Lightsworn Paladin" will activate during the End Phase, but they will be negated and resolve without effect.

Previously Official Rulings

• The following rules apply to all Spirit monsters:

• Spirit is not a monster Type; you cannot declare "Spirit" for the effect of "DNA Surgery".

• Spirit monsters are still Effect Monsters.

• A Spirit monster must be face-up on the field during the End Phase for it to return to the owner’s hand. If it was destroyed or removed from play, it will not return to the owner’s hand.

• A Spirit monster will return to the owner’s hand during the End Phase, even if the opponent played it from their hand (through the effect of "Exchange".)

Mentions in Other Rulings

• A Hero Emerges: You can Special Summon a high-level monster, like "Dark Magician", with "A Hero Emerges". But if your opponent selects a Special Summon-only monster like ... a Spirit monster, it is sent to the Graveyard.

• Conscription: If you pick up a Spirit monster, it cannot be Special Summoned so it is added to your opponent’s hand.

• Cyber Jar: Spirit monsters... are sent to your hand as they cannot be Special Summoned ...

• Dark Ruler Ha Des: ... if a Spirit monster is destroyed by a Fiend-Type monster when "Dark Ruler Ha Des" is on the field, it still cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard. ...

• Different Dimension Gate: When a Spirit monster is removed with "Different Dimension Gate", if it returns to play after the turn it was Summoned or Flip Summoned, it doesn't go back to the owner's hand.

• Divine Wrath: You can activate "Divine Wrath" when a Spirit monster is returned to the owner’s hand by its own effect, and the Spirit monster will be destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.

• Elemental HERO Necroid Shaman: You cannot choose to Special Summon a monster if it cannot be Special Summoned, such as a Spirit monster...

• Interdimensional Matter Transporter: If a Spirit monster is returned to the field with "Interdimensional Matter Transporter" the same turn it was Summoned or flipped face-up, it returns to the field and then returns to the owner's hand.

• Last Turn: You cannot Special Summon a monster for “Last Turn” that is a “Special Summon-only” monster like “Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End”, “Dark Necrofear”, or “Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo-Daedalus”. Nor can you select a Spirit monster because they cannot be Special Summoned.

• Legacy of Yata-Garasu: When you activate “Legacy of Yata-Garasu” while your opponent has a Spirit monster face-up on his/her side of the field and you select to activate the second effect of “Legacy of Yata-Garasu”, if your opponent chains an effect that removes the Spirit monster from the field or flips it face-down, the effect of “Legacy of Yata-Garasu” will still resolve.

• Light and Darkness Dragon: When “Light and Darkness Dragon” negates the activation of a Spirit monster’s effect that would return it to its owner’s hand, the effect of the Spirit monster activates again during the same End Phase. When the return effect of the Spirit monster is activated during the End Phase while “Light and Darkness Dragon” has less than 500 ATK and DEF, the second effect of “Light and Darkness Dragon” will still activate, but it will not be able to negate the activation and the Spirit monster will return to its owner's hand.

• Monster Gate: If you pick up a Spirit monster, you cannot Special Summon it and it is sent to the Graveyard.

• Penguin Soldier: Spirit monsters can still be returned to their owners’ hands by the effect of "Penguin Soldier" even if "Spiritual Energy Settle Machine" is in play.

• Reasoning: If you pick up a Spirit monster, then all picked up cards are sent to the Graveyard.

• Skill Drain: Spirit monsters are not returned to the owner's hand while "Skill Drain" is active.

• Spirit's Invitation: The effect of this card is applied even when a Spirit monster is returned to its owner’s hand by the effect of another card, such as "Penguin Soldier".

• Spiritual Energy Settle Machine: When this card is active, Spirit monsters on both sides of the field do not return to their owner’s hand during the End Phase of the turn they were Summoned.

• Spiritual Energy Settle Machine: When this card is active, Spirit monsters may still be returned to their owner’s hands by card effects such as "Penguin Soldier" and "Compulsory Evacuation Device".

• Spring of Rebirth: Spirit monsters are sent to the owner’s hand one at a time during the End Phase. So if you have 4 face-up Spirit monsters during the End Phase, you will gain 500 Life Points for each, totaling 2000 Life Points.

• Sword of Kusanagi: If you control your opponent's Spirit monster and you equip it with "Sword of Kusanagi", when the Spirit monster is returned to your opponent's hand and "Sword of Kusanagi" is destroyed, its second effect activates.

• Sword of Kusanagi: If you add your opponent's "Sword of Kusanagi" to your hand with "Exchange" and equip it to a Spirit monster you control, when the Spirit monster is returned to its owner's hand and "Sword of Kusanagi" is destroyed, "Sword of Kusanagi's" effect does not activate.