Changes Regarding the Destruction Rules Effect

As part of launching booster set Vol.3, we have decided to overhaul the rules for “destroying” cards. The way it worked in the previous rules was deemed too complex and caused conflicts with the intended function of several cards. In this update, we streamlined the rules for destroying cards so that cards that have been “destroyed” are just immediately put into the graveyard, instead of adding a somewhat complex “destruction resolution process” to the gate.

However, this change does conflict with 1 particular card, which is [Just a Flesh Wound] (2020GB01-060). To fix this, we are issuing an errata to the card, to allow it to function under the new rules in a similar fashion to what it did before.

[ERRATA] [Just a Flesh Wound] (2020GB01-060)

Updated Text: Timing: This can be set. If set, you can play it when an allied unit is about to be dealt damage.

■Choose 1 allied unit. The next damage dealt to that unit deals 0 damage to that unit.

In addition, this rules change has the following implications:

-[Kami’s Vessel] (2020GB01-064 & 2020GB01-UR09), [Solar System Backpacker] (2020GB01-101), and [Volatile Space Mimic] (2020GB01-120) now work without issue as printed. Hence, we are rescinding the erratas for these cards.

-When a destroyed card remains in play through Charge Shield or other means, it is treated as having been “destroyed but not sent to the graveyard”. As a result, any automatic abilities that would be activated by that card’s destruction are activated.

- A “destroyed” card is put into the graveyard, but “put (a card) into the graveyard” does not count as destroying that card.

Changes Regarding Damage Reduction

In the previous rules, when a damage reduction would affect the “next damage dealt”, it referred to only the most immediate damage that was about to be dealt, i.e. the damage (which fulfilled the specified conditions for the damage reduction, if any) that was in the highest position in the gate. Because of the way the gate functions, this limited the utility of damage reduction against abilities and effects that added multiple damage resolution processes to the gate simultaneously. To deal with this, in this update we changed the definition of the “next damage” to refer to any damage currently in the gate (which fulfills the conditions specified for the damage reduction, if any).

This change has the following implications:

-The player controlling the damage reduction effect decides which damage resolution process to apply it to when actually resolving that damage reduction effect (if the damage reduction effect specifies any conditions for the damage it is applied to, the chosen damage resolution process must of course fulfill those conditions).

-For example, if you play a [Rite of Redirection] (2020GB01-083) against a [Maximum Power Beam!] (2021GB02-013), you can reduce to 0 either the 8 damage that would be dealt to your units or the 2 damage that would be dealt to your ruler.