Post by KOCW on Jun 21, 2005 12:44:56 GMT
The basic rule in the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME has always been that
you cannot
activate cards that cause infinite loops, because you are deliberately
creating
a situation where effects cannot resolve. And effects MUST resolve as
much as
possible.
With regards to “Pole Position”, you cannot choose to Summon a monster,
Set a
monster, or Set or activate a Spell or Trap Card, or card effect, if it
would
cause an infinite loop.
If you do this by mistake, just rewind the game to before the
Summon/Set/
activation occurred.
EXAMPLE #1
I have "Pole Position", "Luminous Spark" (+500 to LIGHT), and "Gemini
Elf" (1900
ATK / EARTH) face-up on the field. “Gemini Elf” is the monster on the
field with
the highest ATK, so it is unaffected by Spell Cards. If the opponent
Summons
"X-Head Cannon" (1800 ATK / LIGHT), “Luminous Spark” will raise the ATK
of
“X-Head Cannon” to 2300, making it the highest ATK monster on the
field, so it’s
unaffected by Spell Cards, so it drops to 1800 ATK, then increases to
2300, then
drops to 1800, etc. This would create an infinite loop. Therefore, the
opponent
cannot Summon “X-Head Cannon”.
EXAMPLE #2
The opponent has "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (3000 ATK) and “Pole
Position” face-up
on the field. I have "Gemini Elf" (1900 ATK), and an "Opticlops" (1800
ATK)
equipped with "Axe of Despair"(+1000 ATK; 2800 total) face-up on the
field, and
a Set "Ring of Destruction". If I activate "Ring of Destruction" to
destroy
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon", then “Opticlops” will be the highest ATK
monster on
the field, and cause an infinite loop (it is the highest, it isn’t, it
is, it
isn’t, etc.). Therefore, I cannot target “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” with
“Ring of
Destruction”.
EXAMPLE #3
The opponent has a face-down "Pole Position". I have "Opticlops" (1800
ATK) and
"Gemini Elf" (1900 ATK) face-up on the field. I activate "Axe of
Despair" (+1000
ATK) and try to equip my "Opticlops" (1800 ATK). The opponent cannot
chain
"Pole Position", since that would cause an infinite loop. “Pole
Position” is an
illegal activation. Put it back face-down.
EXAMPLE #4
I have "Pole Position", "Blade Knight" (1600 ATK / LIGHT), and
"Luminous Spark"
(+500 ATK to LIGHT) face-up on the field and 2 cards in my hand. The
opponent
has "Giant Orc" (2200 ATK / EARTH) face-up on the field, which is the
highest-ATK
monster on the field. If I Set 1 of the 2 cards in my hand, “Blade
Knight” gains
+400 ATK with its effect, becomes the highest-ATK monster, and because
of
“Luminous Spark” an infinite loop is created. So I am not allowed to
Set a card.
All easy to understand. You cannot knowingly perform an action that
would cause
an infinite loop.
But what about things you have no control over? Let’s find out….
KAIBA: You’re finished this time, Yugi! With my Blue-Eyes White Dragon
and Pole
Position on the field, your Spell Cards are useless! Even if you Summon
your Dark
Magician, you can’t equip it with enough Equip Spell Cards to make it
strong
enough to take down my Dragon, because if you do, your Spell Cards will
have no
effect!
YUGI: Oh no! How can I defeat his Blue-Eyes without the help of my
Equip Spell
Cards?
KAIBA: Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Giant Rat!
<Boom!>
KAIBA: You get to Special Summon a weak monster from your Deck now,
Yugi, so go
ahead, because there’s nothing in your Deck that can help you now.
YUGI: Are you sure about that? I Special Summon… Enraged Muka Muka!
KAIBA: Even with the 3 cards in your hand, your Enraged Muka Muka only
has 2400
Attack Points. Not strong enough to defeat my Blue-Eyes.
YUGI: It’s my turn now, Kaiba! I draw, raising my Enraged Muka Muka to
2800
attack points. Then I place one card face-down, and then I activate
this card:
United We Stand! With 2 cards still left in my hand, this Equip Spell
Card again
raises my Enraged Muka Muka’s attack points to 2800!
KAIBA: You’re a good Duelist, Yugi. Your United We Stand even
compensates for
that face-down card, but that’s still not strong enough to overcome my
mighty
Dragon! Blue-Eyes, destroy his Enraged Muka Muka!
YUGI: Not so fast, Kaiba! At the start of your turn, I activate my
face-down
card: Threatening Roar! This card prevents you from attacking. Sorry
Kaiba, but
your Blue-Eyes will just have to wait. And this Duel is now over.
KAIBA: What are you talking about? This is only a temporary reprieve,
Yugi. I’ll
still destroy you on my next turn. And your United We Stand still won’t
help
you. As long as Pole Position is on the field, no monster can become
the
strongest monster on the field because of Spell Cards.
YUGI: Guess again, Kaiba! For now… I draw!
<the ground begins to shake>
KAIBA: What… what’s happening?
YUGI: As I draw, my Enraged Muka Muka’s attack power increases to 3200,
making it
the strongest monster on the field. When that happens, your Pole
Position makes
the United We Stand cease to have any effect, dropping my monster’s
attack
strength to 2400. Since it’s no longer the strongest monster, United We
Stand
activates again, but then stops again. An infinite loop, Kaiba!
KAIBA: You can’t cause an infinite loop!
YUGI: I’m not causing it, Kaiba! Drawing a card is a basic game rule.
The rules
are causing it.
KAIBA: What’s your point Yugi? It looks like my Pole Position is going
to crush
you after all, then.
YUGI: Better look closer, Kaiba!
<Kaiba stares in horror as his Pole Position card begins to smolder…
then crack…
then shatter!>
YUGI: Your Pole Position couldn’t handle the strain, Kaiba! Now it’s
destroyed,
and my Enraged Muka Muka still has 3200 attack points! That means I
win!
As Kaiba found out, when an infinite loop is caused because of game
mechanics and
not by a player’s voluntary card play, you must destroy the origin of
the
infinite loop.
EXAMPLE #5 (simplified version of Kaiba & Yugi’s Duel)
I have "Pole Position" and "Opticlops" (1800 ATK) face-up on the field.
The
opponent has a "Muka Muka" equipped with "Axe of Despair" face-up on
the field
with no cards in his hand. At the start of the opponent's turn, he
draws a
card, making "Muka Muka"s ATK 1900. An infinite loop is created by
something that
could not be avoided, so “Pole Position” is destroyed.
EXAMPLE #6
The opponent has “Blade Knight” (1600 ATK) equipped with “Butterfly
Dagger - Elma”
(+300 ATK; 1900 ATK total) and 2 cards in hand, along with “Marauding
Captain”
(1200 ATK). The turn player has “Robbin’ Goblin”, “Pole Position”, and
“Giant
Orc” (2200 ATK). The turn player attacks “Marauding Captain” with
“Giant Orc”,
inflicting 1000 points of damage. The opponent has to discard a card
because of
“Robbin’ Goblin” and an infinite loop is created because “Blade Knight”
now
fluctuates between 2300 and 2000 ATK (either above or below “Giant
Orc”, making
it the strongest monster on the field… or not). Therefore, “Pole
Position” is
destroyed.
EXAMPLE #7
I have "Pole Position", "Banner of Courage", and "Opticlops" face-up on
the
field. The opponent has "Gemini Elf" face-up on the field. When I enter
my Battle
Phase, an infinite loop is created as “Opticlops” fluctuates between
1800 and 2000
ATK. So “Pole Position” is destroyed.
EXAMPLE #8
I have "Pole Position", "Gemini Elf" (1900 ATK / EARTH) and "Mystic
Plasma Zone"
(+500 ATK to DARK) face-up on the field, and an "Opticlops" (1800 ATK /
DARK) in
face-down Defense Position. The opponent attacks my face-down
"Opticlops" with
"Mokey Mokey". When we flip "Opticlops" face-up in the Damage Step, an
infinite
loop is created as “Opticlops” fluctuates between 1800 and 2300 ATK
(either above
or below “Gemini Elf”, making it the strongest monster on the field, or
not).
Therefore, “Pole Position” is destroyed.
So remember: you cannot choose to do anything that would create an
infinite loop.
If an infinite loop is thrust on you by things you had no control over,
then you
must destroy the offending card (“Pole Position” in all of these
cases).
Note that the game doesn’t really “look ahead” beyond the immediate
consequences
of what you’re doing. It doesn’t look 2 steps ahead, only at the
immediate next
step. Which is why you can enter your Battle Phase in example #7, or
attack with
“Giant Orc” in example #6. But you can’t destroy Blue-Eyes in example
#2 if it
would cause an infinite loop.
Also note that these scenarios are all pretty unlikely. In each of the
8 examples
it required a precise situation where monsters with just the right
ATK’s were in
play, plus the right Spell Cards to cause one of them to keep
flip-flopping on
either side of the other (highest / not highest / highest / not
highest). The
prohibition against causing an infinite loop by Summoning or Activating
will stop
most scenarios like these from happening.
But, unlikely as they are, they might happen, and now (like Yugi!) you
know how
to deal with them.
Hope this helps everyone. Vroom vroom!!!
Kevin Tewart
Game Designer
UDE Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG R&D Lead
Upper Deck Entertainment
you cannot
activate cards that cause infinite loops, because you are deliberately
creating
a situation where effects cannot resolve. And effects MUST resolve as
much as
possible.
With regards to “Pole Position”, you cannot choose to Summon a monster,
Set a
monster, or Set or activate a Spell or Trap Card, or card effect, if it
would
cause an infinite loop.
If you do this by mistake, just rewind the game to before the
Summon/Set/
activation occurred.
EXAMPLE #1
I have "Pole Position", "Luminous Spark" (+500 to LIGHT), and "Gemini
Elf" (1900
ATK / EARTH) face-up on the field. “Gemini Elf” is the monster on the
field with
the highest ATK, so it is unaffected by Spell Cards. If the opponent
Summons
"X-Head Cannon" (1800 ATK / LIGHT), “Luminous Spark” will raise the ATK
of
“X-Head Cannon” to 2300, making it the highest ATK monster on the
field, so it’s
unaffected by Spell Cards, so it drops to 1800 ATK, then increases to
2300, then
drops to 1800, etc. This would create an infinite loop. Therefore, the
opponent
cannot Summon “X-Head Cannon”.
EXAMPLE #2
The opponent has "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" (3000 ATK) and “Pole
Position” face-up
on the field. I have "Gemini Elf" (1900 ATK), and an "Opticlops" (1800
ATK)
equipped with "Axe of Despair"(+1000 ATK; 2800 total) face-up on the
field, and
a Set "Ring of Destruction". If I activate "Ring of Destruction" to
destroy
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon", then “Opticlops” will be the highest ATK
monster on
the field, and cause an infinite loop (it is the highest, it isn’t, it
is, it
isn’t, etc.). Therefore, I cannot target “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” with
“Ring of
Destruction”.
EXAMPLE #3
The opponent has a face-down "Pole Position". I have "Opticlops" (1800
ATK) and
"Gemini Elf" (1900 ATK) face-up on the field. I activate "Axe of
Despair" (+1000
ATK) and try to equip my "Opticlops" (1800 ATK). The opponent cannot
chain
"Pole Position", since that would cause an infinite loop. “Pole
Position” is an
illegal activation. Put it back face-down.
EXAMPLE #4
I have "Pole Position", "Blade Knight" (1600 ATK / LIGHT), and
"Luminous Spark"
(+500 ATK to LIGHT) face-up on the field and 2 cards in my hand. The
opponent
has "Giant Orc" (2200 ATK / EARTH) face-up on the field, which is the
highest-ATK
monster on the field. If I Set 1 of the 2 cards in my hand, “Blade
Knight” gains
+400 ATK with its effect, becomes the highest-ATK monster, and because
of
“Luminous Spark” an infinite loop is created. So I am not allowed to
Set a card.
All easy to understand. You cannot knowingly perform an action that
would cause
an infinite loop.
But what about things you have no control over? Let’s find out….
KAIBA: You’re finished this time, Yugi! With my Blue-Eyes White Dragon
and Pole
Position on the field, your Spell Cards are useless! Even if you Summon
your Dark
Magician, you can’t equip it with enough Equip Spell Cards to make it
strong
enough to take down my Dragon, because if you do, your Spell Cards will
have no
effect!
YUGI: Oh no! How can I defeat his Blue-Eyes without the help of my
Equip Spell
Cards?
KAIBA: Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his Giant Rat!
<Boom!>
KAIBA: You get to Special Summon a weak monster from your Deck now,
Yugi, so go
ahead, because there’s nothing in your Deck that can help you now.
YUGI: Are you sure about that? I Special Summon… Enraged Muka Muka!
KAIBA: Even with the 3 cards in your hand, your Enraged Muka Muka only
has 2400
Attack Points. Not strong enough to defeat my Blue-Eyes.
YUGI: It’s my turn now, Kaiba! I draw, raising my Enraged Muka Muka to
2800
attack points. Then I place one card face-down, and then I activate
this card:
United We Stand! With 2 cards still left in my hand, this Equip Spell
Card again
raises my Enraged Muka Muka’s attack points to 2800!
KAIBA: You’re a good Duelist, Yugi. Your United We Stand even
compensates for
that face-down card, but that’s still not strong enough to overcome my
mighty
Dragon! Blue-Eyes, destroy his Enraged Muka Muka!
YUGI: Not so fast, Kaiba! At the start of your turn, I activate my
face-down
card: Threatening Roar! This card prevents you from attacking. Sorry
Kaiba, but
your Blue-Eyes will just have to wait. And this Duel is now over.
KAIBA: What are you talking about? This is only a temporary reprieve,
Yugi. I’ll
still destroy you on my next turn. And your United We Stand still won’t
help
you. As long as Pole Position is on the field, no monster can become
the
strongest monster on the field because of Spell Cards.
YUGI: Guess again, Kaiba! For now… I draw!
<the ground begins to shake>
KAIBA: What… what’s happening?
YUGI: As I draw, my Enraged Muka Muka’s attack power increases to 3200,
making it
the strongest monster on the field. When that happens, your Pole
Position makes
the United We Stand cease to have any effect, dropping my monster’s
attack
strength to 2400. Since it’s no longer the strongest monster, United We
Stand
activates again, but then stops again. An infinite loop, Kaiba!
KAIBA: You can’t cause an infinite loop!
YUGI: I’m not causing it, Kaiba! Drawing a card is a basic game rule.
The rules
are causing it.
KAIBA: What’s your point Yugi? It looks like my Pole Position is going
to crush
you after all, then.
YUGI: Better look closer, Kaiba!
<Kaiba stares in horror as his Pole Position card begins to smolder…
then crack…
then shatter!>
YUGI: Your Pole Position couldn’t handle the strain, Kaiba! Now it’s
destroyed,
and my Enraged Muka Muka still has 3200 attack points! That means I
win!
As Kaiba found out, when an infinite loop is caused because of game
mechanics and
not by a player’s voluntary card play, you must destroy the origin of
the
infinite loop.
EXAMPLE #5 (simplified version of Kaiba & Yugi’s Duel)
I have "Pole Position" and "Opticlops" (1800 ATK) face-up on the field.
The
opponent has a "Muka Muka" equipped with "Axe of Despair" face-up on
the field
with no cards in his hand. At the start of the opponent's turn, he
draws a
card, making "Muka Muka"s ATK 1900. An infinite loop is created by
something that
could not be avoided, so “Pole Position” is destroyed.
EXAMPLE #6
The opponent has “Blade Knight” (1600 ATK) equipped with “Butterfly
Dagger - Elma”
(+300 ATK; 1900 ATK total) and 2 cards in hand, along with “Marauding
Captain”
(1200 ATK). The turn player has “Robbin’ Goblin”, “Pole Position”, and
“Giant
Orc” (2200 ATK). The turn player attacks “Marauding Captain” with
“Giant Orc”,
inflicting 1000 points of damage. The opponent has to discard a card
because of
“Robbin’ Goblin” and an infinite loop is created because “Blade Knight”
now
fluctuates between 2300 and 2000 ATK (either above or below “Giant
Orc”, making
it the strongest monster on the field… or not). Therefore, “Pole
Position” is
destroyed.
EXAMPLE #7
I have "Pole Position", "Banner of Courage", and "Opticlops" face-up on
the
field. The opponent has "Gemini Elf" face-up on the field. When I enter
my Battle
Phase, an infinite loop is created as “Opticlops” fluctuates between
1800 and 2000
ATK. So “Pole Position” is destroyed.
EXAMPLE #8
I have "Pole Position", "Gemini Elf" (1900 ATK / EARTH) and "Mystic
Plasma Zone"
(+500 ATK to DARK) face-up on the field, and an "Opticlops" (1800 ATK /
DARK) in
face-down Defense Position. The opponent attacks my face-down
"Opticlops" with
"Mokey Mokey". When we flip "Opticlops" face-up in the Damage Step, an
infinite
loop is created as “Opticlops” fluctuates between 1800 and 2300 ATK
(either above
or below “Gemini Elf”, making it the strongest monster on the field, or
not).
Therefore, “Pole Position” is destroyed.
So remember: you cannot choose to do anything that would create an
infinite loop.
If an infinite loop is thrust on you by things you had no control over,
then you
must destroy the offending card (“Pole Position” in all of these
cases).
Note that the game doesn’t really “look ahead” beyond the immediate
consequences
of what you’re doing. It doesn’t look 2 steps ahead, only at the
immediate next
step. Which is why you can enter your Battle Phase in example #7, or
attack with
“Giant Orc” in example #6. But you can’t destroy Blue-Eyes in example
#2 if it
would cause an infinite loop.
Also note that these scenarios are all pretty unlikely. In each of the
8 examples
it required a precise situation where monsters with just the right
ATK’s were in
play, plus the right Spell Cards to cause one of them to keep
flip-flopping on
either side of the other (highest / not highest / highest / not
highest). The
prohibition against causing an infinite loop by Summoning or Activating
will stop
most scenarios like these from happening.
But, unlikely as they are, they might happen, and now (like Yugi!) you
know how
to deal with them.
Hope this helps everyone. Vroom vroom!!!
Kevin Tewart
Game Designer
UDE Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG R&D Lead
Upper Deck Entertainment
my brain hurts.............. im tired i wanna go home 
