“Heads or tails? Choose carefully. Your fate depends on it.”—The Fourth Sasuke Samurai
Many players have asked me to answer the question of whether a monster has been destroyed in battle. It wasn’t a big issue until Sasuke Samurai was released in the Pharaonic Guardian set. Players who saw their set Nimble Momongas get destroyed by Sasuke Samurai were upset because the Samurai got rid of Nimble Momonga without triggering its effect.
What determines if a monster has been destroyed as a result of battle? The answer is in the rulebook. When two monsters battle, you can look at the rules for figuring out damage calculation on pages 30 and 31 of the Yu-Gi-Oh! rulebook.
There isn’t much confusion about battle damage when you’re dealing with most monsters, but it becomes an issue when Sasuke Samurai or any Mystic Swordsmen step into the picture. Sasuke Samurai has an effect that destroys a face-down, defense-position monster instead of inflicting ATK damage to it, so a monster that was defeated this way wasn’t destroyed as a result of battle. It’s easy for inexperienced players to think otherwise, because Sasuke Samurai’s effect activates after the monster declares an attack (during the damage step).
Severing the Monster
Example: Sasuke Samurai Attacks!
Let’s say Tobias has an attack-position Sasuke Samurai on his side of the field. His opponent, Rachel, has a face-down, defense-position Giant Rat. Tobias attacks Giant Rat with Sasuke Samurai. When the damage step begins, Sasuke Samurai’s effect activates, destroying the face-down Giant Rat. Giant Rat’s effect doesn’t activate because the monster was not destroyed as a result of battle. It was destroyed by Sasuke Samurai’s effect.
Mystic Tomato, Shining Angel, Nimble Momonga, Giant Germ, and Masked Dragon have the same weaknesses to the effect of Sasuke Samurai, because these monsters must be destroyed in battle to trigger their effects.
Example: Mystic Swordsman Surprise
Tobias has a face-down monster in defense position. Rachel flip summons Mystic Swordsman LV4 and attacks Tobias’s face-down monster. When the attack enters the damage step, Mystic Swordsman LV4’s effect destroys the face-down monster. Then Rachel says she’s going to put Mystic Swordsman LV4 into the graveyard.
At this point, Tobias reminds Rachel that Mystic Swordsman LV4 didn’t destroy his monster as a result of battle. Because of that, Rachel can’t special summon Mystic Swordsman LV6.
Lots of players are unhappy about this part of the Mystic Swordsmen. Mystic Swordsman LV2 and Mystic Swordsman LV4’s effects can work against leveling up. If you want to level up, you could use a Level Up! spell card. You could also play spells that turn your opponent’s monsters face up, like Book of Taiyou and Swords of Revealing Light.
Example: Mystic Swordsman and the Desert Sunlight
Let’s keep the last situation, but this time Tobias has Magician of Faith in face-down defense-position. This time, Tobias also has a face-down trap card, Desert Sunlight. Rachel flip summons Mystic Swordsman LV4 and attacks Tobias’ face-down monster, but Tobias responds by activating Desert Sunlight.
Desert Sunlight changes all monsters on Tobias’s side of the field to face-up defense position. His face-down Magician of Faith is flipped face up, so he gets to use the Magician’s effect. Tobias grabs a spell card from his graveyard, and the attack moves to the damage step.
Because Magician of Faith is face up, Mystic Swordsman LV4’s effect doesn’t activate. At last, there is damage calculation! Tobias’s defense-position Magician of Faith is destroyed by Rachel’s Mystic Swordsman LV4. Because Mystic Swordsman LV4 destroyed a monster as a result of battle, the Swordsman gets to level up.
Example: Ryu Kokki vs. Mystic Swordsman LV6
Tobias is in a jam. During the previous turn, Rachel special summoned Mystic Swordsman LV6 and destroyed the only monster Tobias had on the field. Tobias is down to one copy of Call of the Mummy in his hand. He draws for his turn and is happy to see Ryu Kokki. He knows that Ryu Kokki is strong enough to destroy Mystic Swordsman LV6. Even though his opponent has a set card in the spell or trap zone, Tobias has to take the risk.
He activates Call of the Mummy to special summon Ryu Kokki. Ryu Kokki attacks Mystic Swordsman LV6, but Rachel plays Waboku in response. Even though Ryu Kokki lost the battle, Tobias tells Rachel that Mystic Swordsman LV6 has been destroyed. Rachel argues that, because Waboku prevented Ryu Kokki from defeating Mystic Swordsman LV6, her Swordsman survived the battle.
Tobias reminds Rachel about Ryu Kokki’s effect. Whenever Ryu Kokki battles with a Warrior-type monster, that monster is destroyed even if Ryu Kokki loses the fight. Waboku doesn’t stop Ryu Kokki’s effect, because the effect has nothing to do with damage calculation.
I hope this article has helped clear up some questions about what happens when monsters are destroyed as a result of battle with Sasuke Samurai and the Mystic Swordsmen. Thanks for reading!