We continue our look at Light of Destruction TCG exclusive cards with [Nimble Musasabi], [Magical Exemplar], and [Super-Ancient Dinobeast].

Ojamas into Musasabis

I was sad when I lost my [Ojama Trio] cards, but [Nimble Musasabi] does its best to fill the "annoying little monster" quotient.

[Nimble Musasabi] is very similar to [Nimble Momonga], but with a twist borrowed from [Giant Germ] and a lean toward the feature of [Ojama Trio] that made them irritating. [Nimble Musasabi]’s first and second effect are tied together just like [Nimble Momonga]’s. The fun starts when [Nimble Musasabi] is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, activating its trigger effect. Since it activates in its owner’s graveyard, the owner controls its effects and will decide how they are conducted.

When [Nimble Musasabi]’s effect resolves, its owner inflicts 500 damage to his or her opponent’s life points. At this time the owner can special summon up to two copies of [Nimble Musasabi] from that player’s deck onto his or her opponent’s side of the field in attack position. This does not start another chain! It is still part of the same effect that player is already resolving. When you inflict the damage to your opponent’s life points, you will special summon additional [Nimble Musasabi] cards or conclude the effect.

This means it isn’t possible to "miss the timing" like you can on other card effects that have a similar "you can" text. If [Nimble Musasabi]’s effect ends up at chain link 2 or higher as a result of other effects activating at the end of the damage step, you aren’t denied the ability to special summon additional [Nimble Musasabi] cards. Optional trigger effects that can "miss the timing" are usually tied to a specific event and will usually be written as, "when [some event happens], you can [activate this effect]."

The final effect of [Nimble Musasabi] is a continuous effect that prevents its controller from tributing it for a tribute summon. No one wants to give the opponent two monsters that he or she will just turn around and tribute for a stronger monster.

 Exemplary Magic
[Magical Exemplar] uses accumulated spell counters to help get other Spellcaster monsters into play.

[Magical Exemplar]’s first effect isn’t really a trigger effect, even though it may seem like it is. Like other spell counter monsters before her, the spell counters are placed upon [Magical Exemplar] after the activated spell card resolves, without ever using the chain. If multiple spell cards are activated in the same chain, [Magical Exemplar] will gain two spell counters after each spell card resolves . . . assuming she remains on the field.

Player A activates [Hand Destruction]. He chains [Shrink], selecting [Dark Grepher] as his target. He finishes the chain with [Emergency Provisions], sending [Hand Destruction] and [Shrink] to the graveyard to pay its cost.

When the chain resolves, Player A gains 2000 life points and places two spell counters onto [Magical Exemplar]. Next, [Dark Grepher]’s ATK is halved from 1700 to 850 and [Magical Exemplar] gains another two spell counters. Finally, Player A sends both copies of [Necro Gardna] to his graveyard and draws two cards (his opponent does the same), and adds another two spell counters to [Magical Exemplar]. [Magical Exemplar] now has six spell counters, enough to special summon [Cybernetic Magician].

The act of special summoning a Spellcaster is an ignition effect. When you activate this effect, you remove spell counters equal to the level of whichever Spellcaster you are planning on special summoning. These spell counters are removed as a cost to activate the effect, so they will already be removed and spent before your opponent can respond to the effect. If [Magical Exemplar] is removed from the field or flipped face down, she has already spent the spell counters and can resolve her effect accordingly.

When you activate [Magical Exemplar]’s ignition effect, you remove the desired number of spell counters but you do not say who you will special summon. Since this effect can special summon a monster from your hand or your graveyard, it does not target, as targeting a card in a player’s hand is generally unheard of. When the effect resolves, you will pick a Spellcaster monster from either location that has a level equal to the number of spell counters you paid when you activated [Magical Exemplar]’s effect.

Fire-Breathing Dinosaur?

[Super-Ancient Dinobeast]’s first effect gives you a cheaper way to tribute summon it while also preventing you from setting it by tributing only one Dinosaur. The Dinobeast’s second effect is like a built-in [Card of Safe Return], with a focus exclusively on Dinosaurs. Like [Card of Safe Return], this effect is also an optional trigger effect, so there is a potential to lose the chance to activate its effect.

If the Dinosaur is special summoned from your graveyard by the first effect on the chain, you will usually be fine. If the Dinosaur is special summoned and other effects resolve afterward, things won’t work out. For example, if your opponent activates [Heavy Storm] and you chain [Fossil Excavation], you won’t be able to activate [Super-Ancient Dinobeast]’s effect because [Heavy Storm]’s effect will resolve next and destroy the [Fossil Excavation]. The first effect on the Chain was not the one that special summoned your Dinosaur, so you’ll miss out on Dinobeast’s effect. It can be bothersome, but these are the difficulties we face with monsters that have optional trigger effects.