Let’s see what awaits us today.
Veil of the Underdog
These two were bound to cross paths at some point:
"I intend on†building a deck that may have Heart of the Underdog and Veil of Darkness on the field at the same time. My problem is that I don't quite understand how they would resolve if I have†both of them on the field when†I draw a normal†Dark monster."
Heart of the Underdog and Veil of Darkness use the same timing, but with different requirements. Heart of the Underdog wants you to draw a normal monster card and Veil of Darkness wants you to draw a Dark monster card of any variety. When you happen to draw a normal Dark monster card in your draw phase, you satisfy both cards simultaneously. When this occurs, you will reveal the drawn card to activate the effect of each card, forming a chain.
When the chain resolves, you will draw one card for Heart of the Underdog and one card for Veil of Darkness, also sending to the graveyard that normal Dark monster card you revealed. The order is determined by how you place them onto the chain, but it honestly doesn’t matter that much because you don’t need to retain the revealed card to draw with Heart of the Underdog.
If the last card you draw is another normal Dark monster card, you can start the entire chain again by revealing it. If it is a non-Dark normal monster card (Water, etc.), you can reveal it for just Heart of the Underdog. If it is a non-normal Dark monster card (effect monster, etc.), you can reveal it to activate just Veil of Darkness. Depending on your deck and what you draw, you might bounce around like this for a while.
Dark Armed Dragon
Dark Armed Dragon has made such strong showings that it’s only natural for someone to become curious.
I was wondering if you could tell me something about Dark Armed Dragon. You see, its effect states that it can only be special summoned by having exactly three Dark monsters in the graveyard. I know that you can have other monsters too, as long as the number of Dark monsters is three. But the effect isn’t clear on whether or not you can just special summon it from anywhere. Sure, you can play it from your hand, but can you resurrect it with Monster Reborn too? Or even Return from the Different Dimension?
Dark Armed Dragon’s text places it into the category of monsters that cannot be special summoned except under specific conditions. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask),
Dark Armed Dragon can only be special summoned from your hand and only when you have exactly three Dark monsters in your graveyard.
"I was wondering if the cards Hero's Rule 2 and Dark Illusion can be used against Dark Armed Dragon's effect?"
Hero’s Rule 2 and Dark Illusion are used against effects that target specific cards. Activating them depends entirely upon the mechanics of the card you want to negate. Dark Armed Dragon has only one effect you can negate. Its first line of text states when it can be special summoned, but is not an effect that ever "activates." It’s really the "destroy one card" effect that needs to get negated, but who can do the job?
When Dark Armed Dragon’s effect is activated, you remove a Dark monster in your graveyard from play and then select a card to destroy. The Dark monster you remove from play is a cost paid to activate the effect. It is not a target of Dark Armed Dragon’s ability: that privilege belongs to the card that will be destroyed. This crosses Hero’s Rule 2 off our list.
The target selected for destruction will determine what card we can activate. Dark Illusion says it can only be activated when a face-up Dark monster is selected as a target. If Dark Armed Dragon happens to select a face-up Dark monster, Dark Illusion can be chained to negate its effect and destroy it.
Cyber Ourobor-Woes
Cyber Ouroboros initially makes sense in a Macro Cosmos/Dimensional Fissure build, but it suffers from two problems that don’t agree with this notion.
"Can you make a chain of Cyber Ouroboros to draw up to three cards? What I mean is, can you discard Cyber #2 for Cyber #1, and then discard Cyber #3 for Cyber #2 and still get their effects, or is the timing off? Also, can you use it in conjunction with Snipe Hunter, or is the timing on that off too?"
Using Cyber Ouroboros to pay a cost is not in its best interest, because doing so will cause you to lose the chance to activate its effect. It’s an optional trigger effect, and cards with optional trigger effects don’t like being used to pay costs. You don't want to remove it from play to pay the cost for another Cyber Ouroboros, because you would be unable to activate its effect at that time. You’re essentially trying to activate one spell speed 1 effect in response to another spell speed 1 effect, and you can't do that.
If every
Cyber Ouroboros was removed from play by the same effect, it can be possible to activate their effects in the same chain, but you need to have one card in your hand for each
Cyber Ouroboros that you can send to the graveyard to pay the cost . . . and that’s not going to happen when you’re dealing with
Macro Cosmos. You might have cards in your hand, but they can’t reach the graveyard when
Macro Cosmos is hanging around, which prevents you from paying the cost. If you can’t pay the cost, you can’t activate the effect.
Dimensional Fissure will work better when you’re sending spell or trap cards to the graveyard, but will prevent you from spending monster cards.
Van’Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord
Van’Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord put a new twist on optional trigger effects.
I have Appropriate on the field already and a set Dark Bribe. My opponent activates a spell card. I use Bribe to negate it and then special summon Van’Dalgyon from my hand. After that can I still use Appropriate’s effect? How will the chain resolve?
When you use a counter trap card to negate the activation or effect of your opponent’s card(s), you get the option to special summon Van’Dalgyon the Dark Dragon Lord. You’re allowed to do this even when other effects resolve on the chain. Van’Dalgyon just waits until the chain finishes resolving, and then it begins a new chain. Your opponent drawing a card for Dark Bribe doesn’t change this, nor does your drawing two cards with Appropriate.
Van’Dalgyon is a subject of its own complications . . . so let’s talk about him next week!
Until next time, send all comments and questions to Curtis@Metagame.com.