Card of Safe Return is useful when discussing matters of effect timing and when an optional effect can or cannot be activated. If a monster is special summoned from your graveyard at the wrong time, you can completely miss out on drawing a card. When we return in 2008, we will discuss the matters of timing in further detail with plenty of examples. Card of Safe Return shall serve as our warm-up.
When Zombie Master and Il Blud joined forces to terrorize the land of the living, it was safe to say that Card of Safe Return would make a comeback. Sure enough it did, but it brought with it a fair amount of questions. A few weeks ago, I was asked what would happen if a player special summoned a monster from his or her graveyard while having two or more copies of Card of Safe Return in play. Would the player be able to draw one card for every Card of Safe Return, or only one card period?
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Example: Safe and Sound
Kelsey has two copies of Card of Safe Return face up in her spell and trap card zone. She activates Monster Reborn and selects Blue-Eyes White Dragon from her graveyard. After her Blue-Eyes is special summoned, the effects of her Card of Safe Return are satisfied and she can activate their effects. She has the option to activate both cards (placing their effects onto a chain), activate just one of the two cards, or pass entirely. The choice is hers.
Your only real concern in this situation is meeting the timing necessary for activating Card of Safe Return’s effect. If you can meet the timing for one of them, then you can meet the timing for them all. Like any optional trigger effect, you don’t want the trigger condition to occur during the higher chain links. For the most part, it should be the last thing that happens when the chain resolves.
Example: A Moment Too Late
Kelsey again has two copies of Card of Safe Return face up on her side of the field, but this time, she has Call of the Haunted set. Her opponent Shane activates Mystical Space Typhoon and targets Kelsey’s set Call of the Haunted. Kelsey activates it in response and selects Dark Magician from her graveyard.
When this chain resolves, the first effect to resolve is Call of the Haunted. Dark Magician is special summoned from Kelsey’s graveyard onto her side of the field in attack position. At this time, Kelsey’s two copies of Card of Safe Return would really like to activate, but they cannot because the chain is still resolving. It must finish resolving, so it moves onto the new chain link: Mystical Space Typhoon. The Typhoon destroys Call of the Haunted, and with it goes the Dark Magician. Now the chain has finished resolving, but the time for activating Card of Safe Return has come and gone. It is too late for Kelsey.
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When multiple effects trigger because a monster has been special summoned from your graveyard, it can still be possible to activate Card of Safe Return’s effect. Sometimes the resulting chain can become quite complicated. When this occurs, we must rely on our knowledge of chain formation and how effects should be ordered. We must remember that mandatory trigger effects will form the foundation of the chain, and optional trigger effects will be added on top of them. During this process, we must also remember that the turn player’s effects are placed first onto the chain, following the same basic structure of mandatory before optional.
Confused? Well, don’t feel bad about it. This is probably the most difficult challenge any judge must face on the way to higher-level certification. It requires recognizing what type of effects you are up against and then organizing them accordingly. A few examples will make it easier to dissect.
Ex 1: Turn Player Has a Mandatory and an Optional Trigger Effect (TE)
Shane has Card of Safe Return face up in his spell and trap card zone. He has Premature Burial in his hand and Destiny Hero - Disc Commander in his graveyard. He begins his main phase 1 by activating Premature Burial, selecting Destiny Hero - Disc Commander as his target. When the effect is resolved, Destiny Hero - Disc Commander is special summoned onto the field. At this time, Shane has two cards effects that want to activate: Destiny Hero - Disc Commander and Card of Safe Return. When you compare the texts of each card, you will notice that Destiny Hero - Disc Commander’s effect is not optional. Whenever it is special summoned from your graveyard, you must draw two cards from your deck. This trigger effect is mandatory, and as a result, it must be placed first onto the chain. Card of Safe Return has an optional trigger effect and so is placed onto the chain after Disc Commander. Card of Safe Return will resolve first, followed by Destiny Hero - Disc Commander.
In example 1, the difference between which effect was mandatory and which was optional had little effect on the results. Shane was going to draw a total of three cards even if the chain had been reversed.
Ex 2: Turn Player and Opponent Have Mandatory TE. Turn Player Also Has Optional TE.
Shane has Premature Burial in his hand and Card of Safe Return face up on his side of the field. His opponent Miles has Stumbling face up on his side of the field. Shane activates Premature Burial and selects Sacred Crane as his target. When Sacred Crane is special summoned onto his side of the field, three separate card effects all want to activate: Sacred Crane, Card of Safe Return, and Stumbling.
Even though one of the effects is controlled by Miles, the mandatory trigger effects must still be placed at the beginning of the chain. Shane and Miles each have one trigger effect to add to the chain, and since Shane is the turn player, his effect will be first.
Sacred Crane à Stumbling
Next, the optional trigger effect from Card of Safe Return is added to the chain.
Sacred Crane à Stumbling à Card of Safe Return
Shane will draw one card, switch Sacred Crane into defense position, and then draw another card.
Ex 3: Turn Player and Opponent Have Mandatory TE and Optional TE.
Shane has Card of Safe Return and Light of Intervention face up on his side of the field. In his hand, he has The Shallow Grave. His opponent Miles has Stumbling face up on his side of the field. Shane activates The Shallow Grave, and when it resolves, he special summons Destiny Hero - Disc Commander and Miles special summons Dark Magician of Chaos.
Shane and Miles both have a mandatory trigger effect and an optional trigger effect. The mandatory trigger effects must be placed first onto the chain, with the turn player’s effect placed first.
Destiny Hero - Disc Commander à Stumbling
Stumbling is a bit odd in this context because the monsters that were special summoned were both special summoned into defense position. Despite this, Stumbling must still activate its effect because monsters were special summoned.
Next, the optional trigger effects are placed onto the chain following the same principle.
Destiny Hero - Disc Commander à Stumbling à Card of Safe Return à Dark Magician of Chaos
Dark Magician of Chaos resolves first, adding the selected spell card to Miles’s hand, and afterward, Shane draws one card. Stumbling now tries to resolve, but it has no effect because both monsters that were special summoned are already in defense position. Lastly, Shane draws two more cards with Disc Commander’s effect.
Until next time, send all comments and questions to Curtis@Metagame.com.