Trigger Effect

Trigger Effect
Japanese	誘発効果
Japanese (romanized)	Yūhatsu Kōka
English	Trigger Effect
Other names French: Effet Déclencheur German: Triggereffekt Italian: Effetto Innescato Korean: 유발 효과 (誘發效果) Yubal Hyogwa Portuguese: Efeito de Gatilho Spanish: Efecto Disparado Traditional Chinese: 誘發效果 Yòufā Xiàoguǒ / Jau5 faat3 Haau6 gwo2

Trigger Effects (Japanese: 誘発効果 Yūhatsu Kōka) are a type of card effect for Monster Cards that activate when a certain condition is met. Trigger-like Effects are the parallel type of card effect for Spell/Trap Cards.

Trigger Effects are Spell Speed 1 effects that make a Chain Link when activated. In general, Trigger Effects can be activated during any phase, although many individual Trigger Effects have restrictions on the phases in which they can be activated as part of their activation timing. Trigger Effects can be either mandatory or optional.

Identifying Trigger Effects

For card with Problem-Solving Card Text, Trigger Effects can be identified by by looking for a timing or event-related condition, followed by a colon.

Optional effects with the activation timing "Once per turn: You can..." or "During your Main Phase: You can..." are Ignition Effects rather than Trigger Effects. Trigger Effects may use the phrase "once per turn" in their activation timing, but not on its own.

Effects with the phrase "during either player's turn" in their activation timing are Quick Effects rather than Trigger Effects.

Mechanics

Missing the timing

Main article: Missing the timing

Optional Trigger Effects that use the word "when" in their activation timing can miss the timing. This occurs when a optional Trigger Effect that uses "when" meets its activation timing, but another action is performed before it has a chance to activate.

If an optional Trigger Effect that does not miss the timing or a mandatory Trigger Effect meets its activation timing at an instant that Spell Speed 1 effects cannot be activated, such as when a Chain already exists, then it will start a Chain at the next possible opportunity. "If" and "during" are commonly used in place of "when" for effects that cannot miss the timing.

For example, "Peten the Dark Clown" has a "when" optional Trigger Effect. When a monster is Tribute Summoned using "Peten the Dark Clown" as Tribute, first the Tribute "Peten the Dark Clown" is sent to the Graveyard, then a monster is Tribute Summoned. While the effect of "Peten the Dark Clown" would have met its activation timing when "Peten the Dark Clown" was sent to the Graveyard, because a monster was Tribute Summoned before it had a chance to activate, it cannot.

In contrast, "Mermail Abysshilde" has an "if" optional Trigger Effect and "Flowerbot" has a mandatory Trigger Effect. If "Mermail Abysshilde" or "Flowerbot" is Tributed for a Tribute Summon, its Trigger Effect can be activated.

Simultaneous Effects Go On Chain

Main article: Simultaneous Effects Go On Chain

If multiple Trigger or Trigger-like Effects would activate at the same time, they are all be placed on the same Chain without any of them missing the timing.

The order these effects are added to the Chain depends on whether the effect is mandatory or optional, whether it is activated by the turn player or non-turn player, and (in the TCG only) the order in which they met their activation timing.

Example

The effect of "Zaborg the Thunder Monarch" is a mandatory Trigger Effect that activates when it is Tribute Summoned. This effect targets 1 monster on the field, then destroys that target when it resolves.