Activate

"Active" redirects here. For the term for cards that are active, see Face-up.

Activate
Japanese	発（はつ）動（どう）
Japanese (ruby)	はつどう
Japanese (base text)	発動
Japanese (romanized)	hatsudō
English	activate
Other names French: activer German: aktivieren Italian: attivare Korean: 발동 (發動) baldong Portuguese: ativar Formerly: Activar, then activar or ativar Spanish: activar Traditional Chinese: 發動 fādòng / faat3 dung6 Simplified Chinese: 发动 fādòng

To activate (Japanese: 発（はつ）動（どう） Hatsudō, Verb: 発（はつ）動（どう）する Hatsudō suru) is to use a card or effect in a way that makes a Chain Link.

Mechanics

All activated cards and effects have a Spell Speed. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to cards or effects with higher Spell Speed. Cards and effects also cannot be activated while a Chain is resolving.

To activate a Spell or Trap Card is to play it on the field face-up from your hand or flipped from face-down on the field. Trap Cards and Quick-Play Spell Cards cannot be activated during the same turn they were Set. If the activation of a card is negated, that card will not be treated as being on the field.

To activate an effect is to choose to apply a Trigger or Trigger-like, Ignition or Ignition-like, or Quick or Quick-like Effect. When activating an effect from a location that is not public knowledge, the card that activated the effect is revealed by game mechanics.

Activating a card is distinct from activating its effect. For example, "Magic Jammer" and the effect of "Dark Paladin" can only be activated when the card "Supply Squad" is activated, but cannot be activated when the effect of "Supply Squad" is activated.

Activation requirements

There are several requirements that must be met in order to activate a card.

• A card or effect can only be activated if that card or effect meets its activation conditions. However, some cards do not have any activation conditions.
  • For example, "Dark Magic Attack" cannot be activated if the player does not control a "Dark Magician". However, "Harpie's Feather Duster" can, because it has no activation conditions.

• The activation cost for a card or effect must be paid in order to activate a card or effect. However, some cards do not have any cost.
  • For example, "Twister" cannot be activated if the player cannot pay 500 LP (such as due to having less than 500 LP). However, "Mystical Space Typhoon" can, because it has no cost.

• It is not possible to activate a card or effect if the effect would fail to do anything when it resolved.
  • For example, "Lightning Vortex" cannot be activated if the opponent does not control any face-up monsters.

• It is not possible to activate a card or effect if it has no valid target.
  • For example, the effect of "Zombie Master" cannot be activated if there are no Zombie-Type monsters in either Graveyard that can be Special Summoned.