Negate

Negate
"Dark Ruler Ha Des" with its effects negated in the artwork of "Skill Drain".
Japanese	無（む）効（こう）化（か）
Japanese (ruby)	むこう(か)
Japanese (base text)	無効(化)
Japanese (romanized)	Mukō(ka)
Japanese (translated)	invalidate
English	negate
Other names French: annuler German: annullieren Italian: annulla Korean: 무효(화) (無效(化)) Muhyo(hwa) Portuguese: negar Formerly: anular Spanish: negar Traditional Chinese: 無效(化) Wúxiào(huà) / Mou4 haau6 (faa3)

Negate (Japanese: 無（む）効（こう）(化（か）) Mukō(ka)) is a term that refers to stopping an action from being performed successfully or nullifying a card effect. Actions that can be negated include card and effect activations, Summons, and attacks.

Activation

"Ultimate Providence"

See also: Negates the activation of Spell Cards, Negates the activation of Trap Cards, and Negates the activation of Effect Monster's effect

To negate the activation of a card or effect is to cause it to not resolve after being activated. An activation can only be negated by a card effect that specifically uses the term "negate".

If the activation of a Spell or Trap Card is negated, that card is sent to the Graveyard, but it is not treated as being sent from the field. If the activation of a card effect is negated, that card remains in its current location unless a card effect specifies otherwise (such as "Divine Wrath" specifying that the monster is destroyed). If the activation of a card or effect is negated, because it does not resolve, the most previous Chain Link is considered the last thing to happen instead (for the purposes of missing the timing).

Destroying a card is distinct from negating its activation or effect; even if a card is destroyed before its effect resolves, that activation and effect are not negated and may still be applied. For example, if a player activates "Dark Hole" and the other player Chains "Mystical Space Typhoon" targeting "Dark Hole", "Mystical Space Typhoon" will destroy "Dark Hole", but "Dark Hole" will still successfully resolve, so the monsters are still destroyed. If a player instead activates the effect of "Fusion Gate" and the other player Chains "Mystical Space Typhoon" targeting "Fusion Gate", "Fusion Gate" will be destroyed and its effect will resolve without effect (because Field Spell Cards must remain face-up on the field to resolve their effects activated on the field); however, despite resolving without effect, the activation and effect of the effect of "Fusion Gate" were not negated.

If a card or effect has a restriction on how often it can be activated, the specific wording of the restriction affects affects whether negated activations count towards this limit.

• If a card or effect can only be "activated" (発動) a limited number of times, only activations that are not negated count towards their limit.
• If an effect can only be "used" (使用) a limited number of times, negated activations count towards their limit.
• If an effect specifies "Once per turn", "Once per Battle Step", "Once while face-up on the field", "Up to twice per turn", etc. in its activation conditions, even negated activations count towards this limit.
  • For example, if the effect of "Chaos Sorcerer" or "Number 9: Dyson Sphere" is negated by "Light and Darkness Dragon", it cannot activate its effect again during that turn or Battle Step (respectively).

Effect

"Skill Drain"

See also: Negates the effects of Spell Cards, Negates the effects of Trap Cards, and Negates the effects of Effect Monsters

To negate an effect is to prevent it from being applied. A card effect can only be negated by a card effect that specifically uses the term "negate".

If Continuous Effects or Unclassified Effects are negated, they simply no longer apply.

If an effect that makes a Chain Link is negated, it resolves without effect. However, this does not prevent these effects from being activated. For example, even if the effect of "Cannon Soldier" is negated by "Effect Veiler", it can still be activated by Tributing a monster, but its effect will be negated when it resolves and the opponent will take no damage.

Because "Starlight Road" only negates card effects and not activations, cards and effects that would respond to the Summon of "Stardust Dragon" miss the timing, as the card or effect that "Starlight Road" negated resolves (with its effect negated) strictly after "Stardust Dragon" is Summoned.

Summon

"Black Horn of Heaven"

See also: Negates Normal Summons, Negates Flip Summons, and Negates Special Summons

To negate a Summon is to prevent a monster from being successfully Summoned. A Summon can only be negated by a card effect that specifically uses the term "negate".

In Problem-Solving Card Text, effects that can negate Summons specify that they activate when the monster(s) "would be Summoned". These effects can only be activated at Chain Link 1 in response to an attempted Summon.

Only Summons by game mechanics (Normal, Flip, and Pendulum Summons, as well as Extra Deck Summons other than Fusion Summon) and Summons by Summoning procedures (including both those of Normal Summon Monsters and Special Summon Monsters) can be negated, and only when they occur outside of a Chain. Other Summons cannot be negated, even if they occur outside of a Chain (e.g. "Memory of an Adversary", "W Nebula Meteorite"). Activated effects that perform Summons via game mechanics specify that the Summon is performed "immediately after this card/effect resolves", meaning that the Summon occurs outside of the effect's resolution; if the effect resolves as Chain Link 1 the Summon can be negated, but if the effect resolves as Chain Link 2 or higher the Summon cannot be negated, as the Chain is still resolving when the Summon is conducted.

All card effects that negate a Summon will also move the monster to another location outside of the field, usually by destroying it. If a monster's Summon is negated, but the effect to move it to a different location cannot be applied, then the monster is sent to the Graveyard.

A negated Normal Summon still counts as the one Normal Summon/Set per turn; a negated Pendulum Summon still counts as the one Pendulum Summon per turn.

If a monster's Summon is negated, that monster is not considered to have been on the field at the time its Summon was negated, even if it is being Flip Summoned or it is a Gemini monster being Normal Summoned while face-up. If the Special Summon of a Special Summon Monster by its proper procedure is negated, that monster is not considered to have been properly Special Summoned, and cannot be Special Summoned by card effects (other than the proper method) while it remains in public knowledge locations.

Attack

"Negate Attack"

See also: Negates attacks

To negate an attack is to stop a battle from taking place after an attack has been declared. An attack can only be negated by a card effect that specifically uses the term "negate".

An attack can only be negated during the Battle Step, and if it is negated, the Damage Step does not occur. Even if an attack is negated, that monster is still considered to have declared an attack that turn, so it cannot declare another attack and cannot change its battle position in Main Phase 2.

Cards such as "Mirror Force" and "Dimensional Prison" do not negate attacks; instead, the attacking monster leaves the field during the Battle Step and the attack ends; if the monster does not leave the field, the attack continues. For example, if "Total Defense Shogun" attacks while in Defense Position and the opponent activates "Mirror Force", the attack continues as "Total Defense Shogun" is still on the field. Likewise, even if an attacking monster is banished by "Dimensional Prison", "Counterforce" cannot be activated because its attack was not negated.