Card Rulings:Banisher of the Light

"Banisher of the Light":

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OCG Rulings

• If "Banisher of the Light"'s effect is active and you Tribute "Stardust Dragon", then "Stardust Dragon" will not Special Summon itself during the End Phase. This applies even if "Stardust Dragon" is later returned to the Graveyard.

• If "Grandmaster of the Six Samurai" is destroyed and removed from play, such as by "Macro Cosmos" or "Banisher of the Light", the effect which adds 1 "Six Samurai" monster from your Graveyard to your hand still activates. The effect activates in the Graveyard if it is sent to the Graveyard, and activates in the banished pile if the monster is removed from play.

• While the effect of "Gravekeeper's Servant" is active, your opponent cannot attack without sending a card from the top of his Deck to the Graveyard.
  • If the effect of "Macro Cosmos" or "Banisher of the Light" is active, then your opponent cannot send a card from the Deck to the Graveyard, so he cannot declare an attack.

• When "Miracle Dig" or "Burial from a Different Dimension" return removed from play cards to the Graveyard, the cards are not treated as being sent to the Graveyard. Thus, you can activate "Burial from a Different Dimension" and its effect will be applied and return cards to the Graveyard even when the effects of "Macro Cosmos" or "Banisher of the Light" are active.

• You can treat "Dragunity Javelin" as an Equip Spell Card and equip it to a Winged Beast-Type "Dragunity" monster even the effect of a card like "Banisher of the Radiance" or "Banisher of the Light" or "Macro Cosmos" or "Dimensional Fissure" is active when "Dragunity Javelin" would be destroyed while it is face-up in the Monster Zone. If the effect is not applied, then "Dragunity Javelin" is removed from play by the effect of the card like "Banisher of the Light".

Previously Official Rulings

• When "Banisher of the Light" is destroyed it will be sent to the Graveyard. If "Banisher of the Light" and other monsters are destroyed simultaneously all monsters are sent to the Graveyard.

• Effects that trigger when cards are sent to the Graveyard, such as "Sangan", "Witch of the Black Forest", "Mystic Tomato", "The Immortal of Thunder" and "Last Will", will not activate.

• "Kuriboh" and "Thunder Dragon" can be discarded from your hand and activated while "Banisher of the Light" is on the field.

Mentions in Other Rulings

• Apprentice Magician: “Apprentice Magician’s” effect activates at the same time as when monsters are sent to the Graveyard. But it does not have to be sent to the Graveyard; you get to Special Summon a new monster when "Apprentice Magician" is destroyed as a result of battle, even if "Banisher of the Light" is in play.

• Avatar of The Pot: You cannot activate "Avatar of The Pot"'s effect while "Banisher of the Light" is in play.

• Crystal Beast: If ... "Banisher of the Light" is active on the field when a "Crystal Beast" monster is destroyed, you can use its effect and still place it in your Spell & Trap Zone.

• D.D. Scout Plane: If "D.D. Scout Plane" is face-down on the field while "Banisher of the Light" is in play, and "D.D. Scout Plane" is destroyed by "Raigeki Break", it is removed from play and its effect activates because it is placed face-up out of play.

• D.D. Scout Plane: "D.D. Scout Plane"'s effect can only activate once during the same End Phase, so if a combo of "Banisher of the Light" and "King Tiger Wanghu" is set up, "D.D. Scout Plane" will only be Special Summoned once.

• Dark Coffin: If "Banisher of the Light" is in play, then "Dark Coffin" does not activate its effect when destroyed, because it is not sent to the Graveyard.

• Dark Necrofear: If "Banisher of the Light" is on the field when "Dark Necrofear" is destroyed, the "Dark Necrofear" is removed from play and does not return as an Equip Spell Card.

• Dark Nephthys: You can activate "Dark Nephthys'" first effect while "Banisher of the Light" or "Macro Cosmos" is face-up, but "Dark Nephthys" will be removed from play.

• Dimensional Inversion: If your opponent controls..."Banisher of the Light"...and an effect is activated by either player that sends a monster to the Graveyard, you can activate "Dimensional Inversion". This is because your monster is being removed from play (instead of being sent to the Graveyard) by the effect of your opponent's card.

• Emergency Provisions: While "Banisher of the Light" is face-up on the field, you cannot activate "Emergency Provisions" since it is impossible to send cards to the Graveyard.

• Fatal Abacus: Monsters that are removed from play and monsters that are destroyed while "Banisher of the Light" is on the field do not trigger this card's effect. This is because they never go to the Graveyard.

• Gemini Imps: You cannot activate the effect of "Gemini Imps" while "Banisher of the Light" is face-up on the field, because it would not be possible to send "Gemini Imps" to the Graveyard.

• Giant Kozaky: The effect of "Giant Kozaky" that inflicts damage to the controller activates in the Graveyard or the "removed zone", wherever "Giant Kozaky" goes to after being destroyed. "The End of Anubis" will negate the effect of "Giant Kozaky" if it was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, but "Banisher of the Light" will not (because "Giant Kozaky" does not have to be "destroyed and sent to the Graveyard"). Nor will "Skill Drain" negate the damage if "Giant Kozaky" is destroyed.

• Grave Protector: If "Banisher of the Light" and "Grave Protector" are both active, destroyed monsters are removed from play.

• Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4: If "Banisher of the Light" is in play, you cannot send "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4" to the Graveyard, so you cannot activate its effect.

• Kozaky's Self-Destruct Button: "Kozaky's Self-Destruct Button" starts a chain at the time that it is sent to the Graveyard. If "Banisher of the Light" is on the field and "Kozaky's Self-Destruct Button" is removed from play, its effect still activates because it only has to be destroyed.

• Mystical Knight of Jackal: If "Banisher of the Light" is in play, the monster is removed from play and "Mystical Knight of Jackal" does not activate its effect so the monster does not return to the top of the Deck.

• Pharaoh's Treasure: If "Pharaoh's Treasure" is drawn from your Deck (face-up) while "Banisher of the Light" is in play, "Pharaoh's Treasure" is removed from play and its effect does not activate.

• Reasoning: If "Banisher of the Light" is Special Summoned with "Reasoning", the other cards picked up for "Reasoning" are sent to the Graveyard. The effect of "Banisher of the Light" is not applied until after "Reasoning" resolves.

• Return of the Doomed: If "Banisher of the Light" is on the field, a monster that is destroyed will be removed from play and cannot return to your hand since it never went to the Graveyard.

• Samsara: If "Samsara" and "Banisher of the Light" are both on the field the monsters Tributed for a Ritual Summon will be shuffled back into the Deck.

• Spirit of the Pharaoh: If "Banisher of the Light" is in play and you activate "The First Sarcophagus", you cannot Special Summon "Spirit of the Pharaoh".

• Stardust Dragon: If "Stardust Dragon" is removed from play when its first effect is activated (by "Banisher of the Light", etc.), or it is removed from the Graveyard after its first effect is activated, it cannot be Special Summoned with its effect during the End Phase.

• Statue of the Wicked: If "Banisher of the Light" is in play, then "Statue of the Wicked" does not activate its effect when destroyed, because it is not sent to the Graveyard.

• Thunder Dragon: You can discard "Thunder Dragon" to activate its effect even if it would not go to your Graveyard. For example, when "Banisher of the Light" is face-up on the field.

Out of Date

• Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch: If "Banisher of the Light" is face-up on the field, no damage is inflicted because the card is not discarded to the Graveyard.