Card Rulings talk:Level Modulation

Where is the citation for a LV monster that normally cannot be Special Summoned except by the method in its text can't be Special Summoned from the Graveyard with "Level Modulation" unless it has been previously Special Summoned by the correct procedure? Isn't that sort of what "ignoring the summoning conditions" means, to ignore the conditions of the card to be summoned? 68.123.252.173 06:48, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

I just added citations. When in doubt, check Netrep.

It is a game mechanic that you cannot Special Summon a Nomi/Semi-Nomi monster from the Graveyard or Removed Zone unless it has been properly Special Summoned beforehand. "Level Modulation" ignore Summoning Conditions, but it does not ignore game mechanics.

Lastly, it's usually better to ask questions on the Forum, since more people visit there.

--Deus Ex Machina (Talk) 18:19, 15 May 2009 (UTC)

Can we please have an official ruling for this and not some backwater fansite like Netrep? Seriously, this is a strictly factual wiki, not something that references hypotheses unless noted. Ritual monsters are the only ones that have official rulings attached to them stating they cannot be special summoned unless ritual summoned first. Fusions don't need that ruling, or else there wouldn't be specific lines of text on select new Fusion monsters that states that they cannot be summoned unless by Fusion Summon. If there were anything in the rules stating that, they wouldn't need to print it on half the newer Fusions, meaning that those not stating it can be summoned otherwise. Don't ask me about Synchro monsters, because I believe they are broken as fuck and do not exist in my opinion, but this isn't a place for a Synchro argument, just stating why I don't care about their rulings.

Why would they bother stating "ignoring the summoning conditions" if there is a rule saying they can only be summoned by their summoning conditions no matter what. If you actually follow the line of text on the effect like you are suppost to, it changes the effect of, let's say for example, "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8". It's effect is as followed verbatim: "This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6". While this card remains face-up on your side of the field, you can negate the activation and effect of any Spell Cards and destroy them.". Now, following the effect of "Level Modulation", which states: "Your opponent draws 2 cards. Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard that includes "LV" in its card name, ignoring the Summoning conditions. The monster that was Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack, nor activate or apply its effect this turn.", your opponent draws two cards. One, two. Next line, "Special Summon 1 monster from your Graveyard that includes "LV" in its card name, ignoring the Summoning conditions.". Following the card's effect like a duelist is supposed to, you Special Summon one monster. You continue on. "...from the Graveyard...", Horus is in the graveyard, check. "...that includes "LV" in its card name,...". LV8, check. Now, listen carefully for this one, "...ignoring the Summoning conditions." Now, that means every effect on the card is there, but anything that limits or directs how he is summoned technically. When you read the effect with the new "ignoring Summoning conditions" line, you simply do not read anything anything that has to do with limiting or directing how he is summoned, just as a "Jinzo" will make it so that if you read "Royal Decree", you don't read or apply any of its effects in the text box. That will then make its effect "While this card remains face-up on your side of the field, you can negate the activation and effect of any Spell Cards and destroy them.". That means you can summon it since it passed the graveyard and the card name test. Then you finish off with the last line, "The monster that was Special Summoned by this effect cannot attack, nor activate or apply its effect this turn.", meaning that the card's text box is 'blank' in terms of active effects till your opponent's Draw Phase.

Like it has always stated in the rules, if the effect of a card clashes with something stated in the rules, the card's effect comes first. Now unless Yu-Gi-Oh! has changed its ways and become a metagame not only to the players but to the creators, making it so that real cards that use strategy outside of "I SYNCHRO THIS OVERPOWERED CREATURE FIRST TURN! I WIN!", then everything I've said above is void. But if not, and the rules haven't basically killed off every card that used to be useful and banned the others so that only Synchros, Blackwings, etc are any good, then what I said above is true, and is the "law" of the game.

Now, ignoring my sided ramble, like I said before that: Cards come before rules if they clash, rules only state that Ritual monsters need to be summoned first, and ignoring summoning condition means that it can be Normal Summoned, Set, and Special summoned any damn way you please as long as it follows the rules of cards that do not have summoning conditions, cause that's what that basically means, they DON'T HAVE SUMMONING CONDITIONS! Piconoe 00:45, December 4, 2009 (UTC)

Netrep is a mirror of the original UDE site. Everything that appeared on the UDE site came directly from Konami (or was approved by Konami; it's the same thing, really), so everything that appears on Netrep comes from Konami. The rulings on Netrep are thus official.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say about Fusion Monsters.

Not everything that prevents Special Summons is a Summoning Condition. For example, "Level Modulation" will not ignore "Jowgen the Spiritualist" (since that is a Continuous Effect) or if you activated "Scapegoat" during this turn.

Likewise, the designation of being a Special Summon-only monster/Nomi monster (or, a Special Summon Monster/Normal Summon Monster) is not a Summoning Condition. For example, nowhere on "Dark Necrofear" does it explain that you can Special Summon as long as it was properly Special Summoned first. You have to appeal to game mechanics for this explanation.

These designations are not based entirely on card text, either. "Rare Metal Dragon" has been ruled to be a Special Summon Monster (with a trivially "True" requirement), even though its text indicates nothing.

There is no conflict - "Level Modulation" only ignores Summoning Conditions and nothing else. It does not ignore game mechanics for the same reason that it doesn't ignore Continuous Effects.

--Deus Ex Machina (Talk) 04:26, December 5, 2009 (UTC)

"If there is a discrepancy between the basic rules and a card’s effect, the card effect takes precedence." Taken directly from page 44 of the official rulebook in its most current version, version 7.1. So yeah, but Special Summoning it from the graveyard ignoring summoning conditions, it mean just that. Ignore all summoning conditions on the card and in the rulebook and just summon it. Piconoe 16:44, April 23, 2010 (UTC)

That right there is your downfall, "basic rules". Game mechanics are not "basic rules". You cannot ignore the game mechanics.

As for the "cannot be Special Summoned except by Fusion Summon", that is to prevent a card such as "Call of the Haunted" from Special Summoning it back, and prevents a card like "Summoner of Illusions" from Special Summoning it from the Extra Deck. That line of text is a Summoning condition.

You may want to read the "Special Summon" bullet on page 17 of the official rulebook. :::::DemonGodAsura 17:14, April 23, 2010 (UTC)

You are right. That line prevents Call of the Haunted and Summoner of Illusions from summoning them. But they don't state "ignoring the summoning conditions". Piconoe 01:15, April 24, 2010 (UTC)

Piconoe, please re-read my above argument, specifically the section where I mention "Jowgen the Spiritualist". --Deus Ex Machina (Talk) 22:41, April 24, 2010 (UTC)

That's not a summoning CONDITION. A summoning condition are conditions that must be met for a summon to be successful. Such as one tuner and one or more non-tuners with a combined level of 8 being sent to the graveyard for a Stardust Dragon, or a Tri-Blaze Accelerator being destroyed on your side of the field for a Volcanic Doomfire. Not a card like Non-Fusion Area saying that Fusion Monsters can't be summoned. Piconoe 23:54, April 24, 2010 (UTC)

I would like to direct you to a ruling; One for "Rainbow Gravity", which states that even though it says "ignoring the summoning conditions", if it had not been Special Summoned by the method on the card, while it is in the grave, you cannot Special Summon it with "Rainbow Gravity". DemonGodAsura 00:28, April 25, 2010 (UTC)

That's the point I'm getting at. The random judge's at random tournaments are making contradictory rulings and are being accepted by the heads of Yu-Gi-Oh!, who I might add probably don't play their own game. Now, if they make a rule in the actual, fully official, rulebook that says that "ignoring the Summoning Conditions" doesn't overwrite that rule, I'll shut up. They have a ruling that states that if it says "cannot be Special Summoned except by", it can be revived from the graveyard by regular means if it was summoned successfully. That being said, what is the point of that line if they could be summoned from the grave without it? Piconoe 00:30, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

What? The ruling in question came from Konami. Konami has been ruling it that way since the card was released, before random judges could do anything.

Not everything can be included in the rulebook, which is why Konami issues rulings. Rulings, in general, trump card text.

I'm not sure what you mean by those last two sentences....

--Deus Ex Machina (Talk) 00:56, April 26, 2010 (UTC)

Then they can go ahead and put it on their site already if it's their rulings. Also, let me give an example, I'm not too amazing at explaining things without:

• Player A summons Horus LV8 via LV6
• Player B destroys Horus LV8
• Player A plays Monster Reborn
• Player A revives Horus LV8 because since it was successfully summoned via its effect, even though it says "This card cannot be Special Summoned except by"

-OR-

• Player A summons Horus LV8 via LV6
• Player B destroys Horus LV8
• Player A plays Level Modulation
• Player A revives Horus LV8 because since it was successfully summoned via its effect, even though it says "This card cannot be Special Summoned except by"

Now, with that well understood ruling, why would they need to put "ignoring the summoning conditions"? It could be revived without that phrase if it was summoned successfully. Piconoe 00:00, April 28, 2010 (UTC)

Because then they would have to go through and apply that very, very lengthy ruling for every card that applies. To add one line of text to a card, and a rule for the mechanic in general is much simpler, and says the exact same thing that your "ruling" proposition, but with less words. The ruling is:

Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv8 cannot be Special Summoned by any other card effect if it was not Special Summoned through its own effect first.

That right there sums up everything you made a paragraph for. This one sums up everything for any card that says "ignoring the summoning condition" :

A card that says "ignoring the summoning conditions" cannot Special Summon a monster that has not been Special Summoned through the text on the card.

It is far more simple, and exactly what Konami does. 2 cards/situations, 2 rulings, 2 sentences. DemonGodAsura 00:42, April 28, 2010 (UTC)