Special Summon Monster

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Special Summon Monster

Special Summon Monster

Japanese

とくしゅしょうかん(モンスター)[Notes 1]

Japanese (ruby)

特殊召喚(モンスター)

Japanese (base text)

特殊召喚(モンスター)

Japanese (romanized)

Tokushu Shōkan (Monsutā)

English

Special Summon Monster

Lists

A Special Summon Monster (とくしゅしょうかんモンスター Tokushu Shōkan Monsutā) is a type of monster that cannot be Normal Summoned or Normal Set, and must be Special Summoned by another way. This includes monsters that begin the Duel in the Main Deck and feature a Summoning condition preventing them from being Normal Summoned/Set; all Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Link Monsters;[1] as well as Tokens.

The Special Summon Monster type is only explicitely distinguished in the Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese prints of non-Ritual Main Deck monsters, which have the words "Special Summon" written in the Type/Ability line in their respective languages. This was first introduced in Japanese with the release of Deck Custom Pack 01, by the reprint of "Photon Thrasher". Extra Deck monsters, Ritual Monsters, Tokens, and all TCG cards do not feature the printed phrase; likely because of this discrepancy, Special Summon Monsters are always indirectly referred to as "monsters that cannot be Normal Summoned/Set" in card effects.

Any monster that is not a Special Summon Monster is considered a Normal Summon Monster.

Characteristics[edit]

Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set[edit]

All Special Summon Monsters cannot be Normal Summoned or Set.

  • All non-Ritual Main Deck Special Summon Monsters have the Summoning condition "Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set."[Notes 2]
  • Ritual Monsters have this trait as a game rule.
  • Extra Deck monsters and Tokens cannot exist in the hand, and thus have this trait by principle.

Even if a Special Summon Monster gains the effects of a Gemini monster, it is still not allowed to be Normal Summoned, and will be forced to remain a Normal Monster until the copied effect expires.[citation needed]

Cannot be Pendulum Summoned[edit]

Unless permitted by a Summoning condition, all Special Summon Monsters cannot be Pendulum Summoned.[citation needed]

Cannot be Special Summoned with general card effects[edit]

Unless permitted by a Summoning condition, Special Summon Monsters who specify that they "must be" or "must first be" Special Summoned by a procedure cannot be Special Summoned by card effects. They can only be Special Summoned by an effect if the effect ignores Summoning conditions.

Though most Ritual Monsters lack the above conditions, Ritual Monsters can only be Special Summoned by a (non-Ritual Summoning) effect if the effect specifically states to Special Summon a Ritual Monster, or ignores Summoning conditions.[citation needed]

Most Extra Deck Monsters lack the above conditions, and can be Special Summoned by an effect that does not ignore Summoning conditions.

Regardless of situation, Special Summon Monsters can only be Special Summoned by card effects if the monster is in a non-public knowledge location, or if the monster was properly Special Summoned (see below).

Special Summoning methods[edit]

All Special Summon Monsters are associated with one or more specific ways to Special Summon them.

Non-Ritual Main Deck Special Summon Monsters

With the exception of "Rare Metal Dragon", all non-Ritual Main Deck Special Summon Monsters describe the ways to Special Summon them in their second Summoning condition as a "must be" or "must first be Special Summoned by..." condition. This condition usually specifies actions[Notes 3] and/or prerequisites that must be taken or fulfilled to Special Summon the monster.

During the Main Phase in an open game state, the player can Special Summon the monster by fulfilling these actions/prerequisites and Special Summoning the monster; these Special Summons are not activated effects and do not start a chain.

Some non-Ritual Main Deck Special Summon Monsters (e.g. "Felis, Lightsworn Archer") state that they can be Special Summoned by any card effect, which means there is no restriction on how to Special Summon them other than that they cannot be Pendulum Summoned.

Ritual & Extra Deck Monsters

Without additional Summoning conditions, Extra Deck monsters and Ritual Monsters can be Special Summoned by their own Special Summoning procedures codified in the game rules, and the specifics of these procedures (i.e. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Link and Ritual Summoning) are not repeated on the cards themselves.

Some of these monsters feature their own unique Summoning conditions separate from the codified game mechanics (e.g.: Contact Fusion), and these are always described on the cards as a Summoning condition.

Properly Special Summoned[edit]

A Special Summon Monster that has been summoned by its printed or rule-associated procedures is considered to have been "properly Special Summoned".[2] Unless restricted by summoning conditions (e.g. "must be" Special Summoned by a procedure), properly Special Summoned Monsters can be Special Summoned from public knowledge locations[Notes 4] with general card effects.

The procedures to properly Special Summon Special Summon Monsters are:

If a monster that has been properly Special Summoned is moved into a non-public knowledge location[Notes 5], they "lose" their properly Special Summoned status. Flipping a monster face-down on the field or banishing a monster face-down[citation needed] does not remove the properly Special Summoned status.

If the Summon of a Special Summon Monster is negated (e.g. by "Black Horn of Heaven"), it is not considered to have been properly Special Summoned, even if the negated Summon was a Flip Summon after being properly Special Summoned. If a Special Summon Monster is in a public knowledge location and was not Special Summoned properly, it cannot be Special Summoned by any means other than the proper method, even by effects that ignore the Summoning conditions.[3] As such, all effects that "improperly" Special Summon Special Summon Monsters do so only from non-public knowledge locations.

Tokens[edit]

Tokens can only be Special Summoned by cards that specifically generate them, so are treated as Nomi monsters and cannot be Special Summoned from the Spell & Trap Zone should they be turned into a Spell/Trap Card (e.g. by being equipped to another monster).

Example[edit]

"Harpie Lady Sisters" in Japanese which contains the text "Special Summon" (特殊召喚) after the Type
"Harpie Lady Sisters" in English, which does not contain the text "Special Summon" after the Type

Notes[edit]

  1. The parentheses here specify what part is not shown on the cards' Type/Ability line.
  2. Former card text:
    Pre-Generation Force: "This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set."
    From Generation Force to Legendary Collection 3: Yugi's World: "Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set.".
  3. Termed a "procedure" in the card text of "Void Expansion".
  4. Graveyard, face-up Extra Deck, Spell & Trap Zone, Pendulum Zone, or among face-up banished cards.
  5. Hand, Deck, or face-down Extra Deck

References[edit]