[Ruling] Yu-Gi-Oh! - Skill Drain Rulings

[Koby]

Just some rules you may not know.

1. If Skill Drain is activated while a monster is equipped to Morphtronic Vacuumen, the equipped monster is destroyed.
   
2. If Skill Drain is activated while Black-Winged Dragon has Black Feather Counters, all those Counters are removed and the ATK of Black-Winged Dragon returns to its original value.
   
3. Any monster that has had an atk/def increase due to a monster effect on the field gets set back to their original atk/def and it stays that way even if Skill Drain is destroyed.
   
4. If “Trident Dragion” gains additional attacks, and then “Skill Drain” is activated later, it does not remove the additional attacks from “Trident Dragion.”
   
5. If “Skill Drain” is activated after the effect of “Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn” resolves, then the effect is not negated. The ATK boost remains, and the other monsters cannot attack this turn.
   
6. If "Cyber Dragon Zwei" is being treated as "Cyber Dragon" by its own effect and "Skill Drain" is activated, the name is still treated as "Cyber Dragon.
   
7. “Skill Drain” has no effect on “Level Warrior’s” Level, because “Level Warrior” is considered to already be on the field with the appropriate level. So “Skill Drain” will not cause “Level Warrior’s” Level to become 3.
   
8. If the ATK of "Oracle of the Sun" is being doubled by "Supay" and "Skill Drain" is activated, the ATK remains doubled.
   
9. If “Skill Drain” is activated after the effect of “Scanner” resolves, the effect of “Scanner” is still applied, and “Scanner” will still be removed from play if it leaves the field.
   
10. If the effect of Splendid Rose activates and resolves, then Skill Drain or Forbidden Chalice is activated, the effect of Splendid Rose is not negated. It will be able to attack again.
    
11. Blackwing - Silverwind the Ascendant: You can activate the effect to destroy monsters when this card is Synchro Summoned even if "Skill Drain" is active. If you do, you will not be able to conduct your Battle Phase, even though the effect is negated.
    
12. Debris Dragon: All restrictions on “Debris Dragon” and Synchro Summons are conditions, not effects, so will [sic] not be negated by “Skill Drain”.
    
13. Djinn Presider of Rituals: The effect to draw when the Ritual Monster destroys a monster by battle is applied even if "Skill Drain" is active.
    
14. Djinn Releaser of Rituals: Even if "Skill Drain" is active, the opponent of the controller of the Ritual Monster this card was Tributed for that cannot Special Summon.
    
15. Fishborg Blaster: The requirement that you use WATER-Attribute Synchro Material Monsters when using this monster for a Synchro Summon is a condition, not an effect. It cannot be negated by "Skill Drain".
    
16. Majestic Dragon: The text of this card is not an effect. It cannot be negated by "Skill Drain".
    
17. Mist Valley Thunderbird: The effect that prevents you from attacking with “Mist Valley Thunderbird” is part of the effect that Special Summons it. It is not negated by “Skill Drain.”
    
18. Quickdraw Synchron: "You can substitute this card for any 1 "Synchron" Tuner for a Synchro Summon" is not an effect. It will not be negated by "Skill Drain".
    
19. Quickdraw Synchron: "This card cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster except for the Synchro Summon of a monster that lists a Synchron monster as a Tuner" is not an effect. It will not be negated by "Skill Drain".
    
20. Trap Eater: If “Vanity’s Fiend” or “Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo” are on the field, but “Skill Drain” is preventing their effects from blocking Special Summons, you can Summon “Trap Eater” even by sending “Skill Drain” to the Graveyard.
    
21. White Night Dragon: If you control your opponent's monster with "Snatch Steal" while you have "White Night Dragon" in play and your opponent attacks the equipped monster, if you send "Snatch Steal" to the Graveyard to change the attack target no replay occurs. If the effect of "White Night Dragon" is negated by "Skill Drain" a replay does occur.
    
22. The effect of "Skill Drain" only negates the effects of face-up monsters. Thus, effects that activate in the Graveyard - like the effects of "Sangan" or "Pyramid Turtle" - are not negated by "Skill Drain".
    
23. The effect of "Skill Drain" negates the effects of Effect Monsters; it does NOT prevent Effect Monsters from activating their effects. Thus, "Skill Drain" will not prevent you from activating the effects of "Exiled Force" or "Rescue Cat".
    
24. Battle Fader: The effect of "Battle Fader" which Special Summons it and the effect which ends the Battle Phase are resolved as the same effect. The effect activates in the hand, so the effects of "Skill Drain" and "Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror" will not negate the effect even though "Battle Fader" is Special Summoned, so the effect which ends the Battle Phase will still be applied.
    
25. White Night Dragon: While "Skill Drain" is active and you control your opponent's "White Night Dragon" because of "Snatch Steal", if your opponent attacks, then you can activate the effect of "White Night Dragon" and send "Snatch Steal" to the Graveyard. However, "White Night Dragon" will not change the attack target to itself because it changed sides. After this, a Replay occurs because the number of monster you control changed
    
26. The effect of "Skill Drain" negates the effects of Effect Monsters that are face-up on the field. Thus, it cannot negate the effect of a monster if the monster is in the Graveyard when the monster's activated effect is resolving. "Exiled Force" and "Rescue Cat" Tributes itself or sends itself to the Graveyard as activation costs for their effects, so the monsters are in the Graveyard when their effects resolve. Thus, "Skill Drain" cannot negate their effects, so you will destroy the monster or Special Summon the Beast-Type monsters from your Deck
    
27. Stardust Dragon: "Skill Drain" has no effect on "Stardust Dragon". For the first effect, Tributing "Stardust Dragon" is a cost, so "Stardust Dragon" is not on the field and is unaffected by "Skill Drain". The second effect activates in the Graveyard, so "Skill Drain" cannot negate it.
    
28. Beast King Barbaros: If "Beast King Barbaros" Normal Summoned without Tributes and is then is targeted by the effect of "Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind", then the ATK of "Beast King Barbaros" will become 950. If "Skill Drain" is activated later, then the ATK of "Beast King Barbaros" will remain at 950, the halved value set by the effect of "Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind".
    
29. Vice Dragon: "Skill Drain" will negate the effect of "Vice Dragon", and return its ATK/DEF to the printed values. If "Skill Drain" is later removed from the field or negated, then the ATK/DEF of "Vice Dragon" will not be halved again.
    
30. Koa'ki Meiru: The text "During each of your Standby Phases, destroy this card unless you send 1 "Iron Core of Koa'ki Meiru" from your hand to the Graveyard." of "Koa'ki Meiru Valafar" is a Maintenance Cost. It cannot be negated by the effect of "Skill Drain", so you must still pay the Maintenance Cost during your Standby Phases.
    
31. Dragunity Dux / Dragunity Legionnaire: Suppose that the effect of a monster like "Dragunity Dux" or "Dragunity Legionnaire" has its effect resolve and it equips itself with a Level 3 or lower "Dragunity" monster. If the effect of "Skill Drain" is then applied, then "Dragunity Dux" can no longer be equipped with a monster by its own effect, so the Level 3 or lower "Dragunity" monster equipped to it is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard.
    
32. Obelisk the Tormentor: If "Obelisk the Tormentor" is Special Summoned and "Skill Drain" is activated during the same turn, then its effect will be negated and "Obelisk the Tormentor" will not be sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase. However, if "Skill Drain" is later destroyed, then "Obelisk the Tormentor" will be sent to the Graveyard during the End Phase.
    

For more rulings on this card check out: http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Card_Rulings:Skill_Drain

[caboosealpha]

never seen that card... cool ^^

[shyguysteve]

This is kinda helpful, I just found that card in a box of old yugioh cards my friend gave me.

Gonna try dueling in RL again see if it comes in handy.

[evils200]

thanks for the stardust ruling!