Comprehensive Rules Changes Blog - Replacement and Continuous Effects

[Tylar_Bandai]

Welcome to Rules Week, or in my case, I get to play with all the pretty colors vBulletin has to offer. I've found a few interesting tools and switcharounds I can do with the forum that I never knew I could do, all the while teaching everyone the basics of how to recognize what effects are what.

Last week, we took a step into the dimensions of the activated and triggered effects (if you missed it, click here to read). Today, we move into the slightly more complicated areas of Replacement effects and Continuous effects. While both present a rarity in card design for us (especially those pesky Replacement effects), they still represent a portion of the more powerful abilities Ninjas in the Naruto world possess, and must be mastered if one "wishes to become Hokage" (couldn't help myself on that one).

Replacing your opponent's Good with your Bad

I'll be following the same format as I was before. Here is the cut and dry of a "Replacement effect":

This type of effect waits for a specific situation and replaces that situation with something else. A replacement effect can be classified as a subtype of a triggered effect, as it waits for an instance to occur before "triggering".

This type of effect ALWAYS uses the word INSTEAD and sometime is preceded by the word WOULD.

Ex. When another Ninja WOULD be discarded, you can discard this Ninja INSTEAD.

This type of effect waits for another effect and, on resolution of that effect, replaces it with a different effect. The effect that it replaced is considered to never have happened. This type of effect does not use the chain and occurs as the effect its affecting resolves.

The costs of effects can be replaced, but only if they are not prevented.

Ex. Shion vs Naruto Uzumaki [True Allies]

Naruto CANNOT replace Shion’s cost of removing herself from the game.
Naruto CAN replace Shion’s effect of removing 1 of your Ninjas from the game.

Theres even a little example thrown in there this time, which we will use after a few more basic choices. Lets try an easier example.

Sasori states:

When one of your opponent's Ninja would be discarded, you can discard X of your Chakras, where X is the Entrance cost of that Ninja. In that case, move that Ninja card to your Village instead.

The highlighted wording follows our criteria for a card to be listed as a replacement effect, so let's go ahead and break this effect down with our awesome vBulletin highlighter set!

Green = Triggering action (what causes the effect to trigger)
Light Blue = Timing (VERY rare, if at all used)
Orange = Cost
Red = effect

When one of your opponent's Ninja would be discarded, you can discard X of your Chakras, where X is the Entrance cost of that Ninja. In that case, move that Ninja card to your Village instead.

Sasori is one of the easier effects when it comes to Replacement abilities. Lets try another one:

Naruto Uzumaki

Valid: When this Ninja is discarded due to the Showdown, move this Ninja to its owner's Chakra area instead. In that case, you can move the top card of your Deck to your Chakra area.

and now for the colorful version:

Valid: When this Ninja is discarded due to the Showdown, move this Ninja to its owner's Chakra area instead. In that case, you can move the top card of your Deck to your Chakra area.

On this card, the "instead" portion appears in the payment. This card is special in the fact that it can alter the game mechanic itself to move the card to the chakra instead of the discard.

Now lets return to the original example given, specifically Naruto [True Allies]:

Naruto Uzumaki (don't forget to check the errata at the bottom!)

Valid: When a Ninja would be removed from play by Damage or your opponent's effects, you can discard 1 "Naruto Uzumaki" Ninja card in your hand. In that case, that Ninja is not removed instead.

Now for the colorful version:

Valid: When a Ninja would be removed from play by Damage or your opponent's effects, you can discard 1 "Naruto Uzumaki" Ninja card in your hand. In that case, that Ninja is not removed instead.

On this card, the "instead" appears at the very end. The way this card interacts with Shion is that it cannot prevent Shion from removing herself from play, as that is a cost and never goes on the chain. However, you can score yourself 3 free Battle Rewards and save your Ninja from being removed with his effect.

Continuous Beatdown

Last but definitely not least, we have the powerful "Replacement" effects. Now for the cut and dry:

This type of effect is active as soon as the card that creates the effect is in play, and has no duration.

Usually this type of effect only ends when the card that creates the effect has been removed from play.

Continuous effects are difficult to see in that they have no regular format, but they are simplistic in the indicators that give them away.

Continuous effects will not have a cost associated with activating them. This is because continuous effects are always occuring, provided that the source of the effect is still in the correct zone or the conditions are still met.

Continuous effects also don't use the word "can". You can't optionally activate something that is constantly active.

Lets look at a few examples.

Kurenai

While this Ninja is Battling, all Ninjas in this Ninja's Team and all Ninjas Battling against this Ninja get -1/-1 if they don't have a "Genjutsu" Combat Attribute.

Notice that there is no cost at all, all that is mentioned is the timing of "While this Ninja is Battling". Also take note that the word "can" does not appear anywhere in this effect.

Lets try one of the more famous continuous effects:

Yamato n655

The effect texts of your opponent's Ninjas with lower printed Entrance cost than that of this Ninja's are negated.

Once again, notice the lack of a cost, and the lack of the word "can".

This should simplify 99.9% of all questions. Never forget that the Q&A is the ultimate when it comes to whether a ruling is correct or not. Taking another posters word for it isn't the best idea, as the actual ruling may conflict.