Clear up on uniqueness rules and zones once and for all

[avatar7]

I've been very confused over the uniqueness rule, the way it is worded and the contradictory posts I have found from the past, so could you please make a proper clarification that covers everything and word things better?

To start with, what exactly is considered an in-play zone - is it the player's Battlefield + Village zones taken together? If so, why not called those zones something else, areas perhaps. The way many people are understanding it is that the uniqueness rule checks when cards are moved between the battlefield and village zones of a single player, but according to the following post it's actually not so:

http://www.bandai.com/naruto/showpost.php?p=1191901&postcount=8

If what is said in that post is true, then perhaps the uniqueness rule should be worded a bit better instead of the current version. It should be made clear that a player's in-play zone is his/her battlefield + village combined, and that the uniqueness rule checks when ninjas move in and out of that combined zone, not between the actual battlefield and village sub-zones/areas of a single player.

If it's not like that, then was there a change in the uniqueness rule since then? If so, how does it work with cards like Efficient Training in case it is removed in the EOJ while you have Naruto ninjas on the battlefield? Does only one return to the village and the rest remain on the battlefield, and then you can't send any Naruto to the battlefield because it already has Narutos there? It's rather weird if that's what happens, but I would like a proper explanation and not just a short answer.

[Laughing_Man]

Originally Posted by avatar7

I've been very confused over the uniqueness rule, the way it is worded and the contradictory posts I have found from the past, so could you please make a proper clarification that covers everything and word things better?

To start with, what exactly is considered an in-play zone - is it the player's Battlefield + Village zones taken together? If so, why not called those zones something else, areas perhaps. The way many people are understanding it is that the uniqueness rule checks when cards are moved between the battlefield and village zones of a single player, but according to the following post it's actually not so:

http://www.bandai.com/naruto/showpost.php?p=1191901&postcount=8

If what is said in that post is true, then perhaps the uniqueness rule should be worded a bit better instead of the current version. It should be made clear that a player's in-play zone is his/her battlefield + village combined, and that the uniqueness rule checks when ninjas move in and out of that combined zone, not between the actual battlefield and village sub-zones/areas of a single player.

If it's not like that, then was there a change in the uniqueness rule since then? If so, how does it work with cards like Efficient Training in case it is removed in the EOJ while you have Naruto ninjas on the battlefield? Does only one return to the village and the rest remain on the battlefield, and then you can't send any Naruto to the battlefield because it already has Narutos there? It's rather weird if that's what happens, but I would like a proper explanation and not just a short answer.

Uniqueness is checked when:
1. a Ninja enters plays.
2. a Ninja moves from 1 in-play zone to another. (An in-play zone is a single player's Village and Battlefield.)