Ruling updates in Astral Pack 4

Astral pack 4 has been out for a week. So now that we have some decent English pictures, it's time to compare and see if there are any important updates to the cards included in this pack, or if it's just to bling out some decks (*cough*spellbooks*cough*FireFists*cough*).

New Old Cards

As with each Astral Pack, this set also has a few old cards that need a first print. In this set that's the Vanilla Monster Wings of Wicked Flame, and its fusion monster Mavelus. The interesting here is Mavelus, since it's an Instant Fusion target and a Lv 4 Wind Winged Beast (Nice for Harpie decks and good to bring out Lightning Chidori).

Clarification on Tytannial, Princess of Camelias

This is the first PSCT reprint for the first Flower Princess, so it required a little update. First, the clarification that the controller can use her effect in both player's turns (was already like that, but wasn't that clear before).

Second change: The destruction effect will only occur if the card effect negation is successful.

More Clarification on Black Garden

Black Garden is such a troll card, but can be confusing to players who never encountered the card before. A few clarifications were added due to PSCT and possible protection effects on plant monsters.

First clarification is that the attack halving is permanent, even if Black Garden leaves the field./p>

Most important fix! You can destroy all plant monsters on the field and special summon a monster from your grave... whose attack equals the attack of all plant monsters that ARE EFFECTIVELY DESTROYED by this effect. If a Plant Monster was "requested" to be destroyed, but was saved in the resolving (for example, by the effect of Master key Beetle), that monster's attack DOES NOT COUNT.

Reasoning now allows Ghostrick monsters

Next to the "Excavate" effect of Reasoning, a small, but important addition has been made to the effect. After the opponent declares a level and you excavate cards, you can stop if you encounter a card that can be normal summoned... OR SET! Then you can special summon that card.

That means that Reasoning now works with the Ghostrick Cards, who cannot be normal summoned unless you control a Ghostrick monster. But since they can still be set (and special summoned), Reasoning works in this deck.

Reveal becomes Excavate

A lot of people were able to guess several of the cards in this set, purely due to the new "excavate" term. Such examples are:

Magical Merchant, Morphing Jar 2, Ma'At, Reasoning and Archfiend's Oath.

The less important stuff

• Bling reprints: Necrovalley (ultimate), Maxx "C" (Ultimate), Dandylion (Ultimate), Crimson Blader (Super), Swift Scarecrow (Super), Spellbook of Eternity (Super), Fire Formation Tensu (Super), Soul Drain (Super)
• Unblinged: Fossil Dyna Pachypello (first common print)
• First PSCT print: Break! Draw & Consecrated Light, Blackwing Kalut, Blackwing Gale, Scrap Beast, Scrapstorm, Lonefire Blossom (finally!)
• Fixing the first PSCT's "face-up" issues: Spellbook of Wisdom.

Afterword

So, these are the most important fixes (if any) from Astral Pack 4.

That's it for now. V out.

Update 24/2: Added the images for comparison. Left if previous print; right is Astral Pack 4 version.

Card ruling updates – Are there any noteworthy changes in Astral Pack 3?

It took several days, but all new cards from Astral Pack 3 have been scanned and updated on the Yugi wiki. Time to take a closer look at them and see if there are noteworthy changes in card rulings.

But honestly, there aren't that many changes in here. I can put the cards in a few categories:

• New cards in TCG: Curtain of the Dark Ones & Kamionwizard.
• Foil reprints of wanted cards: Atlantean Marksman, Fire Formation Tenki, Mermail Abyssgunde, Spellbook Star Hall and Library of the Crescent.
• Reprint, just for the sake of Problem-solving Card text (PSCT): Pollinosis, Wall of Thorns, Jowgen the Spiritualist, Des Lacooda, Vampire Dragon, Gladiator Beast's Battle Archfiend Shield, Deck Lockdown (sadly enough) and Heavy Slump.
• Cards that did not stated they targeted, now officially target in their PSCT: Falling Down, Swarm of Scarabs, Swarm of Locusts and Archfiend’s Roar.

But there are a few other cards in the set, with a specific reason for reprint.

Superfluous “face-up” is removed

In the first version of Problem-Solving Card Text, there was an often-used “face-up” in the card texts, even if it was not necessary. If you compare the card texts of the cards where these two words were removed, you’ll notice that the words were superfluous. There were already a few updates in the previous Astral pack. This pack, this change involves the following cards:

• Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: It’s impossible to protect face-down Djinn monsters anyway, so “face-up” is removed from his protection effect.
• Noble Arms Gallatin & Arfeudutyr: These two cards are equip spells, so they obviously can’t be equipped to face-down Noble Knights, but the original cards stated it anyway.
• An extra part on Gallatin was that the original text of the re-equip stated that its effect could only be used once per turn… like once for both players together (which was not true). The text has now been updated that both players can use it once per turn (important ruling for mirror matches).

"I used my sword this turn, you can't use yours... right?"
"Obviously NOT right!"

Cards need to remain in the grave in order to resolve their effect

Due to the difference between cards that resolve in the grave and effects that keep lingering after they’re sent to the grave, a few extra words have been placed on the following cards:

• Serene Psychic Witch: She has to remain in the grave in order to special summon the banished target. Was already like that in the rulings, but now this is stated on the card text.
• Imprisoned Queen Archfiend: The boost only happens when she remains in the grave while Pandemonium remains on the field (until after her effect resolves). Her effect is now also updated that she’s destroyed if you cannot pay her maintenance cost (was already in rule).

"Talk about a Gold Digger. She eats your money/lifepoints away.
And if you don't have enough left, she's gone."

Super Solar Nutrient

The last card in this set is Super Solar Nutrient, which is a different kind of update.

This card now states that the level that matters is the level the tributed monster had on the field. For example, if you tribute a Lv. 2 Spore (special summoned by its own effect), the special summoned monster can be of Lv. 5 or less; not 4 or less (if you would consider Spore’s level when it hits the grave).

This is an interesting text update that Konami might consider putting on Ninjitsu Art of Super-Transformation as well, because the level of the special summoned monster often causes many (unnecessary) discussions.

Afterword

Mostly, the updates in this pack is clarifications on already existing rules, or foil reprints to make it a wanted pack in general.

And yes, this pack is turning out to be quite wanted due to its foil reprints and those new cards. I personally liked the addition of Kamionwizard (it's an Instant Fusion target) and I'm not the only one (this common is about 20$).

However, I disliked the fact that Deck Lockdown's update is so... insignificant. Tewart mentioned the card text was horrible, but I didn't realize he meant the usage of proper English instead of the ruling issues (*facepalm*). There's still no clarification on the card whether or not it syncs with Master Key Beetle (on a side-note, the answer on that is: "no, it doesn't"). Come on, Konami. Please put a differentiation between conditions and card effects on your cards already!

And a last thing... Certain reprints are easy to get. Archfiends is due to the Archfiend support in JOTL; Zombies is due to the support in Shadow Specters; The Flip effect trio (Locusts/Lacooda/Scarabs) is due to their sync-potential with the Ghosttricks. But the Plant support reprints? Will there be more plant support in Shadow Specters? Or is that for the Shinra's already (in Legacy of the Valiant)? I guess we'll see when Shadow Specters is released in November.

Until next time, V out.

Card ruling updates - the changes in Astral Pack 2

You might have known this, but reprints of cards in tournament-packs (in this case: astral packs) often mean their card rulings or card text has been updated. These updates might have slipped under your radar, but they’re important enough to make a post about them.

Note: the following pictures are as follows: Previous version of the card on the left, Astral Pack version on the right.

Justice of Prophecy: Only during YOUR turn.

Two noteworthy changes on this woman, when compared to the original version from Return of the Duelist:

• Her effect no longer works during your opponent’s turn! Until it was possible to use Book of Fate/Wisdom during your opponent’s turn, use the effect of justice during the end phase (if it was still alive) and search for a spellbook and High Priestess to use it during your next turn.
• The often discussed “you can’t use the effect because you didn’t activate a card after her summon” is now gone with the simple text “previously this turn”.

Light and Darkness Dragon: Now syncs with Lightpulsar Dragon

The important changes are:

• The problem-solving card text now specifically mentions that it only works once per chain. Not to mention, it now also specifically mentions it works during either player’s turn (this should end LOTS of discussions).
• Destruction and Special summon now occur at the same time. Until now it has always been assumed that the special summon happened AFTER the destruction. This means that if LADD was on the field with (for example) Lightpulsar Dragon, LPD would have missed its timing (because the last thing that happens in the chain was the summon of LADD’s effect, not the destruction of LPD). From now on the destruction and special summon occur at the same moment, so nothing stands in the way of Lightpulsar’s effect. (this is a nice upgrade for Chaos Dragons).

Gemini Spark: Draw only when successful

Two changes here:

• The card text is now clearly divided in 4 parts. The first two (tribute and target) are the cost (before the semicolon), the last two (destroy and possibly draw a card) are the effect. This should avoid lots of discussions.
• You can only draw a card when the destruction was a success. So no longer targetting Zenmaines to draw a card; this is no longer possible.

Harpies Hunting Ground: Its effect now targets

The first problem-solving card text is out and it has an interesting change: The effect of spell/trap destruction now targets, where it previously did not mention it!

Other (minor) card changes:

• Photon papilloperative: The detaching of XYZ material and the target declaration no longer happens at the same moment. Now you FIRST detach an XYZ material, THEN you target an opponent’s monster.
• Recycling Batteries: The effect of adding Thunder monsters to your hand now targets.
• Spiritual Water Art- Aoi: Its effect now no longer targets (huh?).
• Harpie’s Brother: First announcement of the set was the name change of Harpie’s brother. It is now named Sky Scout.
• Cyber Phoenix: It now specifically mentions that it has to remain face-up until the start of the damage step.
• Removal of “face-up” from card texts: The mention that certain effects can only activate if you control a face-up “archetype” card has been updated to have that face-up removed (was kind of silly anyway in the effect of the affected cards). This change is inflicted on Spellbook of Power, Atlantean Dragoons, Geargiaccelerator, Fire Fist Raven and Fire Fist Hawk.

Other changed card texts are old cards now being available in problem-solving card text. They do not have any change impact.

Quick Update - Astral Pack 1 Content all revealed

Weeks without updates on Yu-Gi-oh news, and then suddenly everything comes at once! After a bit-by-bit revelation, we finally know the full content of the first Astral pack (the new Booster Packs).

Top about this pack: No jank rares, no ultra rares, only commons, supers and ultimate rares. Each pack has 2 Commons and a Super (or an Ultimate Rare if you're lucky). And each Astral Pack will have a "new" card like the good ol' Tournament & Champion packs.

Content of the pack

• Tsukuyomi - Ultimate rare (cool!)
• Debris Dragon - Ultimate Rare (very cool!)
• Photon Thrasher - Ultimate Rare (amazing!)
• Flamvell Firedog - Super Rare (that card deserves it!)
• Genex Undine - Super Rare (well-timed, Konami, well-timed)
• Kagemusha of the Six Samurai - Super Rare (Fanboys will love this)
• Inzektor Centipede - Super Rare (with Inzektors winning YCS Seattle, this has great timing)
• Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit - Super Rare (cool!)
• Terraforming - Super Rare (meh)
• Moray of Greed - Super Rare (cool)
• Mask Change - Super Rare (meh)
• Hidden Armory - Super Rare (Nice, this has become a rare find)
• The Gates of Dark World - Super Rare (again, fanboys will love this)
• Chain Dog (Good for that "Rabbit is a Beast deck of mine")
• Dragon Ice (first reprint of a Secret Rare)
• Cyber Shark (First reprint of a Secret Rare)
• Swift Scarecrow (reprint with problem solving card text! Hurrah!)
• Elemental HERO Ice Edge (meh, Hero fans will keep the Super Rare)
• Mystical Sand (This is the new card! The fusion of Giant Soldier of Stone & Ancient Elf! Cool!)
• Spiritual Forest (hmmm, might consider this now, in my beast deck)
• Closed Forest (a reprint I wanted for a while now)
• Shrine of Mist Valley (why?)
• Thunder of Ruler (was a hard-to-find common, I guess)
• Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan (again, why?)
• Astral Barrier (they had to make a reference to Astral, I guess :-P )

Note: if no rarity is noted, it's a common