What is a Reset?
A reset means that changed values of a card are set to their original values. These are the most common changes during a Duel:
- ATK / DEF
- Level
- Name of a Monster
- Type / Attribute
- Counters gotten
- Effects gotten // negated Effects
- Used Effects ("Once per turn...")
- Conditions
If a card gets resetted, all changes vanish and all values are set to the original values. But keep in mind that not all types of resets can really reset all kind of changes.
How are cards resetted?
There are diffent types of resetting a monster:
- A card on the field is set face-down.
- A card leaves the field temporarly.
- A card leaves the field/ a zone for a longer period.
Sometimes, it is important to differ between those types of a reset.
If a monster is set or leaves the field temporarly, all changes that were made upon it are lost. But a monster never forgets how it got to the field. But you will read more about this later on. First, we look how a reset works in the examples:
A controls a "Stardust Dragon" and activates "Rush Recklessly" targeting him. "Stardust Dragon" now has 3200 ATK, but the opponent activates "Book of Moon" on him.
- If "Stardust Dragon" gets flipped face-up in this turn, his ATK becomes resettet to the original value of 2500 ATK.
A summoned with "Debris Dragon" a "Lonefire Blossom" the turn before. Now he activates "Book of Moon" on "Lonefire Blossom" to set it face-down. Then, he flipps it face-up again.
- A can now use the effect of "Lonefire Blossom" and it will not be negated. This is possible because it became resetted.
Those 2 examples also work with those cards temporarly leaving the field (e.g. "Interdimensional Matter Transporter"). To sum it up, changed card values are changed back to their original values. Also, Counters are removed ("Breaker, Magicial Wanderer") and effect negations ("Debris Dragon") vanish. This happens by all types of resets!
Conditions are no effects. There exist 2 types of conditions. The first one is set upon the monster and can therefore be resetted. The second one are conditions that are so to speak in an "invisible list" next to the game field. Those conditions cannot be removed by a reset, they remain until the condition is removed by itself (if ever). To which of these 2 types a condition belongs to is dependand on the cause of creation.
Conditions will fully vanish when a card is completely resettet. This happens when it is sent to the graveyard, the banished pile, the hand or the Extra Deck. Keep in mind that the reset has to be long-term and that the monster needs to be summoned again. Else it could be that certain conditions are still active and affect the monster. A temporal reset, e.g. by "Future Visions" does not reset all conditions.
These Conditions can be taken from the monster by resetting it. To speak so, these conditions remain in the zone they were laid upon the monster.
Examples:
A's "Destiny Hero - Fear Monger" is destroyed by battle. Before the next Standby Phase, he is summoned by "Limit Reverse" and destroyed by B's "Torrential Tribute".
- Because "Destiny Hero - Fear Monger" left the graveyard, the condition can no longer check to which monster the condition was linked to.
- "Destiny Hero - Fear Monger's " effect cannot be activated as he temporarly left the graveyard.
The first effect of "Card Trooper" is activated by player A, sending 3 cards from the deck to the grave to increase its ATK by 1500. B responds with "Sakuretsu Armor" to the attack declaration. A draws a card because of "Card Trooper's" second effect. In Main Phase 2, he summons him again with "Premature Burial".
- His ATK is resetted. Also, the condition "once per turn" is resettet.
- The effect of "Card Trooper" can be activated again.
A removes "Strike Ninja" through its own effect. He then Special Summons him with "Return from another Dimension". At the End of the Turn, "Strike Ninja" gets banished by "Interdimensional Matter Transporter".
- Because the Condition in the Banished Zone was linked to "Strike Ninja" it vanished as he left the Banished Zone.
- "Strike Ninja" does not return by its own effect.
"Destiny Hero - Dasher" is in the graveyard and had is effect already activated in the Draw Phase. He gets Special Summoned by "Premature Burial", and is then destroyed by "Torrential Tribute".
- Because he left the graveyard, the condition is resetted and he can activate his effect in the next Draw Phase.
Contrary, monsters can also forget conditions that are needed for the activations of their effects.
Examples:
A attacks a set "Gladiator Beast Murmillo". Because of "Waboku", it survives the battle. B activates "Book of Moon" to set Murmillo back face-down Defense Position. B's "Desert Sunlight" flipps "Murmillo" face-up again.
- The reset causes "Gladiator Beast Murmillo" to forget that he attacked this turn. He cannot activate his effect during the End Step.
"Il Blud" is Gemini Summoned and then set by B's "Book of Moon".
- After being flipped face-up, he is a Normal Monster again.
- Through the reset, "Il Blud" so to say "forgot" his effect.
There are conditions that cannot be resetted:
- Cards whose effects include a temporarly restriction. This condition can be read in the card texts themselfes: "Take control until the End Phase..". To that, the term "control" is not resettable trough setting a monster or letting a monster leave the field temporarly.
Examples:
A activates "Enemy Controller" and tributes one of his monsters to take control of his opponent's monster. The control switches to A until the end of the turn. This means there is no condition on the monster.
- No matter how the monster is resetted: It returns to its original owner at the end of the turn.
Because of "Creature Swap", A takes control of B's "Strike Ninja".
- It does not matter if "Strike Ninja" is resetted by setting or letting him leave the field temporarly, he remains on A's side of the field. This is because A gained permanent control over "Strike Ninja".
A activates "Mind Control" targeting "Strike Ninja" to get temporal control over him. Afterwards, A banishes "Strike Ninja" through its own effect.
- During the End Phase, "Strike Ninja" returns to A's side of the field.
- Then, he switches control because the temporal control ends. The same would have happened with a soft reset.
To sum it up, "Strike Ninja" needs to be sent permanently to the graveyard, into the deck, into the hand or in the Banished Zone to let the condition vanish.
- If a monster leaves the field temporarly or sets itself due to ist own effect, a condition is laid on this monster. Monsters can not reset their own "once per turn" effects.
Examples:
A sets "Stealth Bird" by its own effect and flips it up.
- "Stealth Bird" cannot use its effect again this turn.
Player A activates the effect of "Strike Ninja" and banishes 2 DARK monsters as a cost to banish him. "Strike Ninja" is summoned by "Return from another Dimension" the same turn.
- His effect cannot be activated again. This means, he is banished through "Return from another Dimension" at the End of the Turn and remains there.
- He is resetted and cannot remember that he was banished through his own effect before.
- Conditions that can NEVER be resettet. Not even if the monster changes the zone. These type of cards are those of monsters whose effect can only be activated once per Duel.
Example:
"Twin Headed Behemoth" is destroyed by player B. His effect to specialsummon himself activates in the End Phase. Player B activates "Phoenix Wing Wind Blast", targeting him to send him back to the deck.
- "Twin-Headed Behemoth" cannot be Special Summoned again through his effect in this Duel.
- The original way a monster was summoned cannot be resetted, except it leaves the field non-temporary. If a monster gets set or leaves the field temporary, it remembers how it was summoned first.
Example:
"Lonefire Blossom" Special Summoned "Gigaplant" that was set by "Book of Moon" the turn before. "Gigaplant" is flipped face-up and attacks a set "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo".
- The effect of "Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo" activates and destroys all special summoned monsters. "Gigaplant" is also destroyed because it was first special summoned. This cannot be resetted by setting it.
In the examples given, we can exchange "Book of Moon" (reset by setting a card) with "Interdimensional Matter Transporter" (reset by temporary leaving the field) and get the same outcome. This also counts for Gemini Monsters that were Gemini Summoned.