Advanced Gameplay FAQ: Activating & Targeting Eligibility

Many cards and effects can only be activated under certain conditions, or can only be used against certain targets. But because other cards and effects can be chained to them, and resolve before the original card resolves, those conditions aren't always still correct at the end of the chain.

In general, if a card has specific conditions in order to be activated, those conditions only have to be correct at the time the card is activated. If they are no longer correct when the card resolves, the card's effect still resolves.

However, if a card has specific conditions regarding its target, and those conditions are no longer correct at the time the card is activated and when the card resolves, then the card's effect disappears.

Examples of cards with specific conditions for activation, and how those conditions no longer have to be correct at resolution:
Example #1: Player A has two cards in his hand and Player B has six cards in her hand. Player A activates "Gamble." Player B responds by chaining two "Mystical Space Typhoons" from her hand, so she now has four cards in her hand when "Gamble" resolves. "Gamble" still resolves because its condition only had to be correct at activation.
Example #2: Player A has no cards in his Graveyard and activates "Dimension Distortion." Player B chains with "Ring of Destruction" to destroy one of Player A's monsters on the field and send it to the Graveyard. When "Dimension Distortion" resolves, Player A now has 1 card in his Graveyard, but "Dimension Distortion" still resolves because its condition only had to be correct at activation.

Examples of cards with specific conditions for selection of targets, and how those conditions must still be correct at resolution:
Example #1: Player A activates "Ring of Destruction," targeting Player B's "Dark Magician." Player B chains "Book of Moon" to flip "Dark Magician" face-down. When "Ring of Destruction" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-up monster on the field.
Example #2: Player A Summons "Yata-Garasu." Player B activates "Eatgaboon" to destroy it. Player A chains "Rush Recklessly" to increase "Yata-Garasu's" ATK by 700 points. When "Eatgaboon" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a monster with an ATK of 500 or less.
Example #3: "Mystic Plasma Zone" is active. Player A Summons "Lord of D." Player B activates "Trap Hole." Player A chains "Reverse Trap" to decrease "Lord of D.'s" ATK by 500 points combined with "Mystic Plasma Zone." When "Trap Hole" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a monster with an ATK of 1000 or greater.
Example #4: Player A activates "Nobleman of Crossout", targeting Player B's face-down monster. Player B chains "Ceasefire", flipping all monsters face-up. When "Nobleman of Crossout" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-down monster.
Example #5: Player A activates "Nobleman of Extermination", targeting Player B's face-down card. Player B chains the card, which is "Waboku." When "Nobleman of Extermination" resolves, its effect disappears because it must target a face-down Spell or Trap Card.