Card Rulings:Spirit Reaper


 * While in Defense Position, "Spirit Reaper" will stop all Battle Damage to your Life Points from most monsters, but monsters like "Spear Dragon" and those equipped with "Fairy Meteor Crush" can still inflict Battle Damage to your Life Points with their effects.


 * If attacked while face-down, "Spirit Reaper" flips face-up and its effect preventing it from being destroyed will be applied during damage calculation, so "Spirit Reaper" will not be destroyed by the attack.


 * If "Spirit Reaper" is attacked by "Dark Ruler Ha Des", "Spirit Reaper" isn’t destroyed during damage calculation, so the effect of "Dark Ruler Ha Des" does not activate.


 * When "Spirit Reaper" is targeted by an effect, "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by its own effect AFTER resolving the effect that targeted it. For example, if "Spirit Reaper" attacks and "Magic Cylinder" is activated, designating "Spirit Reaper", first "Magic Cylinder" will resolve, negate the attack, and inflict 300 damage to the controller of "Spirit Reaper". Then, after that, "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by its effect.


 * "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by its own effect after a card that targets it resolves. If a Spell Card targets it, and the activation of that Spell Card is negated (such as with "Magic Jammer"), then "Spirit Reaper" is not destroyed. However, if the effect of the Spell Card was negated, such as if "Imperial Order" is active, then "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed because the Spell Card resolves (even though its effect is negated). Even if "Imperial Order" is already active on the field, you can activate a card such as "Tribute to the Doomed" designating "Spirit Reaper", and "Spirit Reaper" will be destroyed by its own effect.


 * If “Spirit Reaper” is targeted by an Equip Spell Card, and an effect like “Dust Tornado” is chained to destroy the Equip Spell Card before it resolves, “Spirit Reaper” is still destroyed because the activation of the Equip Spell Card was not negated, even though the effect of the Equip Spell Card is not applied. (If “Magic Jammer” or “Riryoku Field” was used instead, then “Spirit Reaper” would not be destroyed because both of those Trap Cards would negate the Equip Spell Card’s activation.)


 * "Spirit Reaper" is only destroyed by its own effect if it is face-up on the field when the effect designating it as a target activates, AND after the effect designating it as a target resolves. If you Special Summon "Spirit Reaper" with "Monster Reborn", or flip it face-down with "Book of Moon", or flip it face-up with "Book of Taiyou", it is not destroyed. If a face-down "Spirit Reaper" is targeted with "Change of Heart", then Flip Summoned, it is not destroyed because it was face-down when "Change of Heart" was activated. If "Spirit Reaper" is targeted by the effect of "Relinquished", "Spirit Reaper" is an Equip Spell Card after the effect of "Relinquished" resolves, so it is not destroyed. If "Spirit Reaper" is removed from play with "Dimensionhole" or "Interdimensional Matter Transporter" or "Different Dimension Gate", then it is removed from play so it is not destroyed. If "Spirit Reaper" is shuffled into the Deck with "Monster Recovery", it’s not destroyed. If "Spirit Reaper" is returned to the hand with "Penguin Soldier", it’s not destroyed.


 * You cannot activate “Snatch Steal” or “Change of Heart” and target “Spirit Reaper” if you do not have an empty Monster Card Zone.


 * If "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by its effect during the Damage Step, such as if "Rush Recklessly" was activated to increase its ATK, destroy "Spirit Reaper" with its effect AFTER damage calculation.


 * "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed if equipped, including with "Heart of Clear Water".


 * Examples of cards that will not destroy "Spirit Reaper" because they do not target: "Creature Swap", "Adhesion Trap Hole", "Spear Dragon".


 * Vs. "Soul Exchange": Since "Soul Exchange" targets, "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by its own effect before you can Tribute it.


 * "Spirit Reaper" has a special effect for when it isn’t destroyed (as a result of battle), and a special effect for an extra reason to destroy it (when targeted by an effect). But it can still be destroyed by all other normal effects that would destroy a monster: "Cyber Jar", "Raigeki", etc.


 * If "Spirit Reaper" is Special Summoned with "Premature Burial" or "Call of the Haunted", "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed after it is Special Summoned because it is targeted by an effect.


 * "Spirit Reaper" only forces your opponent to discard when "Spirit Reaper" attacks directly (such as when your opponent has no monsters on the field), AND when it inflicts at least 1 point of damage to the opponent’s Life Points. So if your opponent uses "Kuriboh", "Waboku", or "Tornado Wall" to prevent the damage, "Spirit Reaper" does not force the opponent to discard.


 * "Dreamsprite" targets 1 of your own monsters. If "Spirit Reaper" is targeted, it is destroyed after damage calculation.


 * "Patrician of Darkness" does not target, so "Spirit Reaper" is not destroyed if you use "Patrician of Darkness" to force your opponent to attack it.


 * If "Spirit Reaper" is targeted by "Riryoku", it is destroyed, but the increase to the other monster’s ATK lasts until the end of the turn as normal.


 * If a Spellcaster affected by "Diffusion Wave-Motion" attacks "Spirit Reaper", it’s just a normal attack. "Spirit Reaper" is not being targeted by "Diffusion Wave-Motion".


 * If "Skill Drain" is active, "Spirit Reaper" can be equipped with Equip Cards, but if "Skill Drain" is later removed from the field "Spirit Reaper" will be destroyed.


 * "Spirit Reaper" can be destroyed as a result of battle while "Skill Drain" is active.

Mentions in Other Rulings

 * Ancient Lamp: If you select a "Spirit Reaper" as the new attack target, the "Spirit Reaper" will be destroyed AFTER damage calculation (at the same time that Flip Effects are resolved).


 * Asura Priest: "Asura Priest" may attack each monster only once. If the opponent controls "Spirit Reaper" you cannot continually attack it.


 * Asura Priest: If your opponent has "Patrician of Darkness" on the field they can choose the same monster as the attack target of "Asura Priest" each time you declare an attack with it. (For example, re-direct all of your "Asura Priest" attacks at "Spirit Reaper" instead.)


 * Chimeratech Overdragon: "Chimeratech Overdragon" can attack the same monster more than once if the attack target is not destroyed, such as an Attack Position "Spirit Reaper".


 * Dark Deal: If the opponent activates a Normal Spell Card that targets, when you chain "Dark Deal", the card no longer targets. If the Normal Spell Card originally targeted "Spirit Reaper", the "Spirit Reaper" would not be destroyed.


 * Diffusion Wave Motion: When a Level 7 Spellcaster-Type monster selected with "Diffusion Wave-Motion" attacks "Spirit Reaper" or "Kiseitai", it cannot destroy "Spirit Reaper" or "Kiseitai" (so "Kiseitai"'s effect is not negated).


 * Gravekeeper's Assailant: If "Gravekeeper's Assailant" attacks, and activates its effect to change the battle position of the opponent's "Spirit Reaper", then "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by its own effect. Then a replay occurs because the potential attack targets on the opponent's side of the field were changed. In this case, "Gravekeeper's Assailant" can attack again, and can activate its effect again.


 * Last Turn: The effect that reduces Battle Damage to zero applies only for the special Battle Phase, not for the normal Battle Phase. Example: A player activates "Last Turn" and selects their Defense Position "Spirit Reaper". The turn player Special Summons "Enraged Battle Ox" and attacks in the special Battle Phase, but no damage occurs. However, during the turn player's normal Battle Phase they can attack again, and will inflict 1500 points of damage due to the effect of "Enraged Battle Ox", so the opponent's Life Points will be zero and the turn player will win.


 * Last Turn: "Last Turn" does not target so you can select monsters like "Tyrant Dragon" and "Fiend Skull Dragon" for its effect, or a Dragon-Type monster while "King Dragun" or "Lord of D." is on the field. You can select "Spirit Reaper" and it will not be destroyed by its effect.


 * Neo-Spacian Dark Panther: If you target "Spirit Reaper", the "Spirit Reaper" will be destroyed after "Neo-Spacian Dark Panther's" effect resolves.


 * Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke: A face-up Defense Position "Spirit Reaper" will be destroyed by the effect of "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke". "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke"'s effect does not target. So if "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke" attacks "Spirit Reaper", "Spirit Reaper" is destroyed by "Ninja Grandmaster Sasuke"'s effect, not by "Spirit Reaper"'s effect.


 * Regenerating Mummy: "Regenerating Mummy"'s effect will activate during the Damage Step because of "Spirit Reaper" or "Don Zaloog".


 * Staunch Defender: When you select "Spirit Reaper" or "The Reaper on the Nightmare" as the target of "Staunch Defender", resolve the chain, and after the effect of "Staunch Defender" resolves, the selected monster is destroyed. A replay will occur, but the opponent can no longer attack because the selected monster is gone.