Card Rulings:The Shallow Grave


 * The card's effect states that both players MUST select and Special Summon a monster from their graveyard. If a player has no monsters in his/her Graveyard that can be summoned by this card's effect, this card cannot be activated.

Mentions in Other Rulings

 * Adhesion Trap Hole: "Adhesion Trap Hole" cannot affect monsters Special Summoned face-down with "The Shallow Grave"...


 * Ancient Gear Castle: For "Ancient Gear Castle", "Set" means to Set from the hand. It does not include...Special Summoning a monster in face-down Defense Position with..."The Shallow Grave".


 * Big Burn: You can chain "Big Burn" to effects like..."The Shallow Grave"...


 * D.D. Trap Hole: "Set", as a verb (as in the first sentence of "D.D. Trap Hole"), means placing a monster face-down. So you can activate "D.D. Trap Hole" when your opponent Sets a monster from the hand, or Special Summons a monster face-down with "The Shallow Grave", or flips his monster face-down with a card effect.


 * D.D. Trap Hole: If your opponent Sets more than 1 monster simultaneously, as with "Cyber Jar", you cannot activate "D.D. Trap Hole". You can only activate it when your opponent Sets 1 (and only 1) monster. (In the case of "The Shallow Grave" your opponent is only Setting 1 monster, even though you are Setting 1 too. So you can activate "D.D. Trap Hole".)


 * Dark Magic Curtain: You can Set a monster before or after activating “Dark Magic Curtain”. However, it is not possible to Special Summon monsters face-down, using cards like “The Shallow Grave”, after activating “Dark Magic Curtain”.


 * Dark Magician of Chaos: If you Special Summon "Dark Magician of Chaos" face-down with "The Shallow Grave", its effect does not activate.


 * Dark Ruler Ha Des: "Dark Ruler Ha Des" cannot be Special Summoned from the Graveyard even if you try to Special Summon it face-down by the effect of..."The Shallow Grave".


 * Disappear: When a card that selects a card in the Graveyard as a target, such as..."The Shallow Grave", is activated, you may chain "Disappear" to remove the targeted card from play, and the...[card]...will resolve without effect. This is because these cards select their target at activation, not resolution.


 * Gravekeeper's Chief: You cannot activate "The Shallow Grave" while "Necrovalley" is active, even if you control "Gravekeeper's Chief", because your opponent cannot Special Summon a monster from his Graveyard.


 * King Tiger Wanghu: Monsters that are Summoned face-down (like with "The Shallow Grave") are not destroyed by King Tiger Wanghu.


 * Molten Zombie: If you Special Summon "Molten Zombie" face-down with "The Shallow Grave"...its effect does not activate.


 * Miracle Flipper: If you have a "Miracle Flipper" face-up on your side of the field, you cannot Special Summon another copy of "Miracle Flipper" with ... "The Shallow Grave".


 * Necrovalley: ..."Necrovalley" WILL negate the effect of..."The Shallow Grave"...


 * Rivalry of Warlords: As long as "Rivalry of Warlords" is active...you can Special Summon face-down with "The Shallow Grave"...


 * Royal Oppression: You can activate the effect of "Royal Oppression" to negate an effect that Summons 1 monster, or Summons multiple monsters..."The Shallow Grave"...


 * Serial Spell: If you have 2 monsters in your Graveyard, and your opponent only has 1 monster in their Graveyard, you can activate "The Shallow Grave" and chain "Serial Spell", even though you would not normally be able to activate a second "The Shallow Grave" because your monster would no longer have any monsters in the Graveyard. As a result, you will Special Summon 2 monsters and your opponent will only Special Summon 1 monster.


 * Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower: If a Zombie-Type monster is Special Summoned face-down (with "The Shallow Grave", etc.) then "Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower"'s effect does not activate.


 * Vanity's Ruler: ..."The Shallow Grave"...cannot be activated while "Vanity's Ruler" is in play...

OCG Rulings

 * Neither player can activate "The Shallow Grave" while either player controls Dark Simorgh".ref