Card Rulings:Stardust Dragon

TCG Rulings

 * Tributing "Stardust Dragon" is a cost to activate its effect.


 * "Stardust Dragon's" first effect can be activated during the Damage Step.


 * "Stardust Dragon's" effects do not target.


 * "Stardust Dragon's" first effect can still be chained if it is the only card that will be destroyed by the activated effect.


 * "Stardust Dragon's" effect can be chained to the effect of a Continuous Spell or Trap Card, like "Blaze Accelerator" or "Skull Lair".


 * "Stardust Dragon's" first effect cannot be chained to an effect that may or may not destroy card(s) on the field, like "Barrel Dragon" or "Snipe Hunter".


 * If "Crush Card Virus" is activated and there is a face-up monster on the field that will be destroyed, "Stardust Dragon's" effect can be chained.


 * If "Royal Oppression's" effect is activated to negate the Special Summon of a monster, like "Cyber Dragon" or "Gladiator Beast Gyzarus", "Stardust Dragon's" effect cannot be chained because the monster being Special Summoned is not considered to be "on the field" until its Summon is successful.


 * "Stardust Dragon's" second [sic] effect can only be chained to an effect that will destroy card(s) on the field. For example, if "Night Assailant" second effect is activated when it is discarded, "Stardust Dragon's" effect cannot be chained because this effect does not destroy card(s) on the field.


 * If "Stardust Dragon" is removed from play when its first effect is activated (by "Banisher of the Light", etc.), or it is removed from the Graveyard after its first effect is activated it cannot be Special Summoned with its effect during the End Phase.


 * If you Special Summon "Stardust Dragon" during the End Phase and your opponent activates "Torrential Tribute", you can chain "Stardust Dragon's" first effect to negate "Torrential Tribute". If you do, you can Special Summon "Stardust Dragon" again during the same End Phase.


 * If your opponent controls your "Stardust Dragon" and they use its effect, during the End Phase you will Special Summon it from your Graveyard.


 * If "Stardust Dragon" is attacking or being attacked and its effect is used in the Damage Step before damage calculation, damage calculation does not occur.


 * If your Defense Position "Stardust Dragon" is attacked by "Red Dragon Archfiend" and it is destroyed by battle, you cannot chain "Stardust Dragon's" effect to "Red Dragon Archfiend's" effect that destroys your Defense Position monsters.

Mentions in Other Rulings

 * Wicked Rebirth: If you Special Summon “Stardust Dragon” with “Wicked Rebirth,” you can Tribute “Stardust Dragon” for its effect. After it is Tributed, “Stardust Dragon” is no longer targeted by “Wicked Rebirth.” Therefore its effect is restored and applied normally (so it negates an effect and is Special Summoned back to the field during the End Phase).

OCG Rulings

 * Tributing this card is a cost to activate the effect. The effect does not target.  You can activate the effect during the Damage Step.


 * To activate "Stardust Dragon"'s effect against another effect, the other effect must destroy a card when it resolves. You cannot activate "Stardust Dragon"'s effect when "Night Assailant" is sent from the hand to the Graveyard, since it does not destroy card(s) (even though "Night Assailant"'s Flip Effect destroys a card).


 * "Stardust Dragon"'s effect can be chained to an effect that does more than destroy cards. You can chain "Stardust Dragon"'s effect to "Ring of Destruction", even though it also inflicts damage.


 * You can chain "Stardust Dragon"'s effect to the effect of a Continuous Spell or Trap with a chainable effect that destroys cards, such as "Skull Lair".


 * You cannot chain "Stardust Dragon"'s effect to effects if you don’t know for certain that they will destroy card(s) when the effect is activated. "Stardust Dragon"'s effect cannot be used against "Barrel Dragon", "Blowback Dragon", "Blind Destruction", "Sand Gambler", "Dangerous Machine Type-6", "Snipe Hunter", etc.


 * You can use "Stardust Dragon"'s effect against "Time Wizard", since its effect will destroy something regardless of the outcome.


 * You can only use "Stardust Dragon"'s effect against "Crush Card Virus"/"Deck Devastation Virus"/"Eradicator Epidemic Virus" when the Trap Card is activated, and only if there is a face-up card that would be destroyed by the Trap Card. You cannot use it if there is a face-down card that would be destroyed.


 * "Skill Drain" has no effect on "Stardust Dragon". For the first effect, Tributing "Stardust Dragon" is a cost, so "Stardust Dragon" is not on the field and is unaffected by "Skill Drain".  The second effect activates in the Graveyard, so "Skill Drain" cannot negate it.


 * If "Stardust Dragon" Special Summons itself during the End Phase, and your opponent activates "Torrential Tribute", then you can activate "Stardust Dragon"'s effect to negate "Torrential Tribute". "Stardust Dragon" will then Special Summon itself again during the same End Phase.


 * If "Banisher of the Light"'s effect is active and you Tribute "Stardust Dragon", or if "D.D. Crow" removes "Stardust Dragon" from play after it is Tributed, then "Stardust Dragon" will not Special Summon itself during the End Phase. This applies even if "Stardust Dragon" is later returned to the Graveyard.


 * If "Stardust Dragon" is sent directly from the Extra Deck to the Graveyard, it cannot be Special Summoned by "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode".


 * The effect of "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode" targets 1 "Stardust Dragon" in your Graveyard.


 * If "Stardust Dragon" or "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode" do not negate the effect of a Spell/Trap/Effect monster, during the End Phase they cannot Special Summon themselves. For example, if "Divine Wrath" negates the effect of "Stardust Dragon" or "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode", then you cannot activate the effect during the End Phase.


 * If you do not have "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode" etc in your Deck, then you cannot activate "Assault Mode Activate" by Tributing "Stardust Dragon" etc. If an effect is Chained to "Assault Mode Activate" so that there is no "Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode" in your Deck, then "Assault Mode Activate" resolves without effect.


 * After "Stardust Dragon" is Special Summoned by "Wicked Rebirth", "Stardust Dragon" can activate its effect. Then, "Wicked Rebirth" is no longer face-up on the field and "Stardust Dragon" is no longer targeted by it, so the effect of "Stardust Dragon" will not be negated and "Stardust Dragon" will negate the activation of an effect and destroy the card.


 * When the effect of "Stardust Dragon" which negates the activation of the effect of a Spell Card/Trap Card/Effect Monster Card is activated, the effect of "Royal Oppression" cannot be activated. To negate the effect of "Stardust Dragon" which Special Summons itself, you must activate the effect of "Royal Oppression" in Chain to that effect of "Stardust Dragon" during the End Phase.


 * The effect of "Majestic Star Dragon" which returns it to the Extra Deck during the End Phase and Special Summons "Stardust Dragon" is mandatory, so it will activate even if "Vanity's Fiend" or "Jowgen the Spiritualist" are face-up on the field. In this case, "Majestic Star Dragon" will return itself to the Extra Deck, but "Stardust Dragon" will not be Special Summoned.


 * You may Synchro Summon "Majestic Star Dragon" by using a "Stardust Dragon" which is being treated as a Tuner Monster. If a non-Tuner Monster has its name treated as "Majestic Dragon" and "Stardust Dragon" is being treated as a Tuner Monster, then you may Synchro Summon "Majestic Star Dragon" by using the non-Tuner "Majestic Star Dragon", the Tuner "Stardust Dragon", and one other non-Tuner Monster as Synchro Material Monsters.


 * You may Synchro Summon "Majestic Star Dragon" by using a "Stardust Dragon" which is being treated as a Tuner Monster. If a non-Tuner Monster has its name treated as "Majestic Dragon" and "Stardust Dragon" is being treated as a Tuner Monster, then you may Synchro Summon "Majestic Star Dragon" by using the non-Tuner "Majestic Star Dragon", the Tuner "Stardust Dragon", and one other non-Tuner Monster as Synchro Material Monsters.


 * The effect of "Majestic Star Dragon" which returns it to the Extra Deck during the End Phase targets one "Stardust Dragon" in your Graveyard. If there is no "Stardust Dragon" in your Graveyard, then this effect still activates; "Majestic Star Dragon" is still returned to the Extra Deck, but no "Stardust Dragon" is Special Summoned.


 * If the effect of "G.B. Hunter" is active, then during the End Phase the effect of "Majestic Star Dragon" to return itself to the Extra Deck still activates. However, "Majestic Star Dragon" cannot be returned to the Extra Deck, so when resolving the effect "Majestic Star Dragon" is not returned to the Extra Deck and "Stardust Dragon" is not Special Summoned.