Special Summon

Special Summons (特殊召喚 Tokushu Shōkan) are monsters summons that occur due to a card effect (as opposed to Normal Summons and Sets, which can be performed without the use of any specific card effect). Special Summons do not use up your 1 Normal Summon or Set for the turn, and they can be conducted as many times as possible in a turn (that is, as many times as you can activate effects that Special Summon monsters). Also note that Special Summoning requires no Tributes unless indicated by the card effect. A Special Summoned monster is placed in face up Attack Position or face-up Defense Position, unless the card effect indicates otherwise. The card effect will specify from where the monster can be Special Summoned (from the hand, deck, Graveyard, or banished zone). If no location is specified, then the monster is usually Special Summoned from the hand.

Special Summons can be conducted in 2 ways:


 * Built-In Special Summons (also known as Inherent Special Summon): These happen when the monster has an effect that Special Summons itself without starting a chain (for example, "Cyber Dragon", "Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord", "Solar Wind Jammer", "Ghost Ship", etc.). In this way, Built-In Special Summons behave similarly to Normal Summons or Flip Summons. Synchro Summons and Xyz Summons are considered Built-In Special Summons because they do not start a chain. Following the Problem-Solving Card Text, Effect monsters with Built-In Special Summons always specify in parenthesis the location from which they can be Special Summoned. Cards that do not specify the location from where they are Special Summoned are always Special Summoned from the hand. Built-In Special Summons are important because they can be negated by any card that negates Summons, including Solemn Warning, Solemn Judgment, and Black Horn of Heaven. Cards such as Divine Wrath cannot negate Built-In Special Summons because these are conditions, not card effects, and they do not activate.


 * Effects that Special Summon: All Spell, Trap, and monster effects activates and resolves. Therefore, any Special Summon that results from a card effect (for example, Monster Reborn and Gorz the Emissary of Darkness) will occur at the resolution of that effect. Fusion Summons and Ritual Summons occur during the resolution of a Spell Card. Additionally, some monsters have effects that Special Summon themselves but are not considered Built-In Special Summons (for example, Ancient Sacred Wyvern); such an effect will start a Chain, and the Special Summon will occur when the effect resolves. Recall that cards can only be chained to the activation of effects and not to the resolution. Effects that Special Summon are important because they can only be negated by effects that can negate the Spell, Trap, or monster effect that causes the Special Summon. Cards such as Black Horn of Heaven and Thunder King Rai-Oh cannot negate Special Summons due to card effects because these Special Summons occur during resolution. Solemn Judgment can negate a Spell or Trap that Special Summons, and it can negate Built-In Special Summons, but it cannot negate monster effects that Special Summon. Solemn Warning can negate any effect that Special Summons, as well as Built-In Special Summons.

Note that effects that activate after a monster has been Special Summoned, for example, Torrential Tribute and Bottomless Trap Hole, can be activate after any Special Summon, regardless of whether it is Built-In or due to an effect. The exception is if a monster Special Summoned by an resolving effect that is Chain Link 2 or higher. This is because effects can never be activated in the middle of a resolving chain, and whatever effect that resolves last (as Chain Link 1) would cause Torrential Tribute, etc. to miss the timing.

Some monsters have conditions to whether or not they can be Special Summon and from where, like "Sauropod Brachion", who cannot be Special Summon from the Deck.

If any monster that must first be Special Summoned by fulfilling its normal Summoning conditions is not successfully Summoned with those conditions fulfilled, or if a Synchro, Fusion, Ritual or Xyz Monster is not Special Summoned through the normal methods, those monsters are not considered to be "Summoned Correctly", thus preventing them from being Special Summoned from the Graveyard. A common situation where this ruling occurs is when "Starlight Road" is activated and the player Special Summons a "Stardust Dragon". If "Stardust Dragon" is sent to the Graveyard, even with its own effect, it will not be able to be Special Summoned from there.