Card Rulings:Union monster

The following rulings apply to all Union Monsters:

===TCG Rulings===
 * In order to attach a Union Monster to another monster, you must first have the Union Monster as a monster on the field. So you must play the monster normally, then you can attach it. You cannot play a Union Monster as an Equip Spell Card directly from your hand.


 * You can Summon a Union Monster and attach it to another monster right away. You cannot attach a Union Monster and detach the same Union Monster during the same turn, unless a card effect specifically allows it (such as "Combination Attack").


 * Union Monsters only grant their special effects to a monster when equipped to that monster using the Union Monster's effect. So if "Relinquished" equips itself with a Union Monster, it gains none of the Union Monster's bonuses. Also, if "Union Rider" equips itself with a Union Monster, "Union Rider" gains none of the bonuses. The Trap Card "Formation Union" is considered to equip the Union Monster 'by its own effect' so the bonuses do activate.


 * A Union Monster that is attached to a monster is treated as an Equip Spell Card and can be destroyed with "Heavy Storm", etc. You can use "Magic Reflector" to place a counter on an equipped Union Monster and, if the equipped monster would be destroyed in battle, you can remove the counter instead so neither the equipped monster nor the Union Monster are destroyed.


 * A monster can only be equipped with 1 Union Monster at a time, but can still be equipped with other Equip Spell Cards such as "Axe of Despair", etc.


 * If an equipped monster is taken by the opponent (such as with "Snatch Steal"), the Union Monster remains where it is, although it is still equipped to the monster, and the player who controls the Union Monster can detach it and it is Special Summoned to that player's side of the field. (So if I have "X-Head Cannon" equipped with "Z-Metal Tank", and my opponent uses "Snatch Steal" on "X-Head Cannon", on my next Main Phase I can detach "Z-Metal Tank" and it is Special Summoned onto my side of the field because I still control it.)


 * If a Union Monster turns into an Equip Spell Card, or reverts back into a monster, effects are reset. For example, if I use "Call of the Haunted" to Special Summon a Union Monster, then attach it to another monster, it is no longer affected by "Call of the Haunted" (which remains on the field meaninglessly and, if destroyed, does not destroy the Union Monster). If I use "Limiter Removal" on a Union Monster, and equip it, it is not destroyed at the end of the turn, and if I turn it back into a monster its ATK is no longer doubled.

Mentions in Other Rulings

 * Divine Wrath: You can activate "Divine Wrath" when any Union Monster activates its effect to equip itself to another monster, because that is an Ignition Effect. However, you cannot activate "Divine Wrath" when a Union Monster Special Summons itself back as a monster, because that is an effect of an Equip Spell Card.


 * Spell Counters: You do not place a Spell Counter on this monster when you attach or detach a Union Monster because that is not the activation of a Spell Card.

OCG Rulings

 * The effect of "Combination Attack" targets a monster on the field which has battled and which is equipped with a Union Monster. Both the Union Monster and the targeted monster can attack again.


 * The effect of a Union Monster which equips it to [a monster] starts a Chain.


 * Unequipping this card and treating it as a Monster Card again is treated as a Special Summon.


 * When "Union Rider" equips itself with a Union Monster, do not apply the "while equipped to a monster by this card's effect..." effect of the Union Monster.


 * When "Union Rider" equips itself with a Union Monster, the Union Monster is placed in the Spell and Trap Card Zone of the controller of "Union Rider".


 * You can activate "Equip Shot" and target a Union Monster you control that is being treated as an Equip Spell Card as long as the other target of "Equip Shot" is a proper target for the Union Monster. The Union Monster will be equipped to the opponent's monster and then the monsters will battle.


 * "Armory Arm" is not a Union Monster.


 * When "Mermaid Archer" is equipped with a Union Monster like "Metallizing Parasite - Lunatite" and a Level 3 or lower monsters, if "Mermaid Archer" would be destroyed by battle, then "Metallizing Parasite - Lunatite" is destroyed instead. "Mermaid Archer" would not be destroyed, so you cannot destroy the Level 3 or lower monster instead.