Card Rulings:Soul Exchange

TCG Rulings

 * “Soul Exchange” targets. Select the target at activation.


 * “Soul Exchange” allows you to Tribute the targeted monster as though it was yours for the rest of the turn.


 * You can Tribute the targeted monster for any card that requires a Tribute, or for a Tribute Summon. So you could Tribute it for the effect of “Cannon Soldier”, a Ritual Summon, or for the cost of “Monster Gate”.


 * “Soul Exchange” does NOT give you control of your opponent’s monster, so you can use “Soul Exchange” combined with your “Cannon Soldier’s” effect even if you already have 5 monsters in your Monster Card Zone.


 * You can activate 2 “Soul Exchanges” and target 2 different monsters. You could Tribute them both for the Tribute Summon of a Level 7 or higher monster.


 * You can target a face-down monster, but you cannot Tribute it for a Ritual Summon or for “Metamorphosis” because you do not know its Level.


 * You cannot use “Soul Exchange” for “Polymerization” because “Polymerization” does not use Tribute.


 * If the activation of your "Soul Exchange" is negated (by "Solemn Judgment", etc.), you may conduct your Battle Phase. If only the effect of "Soul Exchange" is negated (by "Imperial Order", etc.), you may not conduct your Battle Phase.


 * You cannot Tribute the monster targeted by "Soul Exchange" to pay the cost to activate the effect of your "Exiled Force", because "Exiled Force" must Tribute itself.

Mentions in Other Rulings

 * Assault Mode Activate: Tributing a Synchro Monster is a Cost. You can Tribute you opponent's Synchro Monster using "Soul Exchange".


 * Bubble Shuffle: You can target the opponent's "Elemental Hero Bubbleman" with "Soul Exchange" and Tribute it for "Bubble Shuffle".


 * Burst Stream of Destruction: You can activate "Burst Stream of Destruction" when you cannot have a Battle Phase because of..."Soul Exchange"...


 * Cosmic Horror Gangi'el: If you activate "Soul Exchange" and target 1 of your opponent's monsters, "Cosmic Horror Gangi'el" cannot be Tribute Summoned by Tributing just that 1 monster. That monster is still on your opponent's side of the field, so it does not satisfy the requirement.


 * Destiny Hero - Doom Lord: You can activate "Destiny Hero - Doom Lord's" effect even if your Battle Phase is going to be skipped because of a card effect like "Soul Exchange".


 * Diffusion Wave-Motion: You cannot activate "Diffusion Wave-Motion"...if you cannot conduct your Battle Phase this turn...[because]...you activated "Soul Exchange"...


 * Ectoplasmer: You can activate "Soul Exchange" during your Main Phase and use its effect to Tribute your opponent's monster for "Ectoplasmer" during the End Phase.


 * Evil Hero Malicious Edge: If your opponent controls only 1 monster and you activate “Soul Exchange”, selecting that 1 monster as the target, after resolving “Soul Exchange” you can Tribute that 1 monster to Tribute Summon “Evil Hero Malicious Edge” (You would not need to Tribute an additional monster).


 * Last Turn: If the Battle Phase is skipped because of..."Soul Exchange", resolve the effects of "Last Turn" as much as possible (including victory check, quite possibly resulting in a DRAW).


 * Magical Dimension: You can Tribute a monster that was targeted by "Soul Exchange"...


 * Metamorphosis: If you activated "Soul Exchange" targeting your opponent's monster, if the monster is face-down, you cannot Tribute it as a cost for "Metamorphosis".


 * Mystik Wok: You can Tribute face-down monsters, or your opponent's monster using "Soul Exchange".


 * Precious Cards from Beyond: If you Tribute Summon or Set with 2 monsters, and 1 of them was your opponent's monster that you used with..."Soul Exchange", you can activate "Precious Cards from Beyond".


 * Serial Spell:You can activate "Serial Spell" to copy the effect of a Normal Spell Card, even if it is..."Soul Exchange" and copying the effect serves no real purpose.


 * Silent Swordsman LV3: "Silent Swordsman LV3" will negate the effects of your opponent's Spell Cards that target it, whether that Spell Card targets just "Silent Swordsman LV3" (such as "Soul Exchange") or multiple monsters ("Different Dimension Gate").


 * Skull Knight #2: ...if you activate "Soul Exchange" to Tribute a "Skull Knight #2" on your opponent's side of the field, neither player can activate its effect.


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


 * Tribute Doll: You can combine "Soul Exchange" with "Tribute Doll" to Tribute your opponent's monster as the cost of "Tribute Doll".


 * Vampire Lord: When "Vampire Lord" is Tributed (including by your opponent with "Soul Exchange"), or when he is "sent to the Graveyard", he will not be Special Summoned by his own effect because he was not "destroyed".

OCG Rulings

 * The effect targets 1 monster on your opponent's field.


 * When the activation of "Soul Exchange" is negated by "Magic Jammer" etc, you can conduct your Battle Phase. When only the effect of "Soul Exchange" is negated by "Imperial Order" etc, you cannot conduct your Battle Phase.


 * The effect is not optional. The next time you would Tribute, you must Tribute the targeted monster.


 * When "Axe of Despair" is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, you can Tribute an opponent's monster under the effect of "Soul Exchange" to activate the effect of "Axe of Despair". You can only do this as long as "Soul Exchange" was previously activated.


 * When you activate "Soul Exchange", you do not choose for what the monster will be Tributed. If you activate "Soul Exchange" with the intention of performing a Tribute Summon, and your opponent Chains "Lightforce Sword" to remove the monster, then "Soul Exchange" still resolves properly.  In this case, you can still Tribute the opponent's monster the next time you Tribute.


 * If "Mask of Restrict" is Chained to "Soul Exchange", you cannot Triubte the monster, but you still cannot conduct your Battle Phase.


 * You can Tribute the monster for a Spell/Trap Card, the effect of an Effect Monster, a Tribute Summon, etc.


 * You can Tribute the monster targeted by "Soul Exchange" instead of your own monster at any time during the turn in which "Soul Exchange" is activated. You can activate "Soul Exchange", perform another action, and then Tribute the monster targeted by "Soul Exchange".  You do not have to Tribute the monster immediately after "Soul Exchange" resolves.


 * You can activate "Soul Exchange" when you control no monsters.


 * You can activate two copies of "Soul Exchange" and Tribute both monsters for the Tribute Summon of a Level 7+ monster.


 * When you target a face-down monster with "Soul Exchange", you do not know its ATK etc. Because of this, you cannot Tribute it to activate "Crush Card Virus"/"Deck Devastation Virus"/"Eradicator Epidemic Virus"/etc.  The same applies for Ritual Spell Cards because you do not know the monster's Level.


 * You cannot use the targeted monster as a Fusion Material Monster, since Fusion Material Monsters are not Tributed.


 * If your opponent only controls 1 monster affected by "Soul Exchange", you can Tribute that 1 monster to Tribute Summon "Evil Hero Malicious Edge".


 * With the effect of "Soul Exchange", you can Tribute your opponent's Synchro Monster as a cost to activate "Assault Mode Activate".