Card Rulings:Blast Magician

OCG Rulings

• Removing Spell Counter(s) from "Blast Magician" is a cost to activate its monster-destroying effect. This effect targets the one face-up monster to be destroyed.

Mentions in Other Rulings

• When a card like "Breaker the Magical Warrior" or "Magical Marionette" has no Spell Counters on it, you can activate its effect and remove the Spell Counter(s) from "Magical Citadel of Endymion" instead.

Previously Official Rulings

• If "Rush Recklessly" is chained to the effect of "Blast Magician", and the ATK of the target monster is now higher than 700 x the number of Spell Counters removed, the effect of "Blast Magician" disappears. You cannot remove additional Spell Counters to increase the effect.

• This is an effect that targets.

• You must remove at least 1 Spell Counter. You cannot activate the effect and remove zero Spell Counters.

Spell Counter Rulings

OCG Rulings

• The effect which places a Spell Counter on [this card] when a Spell Card is activated does not start a Chain.

• The Spell Counter is placed on [this card] after the resolution of the activated Spell Card.

• The activation of a Spell Card, as mentioned in the text of card like "Magical Citadel of Endymion" or "Skilled White Magician", is when you play it face-up from your hand, or when the Spell Card is Set and you flip it face-up. It does not include activating the effect of a Spell card which is already face-up on the field, such as when you activate the effect of "Wave-Motion Cannon" or "Inspection". Cards like "Skilled White Magician" will not gain a Spell Counter when you activate the effect of a Spell Card like "Wave-Motion Cannon".

• If an effect like "Skill Drain" negates the effect of a card like "Breaker the Magical Warrior" or "Royal Magical Library", then all Spell Counters are removed from the monster.

Previously Official Rulings

• You place a Spell Counter on this card when the Spell Card resolves, so if "Magic Jammer" is used to negate the Spell Card's activation then you do not place a Spell Counter on this monster. But if "Imperial Order" is chained to the Spell Card, you still place a Spell Counter on this monster because the activation of the Spell Card was not negated. If the Spell Card was a Continuous, Equip, or Field Spell Card, and “Dust Tornado” is chained to its activation and destroys it before it resolves you still place a Spell Counter because the activation of the card was not negated.

• [This card] must be face-up on the field when the Spell Card is activated in order to get a Spell Counter.
  • "Blast Magician" must have been face-up on the field when the Spell Card was activated (and when it resolves) in order to receive a Spell Counter.
  • "Tower of Babel" must be active and face-up on the field before the Spell Card was activated, and when the Spell Card resolves, in order to get a Spell Counter. If you chain "Tower of Babel" to a Spell Card, you do not get a Spell Counter for that Spell Card. If a Quick-Play Spell Card is chained to the activation of "Tower of Babel", you do not get a Spell Counter for that Quick-Play Spell Card.
  • If you activate a Spell Card, and your opponent chains "Call of the Haunted" to Special Summon [this monster], [this monster] does not get a Spell Counter for that Spell Card because [this monster] must be face-up on the field when the Spell Card is activated and when it resolves in order to get a Spell Counter.
  • If you activate "Monster Reborn" or "Premature Burial" to revive this monster, this monster does not get a Spell Counter for "Monster Reborn" (it has to be face-up on the field before the activation of the Spell Card).

• You place a Spell Counter for any Spell Card that is activated, including Equip Spell, Field Spell, etc.

• When you use the effect of a Continuous Spell Card that is already face-up on the field, such as "Inspection", or sending "Wave-Motion Cannon" to the Graveyard, or paying for "Messenger of Peace", you do NOT place a Spell Counter on this monster.

• When "Double Spell" is played, you get a Spell Counter on this monster for the activation of "Double Spell", but not for the target of "Double Spell" because the target is never activated; so you get 1 Spell Counter on this monster.

• 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.

• When "Skill Drain" is active, and you or your opponent activates a Spell Card, do not place Spell Counters on this monster. Any Spell Counters that are on this monster are removed when "Skill Drain" is activated.

Mentions in Other Rulings

• Gorgon's Eye: If a Defense Position monster has Spell Counters, like "Skilled White Magician" or "Royal Magical Library", the Spell Counters are removed if "Gorgon's Eye" is activated.