Quick-Play Magic Cards

by tbones9119

    There’s been some confusion lately concerning Quick-Play Magic Cards.  A lot of this has stemmed from conflicting rulings given to Demo Team Members, and some bad information from Konami.  Hopefully this will help clear things up.

    First of all, Quick-Play Magic Cards are Spell Speed 2.  This means that they can chain to the activation of any card other than a counter trap.  Quick-Plays can be activated from your hand, in a chain or not in a chain, on your turn.  They can be activated during any of your phases, including Draw Phase, Standby Phase, and the End Phase (the rulebook is unclear on this, and kind of implies that they can only be used during Main Phases and Battle Phase, but the correct rule is that you can activate them from your hand anytime, any phase, during your turn.).  They can be activated from your hand or the field anytime during your own turn, and anytime during your opponent’s turn if they are Set on the field.  You cannot activate Quick-Play Magic Cards from your hand during your opponent’s turn.

    The example that has been causing the debate over when a Quick-Play Magic Card can be activated concerns Mirage of Nightmare.  The question has been, can you activate a Mystical Space Typhoon or Emergency Provisions from your hand to destroy Mirage of Nightmare during your Draw Phase, in order to avoid having to discard the cards you drew during your opponent’s turn?  The simple answer is yes.  You can use a Quick-Play Magic Card during your Draw Phase to destroy Mirage of Nightmare before you are forced to discard.  

    The ruling on Drop Off, which allows a Quick-Play Magic Card that was just drawn to be chained to Drop Off, thus getting the effect before it is discarded, is basically the same principle.

    Some people I’ve talked to have been under the impression that if a Quick-Play Magic Card is activated from your hand, it loses its Quick-Play status and becomes Spell Speed 1.  This is NOT the case.  A Quick-Play Magic Card is a Quick-Play Magic Card, regardless of where it was activated from.

    The next thing that needs to be noted is that if you Set a Quick-Play Magic Card, you cannot activate it during that same turn.  This is not true for any other types of Magic Cards.  You can, for example, Set a Monster Reborn, play Card Destruction to discard a monster, then flip Monster Reborn that same turn.  However, Quick-Play Magic Cards cannot be activated on the turn they are Set face-down.  Once Set, they have essentially the same properties for activation as a Normal Trap card.

    For example, if Player A Sets a Scapegoat, and Player B flips his Set Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Scapegoat during Player A’s turn, the Scapegoat card cannot be activated in a chain to Mystical Space Typhoon because it was Set that turn.  If Player B waits until his own turn to flip Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Scapegoat, the Scapegoat CAN be activated in a chain, because it was Set on Player A’s turn.  

    There is one exception to the above rule.  Dust Tornado, which allows the player to Set a magic or trap card as part of Dust Tornado’s effect, can be used to Set a Quick-Play Magic Card and activate that card in the same turn.  This is an exception because Dust Tornado specifically mentions that the card Set by its effect can be activated if it is a Quick-Play Magic Card.  To my knowledge, this is the only scenario in which you can activate a Quick-Play Magic Card on the same turn it was Set.

    I think and hope this covers any and all questions concerning Quick-Plays.  If not, or if you have any questions concerning something else, you can e-mail me at tbones9119@yahoo.com.

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