Pole Position¶

Edisonformat.net (Revised, Post-UTW Rulings)¶

Source: https://edisonformat.net/card?name=Pole%20Position

Edison-Accurate PSCT¶

① The monster(s) with the highest ATK on the field is unaffected by Spell Effects. ② If this face-up card leaves the field, destroy the monster(s) with the highest ATK on the field.

Card Rulings¶

The ① effect:

• Players cannot perform actions that would cause an “Infinite Loop”.

• EG: I control a monster with 1500 ATK. You control a monster with 1000 ATK. Equipping “Axe of Despair” to your Monster is an illegal action:

• Its ATK would become the highest on the field.

• That would make it unaffected by Spell Effects.

• That would make its ATK no longer the highest, so Axe would apply again.

• This “loop” would repeat indefinitely.

The ② effect:

• This is a continuous effect (it does not start a chain).

• It applies on the field, so it can be negated by “Royal Decree” and “Jinzo”.

• It will not apply if Pole Position left the field while face-down or before the card itself has resolved.

Edisonformat.com (Historical, Pre-UTW Rulings)¶

Source: https://www.edisonformat.com/rulings

Card Text¶

① The face-up monster(s) with the highest ATK on the field is unaffected by the effects of Spell Cards. ② When “Pole Position” is removed from the field, destroy the face-up monster(s) with the highest ATK on the field.

Card Rulings¶

• The ① Continuous-like Effect does not start a chain.

• The ① Continuous-like Effect can become responsible for “voluntary” and “involuntary” infinite loops. Any “voluntary” action  that would result in an infinite loop is simply an illegal action that players CANNOT perform. If an “involuntary” action (such as drawing a card during your Draw Phase) creates an infinite loop, the card responsible for the loop is destroyed by game mechanics.

  • Example 1: Player A has a “Gemini Elf”, a “Luminous Spark” and a “Pole Position” face-up on the field. Since “Gemini Elf” is the monster on the field with the highest ATK, it is unaffected by Spell Cards. If Player B Summons “X-Head Cannon”, “Luminous Spark” will raise its ATK to 2300, making it the highest ATK monster on the field and causing it to become unaffected by Spell Cards, reducing its ATK to 1800, only for “Luminous Spark’s” effect to once again increase its ATK to 2300, and so on. This voluntary action by Player B (Summoning “X-Head Cannon”) would create a “voluntary” infinite loop. Thus, Player B cannot Summon “X-Head Cannon”.

  • Example 2: Player A has a “Gemini Elf” and an “Opticlops” equipped with an “Axe of Despair” face-up on the field, as well as a Set “Ring of Destruction”. Player B has a “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” and a “Pole Position” face-up on the field. If Player A activates “Ring of Destruction” to destroy Player B’s “Blue-Eyes White Dragon”, then “Opticlops” would become the monster with the highest ATK on the field, causing it to become unaffected by Spell Cards (including the equipped “Axe of Despair”) and thus it will cease to be the monster with the highest ATK on the field and the effect of “Axe of Despair” will once again apply and raise its ATK, and so on. Therefore, Player A cannot target Player B’s “Blue-Eyes White Dragon” with “Ring of Destruction” as resolving that card would create a “voluntary” infinite loop.

  • Example 3: Player A has a face-up “Opticlops” and a face-up “Gemini Elf”. Player B has a Set “Pole Position” and no other cards. Player A activates “Axe of Despair”, selecting “Opticlops” as the target. If Player B voluntarily chains “Pole Position”, it will create a “voluntary” infinite loop upon the resolution of “Pole Position” and “Axe of Despair”. Therefore, Player B cannot chain “Pole Position”, nor can they activate it while those are the only face-up monsters on the field while “Axe of Despair” remains equipped.

  • Example 4: Player A has a “Pole Position” and an “Opticlops” face-up on the field. Player B has a “Muka Muka” equipped with an “Axe of Despair” face-up on the field with no cards in his hand. Player B draws a card at the start of his turn, making “Muka Muka’s” ATK rise to 1900. Since “Muka Muka” is now the monster on the field with the highest ATK, it becomes unaffected by the effects of Spell Cards. But once unaffected by the effects of Spell Cards, “Muka Muka” no longer has the highest ATK on the field. An “involuntary” infinite loop has been created by an action that could not be avoided. Therefore, “Pole Position” is destroyed by game mechanics.

• The ② Continuous-like Effect does NOT start a chain. The monster is destroyed simultaneously with “Pole Position” being removed from the field.