Digimon Instance

This term is an unofficial term and used to clarify what the game refers to as "Digimon" in Card Effects as compared to "Digimon Cards".
Digimon Instance is an instance of a Digimon in the battle area. When a Digimon is played it is played as a new Digimon instance. However, when you digivolve or de-digivolve it is considered the same Digimon instance. DNA Digivolving is an exception where a Digimon is digivolved as a new Digimon instance.
== What is a "Digimon Instance"? ==
=== Referenced by Card Effects ===
Card effects in this game refer to Digimon Instances as "Digimon", and refers to the cards that have the Card Type of Digimon as "Digimon cards". A Digimon Instance is represented by a Digi-Egg or Digimon card in the Battle Area or Breeding Area. If a stack of cards in the battle area has a Tamer card on the top, it is referred to as a "Tamer" and is a Tamer Instance instead.
The cards underneath the Digimon and/or Tamer instances are referred to as "digivolution cards" by card effects. The "top digivolution card" is the card directly underneath the Digimon (top card), so it is the second card to the top. The "bottom digivolution card" is the card at the very bottom of the Digimon.
There are effects that attempt to keep the Digimon Instance alive in the battle area, but remove the top card representing the Digimon from the stack such as and . In such cases it will refer to the top card as "the top card of the Digimon".
=== Leaving the Battle Area ===
Whenever a Digimon instance would leave the battle area, the Digimon (the top card) is sent to the designated area and all of the digivolution cards are sent to the trash unless otherwise stated by the effect.
== When do Digimon retain effects? ==
=== Persistent Effects ===
This is an unofficial fan-made term used to refer to specific effects that apply after digivolving and de-digivolving for the purposes of shortening the following text.For effects that target and contain a targeting condition, and a duration of time. They will continue to apply after digivolution and de-digivolution regardless of the initial targeting condition.
===Global Effects===
For Global Effects, these effects will be re-applied and their conditions re-checked after digivolving or de-digivolving a Digimon. However, they also affect new Digimon Instances that come into play (either by moving from Breeding Area, Playing, or DNA Digivolution).
==Once Per Turn Effects==
 effects are counted per card. If it is the same instance and the same card within the stack of the Digimon that had already activated its effect, it cannot be used again in the same turn. If it is a separate Digimon instance, it is considered a different card. For a full list of examples, check the above link.
== Tamer Instance==
An instance is determined as a Digimon instance or a Tamer instance depending on the card that is on top of the stack. If it is a Digimon card, it is considered a Digimon instance. If it is a Tamer card, it is considered a Tamer instance.
Tamer instances cannot gain the inherited effects of the digivolution cards that are underneath it.1 If a Digimon becomes a Tamer card during an attack, it does not continue any security checks or battles it may have performed as a Digimon.3
===Interaction with Card Effects===
Similarly to Digimon, card effects that wish to interact with the Tamer instance will refer to "Tamer", however, if a card effect wanted to interact with the card it would refer to it as a "Tamer card".
===Persistent Effects===
This is an unofficial fan-made term used to refer to specific effects that apply after digivolving and de-digivolving.
Persistent Effects that were applied to a Digimon instance will continue to apply to the Tamer instance (e.g. 's effect).5 However, it remains unaffected by parts of the effect that specify "that Digimon" or "this Digimon" as the Tamer is no longer a Digimon.3
==Sources==
*Official Rulebook Version 2.1.1
*Official Rulebook Version 2.2
*Detailed Rules Explanation
*General Rules FAQ
*De-Digivolve
*Digivolving
*Digivolving/DNA Digivolving
*Playing
*Card Rulings:ST2-14, Card Rulings:ST4-12, Card Rulings:ST5-09, Card Rulings:ST5-12, Card Rulings:ST6-12, Card Rulings:BT1-017
*Card Rulings:BT1-012
#Carddass Email English 09/11/2021: Confirmation of Blast Fire Ruling in English
#Carddass Email English 18/11/2021: Effects without "for the turn"
#Carddass Email English 08/11/2022: Tamers and [On Deletion] Rule Change Part 1
#Carddass Email English 08/11/2022: Tamers and [On Deletion] Rule Change Part 2
*Carddass Email English 16/12/2022: Tamers and Defense Plug-In
#Card Rulings:ST2-14
Category:Gameplay