Burst

For rulings concerning the Mirage keyword, please check Mirage.
Burst (バースト, Bāsuto) is a game mechanic which debuted along with the Battle Spirits Heroes anime. It is an effect that all types of cards may have. Cards with Burst are placed face down in the Burst Area, content unknown to the opponent, and activated under specific circumstances (such as when you lose a life). Each Burst effect varies on each card. For example, the Burst effect of The HeroDragon Lord-Dragon simply summons itself, while the Burst effect of The DragonHero Sieg-Yamato-Fried can also destroy an opposing Spirit. The Burst effects of Magic cards always have a part of the effect which allow them to also activate their main/flash effects. All cards with Burst can also be played as regular cards.
Burst is the most common keyword in the whole game, and became the third effect category after main and flash effects.
There are three separate keywords which derived from Burst, them being Burst Tribute, Soul Burst, and Burst Seal. When an effect targets a card with Burst, cards with the above three keywords can also be targeted.
Each card usually only has one Burst condition, but BS46 introduced cards which carry two different Burst conditions each.
==Handling Burst==
Once per turn during your Main Step, you can set down a card with Burst from your hand facedown onto your Burst Area. You cannot set down a card with Burst from the Removed Zone. Furthermore, you can only have one set Burst at a time. You can also set a Burst with effects, such as the effect of The IceHero Mibrock-Baragan, ignoring the number of times you've set down the Burst manually in the same turn. When there is already a set Burst, you can discard it and set down a new one. However, you cannot discard the set Burst without setting a new one.
Do note that since in the ruling, it is simply stated that you can only set one Burst during your Main Step, but it never specifies how you set it, if you set a Burst with an effect during your Main Step, that would consume your "set only one Burst during your Main Step" limitation.
When the Burst condition is fulfilled, you can declare its activation by flipping it up. However, the actual Burst effect only activates after the event that triggers it is resolved. For example, an opposing Spirit activates its (When Summoned) effect. You can then declare your Burst with the condition [After an opposing Spirit's (When Summoned) effect activates]. However, the Burst effect only activates after the summon effect is resolved. To further extend the example, say the summon effect destroys your Spirit, and your Spirit activates its (When Destroyed) effect. Your Burst effect also has to wait until the destroyed effect is resolved, as the trigger of the destroyed effect stems from the summon effect.
In the case of Burst with the condition [After your Spirit is destroyed by the opponent], the destroyed Spirit must be placed in the trash for the Burst to activate. If the destroyed Spirit remains on the field, or is sent to other places that is not the trash, the Burst condition is not fulfilled, and it is flipped back facedown, treating as no Burst activated.
When both players declare their Burst activations at the same time, same as the rules of flash timing, the defensive side is prioritised to activate their Burst effect. Therefore, it is important to ask your opponent if they have a Burst activation to declare before you declare yours.
The declaration of Burst activation and the activation of Burst effect are different timings. However, when declaring a Burst, the player must flip up the Burst. Burst placed facedown is referred as a "set Burst", while a face-up Burst activating its effect is referred as an "activated Burst". Until the Burst effect activates, the Burst is considered "set", even when it is face-up due to declaration. When an effect simply refers to a "set card", the set Burst is included.
All Spirit cards, Ultimate cards, Brave cards summoned, and Nexus cards deployed, through Burst effects do not require summon or deploy costs. However, this was not stated in the effect texts until block icon 2 (Burning Legend era).
All Burst effects can be prevented by immunity effects such as Armor. However, it is also important to note that the Burst Area is not considered within the field. So, when a Burst effect activates and the field of the same side does not have a symbol with the same color as the Burst, Heavy Armor: ∞ which references symbol colors on the opposing field, cannot prevent that Burst effect.
When activating a Magic Burst effect, the situation is considered "activating Burst" instead of "using Magic", and therefore cannot be countered by Ice Wall and similar effects, and is not limited by effects such as that of The Absorption Triumphal Arch. The main/flash effect activated through the Burst effect is also considered part of the Burst effect. For example, if you activate the Burst effect of Burst Draw to draw two cards, then activate its main effect through the Burst effect to draw two more cards, it is considered drawing four cards through one effect.
As long the Burst condition is met, the Burst can be activated even if the conditions within the Burst effect do not meet. In this case, the Burst is considered activated, but no effects are exerted. For example, when you declare the Burst activation of The DragonHero Sieg-Yamato-Fried (original version) at three lives, but before that the Lv2 effect of The Constellation Barrier increases your life to four, Yamato cannot destroy any Spirit nor can it be summoned, and is sent to the trash.
Ultimate cards can activate their Burst effects without meeting the summon conditions. When they cannot be summoned, they are sent to the trash after their Burst effects resolve.
== Unaffected Burst ==
Burst may receive protection with effects like "This set card is unaffected by any effects", or in the case of activating from hand, "Your hand is unaffected by opposing effects".
When the "unaffected" effect exists only on the Burst card itself (therefore unknown to the opponent), when opposing effects such as "Discard an opposing Burst", "Return an opposing Burst to the hand", or "Look at the opposing Burst" target your Burst, you are required to flip up the Burst to confirm with the opponent that your Burst is unaffected by the effect. Then you flip it back down, keeping it set. In this case, effects with the "When this effect can't discarded" clause can activate, but effects with the clause "Look at the Burst, if it is a Spirit card" etc cannot activate.
While being unaffected, Burst can be activated normally even if there's a "Burst cannot activate" effect active, as this kind of effects targets the cards themselves. In the game, there are effects with the clause "When a Burst activates, discard it", which are also useless towards unaffected Burst.
However, on the other hand, effects such as "The opponent cannot activate their Burst unless they pay the cost of that card" or "The opponent cannot activate Burst effects" are player-targeting effects, and hence unaffected Burst cannot prevent those, if the unaffected effects include the clause "when set".
==Burst Conditions==
*After your Life is reduced
**Burst with this condition can be activated after your life is reduced and all effects triggered by the life decrease are resolved. However, if there is another Burst activation before this one, you cannot declare this one.
*After an opposing Spirit's (When Summoned) effect resolves / After an opposing Spirit/Ultimate's (When Summoned) effect resolves / After an opposing Spirit/Brave's (When Summoned) effect resolves / After an opposing Spirit's (When Summoned/Advents) effect resolves / After an opposing Spirit's (When Summoned/Reborn) effect resolves
**Burst with this kind of condition can be activated after the (When Summoned), (When Advents) or (When Reborn) effect and all other effects triggered by it are resolved. However, if there is another Burst activation before this one, you cannot declare this one.
**If the (When Summoned), (When Advents) or (When Reborn) effect is optional, and the opponent chooses not to activate it, you cannot activate your Burst with this kind of condition.
*After your Spirit is destroyed by the opponent / After your Ultimate is destroyed by the opponent / After your Spirit/Ultimate is destroyed by the opponent / After your Spirit is depleted/destroyed by the opponent / After your Ultimate is depleted/destroyed by the opponent / After your "Diva" family Spirit is destroyed by the opponent
**You can declare the Burst activation of this kind of condition after the Spirit/Ultimate is depleted/destroyed and is confirmed by both players that it will be sent to the trash. Also, the Burst activation has to come in before effects of the next timing activate. However, if there is another Burst activation before this one, you cannot declare this one.
**If the depleted/destroyed Spirit/Ultimate remains on the field through effects, or it is placed into other places that are not the trash, Burst of this kind of condition cannot activate.
*After an opposing Spirit attacks / After an opposing Spirit/Ultimate attacks
**Burst of this kind of condition can be activated after all (When Attacks) effects and other effects triggered by those effects are resolved. However, if there is another Burst activation before this one, you cannot declare this one.
**If the attacking Spirit/Ultimate is removed from the Field before the Burst effect can activate, Burst of these conditions cannot activate.
*After the opposing Hand increases with an opposing effect
**Burst of this condition can be activated after the opposing effect which increase the hand and other effects triggered by that effect are resolved.
**Burst of this condition can activate upon effects such as "Draw two cards, then discard two cards from your hand".
**"Increase the amount of cards you draw by +1" effects during Draw Step are changing the number of cards drawn through game rules in Draw Step, but not directly increasing the hand, hence Burst of this condition cannot be activated upon these effects.
*After you or the opponent uses Seal
**If the Seal effect activates on attack, Burst of this condition waits until all (When Attacks) effects and other effects triggered by those effects are resolved, and is activated before flash timing. While for Seal effects activating on summon, Burst of this condition waits until all (When Summoned) effects and other effects triggered by those effects are resolved.
*After a Spirit/Brave is summoned by an opposing effect
**Burst of this condition is activated after the effect which summoned the Spirits/Braves and all other effects triggered by that effect are resolved.
**If the summoned Spirits/Braves are removed from the Field before the Burst effect activates, Burst of this kind of condition cannot activate.
*After an opposing Grand Skill resolves
**Burst of this condition is activated after the declared Grand Skill and all other effects triggered by the Grand Skill are resolved.
== Extra Rules ==
* When a player is found out they set down a card without Burst, they immediately lose the game.
* When the set card is returned to the hand or deck, the owner must reveal it to the opponent to confirm with each other that it has the Burst keyword. If the set card is found to not include the keyword, that player immediately loses the game.
* When the game ends, both players must reveal their set cards to confirm with each other that those set cards have the Burst keyword. If the set cards are found to not include the keyword, the player(s) immediately lose the game.
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== Cards with Burst ==
* List of cards with Burst
* For further filtration, pleases go to CatNav
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==Related Articles==
Category:Keywords