Card Rulings:Exchange of the Spirit

"Exchange of the Spirit":

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OCG Rulings

• This card cannot be activated during the Damage Step.

• Paying 1000 Life Points is a cost to activate this card.

• This card cannot be activated unless both players have 15 or more cards in their Graveyard. (It can be activated even if there are Fusion, Synchro or Xyz Monsters in the Graveyard.)

• This card does not target.

• "each player swaps the cards in their Graveyard with the cards in their Deck" and "shuffles their Deck" are considered to happen simultaneously.

• This card can be activated even if 1 player has no cards in their Deck, as long as both players have 15 or more cards in their Graveyard. In this case, no cards are placed in the Graveyard and all cards from the Graveyard are shuffled into the Deck.

• "each player swaps the cards in their Graveyard with the cards in their Deck" is not treated as sending cards to the Graveyard.
  • If the effect of "Macro Cosmos" or "Dimension Fortress Weapon" is being applied, this effect is applied normally.
  • If "Dandylion" is placed in the Graveyard, the effect of "Dandylion" is not activated.

• When swapping the Decks and Graveyards, you cannot change the order of cards in the Graveyard.
  • If you have 5 cards in the Deck, ABCDE, from top to bottom, then after "Exchange of the Spirit" resolves, the card A will be placed in the bottom of the Graveyard, followed by the cards BCDE. (Card E that was at the bottom of the Deck is now at the top of the Graveyard.)

• When resolving "Exchange of the Spirit", Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monsters in the Graveyard are returned to the Extra Deck. (Extra Deck is not shuffled.) The other cards are placed into the Deck and shuffled normally.

• When resolving "Exchange of the Spirit", even if either player has 14 or less cards in their Graveyard, the effect is applied normally.

Previously Official Rulings

• “Exchange of the Spirit” does not “send” cards to the Graveyard; it swaps the cards in your Deck with those in your Graveyard. So the effects of cards like “Penguin Knight”, “Cockroach Knight”, or “Archfiend of Gilfer” will not activate, nor would the effect of “Skull Invitation” deal any damage. If “Banisher of Light” is on the field no cards will become removed from play because they are not being sent to the Graveyard.

• “Necrovalley” will negate the effect of “Exchange of the Spirit”.

• “Exchange of the Spirit” does not target cards in the Graveyard, so “Big Burn” cannot be activated.

• “Exchange of the Spirit” is put into the new Graveyard after it resolves.

• You need 15 cards in your Graveyard to activate “Exchange of the Spirit”. If you have exactly 15 and the opponent chains “Disappear” to remove from play 1 of those cards, “Exchange of the Spirit” was already activated correctly so it will resolve correctly.

• If the opponent activates “Premature Burial” or “Call of the Haunted” you can chain “Exchange of the Spirit” (if you meet the requirements) to swap the cards in the Deck and the Graveyard. Since the targeted monster is no longer in their Graveyard, “Premature Burial” would be destroyed and “Call of the Haunted” would remain on the field meaninglessly.

• Any Fusion Monsters or Synchro Monsters in the Graveyard when “Exchange of the Spirit” resolves will be returned to the Extra Deck.

• If “Parasite Paracide” is face-up in a Deck when “Exchange of the Spirit” resolves, it will be sent to its owner’s Graveyard.

Out of Date

• Your opponent can have any number of cards in their Graveyard when you activate "Exchange of the Spirit", including 0.