Goat format ruling

Dark Spirit of the Silent

This card by format:GoatEdison Tengu REDU Advanced

Card effect (current official text)Activate only when an opponent's monster declares an attack. Negate that attack, and select another face-up monster your opponent controls. That monster attacks instead. (If it is in face-up Defense Position, change it to Attack Position.)

Rulings

If your opponent has only 1 monster on the field you cannot activate this card.
If a monster that has already attacked, or a monster targeted with the effect of Spellbinding Circle or Nightmare Wheel is targeted with the effect of Dark Spirit of the Silent that monster still attacks.
If Zombyra the Dark is selected with Dark Spirit of the Silent and you have no monsters, Zombyra the Dark may attack directly.
If Hayabusa Knight or Mataza the Zapper is selected with Dark Spirit of the Silent it only attacks once, but it may then attack twice per its own effect during the same Battle Phase.
Monsters that have a cost to attack such as Dark Elf that are selected with Dark Spirit of the Silent do not need to have their costs paid to attack.
If Dark Spirit of the Silent selects a face-up Defense Position Crass Clown as a target, the effect of Crass Clown activates when it is changed to Attack Position.
Q: Can a monster that has been forced to attack by the effect of "Dark Spirit of the Silent" still conduct a normal attack of its own during the same battle phase? A: No, because each monster can only attack once during the Battle Phase, unless specifically stated otherwise (such as "Asura Priest" or "Hayabusa Knight"). However, as "Dark Spirit of the Silent" mentions nothing of the forced attack being special in any way, it does indeed count as that monster’s attack for the turn. Steve Okegawa, 03/21/04
Q: If my opponent uses "Dark Spirit of the Silent" and forces my "Dark Elf" or "Jirai Gumo" to attack, do I still have to pay for the cost of attacking? A: Any monsters which have costs for attacking must be able to pay those costs, even when attacking due to the effect of "Dark Spirit of the Silent." If the cost cannot be paid (Example: Only 800 LP left, "Dark Elf" is the only other monster to select), then the monster cannot attack. Steve Okegawa, 03/21/04
Q: If a face-up "Spear Dragon" is forced to attack via the effect of "Dark Spirit of the Silent", will that "Spear Dragon" switched into face-up Defense Position immediately following the forced attack? A: Yes, "Spear Dragon" will go into Defense Position after the attack, just as if it had attacked of its own accord. Steve Okegawa, 03/21/04

source: Rulings_Goat (Format Library)

Rulings data courtesy of Format Library — formatlibrary.com. Spotted an inaccuracy? Flag it in the Goat forum — sourced change requests get reviewed.

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