1. Introduction

Digimon Card Game has unique features that we all have come to love, like the Memory Gauge system, or the Digivolution mechanic. Another unique feature to the game are the different Areas, with which effects can interact in certain ways. Additionally, we got an update to the rules with the release of the Official Rulebook ver.2.1 that made resolving effects a little bit more tricky: Digimon must stay in the Area where their effects trigger in order to activate them.

2. Breeding Area

We all know it, and we all have had questions regarding this Area. The Breeding Area is a safe space where no effect takes place: Effects don't activate in the Breeding Area. Effects don't affect the Breeding Area. Effects don't reference the Breeding Area.

Effects don't activate in the Breeding Area

This is made clear in the Rulebook. [When Digivolving] effects from cards such as Togemon BT1-074 don't activate if you evolve into it in the Breeding Area. Other kind of effects on the Digimon don't work in here either, like Rizegreymon BT4-017's [Your Turn] effect, or its [Main] effect . Virtually, your Digimon are "vanillas" while in the Breeding Area.

Effects don't affect the Breeding Area

The same way nothing gets out from the Breeding Area, nothing can come in. It is a safe bubble where your Digimon cannot be the target of any effect, including the scary Gaia Force ST1-16 and Cocytus Breath ST1-16. Remember this is true for both your opponent's effects, and your own effects.

Effects don't reference the Breeding Area

This is brought up often by new players. Effects that have conditions or requisites cannot reference the Breeding Area to satisfy them. For example, the "Then, if you have a Blue Digimon in play" portion of Positron Laser BT3-104's effect cannot be used if your only blue digimon is in your Breeding Area. Likewise, Gatomon P-031's [Opponent's Turn] effect won't grant it if your only Purple Digimon is in your Breeding Area.

Effects don't interact with the Breeding Area

This is a more general idea, but there are a couple of effects that fit more than one of the categories above. Cost Reduction effects like Beelzemon BT2-111's, Imperialdramon Dragon Mode BT3-031's and Yoshino Fujieda BT4-095's cannot be used when digivolving in here. Furthermore, cannot be used in any way that involves a Digimon in the Breeding Area (you cannot suspend the Digimon in the Breeding Area to pay for it, and you cannot activate it when evolving in the Breeding Area).

Mimi Tachikawa

There's always an exeption to the rule, right? Mimi Tachikawa BT1-089 can interact with the Breeding Area slightly, by either hatching or moving a Digimon. Why can she do that? Because the card specifically says so. Also, do note that all the actions performed in the Breeding Area are "Hatching", "Moving" and "Digivolving", thus, a Digimon moved by Mimi's effect can avoid the rule that says "Digimon cannot attack the turn they were played".

3. Moving to another Area in the middle of effects

The Official Rulebook ver.2.1 gave us a spicy new ruling: Digimon must stay in the Area where they triggered their effects in order for those to activate. The Detailed Rules make a distinction among "trigger", "pending" and "activate" for effects: Meeting the timing condition of an effect "triggers" it, putting it in a "pending" state until you "activate" it. This is relevant when multiple effects trigger at once, or when an effect triggers during, or as a consequence of the resolution of another effect. Following we will examine three cases: Global Effects, Leaving the Battle Area, and Leaving the Trash.

Global Effects

Global Effects are effects that reference "all" digimon in their text. If a digimon enters an Area where the global effect is being applied, it will be affected by it if it meets the condition(s). 

Shadow Wing ST1-13's and Atomic Inferno BT4-098's Security Effects will grant to all of that player's Digimon in the Battle Area in their following turn, even those newly played. Those moved from the Breeding Area will be affected as soon as they enter the Battle Area. An Agunimon BT4-011 that evolves from a tamer that turn will also receive the effect.

Beast Cyclone BT3-106 also grants, but only to Digimon with or . If a Digimon gains or loses the Keyword, it will gain or lose the effect from Beast Cyclone as well. Existing Digimon, newly played Digimon, and Digimon moved to the Battle Area will benefit from the Option as long as they have the corresponding keyword(s)

A Purge Shine BT4-106 checked in security will give all the opponent's Digimon -3000 DP for the turn. The opponent won't be able to surprise you with a BushiAgumon BT4-038, a low DP Rookie played with Anubismon BT4-087 or moved with Mimi Tachikawa BT1-089 since they will receive the -3000 DP as soon as they enter the Battle Area!

Leaving the Battle Area

If an effect is triggered in the Battle Area, but the source of the effect leaves the Battle Area before the effect is activated, the effect is cancelled. An example of this would be your Lilithmon BT3-091's [Your Turn] effect triggering by Using Heat Viper BT2-109. Lilithmon triggers after the Option is Used, but before the [Main] effect is activated, although it has to wait until the Option fully resolves to activate. If you decide to Delete your Lilithmon with Heat Viper, the pending [Your Turn] effect of gaining 2 Memory will be cancelled, since Lilithmon will no longer be in the Battle Area to activate the effect. Another example of this would be MaloMyotismon BT3-092's [All Turns] effect. If your MaloMyotismon is attacked by a Digimon with and lower DP such as Devimon BT2-074, both effects will trigger at the same time, but the turn player has priority, meaning, will delete MaloMyotismon first, and Malo's [All Turns] pending effect of gaining 1 Memory will be cancelled.

Now an example with a card from BT5 "Battle of Omni". If you attack with Omnimon BT1-084 with WarGreymon BT5-016 in its Digivolutions, both Omni's and the WarGrey's inherited [When Attacking] effects will trigger. If you activate Omni's first, returning WarGreymon to your hand to unsuspend, the pending inherited effect of deleting a digimon with 3000 DP or less will be cancelled since Omnimon no longer has it to activate it.

Leaving the Trash

Be careful when activating effects from the Trash! The same rules applies here, but it can be tricky: for [On Deletion] effects, a digimon is considered to be in the same state as it was in the Battle Area, including its Digivolution Cards and "Inherited Effects". For example, your VenomMyotismon P-020 which has Tsukaimon BT3-079 in its Digivolutions is deleted. Both Venom's and Tsukaimon's [On Deletion] effects are triggered and put in pending state. If you activate Venom's effect first, playing the recently Deleted Tsukaimon from Trash, Venom's Pending Inherited [On Deletion] effect will be canceled because Tsukaimon left the Trash, and Venom no longer has its Inherited Effect to activate it.

Another scenario is DanDevimon BT4-088 with Pumpkinmon BT2-076, Devidramon BT3-081, DemiDevimon P-034, and Pagumon ST6-01 in its Digivolutions. When it gets deleted, all five of the [On Deletion] effects will trigger at the same time and put into pending state. If you first Play the same DanDevi using DemiDevi's inherited [On Deletion], all other pending [On Deletion] effects will be cancelled because they were tied to DanDevimon who just moved out of the Trash!

4. Watch your Steps!

We have covered different ways in which Areas and effects interact, and most of them have one thing in common: you can mess up easily if you are not paying enough attention. Misplays happen to everyone, but nobody wants to Play a Digimon for it to get deleted immediately by 0 DP, or give the opponent extra Memory by Digivolving Imperialdramon in your Breeding Area!

Hope none of us forgets some crucial steps by bringing back DanDevimon right away! Thanks for reading!