BASIC STRATEGY: Flip Flop Fundamentals

Can they keep flipping?

A number of 'flip flop' monsters have been printed over the years with a range of Trigger Effects which activate upon Flip Summon. Such 'flip flop' monsters have the ability to Set themselves face-down so that their one manual position change can be used to Flip Summon them. However, given everyone's familiarity with "Book of Moon's" ability to 'reset' many 'once per turn' effects, a question often arises: "Since it flipped face-down, can it use it's effect again?"

The gamestate remembers that these 'once per turn' effects were used to Set the monster before its Flip Summon this turn [REF1, REF2, REF3, REF4, REF5].

"Once per turn, you can flip this card into face-down Defense Position."

Most players know that the gamestate treats face-down monsters as having no name, Type, Attribute, or ATK/DEF. However, the game state remembers some conditions for face-down monsters, such as:

• which monsters have attacked this turn,
  
• which were Summoned this turn,
• and which manually changed [by player action] their Battle Position during the turn.

If a monster Set by this effect is flipped face-up later in the turn, the gamestate recognizes the connection (what flipped the monster face-down) and prevents a second use of that effect, with one exception.

Scenario 1: Attack, then Flip to retreat

Player A uses "Creature Swap" to trade a "Fluff Token" for an Attack Position "Great Spirit".

• Player A proceeds to the Battle Phase and attack's Player B's "Fluff Token" with "Great Spirit".
• Player A proceeds to their Main Phase 2.
• Player A activates the Ignition Effect of "Great Spirit" to flip itself face-down.
• Player A CANNOT Flip Summon "Great Spirit" this turn...
  • The gamestate recognizes the face-down "Great Spirit" has declared an attack, and thus cannot change its Battle Position, additionally;
    
  • the gamestate also recognizes the lingering effect of "Creature Swap" still prevents the player from manually changing the Battle Position of the (face-down) affected "Great Spirit" [REF].
    

Scenario 2: Flip, Flip Summon, Repeat?

Player A Special Summoned "Guardian Sphinx" with "Call of the Haunted" during Player B's End Phase.

• Player A enters the Main Phase and activates the Ignition Effect of "Guardian Sphinx" to flip itself.
  • (this causes "Guardian Sphinx" to become disconnected from "Call of the Haunted")
• Player A proceeds to Flip Summon "Guardian Sphinx" and activates its Trigger Effect.
• Player A CANNOT use "Guardian Sphinx's" Ignition Effect a second time.
  • The gamestate recognizes its effect was responsible for flipping it before it was Flip Summoned.

Scenario 3: The Exception to the Rule

It is Player A's Main Phase and they control a face-up Attack Position "Flip Flop Frog" from a previous turn.

• Player A activates the Ignition Effect of "Flip Flop Frog" to flip itself face-down.
• Player A proceeds to Flip Summon "Flip Flop Frog" and activates its Trigger Effect.
• Player A then uses "Book of Moon" to flip "Flip Flop Frog" face-down.
• Player A then uses "Book of Taiyou" to flip it into face-up Attack Position.
  • (IMPORTANT: "Book of Taiyou's" flip DOES NOT constitute a Flip Summon)
• Player A CAN use "Flip Flop Frog's" Ignition Effect a second time this turn.
  • The additional flip-flopping has caused the current Battle Position of "Flip Flop Frog" to become disconnected from the initial use of its Ignition Effect.
    
  • The gamestate no longer recognizes that "Flip Flop Frog's" effect has been used.

Flipping when you should have flopped..

Now that we have a better understanding of what makes the flip floppers special (with respect to the 'once per turn' nature of their effects), make sure you're paying close attention the next time you find yourself playing against a PACMAN strategy or a  Frog deck. Don't get caught with your flacid flip-flopper floundering in face-up Attack Position without the protection to back it up. These rulings continue to apply to this day. That said, don't let this stop you from innovating interesting control strategies using the flip-floppers!