What is 'Missing the Timing'?

This phrase has historically been used to describe how certain optional Trigger Effects can miss opportunities to activate.

• Optional "When... you can" effects CAN miss the timing.
  • Such effects will ONLY activate if the last thing to happen met its trigger condition.
• Optional "If... you can" / "Each time... you can" effects, as well as mandatory trigger effects, CANNOT miss the timing.
  • They will always start a new chain, even if the last thing to happen did not meet their trigger condition.

"When... you can..." miss the timing if:

• the card's trigger condition was met while resolving chain link 2 (or higher), but was not the last thing to happen in the chain.
  
• the card's trigger condition was met while resolving the first part of an effect that resolves sequentially (see Conjunctions).
  
• the card's trigger condition was met while paying a cost, not while resolving an effect.
  
• the card was used as material to perform a Tribute / Ritual / Fusion / Synchro Summon.

 The Last Thing to Happen might be :

• A player performing an action that does not start a chain (ex: setting a Spell/Trap card, Summoning a monster, declaring an attack).
• Part of the effect at Chain Link 1 (even if the effect was negated) after a chain has resolved.
  • Example: Player A Tribute Summons "Caius the Shadow Monarch" and activates its effect targeting Player B's "Machina Peacekeeper". Player B chains "Torrential Tribute" to destroy all monsters on the field. The last thing to happen is the resolution of Caius' effect (which resolves without effect because the target is no longer on the field), and Peacekeeper misses the timing.
    
• The effect at Chain Link 2 (which negated the activation of Chain Link 1) after a chain has resolved.
  • Example: Player A Synchro Summons "Black Rose Dragon" and activates its Trigger Effect as Chain Link 1. Player B responds with "Divine Wrath" to negate the activation of that effect and destroy the card. When the chain resolves, the last thing to happen is the resolution of "Divine Wrath" which simultaneously negated the activation of the effect AND destroyed the monster.
    

Conjunctions help us identify what happens last

• The conjunctions "and" & "also" indicate these parts of the effect occur simultaneously, and are thus both the last thing to happen.
• The conjunction “then” indicates the effect resolves sequentially (ex: "Drill Warrior's" Trigger Effect follows "Do A... then do B).
  • If B is optional, or cannot be performed, then the last thing to happen is actually action A (ex: "Ancient Fairy Dragon").
  • "When [A]... you can" effects CANNOT activate if their trigger condition is action A but action B was the last thing to happen.
    

Cost vs. Effect

• Costs are paid at activation (ex: you discard "Jinzo - Returner" to activate "Lightning Vortex") and are non-refundable.
  • "When... you can" effects of monsters used to pay costs WILL NOT ACTIVATE.
• Effects happen sequentially afterwards (ex: the effect of "Lightning Vortex" is the last thing to happen).
  

Summons

Monsters Tributed or used as material for a Special Summon (such as "Destiny Hero - Plasma", "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon", or a Synchro Summon) are FIRST sent to the Graveyard, and THEN the Summon (or its negation) occurs as the last thing to happen.​

"When... you can"

Effects of monsters offered as Tribute / used as material for a Summon CANNOT ACTIVATE.

• Example 1: "Peten the Dark Clown" is Tributed for "Summoned Skull". The last thing to happen is the Tribute Summon.
• Example 2: "Jinzo - Returner" is used to Summon "Chimeratech Fortress Dragon". The last thing to happen is the Summon.
• Example 3: "Dupe Frog" is used as a Sychro Material for "Magical Android". The last thing to happen is the Synchro Summon.
• Example 4: Player A's "Dupe Frog" and "Elemental Hero Neos" are used to Fusion Summon "Elemental Hero Absolute Zero" by Player B's "Super Polymerization" (even as Chain Link 1). The last thing to happen is the Fusion Summon, so "Dupe Frog" CANNOT activate!
  

"If... you can"

Effects of monsters offered as Tribute / used as material for a Summon CAN ACTIVATE.

• Example: "Arcane Apprentice" is used as Synchro Material to Synchro Summon "Arcanite Magician". If the Synchro Summon is successful (not negated), "Arcane Apprentice" can activate its optional Trigger Effect in the Summon response timing to search a copy of "Assault Mode Activate" from the Deck.
  

"When... [do this]"

Mandatory Trigger Effects of monsters offered as Tribute / used as Material for a Summon ALWAYS ACTIVATE.

• Example 1: "Sangan" is Tributed to Tribute Summon "Caius the Shadow Monarch". In the Summon response timing, "Sangan's" mandatory Trigger Effect will start a chain, even if you do not have any remaining targets in the Deck to search.
  
• Example 2: "Sangan" is used as Synchro Material to Synchro Summon "Arcanite Magician". In the Summon response timing, "Sangan's" mandatory Trigger Effect will start a chain, even if you do not have any remaining targets in the Deck to search.
  
• Example 3: The effect of "Ultimate Offering" is used to Tribute Summon "Caius the Shadow Monarch" as Chain Link 2 (or higher). Since the Summon was performed during a chain, there is no Summon negation or Summon response timings. However, "Caius the Shadow Monarch's" Trigger Effect is mandatory, and so a new chain will be built immediately with Caius' effect.