“Hey! Learn our syntax here.”
- zoom
- jpg (225 KB)
- cred: nago
872
- ↓ 0.05
- ꩜ 0.30
- ↑ 999.99
Ability ⇢ Screen Cleaner
Prevent all effects of your opponent’s attacks, except damage, done to all of your Pokémon that have Energy attached. (Existing effects are not removed.)
{W}{C} → Triple Spin : 50×
Flip 3 coins. This attack does 50 damage for each heads.
illus. Mitsuhiro Arita
External: Pokemon.com ↗, Bulba ↗ · #ad / Affiliate Links: TCGplayer ↗, cardmarket ↗, Amazon ↗, eBay ↗
It’s highly skilled at tap-dancing. It waves its cane of ice in time with its graceful movements.
Jiří z Poděbrad
Same ability as Espeon 𝙑𝙈𝘼𝙓!
Whirlpool
Also Toedscruel ex.
Sam
This says except damage so does that mean this doesn’t stop damage counters being placed from attacks like Lost Zone Sabeleyes attack?
Sam
Sky Pillar stadium has the same wording except it says including damage so I assume this doesn’t stop damage counters being placed but Sky Pillar does? Am I correct?
C.Ezra.M
Doing damage and placing damage counters directly are two different concepts. For example, OBF Polteageist‘s Pour Tea attack says, “Put 5 damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon.” This would not trigger cards like Rocky Helmet, but is also not affected by things like Weakness.
Sam
I know that but you didn’t really answer my question unfortunately….
Linkinboss
He did. Damage is different from placing damage counters (that’s an effect). Sky Pillar explicitly says it prevents both. This card explicitly says it only prevents effects (so, to reinstate, damage counters only). Now the 2 effects have different clauses, Sky Pillar affects only the bench, and this ability only Pokemon with energy attached.
Sam
I am still extremely confused and I don’t know why. I understand the difference between damage and damage counters but the wording on some cards is so vague. I dont even know how to explain how I’m confused.
Sam
I thought just doing regular damage from an attack wasn’t a effect?
C.Ezra.M
Regular damage is not an effect. Placing damage counters, however, is an effect.
Sam
So this doesn’t stop damage counters then?
C.Ezra.M
No. This stops damage counters from being placed. But it doesn’t stop regular damage.
Sam
Ok are you 100% sure? Follow my logic here. The way this is phrased it implies damage is a effec.t Why phrase it as all prevent all effects of attacks INCLUDING damage if damage is not an effect. Feels very very poorly worded. See why I am so confused now. I am really trying to get clarity on this. Thanks for being so patient and helpful.
Jack
I would consider it poor wording. If you look at Big Parasol–which was released in the very next set–it states “damage is not an effect”, as do a number of other cards since then, the majority of which are Pokémon. In fact, if you look at Protective Mycelium on Toedscruel ex (OBF 022), that in my opinion is how Screen Cleaner should be worded, as it’s exactly the same kind of Ability.
Sam
Ok so does this Galarian Mr. Rime stop damage counters being placed or not?
Jaxsin
Yes. Any text on an attack except its Damage is considered an effect (damage counters, special conditions, discarding energy cards, etc). Jack’s example was to show that the same effect has had its wording updated over time. I’m sure it has a clearer definition in the original Japanese text, but clearly since they updated the English wording on modern cards, you were not alone in the confusion!
Sam
Why is Jirachi from Paradox rift worded the way it is then?
Jack
Depends on the type of damage. For regular attacks like “Tackle — 10” or attacks that say something like “does 20 damage for each heads”, then no, Mr. Rime doesn’t prevent that. For attacks that say something like “put 2 damage counters on your opponent’s Active Pokémon”, it would prevent that.
As noted, the wording of the ability isn’t great, but the long and short of it is that doing damage is not an effect, and placing damage counters is.