The Tool Desk
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Magic Cylinder cannot legally be activated targeting a face-up Obelisk the Tormentor. Magic Cylinder targets the attacking monster, while Obelisk’s official text says neither player can target it with card effects. Because the required target is illegal, Magic Cylinder does not negate Obelisk’s attack and does not inflict damage equal to Obelisk’s ATK.
This is a targeting restriction, not a statement that Obelisk is unaffected by every card effect. The distinction matters whenever you are deciding whether a card can be activated against one of the Egyptian God cards.
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Can Magic Cylinder target Obelisk?
No. The official Magic Cylinder card text begins its effect with: “When an opponent’s monster declares an attack: Target the attacking monster; negate the attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to its ATK.”
The official Obelisk the Tormentor card entry says: “Neither player can target this card with card effects.” Those two sentences directly conflict when Obelisk is the attacking monster: Magic Cylinder requires Obelisk to be its target, and Obelisk’s text prohibits that target selection.
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Therefore, a face-up Obelisk cannot be the legal target for Magic Cylinder’s attack-negation effect.
What does Magic Cylinder actually target?
Magic Cylinder does not target the attack, the attacking player, or the damage that would be dealt. It targets the specific monster that declared the attack. That target requirement is the key to the ruling.
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The effect has three connected parts:
- An opponent’s monster must declare an attack.
- Magic Cylinder must target that attacking monster.
- If the effect resolves successfully, the attack is negated and damage equal to the targeted monster’s ATK is inflicted.
The first condition is met when Obelisk declares an attack. The second condition cannot be met because Obelisk cannot be targeted by card effects. Since the effect cannot be legally activated with an illegal target, the later attack-negation and damage instructions never become available.
Why does Obelisk’s text stop the activation?
Obelisk’s protection is written as a prohibition on targeting: “Neither player can target this card with card effects.” It applies to both players and does not depend on who controls the effect. If your opponent controls Obelisk, you still cannot select it as Magic Cylinder’s target. If you control Obelisk, your opponent still cannot select it.
The wording also identifies the scope of the protection. It says Obelisk cannot be targeted, rather than saying Obelisk is unaffected by card effects. Those are different rules concepts. A card that targets Obelisk is stopped at the targeting requirement; a card that does not target may need a separate analysis under its own text and the current rules.
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That distinction is why it is inaccurate to summarize the interaction as “Obelisk is immune.” The precise ruling is narrower: Magic Cylinder’s effect targets the attacking monster, and a face-up Obelisk cannot be that target.
What happens when Obelisk declares an attack?
Use this sequence to check the play at the table:
- Obelisk declares the attack. This is the event that would allow Magic Cylinder to be considered, because its effect begins with an opponent’s monster declaring an attack.
- Check the proposed target. Magic Cylinder would have to target the attacking Obelisk. Obelisk’s text forbids either player from targeting it with card effects.
- Reject the activation. Because the target is not legal, Magic Cylinder cannot be legally activated targeting that Obelisk.
- Continue the Battle Phase. There is no Magic Cylinder effect resolving to negate the attack, so the attack is not stopped by Magic Cylinder. No Magic Cylinder effect damage is inflicted.
This is not a case where the trap activates and then simply “does nothing” after resolving. The problem exists at the point of activation because the required target cannot be selected.
Does Magic Cylinder negate the attack or deal damage anyway?
No. Neither result occurs in this interaction. Magic Cylinder’s text links the two results with “and if you do”: it negates the attack, and only if that negation occurs does it inflict damage equal to the targeted monster’s ATK.
Since there is no legal target, there is no successful Magic Cylinder resolution against the attacking Obelisk. The attack remains in place, and Magic Cylinder does not inflict 4,000 points of effect damage merely because Obelisk has 4,000 ATK.
The 4,000 ATK value is still relevant to Obelisk’s ordinary battle calculations, but it does not bypass the targeting restriction. Damage cannot be created from a Magic Cylinder effect that could not legally be activated.
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Can Magic Cylinder work if another monster attacks while Obelisk is on the field?
Yes, provided the other attacking monster is a legal target and all other activation requirements are met. Obelisk’s protection applies to Obelisk itself; it does not automatically make every monster on the field an illegal target.
For example, if an opponent controls Obelisk and a different face-up monster declares an attack, Magic Cylinder can target that different monster if its own text and the game state allow it. On resolution, Magic Cylinder would attempt to negate that attack and inflict damage equal to the other monster’s ATK. The presence of Obelisk does not transfer its targeting restriction to unrelated monsters.
Conversely, if the attacking monster is Obelisk, changing your intended target to Obelisk after activation is not a solution. The card’s target must be legal when you activate the effect.
Is Obelisk unaffected by every card effect?
No. “Cannot be targeted” and “unaffected by card effects” are not interchangeable phrases. Obelisk’s listed text establishes a targeting restriction, so the first question for any proposed effect is whether that effect targets Obelisk.
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Magic Cylinder clearly does: its effect explicitly says “Target the attacking monster.” That makes this interaction straightforward. An effect with different wording may require a different ruling, especially if it changes the game without selecting Obelisk as a target. Do not use the Magic Cylinder ruling as a blanket answer for every card effect aimed at Obelisk.
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For the exact wording used in a current event or deck, compare the printed text with Konami’s current card database and the official Yu-Gi-Oh! rulebook. The relevant question is always what the effect says it targets, not whether the card feels powerful or important.
How do Obelisk’s 4,000 ATK and 4,000 DEF values affect the ruling?
Konami’s current Obelisk entry lists 4,000 ATK and 4,000 DEF. Those are the card’s printed specifications, not a special exception to Magic Cylinder’s targeting rule.
If Magic Cylinder could legally target an attacking monster with 4,000 ATK, its effect would use that monster’s ATK for the damage instruction. In the Obelisk interaction, however, the effect never reaches that instruction because Obelisk cannot be selected as the target. The number is therefore not a reason Magic Cylinder succeeds, fails, or deals a different amount; the target restriction decides the result first.
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What are the most common misplays?
- Targeting the attack instead of Obelisk: Magic Cylinder does not target an attack declaration. Its text targets the attacking monster.
- Assuming any trap can be used during an attack: The attack timing requirement is only one part of the effect. The target must also be legal.
- Calling Obelisk completely immune: The card text bars targeting, not every possible card effect. Other effects must be checked on their own wording.
- Applying the 4,000 ATK value automatically: Magic Cylinder does not inflict 4,000 damage unless it successfully resolves against a legal 4,000-ATK target.
- Waiting for resolution to fix an illegal target: You cannot activate Magic Cylinder against Obelisk and hope the game accepts the play later. The target is illegal at activation.
- Extending the restriction to every monster: A different attacking monster can still be a legal Magic Cylinder target even when Obelisk is also on the field.
How should you check a proposed Magic Cylinder play?
Ask these questions in order:
- Has an opponent’s monster actually declared an attack? If not, Magic Cylinder’s stated timing condition has not occurred.
- Which monster declared the attack? That is the monster Magic Cylinder must target.
- Does that monster have text preventing it from being targeted by card effects? For Obelisk, the answer is yes.
- If the target is legal, would the effect be able to resolve? Only then do the attack-negation and ATK-based damage instructions matter.
This checklist keeps the ruling focused on the decisive issue instead of starting with Obelisk’s ATK, the amount of potential damage, or the card’s status as an Egyptian God.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What if the attacking monster is not Obelisk?
Magic Cylinder’s target restriction is specific to the monster named by the effect as the target. If a different opponent’s monster declares the attack and that monster can be targeted, Obelisk’s presence does not prevent Magic Cylinder from being used against it.
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The result then follows Magic Cylinder’s ordinary text: the targeted attack is negated, and if that negation succeeds, the opponent takes damage equal to the targeted monster’s ATK. The ATK value must come from the monster actually targeted, not from Obelisk elsewhere on the field.
Does this ruling cover a face-down Obelisk?
The direct ruling in this interaction concerns a face-up Obelisk whose protection text is active and visible in the game state. A face-down-card situation can involve different information and targeting questions, so it should not be treated as an automatic extension of the face-up ruling.
When a card is face-down or its status changes during a chain, use the current card text and the applicable rulebook procedure rather than assuming the same result without checking the exact game state.
What is the final ruling?
Magic Cylinder does not work on a face-up Obelisk the Tormentor. Magic Cylinder must target the attacking monster, and Obelisk’s official text prevents either player from targeting it with card effects. As a result, Magic Cylinder cannot be legally activated against Obelisk’s attack; the attack is not negated and no Magic Cylinder effect damage is inflicted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I activate Magic Cylinder against Obelisk before it declares an attack?
No. Magic Cylinder’s effect specifically requires an opponent’s monster to declare an attack, so it cannot be activated preemptively. Even after the declaration, a face-up Obelisk remains an illegal target because of its own text.
If Obelisk attacks and another monster is also involved in the battle, which card does Magic Cylinder target?
It must target the opponent’s monster that declared the attack. You cannot redirect the effect to a non-attacking monster, and you cannot choose Obelisk if Obelisk is the attacker.
Would Magic Cylinder inflict 4,000 damage if Obelisk’s ATK is 4,000?
No. The 4,000 ATK value matters only after Magic Cylinder legally targets and successfully negates an attack. Because Obelisk cannot be targeted, the damage instruction is never reached.
Does Obelisk’s targeting restriction protect other monsters I control?
No. The restriction applies to Obelisk itself, not to every card on its controller’s field. A separate attacking monster can be targeted if that monster is otherwise legal.
