Missing The Timing

NOTE: Missing the Timing is a very difficult concept to get your head around and really is only for expert gameplay.

Many duelists do not use this rule when they duel and i have played many matches where even i have let this rule slide. Nonetheless though this is a rule and part of the game mechanics and it must be learnt if you want to take your dueling skills to the next level, wether it be in real life or here online. Once again i will say: Missing the Timing is a difficult concept so don't worry if you do not fully understand what it is written here. If you want to ask any questions feel free to PM me about this or reply to this post. I will do my best to try and make this understandable.


Sometimes a Trigger Effect will state that "when" a condition happens, you "can" activate its effect. In this case, you are only allowed to activate the effect when the condition being met was the last thing to happen in the game. These types of Trigger effects are called "Optional Trigger Effects" and you must choose to activate these effects yourself, they do not automatically activate.

For example:
Peten the Dark Clown follows this rule in its effect text:

Spoiler:

As you can see, you have a CHOICE to activate Peten the Dark Clown's effect only at the time that it is sent to Graveyard. The important thing to note here is that if something else happens immidiantly after Peten the Dark Clown is sent to Graveyard then the "can" option will fizzle as something else resolves and you miss the chance to actually make your choice. This is best demonstrated with an example:

Step 1. You tribute a Peten the Dark Clown and send it to the Graveyard for a Tribute Summon.
Step 2. You Normal Summon a Destiny Hero - Dasher.
Step 3. Your opponent has a chance to activate a card in response to your Summon.
Step 4. Destiny Hero Dasher's Summon is resolved.

There is no chance you can activate Peten the Dark Clown in any of or inbetween any of these stages of gameplay. So you effectively Miss the Timing.

NOTE: This only applies to effects that state: "When...you can...".
- It does not apply to any effects that state "If...you can..." like "Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem".
- It does not apply to any effects that state "After...you can..." like "Voltanis the Adjudicator".
Effects like these can never miss the timing.

Also note that Optional Trigger Effects can also be found on Spell & Trap Cards.