Digimon Retaliation: deleting after losing battle
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Retaliation deletes the opposing Digimon it battled when only your Digimon with Retaliation is deleted in that battle. It does not protect your Digimon from losing, and it is not a response to every deletion effect. Determine how the Digimon was deleted and whether its battle opponent is an ordinary battle-area Digimon before applying the keyword.
Identify the deletion event
Digimon's current comprehensive rules define Retaliation as a mandatory triggered effect tied to battle deletion. The crucial information is not simply that your card reached the trash. Deletion by a card effect, deletion through zero DP and losing an ordinary Digimon battle are different events.
When learning the keyword, write the event as a sentence: “My Digimon was deleted in battle with that opponent's Digimon.” If that sentence does not describe what happened, Retaliation is not a generic tool for deleting whichever opposing Digimon you choose. Its battle relationship supplies the relevant opponent; the keyword is not a free selection from the whole board.
The word “just” in the current rules also matters. In a tied battle where both Digimon are deleted, do not invent an extra Retaliation choice. The ordinary battle has already deleted both. A situation in which only your Retaliation Digimon loses produces the keyword's relevant subsequent processing.
A lower-DP Digimon can remove a larger opponent
Use hypothetical Digimon with no other applicable effects. Your 4,000-DP Digimon with Retaliation attacks a legal suspended 9,000-DP opposing Digimon. Your Digimon loses the battle and is deleted. Retaliation then deletes the opposing Digimon it battled, assuming no effect prevents or replaces that deletion.
The result is a trade of those two Digimon, not your small Digimon surviving. Its value depends on the stack and cards you lose as well as the opponent's lost object. If your attacker carries several digivolution cards, count that physical investment when comparing the trade. “Small printed DP” does not guarantee “cheap exchange.”
Reverse the numbers: your hypothetical 9,000-DP Retaliation Digimon defeats a 4,000-DP opposing Digimon and survives. Your Digimon was not deleted in battle, so the Retaliation condition is not generated by that victory. The keyword is a consequence of the relevant loss, not a bonus delete for winning.
| Hypothetical event | Does Retaliation provide its battle-deletion result? |
|---|---|
| Only the Retaliation Digimon loses an ordinary Digimon battle | Yes, check the resulting effect and protection |
| Retaliation Digimon survives and defeats the opponent | No relevant own battle deletion |
| Both Digimon lose a tied battle | Both are already deleted; do not invent a new target |
| Retaliation Digimon is deleted by an Option effect | Not from that effect deletion alone |
| Retaliation Digimon reaches zero DP | Not an ordinary battle-deletion trigger |
A security Digimon is not a battle-area target
A Digimon revealed from security participates in the security-check procedure. It is not the same as a Digimon remaining in the opponent's battle area. Retaliation does not let you select a different opposing Digimon after your attacker loses a battle against a security Digimon.
For a practice example, your 5,000-DP Retaliation attacker checks a 10,000-DP security Digimon. Your attacker can lose that security battle and be deleted. You do not then point at a 12,000-DP Digimon sitting elsewhere on the opponent's board and delete it with Retaliation. That unit was never the battle opponent.
Similarly, if a Security effect deletes your attacking Digimon before an ordinary security battle, classify that departure correctly as effect deletion. The result is still a deleted attacker, but Retaliation's trigger does not become broader because the effect came from a revealed security card. Keep the Security effect and battle comparison separate.
Retaliation's deletion is an effect
The initial loss is a battle event; the keyword's subsequent instruction deletes the opponent through an effect. A protection or replacement that applies to that effect can matter even if it did not prevent the earlier battle. Do not describe Retaliation as setting the opponent's DP to zero or retroactively making both Digimon lose the battle.
Imagine an opposing Digimon with a relevant protection against deletion by effects. Your smaller Retaliation Digimon can still be deleted by battle, yet the resulting deletion instruction may fail to remove the protected opponent. You paid the loss of your attacker without necessarily removing the other Digimon. Check the complete protection text, duration and applicable player perspective.
This distinction also explains why a separate guide to Barrier or Evade cannot be used as a universal answer. Those abilities have their own procedures and eligibility. When combining them with a Retaliation scenario, ask what event each ability is trying to prevent or replace and when that event occurs.
Inherited Retaliation must actually be active
A digivolution card's inherited text is relevant under the rules for inherited effects. The card's ordinary main effect box is not automatically inherited by the Digimon above it. If a lower card supplies Retaliation only as an inherited effect, confirm the active stack has that inherited effect and meets any printed condition before counting on it.
In a test deck, mark the card supplying the keyword and the Digimon currently using it. If the relevant digivolution card is removed before battle, re-evaluate the attacker. A remembered ability from the beginning of the turn is not evidence that it remains available at the moment of deletion.
This is a practical buying distinction too. An attractive Digimon with Retaliation in its own main text might not be the inherited source your deck needs. Record the card number and which text box provides the role. Two cards with the same keyword visible in photographs can supply different mechanical functions.
Plan legal attacks rather than assuming forced removal
An ordinary attack still requires a legal attacker and target. Retaliation does not grant Rush, let you attack an active Digimon without permission, or compel an opponent to select your preferred target. If your intended battle cannot be declared, the keyword never reaches the loss you planned.
For an original training drill, list three opposing Digimon and mark which are legal attack targets under the current board. Then identify whether any legal target has relevant effect protection. Only after those checks compare DP and stack cost. This approach evaluates an actual removal line instead of assuming that every Retaliation card is an unrestricted destroy spell.
Frequently asked questions
Does Retaliation save my Digimon from being deleted?
No. The keyword requires the relevant own deletion in battle before producing its subsequent deletion instruction. It is not battle-damage prevention.
Can I choose another opposing Digimon after losing a security battle?
No. Retaliation does not create a board-wide target choice. A different battle-area Digimon was not the opponent in that security battle.
Does deleting my Digimon with an Option activate Retaliation?
Not from that effect deletion alone. Retaliation's condition is the specified deletion in battle; merely arriving in the trash is insufficient.