Hearing the gasps of the surrounding students, Nash inevitably felt a faint sense of pride; however, he immediately forced that feeling down.
He continued, "Xyz Monsters not only ignore effects that target Levels, they also cannot be used as materials for Synchro Summons or Ritual Summons, which require Levels. However, while Xyz Monsters ignore effects related to Levels, they are affected by effects related to Rank.
"And that brings me to the first characteristic of Xyz Summoning I want to tell you—the matter of their Level!"
"Next is the second point—the categories of an Xyz Monster's effects. I already used Nightmare Shark's effect just now, but did you notice that I didn't consume any of Nightmare Shark's Xyz Materials when I used that effect?"
Alicia nodded. "That's true—you didn't use any of Nightmare Shark's materials to activate that effect."
"Right," Nash said. "This is the classification of Xyz Monster effects.
"Most Xyz Monsters must detach their own Xyz Materials when using their effects. These effects are usually powerful, but because of the limited number of materials, their activation is restricted. In the Chaos Empire, we call these 'Xyz Effects.'
"That said, some Xyz Monsters, in addition to having Xyz Effects, also have regular monster effects that don't require detaching materials. The one I used earlier from Nightmare Shark was its monster effect—it attaches a Level 3 WATER monster from your hand or field as material when it is Special Summoned.
"This guarantees that when Nightmare Shark appears from the Extra Deck, it has at least three chances to use Xyz Effects. It also ensures that even if it is defeated and revived from the Graveyard, it will still have one opportunity to use an Xyz Effect.
"As for what its Xyz Effect is… you'll see if the opportunity arises."
At those words, Yuui raised an eyebrow. "This Chaos Empire must be bored out of their minds… monster effect is monster effect, and they still bothered splitting it into 'Xyz Effect' and 'Monster Effect.' Truly, nothing better to do."
Hearing that, Alicia could only smile bitterly and comfort him, "Alright, Yuui-san! Still, he is explaining it in detail, isn't he?"
Then Nash said, "Of course, this second point isn't all that important—it's just something I mentioned to help you better understand Xyz Monsters.
"Now onto the third point—the properties of Xyz Materials."
"The properties of Xyz Materials!?"
"Yes, and this is something many duelists who use Xyz Summoning don't understand," Nash spoke seriously. "Let me give you an example. Do you remember in our first duel—the two materials for my Shark Drake were Left-Hand Shark and Right-Hand Shark?"
Alicia thought for a moment. "Of course. Those two monsters granted your Shark Drake immunity to destruction by battle and effects. That was quite a powerful ability. If my Grand Neos hadn't been able to counter that ability, I might have lost that duel."
At those words, Nash's mouth twitched slightly, and among the crowd, Ace struggled to hold in his laughter.
After a brief silence, Nash forced himself to remain calm. "Correct. When Left-Hand Shark and Right-Hand Shark became materials for Shark Drake, they granted it resistance to being destroyed by battle or effects.
"And I can tell you—even if you use ultra-rare card skills, you cannot negate this resistance."
"What!" Alicia froze, and the surrounding Class E students once again gasped in shock—even Professor White frowned in surprise.
"Seems this kid really does know his stuff about Xyz Monsters," Yuui said slowly. "Alicia, listen carefully. Even if it doesn't come up often, this point is very important. If he says something wrong, I'll explain it later—I forgot to teach you this part earlier."
"Alright, Yuui-san!" Alicia nodded instinctively. Seeing this, Nash found her reaction strange but continued anyway: "The reason is that even though Xyz Materials are stacked beneath the Xyz Monster card, they are not treated as cards on the field.
"So monsters, spells, or traps that are used as Xyz Materials are unaffected by effects that target cards. They are only affected by effects that specifically target Xyz Materials."
"Spells and traps can become Xyz Materials!?" Alicia was stunned—it was her first time hearing something like that, and she quickly glanced at Yuui.
Yuui didn't speak—he only nodded.
Nash added, "Of course, they can. There aren't many spells or traps that can become materials, but they do exist. Especially Trap Monsters—cards like the Paleozoic series. Those trap cards become monsters and can be used for Xyz Summoning."
"So there are monsters like that…" Alicia felt as though her knowledge had grown—trap cards that became monsters were something she'd never heard of.
Nash continued, "Alright, back to the main point. Monsters, spells, and traps used as materials are unaffected by effects targeting cards. They are only affected by effects targeting Xyz Materials.
"This also means that even if you negate the Xyz Monster's own effects with your monster, spell, or trap, you cannot negate effects granted to it by its Xyz Materials."
"Those three points are what I wanted to tell you about Xyz Summoning and Xyz Monsters. As for the more basic knowledge, I'll skip it. The explanation ends here—now let's see, in practical combat, whether you've understood Xyz Summoning!"
Saying that, Nash revealed a card. "The effect of Hydrojet Shark Fish in my hand—if there is a WATER Xyz Monster on the field, this card can be Special Summoned from the hand."
Twin jets of bubbles shot from the steel shark's fins as it burst through the waves and appeared.
[Hydrojet Shark, 0 DEF]
...
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