Basic Card Text

This will be an explanation of part of PST in Effect Monsters. This will explain whether a effect will activate and if it will Resolve or "Fizzle".


"When/If this card destroys a monster by battle..."

This text reads, when a monster you control destroys an opponent's card by battle, its effect will activate and resolve on the field.

Ex.

and let's use a monster like Man-Eater Bug as the target monster...


If Jurrac Guaiba attacks Man-Eater Bug and destroys it by battle, its effect will activate even if Man-Eater Bug targets it with its Flip Effect and destroys Jurrac Guaiba when resolving the Chain.

however, monsters with this text have a different ruling...

"When/If this card destroys a monster by battle, and sends it to the Graveyard..."

Monsters whose triggers involve just destroying by battle, but not caring about where the attack target goes, don't care about needing to stay face-up at the end of the Damage Step, because their triggers were already met right after damage calculation occurred (even though the effect itself doesn't activate until the end of the Damage Step); monsters are destroyed during Damage Calculation, but don't reach the Graveyard until later." 

Let's use the same scenario, but instead of Jurrac Guaiba, let's use Crimson Blader.

Ex.


If Crimson Blader attacks the facedown Man-Eater Bug and Man-Eater Bug targets Crimson Blader with its effect before it is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard and destroys Crimson Blader and sends it to the Graveyard, Crimson Blader will no longer be face-up to actvate its effect.

Monsters whose triggers involve destroying by battle and sending to the Graveyard need to be face-up on the field to see their attack target reach the Graveyard by battle. This trigger is only met at the end of the Damage Step.