While in Defense Position, “Spirit Reaper” will stop all Battle Damage to your Life Points from most monsters, but monsters like “Spear Dragon” and those equipped with “Fairy Meteor Crush” can still inflict Battle Damage to your Life Points with their effects.
If attacked while face-down, “Spirit Reaper” flips face-up and its effect preventing it from being destroyed will be applied during damage calculation, so “Spirit Reaper” will not be destroyed by the attack.
If “Spirit Reaper” is attacked by “Dark Ruler Ha Des”, “Spirit Reaper” isn’t destroyed during damage calculation, so the effect of “Dark Ruler Ha Des” does not activate.
When “Spirit Reaper” is targeted by an effect, “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed by its own effect AFTER resolving the effect that targeted it. For example, if “Spirit Reaper” attacks and “Magic Cylinder” is activated, designating “Spirit Reaper”, first “Magic Cylinder” will resolve, negate the attack, and inflict 300 damage to the controller of “Spirit Reaper”. Then, after that, “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed by its effect.
“Spirit Reaper” is destroyed by its own effect after a card that targets it resolves. If a Spell Card targets it, and the activation of that Spell Card is negated (such as with “Magic Jammer”), then “Spirit Reaper” is not destroyed. However, if the effect of the Spell Card was negated, such as if “Imperial Order” is active, then “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed because the Spell Card resolves (even though its effect is negated). Even if “Imperial Order” is already active on the field, you can activate a card such as “Tribute to the Doomed” designating “Spirit Reaper”, and “Spirit Reaper” will be destroyed by its own effect.
“Spirit Reaper” is only destroyed by its own effect if it is face-up on the field when the effect designating it as a target activates, AND after the effect designating it as a target resolves. If you Special Summon “Spirit Reaper” with Monster Reborn, or flip it face-down with “Book of Moon”, or flip it face-up with “Book of Taiyou”, it is not destroyed. If a face-down “Spirit Reaper” is targeted with “Change of Heart”, then Flip Summoned, it is not destroyed because it was face-down when “Change of Heart” was activated. If “Spirit Reaper” is targeted by the effect of “Relinquished”, “Spirit Reaper” is an Equip Spell Card after the effect of “Relinquished” resolves, so it is not destroyed. If “Spirit Reaper” is removed from play with “Dimensionhole” or “Interdimensional Matter Transporter” or “Different Dimension Gate”, then it is removed from play so it is not destroyed. If “Spirit Reaper” is shuffled into the Deck with “Monster Recovery”, it’s not destroyed. If “Spirit Reaper” is returned to the hand with “Penguin Soldier”, it’s not destroyed.
If “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed by its effect during the Damage Step, such as if “Rush Recklessly” was activated to increase its ATK, destroy “Spirit Reaper” with its effect AFTER damage calculation.
“Spirit Reaper” is destroyed if equipped, including with “Heart of Clear Water”.
Examples of cards that will not destroy “Spirit Reaper” because they do not target: “Creature Swap”, “Adhesion Trap Hole”, “Spear Dragon”.
Since “Soul Exchange” targets, “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed by its own effect before you can Tribute it.
“Spirit Reaper” has a special effect for when it isn’t destroyed (as a result of battle), and a special effect for an extra reason to destroy it (when targeted by an effect). But it can still be destroyed by all other normal effects that would destroy a monster: “Cyber Jar”, “Raigeki”, etc.
If “Spirit Reaper” is Special Summoned with “Premature Burial” or “Call of the Haunted”, “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed after it is Special Summoned because it is targeted by an effect.
“Spirit Reaper” only forces your opponent to discard when “Spirit Reaper” attacks directly (such as when your opponent has no monsters on the field), AND when it inflicts at least 1 point of damage to the opponent’s Life Points. So if your opponent uses “Kuriboh”, “Waboku”, or “Tornado Wall” to prevent the damage, “Spirit Reaper” does not force the opponent to discard.
“Dreamsprite” targets 1 of your own monsters. If “Spirit Reaper” is targeted, it is destroyed after damage calculation.
“Patrician of Darkness” does not target, so “Spirit Reaper” is not destroyed if you use “Patrician of Darkness” to force your opponent to attack it.
If “Spirit Reaper” is targeted by “Riryoku”, it is destroyed, but the increase to the other monster’s ATK lasts until the end of the turn as normal.
If a Spellcaster affected by “Diffusion Wave-Motion” attacks “Spirit Reaper”, it’s just a normal attack. “Spirit Reaper” is not being targeted by “Diffusion Wave-Motion”.
If “Skill Drain” is active, “Spirit Reaper” can be equiped with Equip Cards, but if “Skill Drain” is later removed from the field “Spirit Reaper” wil be destroyed.
“Spirit Reaper” can be destroyed as a result of battle while “Skill Drain” is active.
Netrep Rulings:
If “Spirit Reaper” is targeted by a card during the Damage Step, Damage Calculation resolves as normal and then “Spirit Reaper” will destroy itself by its effect.
If “Gravekeeper’s Assailant” attacks and targets “Spirit Reaper” with its effect, “Spirit Reaper” will destroy itself by its effect and a replay will occur.
Netrep Q&As:
Q: Bob activates Snatch Steal targeting Spirit Reaper. Andrew chains Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Snatch Steal. Does Spirit Reaper still destroy itself?
A: “Spirit Reaper” is destroyed after the card that targets it resolves. “Snatch Steal” is an Equip Card. Since “Snatch Steal” was destroyed before it could resolve, it’s effect disappears and does not resolve. Since “Snatch Steal” doesn’t resolve, “Spirit Reaper” is not destroyed. Curtis Schultz, 11/09/2005