What is considered "targeting" is it only targeting when it says so in text or is it targeting when it does anything to any card?

A.) The button with the word "search" is your best friend

B.) USUALLY (not always) cards that target tend to say "Choose 1" or "Select 1" or something to that end (or just "Select" and such) AND the selection takes place during the card's activation.

However, as said, it is not always the case since, for example, Creature Swap says that both players "select 1 monster", however unlike targeting cards, the selection takes place during the RESOLUTION of Creature Swap and not the activation.

For most cases, non-targeting cards usually say "all" or do NOT give you any sort of option of selection (like Smashing Ground will always go for the opponent's face-up monster with the highest DEF, regardless of you would actually want to be destroyed) or D. D. Warrior Lady removes itself and the monster it battles with without letting you actually choose any sort of target. D. D. Warrior and D. D. Assailant do not give any such option either.

Sometimes they have an effect that "blankets" all monsters like Gravity Bind affects all Level 4 or higher monsters. Even if something selects a specific type, Attribute and such like Tribe-Infecting Virus, that does NOT make it targeting since it is not going after 1 single target.


Small list of targeting cards:

All Equipment Cards
Change of Heart
Brain Control
Dark Core
Trap Hole
Sakuretsu Armor
Magic Cylinder
Draining Shield
Ring of Destruction
Exiled Force
Cybernetic Magician
Newdoria
Dark Jeroid
etc


Small list of non-targeting cards:

Raigeki
Lightning Vortex
Dark Hole
Torrential Tribute
Mirror Force
Smashing Ground
Fissure
Hammer Shot
Pole Position
Widespread Ruin
Gravity Bind
Level Limit - Area B
Time Wizard
Sand Gambler
Fairy Box
Ordeal of a Traveler
Divine Wrath
D. D. Warrior
D. D. Warrior Lady
D. D. Assailant
Dark Mirror Force
Tragedy
Swords of Revealing Light
Swords of Concealing Light
etc

In this case, the search button is not his best friend because the word "target" is in almost every other post, so he would be better off just closing his eyes and clicking his mouse until he hit a thread that "may" answer his question.

Anyway, wouldnt it just be easier to point him to Mortals Sticky on the Main Rules Forum Page?? I'm sure they appreciate hearing about how friendly the Search Button is, but like I said before, if they get you to answer the question anyway, it largely becomes pointless to say. It's like asking someone for a Dollar, and they tell you they dont have a Dollar, but they have 4 Quarters....