Tribute (転召, Tenshou) is an effect owned by certain Spirits of different colors. Cards with this effect have the following text:
- Tribute: Cost [X] or more → [Zone] - After paying for the summoning cost, you must send all core from one of your Cost [X] or more Spirits to the [Zone].
The effect is essentially a sacrificial summon, and aims to impose a summon condition to cards. Such summoning condition can't be bypassed, except by certain effects like The MasterDragonRider Dark-Crimson's. It mostly serves as a restriction to bring out powerful Spirits. From BS12 onward, Tribute that targets families instead of costs appeared. In Heroes Saga, a new variant, Burst Tribute, was introduced with The SuperHero Lord-Dragon-Saviour. After that, the keyword vanished. There can be multiple reasons including how Burst as a free summon mechanic with condition has outshone the double restriction of Tribute (card cost + tribute cost).
In Advent era, a lot of cards with Tribute are being remade into cards with Advent, a new mechanic with a similar structure as Tribute but skipping the normal card cost by paying the cost with one Soul Core. In True-Rebirth era, Tribute combos used back in older generations are remade into the A sides and B sides of a Rebirth card, like The SevenShogun Beelzebeat X and The SevenShogun Asmodios X.
A few things to note about Tribute:
1) Symbols of cards being sacrificed for Tribute can be used to count for the reductions of the card to be summoned via Tribute.
2) Spirits in destroyed state can be used as targets of Tribute (e.g. When summoning The LightDragon Lumiere via the (When Destroyed) effect of The HeavenStarHorse Pegaseeda, you can use Pegaseeda, which is in destroy state, as the Tribute.)
3) If cores can't be completely removed from a Spirit due to an effect (e.g. The PhantomStarDragon Gai-Asura's own effect), you can't use that Spirit as a Tribute.
4) Since Soul Core can't be sent to the Void unless being specified, you can't use a Spirit with Soul Core on it as a Tribute for cards with Tribute that sends cores to the Void.
5) You can use Imagine Brave and Spirits that have their LV1 cost changed to 0 via other effects for Tribute by putting at least one core on them and sending the core to the designated place. In such case, the Imagine Brave or the Spirit won't be depleted. But one or more core must be sent to complete the Tribute.
