Dark spirit of the silent

[baritonalharmony]

Another issue of redirecting/altering attacks. Dark spirit of the silent's card text reads:

This card can only be activated during your opponent's Battle Step. Negate the attack of 1 monster and select another 1 of your opponent's face-up monsters and have it attack. If the new targeted attacking monster is in face-up Defense Position, change it to Attack Position.

I comprehend this as one monster stopped from attacking and another attacking instead of the chosen monster. However, that same friend mentioned in the previous post uses this trap card's effect like how he thinks patrician of darkness should be used.

Instead of having one of my other monsters attack, he just redirects that first monster's attack at one of my other monsters.

And this also brings up another good question, if I only have one monster on the field, can Dark spirit of the silent be activated if I have no other monster that can attack? The effect of another monster attacking looks like a second effect rather than a cost to negating the first monster.

Ok, thanks for reading my long-winded queries. Looking forward to the responses.

Bari

 

[Osiris]

Dark Spirit of the Silent can only make your monsters attack.

It doesn't change the monster you are targetting for an attack

Example.
Your opponent has Archfiend Soldier in Attack Position.
You have La Jinn and Beserk Gorilla.
You attack Archfiend Soldier with Beserk Gorilla
Opponent activates Dark Spirit of the Silent and states La Jinn as the new attacker
La Jinn gets destroyed and you take 100 damage

If you only have 1 monster on the field, the card cannot be activated (to my knowledge anyways)

 

[Raijinili]

If you only have 1 monster on the field, the card cannot be activated (to my knowledge anyways)

Yes, Dark Spirit must target a monster card to have attack when it activates.