Instead is an important keyword in the Duel Masters Trading Card Game.
Some abilities say that if one thing (a game event) would happen, another thing happens instead.
For these abilities, the original event never occurs. It's replaced by an entirely new event that happens when the first event would have happened. For example, if your Aqua Knight would be destroyed, it returns to your hand. Your opponent would not be able to trigger their abilities of cards such as Mongrel Man that draw a card when a creature is destroyed as the Aqua Knight is never destroyed.
Examples include:
- Aqua Knight (If this creature would be banished, return it to your hand instead.)
- Gasbag (If this creature would be banished, put it into your mana zone instead.)