The STS would effectively count at the first Worlds event for the Pokmon TCGgiven that it also invited international playersand there would ultimately be four STS events before the first proper Worlds event in 2002 in Seattle (West Coast 2000, East Coast 2000, East Coast 2001 and West Coast 2001)
With hundreds of sets available and prices ranging from $30 to over $1,000 per box, many new collectors ask the same question: "If I have around $200 to spend, which Pokmon booster boxes should I buy?" The good news is that you don't need to spend thousands of dollars to enjoy Pokmon collecting
"When [...] would leave the battle area other than by battle" refers to when this Digimon is placed in the trash other than as a result of a battle, returned to the hand/deck, placed in the security stack, moved to the breeding area, or placed under another card
This kind of card would slot well into the latter, so you'd just be looking at another flavor of Affinity decks popping up and wreaking havoc once more