Combat Phase - Attacking and the Combat Phase
An attack is an event that may be initiated by a player through an ally object or a champion object to an attackable unit or object.
All units may attack the turn they enter the field as long as they are awake
Attacks are declared as a slow player action during a player’s main phase.
Attacks can’t be performed by units without a power stat or with 0 or less power.
Attacking will rest the attacking unit as a cost to declaring an attack or activating an attack card.
If there are any additional costs imposed for declaring attacks, they must be paid as attacks are being declared. If they can’t be paid, the attack can’t be declared.
Attacking is a player action that begins a Combat phase.
Only one combat phase will be initiated per attack declaration and only one combat phase may resolve at a time. No player receives Opportunity during attack declarations.
If an attack card resolves during combat and a new attack declaration is attempted, it will fizzle and combat will continue as normal.
Attacking has steps involving attack activation (if it is an attack card), declaration of the attack, and initiation of a Combat phase involving a Retaliation step, then a Damage step.
Attack cards can still be activated without a legal target in play, however, the attack will immediately fizzle when a target declaration can’t occur.
Attack declarations from allies and champions must specify the attack target during declaration. If there is no valid target, the attack cannot be declared.
Target declarations of attacks using attack cards are declared after the attack cards resolve and enter a champion’s intent zone. There is no window between an attack card resolving and entering the intent zone in which a player is given Opportunity.
After an attack declaration, units and players involved in the initiated combat phase assume certain roles. The player controlling the attacked units is designated as the defending player and the player controlling the attacking units is designated as the attacking player. The unit attacking immediately is designated an attacking unit. Similarly, the target/targets of the attack also becomes/become the defending unit/units. The role of attacking and defending players remains defined until the end of the combat phase, regardless of whether any units are currently attacking or defending.
If a defending unit becomes an illegal or invalid target for an ongoing attack, the defending unit immediately stops being a defending unit as a result of state-based effects.
If an attacking unit has no valid or legal attack targets at any point in combat, it immediately stops being an attacking unit as a result of state-based effects.
Attacks performed through a champion may be performed through the use of a weapon, through activating an attack card, attacking normally if the champion has a power stat greater than 0, or any combination of these simultaneously.
Attacks performed with a weapon may be performed in the main phase using slow timing conventions.
If a player attacks through their champion using an attack card, the player must announce whether or not they will use a weapon during the attack declaration (after the attack card has resolved and enters the intent zone).
The power stat of the champion (if the champion has a power stat) and all of the cards, objects, and effects involved in the attack as well as damage-altering effects are combined only during the damage step. Cards and objects used in an attack can include any cards in the intent zone, weapons used during the attack, or any other cards specified during attack declarations. All cards and objects involved in an attack will contribute their power during damage calculation, regardless of card typing.
If a weapon leaves the field before damage is dealt by a champion, any damage that would be dealt due to the weapon will not be calculated during the damage step of the combat phase. If the weapon is type-changed during an attack it was used, it will still be considered as a card involved in the attack and will still contribute its power in the damage calculation if it still has a power stat.
After an attack card resolves, it enters the intent where the attack is reflected and modifiers may affect it.
To represent a resolved attack card, players should place the card somewhere in the play area visible to all players and this will be considered a part of the intent until the end of combat.
While in the intent until the Damage Step, the attack is subject to any effects that may modify that attack.
E.g., Lorraine using Wind Cutter will trigger Wind Cutter’s On Hit effect whenever she deals damage using Wind Cutter.
If an attacking unit were to leave the field before the damage step, that unit would never deal the damage it would have dealt.
If an object being attacked were to leave the field before the damage step, that object would never be dealt the damage it would have been dealt.
An attacking unit will cease being an attacker after losing each of its attack targets.
Players can’t attack units they control.
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