Activator play, Special retrieval

[gameplan.exe]

I was thinking about building a Muir Island battlesite when a couple of Specials stood out to me as being pretty useful, given the right context and timing. When I was looking at them, it occured to me that some of them fall into a bit of a gray area... I was reading in the rules and it states:

If a player is exchanging an Activator card for a Special card that acts as an attack, then the Activator card must immediately be played as an attack.

There were 2 cards that were particularly intriguing here, Shadowcat's HQ and Captain Britain's KL.

In both of these cases, you may want to have those cards available at your first turn, but not necessarily to use them in your first turn. In particular, it would be nice to retrieve them befor your opponent plays DoW. I can see there would be a little bit of disagreement regarding the KL, since I could conceive it being considered an attack (attacking the Specials, but not the Opponent or Characters). But the HQ, while an offensive action, has never been considered an attack (consider the restriction NN Special puts into place - you couldn't play an HQ if NN is in place, right?).

So, my real question is, can I use my turn to exchange for my HQ (or possibly KL), but not play it that turn? Or is this rule just poorly worded and it should say, "If a player is exchanging an Activator card for a Special card that can be used as an offensive action, then the Activator card must immediately be played that turn."?

[Nostalgic]

Yea I think playing the Activator to retrieve the card is the same as playing the card.

[Jesse]

I thought you played the activator to play the card whether on defense or offense. I.E. if someone attacks you and you play your activator to get an avoid 1 attack from your site. To me it isn't an option to play some right away or hold on to some for later, it's an all or nothing. But I could be wrong.

[gameplan.exe]

I thought you played the activator to play the card whether on defense or offense. I.E. if someone attacks you and you play your activator to get an avoid 1 attack from your site. To me it isn't an option to play some right away or hold on to some for later, it's an all or nothing. But I could be wrong.

well, the rules do specify the defensive action, stating that if the Activator is used to pull a Special that will be used as a defensive action, then the exchange must be part of a defensive action.

So, you definitely cannot pull an Avoid attack and save it for later. But, a card like HQ (or even BR, DS, EQ, AH, BG, to name a few others from Muir Island) are not attacks and also may be played as a non-defensive action.

I'm not saying it is legal, or even that it should be legal, but it is an interesting loop-hole.

(also, it seems like a waste of a turn to exchange for some of those cards and not play them, but there are times when I wished I could waste a turn before having to pass).

[Jesse]

I thought you played the activator to play the card whether on defense or offense. I.E. if someone attacks you and you play your activator to get an avoid 1 attack from your site. To me it isn't an option to play some right away or hold on to some for later, it's an all or nothing. But I could be wrong.

well, the rules do specify the defensive action, stating that if the Activator is used to pull a Special that will be used as a defensive action, then the exchange must be part of a defensive action.

So, you definitely cannot pull an Avoid attack and save it for later. But, a card like HQ (or even BR, DS, EQ, AH, BG, to name a few others from Muir Island) are not attacks and also may be played as a non-defensive action.

I'm not saying it is legal, or even that it should be legal, but it is an interesting loop-hole.

(also, it seems like a waste of a turn to exchange for some of those cards and not play them, but there are times when I wished I could waste a turn before having to pass).

I understand what you mean. I was under the impression though that whatever you played on offense was essential considered an 'attack' becasue it was offense and left the opponent the opportunity to counter or negate?

[gameplan.exe]

I understand what you mean. I was under the impression though that whatever you played on offense was essential considered an 'attack' becasue it was offense and left the opponent the opportunity to counter or negate?

Well, that's just it, that can't quite be the definition of "attack" or else the way the NN-Special is handled would be different. That special says, "Only Special cards that act as attacks may be played."
If all Specials were either attacks or defenses, then it could also be read, "No defensive Special cards may be played this battle."
However, when the NN-Special is in play, you can't use an HQ, BR, DS, AY, etc.

[Jack]

If I understand your post, you want to use your attack turn to swap an activator with a battlesite special.

That's not allowed. Battlesite specials never go into your hand.

[gameplan.exe]

If I understand your post, you want to use your attack turn to swap an activator with a battlesite special.

That's not allowed. Battlesite specials never go into your hand.

This is exactly what I want to do, but I can't find any rules regulating it.

[Demacus]

So, help me here on how activator function breaks down in.

I know that if you use an activator for offense, you are technically "attacking" with the activator, but you don't actually target your opponent's character with the activator itself.  So why, when I use a Hulk activator to Power Leap at Green Lantern, can he use a Goin' Ballistic to avoid 1 card with a strength icon, when the Power Leap itself clearly does not contain said icon?

There seems to be a rule, though I'm not sure where it's written,  which states that any action from a battlesite would contain the icons of the character that the special belongs to.  Shouldn't the rule that forces actions made with Activators to contain all icons due to the icon being present on the activator also apply to Any Hero specials, since the character playing the special would have the same 3-4 icons present on his character card?

Seems an odd rule, since if the Hulk were to Power Leap Green Lantern without the use of an activator, Goin' Ballistic would be useless to defend him, but because the Hulk is making a guest appearance to assist my team, Power Leap is now suddenly defendable by Goin' Ballistic.  I really just don't understand why this is the case.

[Jack]

You just don't, this would open up a huge loop hole for turn burning.

The action of playing an activator is atomic, you exchange an activator for a special, that special gets resolved in whatever manner it has to.

The rule book likely confused "attack" with "offensive action".

[gameplan.exe]

You just don't, this would open up a huge loop hole for turn burning.

The action of playing an activator is atomic, you exchange an activator for a special, that special gets resolved in whatever manner it has to.

The rule book likely confused "attack" with "offensive action".

It would actually be a pretty narrow loophole. Not many Specials are placed/used under Battlesites that would fit this description.

But I do hear your point and it is, in fact, how I've always played it. Like I said, though, I couldn't find any rule regulating it. If it was never written/judged as a rule, that only means no one has tried to do it. Just because no one has tried something, doesn't mean no one should.

p.s.

In other words, just because everyone assumes it's wrong, doesn't make it wrong.

[Jesse]

You just don't, this would open up a huge loop hole for turn burning.

The action of playing an activator is atomic, you exchange an activator for a special, that special gets resolved in whatever manner it has to.

The rule book likely confused "attack" with "offensive action".

Thats essentially how I took it. it would be like keeping my team of HQ users  and drawing 3 all day long....

....I do understand the thought ncann and it is a good point...

[Palatinus]

So, help me here on how activator function breaks down in.

I know that if you use an activator for offense, you are technically "attacking" with the activator, but you don't actually target your opponent's character with the activator itself.  So why, when I use a Hulk activator to Power Leap at Green Lantern, can he use a Goin' Ballistic to avoid 1 card with a strength icon, when the Power Leap itself clearly does not contain said icon?

There seems to be a rule, though I'm not sure where it's written,  which states that any action from a battlesite would contain the icons of the character that the special belongs to.  Shouldn't the rule that forces actions made with Activators to contain all icons due to the icon being present on the activator also apply to Any Hero specials, since the character playing the special would have the same 3-4 icons present on his character card?

Seems an odd rule, since if the Hulk were to Power Leap Green Lantern without the use of an activator, Goin' Ballistic would be useless to defend him, but because the Hulk is making a guest appearance to assist my team, Power Leap is now suddenly defendable by Goin' Ballistic.  I really just don't understand why this is the case.

I believe the issue you are talking about here has to do with something mentioned before, elsewhere.  Each card used in the attack is considered part of the attack.

[Demacus]

So, exchanging an activator for a special under the battlesite is considered part of the attack/defense?  So, exchanging Wonder Woman's Blessed By The Gods for a lvl 8F teamwork, then attacking Professor X with that teamwork, he could use Psychic Shield to defend the teamwork?

[BasiliskFang]

no? im leaning towards no.


because if so, you could use LO as well.