(153) Specials which can make other cards (Specials, Power cards, etc.) usable allow you to keep those unusable cards in hand during the discard phase. The Special to make them usable must be available (e.g., Placed, in Hand, available through a specific draw - not through a random draw).
sean and i were going back and forth a bit on this one. i interpret this as saying if i can get a card 100%, (ie, i have a search card) that makes another card usable i can keep it (say i have a tw, but no power card, and nightcrawlers power port)
sean says that the parentheses at the end don't apply to card i'm retrieving, but the card i'm using to retrieve (that is, i can keep a tw without a power card if i have an HQ, since i might draw a power card randomly), and the term 'available' applies to the entire draw pile
thoughts?
The Nightcrawler example is good, it is specific and not random.
The HQ example is no good, it is a random draw and you cannot control what is drawn.
The term 'available' mention isn't even talking about what cards are in the draw pile, it is clearly referring to the what you can currently play to make something else usable.
The best way to clear this is up to look at Morph - Substitute Death:
1. If you have it placed on Morph, you can keep the unusable cards of the KO teammate, as you can potentially sub. death to switch out the teammate.
2. If you have it in hand, you can keep the unusable, as you can use it to switch for the teammate.
3. If and only if you play a DS special (from a battlesite) on Morph to get the sub. death card, which then later you can play to switch for the teammate.
However, Sean is half right in regards to what is in the draw pile, if sub. death was already discarded (ie. concede, BW specials, etc.), then it is no longer available and you cannot keep the unusable. IF you have a BQ special that you can use to retrieve and use the sub. death special, then you can keep the unusable.
bamf!
the other thing about the way I've always interpreted this rule, is that it has to be a self-contained sort of ability to get to the card, making others usable. This is one of my favorite things about the X-World Homebase, by the way...
That brings me to my other point to mention, though. If one of my characters is dead, and I draw Specials for the KO'd while I have the Aspect placed to the Homebase (which works the same as Sub Death), then I can keep those KO'd Specials; however, I cannot keep the KO'd Specials because I have Wolverine's OB available (via Battlesite). This is because the secondary effect of Tracking Senses depends on my Opponent's potential reaction.
as for the debate you had with BBH... I'm not sure what he was contending, exactly...