Marvel Champions Codex

RulingHall of Heroes (rules 1.5)2024-06-13

208 – I’m trying to understand the interaction between defending at the start of an enemy activation, and…

⚠ This ruling is from an older rules version (Hall of Heroes (rules 1.5)) and might be outdated.

Question

208 – I’m trying to understand the interaction between defending at the start of an enemy activation, and using interrupts with “when attacks you” timing. For example, Powerful Punch, Mutant Protectors, and Magik’s Colossus ally. Can you tell me which of the following plays are allowed, and who is the final defender in each case?

1. Player 1 is being attacked, they play Powerful Punch, and then Colossus from their hand. 2. Player 1 is being attacked, Player 2 plays Powerful Punch, and then plays Colossus from their hand. 3. Player 1 is being attacked, Player 2 plays Powerful Punch, then Player 1 plays Colossus from their hand. 4. Player 1 is being attacked, Player 1 plays Mutant Protectors, then plays Colossus from their hand. 5. Player 1 is being attacked, Player 2 plays Mutant Protectors, can either player then play Colossus from their hand?

Answer

To answer your question(s):

  1. P1 can play both because the attack was initiated against them and both interrupts resolve in the same window. In this case, P1 “locks in” being defender when they play Powerful Punch, and while Colossus can still be played, he does not become defender.
  2. P2 can play Powerful Punch to become defender, but cannot play Colossus because the enemy did not initiate an attack against them. (“When an enemy attacks you” = “when an enemy initiates an attack against you”)
  3. P2 becomes defender upon playing Powerful Punch, and since the enemy initiated its attack against P1, they can play Colossus but he does not become defender.
  4. We weren’t sure if P1 was playing Colossus with Mutant Protectors, or after playing a different ally with Mutant Protectors. If P1 plays Colossus with MP, they have to follow the ability on MP, declaring him defender and exhausting him. If P1 plays a different ally with MP, they declare that one defender of the attack, and they can still play Colossus with his ability afterward but he does not become defender.
  5. If P1 plays Colossus with MP, they have to follow the ability on MP, declaring him defender and exhausting him.
  6. If P1 plays a different ally with MP, they declare that one defender of the attack, and they can still play Colossus with his ability afterward but he does not become defender.
  7. Either player can play Mutant Protectors here, but only P1 could play Colossus from their hand because they were the one initiated against.

— Alex