RulingHall of Heroes (rules 1.6)2025-03-16

I’m playing the hero Nightcrawler against Klaw and the minion Melter is engaged with my hero. I have…

Question

I’m playing the hero Nightcrawler against Klaw and the minion Melter is engaged with my hero. I have attached BAMF! to Melter. Now Melter activates. Melters text states: [Star] The engaged player must defend against Melter’s attacks with an ally they control, if able. Am I allowed to use BAMF! to make Nightcrawler the defender of Melters attack, since BAMF! is an Interrupt, which takes place before the attack of Melter and before the step “choose defender” in the attack step? The same question, if I would play the protection event Powerful Punch, which is an Interrupt triggering on the activation of an enemy. (Or similar Interrupts, that trigger before the step “choose Defender”). Notes: I’m aware that Melter’s ability is a static effect, but the Star Icon connects it to his ATK attribute and the Interrupts above trigger to the activation and resolve even before the activation.

Answer

Melter, being an old card, has a poorly formatted ability; while it’s presented as a constant ability, it would only come into effect during the point in which you would declare a defender for his attack, which is during Step 2 of his Attack Activation. If you trigger an ability at an earlier step of his attack, such as triggering Bamf! or Powerful Punch during the attack initiation, you can declare your hero as the defender of that attack, and you would remain the defender of that attack as per the rules of defending.

— Alex