Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Can I use king rehoboam to start another battle with ashel, and use ashel's ability to bring chaledeans in to force my opponent to d/c his artifact (since I have none)?

I'm not 100% sure, but I would rule no. If Asahel is in a side battle, there is no blocker, so he cannot choose an EC to block. I'll let any other elders comment to confirm though.

I seem to remember that it would work, and Chaldeans would replace Rehoboam.

Your question isn't clear so I don't know how you could get this ruled. Also, an elder has already ruled here.

I asked about this fairly recently, and the answer I got is that it does indeed work. As long as the CTB ability is not specifically phrased to refer to "this/his next Rescue Attempt," you can replace your blocker with a CTB ability in a side-battle.

Problems I have with this as it pertains to the rules:
1. If Rehoboam is choosing two heroes, then they both enter the side-battle together.  Asahel's ability would then become a return to territory, choose opponent per the rules of CTB.  How can he return a hero and bring in an EC?  That defies all logic and rules I can find.

2. In any battle, when one side is defined as to the characters inhabiting it (heroes or EC), the rules say that you cannot bring into battle on that side a card of opposite alignment.  This thought that Asahel can replace a hero with an EC flies completely in the face of the rules.

You miss the point. Asahel is not bringing  the character into the side-battle, but the main battle.

Thank you for clarifying, that was not clear to me before what was being asked.

A choose opponent ability used before a blocker is presented acts as a restrict ability that allows your opponent to block with the selected character (if they would not normally be able to) and restricts them from blocking with any other character or choosing not to block..

A choose opponent ability used after a blocker is presented acts as a return ability that returns all characters your opponent controls in battle to their owner's territories and brings the selected character into battle.  The return and band abilities in this case are mutually dependent; if one of them is not or cannot be done, the other cannot be done either.

A choose opponent ability is instantaneous.  A choose opponent ability targets both the character(s) to be removed from battle and the character to be added to battle (and the blocking player if no blocker has yet been presented).

I suppose I could see it if you twisted some of those words around, but I read it as choosing the opponent of the character in the battle being fought.  Side-battles are their own battle, and if I remember right, "in the battle" when used in a side-battle only refers to that side-battle.  Only cards referring to "the field of battle" or something similar could affect other battles.