Cactus Game Design Message Boards

It is correct that you cannot have LotS active from a previous turn (keeping your opponent from playing evil dominants) and then deactivate it temporarily (to let yourself play your own dominants) and then reactivate it again the same prep-phase (to keep your opponent from getting to play evil dominants again).

Hey,

That's the way I see it. The only voice of opposition is Sir Nobody, who says that they always deactivate and need to be reactivated every turn (the silence of the rest of the PTB makes it not an official ruling).

Using I am Holy or Given Over to Egypt (and about a dozen other artifacts) every turn requires that an artifact that you "keep active" technically is deactivated and reactivated.  If it's not reactivated then the "upon activation" wouldn't trigger on the second turn.  But I wouldn't really say I'm in "opposition" because it's just a procedural formality, and the deactivation and reactivation of an artifact that you "keep active" happen effectively at the same time (you can't do anything between the two) at the moment you choose to keep it active.

Another logical reason why this wouldn't work that's been proposed by many people is that the artifact management happens only once during your prep phase, and that if you play any cards in the middle of it you're declaring that part of the phase over.

Artifact management as a separate/sub phase hasn't existed since the Third Edition Rulebook was released.  Although several issues that have arisen recently suggest that it might be a good idea to bring it back.

Tschow,

Tim "Sir Nobody" Maly