Cactus Game Design Message Boards

When is this card supposed to be played?  Am I allowed to play it when my opponent is discarding me via a special ability?  Or do I have to have played it earlier in battle for it to work in that case?  The wording on it seems to resemble the wording on a healing card... is it played like a healing card, perhaps?


Lay Down Your Life -
Type: Hero Enh. • Brigade: Blue • Ability: None • Class: None • Special Ability: If holder's Hero is about to be discarded, discard Hero. Holder may place another Hero of the same brigade from his territory into battle. All previous enhancements stay in play. • Errata: If a Hero is  discarded this battle, discard Hero to allow holder to place another Hero of the same brigade from his territory into battle. All previous enhancements stay in play.

Lay Down Your Life + Sampson's sacrifice ftw

Although it is not a "healing" card, it seems that the intention of this card was that if a hero was being discarded for any reason (by the numbers, or special ability), then it would be discarded, but that it would be replaced by another hero and the battle would continue.

However, due to the wording on the card (and the "play as"), there is no "interrupt".  Therefore, unless the "play as" is changed to include an interrupt, I don't think it would work if a hero was being discarded by special ability (as they would have no ability to play this enhancement).

I agree with RR that LDYL could be played earlier in the battle. The SA is triggered. The last sentence in the REG quote I gave earlier seems to verify this.

We were trying to validate that post to the Professor.

We were trying to validate that post to the Professor.

I actually already agree with you that if it is played earlier in battle, then it would still work if the hero was later discarded by special ability.

I was just pointing out that for the card to work as apparently intended, it would need an "interrupt the battle" added to the play as (in the hopes that someone might notice and actually do that)

Wait, so my Lay Down Your Life + Samson's Sacrifice T2 deck idea would have actually worked?!  Back when I first asked about it I was told it didn't...

What was the reason given for it not working? There may be more to the question than we are seeing.

I was told that Lay Down Your Life was not treated as a healing card, and as such must be played IN BATTLE and only functioned when the hero was discarded by numbers, because losing by the numbers is the only situation you are "being discarded" and can play it without interrupting.

That's correct, which is why you need to play LDYL first, so that the ability is already in play and doesn't need to interrupt anything.

Quote from: MichaelHue on March 17, 2009, 07:38:26 AM

I was told that Lay Down Your Life was not treated as a healing card, and as such must be played IN BATTLE and only functioned when the hero was discarded by numbers, because losing by the numbers is the only situation you are "being discarded" and can play it without interrupting.

That's correct, which is why you need to play LDYL first, so that the ability is already in play and doesn't need to interrupt anything.

Except that it was also ruled that Lay Down Your Life can only be played when your hero is "being discarded" and as it can't interrupt, it must be played while losing by the numbers.  As far as I know it's not an ongoing ability, but that may be ruled differently now.

Quote from: MichaelHue on March 17, 2009, 09:49:06 PM

Except that it was also ruled that Lay Down Your Life can only be played when your hero is "being discarded" and as it can't interrupt, it must be played while losing by the numbers.  As far as I know it's not an ongoing ability, but that may be ruled differently now.

"There is no distinction between “instantly discarded”, “being discarded”, and “about to be discarded.”"

I don't understand what you're trying to say.  Do you mean that I should be able to play Lay Down Your Life even when I'm being discarded by a special ability without interrupting, because "instantly discarded" is the same as "about to be discarded"?

Why isn't anyone answering my question?  It seems from this discussion that Satan's Folly would be played the same way as Lay Down Your Life, but I have had it played against me as a healing card out of battle, so I would like to know the ruling on this as well.

Schaef is correct, and the same applies to Lay Down Your Life.  You must play the card according to the rules of initiative, just like any other enhancement that is not heal or set aside or weapon.

If you play LDYL first, then SS will work with it.