Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Since we don't use orange very often in Minnesota I thought I would try using Gates of Hell in one of my decks for a change of pace. If I discard Gates of Hell can I add a demon to battle from my hand? Thanks.

The Gates of Hell: At any time you may discard the bottom card of deck. If it is an orange demon or a Lost Soul place it in your territory instead. You may discard this care to add your demon to the battle.

Special abilities default to play unless they specify otherwise (or have a default condition specifying otherwise such as banding). Gates doesn't specify otherwise so the demon added to battle must come from play. While it might end up being a band ability if there is already an EC in battle, add to battle is a distinct, separate ability (as far as I'm aware) with different default conditions.

Everyone I've ever played with has played that you can add the demon from hand.  I brought this up maybe a year ago or so, and Prof A commented on it, and basically (if I remember correctly) said that you can still add demons to battle from hand. 

Maybe this should be revisited, because I agree with browarod's reasoning; GoH shouldn't be able to add demons from hand, because it is not a Band ability.  I'm pretty sure that everyone who plays GoH plans to add demons from hand to battle.

We just really need to have Banding/CTB/CTR default to play and be done, lol.

I would like to at least keep banding from hand a legal play. I believe there's a great deal of strategy in being able to band in a "surprise" character from your hand.

Oh, certainly. That is one of the funnest parts of the game.

I understand browarod's point, and this has been discussed before (a lot).  For the current rules, see the following from the REG, where all of this is actually spelled-out with clear rulings:

Any ability that adds a character to a side of the battle where at least one other character is present is a band ability.

Default Conditions
  Targets must be in a territory or in holder's hand.

So, if there is an EC in battle, GoH's add to battle is a band by definition and may target hand because of the default targeting for a band.  If there is not an EC in battle, then it is not a band (and is just an add-to-battle), which by definition defaults to play for targets because there is nothing that says otherwise for its default targeting.