Cactus Game Design Message Boards

No, the weapon must go on a warrior-class hero and if you don't have one the weapon remains in d/c pile.

I would rule it is a do as much as you can. See Cupbearer (search for artifact and have no Genesis evil character to add to battle) as a parallel example. Good find! Never realized that.

Kirk

Does it matter that Cupbearer's ability is a "may," while Nob's ability is not? I forget if the separating of abilities only applies to "may" abilities.

It does matter.

A search ability allows a player to view a deck, discard pile, or Artifact Pile to perform an action with a specific card or set of cards.

If a search ability states what to search “for” but does not say what to do with that card, then the card should be taken into the player’s hand.

The only thing you are allowed to do with a searched for card is the specific action that can be taken, the "go to hand by default" only applies when no specific action is mentioned (such as Golden Cherubim's "search for a card"). The may ability on Cupbearer translates to: "You may search, then you may add to battle."

Not quite. You are always allowed to do the search (that part is ok under "do as much as you can") but it is the add to hand default that only applies when something else isn't specified.

There are two basic types of search abilities

1. "Search for X and do Y", where X is a certain card/card type, and Y is an action that is done with the searched for card.
2. "Search for X (and do Y)", where X is a certain card/card type, and Y is the default action of adding the card to your hand in lieu of any other instruction.

In the first case, you can always do the search. Once you do the search, you must do Y if you can, but if you cannot, then the card stays where it was.
In the second case, you can always do the search, and you always add the card to your hand (unless of course you are at the hand limit).

A,P@N is an example of the first case, since it tells you what to do with your searched for card. Cupbearer looks like it might be an example of the first case, but is actually an example of the second case, with an additional ability after the search. Notice the ability doesn't say what to do with the searched for card, it just says what you can do after the search (as a separate ability). Cupbearer probably should have had clearer wording to separate the two abilities, as follows:

"You may capture this character to opponent's land of bondage to search discard pile for a Genesis character (or Genesis Artifact). You may add your Genesis character to battle."