3 replies to this topic

[Masterdinadan]

Benjen Stark has the following text:

Interrupt: When Benjen Stark is killed, gain 2 power for your faction. Then, shuffle him into your deck instead of placing him in your dead pile.

 

Here's the scenario:

NW player is at 13 power - 11 is on the faction card and 2 is on Benjen. NW player loses a military challenge and has to satisfy claim.

 

Can he choose Benjen to satisfy the claim, and trigger his Interrupt to win the game? Based on my understanding, the Interrupt occurs before the triggering condition, so the power is claimed before Benjen leaves play. My opponent argued that the wording "When Benjen Stark is killed" would imply that Benjen is killed at the same time that the 2 power is claimed, meaning the total never changes as I gain 2 power on my faction as I lose 2 on Benjen.

 

Which is the correct interpretation?

[istaril]

Best Answer

A similar question was posted here. The short answer is the following text from the entry "Interrupts": Always resolve interrupts to a triggering condition before resolving theconsequences of the triggering condition itself.

 

In other words, Benjen's abiliity puts 2 power on your faction before the "death" actually completes and causes the usual leave-play loss of all power on Benjen himself. 

 

There's a slightly longer answer, which is that Benjen is a little confusing because he creates an immediate effect, AND a replacement effect (seperate timing), which (entry on p18 on Replacement effects) "After all interrupts to the triggering condition have resolved and it is time to resolve the triggering condition itself, the replacement effect resolves instead." But in your case, that doesn't affect the outcome - the game ends immediately at 15 power, and the replacement effect never actually resolves. 

 

I suppose you'll probably shuffle Benjen into your deck in preparation for the next game though...

[ktom]

But in your case, that doesn't affect the outcome - the game ends immediately at 15 power, and the replacement effect never actually resolves. 

 

Heck, because it's a "then" effect, the replacement effect is never technically initiated (let alone resolves) before the power gain is considered successfully resolved and the 15 power immediately ends the game.

[istaril]

Actually, I think we found out from he Arianne situation that all effects initiate at the same time (including the "then" effect), but its resolution is held pending the resolution of the pre-then effect.