User blog comment:ArmorDragoWizardDrum/SDW Deck Help: URGENT!/@comment-25004901-20160125061804/@comment-27697921-20160125094632

Drum, you can certainly do what you have said.  Those players are incorrect. But, it is not anything more than a huge misunderstanding.

1st, to clear up a few things that get weird because of the language used in Rules. The only type of Ability that can effectively be used (because it resolves during another resolution) even after you have used another Ability is a "Continuous" Ability. Think of Brave Equipment, Glory Seeker. If you are attacked, and you cast a Counter, and it is Nullified by their Counter, Glory Seeker will still resolve in the same Play Timing. I know it is weird, but that's how they are designed. That's why Nanomachine Tsukikage can get Attacked, use a Counter, and Still use his Ability, or think of Azi, or Wanderer the Gold where multpile targets are attacked.

Instead of explaining all of it, I will go over your scenario.

I believe this is what you said you are doing:

Drum chooses a Target and Rests his card which then makes him "In Battle".

If you look at the Play TIming for a Battle or Attack, it's at 2.5 in the Detailed Rules. Notice how it states

"Play timing occurs. Once only. (Only time it says that as all others loop)

(Now here is the key) Abilities which activate (not an Activated Ability) “when this card attacks/link attacks” and “when this card is attacked” will be resolved here as well. "Each fighter can only use [Counter] within this step once."

Remember. Only in the Turn Player's Main Phase can Activated Abilities be used without the keyword (Counter).

Let's get to your stated situation and walk through it:

You say that you

1. Use Drum's ability to place a card from the drop to the Soul. This comes from "When this card attacks" on his card, and you are right that it resolves here "as well".

2. They [Counter] with Shalsana.

3. You use Dragonarms, Garbel Anchor 's [Counter] to  nullifiy it since you have yet to use your [Counter] yet.

4. Shalsana is negated and the Attack goes through.

Now, you ARE CORRECT. But not for the reason you stated. And they can't be blamed for playing this way. When explaining the 3 types of Abilities so briefly in the Detailed rules for Buddyfight, Bushi, uses words like "When~" to denote an Automatic Ability. However, that points to on Call Abilities, etc..., like Asmodai and the like.

We also know from the 6 regular Secret Swords that 3 use "When~", but they are not Automatic Abilities, they have no Abilities.  They are just Impacts with Counter Keywords.

So, why does your Attack work? Let's not get into the right or wrong of it. Sounds like a genuine misunderstanding.

It works because "When you Attack~" abilities are Continuous.

Think about it, when Dungeon Word is in battle and one of their many "When this card Attacks~" kicks in during an attack, do they say they've used their ability for the timing?  No, they can't say that because multiple Abilities like that can Activate in a Link Attack or with Set Spells. And they all resolve in that "1 Play Timing". Remember, it says "One" Counter only in that Play TIming at 2.5 to determine the Attack. (There's a reason they said Counter and not Ability, but it takes too long.

If cards like Future Dragon, Drum the Neo Abilities were considered "Automatic", Dungeon World wouldn't exist. Automatic Abilities have to resolve one Play Timing at a Time and cannot resolve during another resolution like "Continuous" which those Abilities must be since there is only, once again, 1 Play Timing there.

FInally, don't take my word for it. My first Tutorial will be Play TImings or Automatic Abilities, but here is a quote from one of the conversations Bushiroad and I had about the fact that "Chaining" isn't allowed, but why Continuous Abilities work like they do. I'll just quote the part of what he said to look for when looking for a Card that has a "Continuous" Ability.

"Dear Kevin,

Thank you for your support and your email!

The following are guidelines that will hopefully help you identify continuous effects with trigger conditions more

effectively:

1. ~ would Buddyfight100 (talk)

2. If

3. "When this card attacks / If this card attacks" [BINGO] ability of "Demonic Demise Dragon, Azi Dahaka", and "Wanderer, the Gold" to attack multiple targets."

The common misconception is that the When this card Attacks Abilities are "Automatic". And it is also why they explicitly stated during that Play Timing in 2.5:

“ when this card attacks/link attacks ” and “ when this card is attacked ” will be resolved here as well.(They mean in addition too if needed.)   And that can only be done with a Continuos Ability and allow them to still say " Each fighter can only use [Counter] within this step once."

That, after all is what really broke Tetsuya and started the idea of gaining cards, gauge, etc... while targeting something, and still being able to use your Counter if they try to use a Counter to block the attack.

Probably a lot of typos and everyone is probably sleeping. Oh well. I like rules. What can I say?