B · Engine & Sequencing · §10

Sequencing & Rules Framework

Witness must have been in a combat that ended; recall is not a move; Brynhir prohibits cards, not abilities.

10.1 · Mournful Witness retreat

Witness empowers when a combat that it was in ends, then has +2 Might while Empowered. So: Witness enters combat, Akali moves it to base, the combat ends, Witness empowers at base, and if the Legend was Empowered it is also readied — a ready 4-Might unit that can be redeployed.^◆src

Rules noteLeaving combat does not erase the fact that Witness was in that combat. The limiting condition is that combat must actually have opened; moving Witness away before combat exists does not satisfy “a combat that I was in”.

10.2 · Stellacorn Herder movement chains

Herder draws whenever it moves. True moves include its normal movement to a battlefield, Shuriken Flip, the Legend moving it to base, and a battlefield effect explicitly instructing it to move. The deck can therefore generate substantial card advantage without winning the first showdown — at the positional cost of the opponent retaining the original battlefield.

10.3 · Move versus recall

Rules noteZhonya’s Hourglass uses a replacement effect: kill the Hourglass instead of the unit, heal the unit, exhaust it, recall it. The current errata explicitly says that recall is not a move.^◆src

⚠ WarningZhonya therefore does not trigger Stellacorn Herder, Akali Silent, Akali Deadly Weapon, or Back-Alley Bar. Hourglass preserves the card but does not advance the movement engine.

10.4 · Irelia and choosing

Irelia, Fervent gains +1 Might for the turn whenever you choose or ready her, and Deflect taxes opposing spells or abilities that choose her. Your own En Garde, Discipline and Twilight Shroud can each create an independent increase.^◆src

Rules noteAttempting to ready a unit that is already ready does not count as it becoming ready for triggers. Irelia should usually be exhausted before the retreat if you are counting on the ready trigger.^◆src

10.5 · Shuriken Flip without a damage target

Shuriken Flip deals 2 to up to one enemy unit, then moves a friendly unit. You may choose zero enemy units and still perform the move, so the card is never dependent on an opposing damage target when the movement itself is valuable — moving Silent for another +2, moving Herder to draw, or moving a unit off an over-defended battlefield.

10.6 · Flow sequencing

Shuriken Flip and Twilight Shroud can be played once from trash for their Flow costs, then are banished. They are premium Zaun Warrens discards, and spending the hand copy does not consume all future access — but the Flow cost is substantially higher, and you must preserve both Energy and the appropriate Power.^◆src

⚠ WarningFlow should not be treated as free card advantage.

10.7 · Brynhir’s lock window

Brynhir Thundersong prevents opponents from playing cards for the rest of the turn after she is played. The opponent can still react before she finishes resolving.^◆src

Rules noteBrynhir does not stop abilities already on the chain, activated abilities of cards already in play, passive effects, triggered abilities, or combat itself. The best Brynhir turn begins with Brynhir before the decisive move, not after the opponent has already committed the spell you wanted to prohibit.