03Verify actual Might after modifiersA −1 modifier leaves the unit at 4, not 5.
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04Activate Baited HookChoose the target.
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05Opponent reaction windowThey may remove, move, protect, or shrink the target.
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06Hook kills the targetActual Might at death sets the legal ceiling.
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07Inspect five cardsCeiling 6: ~58.8% baseline premium.
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08Select the best legal unitNot automatically the largest one.
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09Resolve the new unit and its play triggerDragon kills; Rex threatens future damage.
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10Resolve the original DeathknellThe new unit resolved first — assign effects to different targets.
Rules noteThe kill is an effect, not a cost. If Hook fails to kill the chosen unit there is no usable Might value — no unit is played, but the five cards are still processed and recycled.
Strategic purposeConvert an expendable small body into the six-Might tier while banking its Deathknell.
Failure conditionsTarget removed or Might reduced in response; premium miss (41.2%) leaving only a lateral replacement; the sacrificed body was preserving a Hold.
From the guide — §16 Core Tactical Lines
Default premium targets for the Dragon Form line: Harnessed Dragon when immediate removal matters; Ruined Rex when future sacrifice or damage is better; Glasc when recursion and five-Might stability matter; Vi when Stun pressure matters more than six-Might value.
The most attractive Hook sacrifices are often units that have already produced their primary value — a Harnessed Dragon that has killed, a Ruined Rex whose damage is banked either way.