Where is this new ruling? Not seeing it in the faq?

It is interpretations like this that I don't agree with. You are inferring thongs that are not backed by any rules.

On the other hand I have based my interpretation on the rule in the last sentence on page 12 and the fact that HLC sets a presedent that dice can be modified outside step 3

1) we have absolutely been referencing rules, like the fact that "attacker modifies attack dice" is the phase where the attacker modifies attack dice... This is obviously when AC triggers because it is modifying attack dice. The "compare results" phase is defined as being when results are compared, no abilities are triggered then. The whole POINT of the attack steps sets it up do the defender knows what he is defending against before he rolls his dice. Yet somehow you think an effect happens after they roll defense dice... That makes no sense.

2) you keep pushing this "last sentence of page 12" but what you seem to be ignoring is the fact that you're misinterpreting that sentence. It doesn't mean what you think it means, get over it.

3) HLC has no bearing on this, it has a specifically defined trigger which happens at a specific point, the player does not choose whether or not to activate it (Ion cannon also has an effect that happens outside step 3, because it is defined as such). AC DOES NOT state "during the compare results step". It is an ability triggered by the player during the phase that they are allowed to use abilities.

You are inferring thongs that are not backed by any rules.

Did someone say "thongs"?

This is obviously when AC triggers because it is modifying attack dice.

No, actually, it is not modifying attack dice. It is canceling dice, which is not a modification option. The modification options are Add, Modify, and Reroll. The first paragraph of the Modify steps even list these out, in addition to the big blue box defining the operations. Canceling is not in the list.

All abilities that allow players to cancel dice must be

resolved at the start of the “Compare Results” step.

Granted that English is not my first language, I do know what 'must be resolved at the start of' means. It means that this is the timing window for executing abilities that cancel dice.

'must be resolved by the start of' or 'must have been resolved by the start of' on the other hand would mean that the abilities must have been executed before this step. Buhallin already pointed this out earlier in this thread.

If your interpretation was right, when would the timing window for abilities that allow you to cancel dice then be? It has been pointed out clearly that it is not during the modify attack dice step, which only allow re-rolling, adding and changing dice results.