I was introducing the game to a new player when it occured to me that it MIGHT be possible to beat Azathoth in final combat through a technicality. Since investigators get the first attack, it's theoretically possible to beat him before his attack destroys the world if you play solo and have at least 14 clues to get around the -infinity combat rating and godly luck. Absolute Destruction does kind of counter the idea unless you figure the AO wakes up and attacks after the investigators try to pull a Theseus.

Thoughts (other than it being pretty much impossible regardless)?

Pretty sure Absolute Destruction reads "If Azathoth wakes up, the investigators lose"

I don't think it would work. Though it says his attack is that the world is destroyed, his slumber ability states that "if he awakens, the game is over and the investigators lose."

My interpretation of this is that he simply has to awaken, and the team is done, they never get to try an attack.

I concur there is NEVER any attack made against the mad idiot god.

I think the trick would be to somehow find a way to defeat Azathoth after the doom track is filled but before he wakes up. Given that the rules say, "When a doom token is placed on the last open space on the doom track, the Ancient One awakens immediately" (p. 20), this could be difficult.

The cloest you get is "This is it!" in Lilys story.

This came up once before. I thought it might be possible to beat him by removing all his Doom tokens after he awakens but before the Start of Battle (since those things are technically seperate consecutive events; it's just that there's almost nothing which can interrupt them).

Alas no. The 'everyone dies' thing is a Stirs-In-Slumber ability, not a Start of Battle OR an Attack.

The 'Attack' column re-iterates the point, but that rule will never apply since you'll never get that far.

Hmm. Is there a game effect that temporarily squelches a Stirs In Slumber ability?

Most important is the fact that Azathoth's Combat rating implies the futility of any attack that targets it. It's not that you don't have time to attack (though you don't), it's that you simply cannot harm it once it stirrs from its slumber. The only thing that keeps Azathoth from consuming all of reality is that he isn't capable of becoming aware of it. The only way to conceivably defeat Azathoth is to stop him from noticing you. Failing that, you and your little Solar system are dead.

I think it was a Duck Dodgers cartoon. Daffy and Marvin had been battling for the claim to Planet X, resulting in a planetary explosion. In the aftermath, Daffy shoves Marvin off the dirt clod that remains and sticks his flag in it: "I claim this planet for Earth!"

Cadet Porky (clinging to the clod below, Marvin hanging off his ankle): "B-b-b-b-b-b-big deal."

How about Call Anciet One? I edited the comment later. I read the card and relized that Call Ancient One wouldn't work.

You can't beat Azathoth in combat. That was the intention, and there will never be an exception. I am 100% certain of that.