"Combo E (6+): This attack gets Powerful:X . X equals the amount the control check to play this ability was modified by card effects."

OK, does this include negatives? I say yes, other things have before.

Now, does that include negatives AND positives together? Say I have a Shadow Flare (CCs get -1 while in the card pool) whose E I did play and it dealt damage (CCs get +1 for the rest of the turn). Then I play a Wild Storm whose E I did play (CCs get +1 for the rest of the turn).

When I follow with Curse of the Ancient Mariner, and I check, let's say a printed 5, it becomes a 6. Now, X = ?

X = 1-1+1 = 1?

or

X = 1 + (1 into negatives) + 1 = 3?

Powerful:1 or Powerful:3?

I would say, because of the wording, that it's powerful 1.

While their are three instances of the control check being modified by 1. The amount the check itself is modified by is a sum of positive 1 (2 in the positive, 1 in the negative).

I could be totally wrong, but that's how I read it.

The reason I ask is because although the end result is indeed a +1 to the 5, it comes as a result of three separate entities, each changing the control check by 1.

I play the E and check a 5. Then floating effect from Shadow Flare kicks in (-1 to the control check, so the check has been modified by 1), then the second Shadow Flare floating effect from dealing damage with it kicks in (+1 to the control check, so the check has been modified by 2 but the net so far is 0), then the floating effect from Wild Storm kicks in (+1 to the control check, so the check has been modified by 3 but the net so far is 1).

And thus, I hurt myself in my confusion.

Sadly, the answer is one, because when you're making the check, the overall modification is just 1 =(

This is why Wild Storm and Feast of Souls are godly with Curse. Powerful:10 ftw.

Can someone link me to the ruling? I thought each modifcation was separate because they resolve separately.

Saying the result is 1 is like saying that Hilde can reduce the damage or an attack, then after using Healer she'd get +0 from her ability because the total reduction was nothing...

I ask because one of the players had that question and I was curious.

guitalex2008 said:

I'm not sure if you can compare the two directly... Hilde does say, "reduced" instead of "modified" and she also has the parameter "during this enhance phase" wheras Curse does not refer to modifications made during the combat phase, only those in effect at the time the check is made.

I'll try to find you the prior thread and ruling.

- dut

It would help a lot if anyone can find it.