Card: Contested Fortress - # 112

Description: Building. Limited. Cancel 1 damage to your capital each turn.

What exactly does cancel mean? Does it cancel assigned capital damage only? Can I remove previously existing damage if I didn't use it to cancel assigned damage?

Sleeper Awakened said:

Cancel kicks in in the apply damage step, similar to Toughness on Units. Capital only (damage assigned to one of your zones). Can't remove existing damage, that would be healing (or whatever word Keystone Forge uses).

As has been stated the rules for inflicting damage both in and out of combat have the step for canceling damage at the very beginning of the apply damage step. Canceling damage does not remove, move, redirect, or in any other way affect damage, except prevents the canceled amount (one in this case) from being moved from near the assigned recipient (zone in this case) on to the assigned recipient. Canceling only affects damage that has been assigned and is going through the apply step, so since damage that has been moved to a target is not assigned, it is simply placed directly on the target, cannot be canceled. Damage can also not be canceled when Bloodthirster is in play.

Thanks I couldn't work this one out either!