Shrine to Nurgle is worded "during combat...", while Sadistic Mutation is worded "in combat". Are they meant to be the same, both kick in anytime during the 5 steps of combat when damage is dealt (whether it's combat damage or damage via effects)?

Digging through, found this ruling for the SM:

""Damage has been dealt once it has been added to the damage pool.

The damage dealt by the Sadistic Mutation is applied before proceeding to the player action window that occurs between assigning combat damage (which triggers the Forced on Sadistic Mutation) and applying combat damage."

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So after a unit with SM contributes to the damage pool the 1 damage from SM is then assigned and applied separately from combat."

www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_foros_discusion.asp

The above only talks about combat damage and SM. Would Nurgle Sorcerer + SM combo work during all 5 steps of combat? Or does the "in combat" wording mean the Unit with SM attached has to be in combat itself, either as attacker or defender?

"Attach to a target unit you control.
Forced : After the attached unit deals damage in combat, deal 1 damage to one target unit or capital."

This card will only trigger if the unit it is attached to deals damage in a combat which it is participating in. Shrine to Nurgle will corrupt any unit in any zone regardless of whether or not it is participating in combat itself or whether the damage done was done by combat.

There is nothing that states whether or not 100% that the damage done by the unit with SM must do combat damage, just that it must deal damage in combat. I think there is an implication, but a credible argument could be made that a unit participating unit, such as Nurgle Sorcerer could deliver damage while it was in combat that was not combat damage and therefor SM should kick in. I'm going to send this off to Nate to find out which way this should be ruled.

dormouse said:

now that I read it again, I am not as sure about my theory on use. Never focused on the "in combat" language. Going to effect my chaos deck build if the unit has to be involved in the actual combat.

I'm about as certain as I can be that in combat is not the same as during combat. Whether the damage must be combat damage or the attached unit simply participating and able to damage by whatever fashion is really the question in my mind.