Warning: boring discussion of rules semantics ahead. 💤

The text on Evasion Sigil is

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Before a creature fights, discard the top card of its controller's deck. If the discarded card is of the active house, exhaust that creature with no effect.

That seems easy to understand, but does it also affect defending creatures? That is, creatures targeted by an attacking creature. The glossary entry under Fight reads:

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When a player uses a creature to fight , the player exhausts the creature and chooses an opponent’s creature. Both creatures deal an amount of damage equal to their power value to the opposing creature in the fight , and both are “ fight ing” for the purposes of card effects.

(emphasis mine)

So under the rules as written both creatures "are fighting". Does the defending creature trigger Evasion Sigil? Technically I think it does, but I don't think it is supposed to. If the intent was for only the attacking creature to trigger Evasion Sigil then maybe it should read "Before a creature is used to fight ..." Am I wrong in my interpretation of the card or the rules?

I'm pretty sure it only refers to attacking creatures. Just like "Fight" abilities only trigger for the attacker.

1 hour ago, robohobbit said:

So under the rules as written both creatures "are fighting". Does the defending creature trigger Evasion Sigil? Technically I think it does, but I don't think it is supposed to. If the intent was for only the attacking creature to trigger Evasion Sigil then maybe it should read "Before a creature is used to fight ..." Am I wrong in my interpretation of the card or the rules?

The defending creature doesn't trigger Evasion Sigil, as the defending creature doesn't get exhausted when it would fight normally, only the attacking creature. While both creatures are "fighting", only one creature ("attacker") is subject to the Evasion Sigil's effect.

Just for clarity the reason it doesn’t need to be erratad is because while both are “fighting” only one is using the “fight” action. So when evasion seal says “before a creature fights” its referring specifically the “fight” action which the defending creature has not taken.

Both are "fighting" but both don't "fight".

Thus the effect doesn't apply tot he defending creature.

That all sounds reasonable. Thanks for the replies.

Different topic, but same card (Evasion Sigil)

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Before a creature fights , discard the top card of its controller's deck. If the discarded card is of the active house, exhaust that creature with no effect .

The strange thing is here, that the "before a creature fights" is seen in some places in the internet as the same time as when "before fight:" resolves. Meaning an active player can decide and so e.g. do the 2 assault damage (=before fight damage) with an Ancient Bear before choosing to discard. Though the reminder with the "exhaust that creature with no effect" then is not completely matching as the creature is already exhausted.

It seems to me the card should have read as "before a create is used to fight" or something like that.

If the Evasion Sigil triggers before the fight occurs, was the defending creature ever fighting to begin with? 😲

I don't know if it needs errata, but it's sure confusing.