Does the Loyalty symbol on your capital count as 1 loyalty symbol "in play" for the purposes of paying the cost of your cards? In other words, do you always start with 1?

Thanks!

Yep. The advantage to picking the right board!

Yes, but you can also pick a board just for the heck of it as a way to tell your opponent "I don't care what deck you play. I'm so hardcore I don't even need this extra loyalty symbol". Kinda like that guy from Over the Top that drinks the motor oil before his arm wrestling match.

When I turn the hat... it's like a switch.

Thanks for the answer!

I have a quick question and I don't want to start a new topic on it.

If I have unit with counterstrike 2 and someone attacks with a unit that has 2 life, do I kill it before it can do any damage to me?

Therefore is it possible to avoid combat at all if you kill all enemy attackers with counterstrike?

Thanks

Thats correct counterstrike damage resolves before normal combat damage. Therefore allowing you to make kills before normal combat is started!