This question has just arose.

If an attachment card has 'limited once per phase' and plays the response and then for whatever reason leaves play. An action then occurs where the same card comes into play again, can it retrigger the 'limited once per phase response' as it is a non unique card coming back ?

Thanks

Daenarys said:

"Limit once per phase" recognizes the specific card.

For example, if a "limit once per phase" ability were on a non-unique card, and you had three of them in place, you could trigger the ability three times. (Note that this is different from a "Limited Response" only one of which could be triggered, regardless of what cards it appears on.)

So, likewise, if a card with an ability that is "Limit once per phase" leaves play, and then returns, it could trigger again, as the game holds no memory of whether a card in play was in play before.

KristoffStark said:

This is the part above than i am not sure about. Why does the memory of the card get blanked , is this just because it is a non unique?

Daenarys said:

1. Let's say your "limit once per phase" card was returned to your hand or to Shadows. Then you return it to play in the same phase. How do I know whether this is the exact same card, or whether it is a second copy? If it is a copy, why would the "original's" limit apply to the new copy? Because there is that situation where it could be a different card, you treat all cards that come into play as a brand new copy, even if everyone knows for sure that it is the same piece of cardboard.

2. When a card is not in play, it has absolutely no interaction with the "in-play" game, unless an effect specifically says it interacts with the out-of-play card. That is why, for example, cards that say "at the end of the phase, return this card to your hand" stay in your dead or discard pile if they are killed/discarded before the end of the phase. It is also the reason why, if someone plays Narrow Escape, all of the cards return to play without any of the "...until the end of the phase" effects (or attachments, or power, for that matter) that might have hit them before they left play earlier in the phase. Essentially, when a card leaves play, any lasting effect that had applied while they were in-play stops when they leave play. So it isn't there when they re-enter play - as "new" cards. Limits are no different.

Think of it this way: If you want the "limit once per phase" to apply to the card when it leaves play, then re-enters play in the same phase, then Narrow Escape is all but meaningless against a lot of Targ effects because those characters should come back into play with all the "gets -X STR and is killed at 0" effects still on them.

And you'll notice that no where in either #1 or #2 does it differentiate between unique or non-unique cards.

It's worth pointing out that "limit once per game" is a specific exception to the above.

radiskull said:

As is "limit 1 per ..." on event cards.