I needed to know, once the attached enemy is defeated, does ranger spikes go back to the staging area or is it discarded?
Ranger Spikes
Attachment
Cost: 2
Trap
Play into the staging area unattached. If unattached, attach Ranger Spikes to the next eligible enemy that enters the staging area. Players do not make engagement checks against attached enemy. Attached enemy gets -2 threat.
I believe it is discarded
It is like any other attachment. If the card it is attached to is discarded then it is also discarded.
Of note Ranger Spikes will attach to an enemy that can't have attachments played on it. The key is that the card is not "played" on the enemy but raher attaches from the play area. It will not attach to a card that has "no attachments". It will attach onto a card that is immune to player card effects but wont actually do anything.
If Ranger Spikes attach to the next enemy and then are discarded upon that enemy's death, when do they ever "unattach"? Can players unattach them at will? Is there some effect which unattaches attachments from enemies?
Dietrich said:
If Ranger Spikes attach to the next enemy and then are discarded upon that enemy's death, when do they ever "unattach"? Can players unattach them at will? Is there some effect which unattaches attachments from enemies?
No, there might only be treachey card effects that remove attachments from enemies. A player can never remove an attachment at will, if the attachment's card text doesn't explictly say so (or of the text of another card alllows it). For example, you cannot remove Light of Valinor from Glorfindel to put it on Elrond, but you can do the same with Dúnedain Mark, because the latter's card text allows it.
Beast Rabban brought up some interesting points about attaching 'Ranger Spikes'. Well spotted! Read his reply. Cheers!
Another question about Ranger Spikes. If an enemie is attached to ranger spikes in the staging area can you voluntarily engage that enemy? My example is from Return to Mirkwood where Attercop Attercop was attached to Ranger Spikes but I can't clear the last stage of the quest if enemies are in play so I engaged it and killed it. Was that correct?
Yes, you can voluntarily engage enemies with ranger spikes.
Thanks Grandspleen. Man, I love Ranger Spikes!