Card text for Force Stasis:
Force. Control. Alter.
Action. Target an enemy Character or Creature unit. That unit cannot be declared as an attacker or defender until the end of the phase.
My question: When does the timing on this card work?
With the phrase "until the end of the phase." - This basically means that the targeted unit cannot be attacker/defender in the current engagement and any later engagements in this phase. Which means that it is only useful to play this card in the conflict phase. Play it in the Deployment phase, and it wears off before the Conflict Phase, yes?
But does it target units only before they are declared, or can it target units after they are declared as attackers/defenders? (Ie does "cannot be declared" mean that a person cannot declare them, or that it will cancel their status as already declared)
*Before units to be targeted are declared
- If you are the defending player, the timing structure shows that your last chance to play Force Stasis is after the conflict phase begins, but before the active player chooses to engage an objective. This then becomes a guess on how you think the active player will engage in conflicts.
- If you are the active player, your last chance to play Force Stasis is after you declare your attackers, but before your opponent declares defenders. Again, a bit of a guess on which units your opponent might choose to defend with.
*After units are declared ("cannot be declared" = cancel declared status and prevents them from being declared for the rest of the phase)
- In either case, it could be played after the enemy unit is declared (knocking out that unit from the engagement), or even after edge battle is resolved, or after each strike is resolved.