Northen steel - Coldhands -three eyes crow

By orion_kurnous, in 2. AGoT Rules Discussion

2 questions:

-If i have a stark character with N. steel and he is killed and in play Three eyer crow, it´s N. steel discarded?

-If in the same character my opponent or me trigger the effects of coldhands, N steel its discarded?

thanks.

1) I'm not sure, but since the character is supposed to have left play and returned, Northern Steel should become unattached at some point.

2) With Coldhands, the character leaves play, so Northern Steel is no longer attached to it. Off to the discard pile.

I am sort of on board with Khudzlin about not being entirely sure. However, I think this is what happens with Northern Steel:

I don't think Northern Steel ever becomes moribund normally while being attached to a Stark character because it "cannot be discarded"... thus it can never be saved by any effect(like Davos). Therefore if it's never moribund, I think it will remain attached to the character because the character doesn't physically leave play and Northern Steel is not moribund so it does not leave play in Step 6.

I could be totally wrong but for now that is what I'd rule at a tournament until it's officially ruled or explained to me in a way that makes sense. I would also have zero issues with a ruling that said it would be discarded because we are supposed to treat the character as if they left play.

In both situations, Northern Steel is discarded because the character leaves play.

I don't think Northern Steel ever becomes moribund normally while being attached to a Stark character because it "cannot be discarded"... thus it can never be saved by any effect(like Davos).

I don't agree with this interpretation. Leaving aside the fact that there is no place in the timing structure for Northern Steel itself to be discarded after the character it is attached to physically leaves play, remember that attachments are discarded passively as a result of the card they are attached to leaving play (i.e., becoming moribund). When a character becomes moribund, it is considered to have left play for the purposes of initiating passives and Responses. Therefore, when the Stark character is killed (or whatever) out from under Northern Steel, the normal game mechanic for discarding the attachments on that character kicks in and does, indeed, discard Northern Steel.

So, if the character leaves play, Northern Steel is discarded, even while the character is moribund and the attachments is technically still attached to a "Stark character." Coldhands, which removes the Stark character from the game, will thus unquestioningly discard Northern Steel. In the Cot3EC, remember that the character must be completely killed before you can play the Response - and that passives to that character being killed (including discarding any attachments on it) will take place first. So when Cot3EC is played, Northern Steel is already "moribund:discard" - and stays that way.

I can get behind that for consistencies sake.

Yay for the discard being a game effect. Ktom is 100% right per a strict reading of the rules.

"If an effect has the word 'cannot' in its description, then it is an absolute: That effect may not be overridden by other effects." - FAQ pg. 13 (emphasis mine)

The discarding of attachments from Moribund cards is not an effect. It is a game mechanic.

Edit: Bomb's scenario is also not the case due to the "other effect" clause. Northern Steel does go Moribund and is savable when a character dies.

Edited by mdc273