The ongoing problem with "on attack triggers" continues...

Magic: The Gathering - Puzzle Quest MtGPQ General Discussion
1

Adding to the pile of creatures like Capt. Lannery Storm, Consulate Lieutenant, and Mavren Fein…

Now we have the biggest middle finger to the way this mechanic works, Gruul Beastmaster.

When it attacks it gives your first creature +X/+0 until end of turn where X is the beastmaster’s power, however if this creature isn’t in creature slot #1 it will buff a creature that has ALREADY ATTACKED. This is something that really needs to be addressed. PLEASE make it so all “on attack” triggers happen at the start of combat rather than when that actual creature goes to deal damage.

2

[[[[Cheap shot removed. I am on edge this week and should not post without thinking more carefully about it]]]]

3

LOL, it is a uncommon card, so I would not categories it as urgent but it sure is a strange mistake to make by the developers.

4

Yeah, this one card is just an uncommon, but it’s another in a long line of cards with the same issue, and it’s one I can recall being an issue added in after the game was created. All combat triggers used to happen at once. But this is something I’ve been bringing up periodically since Ixalan specifically because of how ineffective Capt. Lannery Storm (a mythic rare) is when she’s not in the #1 creature slot or how Mavren Fein needs your vampire tokens to be in the #3 slot to be most effective.

Consul’s Lieutenant is also an uncommon with the same problem of needing to be in the #1 creature slot, but oddly used to buff all creatures at the start of combat, but now doesn’t until it specifically attacks.

Other creatures currently in the game with similar problems:
Bristling Boar
Sisters of Stone Death
Warkite Marauder
Honored Crop-Captain
Leonin Warleader
Fathom Fleet Captain
Star-Crowned Stag
Tenth District Veteran
Territoral Hammerskull
Haazda Marshal
Pegasus Courser
Dauntless Aven
Gilded Cerodon

5

It’s probably intentional, to add a level of skill to the game, requiring you to play creatures in the correct order.

6

Very good point @wereotter

But didn’t the change originate from the Sorin debacle a few years ago. When every creature got buffed thrice (on a full board) making them incredibly strong very fast.

So the developers needs to reconsider this fundamental functionality or they will reintroduce a power Sorin once again.

So could it be fixed by allowing reordering of the battlefield? I think not, but I have no other possible solutions.

7

I don’t recall if it stopped when Sorin came out, but that would make sense.

I wouldn’t be opposed to being able to shuffle the creatures order as another solution to the issue.

8

Couldn’t those creatures be rephrase to “at the beginning of your attack step” (or re-coded)? Not to complicated, makes sense, and fulfills Oktagons desire to add as much text as possible.

Also, nothing ever beats “gains vigilance until the end of your turn”

9

@Laeuftbeidir - the vigilance thing sounds intriguing, that would definitely differentiate vigilance from Defender, which has been discussed several times.

Will Defender still take precedence over vigilance or is it just that creatures with vigilance will apply their abilities at the beginning of the battle?

10

Another favorite was the Dino node in battle of the four tribes. “Your dinosaurs gain vigilance and regenerate until the beginning of your next turn” the regenerate comes off the creature before it recovers any toughness.

But I would think it’s possible for creatures to have beginning of combat triggers while allowing Sorin’s support to have on attack triggers, assuming he was the reason for the change.

11

Oh, I don’t know, I think “Activate 3: Your first other creature gains Haste.” is pretty spectacular.