Hello guys and girls!

The second part of our Q&A is about: COUNTERS.

First, let’s start with a distinction between Counter and Backup, with both definitions.



10.5.1. Backup is a keyword and an activated ability that can occur and played from hand when there is a character being attacked, during the counter step of the opponent’s attack sub phase.

Counter – Attack icon ( ) be indicated, this card can then be used during the counter step of the opponent’s turn. 2.8.2. Should a– Attack icon () be indicated, this card can then be used during the counter step of the opponent’s turn. 2.8.2.1. Unless otherwise stated, it is possible to play a card with a counter – attack icon during your own turn during your main phase.

1.

Question: I don’t have green in my clock and neither in my level, may I play a green backup card from my hand?

Answer: Yes.

Explanation: As you can see, these backup abilities have a cost of discarding the card from your hand to give the respective power to your defending character. You’re not playing the card, you’re using it’s ability from your hand, so you don’t need the color requirement.

2.

Question: What if the card is a yellow counter event may I play it if I don’t have yellow in my clock or level?

Answer: No!

Explanation: As you can see, this is a counter, but this is not a backup. To use it you must effectively play it from your hand, necessitating color requirement. It goes to the resolution zone (more about resolution zone in a future article) and when it’s resolved it then goes to the waiting room.

3.

Question: I have a card like this that says “During this card’s battle, all players cannot play ‘Backup’ from hand“, may I play an event counter in this card battle?

Answer: Yes.

Explanation: It says you cannot play “Backup”. As you can see the event counters do not have the ability “Backup”.

4.

Question: And with cards like “Machine of Ice” Sinon, can I play counters?

Answer: No.

Explanation: This one says “ During this card’s battle, you cannot play event cards and “Backup” from your hand “. You must read carefully to check if the card disallows both events and backups or just backups!

5.

Question: May I play a counter event in my main phase?

Answer: Unless otherwise stated in the card, yes!

Explanation:

attack icon during your own turn during your main phase. 2.8.2.1. Unless otherwise stated, it is possible to play a card with a counterattack icon during your own turn during your main phase.

Do not forget that with “backups” it’s a different story: they are played when one of your characters is being frontal attacked.

6. Anti-Change!

Question: If my attacking character goes to the waiting room/or to the bottom of the deck with an effect of an anti-change backup, will my opponent still take damage from my attack?

Answer: No.

Explanation:

7.5.1.2.2. If the attacking character had left the stage, or if the master of the attacking character changed, or if the attacking character moved to another stage position, then the attacking character does not deal damage.

Note that if the anti-change has sent your attacking character to the waiting room you may encore it when it hits the waiting room. If you choose to encore it, the attacking character has left the stage anyway, so it comes back to the stage (rested), but it’s not the attacking character anymore: so no damage anyway!

7. Anti-Change!

Question: What if I encore my attacking character? Do the characters compare power with each other?

Answer: No.

7.6.1.3. If the attacking character or the attacked character has left the stage,or if the master of the attacking character or attacked character changed, or if the attacking character or attacked character moved to another stage position, then the attacking character or the attacked character does not compare power, and neither character cards change their state.

8.

Question: What happens if I use an event counter on my defending character to return it to my hand when I’m being frontal attacked. Will the attack be direct? Will I still take damage?

Answer: The attack is still a frontal attack and you take damage as usual.

Explanation:

7.2.1.4.3. After the type of attack is chosen, even if the position of the card facing the chosen card to attack is changed, there will be no increase or decrease in the soul due to the type of attack. For example, a side attack is declared for the chosen card to attack, but due to certain reasons, the character card facing the chosen card to attack is returned to the owner’s hand. The attack remains as a side attack, and the soul remains unchanged

9.

Question: What does “choose one of your yellow characters in battle” or ” choose one of your green characters in battle” mean in backups. May I choose any of my characters of that color or just the one being frontal attacked?

Answer: You may choose only the one being frontal attacked at the moment and it needs to have the right color.

Explanation:

If a frontal attack is chosen, the character card facing the attacking character, becomes the attacked character during this attack sub phase, and becomes a character “that is being frontal attacked”. Both the attacking character and the attacked character are called “battling characters”, and are character cards “in battle”.

10.

Question: What if it doesn’t say “in battle”? I can choose another of my characters, right?

Answer: Right!

Explanation: The only requirements here are the traits and the number of characters, but you can surprise your opponent giving +1000 to the character being frontal attacked and +1000 to another one, for example one that was not attacked this turn yet. Or you can give +2000 to the one being frontal attacked.

11.

Question: If I use a Kancolle Compass do I take damage from a second attack of a restander or a shot on reverse effect?

Answer: No.

Explanation: You do not take any damage from the character that is frontal attacking you for the rest of the turn, some examples of cards that get damage from their abilities prevented:

You can restand Levi but he still doesn’t deal damage.

Even though you reverse a character with Mikasa no damage is dealt.

Compass doesn’t work that well with characters that deal damage before the Counter step, like Sinon or Marika : You don’t take the damage from the attack in the damage step but as the abilities deal damage before the counter step that damage is not prevented. It doesn’t prevent clock kick either, ’cause it’s not damage being dealt.

12.

Question: If I use a Sayaka Wish/Love Wing Bell on a Sayaka/Rin defending from an attack of a clock kicker does the character still get sent to clock?

Answer: No.

Explanation: No, ’cause you’re not reversing the character: It goes to the waiting room in the counter step if you paid the cost of these counters with the attacked character. Don’t forget: even if you encore the Sayaka/Rin, she isn’t sent to clock ’cause it isn’t the defending character anymore.

13.

Question: What if I play a Anti-Titan Device counter to move my character to another position, do I avoid clock kicks too?

Answer: Yes!



Explanation: As long as you move the character, there isn’t a defending character to clock kick anymore!

14. Reshuffle backups!

Question: If I play a reshuffle backup and pay for the reshuffle ability the is the backup reshuffled too or does it go to the waiting room?

Answer: It is reshuffled with the rest of the deck.

Explanation: The cost to play the backup includes putting it into the waiting room. So, when you choose to do the reshuffle ability it’s already in the waiting room and returns to the deck with the rest of the cards.

15. Reshuffle backups!

Question: What if it’s an event counter that reshuffles, it is reshuffled too?

Answer: By now, you probably know the answer. 😛

No. As an event stays on the resolution zone until all of the effect is resolved, it’s not reshuffled.



Explanation:

8.6.2.4.2. If you played an event card, put that card to the resolution zone , process the effect, and put the event card to the owner’s waiting room after it resolves.

I believe this covers almost all types of backups and counters existing at the moment in the English game that could raise some doubts, and it also gives you a general idea of how they work.

Hope you like it!