Mighty Steed

[Gwaihir]

Say gandalf is on shadowfax (or any other mount for that matter) and uses Mighty Steed to replace a companion in a skirmish.  Does the minion have to exert because of the mount.  I'm thinking no, since that is done at the start of the skirmish and the skirmish started before Mighty Steed was played.  But maybe it is a new skirmish, not a continuation and the minion would have to exert.

Thoughts?

[ket_the_jet]

Well that is a good question. It doesn't say "at the start of the skirmish," rather, it says, "at the start of each skirmish involving Gandalf."

I will admit I am not sure and scanned the CRDs to see if there was a ruling on this. I guess it comes down to whether a skirmish phase "resets" when a character replaces another in a skirmish. I suspect it doesn't, but would go with the general consensus on this one because I just don't know.

But on a more important subject, why are you using Mighty Steed? I guess if you build a deck specifically to use it, but...
-wtk

[Elessar's Socks]

I'd say no, because Shadowfax is checking for the start of the skirmish phase. Gandalf replaces a companion as a skirmish action, which is past that point.

[Gil-Estel]

I guess no as well. Saw a deck once, or read a story, or was eating chips what ever, about a boromir RB deck with Blade of Gondor, Sword of Boromir to come around his drawback, which is essentially very cool. But if that is not true, this whole example is blown to pieces. But then again, I believe it is true, which still doesn't make it true, but it feels good.

[Sam, Great Elf Warrior]

I agree that it's no; there's nothing there that says the skirmish phase resets just because you change the companion.

Just keep in mind that a skirmish is just like any other phase. It goes like this.

1. Start of the skirmish. At this point the skirmish does not yet involve Gandalf, so Shadowfax doesn't trigger.
2. Skirmish actions. Gandalf replaces the other companion.
3. Skirmish resolved and wounds placed (and overwhelmed characters killed).
4. End of the skirmish.

Note that this can also function the other way around. Here's a more complicated example:
Aragorn has one wound and is "bearing" Brego and assigned to skirmish a Desert Spearman. Gandalf's skirmish was just resolved. The Free Peoples player knows that the Shadow player has 2x Whirling Strike and a Red Wrath in hand, as well as the twilight to use them.
1. Start of the skirmish.
 - Mandatory action: Desert Spearman exerts for Brego, leaving him with 1 vitality.
 - Optional actions: The Free Peoples' player passes; the Shadow player removes to wound Aragorn (using Desert Spearman's text).
2. Skirmish actions.
 - The Free Peoples' player passes
 - The Shadow player plays Whirling Strike, wounding Aragorn, leaving him with 1 vitality (note that he couldn't play Red Wrath to kill Aragorn because the Desert Spearman is exhausted from Brego).
 - Worried about Aragorn, the Free Peoples player plays Mighty Steed.
 - The Shadow player plays another Whirling Strike to wound Gandalf.
3. Skirmish resolved and wounds placed (and overwhelmed characters killed).
 - Gandalf wins the skirmish and the Desert Spearman takes a wound, killing him.
4. End of the skirmish.

[Thranduil]

I don't think this is a guessing matter - as far as I know, ES, GE and Sam are right, due to Sam's expert explanation.