Dark Horseman vs The White Rider

[MuadDib85]

Dark Horseman vs The White Rider


The named race is wizard, can Gandalf still use his skirmish ability to save Wobas or someone similar?

[TheJord]

The White Rider's ability implies an assignment, and therefore would not work.

[mardukra]

I disagree but can't provide any proof.  I do seem to recall brave decoy getting around her ladyship on LOTRO.

[Tbiesty]

The rules do not seem to explicitly spell out the answer to this.  We see this happen sometimes.  Until someone has authority to make an official ruling and keep the Current Rulings Document up to date (which will be so nice someday), we will just interpret the best we can with the related rules that we have.

In this case, with Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman, the card says the Free People's player cannot assign him to Gandalf.

So what this really comes down to is:  Does preventing the Free People's player from "assigning someone to skirmish..." also prevent them from "replacing someone else in a skirmish involving..."?

I would say "Yes", because I interpret that "may not be assigned to skirmish...by the Free Peoples player" really means is that "the Free Peoples player may not choose to put that specific minion and that specific Free People's character in the same skirmish".

With that interpretation, it would follow that the Free People's player may not assign Gandalf to skirmish Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman, nor have Gandalf replace the other companion in a skirmish involving Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman.  It would also follow that Pippin, Brave Decoy does not get around Shelob, Her Ladyship, since he is prevented from skirmishing any minion by either player.

[Ishmar]

"that specific minion and that specific Free People's character may not at all participate in the same skirmish".

mmm i think not, beacause in the case of the Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman the shadow player can assign him to the named race because it prevents only the assignment by the Freeps.
that's why Ulaire Nertea, Dark Horseman is really a strong card versus mono-race freeps because even if there aren't more minions than companions is the shadow player to chose which companion will be skirmishing against him and double with another minion

Btw i thi case versus The White Rider i think it is possible to use the wizard ability because you are no more in the assignment phase but in skirmish and the action is to replace the other companion not to change the assignment

[Tbiesty]

Reworded the text you quoted to focus on this specific situation.  I was speaking of the general case.  Sorry to cause confusion.

[Elessar's Socks]

I'm thinking it'd work. My take is that replacing someone in a skirmish isn't equivalent to an assignment, at least in gameplay terminology (sort of like the whole prevent/cannot business having specific gameplay meanings). I think a character is only assigned through the rules-based action provided by the assignment phase, or if a card's game text explicitly says to "assign" someone.

[TheJord]

So cards like Mountain Orc and Patroller of Haradrim would be negated by The White Rider's text?

[Elessar's Socks]

*is getting prepared for an Ackbar-type "It's a trap!"*

Going by that interpretation, those cards would not trigger during a skirmish replacement, nor would a Spider Poison that's borne by Gandalf.

[TheJord]

It seems that interpretation overrides a basic component of the game, without implicitly implying it.