Alpha Strike
How are targets chosen when playing Alpha Strike?
When finalizing Alpha Strike on the chain, choose the friendly unit, then choose up to one enemy unit at a battlefield per point of its current might.
The friendly unit is chosen explicitly as a standard target. The enemy units are targets generated by the split-target instruction.[355.14.a][355.14.b][355.14.c] You may choose fewer enemy units than the friendly unit's current might, including zero.[355.14.c]
Since each chosen enemy unit is a target of Alpha Strike, Deflect is added as a mandatory additional cost for any of those units that have it during finalization.[356.2.a.2][809.1.d]
All choices are locked in at finalization and cannot be changed after this step.[355.15]
Example
You play Alpha Strike and choose a friendly unit with 4 might. You may then choose up to 4 enemy units at battlefields as the split targets. You choose 3. Those 3 units — and the friendly unit — are all locked in as targets.
When is Alpha Strike's damage distribution decided?
The distribution of damage across the chosen enemy units is decided at resolution, not at finalization.[355.14.e]
The total damage available equals the friendly unit's effective might when Alpha Strike resolves — meaning any Reaction speed buffs or debuffs applied by either player between finalization and resolution will affect the damage pool.[359.3.f.2]
Each chosen target must receive at least 1 damage.[355.14.f][355.14.g] Beyond that minimum, you may distribute the remaining damage among those targets however you choose, but all available damage must be distributed.
Example
You chose 3 enemy units at finalization. When Alpha Strike resolves, your friendly unit has 6 might. You must assign at least 1 damage to each of the 3 targets. The remaining 3 damage can go wherever you choose — 4/1/1, 2/2/2, 1/1/4, and so on.
What if the chosen friendly unit leaves the board or becomes illegal before Alpha Strike resolves?
It remains legal if it only moves to another board location while remaining a friendly unit; otherwise, Alpha Strike deals no damage.
Alpha Strike does not require the chosen friendly unit to be at a particular location. If it moves elsewhere on the board but remains a friendly unit, it is still a legal target and deals damage using its effective might when Alpha Strike resolves.[359.3.e.2][359.3.f.2]
If the target changes to a non-board zone, stops being a unit, or stops being friendly, it is illegal as Alpha Strike resolves.[359.3.e.2] Alpha Strike still resolves, but the illegal target is unaffected and the "its Might" referent returns null, so the related damage instruction is ignored.[359.3.e.5][359.3.e.12][359.3.f.2.a]
What if my unit's might is reduced before Alpha Strike resolves?
If the friendly unit's might is reduced between finalization and resolution, the total damage pool shrinks accordingly. If the reduced might is now less than the number of chosen enemy unit targets, there is no longer enough damage to assign at least 1 to every target. In that case, you must drop the minimum number of targets such that the number of remaining targets equals the friendly unit's current might[355.14.h] — you cannot drop extra targets to concentrate damage on fewer units.[355.14.h.1]
Any effects triggered by choosing those units as targets remain triggered if the units later cease being targets.[355.14.i]
Example
You chose 5 enemy units, targeting your friendly unit with 5 might. Before Alpha Strike resolves, your opponent plays a Reaction spell that reduces your unit's might by 2, leaving it at 3 might. You now have only 3 damage to distribute but 5 targets. You must drop 2 targets of your choice. The remaining 3 targets each receive at least 1 of the 3 available damage.
You cannot drop extra targets to concentrate damage
You chose 3 enemy 1 might Recruits at finalization with a friendly 3 might unit. Before resolution, your opponent reduces your unit's might by 1 with Stupefy (leaving it at 2 might) and buffs one of their Recruits to 2 might with En Garde. You now have 2 damage to distribute but 3 targets. You must drop exactly 1 target — leaving 2 remaining targets that each receive at least 1 damage. You cannot drop 2 targets to leave only the 2 might Recruit and assign both damage to it.
Related rulings
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Written by Christian I. (Near).
Last updated on .