Beckon Steel (Blue)

When playing Beckon Steel, you must target a sword attack on the combat chain. When Beckon Sword resolves, that targeted attack will get a triggered ability that triggers when that attack hits.

When the Beckon Steel ability triggers from the attack hitting, it generates a triggered-layer with an attack effect. This is called an attack-layer. In order to put this layer onto the stack, you must declare the attack-target for the attack that will be generated when this layer resolves on the stack.

When this triggered effect resolves, you will sharpen the sword that is the source of the current attack. Then, if that sword has 3 or more +1 counters, you will attack with it.

Generating an attack with Beckon Steel’s triggered effect during an active chain-link will cause you to add that newly generated attack to the queue. The queue is a new sub-area of the stack where attacks that are generated during an active attack go to and “wait” until it can be moved onto the combat chain as the next attack.

During the Resolution Step of a chain link, if the stack is empty and there is a queued attack, the first queued attack is moved from the queue to the combat chain as a new chain link. Players will then immediately move to the attack step of combat for that attack (there is no layer step). In the case of an attack generated from Beckon Steel’s triggered effect, the attack moves from the queue onto the combat chain with the sword moving from where it is currently over to the newly created chain link.

The attack generated from Beckon Steel’s attack will use the same sword as the sword attack that hit. The attack will inherit the same properties and power as the sword.

The attack generated from Beckon Steel’s attack will not count as activating the weapon to attack and does not require any resources or action points. It will not affect the number of remaining activations or any activation limits the weapon may have. For example, if a Dawnblade’s activation limit were increased because of Twinning Blade, a Dawnblade attack generated from Beckon Steel would not contribute towards fulfilling that limit.

Any effects that trigger when an attack becomes attacking (e.g. “when this attacks…”, “the next time you attack this turn…, etc.) will not trigger immediately if that attack is added to the queue. They will only trigger after a queued attack moves to the combat chain and the attack step begins.

If you were to generate multiple attacks from multiple Beckon Steel triggered effects, each of those attacks will enter into the queue after their respective triggered effect resolves on the stack. They will enter into the queue in order. When they leave the queue, they will leave in the same order as they entered, each becoming their own chain link on the combat chain.

The combat chain cannot be closed by rule or effect if there is an attack waiting in the queue. If the combat chain would close, instead the next attack in the queue will move to the combat chain as a new chain link and players will move to the attack step. For example, if the attack target for a queued attack no longer exists, that attack is cleared from the queue, then you will proceed to the next queued attack available. If none exist, you would proceed to the close step.

Effects that apply to attacks will apply themselves to attacks that are placed into the queue: they aren’t applied to the attack-layers that generate them. For example, when the Beckon Steel attack-layer resolves on the Stack and the sword attack is added to the queue, at that point any effects such as those that say “your next attack”, “your next sword attack”, “Your sword attacks this turn”, etc. will begin to apply to that attack in queue.

Attacks in queue can be targeted and/or chosen by effects. In the context of warrior attack reactions with reprise, you can target attacks generated from Beckon Steel waiting in the queue. For example, if you already have a sword attack in the queue and your opponent has defended with a card from hand this chain link, you can play Overpower and target the sword attack in queue to give it + from both its normal ability and from its Reprise ability (since its condition is satisfied.)

If there is an effect that requires you to target the object for the attack if able (e.g. Chum, Arc Light Sentinel) in the arena when deciding the Beckon Steel’s attack targets, you must target those objects.

In the case of Chum, if you were to hit and kill it with a sword attack that includes the Beckon Steel triggered ability while its attack requirement ability was active, you would clear Chum first before deciding the attack target for the Beckon Steel triggered effect. This would allow you to target any other hero or ally for the attack effect.

If an Arc Light Sentinel were to enter into the arena after playing Beckon Steel and then you hit with your sword attack, you would be required to target the Arc Light Sentinel for the Beckon Steel attack effect. If two or more Beckon Steel’s are played, all of the attack-layers must target the Arc Light Sentinel, because it’s still a valid target as all of the Beckon Steel triggers are put on the stack before Spectra resolves.

If you target an aura with Spectra with Beckon Steel’s attack effect and you don’t have enough +1 counters, Spectra will still trigger. When Spectra resolves, the aura will be destroyed. Then, when each Beckon Steel triggered-layer resolves, the sword will be sharpened but no attack would be generated (either because there are not enough counters or because the declared attack-target no longer exists).