Can you score the 8th point by conquering only one battlefield when both battlefields are empty?

Question

Accepted Answer

No. If you are one point away from the Victory Score, conquering only one battlefield does not give you the final point — you must Score every Battlefield that turn to gain the Winning Point via a Conquer; otherwise you draw a card instead.

You cannot gain the final point by conquering only one battlefield when you are one point from the Victory Score. Conquer scoring in that situation requires you to have Scored every Battlefield this turn to Gain the Winning Point; if you have not, you draw a card instead [466.1.b.2]. The basic definition of Conquer is that you gain control of a Battlefield you did not yet Score this turn [464.1].

You are one point away from the Victory Score, and you attempt to Conquer a battlefield. A Conquer means you gain control of a Battlefield you did not yet Score this turn [464.1]. Because you are attempting to Gain a Point via a Score while at one point from the Victory Score, rule [466.1.b] applies. The relevant sub-rule for Conquer is [466.1.b.2]. Check whether you have Scored every Battlefield this turn. If you have Scored every Battlefield this turn, you Gain the Winning Point via the Conquer [466.1.b.2]. If you have not Scored every Battlefield this turn (for example, you only conquered one of two empty battlefields), you do not Gain the Winning Point; instead you draw a card as specified by [466.1.b.2].

If you Score the final point via Hold instead of Conquer, the Conquer restriction does not apply and you Gain the Winning Point via Hold [466.1.b.1]. In 2v2, there is a specific exception for the Final Point from Conquer: you must Score each Battlefield in the same turn except any that were occupied by your ally during that turn’s Beginning Phase [484.8.f.1]. Also, effects that change the Victory Score or otherwise alter scoring conditions (examples in official clarifications) can alter how final-point rules apply; if such an effect is present the above may not be authoritative [FAQ:unleashed#12].

When a player is attempting to Gain a Point through a Score while their current Point Total is one point from the Victory Score, the special final-point rules in [466.1.b] apply. There are separate outcomes for Hold and Conquer. Hold immediately grants the Winning Point ([466.1.b.1]). Conquer only grants the Winning Point if the player has Scored every Battlefield during that same turn; if they have not, the player draws a card instead ([466.1.b.2]). Conquer itself is defined as gaining control of a Battlefield you did not yet Score this turn ([464.1]). Therefore, if both battlefields are empty and you only Conquer one of them while you are one point away from Victory, you will not Gain the final point — you will draw a card per [466.1.b.2]. Note the 2v2 exception: when scoring the Final Point from Conquer in 2v2 you must Score each Battlefield in the same turn except any that were occupied by your ally during that turn’s Beginning Phase ([484.8.f.1]). Also be aware that card effects that change the Victory Score or scoring behavior (covered by official clarifications) can change this outcome; if such effects are in play they must be considered ([FAQ:unleashed#12]).