Does Darius get the +2 on Challenge if Challenge is the 2nd card played?

Question

Accepted Answer

It depends on timing. Darius only gets the +2 for Challenge if the effect that grants him +2 Might has already been applied (i.e., resolved) before Challenge resolves. If Challenge resolves first, it sees Darius's current Might at that moment and will not include a +2 that hasn’t been granted yet.

If the +2 to Darius has resolved and is currently affecting him at the time Challenge deals damage, then he deals damage with the boosted Might. If the +2 trigger/effect is still waiting to resolve (hasn’t been applied yet) when Challenge resolves, then Challenge uses Darius's unboosted Might and he does not get the +2 for that instance.

If Darius's +2 is granted by a triggered ability (for example "When you play me, give me +2 [M] this turn"), that ability triggers when Darius is played and then waits to resolve. You may play Challenge while that trigger is still outstanding; playing Challenge creates its own resolution event. When Challenge resolves, it looks at the current Might of the chosen units at that moment per [710] and deals damage equal to those current Might values per [460.2]. If Darius's +2 trigger has already resolved and applied before Challenge resolves, Challenge will use the boosted Might. If the trigger has not resolved yet, Challenge will use Darius's unboosted Might.

If Darius's +2 is not a triggered effect but a static effect that becomes active immediately when he enters the board, then the +2 will be present as soon as he is on board and thus available to Challenge if he was played before Challenge resolved. If the +2 is granted as an effect that is applied as part of paying the cost of playing Darius (an unusual phrasing), it may be active immediately; the exact text of Darius matters. If the +2 effect is applied by a separate spell or ability that itself is still unresolved when Challenge resolves, that separate effect must resolve first to affect Darius's Might. If Darius leaves the board (dies, is recalled, etc.) before Challenge resolves, he cannot be a valid target and will not receive or be affected by the +2.

The decisive principle is that Challenge uses the units' current Might at the time it resolves (see [710]) and that combat/damage resolution uses those current values ([460.2]). Whether Darius has +2 when Challenge resolves depends entirely on whether the effect that grants the +2 has already been applied by that time. Many "When you play me" abilities are triggered effects: they trigger when the unit is played and then resolve later. The FAQ explains that the parts of such abilities that grant effects are part of the ability's resolution and not automatically instantaneous on play ([FAQ:unleashed#3]). Therefore, the common interaction is: play Darius (trigger for +2 is placed on the chain), then play Challenge before the trigger resolves — in that case Challenge will resolve while Darius still lacks the +2 and will use his unboosted Might. If instead the +2 trigger resolved before Challenge resolves, then Darius would already have the +2 and Challenge would use the boosted Might. Because the provided Core Rules excerpt does not include Darius's exact card text, I assumed the +2 is a triggered or grant effect tied to playing Darius; if Darius's printed text grants +2 by some other timing or as a static property, apply the same test: is the effect currently applying at the moment Challenge resolves? If yes, he gets the +2; if not, he does not.