How does Bushwhack work when?

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Accepted Answer

Bushwhack is a spell. When it resolves, it does two things: it makes the game effect “friendly units enter ready this turn,” and it creates a Gold gear token that enters exhausted. If Bushwhack was played from Hidden, it must be played to that battlefield but its written effects still apply as written (the Hidden-play restriction only constrains choices/targets) [811]. The effect applies to units that enter after the spell has resolved during that turn; units already on the board are unaffected [340].

When Bushwhack resolves it creates a lasting game effect for the remainder of that turn: any friendly unit that enters the board after resolution that turn will enter ready instead of exhausted. Also, resolution creates a Gold gear token in an exhausted state. If Bushwhack was played from Hidden it must be played to the battlefield it was hidden at, but the “enter ready this turn” and “play a Gold gear token exhausted” instructions function normally and are not limited to that battlefield solely because it was Hidden [811] [340].

A player plays Bushwhack; creating a chain for the spell as per the general rule that playing a card creates a chain [333]. Players finalize Bushwhack (make any choices/pay costs required by the spell) during Finalize; then it waits to resolve on the chain [355] [340]. When Bushwhack becomes the newest item and resolves, execute its game effects in their entirety: (1) create the continuous/instant effect “friendly units enter ready this turn” and (2) create a Gold gear token that is placed exhausted onto the board [340]. After resolution, the chain proceeds. Any friendly unit that later enters the board during that same turn will enter ready because the resolved spell established that game effect for the turn (units already on the board are not affected by an “enter” instruction that applies to future enters) [340]. If Bushwhack was played from Hidden, it must have been played to the battlefield it was Hidden at, but because the spell did not require choosing targets at play, its effects apply normally as written and are not restricted to only that battlefield by virtue of Hidden play [811].

If a unit is being played as a separate chain item that resolves after Bushwhack, it will enter ready. If the unit is part of an already-resolving effect that occurred before Bushwhack resolved, that unit will not be affected (resolution is sequential and Bushwhack affects only events after it resolves) [340]. If Bushwhack is Hidden and its play requires choosing targets (it does not in the provided text), those choices would have to be from that battlefield at play time; because the provided text has no such choices, the Hidden-play restriction does not limit the scope of the ‘enter ready’ instruction [811]. If a later effect moves a unit from one battlefield to another during the same turn, whether that move counts as an “enter” that should be made ready depends on whether the move is treated as the unit entering a new location by the effect’s wording; the Core Rules excerpt provided does not define all move/enter interactions, so specific card wording would need to be consulted (assumption).

What Bushwhack does When you play a spell, it becomes a chain item and will resolve in order [333]. During Finalize you make any choices required by a spell [355]. When Bushwhack becomes the newest chain item and resolves, you execute its game effects in their entirety [340]. The printed effects are: “Friendly units enter ready this turn” and “Play a Gold gear token exhausted.” Executing those effects means you create whatever game-state changes the text describes: a game effect that causes friendly units to enter ready for the remainder of this turn, and the creation/placement of a Gold gear token in an exhausted state on resolution [340]. Timing and what is affected The phrase “enter ready this turn” applies to units that enter after the spell has resolved during that same turn. Spells resolve sequentially on the chain; any unit that is put onto the board by a chain item that resolves later than Bushwhack will be affected and enter ready. Units that were already on the board before Bushwhack resolved are not affected by an instruction that says they should “enter” ready, since they are not entering [340]. Hidden play If Bushwhack was played from Hidden, you must play it to the battlefield it was Hidden at and any choices that would need to be made at play time would be restricted to that battlefield; however, the abilities/instructions of Hidden cards otherwise function normally, so because Bushwhack does not require choosing a target as part of its play, its effects (enter ready this turn; create exhausted Gold gear) still apply as written and are not implicitly limited to only that battlefield by the fact it was Hidden [811]. Interactions and ambiguous wording The Core Rules excerpt provided does not contain an explicit definition of what all forms of “enter” cover (play, move, swap, replace), so if a unit is being moved onto a battlefield by another effect rather than played as a unit, you should check the moving effect’s exact wording to determine whether that action counts as an entrance affected by Bushwhack. Also, if there are other simultaneous or closely sequenced chain items that cause units to enter, resolve order determines whether those units enter ready (if they resolve after Bushwhack) or not (if they resolve before) [340].