How does Shuriken Flip work when?

Question

Accepted Answer

Shuriken Flip is a Spell that (1) deals 2 damage to up to one enemy unit at a battlefield, then (2) moves a friendly unit. If you play it from your Trash using its Flow cost, you banish it after playing. The damage is applied first, then the move happens; completing the move causes a Cleanup to occur, which can cause Deathknell triggers and kills to be recorded and added to the chain. [347.1.a] [448] [323.4] [323.5] [808]

Resolve Shuriken Flip in order: deal 2 to the chosen enemy unit (or choose none), then perform the Move for the chosen friendly unit. When the Move completes, perform a Cleanup [448]. During that Cleanup, any units whose damage now equals or exceeds their Might will have their Deathknell triggers added as Pending Items before those units are moved to the Trash [323.4] [323.5] [808]. If you played Shuriken Flip from your Trash for its Flow cost, banish it after playing (per the card text).

You play Shuriken Flip (from hand or from Trash by paying its Flow cost per the card text). If played during a Showdown while you have Focus and it is legally timed, playing it starts a Chain as normal [347.1.a] [347]. When you finalize the play, a Cleanup becomes Outstanding for adding the Chain item (Cleanups occur after items are added to the chain) [319]. When the Chain Item resolves, resolve its instructions in order: first deal 2 damage to up to one enemy unit at a battlefield (you may choose zero or one target because the card text says "up to one") (damage is marked on the unit). Next, move the chosen friendly unit as instructed by the card. That Move is treated as a normal Move action and must be completed legally. When the Move completes, perform a Cleanup because a Move finished [448] [319]. During that Cleanup, handle outstanding board state: any Units with non-zero Damage meeting or exceeding their Might that have Deathknell will have Deathknell triggers added as Pending Items now, and then such Units are killed and put into their owner's Trash [323.4] [323.5] [808]. Because Deathknell triggers are added as Pending Items before the card is moved to the Trash, those triggers will be on the chain and will be finalized/resolve in normal FEPR order (and their addition also creates additional Cleanups as specified by the general Cleanup rules) [808] [319]. If you played Shuriken Flip from your Trash for its Flow cost, the card is banished after playing, per the card text.

If there is no valid enemy unit at a battlefield (or you choose not to target one), the "deal 2" portion affects no unit and you proceed directly to the Move; completing the Move still causes a Cleanup [319] [448]. If the damage from the "deal 2" causes a unit to reach or exceed its Might, its Deathknell triggers will be added to the chain before that unit is moved to the Trash during the subsequent Cleanup [323.4] [808]. If the Move brings units into or out of a Battlefield and changes Combat/Showdown designation or presence, the Cleanup will also reassign Attacker/Defender designations and handle Combat/Control tasks as described in the Cleanup sequence [323].

Card text (the authoritative source for what the card does) instructs two ordered actions: "Deal 2 to up to one enemy unit at a battlefield, then move a friendly unit." That ordering is important: the damage is applied first, then the Move is executed. Playing the card starts a Chain if it is a legally-timed play (see playing during a Showdown) and the Chain flow and cleanups described in the Core Rules apply [347.1.a] [347]. After an item is added to the Chain (including playing a card), Cleanups become Outstanding as specified in the rules; the FEPR process pauses for Cleanups at the appropriate times [319] [FAQ:unleashed#17]. When the Chain Item for Shuriken Flip resolves, you apply 2 damage to the chosen unit (or choose none). That damage is marked on the unit but the act of killing or triggering Deathknell does not immediately move the unit to the Trash at the moment damage is assigned; instead, those board-state changes are handled during the next Cleanup. Next you move the friendly unit as instructed. Completing a Move triggers a Cleanup immediately [448]. During that Cleanup, the engine handles outstanding board state: any Units with damage equal to or exceeding their Might that have Deathknell will have their Deathknell triggers added as Pending Items now (and the rule instructs you to note location/attributes needed) and then those Units are killed and placed into the Trash [323.4] [323.5] [808]. The Deathknell triggers are added to the Chain before the card is moved to the Trash, so they can be responded to in the normal FEPR/chain process [808]. If you used the Flow option described on the Shuriken Flip card to play it from your Trash, the card text instructs that you banish it after playing; the Core Rules excerpt provided does not define Flow beyond that wording, so that banish-after-play behavior comes from the card itself (see assumptions). In short: damage first, then move; finishing the move causes a Cleanup which is where kills and Deathknell triggers are detected and added to the chain. [347.1.a] [319] [448] [323.4] [323.5] [808] [FAQ:unleashed#17]