If I attack with my higher unit than the enemy, but he uses back off in bf, do I bounce of | Runesight
Sep 14, 2026
If I attack with my higher unit than the enemy, but he uses back off in bf, do I bounce off?
Asked as: “if i attack with my higher unit than enemy buit he use back off in bf do i bounce off?”
Answered under Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications
If targets your attacking unit and it resolves before combat damage is dealt, that unit is stunned and will not deal combat damage this turn — it is not recalled/bounced by . It simply deals no combat damage; it can still be dealt damage and killed during combat and removed in Cleanup if it takes lethal damage.
Final Ruling
When resolves on a unit in the Showdown, it applies [Stun] — “It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.” If that is applied to your attacking unit prior to the Combat Damage Step, that unit will not deal combat damage during the Combat Damage Step (it effectively deals zero combat damage) [] . does not instruct a Recall or “bounce,” so the unit stays present unless it is killed by damage assigned to it; killed units are placed in the Trash during Cleanup . Assigning damage and dealing damage are distinct steps, so the stunned unit contributes no damage when combat damage is Dealt .
Citing
01You initiate the attack and a Combat Showdown is ongoing where your attacking unit and the opponent's defending unit are present.
02The opponent plays in the Showdown and it resolves targeting a unit (the card is playable in showdowns and its resolved effect is to [Stun] a unit: “It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.”) [].
03If has resolved before the Combat Damage Step, the stunned unit is marked as not dealing combat damage for that turn.
04When the Showdown closes and the Combat Damage Step begins, Attackers and Defenders resolve Combat Damage using their current ability to deal combat damage; a stunned unit will not deal combat damage (effectively contributes zero to what it deals) and thus does not deal damage to the opponent during this combat .
05Damage is assigned starting with the Attacker based on the summed amounts of damage they are dealing. Because the stunned unit deals no combat damage, it contributes no damage during dealing. Damage is then Dealt simultaneously per the normal rules .
06If the defender's damage is lethal to your attacking unit, that unit will be killed in Cleanup and placed in the Trash per the Cleanup kill rule ; Deathknell triggers (if any) are added to the chain before the card is moved to the Trash .
07If the stunned attacking unit survives the Combat Damage Step without lethal damage marked, it remains at the battlefield; does not itself recall or bounce the unit.
If resolves after damage has already been Dealt for that combat, it cannot retroactively prevent that damage. The order and timing of plays on the Chain matters: effects must resolve before the Combat Damage Step to affect that Combat's damage .
If multiple units are present and only one is stunned, other units still deal their combat damage normally, potentially killing the stunned unit.
If both attacking and defending units are stunned (for example both are targeted by separate instances of that resolved before damage), neither will deal combat damage and neither will deal damage in that Combat Damage Step.
If the stunned unit takes lethal assigned damage from opposing units, it will be killed and moved to the Trash during Cleanup; being stunned does not prevent it from being killed .
If you meant “bounce” as in ‘recall’—that is a different effect. No Recall instruction is present on , so it never causes a recall by itself. Recall behavior is handled separately by rules that insert Recall steps during Combat Cleanup when applicable .
Assumptions
That was legally targeted and resolved before the Combat Damage Step began. If it resolves after combat damage has already been Dealt, it cannot retroactively prevent that damage.
That the plain reading of “It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.” means the stunned unit deals zero combat damage for that combat (i.e., it will not contribute damage when combat damage is Dealt). The Core Rules do not separately define a numeric reduction for that phrase, but the card text directly says it does not deal damage this turn.
The important pieces are the text on and the Combat Damage step rules. is an Action playable in Showdowns that applies [Stun] to a unit; the card explicitly states in parentheses: “It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.” That is the operative effect you asked about. The Combat Damage Step instructs that when the Showdown closes, Attackers and Defenders resolve Combat Damage at the attacked Battlefield using their current ability to deal combat damage and their Might values . The rules also make a clear distinction between assigning damage and dealing damage: Assigning Damage is not Dealing Damage, and after assignment the damage is Dealt simultaneously . Putting those together: if your attacking unit is stunned by before the Combat Damage Step, it will not deal combat damage during that step — i.e., it will deal zero damage when damage is Dealt [] . That does not, by itself, cause your unit to be recalled or “bounce” away. The unit remains present and can receive damage from opposing units; if it receives lethal damage that is applied during the Combat Damage Step, it will be killed in Cleanup and moved to the Trash per the Cleanup rules . Note also timing: if resolves too late (for example after the damage has been Dealt), it cannot prevent that already-dealt combat damage. In short: No, does not bounce your attacking unit. It prevents that unit from dealing combat damage this turn if it resolves before damage is Dealt; whether your unit survives depends on whether it takes lethal damage from the opponent's units during the Combat Damage Step .
