When multiple Showdowns are staged, which one resolves first if one is already open?

Question

Accepted Answer

If a Showdown is already open, that open Showdown finishes first. Only after it ends and the cleanup completes can another staged Showdown be opened — at that point the Turn Player chooses which staged Showdown to open.

An already-open Showdown continues until it ends (players all pass in sequence and you perform the Cleanup). After that Cleanup, if one or more Showdowns are staged and the game is in a Neutral Open State, the Turn Player chooses which staged Showdown to begin [347] [323.11]. Showdowns become staged in Cleanup when Contested is applied, so staged Showdowns that exist while another is open simply wait to be chosen after the open Showdown finishes [323.8] [FAQ:unleashed#6].

If a Showdown is currently open, players proceed through that Showdown using the Focus/pass rules in [347]. When all players have passed in sequence during that Showdown, the Showdown ends and a Cleanup is performed [347.3.a.1]. During that Cleanup, any Contested battlefields are marked as having Showdowns staged if applicable [323.8] [FAQ:unleashed#6]. After Cleanup, if the game is in a Neutral Open State and one or more Showdowns are staged, the Turn Player chooses which staged Showdown to open next [323.11]. Only after that choice and opening does the new Showdown begin resolving (i.e., become the open Showdown under [347]).

If a Showdown and a Combat are both staged at the same Battlefield, and the Turn Player chooses to open the Showdown there, that Showdown opens as a Combat Showdown [323.12]. A Showdown staged while another Showdown is open does not interrupt or replace the open Showdown; it simply waits to be chosen after the current Showdown ends [323.8] [347]. Showdowns are staged during Cleanup after Contested is applied, so timing of when Contested is applied vs. whether a Showdown is already open can affect whether the new Showdown is initially staged or immediately opened (see [344] and [FAQ:unleashed#6]).

The rules treat an open Showdown as an ongoing game state that must be resolved before starting another. While a Showdown is open, players take actions under the Showdown rules — the player with Focus plays cards, activates abilities, or passes; if all players pass in sequence the Showdown ends and you perform a Cleanup [347]. Showdowns that exist at other Battlefields are “staged” (marked during Cleanup when Contested was applied) and do not open while another Showdown is active [323.8] [FAQ:unleashed#6]. Once the current Showdown has ended and Cleanup has completed, if the game is in a Neutral Open State and there are staged Showdowns, the Turn Player chooses which staged Battlefield’s Showdown to begin next [323.11]. Therefore, an already-open Showdown resolves first; staged Showdowns wait and are chosen by the Turn Player after the open Showdown ends and Cleanup finishes [347] [323.11] [323.8] [FAQ:unleashed#6]. Examples in the clarifications (such as interactions involving Glasc Mixologist) illustrate that control and staged/open timing matter when determining where and when things can be played or finalized, but they do not change the fundamental order: finish the open Showdown, perform Cleanup, then choose the next staged Showdown to open.