When Thousand-Tailed Watcher gives enemy units -3M (minimum 1) and then Grand Strategem gives friendly units +5M, how do these modifiers combine? Specifically, with 1M tokens and 2M Faithful Manufacturers, what are the final Might values?

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Accepted Answer

Apply increases first (+5 from Grand Strategem), then apply decreases (-3 from Thousand-Tailed Watcher), with the -3 reduction limited so it cannot cut a unit’s Might below 1. If the units start at 1 Might and 2 Might respectively, final Mights are 3 and 4.

Starting at 1 Might: 1 +5 = 6, then −3 (not below 1) = 3. Starting at 2 Might: 2 +5 = 7, then −3 (not below 1) = 4. Both units momentarily become Mighty when the +5 is applied (crossing ≥5) but end the sequence below 5.

Determine the unit's starting Might (assumed 1 and 2 in the examples). Apply all increases to Might first. Add +5 from Grand Strategem to each unit per [472.3.d.1]. Check for any 'becomes Mighty' triggers at the moment the Might crosses from <5 to ≥5 (this will occur when the +5 is applied) per [709]. Apply decreases to Might next. Apply the −3 from Thousand-Tailed Watcher but enforce the "minimum 1" limitation on the decrease; the limitation is snapshotted for the effect per [472.3.d.2]. Evaluate the unit's final Might and its Mighty status per [710] (final Might determines current Mighty).

If a unit's printed/base Might is high enough that even after −3 it remains ≥5, it will remain Mighty after the sequence. If it only crossed ≥5 due to the +5 and the post-decrease final Might is below 5, it will have been Mighty temporarily but not be Mighty at the end [709] [710]. If the "minimum 1" wording on the −3 effect references the final resulting Might rather than the magnitude of the decrease, the practical result is the same for typical positive starting M values: the unit's Might will not go below 1 due to that effect. That limitation is treated as a restriction on the decrease and is snapshotted per [472.3.d.2]. If the +5 or −3 are coming from Attached cards whose Might Bonuses are governed by attachment rules, those Might Bonuses are applied in the same arithmetic layer for Might per [472.3.c] and [137.3.a]. If such attachments have their own limitations, those limitations are snapshotted as described in [472.3.d.1.b] and [472.3.d.2.b]. If multiple increases or decreases from other sources exist, all increases are summed/applied before any decreases are applied per [472.3.d.1] and [472.3.d.2].

Per the layer arithmetic rules, all increases to a unit’s Might are applied before any decreases are applied [472.3.d.1] [472.3.d.2]. Each Buff contributes +1 Might [703], so your phrasing that a unit has "1M tokens" or "2M from Faithful Manufacturers" is best read as the unit currently having +1 or +2 Might respectively (assumption stated above). When you play Grand Strategem it grants +5 Might to friendly units; that +5 is an increase and is applied first. If that pushes the unit’s Might from below 5 to 5 or greater, the unit "becomes Mighty" at that moment [709]. After applying all increases, apply the −3 Might from Thousand-Tailed Watcher. Because that −3 has a stated minimum of 1, that limitation prevents the decrease from reducing the unit’s Might below 1; limitations on decreases are snapshotted for the effect per [472.3.d.2]. Using the assumed starting Might values: a unit starting at 1: 1 +5 = 6, then −3 (min 1) = 3. A unit starting at 2: 2 +5 = 7, then −3 (min 1) = 4. Both units briefly become Mighty when the +5 is applied (crossing ≥5) but end the sequence below 5 and thus are not Mighty in their final state [709] [710]. If you intended different starting printed Might values or a different meaning for "1M tokens" / "2M Faithful Manufacturers," provide those details and I will recompute with the same rules.