These questions deal with the stacking of multiples of Autonomous Blade and Augmented Ally for Captain Cosmic.
Autonomous Blade reads:
[quote="Autonomous Blade"]Play this card next to a hero target.
The first time that target deals damage each turn, this card deals 1 target 2 energy damage.[/quote]
Augmented Ally reads:
[quote="Augmented Ally"]Play this card next to a hero character card.
At the start of that hero's turn, their player may discard a card. If they do, they may use a power immediately.[/quote]
Ok, here is the setup for the first scenario:
Captain Cosmic plays two copies of Autonomous Blade on Fanatic. Fanatic uses the Exorcism power to deal damage. Autonomous Blade #1 fires off and does 2 energy damage.
Question #1 >> Does the damage from Excorcism still satisfy the requirements for Autonomous Blade #2?
Here is the setup for the second scenario:
Captain Cosmic plays two copies of Augmented Ally on the same hero. At the start of that hero's turn, they discard one card.
Question #2 >> The discard satisfies the requirements of Augmented Ally #1 and they get to use a power. Does that first discard also satisfy the requirements of Augmented Ally #2?
This double Augmented Ally situation came up and it was argued that it only took one discard to activate both cards. The reasoning was the double Autonomous Blade scenario (yes, I realize you could just use AB#1 as the target of AB#2). You can only do "first time" damage once a turn, so the second Autonomous Blade is co-opting the "first time" damage to activate its damage also. The player may discard a card and they do so. The first Augmented Ally fires off. The player has already discarded a card, so the second Augmented Ally co-opts that initial discard and allows a second power to be used.
1) The very first instance of damage dealt will trigger both blades.
2) Each Augmented ally will require its own discard if you want two powers at the start of your turn.
The reason for the difference:
Autonomous blade is a response trigger (not official language), it sits around waiting for its condition to be fulfilled, in this case Fanatic dealing damage. As soon as she deals damage they both pounce, each of them trying to deal damage and the players have to sort out which one gets to go first.
Augmented ally is a start of turn, optional trigger (non-official) they sit patiently waiting for the start of Fanatic's turn, at which point, and in the order they arrived they offer the player a deal, if you discard a card I can give you a power. The second one waits until the first one is finished, then approaches and says "Hey pal, if your looking for another power right now I can give you the same deal.
If the second card's text was The first time each turn that you discard a card, you may use a powr immediately then when you discarded for the first card you would get two powers. Because with that wording the card would be sitting around waiting to pounce on you and give you a power the first time a card was discarded.
I get what you are saying and I agree with it, but I want to fully explore this to make sure there can be absolutely no other interpretation.
The Augmented Ally "optional trigger" is At the start of that hero's turn, their player may discard a card.
You don't have to discard, it is your choice. It is the start of the turn. The player has discarded a card, satisfying the trigger.
At the start of the turn, Parse's player discards 1 card allowing a card to be played. The discarding gets co-opted to Critical Multiplier to apply its effect. Yes, the "whenever" is the persistant pass-through, the argument that I am making is that a single discard is activating the effects on two separate cards.
Augmented Ally #1 allows for a card to be discarded. Where in the timing does a "discarded card" exist then cease to exist for the purposes of satisfying Augmented Ally #2?
I think you answered your own question. "Whenever" implies a continuous requirement can be fulfilled, if or when it is fulfilled. The fact that Parse is able to meet that on both an ability that requires a cost and an effect that triggers when that cost is made is independant of how Augmented Ally works, since they both require you to discard.
So, Critical Multiplier is a passive effect that reacts to discarding, and Snap Decision is an active cost that triggers when it's paid. There's probably a better way to word what I'm trying to explain, but I hope you get the idea.
Critical Multiplier doesn't care what causes the discard, and you can't just choose to discard to trigger it, it waits for something else to cause Parse to discard, then activates in response.
Cards worded like it will all act that way.
Snap Decision gives the player an option at the start of Parse's turn, discard a card for its effect, if you do you get to play a card, if you don't you don't get to play a card.
Cards worded like Snap Decision or Augmented Ally only trigger off their own option to discard. Any other effect that causes a discard will not trigger it, even a second copy of the same card.
Critical Multiplier will activate anytime Parse's player discards a card, for any reason.
Note that this ruling also works for other "at the start of your turn, you may <pay a cost>" effects. If there are two Meteor Storms in play, two separate players will need to skip their turns to get rid of it. If you skip your turn to deal with a Meteor Storm, that doesn't do anything to the counter on the Self-Destruct Sequence and vice versa.
There are so many synergies between CC and the other Prime Wardens. CC+AA pull off some insane shenanigans. I also love the combo of the Blade with Divine Focus
Yeah, Fanatic is awesome with that. Slap an Energy Bracer on them, and you can hit them for 1 to keep out Embolden, AND trigger Autonomous Blade in the process. Plus she can Exorcise Vitality Conduits for a 4HP recovery, or double-hit a Dynamic Siphon to give extra-extra powers. Let her stack up Absolution and a Cosmic Weapon or 3, then use Smite the Transgressor, Exorcise on a Siphon on her, and have Embolden, and she can whip out 4 powers for 3 damage each per turn!