The upshot there was that she would get to call in the tip before she gets destroyed. However, that was before the "Timing and Order of Operations" ruling was handed down (and before the Fowl were errata'd in the reprint of the Matriarch):
I'm almost positive that the new OoO ruling would let you choose. If you're in a hurry to get the Prison Breaks out early, you can let her play the extra card if you want. If you aren't, you can let her BURN.
I am equally positive that the OoO ruling does NOT change the original ruling. These are not 2 effects trying to occur at the same time, these are 2 completely separate events. The first is the card being played, the second is the effect of the card happening. One still occurs before the the other, so she still triggers are a card play.
Broccoli is correct! Playing a card necessarily happens before the effect of that card occurs, so the death of an Informant does not prevent that card play.
Trying to figure this out (It's quite possible I'm just confusing myself)
From the rulebook:
The effects of a One-Shot happen immediately upon being played.
A One-Shot enters play, activate text.
A One-Shot enters play, Informant responds.
I just don't understand what is being said here.
The card enters play, at which point two things are trying to happen: The One-shot text activating, and the Informant trying to respond and play a card.
Are you saying that as soon as the one-shot enters play nothing can interfere with the effect of the informant responding to it? That even if the Informant dies the effect of the informant playing a card still happens?
Are you saying that responses have different timing than the activation of a One-Shot's text, and will always happen first?
Here's the text I'm adding to the FAQ, in case that helps with the confusion (or in case I'm totally wrong):
some cards have effects which trigger when a card is played (example: the chairman’s “informant” card, which says “when a hero card is played, play the top card of the villain deck”). because the playing of a card necessarily happens before the effect of the text on the card occurs, the triggered effect would happen after the card had been played but before it can be affected by the card’s text.
so in our example, the hero card would be played, the informant would cause the top card of the villain deck to be played, and then the card’s effect would be able to destroy the informant.
Suppose a Negative Energy Field were in play, however, and someone like Nightmist was able to redirect damage from it to Informant---since Informant isn't likely to be a high HP target for Negative Energy Field. If Informant is destroyed as a result of the Negative Energy Field damage, then under the normal rules regarding effect timing, Informant would not cause a villain card to be played. Right?
In other words, and in response to phantaskippy, I assume that this ruling is not suggesting that Informant's effect lingers after she is destroyed. It sounds like the rule is that a one-shot's effect takes place after the card is played, but not triggered by the play, meaning any triggered effects have to be dealt with before you move on to the one-shot's text. Does that match other people's understanding of what's being said? And can anyone think of an interaction we already know about that goes against this timing?
So if Voss' minion (Guard?) that reduces damage to villain targets is played, but Expatriette has Hairtrigger Reflexes in play, Expatriette would be able to damage the guard before that damage reduction is in effect, right?
But wouldn't the Guard's hp (and therefore, his status as a target) activate as part of the text activating? So he's just a villain card, until his text all activates and suddenly he is a soak-granting Genebound Guard who therefore blocks the plink Expatriette sends his way.
I'm also a bit confused at the "…the death of the Informant does not prevent a card play" thing - so you're saying you can play a card and nuke her, but then even though she's dead and therefore her text isn't around any more, the Chairman still gets to play a card? Because that sounds kind of…wrong (especially considering stuff like "oh, the thing I've Wrested-the-Mind of just died before I could hit myself, Wrest is gone now so I don't have to any more"). I've always played it (based on an earlier discussion at some point on here, ages ago) that you play a card, its text hasn't activated yet, the Informant interrupts that process to let the Chairman play a card, and once that's done, then your card's text activates, and if that's a nuke aimed at the Informant, then that's the point where she…well, gets nuked ;).
I think I'm just confused by the whole "stuff happens when you play a card" thing. It's like I seem to remember reading somewhere that cards like the two Energy Fields and Surprise Shopping Trip deal their damage even when they enter play, even though by the time their text activates, they're surely already in play, so can't trigger their own damage.
Its still a villain target even though the text has not activated. Notice the HP and the effect text are pretty far apart.
I think Arenson is right. If thats the way Informant works, then Hairtrigger would also go off before the targets effect text does as well. I dont mind slight buffs to Expat at all.
So no, Hairtrigger would not sneak in before Guards static was active, because that static has no timing. If the card is in play the static effect is on, just like HP. If HP wasn't active upon entering play hairtrigger wouldn't have anything to damage. Static effects work the same.
Thats not all true though. Damage modifiers are static effects yet have timing with other effects (see Superhuman Durability/Fortitude). How is that different?
Having HP is not an effect that gets triggered. It is not comparable here.
We aren't talking about the same thing when we are talking about when static text is active upon entering play and how it interacts with other damage modifiers when damage is being dealt.
Those are two very different situations.
The best I can understand is that only one-shots text activates when entering play, the only other text that would have timing as it's card enters play would be wording that says "When this card enters play" on it.
Otherwise the text is just there, waiting to do something. damage reduction is waiting for damage to reduce, Powers waiting to be activated, End/Start effects waiting for the right part of the turn, etc.
So I would say Gene Bound Guard's text would enter play with no concern or relevance for timing. Hairtrigger would trigger, and a check for modifiers would occur, and the text on Gene-Bound Guard would be there.
Otherwise Hairtrigger could also get around Sonic Mine, shoot it down with no "when this card is destroyed" text active.
I confess I'm taken aback a bit by this ruling, but rereading the old rulings it is supported there. I'm trying to make sense of it, it seems my nice ideas of triggers and the timing of them isn't right.