Konrad Klar wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:49 pm
CDavis7M wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:32 pm
If playing a creature (eg it attacks and is brought into play) by a card effect was supposed to work different from normal play of the creature, there would be some rule or ruling saying so. But there isn't.
Then what to expect from Paths of the Dead?
You're not reading every word in the rules. You're glossing over it.
"
You may use a creature card to directly attack one of your opponent's companies. Such an Attack can only occur if:
If a creature satisfies more than one of these conditions, you must choose (when you play the creature) one of these conditions that the attack is 'keyed to.'"
Paths of the Dead states "any Undead may be played on the company." Since attacks from creatures may
only happen according to the rule above, this effect of Paths of the Dead provides a condition upon which creatures may be played. It is not a separate effect. It is subject to the rules. This is reiterated in the rule "
a hazard creature may only be played against a company is the creature is "keyed to" the company's site or site path."
A creature card with the Undead keywork satisfies this condition. If that creature card also satisfies another condition, you must choose which condition is used. Likely the hazard player will choose the condition provided by Paths of the Dead since it cannot be negated.
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The only way for the rules to be consistent is to actually read the words used and give them their proper weight. "
Only" means exclusively, nothing else. It is not merely an allowance. There is NO OTHER way to play a creature besides the rules given. This is not merely an allowance for playing a creature according to some conditions. It is a hard restriction. "
Must" means that something should necessarily be done. Keying MUST be done.
A restriction in the rules always applies unless there is specific card text to overrule it. An allowance in the rules based on some set of conditions does not prevent a different allowance based on a different set of conditions. This is how the game works. It's how the rules were written and it's how the rulings were made.
Failure to recognize this is why so many of CoE Rulings are wrong and inconsistent, and why so many theories and proposals on the forum here are wrong and inconsistent.
There is nothing in Exhalation of Decay's card text to suggest that it completely overrides the rules on playing creatures rather than merely adding a condition to the list of possible play conditions to be satisfied. There is also nothing in Bring Our Curses Home, Foes Shall Fall, Paths of the Dead, etc. that indicate that the requirements on playing creatures in the rules do not have to be met.
If these cards were to allow the play of creatures without the creatures being keyed, the card text would need to specifically mention keying.