It's true that your opponent's resources may not (generally) be the targets of your resources/effects. This is the important part. However, your opponent's resources may also not be the "active conditions" of your resources as satisfying the active condition WOULD target the resource. Really, it is the (non-active) playable "if" conditions that may use (be satisfied by) your opponents resources.
The description of Active Conditions and Targeting from the Companion and MELE Glossary (emphasis added):
I think the CRF ruling on "Active Conditions" above is incorrect because it does not fit the description of active conditions and the examples given when making this ruling describe using the opponent's resources to satisfy the "playable on/if/at" or "in play" conditions, not any active condition of tapping/discarding/targeting that is actively taken by a player.Action: Any activity in the game(card play. a corruption check caused by Lure of the Senses, etc.). Each action is not immediately resolved when it is declared. An opponent and yourself have the opportunity to declare other actions in response. Meeting active conditions and exhausting a play deck are not actions - they are declared and resolve immediately.
An active condition must be in play or established when the action requiring it is declared. Typical active conditions are tapping a card and discarding a card. For example, Magic Ring of Stealth can cancel a strike against its bearer if two particular active conditions are met: the bearer must be a scout and Magic Ring of Stealth must tap. These are called active conditions because a player actively decides to invoke the action they satisfy. Active conditions serve as the price of an action. They are restrictions to the player invoking the action. In the case of Magic Ring of Stealth, the player cancelling the strike must have provided a scout and he must tap the ring, which renders the ring unable to be used again until his next turn.
Condition, Active: A prerequisite for an action actively made by a player. Typically this involves tapping a character, discarding an item, or having a character of a particular skill in play. Active conditions are declared and resolved with no time for response by an opponent or yourself.
Targeting: Choosing a specific entity through which a card or effect will be played out. An entity chosen as such is the "target" of the action. Some possible targets are: characters, corruption checks, strike dice rolls, items, sites, and companies. A card that states it is playable on or with a certain entity targets that entity. Cards which affect an entire class of other cards do not target (e.g., Wake of War).
1. Stone of Erech
So the conditions for playing Stone of Erech are: (1) A company at the Vale of Erech and (2) the Men of Lamedon are already in play.Stone of Erech ‐ Permanent‐event
Unique. Playable at the Vale of Erech and if the Men of Lamedon are already in play. Discard if the Men of Lamedon leave play.
And now the relevant rulings(emphasis added):
The ruling states that the condition (2) "the Men of Lamedon are already in play" can be satisfied by your opponent's faction. However, a faction being in play does not involve tapping/discarding/targeting nor is it a restriction to the player invoking the effect that would render the effect unable to be used again until his next turn.Ichabod 1/6/97
Hey all,
I ruled a little while ago you couldn't play Stone of Erech if your opponent had the Men of Lamedon in play. Turns out I was wrong about that one. Your opponent's cards can be used as active conditions for your resources. However, your opponent's cards may _not_ be used as _targets_ for your resources. In English (or American as the case may be), you can use your opponent's cards to satisfy the requirement that something must be in play. You cannot use your opponents cards to satisfy the requirements of one of your cards if something will or might happen to the opponent's card as a result.
------ "The Crossing-guard of Mordor" ------
Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien http://www.cstone.net/~ichabod
ich...@cstone.net Me:CCG Official Netrep
2. Mallorn and The White Tree
So the conditions for playing Mallorn are: (1) a company at Bag End and (2) if Earth of Galadrielʹs Orchard is stored thereMallorn ‐ Permanent‐event
Unique. (Errata to first sentence) Playable only if Earth of Galadriel's Orchard is stored at Bad End. Playable at Bag End only if Earth of Galadrielʹs Orchard is stored there. Bag End becomes a Haven for the purposes of healing and bringing characters into play. Bag End can untap during its ownerʹs untap phase. If Bag End is discarded, return it to its location deck. All Hobbit factions are worth +1 marshalling points.
From the timing of the question, I believe the Unlimited card text is under consideration. So the conditions for playing The White Tree are: (1) Sage at Minas Tirith; (2) a Sapling of the White Tree is at Minas Tirith; and (3) the Sapling is discarded(Unlimited) The White Tree - Permanent-event
Unique. Sage only at Minas Tirith. Playable only if a Sapling of the White Tree is at Minas Tirith and is discarded. Minas Tirith becomes a Haven for the purposes of healing and playing hazards.
Errata - Add "Discard the Sapling of the White Tree." (This applies to the Limited version which doesn't say "and is discarded")
And the ruling:
The ruling states that the condition (2) "if Earth of Galadrielʹs Orchard is stored there" can be satisfied by your opponent's item. However, you cannot use your opponent's item to satisfy The White Tree's condition (3) "the Sapling is discarded" because the discarding action targets the Sapling. So even if your opponent's Sapling could be used to satisfy the condition (2) "a Sapling of the White Tree is at Minas Tirith" it could not be used to satisfy the condition (3) "the Sapling is discarded." Of course I agree that the discarding action targets the Sapling. But not only that, the discarding action is an active condition of playing The White Tree per Annotation 6.ICE Digest 86 - May 24, 1998 12:00 AM
Question 1: Can you play Mallorn at Bag End, if another player previously stored *Earth of Galadriel's Orchard* there?
Answer 1: Yes.
Question 2: Wait... what happened to not using your opponent's resources are conditions for your own? Does this mean I can plant The White Tree at Minas Tirith if my opponent has stored a sapling there? Does this mean I can play Gollum's fate using my opponent's copy of Gollum if he happens to be at Mt. Doom?
Answer 2: The ruling is that you can't target your opponent's resources with your resources. Mallorn only uses Earth of Galadriel's Orchard as an active condition, it doesn't target it. So that's OK. The White Tree discards the sapling, so it targets, and can't be played that way. Same with Gollum's Fate. (CRF, Term, Target)
3. Gollum's Fate
The conditions for playing Gollum's Fate are: (1) The One Ring is at Mount Doom; (2) Gollum is at Mount Doom; and (3) it is during the Site Phase. From the discussion above you might think that Gollum's Fate could be playable using your opponent's The One Ring and your Opponent's Gollum. Yes, it's true that the playability conditions could be met. However, there is a clarification to this card:Gollum's Fate ‐ Short‐event
Unique. Only playable if The One Ring and Gollum are both at Mount Doom during the site phase. The One Ring is destroyed and its bearer’s player wins.
Right, so even though the original text appears like you could use your opponent's resources based on the discussion of Stone of Erech, The White Tree, and Mallorn, you actually can't because the card is considered to target both The One Ring and Gollum. Also, at least the "destroying" effect targets The One Ring to win the game even if Gollum is not also "destroyed."Gollum's Fate (clarification) - This card is considered to target both The One Ring and Gollum. This means it cannot be played on your opponent's The One Ring or Gollum.
But wait, that is a clarification, not errata! True. I used to think that "clarifications" were used to interpret a card and that "errata" were used to change how a card is played. That is not correct. According to the Companion, "Errata" is only issued when "the text on the card is wrong or incomplete." A "Clarification" is issued when "the card could be ambiguous." There are many "clarifications" that actually change how the card is played. So the card is played according to the clarification.
Bottom line: these rulings explain that "Your opponent's resources may be/meet the playable "if" conditions for your resources." None of them actually mean "Your opponent's resources may be the active conditions for your resources."