Bronzeshield Defender - Does it work?

[OneAndOnly]

I posted this card on a Contest thread recently (Nexus Flamingo):

Bronzeshield Defender -- 1W
Creature - Soldier
If a creature you control would fight another creature, you may put Bronzeshield Defender onto the battlefield from your hand. If you do, that creature fights Bronzeshield Defender instead.
1/3

Here's the response I got:

I'm... genuinely unsure if this card works within the rules. It's a replacement effect that operates from a hidden zone, and can only occur in the middle of a spell or ability resolving, when no one has priority. Typically such effects have only been used to replace where the card itself goes when discarded, not to interrupt an unrelated ability. There's also a genuine question of whether or not you can chain them in response to a single fight.

Thoughts?

[spacemonaut]

It's probably basically fine, to the extent that Loxodon Smiter and Panglacial Wurm are also fine. (Panglacial Wurm is a rules headache, to be clear, but it exists.) The fact they're typically used to effect where a card goes is noted but doesn't affect rules practicality. Nobody needs to have priority for the same reason Smiter doesn't need anyone to; you're not activating an ability, you're just exercising an available option.

Bronzeshield Defender just has a replacement effect available from your hand. It gives you the option of replacing "Target creature OneAndOnly controls fights another target creature" with "OneAndOnly puts Bronzeshield Defender onto the battlefield from his hand, and Bronzeshield Defender fights that other target creature." It exists in your hand and functions in your hand; it's available to deploy at a moment's notice.

(I'll note that "that creature fights ~ instead" is ambiguous: which of the two creatures? I'd revise to disambiguate, such as by saying "would fight a creature you don't control" and referring to the creature you don't control. Note that some cards like Clash of Titans can make your creatures fight among themselves.)

That said, you can get a nearly identical & safer magic-ese effect by using Flash, and it's one that comes with a shields-down moment:


Bronzeshield Defender 1W
Creature - Soldier
Flash
When Bronzeshield Defender enters the battlefield, until end of turn, if a creature you don't control would fight a creature you control, the creature you don't control fights Bronzeshield Defender instead.
1/3


I don't think there's precedent for this ability, but I'd say based on rule 614.9 for redirection, once Bronzeshield Defender dies the replacement effect can't actually replace anything and fights would occur as normal the same turn.

[JovialJovian]

It's probably basically fine, to the extent that Loxodon Smiter and Pelakka Wurm are also fine. (Pelakka Wurm is a rules headache, to be clear, but it exists.)

I think you mean Panglacial Wurm?

[spacemonaut]

It's probably basically fine, to the extent that Loxodon Smiter and Pelakka Wurm are also fine. (Pelakka Wurm is a rules headache, to be clear, but it exists.)

I think you mean Panglacial Wurm?

Oops, yes, that one.

[Legend]

Bronzeshield Defender 1W
Creature - Soldier
Flash
When Bronzeshield Defender enters the battlefield, until end of turn, if a creature you don't control would fight a creature you control, the creature you don't control fights Bronzeshield Defender instead.
1/3

But now it costs mana. I mean, the designer probably considered 'flash' but wanted something more?

[spacemonaut]

Bronzeshield Defender 1W
Creature - Soldier
Flash
When Bronzeshield Defender enters the battlefield, until end of turn, if a creature you don't control would fight a creature you control, the creature you don't control fights Bronzeshield Defender instead.
1/3

But now it costs mana. I mean, the designer probably considered 'flash' but wanted something more?

It now costs mana, that's correct. I wasn't trying to keep it exact and the fact it comes with a shields-down possibility is part of what makes it a safer magic-ese effect. I was mostly taking a pointer from Selfless Squire here.

[OneAndOnly]

@spacemonaut, would you mind clarifying what you mean by "shields-down" moment?

The question of whether or not it should cost mana ties in with the last question, about chaining them together; in theory, you could have one creature fight, then dump four otherwise-vanilla 1/3's onto the field ... I don't know if that's worth it. Obviously Crusade effects etc. make it more worthwhile. I'd rather not add a mana cost to the ability (since, as pointed out, it effectively makes it flash) but perhaps there ought to be some other consideration for using the ability.

[spacemonaut]

Shields down is when the blue player tapped out their last island, so you know they probably can't counter your spells this turn, or when the green player tapped out their last forest, so they probably won't be casting any enlarge-type combat tricks this combat. (Less true in formats with pitch spells.)

It's a word available for taking about that thing where you can judge what the player can do based on the resources they have available—and they can't do something for free, so when they have no resources left you know they're vulnerable. They have to choose between leaving mana open (keeping their shields up) but potentially wasting it, or tapping out but dropping their shields in the process. That kind of thing.