When Akali moves and deals 1 damage, and then moves back dealing 1 more damage before triggering showdown, does the unit defending heal damage?
verifiedNo, the defending unit does not heal. But this has several conditions that must be true for this to happen.
This is best explained with an example:
Opponent controls Battlefield A with one 4 Might unit. I have Akali Deadly Weapon - NOT empowered in base.
I move my Akali to BF A → 'When I move' triggers and creates a chain. A Combat Showdown will be staged at the next possible moment, but not yet as there is an active chain. As a reaction to my own Akali's 'When I move' trigger I play Flash, target my Akali and move her back to base. Nothing else gets played by either player. So we resolve the existing chain.
Flash resolves → Akali moves back to base → NEW Akali 'When I move' trigger gets added to the chain on top of the old one. New 'when I move' trigger resolves dealing 1 damage to the opposing 4Might unit at BF A. Old 'when I move' trigger resolves dealing 1 damage to the opposing 4Might unit at BF A.
Rule 190.3.b.1: If a player who applied Contested status to a Battlefield controls no Units there and there is no ongoing Showdown or Combat at that Battlefield, then Contested status is removed in the following Cleanup.
So no contested status, no combat showdown and no healing for the opposing unit.
There is no healing event between the two Standard Moves, even though a Cleanup occurs after each move — Cleanup stages combats and checks lethal damage, but does not heal units.
This only works with reaction speed of course. Using the Akali Legend ability cannot reproduce this effect as a Combat Showdown will have started and healing will occur at the end of it: The move trigger from Akali - Deadly Weapon would go on the chain. Assuming no reactions are played it would resolve and deal 1 (or 2 if empowered) damage to a unit there. Upon that resolution though a combat showdown would start. If you then used focus to activate the Rogue Assassin Legend at Action speed, you could move Akali - Deadly Weapon out of the battlefield and inflict another 1 (or 2) damage. However, since a combat showdown was initiated it would need to clean up, meaning any damage taken would be healed AFTER the Akali move trigger resolved. If the damage dealt is enough to kill a unit it would die. If not they would return to full health. As per the rules of the Combat Special Cleanup.
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August 2, 2026 · reviewed by 121679855233400832
Incomplete answer.
Answer No, the defending unit does not heal. But this has several conditions that must be true for this to happen. This is best explained with an example: Opponent controls Battlefield A with one 4 Might unit. I have Akali Deadly Weapon - NOT empowered in base. I move my Akali to BF A -> 'When I move' triggers and creates a chain. A Combat Showdown will be staged at the next possible moment, but not yet as there is an active chain. As a reaction to my own Akali's 'When I move' tirgger I play Flash, target my Akali and move her back to base. Nothing else gets played by either player. So we resolve the existing chain. Flash resolves -> Akali moves back to base -> NEW Akali 'When I move' trigger gets added to the chain on top of the old one. New 'when I move' trigger resolves dealing 1 damage to the opposing 4Might unit at BF A. Old 'when I move' trigger resolves dealing 1 damage to the opposing 4Might unit at BF A. Rule 190.3.b.1: If a player who applied Contested status to a Battlefield controls no Units there and there is no ongoing Showdown or Combat at that Battlefield, then Contested status is removed in the following Cleanup. So no contested status, no combat showdown and no healing for the opposing unit. There is no healing event between the two Standard Moves, even though a Cleanup occurs after each move — Cleanup stages combats and checks lethal damage, but does not heal units. This only works with reaction speed ofcourse. Using the Akali Legend ability can not reproduce this effect as a Combat Showdown will have started and healing will occur at the end of it: The move trigger from Akali - Deadly Weapon would go on the chain. Assuming no reactions are played it would resolve and deal 1 (or 2 if empowered) damage to a unit there. Upon that resolution though a combat showdown would start. If you then used focus to activate the Rogue Assassin Legend at Action speed, you could move Akali - Deadly Weapon out of the battlefield and inflict another 1 (or 2) damage. However, since a combat showdown was initiated it would need to clean up, meaning any damage taken would be healed AFTER the Akali move trigger resolved. If the damage dealt is enough to kill a unit it would die. If not they would return to full health. As per the rules of the Combat Special Cleanup.
Not sure about this one? Can somebody make a good proposal answer?
I think the AI has it wrong. The move trigger from Akali - Deadly Weapon would go on the chain. Assuming no reactions are played it would resolve and deal 1 (or 2 if empowered) damage to a unit there. Upon that resolution though a combat showdown would start. If you then used focus to activate the Rogue Assassin Legend at Action speed, you could move Akali - Deadly Weapon out of the battlefield and inflict another 1 (or 2) damage. However, since a combat showdown was initiated it would need to clean up, meaning any damage taken would be healed AFTER the Akali move trigger resolved. If the damage dealt is enough to kill a unit it would die. If not they would return to full health. There are similar interactions with Flash, Ride the Wind, and Gust which move units away from a battlefield after a combat showdown starts, and those maintain the healing upon resolution of the combat as units don't have to be there for the combat cleanup step to happen.
It is correct with the caveat that Akali has to move away before a combat showdown is staged. Rule 190.3.b.1: If a player who applied Contested status to a Battlefield controls no Units there and there is no ongoing Showdown or Combat at that Battlefield, then Contested status is removed in the following Cleanup. Akali's first move will create a contested state but a showdown will not start until her ' When I move' trigger has resolved. If you would react to that first move trigger with Flash for instance, Akali would move away before the first trigger resolved and before a combat showdown is staged. And with the way her card text is worded, both triggers can still resolve.
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