A question on guarding and defenses

[phillipsjr2]

If a creature has a defense and is guarding, does it still get to counter-attack if the defense is successful?

[Sailor Vulcan]

I'm pretty positive they don't. The rules for Mage Wars are usually pretty intuitive. Even in real life, part of the definition of a counter attack is a response to an attack. Without the first attack, the counterattack would just be an attack, and you can't use an enemy creature's action phase for your own creature's non-counter attack.

Imagine someone trying to punch you but missing. If you punched them after that, you wouldn't be punching them back since they never managed to punch you in the first place, only tried to punch you.

[Tacullu64]

Yes it does. It would also lose the guard marker.

From the sidebar on counterstrike page 28 of v2.0 rule book.

The defender may counterstrike, even if the attacker’s attack was not “successful” (did not roll dice because it missed or was avoided).

I hope this helps.

[Sailor Vulcan]

Really? I had no idea. I stand corrected. I just realized if a melee attack like a punch misses, then it could leave the would be attacker vulnerable to being, perhaps, hit as their fist/arm/body moves past the defender. That probably also explains why you can't counterattack a ranged attack, even when the ranged attack targets a creature in the same zone as the attacker.

Everything makes sense now.

[Shad0w]

Yes it does. It would also lose the guard marker.

From the sidebar on counterstrike page 28 of v2.0 rule book.

The defender may counterstrike, even if the attacker’s attack was not “successful” (did not roll dice because it missed or was avoided).

I hope this helps.

Tac wins this round