I searched the rules forum and the FAQ for an answer to this question, because it seems quite basic and I expect it has been asked and answered, but I couldn't find it. So here goes.tl;dr: Does a successful use of Knight of Westlock's 8+ defense allow me to skip past revealing a face down Block?
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I control a Knight of Westlock with a face down Block enchantment attached. My opponent attacks my Knight with his Wizard's Arcane Zap. If the Knight's 8+ defense ability is successful, does the Block enchantment still get revealed?
Block says,
When this creature is attacked, you must reveal Block during the avoid attack step. Block counts as a defense, and the attack is avoided. Then destroy Block. If the attack is unavoidable, destroy Block without effect.
The relevant rules in the "When can you reveal" sidebar say that an enchantment can be revealed,
"At the end of any of the eight steps of an attack or three steps of casting a spell. Example: After the Avoid Attack Step of an attack, you could reveal the Rhino Hide enchantment on your creature to reduce the amount of damage it will take from that attack."
Since the card says that block is revealed
during step 2, I assume that is an exception to the usual rule that enchantments are revealed
at the end of each step? Is "at the end" of a step "during" that step?
Working on the assumption that Block is revealed during step 2, and not at the end, do the rules tell us what order the effects are resolved in?
Since the Knight is my creature, can I chose in which order to resolve the effects?
Suppose I chose to resolve the Knight's 8+ defense first, and it is successful.
The rules for attack step 2 (Avoid Attack) say,
"The defender may now attempt to avoid an attack by using a Defense. Important: The defender must decide whether to use a Defense (see “Defenses” page 24) before the attacker proceeds to the next step and rolls the dice. If the attack is avoided, skip to Step 5: Additional Strikes.
Do I skip to Step 5 without continuing the rest of Step 2? If so,
have I avoided revealing my Enchantment?--
The Defenses sidebar on page 24 is a little confusing, because it seems like it's talking about both defenses like Cobra Reflexes and Single Use Enchantments like Block. This is even more confusing because we sometimes call both types of enchantment "defenses", because a revealed Block says it, "counts as a defense."
The sidebar seems to be talking about the kind of defenses given by Deflection Bracers and Force Sword, but does contain the line:
"Important: A creature can never use more than one Defense against a single attack (even if it has multiple mandatory enchantments that are all revealed when it is attacked!). You must choose only one of the available Defenses to use each time the creature is Attacked."
Do the rules consider the face down Block enchantment a Defense? If my Knight of Westlock were Stunned, it would not be able to use it's 8+ defense. Would it be able to use the Block attached to it? If it were unable to benefit from Block, would the enchantment be revealed anyway, just as if it were attacked by a unavoidable spell? If I chose to use the 8+ defense and it fails, am I unable to use the Block's defense, even if it must be revealed?
I know how I'd play all this if I weren't examining it closely: I would trigger the mandatory Block when the Knight is attacked and chose not to use the optional 8+ defense, which would preserve it for later. If the knight were Stunned, I would have assumed Block works anyway (though now I'm not sure).
But, according to the rules, can I use a Defense ability on a creature before the Block Enchantment has its mandatory trigger set-off, and thereby skip using it?
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P.S. I was hoping that the ruling on the interaction between Reverse Attack and Block might offer some insight into this, but Reverse Attack isn't actually a defense, so it doesn't (potentially) end Step 2, it just redirects the attack (per the FAQ), then proceeds with the rest of the steps as normal.
