Shandalar - Program Bugs

[Korath]

e1a9ad57d078b3aaa9ac1462e8c955cd31f67205.

This is an odd case. In fourth-edition rules, there wasn't an opportunity to use fast effects between the start of the first strike combat damage step and the second main phase, and it would be futile
to add one before the Great AI Desync During Combat is found. So Desert still partially uses the original wording and rules meaning of the card: "Tap to add 1 colorless mana to your mana pool or do 1 damage to an attacking creature after it deals its damage.".

The only sensible way to interpret that, since there was no point after attacking creatures dealt damage that it could be activated before creatures ceased to be attacking, was to allow it to be activated at any time during combat to create a delayed trigger that ran at end of combat. (Or, I suppose, at the end of the first strike combat damage step, if it targeted a creature with first strike; but the MicroProse implementation didn't do that, and I haven't either.)

As the modern wording of the card doesn't create a trigger, I instead have it deal its damage as soon as the end-of-combat event occurs, at the same time end of combat triggers are put on the stack. Nothing checked for pending damage cards at that point, however, only pending triggers, and so - unless there was also a trigger waiting to be put on the stack at that point - the damage didn't resolve until a player got priority during the post-combat main phase.

I don't think that makes a difference to anything except for Mongrel Pack, and that the wrong phase is highlit during the damage prevention step. But the damage cards are forced to resolve immediately after EVENT_AT_END_OF_COMBAT now in any case.