No Secrets from Vlad Tepes

Also, I'm not trying to be daft, but I think my interpretation is a fair reading of the card. If I hadn't been on the forums, I would have made rulings based on that.

I get that 'use' is not continuous and that makes sense, given the previous explanations, but 'play and use' being one set does not. Here's a game example of the problem:

Two (or more players) in the game have Kduva's Mask in their decks, one of them is Vlad's controller. If Vlad has the Mask on him and the judge walks by how does the judge know whether Vlad diablerized someone for it or equipped it himself? The game state is not discernable without remembering what happened possibly quite some time earlier. And what if those Masks contest? When it comes back into play, it's washed clean of history. So, Vlad couldn't use it even if he equipped it before it was contested.

These are complications and extra steps and machinations that are unnecessary to remember if the two sets can be different.

I agree that this can of worms would better not be opened. The big issue here is turning a mandatory effect into a voluntary one. That means the effect must now be declared, that declaration must be done at a given time, be valid for a given scope,... There is no basis in the rules to govern any of that, so all that can be done is throw random rulings around.

Ankha wrote:

Back to Vlad Tepes: "This Magaji" refers to Vlad Tepes when he's using the card, that is when he either uses the intercept provided by the card or the "can block as if unlocked" ability*

* note that in that case, he's forced to use the +1 intercept part too. As soon as he's using the card, he gains both abilities.**

** this leads to a limitation to Vlad Tepes using the No Secrets: if Vlad is locked and a vampire with no stealth is acting, Vlad can't use the No Secrets to block that vampire since he would gain intercept that is not needed

Uh oh, what?
I don't get it.

Is this only relevant to Vlad?
And if so why (aren't "other" Magaji with NSFTM affected by this limitation)?

To me this feels like the situation where a vampire with Sport Bike (+1 intercept) wouldn't be allowed to block a no stealth action since intercept isn't yet needed.

VERY counterintuitive!

Ankha wrote:

, the same way he wouldn't be able to burn 1 blood with a Bowl of Convergence, or lock a WMRH Talk Radio to gain intercept.

For Bowl he needs to burn a blood and form WMRH he needs to tap WMRH.

For NSFTM he doesn't need to do anything as NSFTM grants him +1 intercept.

VERY counterintuitive!

My thoughts exactly.

I'm like, what.

I would NOT be able to read that from the card texts alone.