Direct Intervention

'Às played' literally means 'as played before replacing'. Windows for 'as played' closed as soon as player A draw a replacement from the deck.

In reality most people don't wait for a cancel and draw up. As long as the cancel is announced quickly or a pause is asked for to consider a cancel, then it should be allowed. Having the active player draw doesn't eliminate that window, there's always an opportunity.

In reality, every card played should wait for a cancel window to end (everyone declines to cancel), but we don't play that way because it would be infuriatingly slow. Use your best judgment, but once you're in the asking for blocks phase, you've definitely passed that window.

kschaefer wrote:

In reality most people don't wait for a cancel and draw up. As long as the cancel is announced quickly or a pause is asked for to consider a cancel, then it should be allowed. Having the active player draw doesn't eliminate that window, there's always an opportunity.

In reality, every card played should wait for a cancel window to end (everyone declines to cancel), but we don't play that way because it would be infuriatingly slow. Use your best judgment, but once you're in the asking for blocks phase, you've definitely passed that window.

Which is why I am an advocate for changing this particular rule (don't replace until after possible cancel). Just replace immediately even if it means discarding a card. It would make our lives easier and the rules actually possible to follow.

I think the better way to do this is to better explain where the cancel window exists. According to the rules there are 4 steps to actually playing a card...

Announce the Card
Show the Card
Move it to Your Ash Heap
Replace the Card

"As it is played" and "as played" are poorly referenced as to when they technically occur, however, they somehow exist in a strange Æther between announce and show since during the announce step your are also supposed to announce connective action modifiers. it even is extra confusing when you consider that we have to specifically create bonus to text in errata to inform someone that "as announced" does not actually mean as announced, but instead is played after drawing back up, but cannot be one of the cards drawn.

I would propose instead that As Played and As Announced become the same thing but...

Announce the Action (say the name of the card and show the card, this is how players do it anyway).
As Announced becomes a reverse impulse step where you reverse cycle the table checking for cards played like DI... etc. Reverse Impulse check counter clockwise around the table and then the Active Player continues with their As Announced Cards.
Once announcement has been concluded all cards are drawn up.

The fact that the wording on cards right now is literally meant inverted is so hard to deal with for teaching a new player aside from poking fun at it, it is best to explain it to them as...

As Announced means as Played (since you wait for the full steps of playing a card to be completed)

As Played means As Announced (because you interrupt the Play cycled to play it)

Playing a card is if I'm not mistaken more like the below

• Play a card
  • Announce the effect, show the card, and place it into limbo* if it is a strike or an action card (also lock the minion if performing an action), else in the ash heap unless it is to be put into play.
    • "As it is played" window, a canceled card e.g. by Direct intervention goes to the ash heap if not already there.
  • Draw to replace
  • "As/When the/an action is announced" window, the above drawn card is eligible
  • Pay the cost for effects that aren´t an action, and resolve effects that aren´t an action nor a strike

* a card in "limbo" goes to the ash heap once action/strike resolution is reached