If I use Ride the Wind to move a unit to an empty battlefield and my opponent responds during the window of opportunity by using Ride the Wind to move their unit to the same battlefield, who is the attacker and who is the defender?

Ruling: The player who first applied contested status (moved their unit first) is the attacker. However, attackers and defenders are not designated during the initial regular showdown - they are only assigned when the subsequent combat showdown starts (if both units are still present after the initial showdown ends).

Sequence:

• First player uses Ride the Wind to move a unit to the battlefield, applying contested status
• Opponent responds during window of opportunity by moving their unit to the same battlefield
• A regular showdown occurs with no attacker/defender designation
• If both units survive, a combat showdown begins with the first player as attacker
• You only conquer if you're the only one controlling units at that battlefield when the showdown ends

Nuances:

• If during the regular showdown the opponent manages to be the only one standing at that battlefield, they would score instead despite not being the one who applied contested status (called "Active defense" - the only way to score while on defense)
• A unit entering a battlefield is specifically what counts as contesting it, so the player who controls that unit is always the attacker when contesting an occupied battlefield