When a unit moves into an open (uncontrolled) battlefield and the opponent reacts with Ride the Wind to move their unit into the same battlefield, who is the attacker in the resulting combat?

Ruling: The player who moved their unit into the open battlefield first is the attacker in the subsequent combat showdown. The player who used Ride the Wind to react is the defender.

Sequence:

• Player A moves their unit to an uncontrolled battlefield, applying contested status and starting a non-combat showdown
• Player B reacts by playing Ride the Wind to move their unit to the same battlefield during the non-combat showdown
• The non-combat showdown continues until both players pass focus in sequence
• The non-combat showdown ends without anyone conquering (because units from both players are present, control cannot be established)
• A combat showdown begins with Player A as attacker (because they initially applied contested status) and Player B as defender
• Combat proceeds normally, and the winner conquers the battlefield

Nuances:

• No point is scored between the non-combat and combat showdowns
• The battlefield remains contested (not conquered) after the non-combat showdown ends if both players still have units there
• In the rare case where combat ends with units on both sides again, the attacker would be recalled during combat cleanup and the defender gets to stay and conquer