If I hook a target and an opponent uses Flurry of Blades with Elder on the board, does this hook still happen normally as it's a cost of the target, or does the unit die before hook resolves meaning hook does not have a target anymore? Can an opponent react to the targeting of hook and kill the unit and thus the hook can't resolve?
To address your questions regarding the interaction between Baited Hook, Flurry of Blades, and Elder Dragon, here is the ruling breakdown:
1. Can your opponent kill your target in response to Baited Hook?
Yes. According to RiftJudge FAQ #4379 and #10345, targeting happens when you activate the ability of Baited Hook and place it on the chain. Your opponent can absolutely react to your activation by playing a spell (like Flurry of Blades) to kill that targeted unit.
2. Does Baited Hook resolve if the target is already dead?
Yes, but it will be ineffective. If your opponent kills the target unit in response to your activation, the "Kill a friendly unit" instruction cannot be followed because the target is no longer on the board.
- Per Rule 359.3.e.12 and RiftJudge FAQ #4379, when the instruction to kill the unit fails, the reference to that unit's Might value returns null.
- Because you cannot determine a Might value to compare against ("Might up to 1 more than the killed unit"), you will be unable to play any unit from the top 5 cards. You will still look at the cards and recycle them, but you will not get a unit off the hook.
3. Does the interaction with Elder Dragon change this?
If your opponent has Elder Dragon on the battlefield, the threshold for your units to die changes significantly. Elder Dragon’s ability states: "Any amount of your damage is enough to kill enemy units."
- If you are the one who played Flurry of Blades: If you control Elder Dragon, your Flurry of Blades will deal 1 damage to all units, and all enemy units will be killed (as 1 damage is now lethal).
- If your opponent played Flurry of Blades: If they control Elder Dragon, your units will take 1 damage. If that damage is lethal to your units normally, they will die. Note that RiftJudge FAQ #8684 clarifies that Elder Dragon's ability only applies to damage you deal to enemy units, so it does not protect your own units from damage dealt by an opponent's source.
Summary Sequence (if opponent kills your target):
- Activation: You activate Baited Hook, pay the costs, and declare a friendly unit as your target.
- Reaction: Your opponent plays Flurry of Blades.
- Chain Resolution (LIFO):
- Flurry of Blades resolves. All units take 1 damage. If your targeted unit dies, it goes to the trash.
- Baited Hook attempts to resolve. It looks for the target to kill. The target is gone. The kill instruction fails.
- The Might value of the "killed unit" is treated as null.
- You reveal 5 cards, but you cannot complete the "banish a unit" instruction because there is no Might value to compare against. You recycle the 5 cards.
Disclaimer: This is my interpretation based on the provided rules and FAQs. No official FAQ exists for this specific combination of all three cards, but the rules regarding targeting, null Might values, and chain resolution are explicitly covered in the provided materials.