If I Star-Crossed a Leona Determined, does the stun still go off on my unit?
To determine if the stun still occurs, we must look at how Leona's ability interacts with the chain and the status of the game board.
The Ruling
No, the stun will not occur.
When you play Star-Crossed in response to Leona, Determined’s attack trigger, the Star-Crossed resolves first. Because Star-Crossed returns Leona to her owner's hand, she is no longer on the battlefield when her attack trigger resolves.
According to RiftJudge FAQ #2260 and #1985, when an ability referencing "here" resolves, it checks the source's location on the board. If the source (Leona) has been removed from the board (e.g., returned to hand, recalled, or defeated) before the ability resolves, its location is treated as "null." Consequently, the "here" in her ability cannot find a legal target, and the ability resolves with no effect.
The Sequence
- Leona, Determined attacks: Her triggered ability ("When I attack, stun an enemy unit here") is placed on the chain.
- You play Star-Crossed in response: It is placed on top of the chain.
- Resolution starts:
- Star-Crossed resolves: Leona and your chosen friendly unit are returned to their respective owners' hands.
- Leona's attack trigger resolves: The game checks for the location "here" where Leona is. Since she is no longer on the board, the location is null.
- Result: The stun effect fails to find a valid location/target and does nothing.
Note: This is my interpretation based on the mechanics of triggered abilities referencing "here" and the established FAQ rulings for Leona, Determined. No specific FAQ exists for this exact interaction with Star-Crossed, but the underlying rule regarding "null" locations applies.