Who gets focus and priority if Bone Skewer is used and it moves the opponent's card to a battlefield?

To determine who gains focus and priority when Bone Skewer initiates a showdown, we must look at how the game handles the transition into a Showdown state.

The Ruling

According to RiftJudge FAQ #10700 and FAQ #9869, when you play Bone Skewer and force an opponent to play a unit from their hand to a battlefield that already contains your unit, a Combat Showdown is initiated.

In this scenario:

• The unit placed by the opponent's hand is the one that causes the battlefield to become Contested.
• The player whose unit was moved (the opponent) becomes the attacker and receives focus and priority first (per RiftJudge FAQ #2735 and Rule 345).

Why the Opponent receives Priority and Focus:

1. Initiating the Showdown: Combat Showdowns initiate when units controlled by opposing players are present at the same battlefield and that location becomes "Contested" (Rule 447.1).
2. Attacker Designation: While you played the spell, your opponent is the one whose unit moved onto your battlefield to contest it. Per Rule 345, the player who applied the contested status (in this case, the owner of the unit that entered the battlefield) gains focus.
3. No "Action" by You: Even though you played Bone Skewer, the game rules designate the unit that entered the battlefield to contest the location as the "Attacker" for the purpose of combat initiation. As the controller of that attacking unit, your opponent is granted the initial priority and focus.

Summary of the Process:

• Bone Skewer resolves: You choose a battlefield and force your opponent to play a unit there.
• The battlefield becomes Contested because units from both players are now present.
• A Combat Showdown begins.
• Your opponent, as the owner of the unit that entered the battlefield to contest it, is designated the Attacker.
• The Attacker (your opponent) receives Focus and Priority to perform the first discretionary action.