Does the attacking player get another action after the defender plays an action card, if the attacker had already passed their initial action?

Ruling: Yes, the attacking player gets another action after the defender's action resolves. Focus passes back and forth between players, and passing focus automatically when a chain resolves is different from voluntarily choosing to pass focus.

Sequence:

  • Attacker has focus and passes without playing anything
  • Defender has focus and plays an action card
  • Attacker can react with reaction-speed cards (optional)
  • Defender's action resolves and attacker automatically receives focus
  • Attacker can now play an action card (like Cleave)
  • This continues until both players consecutively pass focus without playing anything

Nuances:

  • You can only play one action at a time, but action-speed cards can effectively be used to "react" to opponent plays by waiting for focus to return
  • If a chain resolves and kills a unit (like Kai'sa), you still gain focus and could play Cleave, but not on the dead unit
  • Passing focus automatically when a chain resolves does NOT count as voluntarily passing focus for the purpose of ending the showdown
  • Both players must consecutively pass focus without playing anything for the showdown to end