If you Ride the Wind to leave a contested battlefield and then Ride the Wind back into the same showdown, do you score if you win?

Ruling: No, you do not score if you Ride the Wind out and back into the same combat. You only score by conquering when you gain control of a battlefield you did not control before the combat started.

Sequence:

  • When you Ride the Wind out of a contested battlefield, you still control it as the defender until the end of combat
  • If you Ride the Wind back into the same ongoing combat and win, you have successfully defended but won't score because you already controlled the battlefield
  • To score after losing control, you must wait for the current combat to end (letting opponent conquer), then start a new combat and win it

Nuances:

  • Surprise defense (RTW into an empty battlefield being contested) does score if you win, because you didn't control the battlefield at the start of combat
  • Since Ride the Wind is an action, you can only play another one if your opponent starts a new showdown or activates a reactable effect after the first combat ends
  • Scoring via conquest requires gaining control you did not have before, not maintaining control you already had