When an opponent moves a unit to an empty battlefield and you use Ride the Wind to move your unit to the same battlefield during the resulting showdown, who is the attacker in the subsequent combat?

Ruling: The opponent who initially moved to the empty battlefield is the attacker, and you are the defender in the subsequent combat.

Sequence:

• Opponent moves unit to empty battlefield, applying contested status
• A showdown begins during cleanup (no combat yet, since only one player has units)
• During that showdown, you play Ride the Wind to move your unit to the same battlefield
• Combat becomes pending, but the current showdown continues
• After the showdown completes, if both players still have units at the battlefield, combat begins during the post-showdown cleanup
• The opponent is the attacker (they applied the contested status), you are the defender
• Attack and defend triggers occur as normal in this combat
• If you win and have units remaining, you gain control and conquer the battlefield

Nuances:

• The combat waits until after the initial showdown completes because combat requires a Neutral Open state
• Even though you moved your unit second (triggering the actual combat), the opponent is still the attacker because they originally applied the contested status to the battlefield
• If you win as the defender, you still conquer the battlefield and score a point (if you haven't scored there this turn)