In a Showdown, if the attacker casts an Action and both players pass priority, does the Showdown Action Step end immediately, or does focus return to the attacker after the Action resolves?

Question

Accepted Answer

Ruling: When you cast an Action in a Showdown, both players can pass priority for it to resolve, then focus passes to your opponent. Both players must pass focus (not just priority) for the Showdown Action Step to end.

Sequence:
- Attacker casts Action and has priority to react to their own spell
- Attacker passes priority
- Defender has priority to react
- Defender passes priority
- Action resolves
- Defender receives focus
- If defender passes focus, it returns to attacker
- Both players must pass focus for the Showdown to end

Nuances:
- Focus and Priority are distinct mechanics - Focus is the ability to start a chain in the Showdown, while Priority is the ability to take discretionary actions
- Simply passing priority on a single Action does not end the Showdown Action Step