When you equip Blade of Ruined King to Unsung Hero, which triggers first? Unsung Hero becomes mighty and dies from Blade of Ruined King, or Blade of Ruined King kills Unsung Hero before she becomes mighty?

Question

Accepted Answer

To determine the interaction between *Blade of the Ruined King* and *Unsung Hero*, we must look at how costs are paid and how the game processes the "Kill" instruction.

### The Ruling
*Blade of the Ruined King* kills the *Unsung Hero* **before** she can become "Mighty" from the equipment.

### Sequence of Events
1.  **Initiating the Equip Ability:** You activate the [Equip] ability of *Blade of the Ruined King*. You choose *Unsung Hero* as the target to attach the gear to.
2.  **Paying the Cost:** The cost to equip is "[C], Kill a friendly unit." You must pay this cost to place the ability on the chain.
3.  **The Kill Instruction:** You kill *Unsung Hero* to pay the cost. At this exact moment, the game notes her attributes (including her Might) to process her *Deathknell* later (Rule 428.1.a.1.b).
4.  **Deathknell Trigger:** Because *Unsung Hero* is being killed, her *Deathknell* ability is added to the chain as a pending item.
5.  **Resolution:** The *Equip* ability finishes being placed on the chain. When it eventually resolves, it attaches the *Blade of the Ruined King* to the target. However, because the *Unsung Hero* was already killed to pay the cost, she is in the trash and is no longer a valid target on the board to receive the equipment (unless a separate effect brings her back).

### Why she doesn't become Mighty
*   **Timing of Stats:** The *Blade of the Ruined King* only provides its Might bonus **after** it is successfully attached to a unit. 
*   **Cost vs. Effect:** The "Kill" is a **cost** paid to activate the ability. The equipment is only attached upon the **resolution** of the ability. Because the *Unsung Hero* must be killed to pay the cost, she is removed from the board before the equipment can ever attach to her. 
*   **Mighty Check:** According to **FAQ 4157** and **Rule 734.1.d.3**, the game captures the unit's state (including whether it was "Mighty") at the moment of death. Since *Unsung Hero* was not "Mighty" (5+ Might) at the moment she was killed to pay the cost, she will not draw cards when her *Deathknell* resolves.

**Summary:** You pay the cost by killing the *Unsung Hero* while she has her base Might. She never receives the Might bonus from the *Blade of the Ruined King* because she is killed before the equipment attaches.