Triggered and Nested Abilities

A common confusion in Star Wars Unlimited is the order of resolution of triggered abilities. 

Triggered Ability

A triggered ability happens when a condition is met on a card. It is typically written in bold as: When Played, When Defeated or On Attack. For example, when you play Darth Vader - Commanding the First Legion, a When Played ability triggers, allowing to play certain villainy units from the top-10 cards of your deck.

There is a timing distinction between triggering an ability and resolving it. A player action might trigger abilities, but a non-attack action needs to be resolved first, then triggered abilities can resolve. For example, playing a Vanquish on a Krayt Dragon triggers its When Played ability, which will be resolved after Krayt Dragon has been defeated and deal 5 damage to a unit or base.

Often, an action or ability will trigger multiple triggered abilities at the same time. In such a case, the active player will determine which player will resolve their abilities first. Once chosen, that player resolves all their triggered abilities in the order of their choice. Once finished, the other player does the same.

Nested Abilities

If the resolution of a triggered ability triggers another ability, it is considered a nested ability and must be resolved before resolving other initially triggered abilities.

For example: Player A has a Krayt Dragon in play and Player B plays Darth Vader (click to zoom in).

 

Comprehensive Rule References

7.6.1. Triggered abilities have bold text indicating their triggering condition, starting with the word “When” or “On”, followed by a colon and an effect. Examples of triggered abilities are “When Played,” “When Defeated,” and “On Attack” abilities.

7.6.4. Triggered abilities on a unit still trigger if the unit is defeated by the action that triggers the ability (though they only resolve after the action has finished resolving). Triggered abilities on a unit that trigger when other units are defeated still trigger if that unit is defeated simultaneously to the other units.

7.6.8. If an ability triggers during or as the result of a non-attack action, resolve that ability at the next available opportunity after that action is fully completed. If an ability triggers during an attack, resolve that ability at the appropriate timing point within that attack. Resolving a triggered ability never interrupts an action or ability that is currently resolving (other than the specified timing points during an attack).

7.6.9. If a player must resolve multiple triggered abilities on cards they control at the same time, that player chooses the order in which to resolve those abilities.

7.6.10. If both players must resolve triggered abilities on cards they control at the same time, the active player chooses one player at a time to resolve abilities. When chosen, that player resolves all abilities triggered on cards they control in the order of their choice, and once they finish, the other player does the same on cards they control.

7.6.11. After resolving a triggered ability “A”, if any new abilities were triggered while resolving it, the new abilities are considered “nested abilities” and must be resolved before any other abilities triggered at the same time as ability “A”.

7.6.12. Any abilities triggered while resolving a nested ability are likewise nested abilities, and must be resolved before other triggered abilities waiting to resolve. When resolving a series of nested abilities, each new layer of abilities must be fully resolved before returning to an earlier layer.