Before

If the word “before” is used in an ability (for example, “Before Fight:”), that ability resolves before resolving the game effect of the reap or fight (but after the card exhausts, if exhausting is required to use the card).

—KeyForge Master Rulebook v17.3 March 2024

Rulings

• What happens if I use a creature with both Assault and a Before Fight: ability?
  If a creature has multiple abilities or keywords that resolve in the “before fight” window (including “Before Fight:,” assault X and hazardous X), and that creature is used to fight, all abilities in the “before fight” window must resolve before the fight proceeds, even if the attacked creature is destroyed by “before fight” abilities. The effects are resolved in the order of the active player’s choosing.

  Source: Rulebook

What happens if I use a creature with both Assault and a Before Fight: ability?

If a creature has multiple abilities or keywords that resolve in the “before fight” window (including “Before Fight:,” assault X and hazardous X), and that creature is used to fight, all abilities in the “before fight” window must resolve before the fight proceeds, even if the attacked creature is destroyed by “before fight” abilities. The effects are resolved in the order of the active player’s choosing.

Source: Rulebook