Captain Val Jericho

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Captain Val Jericho
Captain Val Jericho • Star Alliance • Creature • Rare • While Captain Val Jericho is in the center of your battleline, you may play 1 card that is not of the active house during your turn. • Artist: David Auden Nash • Card Number: WC:326, MM:336, DT:258, VM2023:277
Captain Val Jericho
WC 326
MM 336
DT 258
VM2023 277

Official Rulings

  • No. Playing a Shadows action in this case will only use up one of the two play allowances, leaving one more to use. The Active Player can choose whether to use Com. Officer Kirby's or Captain Val Jericho's play allowance first, leaving the other open, provided Captain Val Jericho remains in the center of the battleline to grant the play allowance.

    Source: Rulebook
I have three cards in my battleline; Captain Val Jericho (WC 326) in the center of the battleline with Com. Officer Kirby (WC 295) as a neighbor. On my turn, I reap with Com. Officer Kirby, granting me a play allowance of a non-Star Alliance action, artifact, or upgrade for the rest of the turn. Captain Val Jericho is also granting a play allowance of a card that is not of the active house. If I play a Shadows action, does this use up both allowances?
No. Playing a Shadows action in this case will only use up one of the two play allowances, leaving one more to use. The Active Player can choose whether to use Com. Officer Kirby's or Captain Val Jericho's play allowance first, leaving the other open, provided Captain Val Jericho remains in the center of the battleline to grant the play allowance.

Source: Rulebook

Commentary

Captain Val Jericho's ability allows you to play one card per turn that is not of the active house if it is in the Center of your battleline. The wording here allows for Captain Val Jericho's ability to activate at any point during its controller's turn, but limits the number of off house cards played to one. If Captain Val Jericho is in the center and its constant ability is used to play a card off house, then another card is added to the battleline moving Captain Val Jericho from the center and yet it returns to the center later in the turn, its ability can not be resolved again.

However, if Captain Val Jericho leaves play and then returns to play in the same turn, it is considered to be a new object, and the ability can be resolved again if the card is in the center of the battleline.

There is only a center of a battleline if there is an odd number of creatures in that battleline. When there is an even number of creatures in a battleline, there is no center. If there is only one creature in the battleline, that creature is in the center.

Playing Captain Val Jericho will allow you to play another card from your hand on the first turn, since the First Turn Rule can be modified by card effects.

Related Cards

Captain Val Jericho is featured in the flavor text of the following cards: