This nifty little combo came up in Michael Barnes' Wolverine article over on vssystem.com... but it seems a bit oddly worded to me.

If Wolverine (let's say, Logan) attacks into the opponents copy of Logan, both characters would become stunned as combat wrapped up (assuming no effects are played). According to the wording on Berserker Rage "Whenever target Wolverine stuns a defender this attack, ready that Wolverine.", wouldn't the card need to be played DURING combat as it looks for "this attack"?

If it does, would that make stacking Healing Factor with it a bit of a moot point since Logan wouldn't be stunned (or able to be recovered) until after combat has resolved?

If this works, I'm all about it... just wanted to know for sure.

Yep, it works.

If you play Berserker Rage during combat (and it successfully resolves) it will create an effect that will trigger once Wolverine stuns a defender at the end of the attack.

So if Wolverine stuns back during the attack conclusion, that means that you have the Berserker Rage triggering AND a stunned Wolverine that won't be able to ready unless you do something to recover him before Berserker Rage's triggered readying effect resolves.

So if you stack a Healing Factor once Berserker Rage's effect triggers after the attack conclusion, you'll be able to have Wolverine recovered before the readying effect resolves.

Maybe I was just confused over how the attack sub-step works.

I was under the impression that rule 602.8 says: As the last part of the attack conclusion, the following happen simultaneously:

602.8a All attackers lose the attacker characteristic and are no longer attacking or in combat.

602.8b All team attackers lose the team attacker characteristic and are no longer team attacking. A team attack is no longer a team attack.

602.8c The primary player is no longer the attacking player.

602.8d The defender's controller is no longer the defending player.

602.8e The defender loses the defender characteristic and is no longer defending or in combat.

602.8f Modifiers with duration “this attack” end.

602.8g The attack substep ends and players return to the attack step of the primary player.

602.8h After all of the above have been processed, powers which have triggered have their effects added to the chain, and then the primary player gets priority.

If 602.8f applies, then how does Healing Factor work?

Berserker Rage could never trigger if it wasn't able to look back and see that Wolverine was an attacker as the attack resolved, whether he was stunned or not.

Actually, it COULD trigger... it would resolve after both players passed during the priority point during combat. Wolverine would then ready, according to the modifier it would create, during the attack conclusion... as long as he wasn't stunned, of course.

You're forgetting that there is also a priority point after attack conclusion when the triggered effect of Berserker Rage is on the chain. It is at this point that Wolverine may be recovered if stunned before the triggered effect resolves.

And one problem you may be having, cchug, is that you're skipping ahead right to the modifier that Berserker Rage creates, when you first need to deal with an effect. To break it down:

First, you play BR before attack conclusion, and it creates an effect. Once this effect resolves, it creates a modifier---specifically, something called a delayed triggered modifier (DTM), which acts like a floating triggered power. When Wolverine stuns a defender, the DTM triggers, and creates an effect; just like any triggered power, though, it doesn't create a modifier and "do" anything until both players pass and let it resolve.

Or, in CRD timing: 602.6 has combat stuns occurring, which can trigger BR. Then in 602.8f, the "this attack" duration ends, but you don't mind, since BR already triggered. However, it's not until 602.8h that the triggered effect goes on the chain; triggered effects can't go on the chain until the next time that a player would be about to receive priority. Just like how effects triggered in wrap-up can't be dealt with until the next turn's draw phase, effects triggered during attack conclusion can't be dealt with until the attack has finished.

Or more simply: just like you can Science Spire Ahmed before Fatality's effect resolves, you can recover Wolverine before BR tries to ready him.

Gotcha. Thanks, HC... that was how I was trying to read it (skipping ahead to the modifier).

Thanks again for the explaination... now my "playgroup" will hate me just a little bit more.