I feel like I've asked this before, but can't remember if I got an answer (and it often happens that I can't find it when it does exist because I suck at searching).

I have on my team X-men blue strike force, and X-men Gold strike force.

On my sideline for solo-adventuring purposes I have WxM016 cyclops, and WxM209 Jean grey.

On my first turn I solo adventure with both, popping off the two aforementioned figures.

Then I give Phoenix a free action to merge them into GSX057 Cyclops/Phoenix.

So far no problems.

On my next turn I use Split to turn back into the two figures I came from.

Still no problems yet.

But when distributing the game effects I decide I want "I came from Gold strike force" (previously on jean grey) on cyclops, and "I came from blue strike force" (previously on cyclops) on Jean grey.

Then I have Gold strike force (who is adjacent to cyclops) use "A hero returned", it sees that cyclops is a switch-clix figure, and that he has "I came from gold strike force" applying to him.

Does he get put on the gold strike force?

And what happens if he does? Can they now use his asset-ability whenever jean grey's face shows up?

Edit: Relevant rules text

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you probably can't assign 'which team it was a part of' as if that were a continuing game effect.

Simple answer to your question: those solo adventurers don't belong in the sideline. Solo adventure bases are not part of a sideline. (So the initial scenario is invalid)

Ok, then... Same question with the solo adventurers in the correct place.

If it isn't a game effect, what is it?

It certainly meets the definition of "thing that effects the game", and if it is a game effect, split specifically lets you choose where it goes.

It isn't like a rule or a token where you have the easy-out of "well it's a rule, not a game effect", the only thing it COULD be is a game effect.

It's more of a fact. Jean Gray started on this base, Cyclops started on that base.

Much in the same way you don't lose Themed Team bonuses if you mind control an opposing character which doesn't have the right keywords, or you lose enough characters. Or if you split/merge and the resulting figures don't qualify as part of themed team.

It's a bit like trying to tell me that Jean Gray is now Cyclops and Cyclops is now Jean Gray, because you decided each should have the others' names when you decided to use split.

Just a note: all game effects affect the game. But not everything that affects the game are game effects.

Otherwise gravity would be ignored every time you pulse wave and the board would be flung into space.

I don't see how anyone could possibly even attempt this.

Professor X and Hope switching between Avengers and X-Men Bases, I can see the argument for. They can each go on either base at the start of the game. That one is a maybe.

This one where characters are attempting to change to bases they have no business being on? No, I think not.

@emouse

If I can find the thread I'll link it, but I remember it being ruled that "Has used [insert once/game power/ability here]" is a game effect that can be transferred to figures who it couldn't possibly apply to normally.

Though, lets say it isn't a game effect. How does the game know that it is the same jean-grey or cyclops unless there is a game-effect tracking it?

Take the OP example (with its revision, thank you A_B :P), but they have a second C/P on the initial force.

After merging the cyclops/jean grey, the second copy splits into one of the two switchclix figs you just sidelined (not enough points to do both). Can that switchclix fig now be put onto either team-base? I think it is fair to say that this figure (which started as a duo, which was NEVER on any team-base) does not qualify to be placed via 'a hero returned' even though it is the same 'physical figure' that popped off the team base.

This line of thought leads me to believe that the only explanation is that "came from gold/blue strike force" is a game effect, which leads to the further conclusion that it can be transferred to other 'inapplicable' figs via split/merge.

They could stand to include "must be compatible with the team base" in the Team Reunited rules, but it's pretty apparent that the expectation is that it's covered by the "was a team member earlier in the game" rule.

It doesn't work for the simple reason that the figures you're trying to do it with aren't compatible with the respective team bases.

If you're going to say that Cyclops can then join Gold, and Jean Grey can join Blue, then why can't Cyclops/Phoenix join either base? If you're going to disregard which base the figure is made for, then why not just ignore whether or not it's even a switchclix figure?

I was told cyclops/phoenix couldn't go on either, because I was told that Morphed beast boy could not reunite due to its not being a switch-clix.

This created (in my mind) an additional criteria to the "must have been on there earlier", and that criteria would be "Is a switch clix".

C/P with both game effects can't be reunited because it isn't a switch-clix.

"Belongs to team base X" is no more a transferable effect than powers on the dial or traits are. The reason that character Y belongs to team base X is the fact that it has the symbol for that base at the backside of its card. This can not be transferred through split/merge.

That's how I play. We shouldn't play like that?

Powers and abilities are not themselves game effects IIRC.

Powers, traits, and abilities create game effects, some of which will be transferable (that 'some' being ones that will apply once the figure is off the map).

Gordanian (beast boy)'s +1 to all stats buff is game effect created by a trait. If after turning into the pterodactyl from him beast boy were to merge (he doesn't have a duo, but pretend he did for a moment), the merged figure would still get +1 to all stats, even though it doesn't have the gordanian's trait saying "give things +1 to everything". This is because that passive effect that was created by the gordanian's trait is a game effect, and the game effect gets transferred.

As best I can tell things that are 'just true' about characters that were created by a power/ability tend to be game effects.

"Had defense increased by 1 from perplex" is a game effect. (comes from a power)
"Was assigned BotS during force construction" is a game effect (comes from an ability, of the book's)
"movement does not end when becoming adjacent to an opposing figure" is a game effect (comes from abilities, but also powers, and sometimes traits)


On the scale of 'game-effect-y-ness' you have on one side things that are always game effects, and on the other end things that are never game effect, and in-between things that are certainly game effects some of the time, but maybe not game effects some of the time (yet... I have no doubts that they could someday print something that will make my example not work).

Compare

"Can use perplex" to "Possesses perplex" to "Has perplex showing on the current click" to "Has this weird gold/brownish color with white text visible"

"Can use perplex" will always, under all conditions be a game effect as far as I can tell.

"Possesses perplex" will at least sometimes be a game effect (I am not sure if it is always one, but it definitely CAN be some of the time). If a power/ability says "[charactername] possesses perplex" then wham-o presto-chango "possesses perplex" just got made into a game effect.

"Has perplex showing on its current click" Has an effect on the game (arguably, depending on how you want to define 'effect' for game purposes), but is not a game effect, it is just something true about the character, at this moment in time.

"Has this funny brown coloration near the explosion-y symbol" No. Just, No.

Of the four above, "came off of gold-strike force" looks like it properly belongs somewhere between "can use perplex" and "possesses perplex" to me. It is the result of an ability being used (solo adventure), and if it wasn't a game effect would cause all sorts of in-game memory problems when dealing with replacement effects that would make its most 'common' interaction with those effects make it not work right (if I popped him off and then ever replaced him, either ANY figure that somehow replaced into him would be able to pop onto the team base, or he himself would never be able to. To prevent both of these simultaneously with the rules as they are, it needs to be a game effect. This allows us to track the chain from 'came off the team-base' to the present without having to get into all the problems using the actual 'physical representation of the figure' to decide these things causes).