Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth)

Frequently Asked Questions

Blighted Island cards

• Can you Repeat the Power Card granted by Aid from Lesser Spirits?
  Yes, but with some restrictions.

  • Anything that checks the cost of the Power Card checks its printed cost, which may be 1 Energy.
  • It's not one of your Power Cards in play, so you can't Repeat it with Gift of Twinned Days (but it doesn't stop you from repeating a more expensive Power Card).

  Triggered Repeats, like those from Relentless Punishment, also work normally.
  Tags: Repeat, Aid from Lesser Spirits, Powerstorm, Gift of Twinned Days, 5 more...

Effect Rules

• When a Power like "Powerstorm" grants target Spirit the option to repeat a Power Card of their choice "once this turn," do they have to immediately choose which Power Card will later be repeated?
  No, the Spirit is granted the option to repeat a Power Card in the general sense, rather than a specific Power Card being granted the option of being repeated. This is particularly relevant if Target Spirit has multiple Slow Power Cards in play, since they can see the outcome of the Invader Phase before choosing which of those Power Cards to repeat. The chosen Power Card does not need to have even been in play when the repeat-granting Power was used – if target Spirit is granted the option to play a Power Card later in the turn, the granted repeat can be spent on that Power Card.

  If the granted repeat has a restriction on which Power Cards can be chosen, such as "lowest-cost Power Card they have in play" (from "Gift of Twinned Days"), that condition is checked when repeating the chosen Power Card, not when the option to repeat is granted. Which Power Cards can be repeated this way can thus change over the course of the turn in the uncommon case that Power Cards enter or leave play.
  Tags: Repeat, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), Vital Strength of the Earth, Gift of Twinned Days, 4 more...

Elements and Elemental Thresholds

• When I Repeat a Major Power, if I got the threshold effect the first time, do I get it on the repetition as well?
  Yes, usually.

  Elements are not "used up" when you reach a threshold, so you still have the elements on the repetition. The only exception would be if you lose the elements before the repetition (e.g., you Forgot a card in play granting the elements).
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Elements, Repeat, Powerstorm, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), 0 more...

Power Cards

• If I use the "forget this Power" option on "Call on Midnight's Dreams," can I still Repeat the Power Card?
  In general, no – the Power Card is leaves play when you Forget it, so you can't Repeat it later in the Fast Phase with a "once this turn" Repeat option, like "Powerstorm" of "Gift of Strength."

  Changed Portion of Ruling: If using the Power Card triggers the option to Repeat it immediately (e.g., due to the Locus Aspect), you may Repeat the Power Card. However, since it has already been Forgotten, you can't choose to Forget it again to gain Energy a second time and play the second newly-gained Power Card.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Repeat, Changed rulings, Entwined Power, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), 2 more...
• When you use a Power outside of its normal phase (e.g., during the Invader Phase via the Rouse the Spirits event), if Repeats have been granted to you (e.g., from Gift of Strength), can you use them then?
  Changed answer: Not to use the Power twice at that time. Unlike "Lightning's Boon" or "Sky Stretches to Shore," you're not actually changing the Power's speed, you're just using it (once) ignoring speed. Repeating a Power lets you use it again in the phase matching the Power's actual speed.

  The first-pass answer was "yes" based on the idea that these things changed the Power's speed, but that proved the wrong direction.

  In the uncommon case where the only reason you can't use the Power at the unusual time is having used it already, you can use a granted Repeat at that unusual time to get around the 1/turn restriction on using Powers.

  Note that this only applies when granted the option to Repeat a Power later in the turn, like with "Gift of Strength" or "Powerstorm." It does not apply to Powers that have "Repeat this Power" as one of their instructions; those can and must be Repeated immediately as an action triggered by the initial use (after any other triggered actions). Similarly, if using a Power triggers the option to Repeat it immediately (rather than later in the turn), you may do so.
  (Discussion elsewhere) (Discussion elsewhere) (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Repeat, Events, Timing, Changed rulings, 9 more...
• Can Powerstorm or Gift of Strength let someone Repeat Innate Powers?
  No. Powerstorm (Major Power) and Gift of Strength (Innate for Vital Strength of the Earth) both specifically say "Repeat a Power Card". (If they said "Repeat a Power", the answer would be yes.)
  Tags: Repeat, Powerstorm, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth)
• If you repeat a Power, can you use another Power in between the two uses, or do the two uses have to go right after each other?
  That depends on what's letting you Repeat the Power.

  • If you can Repeat the Power "this turn" (e.g., from "Powestorm" or "Gift of Strength"), then you may use another Power between the two uses of the repeated Power.
  • If the Power repeats itself (e.g., "Creepers Tear into Mortar" or "The Land Thrashes in Furious Pain") or you are granted the option to Repeat a Power "After" using it the first time (e.g., from "Relentless Punishment" or "Strength of the Waking Island"), then resolve the Power and anything else it triggers (e.g., "Vengeance of the Dead") before immediately Repeating it – you don't have a chance to use another Power first.
    (Discussion elsewhere) (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Repeat, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), Powerstorm, Gift of Twinned Days, 20 more...
• If you Repeat a Power card with Powerstorm or Gift of Strength, do you get double the elements?
  No, you only get the elements once, when you play the card (p. 19, under Repeat).

  If you Repeat a Power card that explicitly grants elements (like Elemental Boon) then you do get the benefit twice.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Repeat, Elements, Powerstorm, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), 0 more...
• Can Gift of Strength or Powerstorm (both Fast powers) be used on a Slow power card?
  Yes. Gift of Strength targets a Spirit, not a Power Card. At any point during the turn, that Spirit may choose to Repeat a power card (of the specified Energy cost or lower), whether it is a fast power or a slow power.

  They need not choose which power card to Repeat until they actually use the ability. The repeated power activates with the same speed as the first use of the power. See the description of Repeat [p. 19]
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Repeat, Speed (Fast/Slow), Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), Powerstorm, 0 more...

Scenarios

• When does Blitz reduce the cost of a Fast Power and when does Blitz refund Energy for a Power being Fast?
  When you play Power Cards by paying their costs {1}, total up the Energy cost of all of the Powers you’re playing and reduce it by 1 per Fast Power to determine how much you need to pay. If that number is negative, gain that much Energy as a refund.

  When using a Fast Innate Power that has the potential to do something for the first time each turn, gain 1 Energy as a refund.

  When you make a Slow Power Fast (via Swiftness of Lightning or similar) gain a 1 Energy rebate.

  If a Fast Power Card (or a Power Card made Fast) costs 1 or more Energy, also reduce its printed cost by 1 (e.g., for Repeating it with Gift of Strength or checking when it's played by Rhythmic Power Builds to a Cataclysmic Crescendo).

  {1} = This usually as part of the “Play and Pay For Power Cards” action in Spirit Phase, but sometimes a Power like Call on Midnight’s Dream tells you to do so.
  (Discussion elsewhere)  Tags: Energy, Playing Power Cards, Blitz, Gift of Strength (Vital Strength of the Earth), 11 more...