Star Wars: Unlimited Rules Explained
Triggered Abilities and Trigger Order in Star Wars: Unlimited
There is no stack in Star Wars: Unlimited and nothing to respond with. Triggered abilities wait until the action that set them off is finished, then the active player decides which player resolves first. This guide covers when each kind of trigger happens and how to order them.
The short answer
Players coming from Magic often expect to respond to a When Played ability before it happens. Star Wars: Unlimited has no stack and no priority. Three rules cover nearly every timing question:
This page follows the publisher's Comprehensive Rules version 9.0, dated October 9, 2026, and the rule numbers are from that document. If you're new to rounds and actions, read how turns work first. For the attack steps that On Attack and When Attack Ends plug into, see how combat works.
What counts as a triggered ability
A triggered ability starts with a bold condition beginning with "When" or "On," then a colon (rule 7.6.1): When Played, When Defeated, On Attack, "When a friendly unit attacks," and so on. Unless it says "you may," it must resolve once its condition is met (rule 7.6.7). Resolving one is not an action, so it doesn't use your turn, and you resolve your triggers even on your opponent's turn (rule 7.6.6).
A slash joins conditions. "When Played/When Defeated" triggers on both events and counts as both kinds of ability (rule 7.6.2). Executor, Might of the Empire stacks three: when it's played, each time it attacks and when it's defeated, you create 3 TIE Fighter tokens.
Several keywords also resolve like triggered abilities. Ambush, Shielded and Support resolve like "When Played/When Deployed/When Created" abilities, and Restore and Saboteur resolve with On Attack abilities. The keywords guide covers each one.
When each trigger resolves
On Attack and On Defense triggering together is where ordering comes up most. The attacking player is the active player, so the attacker decides whether their On Attack abilities or the defender's On Defense abilities resolve first.
Triggers wait for the action to finish
If an ability triggers during a non-attack action, it resolves at the next opportunity after that action is fully complete (rule 7.6.8). An event that defeats several units finishes all of its text before any of their When Defeated abilities resolve. The same goes for "then": in "Draw a card, then attack with a unit," anything triggered by either half waits until both halves are done (rule 8.28.2).
Attacks are the exception, because the rules give them their own timing points. On Attack and On Defense resolve in the middle of the attack, before damage, and When Attack Ends and combat When Defeated abilities resolve at the end.
Cards that say "after" change the order on purpose. Barrel Roll reads "Attack with a space unit. After completing this attack, you may exhaust a space unit." You resolve the attack and every ability it triggers first, and only once nothing is waiting do you get to exhaust a space unit (rule 7.6.8.a).
A few things don't wait at all. The rules check some situations immediately, ahead of any waiting triggered abilities (rule 1.16.5): a base at 0 HP loses the game, a player with two copies of a unique card defeats one, a captured unit whose guard has left play returns, and a unit at 0 HP is defeated. Those happen first, and any abilities they trigger join the queue.
Who goes first
When abilities on cards you control trigger at the same time, you choose their order. When both players have abilities waiting, the active player chooses one player to go first. That player resolves all of their abilities in any order, then the other player resolves all of theirs (rule 7.6.10). The active player picks the player, not the order of the other player's abilities.
The rules' own example
Addy is the active player. She attacks one of Benji's units and defeats it.
Addy now has 1 triggered ability to resolve, and Benji has 2.
Addy chooses whether she resolves her 1 ability first or Benji resolves his 2 first.
Whoever goes second resolves theirs after. Benji orders his own 2 abilities; Addy can't choose that order for him.
Outside the action phase, the player with the initiative counts as the active player (rule 1.4.5). So abilities that trigger "when the regroup phase starts" are ordered by whoever holds the initiative. Which player goes first is a real choice: resolving your own abilities first lets you change the board before your opponent's abilities pick their targets, and going second lets you see what they did.
Nested triggers
If resolving one ability triggers new ones, the new ones are nested and resolve before any of the abilities that were already waiting (rule 7.6.11). Nesting can go several layers deep, and each layer finishes before the game goes back to the one before it (rule 7.6.12).
Greedo, Vanguard Infantry and Admiral Motti (from the Comprehensive Rules)
Grayson attacks Mimi's Vanguard Infantry with his Greedo. Both units are defeated, and both When Defeated abilities trigger at once.
Grayson is the active player, so he chooses who goes first. He picks himself.
Greedo's When Defeated deals 2 damage to a ground unit, and Grayson uses it to defeat Mimi's Admiral Motti, which has a When Defeated ability of its own.
Motti's ability is nested, because it triggered while Greedo's was resolving. Mimi resolves it next and readies a unit.
Only then does Mimi resolve Vanguard Infantry's When Defeated ability, from the earlier layer.
Greedo, Slow on the Draw
Spark of Rebellion #204
When Defeated: discard from your deck; if not a unit, 2 damage to a ground unit
Vanguard Infantry
Spark of Rebellion #108
When Defeated: you may give an Experience token
Admiral Motti, Brazen and Scornful
Spark of Rebellion #226
When Defeated: you may ready a Villainy unit
These three are from Spark of Rebellion, which has rotated out of Premier, but they're the cards the rules document uses, and the sequence works the same with any cards.
When the card has left play
For an ability to trigger, its card has to be in play when the condition happens, unless the ability says it works from somewhere else. Once it has triggered, it resolves even if the card leaves play first (rule 7.6.3). A unit defeated by the same action that triggers its ability still resolves it, after the action finishes (rule 7.6.4), and a unit that triggers "when another unit is defeated" still triggers if it's defeated at the same moment.
A When Defeated ability uses the unit's last known information: its power, upgrades, controller and other details as they were just before it left play (rule 8.11). An ability that deals damage equal to the defeated unit's power counts the power it had in play, including upgrades. And the player who controlled the unit when it was defeated resolves the ability, even if they don't own it (rule 7.6.14.b).
Using a trigger again
Some cards let you use another card's triggered ability outside its normal condition, such as a When Defeated ability on a unit that's still in play. You resolve as much of it as you can and ignore parts that don't apply, and if you use several this way, you pick the order (rule 7.6.17).
Chimaera, Reinforcing the Center
Jump To Lightspeed #039
When Played: use a friendly unit's When Defeated ability
Shadow Caster, Just Business
Jump To Lightspeed #169
Use a defeated unit's When Defeated abilities again
Abilities that say "Use this ability only once each round" count as used only when you choose to resolve the "you may" part. If you decline the first time it triggers, you can use it later in the same round (rule 8.32.3).
Common mistakes
Resolving a When Defeated ability in the middle of an event. The event finishes first.
Letting the active player order both players' abilities. They choose who goes first, not the other player's order.
Skipping a trigger because its card is already in the discard pile. Once triggered, it resolves.
Resolving a nested trigger last. It goes before the abilities that were already waiting.
Treating a trigger as your action for the turn. It isn't one, and it resolves on either player's turn.
Triggering When Played on a deployed leader or a token. Leaders are deployed and tokens are created.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides the order of triggered abilities in Star Wars: Unlimited?
If only you have abilities waiting, you choose their order. If both players do, the active player chooses which player resolves first. That player resolves all of their own abilities in the order they like, then the other player resolves theirs. The active player can't choose the order of the opponent's abilities.
Can you respond to a card in Star Wars: Unlimited?
Not the way you can in Magic. There is no stack and no priority to respond with. Triggered abilities can resolve on your opponent's turn, but only because their condition happened, not because you chose to answer a play. The rest of the time, you act on your own turn.
Does a When Defeated ability resolve if the unit is already in the discard pile?
Yes. When Defeated abilities trigger as the card leaves play and resolve after it is in the discard pile (or set aside, for a token). Once an ability has triggered, it resolves even if its card has left play. The player who controlled the unit when it was defeated resolves it.
Do On Attack abilities resolve before combat damage?
Yes. On Attack abilities on the attacker and On Defense abilities on the defending unit trigger at the same time, when the attack begins, and they all resolve before combat damage is calculated. Damage they deal isn't combat damage.
Does using a triggered ability use your action?
No. Resolving a triggered ability is not an action, and a player can resolve one outside their own turn. A unit that is defeated on your opponent's turn still resolves its When Defeated ability right then.
What is a nested trigger in Star Wars: Unlimited?
An ability that triggers while another triggered ability is resolving. It has to resolve before any of the other abilities that were already waiting, and if it sets off more abilities, those go first in turn. Each new layer finishes before the game returns to the earlier one.
Keep the game state while the triggers fly.
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