Secret Passage - opponent may "only play creatures" or can play Event Hazards?

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CDavis7M
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Secret Passage wrote:Playable only at the end of the organization phase. If the company that it is played on moves to a [-me_rl-] site, opponent may only play hazard creatures that are keyed to the company's site.
My brain just crossed and I have interpreted Secret Passage differently than I did before. Clearly, if the opponent plays a creature, it must be a creature that is keyed to the site (cannot be played keyed to the site path). However, "opponent may only play hazard creatures" (that are keyed to the site). Does this mean that the opponent cannot play any hazards UNLESS they are "hazard creatures that are keyed to the company's site" ? Meaning that the opponent cannot play Event cards (as they are not creatures keyed to the site).

I found the rulings below but they are not clear on this point. Clearly, if an Ahunt dragon is ALREADY in play then it could attack (it is not being "played," it is in-play).

Before I just assumed that the opponent could play non-creatures. And now I am not sure. The wording is sloppy and I think it could be either way? Thematically, it seems like only the playing of creatures (not events) should be restricted. Is this how everyone is playing?
Rules Digest 49 wrote:From: "M. Sosa" <mso...@fiu.edu>
> How exactly does Secret Passage and Secret Entrance work? Can secret
>passage be used when one moves to a Dragon lair so that no dragons can be
>played (the card states that hazard may only be played to the site-
>presumably ruins&lairs and not regions) ?
Well, it would prevent creatures from being keyed to regions. However,
there are Dragons that can be played keyed to Ruins & Lairs, and the
Dragon who is associated with the site could be played keyed to the
site. Also events that create attacks, like Ahunt Dragons, would still
work.
NetRep #75 wrote:Company moving to Ruins&Lairs after playing "Secret Passage" in
organization phase, may be attacked by dragons ahunt manifestations
played by player other than hazard opponent, or attacks created by
"Mordor in Arms", or dragon played whith "Fever of Unrest" (this
attack is keyed to nothing not to wilderness)?
*** You can still be attacked by events that generate attacks, like
Dragons Ahunt and Mordor in Arms
. A dragon played with Fever of Unrest
is not keyed to the site and is therefore unplayable. Furthermore, a
dragon played with Fever of Unrest is keyed to the wilderness.
EDIT: Now I see a related card, The Way is Shut. This makes me think that the opponent cannot play events (only creatures), because if Secret Passage only prevented playing creatures, then The Way is Shut would not need to refer to Secret Passage as no creatures would be played since the company is sent back to their site of origin.
The Way is Shut wrote:A company moving to or from an Under-deeps site must return its site of origin. Additionally, cancels the effects of Secret Passage and Secret Entrance. Cannot be duplicated.
Or maybe, an Ahunt Dragon could be declared (and resolved first) in response to Secret Passage, which would be declared at the beginning of the M/H phase. So then Ahunt Dragon Events and some other Events could be played in response to the declaration of Secret Passage? But then not Events that must START a chain of effects? So then, a corruption card Even (which must start a chain of effects) could not be played? And would this happen before or after drawing cards?

I'm still confused.
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Theo
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Acknowledging that there are multiple possible valid parsings, as you picked up on, my opinion is that Secret Passage should not change non-creature hazards.

Consider if the intent had actually been to prevent non-creature hazards. Why would they have used the wording they did, and not: "opponent may only play hazards that are creatures keyed to the company's site" with the addition of an 's' on hazard? The inclusion of the phrases "hazard creatures" and "that are" suggest that more likely the correct parsing amounts to meaning, "opponent may only play hazard creatures [if those hazard creatures] are keyed to the company's site."

[edit: corrected grammar]
Last edited by Theo on Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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CDavis7M
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Location: California

Thanks for your thoughts Theo. That is how I had been interpreting it until recently.

But then, the wording on The Way Is Shut it's still confusing. Why cancel Secret Passage effects if the company is returned to their origin and you are unable to play creatures? Maybe The Way Is Shut is meant to say "alternatively" instead of "additionally".

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Konrad Klar
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Who said that any company will be returned to its site of origin?
The Way is Shut may be played (and resolve) in M/H phase of company that does not move from/to under-deeps site.
And there may be other companies (under effect of Secret Passage/Secret Entrance) waiting for their M/H phases.
We will not speak of such things even in the morning of the Shire.
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CDavis7M
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My mistake. It is a long-event. This makes sense now. Thanks Konrad.
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