Council of Elrond

The Wizards: Lucky Search
Rarity: Rare, Precise: R

Resource: Short-event

Scout only. During the site phase,a scout at a tapped or untapped or . Turn over cards from your play deck one at a time until you reveal a non-special item (it cannot be a unique item already in play) or reach the end. If you reveal such an item, the scout takes control of it. In any case, the scout must face a single strike attack with a prowess equal to 3 plus the number of cards revealed: this attack/strike cannot be canceled. Discard item if the scout is wounded by this attack. Reshuffle all revealed cards except the item back into the play deck (this does not exhaust the play deck).

Underline mine.

"It cannot be a unique item already in play" just because an unique item already in play is already in play.

Even if to read "It cannot be a unique item already in play" as "It cannot be a copy of unique item already in play" some doubts remain.
What if revealed item card is a manifestation of unique card already in play, or if it is an item that the scout cannot bear (copy of Elven Cloak already possessed by the scout or Thong of Fire if prowess of the scout is less than 6)?
Should the revealing stop at this point of be continued?

The parenthetical comment describes an item which would not bring an end to drawing cards.

As for the case of revealing an item the Scout is not able to bear, such an item still fulfills the description of "non-special item" that brings an end to drawing cards. Rules/card text may prevent the Scout from taking control of the item, but the card-drawing still ceases, and afterwards, the attack will occur. I believe the general principle is that if you cannot implement all effects of a card, implement as many as possible.

I believe in the case where the Scout is unable to take control of the item, it would instead be discarded, especially since this will also happen if the Scout is wounded.

"unique item already in play" may not be drawn, unless someone has play deck 3D with connection to play surface.
So if the text does not make a sense literally, something must be decided in topic "how the text should read".

• If intention was/goal is to not to stop searching for card that is just copy of "unique item already in play", then replace the text with "copy of unique item already in play".
• If intention was/goal is to not to stop searching for card that may not appear legally in play, then replace the text with "card that may not be in play" (this should include non-dragon manifestations of card already in play).
• If intention was/goal is to not to stop searching for card that may not be taken under control by scout, then replace the text with "card that may not be in play and/or may not be taken under control by scout".

Bandobras Took wrote: ↑Sun Nov 03, 2024 10:29 pm especially since this will also happen if the Scout is wounded.

No. It is when the scout took the item and then has been wounded by "this attack".

Any card that is a unique item remains that unique item whether it is in play or not. My copy of Narsil does not stop being Narsil just because my opponent's Narsil is in play, nor is Narsil somehow not in play because it is in my deck.

Narsil fulfills both requirements. It is
1) a unique item
2) that is in play

That it is also in somebody's hand is irrelevant.

Bandobras Took wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2024 1:33 am Narsil fulfills both requirements. It is
1) a unique item
2) that is in play

And now "who is who".
Narsil card in hand or in play deck is not in play.
It does not become in play because its copy is in play.
Narsil card in play (or hypothetical effect "Narsil is in play") does not make other Narsil cards "in play".