Talk:Ello Asty/@comment-27376035-20160110134429/@comment-454133-20160826150908

Hmm... very tricky. This really needs a FAQ entry. Far more trivial items have been FAQ'd, and this could use clarity.

The question is, does "while you ... you may treat" mean you can choose whether to use his ability each time color is checked, or does it trigger when you reveal the maneuver and recolor the maneuver for the duration of your activation? I think that basically summarizes the two main points of view here.

In the first case, you can reveal a Talon and execute it. During check pilot stress you [i]may[/i] treat it as white, and you do choose that to avoid the stress, but you haven't permanently changed the color to white (you're just treating it as white during that effect). Now in the cleanup step, Targeting Astromech triggers and you choose to not treat the maneuver as white, and so you get the target lock.

In the second case, it works more like Stay On Target, which states "treat that maneuver as a red maneuver", which lasts through the rest of the activation. In the case of Ello, the "you may" is a choice made when we reveal the maneuver, so it becomes either white or red in that instant and lasts through the activation.

As I think about it, I have a problem with the 2nd interpretation. First, Ello doesn't say "when you reveal", it just says "while". There isn't a discrete trigger point where you make the permanent decision that follows thereafter. This would lend itself to the first interpretation, where you can choose whether to apply Ello's ability each time a step or ability would check difficulty/color. But one could still argue that you choose whether it's white when you pick the maneuver.... maybe? Lacking a FAQ, we'd need to either compare to other abilities with similar "while...you may" wording, or gamble with e-mailing support staff (who give random, often conflicting answers each time they're asked).

 My guess is because it says "while you are not stressed", you can choose whether to use his ability every time you would check the maneuver color, and it lasts for that effect.