First Strike
Keyword〈First Strike〉While this Unit is attacking, it deals damage before the enemy Unit.
Played in the meta
Most-played 〈First Strike〉 cards in GD05 meta decks.
Cards with First Strike
17 total
How First Strike works
Normally both Units in a battle deal damage at the same time. A Unit with <First Strike> that is attacking deals its damage first, and if that destroys the defender, the defender never deals its damage back. A fragile attacker gets to kill without dying.
Note the wording: while this Unit is attacking. First Strike does nothing when the Unit is the one being attacked or blocking.
Rulings & edge cases
Condition-gated First Strike is re-checked mid-battle, and official rulings cover it in both directions. An attacker that gains First Strike 'while battling a Lv.2 or lower Unit' loses it when a Lv.4 <Blocker> intercepts, because the battle opponent changed. An attacker granted First Strike against one Unit loses it when a block moves the battle to a different Unit. So when the condition depends on who it is fighting, blocking is the counterplay.
Playing with and against it
A First Strike attacker can swing into anything it can kill, because the return damage only happens if the defender survives. Block with Units too big to die to the first hit, or block specifically to break a conditional First Strike grant.