RIFTCOMBO
← All plays

the Blade and the Mixologist land on the same turn, the three come out of a trash their attack filled, and one rune on a Karthus makes it two

Issue #458 (a slice of #200), 2026-10-24. Constructed, Duel (485). Rules version 2026-07-16. Card text verbatim from data/corpus_flat.txt; rules pasted from data/Riftbound-Core-Rules-2026-07-16.txt and data/Riftbound-Tournament-Rules-2026-07-16.txt. Read the unopposed clock for the baseline this is measured against.

Subject: karthus-glasc-mixologist-double-reanimate, the Order ENGINE that kills SFD-165 Glasc Mixologist (Order, E5 + 1 Order Power, M5) as the cost of SFD-178 Blade of the Ruined King's [Equip] (Order gear, E3 + 1 Order Power, M+4) beside two OGN-236 Karthus, Eternal (Order, E3 + 1 Order Power, M3). His Deathknell runs three times, and each run plays a unit of cost E3 or less and 1 Power or less out of your trash for free. The entry is right about the count, the cost-kill and where the bodies go. Walked as a game, going first, with a Hand of Noxus Order deck in your seat, against the Fury/Chaos Draven deck of the En Garde play, in the same seat and with the same deal as the Tryndamere play. The main line: the two Karthus go down on T2 and T3 and stay in base, and the Blade and the Mixologist both wait in hand for T5. Their T4 attack takes A and puts three of your units in your trash. On your T5 the Blade, the Mixologist and the [Equip] cost eight Energy and three Order Power, and the three units come back to your base. The Captain, now a 7 with the Blade, retakes A alone: 4 to 4 after your T5, 4 to 5 after their T5. The control puts the Blade down a turn early. That buys the Captain's two Recruits and a second Gloryseeker, but the Blade sits at your base through their T4, where OGN-179 Acceptable Losses (Chaos, E1) kills it and T5 returns nothing. The cheapest answer to the main line is one rune: VEN-107 Decree of Discord (Chaos, E1 + 1 Chaos Power) returns one Karthus to your hand on their T4, and the three bodies are two. There is no free answer: the only fuel in the walk is what their own attack kills.

Why this line. scripts/sequence-pick.mjs --unplayed, re-run on 2026-10-24 at 3fadb16, reads 773 entries, 262 with forced-ordering language, 93 in the queue and 3 of them with no play, as the issue measured. The two picks are unchanged: this entry is rank 91, the first in the list. The other entry of this slice is rank 92, rell-magnetic-recurve-bow-per-attack.

1. Needs

LegendOGN-253 Hand of Noxus (Fury/Order, tag Darius)
Chosen ChampionOGN-243 Darius, Executioner (Order, E6 + 1 Order Power, M6), never played in the walk
The multiplierOGN-236 Karthus, Eternal (Order, E3 + 1 Order Power, M3), two on the board
The payoffSFD-165 Glasc Mixologist (Order, E5 + 1 Order Power, M5)
The outletSFD-178 Blade of the Ruined King (Order gear, E3 + 1 Order Power, M+4)
The fuelOGN-217 Trifarian Gloryseeker (Order, E2, M2), OGN-210 Daring Poro (Order, E2, M2), OGN-211 Faithful Manufactor (Order, E3, M2)
The carrierOGN-218 Vanguard Captain (Order, E3 + 1 Order Power, M3)

The entry admits any legend with Order in its pair. Hand of Noxus is the one for this walk because its Energy pays for the second card of every turn from T2 on. No legend in the pool carries the Karthus tag, so Karthus cannot be the Chosen Champion. The legend's tag is Darius, so Darius, Executioner can be, 103.2.a.2: "Must be a champion unit with a champion tag that matches the tag on your Champion Legend."

Every card in the list is mono-Order, 103.1.b.3: "If a card has a single Domain, then that card is permitted in the Domain Identity that corresponds to the same Domain." Three copies is the cap, 103.2.b: "Your Main Deck can include up to 3 copies of the same named card." The list runs three of each card named here. None of the cards in this play, on either side, is a Signature card (signature in data/cards.json), and none is in data/legality.src.json or marked [BANNED] in data/corpus_flat.txt. The rune deck is twelve Order runes, 103.3.a.1: "Cards in the Rune Deck must be of the Domain Identity of your Champion Legend." Every Power in the walk is Order.

The card text the play turns on:

2. Three instances, a kill that is a cost, and when they can reach any of it

Two Karthus, three instances. Karthus works from anywhere on the board, base included, 365.1: "Passive Abilities of Permanents are typically only active while on the Board." Two copies giving three instances is ruling R1 on issue #11, made for the other two multipliers worded the same way (Blue Sentinel, Red Brambleback): N copies give N + 1 instances. The entry applies it here. The count is taken when the Mixologist dies, because that is when his trigger goes on the chain, 808.1.d.2: "The trigger will be added to the chain as a Pending Item before the card with an ability that triggers on its own death is moved to the trash due to a Kill instruction or a Cleanup." A Karthus that leaves the board after that instant takes no instance with it, and one that arrives after it adds none.

The kill is a cost, and the Deathknell still fires. 428.1.a.1: "Active Kill is when the action is taken when instructed by a game effect or as a cost for a card or ability." And 428.1.a.1.b: "When a unit with a Deathknell or other ability that triggers on its own death is to be put in the Trash due to a Kill Instruction, it first has any such ability added to the chain as a Pending Item. Note the unit’s location, attributes, and other relevant information to process those abilities when finalized before completing this Kill Instruction." The three triggers go above the [Equip] itself, 818.1.c.1: "If paying costs or making choices for this ability causes triggered abilities to trigger, they will be placed on the chain above this ability in a Pending state." So the bodies come back before the Blade attaches. The [Equip] has no exhaust and no limit per turn, 818.1.c.2: "Equip is functionally short for “[Cost]: Attach this gear to a unit you control.”", and 377: "Activated Abilities are repeatable effects with a cost. They follow a process of going onto the chain and resolving, similar to Playing a Card." Each use costs one Order Power and one friendly unit. The gear enters ready and needs no ready state to use, 359.2.d: "If it is a Non-Unit Gear, it enters the Board Ready at the player's Base." The attach goes on a unit you choose, 818.1.b.1: "Equip’s choice is a Target.", so it goes on the Captain, never on the Mixologist you are killing.

What comes back, and where. Each instance is a play, 419.3: "Game effects may result in cards being played as part of their resolution." With 419.3.b: "Treat all steps of Play as normal, except as noted by the game effect creating this Limited Play Effect." An instance with nothing eligible does nothing, 419.3.c: "If there are no eligible cards to Play when instructed to Play in this manner, then nothing happens and resolution continues." The bodies go where any unit can be played, 355.2.a: "By default, Valid locations include the controller’s Base or a Battlefield the controller controls." They enter exhausted, 143.4: "Units enter the Board exhausted." A [Legion] card that comes back has its Legion on, because the Mixologist was played earlier the same turn, 812.1.c: "As long as a card different than the one with the Legion ability has been Finalized by you on the same turn then the Dependent Ability is Active on the card with Legion." A Recruit that dies never comes back, 186.1: "If a token is put into any Non-Board Zone besides the chain, it ceases to exist immediately after moving to its new zone." Karthus is E3 and 1 Power, so a dead Karthus is fuel too. The Mixologist, at E5, is never his own.

When they can reach any of it. A card in your hand is out of their reach. On your turn they get Priority only on a chain, 312.2.d: "When the turn is in a Closed State, they are the next Player in Turn Order, and the player with Priority passes." In your Main Phase with no chain, only you hold it, 312.2.a: "When the turn is in a Neutral Open State during their Main Phase." On a chain they may play only [Reaction] cards, 309.1.a: "Only cards and abilities with the Reaction keyword can be played or activated in a Closed State." Once the Mixologist leaves the chain, 359.2: "A Permanent leaves the Chain and becomes a Game Object.", you hold Priority again and pay the [Equip] at once. So a Blade and a Mixologist that arrive on the turn of the kill are never on the board during one of their Main Phases. The two Karthus are, from T3 on.

Where a unit can go, and the runes. Units move from base to a battlefield and back, never between battlefields, 144.4.a: "Units may move from their Base to a Battlefield." 144.4.b: "Units may move from a Battlefield to their Base." A move is paid by exhausting the units, 420.3.a: "The Cost is Exhausting one or more Units." A rune adds Energy by exhausting, 164.2.a: "[E]: [Reaction] — Add [1].", and Power by leaving the board, 164.2.b: "Recycle this: [Reaction] — Add [C]." An exhausted rune still pays the recycle, and it goes to the bottom of your Rune Deck, 416.1: "Recycling cards is the action in which a player takes one or more cards from a specific zone and then puts it on the bottom of the corresponding deck." With 416.1.b: "Runes are Recycled to the Rune Deck." Energy stays in the pool through the Main Phase, 167: "Every player's Rune Pool empties at the start of each player's Main Phase and the end of each player's turn." Your board readies only on your turn, 415.3.a: "A player Readies all non-spell Game Objects they Control during the Awakening Phase on their turn." Going first, you channel two runes each turn.

3. Their deck: Fury/Chaos Draven

The deck of the En Garde play linked above, in the same seat and with the same opening four and draws as the Tryndamere play. SFD-185 Glorious Executioner (Fury/Chaos): "When you win a combat, draw 1. (You win if only your units remain after combat.)" Its Chosen Champion is OGN-028 Draven, Showboat, never played. Their bodies are OGN-018 Noxus Saboteur (Fury, E3, M3), OGN-010 Legion Rearguard (Fury, E2, M2), OGN-013 Pouty Poro (Fury, E2, M2), OGN-016 Dangerous Duo (Fury, E3, M3), OGN-171 Mystic Poro (Chaos, E2, M2), OGN-165 Cemetery Attendant (Chaos, E3 + 1 Chaos Power, M3; "When you play me, return a unit from your trash to your hand."), OGN-012 Noxus Hopeful (Fury, E4, M4, E2 with its Legion) and OGN-006 Flame Chompers (Fury, E3, M3). Their one spell in the walk is OGN-009 Hextech Ray (Fury, E1 + 1 Fury Power): "[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) Deal 3 to a unit at a battlefield." The Attendant reads their own trash, never yours. Going second, they channel an extra rune on T1, 485.7: "First Turn Process: The player going second channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game."

4. The turns, going first

Order against Fury/Chaos. Your battlefield is A, OGN-278 Bandle Tree ("You may hide an additional card here.", and nobody hides); theirs is B, SFD-210 Hall of Legends ("When you conquer here, you may pay :rb_energy_1: to ready your legend.", and you never conquer B). Your opening four are Trifarian Gloryseeker, Karthus, Faithful Manufactor and Glasc Mixologist. Your draws are Daring Poro (T1), the second Karthus (T2), Blade of the Ruined King (T3), Vanguard Captain (T4) and a second Trifarian Gloryseeker (T5). Their opening four are Noxus Saboteur, Legion Rearguard, Dangerous Duo and Pouty Poro. Their draws are Mystic Poro (T1), Cemetery Attendant (T2), Noxus Hopeful (T3), Legion Rearguard (T4), Flame Chompers (the legend's draw on T4) and Hextech Ray (T5).

The main line keeps both Karthus in base and the Blade and the Mixologist in hand until T5.

turn      runes   your turn                                                 points
T1        2       Trifarian Gloryseeker (E2) to base, no other card, no     0
                  buff. None left.
their T1  3       Noxus Saboteur (E3) to base. None left.
T2        4       The Gloryseeker walks to A, empty, Conquer: +1. Karthus   1
                  (E3, one Order recycled) to base. Hand of Noxus: +E1.
                  Daring Poro (E2) to A. None left.
their T2  5       The Saboteur walks to B, empty, Conquer. Legion
                  Rearguard (E2) and Pouty Poro (E2) to base. One left.
T3        5       Hold A: +1. The second Karthus (E3, one Order recycled)   2
                  to base. Hand of Noxus: +E1. Faithful Manufactor (E3)
                  to A: a Recruit at A. None left.
their T3  7       Hold B. Mystic Poro (E2), Dangerous Duo (E3, with
                  Legion) and Noxus Hopeful (E2 with Legion) to base.
                  None left.
T4        6       Hold A: +1. Vanguard Captain (E3, one Order recycled)     3
                  to base, first card of the turn: Legion off, no
                  Recruits. Hand of Noxus: +E1. Four left, nothing to
                  buy.
their T4  9       Hold B. All five in base attack A: A is theirs, and
                  the legend draws. Cemetery Attendant (E3 + 1 Chaos
                  Power) to B: the Hopeful comes back to their hand.
                  Noxus Hopeful (E2 with Legion) and Legion Rearguard
                  (E2) to B. Nine runes, one recycled; two left.
T5        7       Blade of the Ruined King (E3, one Order recycled) to      4
                  base. Hand of Noxus: +E1. Glasc Mixologist (E5, one
                  Order recycled) to base. [Equip] (a third Order
                  recycled), killing the Mixologist: three instances,
                  the Gloryseeker, the Poro and the Manufactor back to
                  base. The Blade goes on the Captain, who attacks A
                  alone: Conquer, +1. Seven runes, three recycled; none
                  left.
their T5  10      Hold B. Flame Chompers (E3) to base. Seven left.

Their points: 0 after their T1, 1 after their T2, 2 after their T3, 4 after their T4, 5 after their T5. After their T2 it is 1 to 1; after your T3, 2 to 1; after their T3, 2 to 2; after your T4, 3 to 2; after their T4, 3 to 4; after your T5, 4 to 4; after their T5, 4 to 5.

Runes on your board at the end of each turn: 2, 3, 4, 5, 4. On theirs: 3, 5, 7, 8, 10.

Your hand, card by card: 5 after the T1 draw, 4 after the Gloryseeker; 5 after the T2 draw, 3 after Karthus and the Poro (Karthus, Manufactor, Mixologist); 4 after the T3 draw, 2 after Karthus and the Manufactor (Mixologist, Blade); 3 after the T4 draw, 2 after the Captain (Mixologist, Blade); 3 after the T5 draw, 1 after the Blade and the Mixologist (the second Gloryseeker). Theirs: 5 after the T1 draw, 4 after the Saboteur; 5 after the T2 draw, 3 after the Rearguard and the Pouty Poro (Dangerous Duo, Mystic Poro, Cemetery Attendant); 4 after the T3 draw, 1 after the Mystic Poro, the Duo and the Hopeful (Cemetery Attendant); 2 after the T4 draw, 3 after the legend's draw, 2 after the Attendant, 3 with the Hopeful back, 1 after the Hopeful and the Rearguard (Flame Chompers); 2 after the T5 draw, 1 after the Chompers (Hextech Ray).

Your T2 and T3: Karthus stays home. The Gloryseeker takes A, which is empty: a non-combat showdown, 316.8.b.1: "Showdowns that occur as a result of a player moving to an empty Battlefield are a stand-alone Phase and do not create a Combat." It is a Conquer, 348.2.a.1: "This results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored that Battlefield this turn." Each Karthus costs four of your runes' worth, three Energy and an Order recycled, and the legend's Energy pays for the second card. Both go to base and never move. Every damage spell in their walk hand and most of their pool reads "at a battlefield" (§5), and a Karthus at base is out of its range. The Poro and the Manufactor go to A, which you control. On T3 you Hold A, 469.2: "Hold: A player maintains Control of a Battlefield they did not yet Score this turn during their Beginning Phase." A is 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 7.

Their T2 and T3: B, and no attack. On their T2 the Saboteur is a 3, and A is 4: it takes the empty B instead. On their T3 their ready bodies in base are the Rearguard and the Pouty Poro, 4, and the Duo played this turn would make them 6, less than A's 7. They play out to base: 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 13 there.

Your T4: the Captain alone, and four Energy unspent. The Blade and the Mixologist together cost E8 and two Order Power, and the [Equip] a third. T4's six runes and the legend's one cannot pay that. Either piece played now is on your board through their T4 Main Phase, and the Mixologist cannot die on this turn anyway, because the trash is still empty (419.3.c). So the Captain goes to base as the first card of the turn, with his Legion off and no Recruits, and the legend's Energy and three more go unspent. That is the price of the main line.

Their T4: the attack that fills your trash. Their 13 attack A's 7. You assign your 7 to the Hopeful and the Duo, lethal in full, 465.2.c.3: "Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned to a different Unit." Their 13 kill all four of yours. The Gloryseeker, the Poro and the Manufactor go to your trash; the Recruit ceases to exist (186.1). They Conquer A, and the legend draws them the Chompers. The Attendant returns the Hopeful from their trash, and the Hopeful and the Rearguard go to B. A is their Rearguard, Pouty Poro and Mystic Poro: 6.

Your T5: the Blade, the Mixologist and the kill. Seven runes and the legend's one are eight Energy. The Blade costs three, the Mixologist five, and three exhausted Order runes are recycled for the three Order Power. They get Priority on the Blade and on the Mixologist while each is on the chain, with two open runes and Flame Chompers in hand, and nothing they hold is a [Reaction]. The Mixologist lands, and you pay the [Equip] at once: one Order Power, the Mixologist killed, the Captain the target. Three instances go on the chain above it. The first plays the Gloryseeker, a 3 now, because the Mixologist turned its Legion on. The second plays the Poro, and the third the Manufactor, whose Recruit is born beside it. You control no battlefield, so all three go to your base, exhausted. The Blade attaches to the Captain: 3 + 4 = 7. He walked out of the Awakening ready, and he attacks A alone. A is theirs, so it is a combat, 450: "The Destination becomes Contested if it is an Uncontested Battlefield not controlled by the controller of the Unit or Units that moved." And you are the Attacker, 464.2.c.1: "The Attacker is the player whose unit(s) applied the Contested status to the Battlefield." Their 6 do not kill a 7. His 7 kill all three 2s. 4 to 4.

Their T5. They Hold B. Nothing of theirs at B can reach A this turn (144.4.b), and Hextech Ray's 3 do not kill the Captain. They play the Chompers and hold the Ray. 4 to 5, with the two Karthus, the three returned bodies and a Recruit in your base, the Captain on A, and the second Gloryseeker in hand.

The control: the Blade on T4. The same deal. On T4 the Blade (E3, an Order recycled) goes to base first, the legend adds one, and the Captain (E3, an Order recycled) follows with his Legion on: two Recruits at base. Six of seven Energy, and four runes left on the board. Their T4 is the same. On T5, six runes and the legend's one: the Mixologist (E5, an Order recycled), the [Equip] (an Order recycled), the same three bodies, and the Blade on the Captain. The Captain and both Recruits attack A, 7 + 1 + 1 = 9 against 6: their 6 kill the two Recruits and mark 4 on the Captain, and A is yours. The last two Energy buy the second Gloryseeker, a 3 with its Legion on. 4 to 4, and 4 to 5 after their T5: the same score, with one more body in your base. The difference is their T4. The Blade was at your base through their whole Main Phase, and OGN-179 Acceptable Losses (Chaos, E1) kills it there: it is your only gear. Then the Mixologist on T5 has no way to die on your turn, and nothing comes back. SFD-135 Factory Recall (Chaos, E1) returns the Blade to your hand instead, and T5's seven Energy cannot pay the Blade again and the Mixologist. One rune, either way, against a line that the main line's order never offers them.

The Mixologist on T4 instead buys nothing. He costs the five Energy, and the two left buy nothing in hand (the Blade and the Captain are E3 each). At your base through their T4 he is an Order unit of Might 5, which is exactly what Decree of Discord returns for one rune. Killing him there is no answer at all: his Deathknell fires on whoever's turn he dies.

How often this happens. The draw pile is 39 cards, the 40 of Tournament Rules 402.1 less the Chosen Champion. Tournament Rules 402.1: "In a constructed event, players must register a Main Deck of exactly 40 cards (including a chosen champion), 1 Legend, 12 runes, and exactly 3 battlefields each with a unique name." Going first, you have seen 9 cards by T5 (four opening, one draw a turn from T1). With three copies of each, holding two Karthus, a Mixologist and a Blade among them is 2.76%. That is an upper bound for the walked line, which plays the Karthus on T2 and T3: a first Karthus among the first 6 cards and a second among the first 7, with the Mixologist and the Blade by the 9th, is 1.66%. At least one Karthus, a Mixologist and a Blade, two bodies or more, is 14.57%.

5. Breaks to

What the engine did, and the predicate. On your T5 the Mixologist died to the [Equip] beside two Karthus, and three units came back from your trash. The predicate is: played by them before he dies, in their T4 Main Phase with the nine runes and the board they have, or on your T5 with the two runes they left open, does it make his death return fewer than three bodies?

The scope. A Fury/Chaos deck plays only Fury, Chaos and Fury/Chaos cards (103.1.b), and its Signature cards must carry its legend's tag, 103.2.d.2: "All of the Signature cards must have the Champion tag that corresponds to the Champion Legend of the deck." As in the En Garde play, that is 252 cards folded by name (not a legend, battlefield, rune or token, and not a Signature card with another champion's tag), less the five banned in constructed (Called Shot, Draven, Vanquisher, Fight or Flight, Scrapheap, Stealthy Pursuer): 247, of them 154 units, 62 spells and 31 gear.

The candidates. In the main line three things are in their reach: the two Karthus at your base from T3 on, your trash after their attack, and, on your T5, the Blade and the Mixologist while each is on the chain. Of the 247, the regex \b(deal|deals|kill|kills|banish|return|returns|recall|counter|stun|trash)\b (case-insensitive, reminder text left in) matches 105. Read one by one, the line breaks in two ways only: a Karthus leaves the board before the kill, or a card leaves your trash. Most of their damage and bounce reads "at a battlefield", and a Karthus at base is out of its range.

The cheapest answer: Decree of Discord, one rune. In their T4 Main Phase, after the attack, VEN-107 Decree of Discord (Chaos, E1 + 1 Chaos Power) returns one Karthus to your hand. Two Karthus are 6 Might, over its total of 5, so it takes one. It names no location, so it reaches your base. On your T5 the Mixologist's Deathknell runs twice, and the Gloryseeker and the Poro come back without the Manufactor. The Karthus went to your hand, not your trash, so it cannot be one of the two. One rune, one Chaos recycled, one card, for one body, and it fits in the two runes their walk left unspent. Replaying the Karthus on T5 costs E3 and an Order Power you do not have beside the Blade and the Mixologist.

Nothing else at one rune breaks it. Of the 105, 10 cost E1 or less. Read in full, only Decree of Discord touches the line. OGN-179 Acceptable Losses, SFD-135 Factory Recall and SFD-005 Detonate need a gear on your board, and in the main line the Blade is in your hand through their T4. OGN-169 Gust, OGN-009 Hextech Ray and UNL-014 Monster Harpoon need a battlefield. UNL-134 Existential Dread needs an attacker, VEN-015 Decree of Rage a Calm unit, and UNL-136 Scryer's Bloom is their own gear.

Nothing at all on your T5 with the two open runes. Of the 247, 24 carry [Reaction] or [Ambush], and 14 of them cost E2 or less. Read in full, none of them breaks the line. SFD-136 Hard Bargain and UNL-131 Abandon counter spells, and the Blade is a gear and the Mixologist a unit. OGN-033 Shakedown (Fury, E2 + 1 Fury Power) on a Karthus lets you choose: "[Reaction] (Play any time, even before spells and abilities resolve.) Choose an enemy unit. Deal 6 to it unless its controller has you draw 2." You give them the two cards and keep the Karthus. Killing the Mixologist in response is impossible: he dies as the cost.

The bodies survive the T5 combat, the score does not. Two of those fourteen fit in their two open runes and change the Captain's attack on A. SFD-001 Against the Odds (Fury, E2): "[Reaction] (Play any time, even before spells and abilities resolve.) Give a friendly unit at a battlefield +2 :rb_might: this turn for each enemy unit there." The Captain is the one enemy unit at A, so one of their 2s is a 4. Their 8 kill his 7, and his 7 kill two of the three and leave the third. SFD-011 Angle Shot (Fury, E2): "[Reaction] (Play any time, even before spells and abilities resolve.) Choose a unit and an Equipment with the same controller. Attach that Equipment to that unit or detach that Equipment from that unit. Draw 1." Detached from the Blade, the Captain is a 3, and their 6 kill him. UNL-134 Existential Dread (Chaos, E1 + 1 Chaos Power) is not in the fourteen, but it is an [Action] and reaches the same combat if one of the two open runes is a Chaos: "[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) [Repeat] :rb_energy_2: (You may pay the additional cost to repeat this spell's effect.) [Stun] an attacking enemy unit. If it's already stunned, return it to its owner's hand instead. (A stunned unit doesn't deal combat damage this turn.)" With its [Repeat] unpaid, the stunned Captain deals nothing, their 6 do not kill him, and he is recalled, 466.1.a.2: "Insert “3d. Recall Attackers present at the Battlefield if Defenders are still present.”" With its [Repeat] paid (E3 + 1 Chaos Power, three runes, one recycled) the second execution could choose the stunned Captain, 820.2.a: "Choices made for the additional execution do not have to be the same as the choices made for the initial execution." It would return him to your hand, but it does not fit in the two runes they left open. After any of the three, A stays theirs and it is 3 to 4 after your T5, not 4 to 4. The three bodies are in your base all the same. The walk's 4 to 4 holds only because their walked hand holds none of these cards.

Dearer answers on the same board, all in their T4 Main Phase:

Answers this board does not give them.

No free answer. Your trash fills only when your units die, and in the walk only their attack on A killed any. Not attacking keeps your trash empty, and then the three instances find nothing (419.3.c). That costs them A's Conquer and the legend's card: 3 to 3 after their T4 instead of 3 to 4, and you Hold A on your T5.

6. Verdict

Right about the count, the cost and the bodies; the order that hides the pieces costs a turn's Energy, and one rune on a Karthus still takes a body. Walked going first with a Hand of Noxus Order deck, the two Karthus went to base on T2 and T3 and never moved. Their T4 attack took A and put three of your units in your trash. On T5 the Blade, the Mixologist and the [Equip] cost eight Energy and three Order Power, and the Mixologist's Deathknell ran three times: the Gloryseeker, the Poro and the Manufactor came back, exhausted, to your base. The Captain took the Blade and retook A alone: 4 to 4 after your T5, 4 to 5 after their T5. Holding both pieces for T5 cost four unspent Energy on T4 and the Captain's two Recruits. The greedier order, the Blade a turn early, ends at the same score with one more body, and gives them a one-rune answer that leaves nothing to come back. In the main line their cheapest card is VEN-107 Decree of Discord, one rune, which returns a Karthus from your base and turns three bodies into two. The engine's fuel was their own attack. The full board by T5 is 2.76% of deals, and the walked order of it 1.66%.

7. Not verified

Your runes. The walk assumes twelve Order runes (103.3.a.1 allows it), so every Power in it can be paid: 0 failures. A list with six Fury and six Order runes needs one Order recycled by T2, two by T3, three by T4 and six by T5. Recycled runes go to the bottom, so the runes channelled by T5 are the first ten of the deal. It needs at least one Order among the first four, two among the first six, three among the first eight and all six among the first ten: it fails in 715 of 924 deals, 77.38%.

Their runes. Their walk assumes six Fury and six Chaos, as in the En Garde play. The Cemetery Attendant on their T4 needs a Chaos among their first nine runes: with six Fury it cannot fail, 0 of 220. Those nine hold at least three of each domain, so after the Attendant's recycle at least two Chaos and three Fury remain: Decree of Discord, two Decrees, Falling Star and Whirlwind can all be paid, 0 of 220. Gust Monk costs no Power.

How likely an answer is. The walk fixes both hands. Holding a Decree of Discord among their first 8 cards of 39, three copies, is 50.82%. That counts only the one card named, not how many of them a Fury/Chaos list runs.

The deal and the opponent. The walk's deal holds the four pieces by T5, which is 2.76%, and both Karthus by T3, which brings it to 1.66% (§4). Their attack on A on their T4 and their late bodies at B are the walk's choices of opponent, the same choices as the Tryndamere play. With the Hopeful and the Rearguard at A instead, A is 12 and the Captain's 7 does not attack: the three bodies still come back, and it is 3 to 4 after your T5. Not walked: going second, the mulligan, 2v2, other legends, the Blade killing your own units as fuel, a returned Vanguard Captain, the second and third Mixologist, and the turns after their T5.

Leads