Ruling - Curse! Malign Mirror

[Johnny Sausagepants]

I've searched the forums and FAQs and change log and couldn't come across an immediately satisfactory answer as it seems that the Curse! Malign Mirror card has changed over the years (I am playing with the 19th printing). However, if I've overlooked the answer I certainly do apologize (here's me hoping to avoid the wrath of MM). Here's the scenario:

Player A kicks down the door and encounters a monster she cannot defeat, so she plays Magic Missile which will increase her combat strength sufficiently to win the battle.

Player B plays Curse! Malign Mirror on Player A. Malign Mirror reads, "In your next fight (only), you may not get any bonuses from items other than Armor."

The question that arose was how to resolve the curse being played after the Magic Missile had been deployed. We recognize that "next" fight applied to the current combat, so was it:

1) Based on the first in, first out rule (I know this is not officially in the rules, but from reading rulings in the forums is the accepted way of resolving the order in which things are played), the Magic Missile plays and the Malign Mirror would only prevent Player A from using any further one-shot items and from applying any bonuses from static items that weren't armor.

2) The Malign Mirror forces the Magic Missile out of the combat (in a fashion such as when a Gazebo is wandered into a combat with a helper and the helper is forced out) and the combat had to be resolved using only level and armor. In this case, would the Magic Missile be discarded as a dud, or returned to Player A's hand, as if she had never actually "pushed the red button."

3) Something else really cool that we hadn't even known about.

Ultimately it was early in the game, so we just ruled that Player B could take his curse back so we could resolve the combat and keep playing as we all felt comfortable with that decision. Thanks in advance for input/rulings on this situation.

[Genpin]

Sort of 2. All one shot items used remain in combat (as normal) but they do not give bonuses unless someone gets rid of the curse

[twiggywales]

oh, i always thought that a curse that effects the next combat ment the next combat, so if you played it on somone before the combat started then they cant use anything, but if you played it in combat then it would not take effect untill the next combat began (as in next time that player kicked down a door or looked for trouble)

could someon clear this up pleae as now im really confused.

[Andrew Hackard]

This was clarified in the Munchkin FAQ, and then made a part of the rules starting with version 1.5: If you are in combat when a "next combat" Curse or Trap is played, that Curse or Trap takes effect immediately.