Hey everyone! I'm at an event and the following situation came up: Player A attacks with Frontline Medic and two other creatures without triggering Batallion. Player B flashes in a Restoration Angel and blocks. Player A then says he activates batallion. I tell them it's illegal since batallion should've been announced before, to which he answers that at a tournament last week both floor judge and head judge told them that the ability could be activated at anytime during combat. Could you help me with this?

First - I moved this, as it's not really a Rules question.

Next - Battalion is a triggered ability; you don't activate it. A matter of terminology or just semantics, most likely. But it's important to be clear about that. As far as I know, all Battalion abilities are worded “whenever ~this~ and at least two other creatures attack…” - so the Frontline Medic's trigger event happened.

So, let's look at the IPG for Missed Triggers; what, specifically, does Player A have to do regarding this trigger? It depends on how the trigger affects the game.

• …choose targets… - nope doesn't apply here
  
• …change in the visible game state… - nope, Indestructible is not visible.
  
• …or requires a choice… - nope, not this either
  
• …changes the rules of the game… - no, not really; this is more for things like Pyreheart Wolf, that change the rules re: blocking
  
• …affects the game in non-visible ways… - ah-ha! Here we go!
  

So, what is required of Player A for this case?
“…must … make it clear … the first time … an effect on … game…” - or, in plain English, once “Indestructible” matters to the game state, Player A needs to make it clear that, in fact, his creatures are Indestructible.

Flashing in Restoration Angel can happen with Battalion still on the stack. However, Blocking can only occur after the ability has resolved - and the IPG makes it clear that Player A made it clear that Battalion resolved “the first time that it would affect the game in a visible fashion.” (In fact, he was a bit early - Indestructible won't affect the game state until lethal damage is dealt, in the Combat Damage step!)

Even though Player A may be using poor terminology (“I ‘activate’ Battalion now…”), he has complied with what's required of a player, at Competitive REL.

* * *

Now, if we're talking about Regular REL? That's not all that different, actually. Make sure Player A understands the difference between Activated and Triggered abilities, and then let Frontline Medic resolve - pretty much what Player A had in mind, all along.

Short version: it's not Activated, it's Triggered, and it triggered and resolved and A's creatures are, in fact, Indestructible.

Edited Scott Marshall (March 10, 2013 10:58:05 PM)