Well, I learned something new today thanks to the Video Game.

I'm sure this is working as intended, I just hadn't realized it before:

Wraith and some other heroes vs. Chokepoint in Rook City.

Wraith has a few equipment out, plays Impromptu Invention, draws, puts out another equipment, then plays Grappling Hook to get rid of Blighted Streets (my least favorite card ever.)

Upon destruction, Blighted Streets plays Chokepoint's Harvest the Mighty. Wraith has most cards in play. Interesting, because I thought Wraith was tied with another hero for that…but maybe I miscounted. 

I figure that Wraith will have to give up one of her shiny equipment cards to be harvested…but no! When given the options, I learn to my surprise that Impromptu Invention and Grappling Hook are technically still "cards in play" at this point! That's also why Wraith had the most cards in play, because it was counting the one-shots that hadn't hit the trash yet! I had assumed that Harvest the Mighty (and other cards like it) could only destroy Ongoings and Equipments…but I was wrong!

I choose to put the Grappling Hook facedown in front of Chokepoint and move on.

Playing the physical game, this woudn't have occurred to me, because I usually (and incorrectly, I guess) play my one-shots sort of off to the side of my play area, so as to not mess up my pretty display of ongoings and equipments. It never occurred to me that until they hit the trash these one-shots are "in play" and "in the play area." Granted, most of the time, it doesn't matter–they hit the trash right after they are played. But sometimes it matters! And can make a huge difference!

Thank you for reading about what I learned today. 

One-shots shouldn't be an option.  That's a bug.  

Why not? They definitely enter play. If they’re not in the hero’s play area, where are they?

From Fireside chats

>

One-shots are not considered or counted as “cards in play.” That means Into the Stratosphere or Cedistic Dissonant cannot destroy one-shots that are currently being played.

Well, I can unlearn it as quickly as I learned it, I suppose.

Is there a difference between a card "in play" and one "in a play area"?   Harvest the Mighty (I think) specifically uses the latter language, unlike Into the Stratosphere/Cedistic Dissonant.   If so, then although the one-shots should not be counted to determine the number of cards "in play" (to see who Harvest's target hero will be), any one-shots that have not yet resolved and are still in a hero's "play area" should be suitable fodder for Harvest the Mighty.  

Sounds similar to the difference between "playing a card" and "putting card into play"; effects that prevent the former do not prevent the latter.  

What I listed still applies.  One-shots are not considered in play and thus can't be in a play area.  

Which is kinda weird, because they enter play for things like Surprise Shopping Trip. But yeah, they're never considered in play.

Yeah, I remember some talk after the fireside chat that someone pointed out that by that ruling, Surprise Shopping Trip should NOT trigger from one-shots, but for some reason it still does.

Whatever happened to that?

So you would prefer that Buffer Overflow cannot stop Devastating Aurora?

Be careful what you wish for..

With all due respect (which admittedly is A LOT) yes. If a ruling has been made I would prefer the game to consistantly follow those rules. Otherwise, what’s the point of having them?

If, on the other hand, another ruling has been made that states that particular cards should act in ways contrary to such a decision, then that could be made known as well.

Just so the players know how the game will act when presented with their well laid plans. Ya know?

I don't see an inconsistency here. You're welcome to bring things up with Christopher if you like, that's what we do.

So is it a bug or not? If it isn't a bug, what is the rules reasons for it working the way it does?

Buffer Overflow reads, "If a villain card would enter play, you may destroy this card. If you do, discard the villain card instead. When this card is destroyed, draw a card and play the top card of the villain deck."

So Buffer Overflow can only stop Devastating Aurora if it "would enter play," right?

It is a bug, as powerhound explained in the first few posts.

The Buffer Overflow case seems distinct to me.  It triggers when a card "would enter play" as opposed to other cards that look at "cards in play".  Even if there is a ruling that one-shots are never considered "cards in play", it seem to me they could still "enter play".  For instance, "would enter play" could reasonably be taken as synonymous with "would be played", regardless of what type of card it is and what zone it goes to.  This isn't to say that the same ruling doesn't apply, it just doesn't seem altogether clear that it should, without being specifically mentioned.