Difference between "after enemy engages" and "you engage an enemy"?

[AllWingsStandyingBy 4,660]

Is engagement asymmetrical?  That is, does it matter at all whether a player optionally engages an enemy or an enemy forcibly engages a player?  Or is "enemy engages you" synonymous with "you engage an enemy"?


Things like Forest Spider and Hummerhorns have abilities that trigger "after [enemy] engages you," and I assume this happens even if the Player optionally engages the enemy.

On the other hand, some player cards have text that reads "after you engage an enemy" (for instance Mablung, hero).  Can these abilities be triggered only when a Player optionally engages an enemy, or can they be triggered regardless of whether or not the enemy is engaged optionally or forced?


My sense is that "enemy engages you" = "you engage enemy" and that these two timing caveats on text are effectively the same thing.

[stimpaksam 139]

4 minutes ago, AllWingsStandyingBy said:

My sense is that "enemy engages you" = "you engage enemy" and that these two timing caveats on text are effectively the same thing.

You're correct.

Page 7 of the Online Rules Reference:

Engaged: When an enemy enters a player’s play area from another game location, that enemy has engaged that player, and that player has engaged that enemy.