# Empowered Abilities Can Cast Before Traits Resolve
**URL:** https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/empowered-abilities-can-cast-before-traits-resolve/4772
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 19, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/empowered-abilities-can-cast-before-traits-resolve/4772 "2016-03-19T16:12:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Shimrra](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Shimrra)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/empowered-abilities-can-cast-before-traits-resolve/4772/1 "2016-03-19T16:12:48Z")
**What you were expecting to happen, and what actually happened?**
Empowered abilities should be locked down like the board is, until the other team’s traits have resolved and granted buffs and so on. I seem to be able to cast such abilities in advance if I try.
**What are the steps to make it happen again?**
Make a team with a Dust Devil with full traits. Go to a Challenge where there is a troop with Leader in front (in this case, ‘Spin City’ - Drifting Sands’ second challenge). Immediately select the Dust Devil when its ability is ready, and cast it. The enemy’s Leader troop will end up not gaining Leader stats, as it checks after the Dust Devil’s ability has resolved and it has shifted to the back.
**Do you have any screenshots or video you want to share with us so we can see the problem? Attach them to your post!**
_First screenshot:_ above, you can see the Spider Queen is in front and has Leader. Starting stats are 12 attack, 5 armor and 17 attack (total 22 defense).
_Second screenshot:_ below, you can see the Spider Queen still has 12 attack. Furthermore, my Dust Devil has 11 damage and the Spider Queen has gone down to 11 life (from the starting 22 defenses).
* * *
This is on top of all the other things that are screwing up with Dervish, of course.
I _think_ I saw this mentioned before, but I can definitely replicate this easily.
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### Author:  [@utfanx2](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/utfanx2)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/empowered-abilities-can-cast-before-traits-resolve/4772/2 "2016-03-19T21:05:57Z")
Does it cancel out the other teams buffs, or shortcut through the animation? I hate the painfully slow animations at the start, so skipping them is the best feature of empowered.
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### Author:  [@kzintiwife](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/kzintiwife)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/empowered-abilities-can-cast-before-traits-resolve/4772/3 "2016-03-20T02:21:22Z")
If it moves it might lose its leader benifits… have you tried after it gains its stats? If you can it to cycle through to the first spot doesmit get them back?
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### Author:  [@Shimrra](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Shimrra)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/empowered-abilities-can-cast-before-traits-resolve/4772/4 "2016-03-20T06:12:24Z")
The other traits - like _type_ Bond and _color_ Heart and so on - they will trigger after (or even during) the ability cast. I’m fairly sure Leader checks at the start and doesn’t check again later on.
It does seem to skip through the _waiting_ though.