Sniper Rifle versus Gargoyle Slaves

What happens if the bearer of the sniper rifle blocks a
tremere/!tremere and then a gargoyle slave jumps in the way?

Can the sniper rifle be used? The text for sniper rifle doesn't imply
that the combat must involve the original actor (does not say "the
resulting combat") however a slave cancels the combat and then enters
combat with the blocker.

So does this cancel the "sniper rifle is allowed" combat? and start a
newer combat?

Thanks,
D

quetzalcoatl wrote:
> What happens if the bearer of the sniper rifle blocks a
> tremere/!tremere and then a gargoyle slave jumps in the way?
>
> Can the sniper rifle be used? The text for sniper rifle doesn't imply
> that the combat must involve the original actor (does not say "the
> resulting combat") however a slave cancels the combat and then enters
> combat with the blocker.
>
> So does this cancel the "sniper rifle is allowed" combat? and start a
> newer combat?
>
It does. You cannot use the Sniper Rifle. This follows from rulings
on Sniper Rifle and Psyche! (you can't use the Rifle's set range again,
because it's no longer the resulting combat), and the recent ruling on
Cagliostro and Psyche!. I believe that there's a blanket ruling that
all cards that give you something when you block are only allowable in
the "resulting combat", even if it doesn't say "resulting combat". And
the Slave ruling ends that combat and starts a new one.