I noticed that some new cards, such as Aramasu's Mask and Scout Training use the wording "Negate an action" which differs from the "negate an action's effects" text that appears on other Ivory-legal cards such as Entrenched Position and The Sun Returns. As all these cards being designed using the same philosophy I am trying to determine how the intentional difference in wording affects game play.
As I understand it, this reply suggests that 'action' refers to the game procedure of taking an action. The phrase "negate an action's effects" seems to negate the things that would occur to step D, so "Negate an action" must be more expansive than that. I take it that "Negate an action" would stop everything to do with taking the action from the point of playing the interrupt, including discarding the strategy card (if relevant) during step E.
I initially thought that this would be a bit odd as the player whose action is negated would get another chance to play that action if it was on a strategy*, but then realised that during a battle you would get a chance to take an action before they could replay their initial card. Have I understood the difference between "Negate an action" and "negate an action's effects" correctly? If not please could you explain the difference between these two.
In a related question, albeit a moot one: what would be the difference in the game if The Sun Returns said "...Negate the effects of a Battle or Engage ability."? Are there things that occur in step D that are effects of the action but not effects of the ability that is being used during the action? Are things such as duels actually rules effects rather than effects within the ability's text, and so 'action' will include these whereas 'ability' wouldn't?
*as the card would end up in their hand, face down and out of play, as opposed to discarded during step E if only the effects were negated by The Sun Returns.