Promising Future

First, every player chooses and banishes a card, starting with the turn player.^303.2.a Then, starting with the next player, every player starts playing their chosen card by putting it on the chain. The chosen cards do not proceed to finalization while Promising Future is still resolving.^354.2354.3

Steps

1. Starting with the turn player and proceeding in turn order, each player looks at their top 5 cards, banishes one, then recycles the rest.^303.2.a The cards already banished are public information, so each later player knows what the players before them chose.^108.6.e

2. Starting with the next player and proceeding in turn order, each player puts their banished card on the chain as a pending item. Each card waits for finalization while Promising Future continues resolving.

3. Promising Future finishes resolving. This completes the act of playing Promising Future, so applicable abilities on cards such as Ravenbloom Student trigger and are put on the chain after the chosen cards.^383.3420.4.a

4. The chosen cards then proceed to finalization in the order they were put on the chain: the next player's card first, followed by each other player in turn order.^337.1.b Their base energy costs are set to zero, but their power costs, applicable additional costs, and later cost increases still apply.^{356.1.b.2356.1.b.3} If a player cannot pay every required cost, that card's play process is undone and it returns to banishment.^358.2358.5

5. A unit or gear that finalizes resolves immediately and enters the board.^{337.2359.2.c359.2.d} Its own play effect is put on the chain after it enters.^383.4.a.2 Any other ability whose trigger condition was fulfilled by that entry is likewise put on the chain after the inciting event.^383.2.c383.3 Because those abilities were added after the chosen cards, every chosen card finalizes or leaves the chain before those abilities finalize.^337.1337.1.b

6. If any finalized spells or abilities remain, the controller of the newest one receives priority.^337.4 Players may then play Reactions.^{338.1.a338.1.a.2} In that case, after all players pass priority without adding another item, finalized spells and abilities resolve from newest to oldest.^339.1340.1

Yes, if another chosen card is an eligible spell that finalizes before the counterspell and is a legal target when the counterspell is finalized.

Promising Future puts every chosen card on the chain as a pending item before any of them proceed to finalization.^354.2354.3 Players choose only which card to banish during Promising Future's first pass. The counterspell's target is chosen later, during that counterspell's finalization.^355.5 A counterspell cannot finalize without a valid target.^355.8 If no valid target exists, its play process is undone and it returns to banishment.^358.5

A counterspell put on the chain before another chosen card must finalize or leave the chain while that later card is still pending.^337.1337.1.b Only a finalized spell or ability on the chain can be a legal target, so the counterspell cannot target that later card.^355.9.a

In a two-player game, Salvage or Brittle Steel can target Dazzling Aurora only if Promising Future's controller chose the spell and their opponent chose Aurora. If Promising Future's controller chose Aurora and their opponent chose the spell, that spell cannot target Aurora.

Promising Future puts the next player's chosen card on the chain first, so the opponent's card finalizes first.^337.1.b A gear that finalizes resolves immediately and enters the board.^337.2359.2.d A spell chooses its targets during its own finalization, and a gear target must be on the board unless another zone is specified.^{355.5355.9.a355.9.a.1}

If the opponent chose Aurora, it enters the board before Promising Future's controller's spell chooses its target. If the opponent chose the spell, it must choose its target while Aurora is still pending on the chain, so Aurora is not a legal target.

Both spells may choose another legal gear instead. Salvage may also choose no gear, while Brittle Steel's play is undone if no legal gear is available.^355.8358.5

Only if Brynhir Thundersong's play effect has already resolved when Promising Future instructs that opponent to play their chosen card. Brynhir's restriction supersedes Promising Future's permission to play the card.^054.1 That play instruction is negated, so the chosen card remains banished.^359.3.e.6

Brynhir prevents an opponent from performing the play game action, which puts the card on the chain and queues it for finalization.^420.1420.5

If Brynhir herself is chosen with Promising Future, she does not stop any other chosen card. Promising Future puts every chosen card on the chain as a pending item before any of them proceed to finalization.^354.2354.3 Brynhir's play effect is added only after she finalizes and enters the board.^383.4.a.2 By then, every chosen card has already been added to the chain and queued for finalization, so Brynhir's restriction cannot prevent those play game actions.^420.5

No. Every player chooses and banishes a card before Promising Future instructs anyone to play one. Because cards in banishment are public information,^108.6.e you, as Akshan, Mischievous's controller, know whether your opponent chose Dazzling Aurora before deciding whether to pay Akshan's additional cost. You can then choose Dazzling Aurora for Akshan's play effect.

Promising Future puts every chosen card on the chain as a pending item before any of them proceed to finalization.^354.2354.3 You decide whether to pay Akshan's optional additional cost while Akshan is being finalized, not when he is banished or first put on the chain.^355.1.a His play effect is a separate pending ability put on the chain after Akshan finalizes and enters the board.^383.4.a.2 You choose the enemy gear while that triggered ability is being finalized.^403.2 It isn't chosen while Akshan is being finalized.^355.5.b

This differs from a spell that chooses a gear itself, because that choice is made while the spell is finalized.^355.5 Akshan's play effect is instead a separate, newer pending item, so every chosen card finalizes or leaves the chain before that ability finalizes.^{337.1337.1.b383.4.a.2}

Dazzling Aurora Is Banished First

1. The turn player banishes Dazzling Aurora. Because banished cards are public, you see that choice before selecting Akshan from your own top 5 cards.

2. Starting with the next player, Akshan is put on the chain first and Dazzling Aurora second.

3. Akshan finalizes first. You already know Dazzling Aurora was selected and may choose to pay Akshan's additional cost, even though Aurora is still pending.^355.1.a

4. Akshan enters the board, and his play effect is put on the chain after Dazzling Aurora.^383.4.a.2

5. Dazzling Aurora is the older pending item, so it finalizes next and enters the board before Akshan's play effect is finalized.^{337.1.b337.2359.2.d}

6. Akshan's play effect then finalizes. Dazzling Aurora is now an enemy gear on the board, and you can choose it for that ability.^403.2

Akshan, Mischievous Is Banished First

If Akshan is banished first, your opponent sees Akshan before choosing Dazzling Aurora. Dazzling Aurora is then put on the chain first and enters before Akshan is finalized. You therefore see Dazzling Aurora on the board when deciding whether to pay the additional cost.

Disarming Rake can kill Dazzling Aurora regardless of order, and Tomb-Raider Barbara can also kill Aurora regardless of order if Barbara's controller controls 7 or more runes when she is played and Aurora is an enemy gear that isn't [Empowered] when the play effect resolves.

Promising Future puts every chosen card on the chain as a pending item before any of them proceed to finalization.^354.2354.3 Both units' "When you play me" abilities are play effects.^{383.4.a383.4.a.1} Barbara's rune requirement is part of her trigger condition, so her play effect triggers only if that requirement is met when she is played.^383.2.a.1 Each play effect that triggers is put on the chain as a separate pending item only after its unit finalizes and enters the board.^383.4.a.2

If Dazzling Aurora finalizes first, it is already on the board when the unit's play effect is finalized. If either unit finalizes first, its play effect is put on the chain after Dazzling Aurora, so the older Aurora finalizes and enters before the ability is finalized.^{337.1.b337.2359.2.d} In either order, Aurora is on the board by the time the play effect chooses a gear.^403.2

Only if Dazzling Aurora is played by an opponent of Ravenbloom Prefect's controller and Ravenbloom Prefect finalizes before Aurora.

Promising Future puts every chosen card on the chain as a pending item before any of them proceed to finalization.^354.2354.3 Ravenbloom Prefect's ability triggers when an opponent plays a gear; it is not Prefect's own play effect.^383.4.a.4 Prefect must therefore be on the board when Dazzling Aurora finishes being played for that trigger condition to be fulfilled.^{384.2383.2.c420.4.a}

If Ravenbloom Prefect finalizes first, it enters before Dazzling Aurora finalizes. When the opposing player finishes playing Aurora, Prefect's ability triggers and is put on the chain.^383.3 Prefect's controller may then banish Prefect to finalize that ability and banish Dazzling Aurora when the ability resolves.^{383.3.a383.3.b383.3.b.1}

If Dazzling Aurora finalizes first, Ravenbloom Prefect is still a pending card on the chain when Aurora enters. The ability does not trigger later when Prefect enters.