Heavy Turbolaser Turrets

When attacking a target, if the defender spends a Brace defense token and also spends another defense token, the total damage that can be reduced cannot be more than “1”. Unless only the Brace defense token is spent.

In regards to Heavy Turbolaser Turrets and Commander Kyrsta Agate:

HTT states that the only situation where the brace effect may reduce incoming damage by more than 1 is when a brace defense token is the only defense token “spent”. This means that a brace token MUST be “SPENT” in order for the effect to reduce damage by more than 1, while Agate’s ability is a DISCARD, rather than a spend.

Therefore, the only way for Agate to bypass the effect of HTT is to SPEND a brace normally, then use the Agate effect to discard another token and resolve its effect. This is because the ONLY time HTT does not impair the brace effect is when a brace defense token, and no other defense tokens, are spent.

More formally:

In order for HTT to NOT limit the brace effect to reducing damage by 1, the following conditions must be met:

1. A brace token MUST be SPENT 2. No other defense tokens MAY be SPENT.

Another example:

An AFMkIIB equipped with Agate has already discarded it’s Evade and Redirect defense tokens in prior attacks. Its Brace defense token is already exhausted, and also has the faceup damage card Faulty Countermeasures, so it cannot spend exhausted defense tokens. The ship is attacked and will be suffering 4 damage, the defender uses Agate’s effect to discard the brace.

How much damage would the ship still suffer? The ship would suffer 3 damage, as the discarded brace effect could only reduce damage by 1, as the brace was not “spent” to resolve its effect.