I have Sturdy Armor on Soundwave and my opponent's Optimus Prime, Battlefield Legend attacks him while in Bot Mode, where he is Ranged. Optimus flips Roll Out as one of his Battle Card flips and plays it via his ability, changing to Alt Mode, in which he is now Melee. Does Soundwave still get the extra +1 Defense from Sturdy Armor since Optimus was Ranged when he attacked? Or does he not get the bonus since Optimus is now Melee?
[Source: WotC]
In this scenario, Sturdy Armor would not give the extra +1 Defense as Optimus is not Ranged. Sturdy Armor is constantly checking for the enemy’s Ranged trait, all the way up until damage is dealt.