Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, the Dreaming Tree's battlefield trigger will not activate. Choosing a unit as part of paying an additional cost is not the same as targeting that unit. Nuances: - The Dreaming Tree's use of "choose" specifically means to target - Choosing a unit to pay a cost does not count as targeting for trigger purposes

Ruling: You do not get a gold token because you did not kill a gear. Pickpocket requires you to kill the targeted gear to gain the gold token. Nuances: - Better to target an exhausted gold token if possible, so the opponent cannot use it in response

Ruling: You would become the defender because your opponent was the player who applied the Contested status to the battlefield. Nuances: - This allows you to become the defender on your opponent's turn by using Ride the Wind at showdown action speed after they move into a battlefield first.

Ruling: If your opponent counters Sabotage with Defy or Wind Wall, the counter resolves first and Sabotage goes to discard without resolving. You will not see your opponent's hand. Sequence: - Sabotage is played - Opponent responds with Defy/Wind Wall - Counter resolves first, sending Sabotage to discard - Sabotage does not resolve, so no hand is revealed Nuances: - The choice of which card to recycle with Sabotage is not a target - The choice is made on resolution, not as an additional cost during finalization

Ruling: After your Stupefy resolves, your opponent gains Focus and has priority to play a spell before you can play the Cleave you drew. Sequence: - You play Stupefy while having Focus - Stupefy resolves and you draw Cleave - Focus passes to your opponent - Your opponent can play a spell (like Hextech) before you can play Cleave

Ruling: Ornn's Forge does not discount your next gear if you already played a gear earlier in the turn before conquering. The ability cannot "look back" to check if a gear was already played. Sequence: - Play first gear before conquering - Conquer and gain Ornn's Forge - Play second gear (no discount applies) Nuances: - This follows the same logic as Darius Trifarian: if you play Darius as your 3rd card of the turn, he does not ready when you play your 4th card, because the condition checks from when the ability becomes active, not from the start of the turn.

Ruling: When you cast a spell with Repeat, you must choose whether to use Repeat at the time of casting, before your opponent can respond. If you choose to Repeat and your opponent Defies the spell, the entire spell (including the repeated portion) is countered. You cannot choose to Repeat after a Defy. Sequence: - Declare you are casting the spell - Choose whether to pay the Repeat cost as an additional cost - Finalize the spell on the chain - Opponent can now respond with Defy - If Defied, the entire spell (including any Repeat) is countered Nuances: - Repeat is an optional additional cost paid before finalizing the spell, not a separate spell or ability - Repeat extends the spell's effect box but does not create a second spell - You cannot wait to see if your opponent Defies before deciding to Repeat

Ruling: Showdowns never automatically end - they only conclude when both players pass empty focus in a row. You can play multiple action cards in sequence during the action window, and any unit you bring into an active showdown will gain the defender designation if you are the defending player. Sequence: - Opponent pushes into your battlefield, initiating showdown - You play Fight or Flight to remove your unit - After it resolves, opponent gets focus and can pass - You get focus again and can play another action (like Ride the Wind) - The new unit enters the battlefield and gains defender designation - If both players pass, showdown proceeds to combat Nuances: - Attacker/defender designations are locked to players, not specific units - Any unit entering a battlefield where its controller is the defender will gain the defender designation - Units gain defender/attacker status when they arrive at the combat battlefield and lose it if they leave - "When I defend" triggers occur the first time a unit gets flagged as defender in that combat - The entire showdown process (from initiation through resolution) is considered "the combat," not just the damage step

Ruling: Yes, the Spinning Axe will still die. When you respond to the trigger with Angle Shot, the trigger is already on the chain, so it will resolve and destroy the Spinning Axe even though it has been moved to a different unit. Sequence: - Spinning Axe's temporary trigger goes on the chain - You respond with Angle Shot, moving Spinning Axe to a new unit - Angle Shot resolves - Spinning Axe's trigger resolves, destroying it on its new unit

Ruling: You can score the same battlefield on different turns, including your opponent's turn. The restriction against scoring the same battlefield twice only applies within a single turn (any player's turn). Sequence: - Turn 1 (yours): Score the battlefield, move unit away, pass - Turn 2 (opponent's): Opponent moves to battlefield, you Ride the Wind back in and win showdown - you score again - Turn 3 (yours): You hold the battlefield at start of turn - you score a third time Nuances: - The "can't score twice" rule applies per turn, not per round - This restriction applies to any single turn regardless of whose turn it is

Ruling: Yes, you can score the same battlefield again on your opponent's turn. The "once per Battlefield per turn" restriction resets each turn, regardless of whose turn it is. Sequence: - Your turn: You score Battlefield A and Battlefield B (2 points total), end turn - Opponent's turn: Opponent starts a showdown at Battlefield A - During the showdown: You move your unit from A to B - Battlefield B becomes Contested (if it was empty/uncontrolled) - You establish control/conquer Battlefield B on opponent's turn (1 additional point) - Total: 3 points (2 from your turn, 1 from opponent's turn) Nuances: - The scoring restriction is "once per battlefield per turn" where "turn" means any player's turn, not just your own turn - Each new turn (whether yours or opponent's) resets the scoring restriction for all battlefields - You can only score if you actually establish control through conquering - simply maintaining control doesn't trigger scoring - If you leave a battlefield and don't return to it during opponent's turn, you don't get another scoring opportunity there

Ruling: When you control stolen equipment (attached to Akshan), you can use it as if you played it, including using Lucian's Weapon Master to move it for free. Your opponent cannot use its abilities while you control it. Sequence: - While Akshan is in play, you control the stolen equipment - You can use Lucian's Weapon Master to attach it to Lucian for free - The equipment remains on Lucian even after Akshan leaves play - Once Akshan leaves play, control returns to the opponent - After control returns, the opponent can use their attach effects (like Weapon Master) to take it back Nuances: - The equipment doesn't immediately return when Akshan leaves play; it stays on Lucian until the opponent actively moves it or Lucian leaves play - Your opponent cannot pay equip costs or use abilities on the equipment while you control it (while Akshan is in play)

Ruling: Void Seeker will still hit the unit as long as it remains a legal target. A unit that moves from one battlefield to another is still "at a battlefield" even though it is no longer "here" at the original battlefield. Nuances: - Hidden Blade works differently - if the targeted unit moves from the battlefield where Hidden Blade is hidden, Hidden Blade will not kill the unit and you do not draw a card - The distinction is between "at a battlefield" (any battlefield) vs "here" (the specific battlefield)

Ruling: Yes, the hidden unit enters play before the kill spell resolves. Permanent items (including units) leave the chain immediately after finalizing and enter play, then the chain continues resolving in reverse order. Sequence: - Kill spell is played (chain link 1) - Hidden unit is played as a reaction (chain link 2) - Hidden unit finalizes, leaves the chain, and enters play at the battlefield - Kill spell resolves Nuances: - Hidden cards gain the "this battlefield" designation when they are hidden and must be used on that battlefield unless it becomes illegal to do so - This permanent-falling-off-chain rule is why reactive cards like Defy can function properly

Ruling: When you target your own unit on Dreaming Tree with Hidden Blade, you draw 3 cards total (1 from Dreaming Tree, 2 from Hidden Blade). Cull the Weak does not trigger Dreaming Tree because it doesn't target. Sequence: - Cast Hidden Blade targeting your unit on Dreaming Tree - Dreaming Tree's trigger is added to the chain on top of Hidden Blade - Dreaming Tree's trigger resolves, you draw 1 card - Hidden Blade resolves, you draw 2 more cards Nuances: - Cull the Weak doesn't target because when multiple players choose a set of objects, those objects aren't considered targets

Ruling: No, Dreaming Tree does not trigger. The spell itself did not target - only the reflexive trigger targeted, and target attribution does not trace back to the spell. Nuances: - Damage and kill attribution DO trace back from reflexive triggers to the spell (there are specific rules for this) - Target attribution does NOT trace back from reflexive triggers to the spell (no such rule exists) - This means effects like Raven Tome (caring about spell damage) will apply, but effects like Dreaming Tree (caring about spell targeting) will not - The design intent (RAI) may be different, but the rules as written (RAW) are clear on this

Ruling: No, you cannot retarget. When the original target becomes invalid, you do not get to choose a new target. Nuances: - This applies when a card like Gust removes the targeted unit before the ability resolves - The ability does not allow retargeting even if other valid targets exist on the battlefield

Ruling: You cannot play the unit back to the same battlefield unless you are in combat at that battlefield. When you blink your only unit, you lose control of the battlefield during the cleanup step that occurs between Arcane Shift resolving and the unit being finalized to the chain. Sequence: - Arcane Shift resolves and instructs you to play the unit (adding it as pending to the chain) - A cleanup step occurs - During cleanup, since you have no units at the battlefield and are not in combat there, you lose control of it - The unit finalizes to the chain, but you no longer control the battlefield so cannot play it there Nuances: - If you are in combat at the battlefield (it is contested), you maintain control throughout the showdown and can play the unit back - Arcane Shift requires targeting both a friendly unit AND an enemy unit at a battlefield - you cannot play it without valid targets for both - "Do as much as you can" only applies during resolution, not when initially targeting the spell - You can Arcane Shift a unit from one battlefield and play it to a different battlefield you control

Ruling: Yes, the Aurora trigger will still resolve normally. Once a triggered ability is on the chain/stack, removing or stealing the source unit does not prevent the trigger from resolving. Nuances: - This is different from when a unit dies at the same time as its trigger condition (like Viktor dying to Unchecked Power while other units die) - in that case, the trigger never goes on the stack - Once a trigger is on the stack, it will resolve unless specifically countered by a card effect - The trigger does not check the game state of the source card when resolving, only when initially triggering

Ruling: The reminder text on Hostile Takeover is not actual rules text and does not override normal game rules. You cannot conquer a battlefield you already control, and taking control of an enemy unit does not result in a direct conquer in any scenario. Sequence: - When Hostile Takeover resolves and you take control of an enemy unit, normal battlefield control rules apply - If you already controlled the battlefield, nothing changes (you can't conquer what you already control) - If the opponent controlled the battlefield and loses their last unit there, they lose control and the battlefield becomes contested when your unit appears - This triggers either a continuation of an existing showdown or the start of a new showdown (open or combat depending on circumstances) - Control is only established at the end of a showdown after applying contested status Nuances: - The reminder text is misleading and doesn't cover all possible outcomes - If played during an existing showdown, that showdown continues after Hostile Takeover resolves - If played from hand on your turn against a lone enemy unit, it should start an open showdown (though the exact rules interaction here may need clarification) - Control loss and contested status application timing creates a "Stormbringer situation" that may require cleanup step resolution

Ruling: The Shield unit enters the battlefield during the non-combat showdown, but Shield is not active until that showdown resolves and the combat showdown begins. Units only gain attacker/defender designations (which activate Shield/Assault) when a combat showdown is active. Sequence: - Opponent moves to uncontrolled battlefield, applies contested tag, becomes attacker - During the open non-combat showdown, you use Ride the Wind to move Shield unit to battlefield - Shield unit is present but Shield is not active (unit has base 2 might) - Non-combat showdown resolves (no conquest occurs because both players have units present) - Combat showdown begins and units gain attacker/defender designations - Shield becomes active on your unit (as defender) Nuances: - The Shield unit is vulnerable to damage/effects during the non-combat showdown before Shield activates - You cannot conquer while enemy units are present at the battlefield - Only if all enemy units are removed before the non-combat showdown closes would conquest occur and combat be prevented

Ruling: No, the Cleave is gone. When a unit leaves the board and is replayed, the game treats it as a completely different unit. Nuances: - This applies even if there is only one copy of that unit (e.g., a single Kai'sa Survivor) - Attachments do not persist when units leave and re-enter the board

Ruling: Yes, you must target Pouty Poro with both Deflect triggers (if no other units exist), but you can choose not to pay for Deflect. When you decline to pay, the triggers are denied and don't finalize (they don't go on the chain and don't resolve). Sequence: - Falling Comet targets are chosen - Both Deflect triggers from Pouty Poro occur - You must target Pouty Poro twice (if no other valid targets) - You choose whether to pay for each Deflect trigger - If you decline to pay, the triggers are denied and don't finalize Nuances: - You can choose to target and then not pay even if there are other viable targets on the board - Denied triggers don't "whiff" or "fizzle" - they simply don't finalize and never go on the chain - Riftbound uses the term "whiff" instead of "fizzle", but that only applies to effects that do resolve

Ruling: No, you cannot give ganking to another unit with Kato and have it move to the same showdown. Both Kato's ability and moving a unit to a battlefield you don't control open windows where you can't move units. Nuances: - Kato cannot target itself with its ability (day 0 errata clarifies "another friendly unit") - This interaction has not been explicitly confirmed in official rulings, though the reasoning is based on game timing rules

Ruling: Once combat starts, attacking and defending players are locked in and remain so until combat ends, regardless of which units move in or out. Kayn remains a defender even after being recalled and returned. Sequence: - Combat is declared with Kayn defending on Reaver's Row - Kayn is recalled using Reaver's Row ability - Kayn is returned to Reaver's Row with Ride the Wind (now can't take damage) - Kayn is still the defender for this combat Nuances: - The defending player does not score a point for successfully defending in this scenario because they maintained control of the battlefield the entire time (they never lost control to gain it back)

Yes, Kayn retains its Ready status when recalled to base. Recalls do not affect the state of the Permanent being recalled. The rule states: 'Unless otherwise stated by the source of the Recall, Damage, Exhausted Status, Buffed Status, and applied Layer alterations will all remain unaffected by a Recall.' Since the recall is a corrective action due to Kayn being unable to conquer the battlefield (it cannot take damage after moving twice and therefore cannot be killed), and the recall doesn't specify otherwise, Kayn's Ready status from Ride the Wind is preserved. Kayn will be in base in a Ready state, available to act on the next turn or immediately if other actions are available.

Ruling: No, Fiora cannot use her ganking ability after Leona moves. All units moving to a battlefield must move simultaneously, and once Leona has completed her move, it is too late for Fiora to join even if she becomes mighty from the resulting trigger. Sequence: - Declare all units moving to the battlefield simultaneously - Complete the move(s) - Triggers (like Leona's stun or legend buffs) go on the chain - Showdown begins after triggers resolve Nuances: - Standard moves can only occur when the turn is in an open state (no chain, no showdown) - Even if a "when I move" trigger goes on the chain before showdown begins, there is no window between the trigger and showdown cleanup where another unit could perform a standard move - Spells with move effects can be used during appropriate timing windows, but standard moves cannot

Ruling: Yasuo's ability damage still happens when stunned because stun only prevents combat damage, not ability triggers. However, Yasuo's ability only triggers when he is attacking, so if Leona is attacking (stunning) him, he would be defending and his ability would not activate. Nuances: - Stun prevents combat damage but not ability triggers - Yasuo's ability only activates when he is the attacker, not when defending - If Leona attacks and stuns Yasuo, he is defending and his ability doesn't trigger regardless of the stun

Ruling: No, Lonely Poro does not draw a card. Deathknell triggers snapshot the unit's information at the moment the trigger is placed on the chain, which happens before units actually die. At that moment, Fiora is still present at the battlefield, so Poro is not alone. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt and units are marked to die - Deathknell triggers are placed on the chain, snapshotting each unit's current state (Fiora is still present at the battlefield) - Units actually die/are moved to trash (this is when Zhonya's replacement effect recalls Fiora instead of her dying) - Deathknell triggers resolve using the snapshotted information from step 2 Nuances: - Even though Fiora doesn't actually die (she's recalled), she was present at the battlefield when Poro's deathknell trigger was created, so Poro was not "alone" - The replacement effect (recall) happens simultaneously with the actual death, but after the deathknell trigger has already been placed on the chain with its snapshotted information - "Alone" means "no other friendly units were present at my location" at the time the deathknell trigger is created, not at the time units actually go to the trash

Ruling: When Mask of Foresight triggers on your alone unit entering combat, that unit receives +1 Might for the rest of combat regardless of whether it becomes not-alone afterwards (like flipping Tideturner). However, if you use Fight or Flight after combat has already started, you miss the trigger window for Mask of Foresight since it's a "When" triggered ability. Sequence: - Opponent moves to contest, triggering combat - Mask of Foresight triggers ("When" ability) because your unit is alone - The +1 Might buff is applied to your unit - You can then flip Tideturner and the Poro keeps the +1 Might - The buff persists because the resolution text has no "alone" condition Nuances: - "When/At" are Triggered Ability keywords that require specific timing windows - "While/If" are Passive Ability keywords that continuously check conditions - If you play Fight or Flight as an action after combat has started, the new unit misses the Mask trigger window since combat already began

Ruling: Yes, the unit still receives the +1 might bonus from Mask of Foresight even after being returned to base by Fight or Flight. Sequence: - Player 2 moves a single unit to attack Player 1's battlefield - Mask of Foresight triggers and goes on the chain/stack - Player 1 plays Fight or Flight, which resolves and returns the attacking unit to base - Mask of Foresight effect resolves, giving the unit +1 might for the turn Nuances: - The trigger condition (attacking alone) only needs to be true when the effect goes on the chain, not when it resolves - No validation check occurs upon resolution for this effect - The unit retains the +1 might bonus for the turn even though it's no longer attacking - If the same unit is sent back to attack alone again, Mask of Foresight will trigger again

Ruling: Yes, Mundo survives. Unchecked Power marks 12 damage on Mundo and moves to trash (triggering Mundo's passive +1 power) before the cleanup occurs that would check for lethal damage. Sequence: - Unchecked Power resolves, marking 12 damage on Mundo - Unchecked Power moves to trash - Mundo gains +1 power passively (now at 13 power) - Cleanup occurs when Unchecked leaves the chain - Mundo has 13 power with 12 marked damage and survives Nuances: - Cleanups do not happen in the middle of card resolution - The passive power gain from the card entering the graveyard occurs before the cleanup that checks for lethal damage

Ruling: Yes, the unit at the base still takes 2 damage. The "then" in the spell text is a timing instruction, not a condition that requires the first target to still be valid. Nuances: - This ruling can be extrapolated from similar card interactions like Traveling Merchant - The removal of the first target does not invalidate the second part of the effect

Ruling: When a player with focus and priority plays no actions or reactions, they pass both focus AND priority together, not just priority alone. Therefore, Player B receives both focus and priority, and can legally play an action speed spell if there is no open chain. Nuances: - You cannot pass priority while maintaining focus - they pass together when you take no action - Action speed spells can only be played when there is no open chain

Ruling: Player A can play another action or reaction. Only Player B has passed; Player A's chain closed (which is different from passing). All players must consecutively pass in order for the combat showdown to close. Sequence: - Player A plays an action card and starts a chain - The chain resolves and closes - Player B gains focus (this is not A "passing") - Player B chooses to pass - Player A gains focus again and can start a new chain or pass Nuances: - When a chain closes, focus moves to the next player, but this is mechanically different from a player choosing to pass - All players need to consecutively choose the "pass" option (not just have focus move through chain resolution) for combat showdown to close - The terminology "focus is passed" can be ambiguous, but the rules distinguish between starting a chain (which closes and moves focus) versus choosing to pass

Ruling: Based on rules as written (RAW), you must choose one of the revealed cards to play with Promising Future since it has no "may" clause. If all revealed cards require power costs, you must pay the power cost for whichever card you choose. Nuances: - There is debate about whether "red text" (unofficial developer commentary) stating "you can never be forced to activate abilities" should override the written rules - Some argue that if you cannot pay the power cost without activating abilities (and the game cannot force you to activate abilities), the play becomes illegal and the card returns to banish - The rules currently lack clear guidance on whether players are forced to activate abilities to pay costs in situations like this - The consensus among judges is to rule according to RAW even if it differs from developer intent, until official rules clarification is provided - This is distinguished from the Deflect situation where you have no choice in targeting

Ruling: Quiana equipped with Hexdrinker will have Deflect 2. Nuances: - Deflect values stack when multiple sources grant the keyword ability

Ruling: When Rell attaches Recurve Bow using her ability, Recurve Bow's ability cannot trigger because Rell has already gained the attacker designation before the bow is attached. Rell's ability can target gear that costs 2 energy plus a power, as only the energy cost matters for her effect. Sequence: - Rell's ability triggers when she gains attacker designation - Rell attaches the gear (e.g., Recurve Bow) - The attached gear's "when this unit gains attacker designation" trigger has already passed and cannot activate Nuances: - Power costs on gear do not prevent Rell from targeting them; only energy cost matters for her ability

Ruling: Yes, Riptide Rex's ability still deals 6 damage to the targeted 6 might unit even after Tideturner swaps its location. Nuances: - Abilities track their targets even when the target moves to a different battlefield - The location swap does not cause the target to become invalid

Ruling: Yes, Sett would die. When you activate the ability, removing the buff is a cost paid to add the ability to the chain, which means Sett loses the health buff before the ability resolves. Sequence: - The buff is removed as a cost to activate the ability - The ability is added to the chain - Before the ability can resolve, cleanup happens - Sett has 0 health (due to the 4 damage and loss of the buff) and dies during cleanup - The ability never resolves Nuances: - If removing the buff were part of the effect (not the cost), Sett would survive because the +4 attack would be gained simultaneously with losing the buff during resolution

Yes, spending the buff DOES trigger Fiora's Leader ability. Here's why: When Sett activates his ability "Spend my buff: Give me +4 [M] this turn", the buff is spent (removed) as a cost during step 4 of activating abilities. This causes Sett to drop from 5 Might to 4 Might (losing the +1 from the buff). Then, when the ability resolves, Sett gains +4 Might, going from 4 to 8 Might. Since he crosses from below 5 Might to 5 or greater Might, he "becomes Mighty", which triggers Fiora's "When one of your units becomes Mighty" Leader ability. Note: Fiora also triggers when Sett is first played, as his Play Effect buff causes him to go from 4 Might to 5 Might, making him become Mighty for the first time.

Ruling: Yes, this triggers Fiora's Legend ability. Sequence: - Sett pays the cost of his ability, reducing his Might from 5 to 4 (ceasing to be Mighty) - The ability resolves, increasing his Might to 8 (becoming Mighty again) - Fiora's Legend ability triggers when Sett becomes Mighty

Ruling: Yes, Sett loses the +1 might as soon as the buffed unit dies during cleanup of that showdown. Sequence: - Yasuo kills the buffed allied unit during the showdown - Cleanup occurs - The buffed unit is removed, causing Sett's might to decrease - Sett's might is reduced during the same showdown Nuances: - Cleanup and Layers are different mechanics - the cleanup happens but layers determine when stat changes apply - If multiple cleanups are needed, they happen consecutively (one after another) - The timing is within a single cleanup phase, not multiple separate cleanups

Ruling: Yes, the Sett leader readies after conquering. Conquering happens after combat cleanup, which is when units dying to combat damage can be saved by Sett's leader ability. Sequence: - Step 1: Special cleanup occurs (units die or are healed from combat damage) - Step 2: Sett's leader ability can exhaust to save a dying unit during this cleanup - Step 3: Control is established and conquering occurs - Step 4: Sett leader readies from the conquer Nuances: - The saved unit that was recalled won't be at the battlefield when conquering occurs, so its "when I conquer" abilities won't trigger

Ruling: Vayne will be 1 Might in the new combat. Smokescreen snapshots the Might reduction as -4 when cast and applies it continuously for the rest of the turn, regardless of whether Vayne's Might calculation temporarily goes negative. Sequence: - Smokescreen is cast on attacking Vayne (5 Might: 2 base + 3 Assault) - Smokescreen snapshots -4 Might reduction and applies continuously - Vayne leaves combat, losing Assault bonus: 2 (base) - 4 (Smokescreen) = -2 Might (treated as 0) - Vayne moves to new battlefield with Ride the Wind and becomes attacker again - Vayne gains Assault bonus again: 2 (base) + 3 (Assault) - 4 (Smokescreen) = 1 Might Nuances: - The -4 Might from Smokescreen does not change once snapshot, even if the unit's calculated Might goes below 0 - When a unit's Might is less than 0, it is treated as 0 for all purposes, but the underlying value remains negative for calculation purposes - A unit with negative Might won't die unless it takes damage

Ruling: Based on current comprehensive rules interpretation, Soraka can save other units even when dying simultaneously with them, and you can use Guardian Angel to save Soraka in the same situation. When multiple replacement effects apply to the same event, the owner determines the order they apply. Sequence: - Multiple units including Soraka would die from lethal damage - Soraka's replacement effect can apply to save another unit - Guardian Angel's replacement effect can apply to save Soraka - The owner chooses which replacement effects apply in which order - Result: Other unit is saved by Soraka, Soraka is saved by Guardian Angel Nuances: - The comprehensive rules are acknowledged to be ambiguous on whether Soraka needs to "survive" to see units die, since her ability is not a trigger but a replacement effect - There is uncertainty about whether this is the final ruling once official clarity is provided - If both Guardian Angel and Zhonya's Hourglass are present, ordering which item is destroyed matters - This interpretation may make Soraka stronger than intended

Ruling: The current Comprehensive Rules do not definitively resolve this interaction. The rules lack clear guidance on how to process simultaneous events with divergent outcomes when replacement effects are involved. Nuances: - The core issue is whether Soraka's location is checked before or after replacement effects resolve, and whether "here" snapshots at the moment damage occurs or after replacements are applied - The rules allow ordering of replacement effects when multiple replacements modify the same event, but don't clearly address ordering when replacements modify multiple different events happening simultaneously - This is similar to an acknowledged gap in the rules regarding choosing which unit gets saved when you have 1 Zhonya's and 2 units dying - Viktor comparisons are not directly applicable because Viktor's trigger explicitly fails due to rules about triggered abilities not evaluating if the card leaves the zone simultaneously, which is different from replacement effects - Community consensus is that this needs official clarification or rules updates

Ruling: SMDR does not trigger upon the conquer if it is not in the trash when the trigger window occurs. The trigger window happens once at the start of the conquer phase, and if SMDR is not in the trash at that moment, it misses the timing. Sequence: - Conquer phase begins and SMDR trigger window opens - If SMDR is not in trash at this moment, it cannot trigger - Discarding SMDR later during the conquer (for Zaun Warren's effect) happens after the window has closed Nuances: - SMDR must already be in the trash when the conquer phase trigger window occurs to be eligible to trigger

Ruling: Yes, when a unit with Shield is granted Shield by an additional source, the Shield values are summed together. Nuances: - This applies to any unit that has Shield from one source and receives Shield from another source - The Shield keyword values stack additively

Ruling: Yes, you will get the Deathknell trigger twice. Sequence: - Tasty Faefolk dies while equipped with Svellsongur - Each instance of Deathknell triggers separately - The first Deathknell trigger resolves (from Tasty Faefolk's own ability) - The second Deathknell trigger resolves (granted by Svellsongur)