Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, Sky Splitter does not get negated. Once a card is on the chain, you never go back to paying the cost - the cost is paid once at the beginning during the process of playing the card, before opponents can respond. Sequence: - The card is removed from its zone and put onto the chain - The cost is calculated and paid - The process of playing the card completes - Only after the active player passes priority can opponents play reactions Nuances: - The card enters the chain before the cost is calculated, but this does not give opponents priority - the entire process of playing a card (including cost payment) must complete before opponents can respond - The active player retains priority after playing a card and may play further reactions before passing - Opponents cannot get priority before the cost has been paid

Ruling: Defy looks at the printed cost of the card, not the reduced cost. You cannot use Defy to negate Sky Splitter even if its cost has been reduced to 0 by Anvivia, because Sky Splitter's printed cost is 8. Nuances: - Cost reductions don't change the cost of a card for the purposes of effects that check cost; they just give you a discount when paying - This same principle applies to other cost-checking effects like Kai'sa's conquer ability with Eager Apprentice - However, Might reductions (like from Ahri) do actually change the Might value that cards see, because they modify the stat itself rather than just providing a discount

Ruling: No, Skysplitter cannot be countered by Defy even if its cost is reduced. Defy checks the cost printed on the card, not the actual cost paid. Nuances: - Cost reductions do not change what Defy can target - Defy always references the printed cost on the card

Ruling: Fiore will not die. Units do not die simply from being at 0 Might - they must be dealt damage while at 0 Might to die. Nuances: - Removing the Smoke Screen buff after damage is dealt can save the unit by restoring their Might above 0 - Being reduced to 0 Might alone does not cause death

Ruling: The Might reduction from Smoke Screen is snapshotted at the time of application. If a 4 Might unit is reduced to 1 Might (a -3 reduction), and later gains 2 Might from Discipline, the unit will end up at 3 Might total. Sequence: - Smoke Screen reduces 4 Might unit to 1 Might (reduction of -3 is calculated and applied) - The reduction is clamped at -3 Might and does not adjust when the base Might changes - Discipline adds 2 Might to the unit - Final result: 1 + 2 = 3 Might Nuances: - The reduction amount is determined only at the time Smoke Screen is applied, not continuously recalculated

Ruling: Assault 2 still works after Smoke Screen. The unit's Might would be 3 when attacking (1 from Smoke Screen + 2 from Assault 2). Nuances: - Smoke Screen is a one-time reduction effect, not a continuous lock on the Might value - Assault modifies Might while the unit is an attacker, which happens after Smoke Screen's reduction has already been applied

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: One-time might modifications like Smokescreen are snapshotted at resolution. If Smokescreen gives -1 might when it resolves (due to the minimum of 1 might requirement), it will always give -1 might for the duration of the effect, even if the unit's might increases later. Sequence: - 2 might unit exists - Smokescreen resolves, reducing might by 4 but capped at minimum 1, so unit becomes 1 might (effectively -1 from Smokescreen) - Discipline resolves, adding +2 might - Unit is now 3 might (1 base + 2 from Discipline - 1 from Smokescreen's snapshotted effect) Nuances: - Smokescreen does not retroactively recalculate its effect after it has resolved - The -4 from Smokescreen is calculated once at the point it resolves based on the minimum of 1 might rule - Might changes are applied increases first, decreases last

Ruling: No, Snapvine does not retarget. Once a trigger has finalized and the target is chosen, it cannot be changed regardless of what happens to either unit. Nuances: - This applies even if other valid targets are available on the battlefield - The targeting decision is locked in when the trigger finalizes, before resolution

Ruling: No, you do not untap the runes. The "if I'm at a battlefield" condition is attached to the effect and is only checked at resolution, not when the trigger occurs. Sequence: - Sona's ability triggers at the end of your turn (the trigger is time-based only) - The trigger goes on the chain - If Sona leaves the battlefield before the trigger resolves, the "if I'm at a battlefield" condition fails at resolution - You do not get the untap effect Nuances: - The trigger always happens at the end of your turn regardless of Sona's location - The location requirement ("if I'm at a battlefield") is an "intervening if" that is part of the effect, not the trigger condition - This means it is only checked when the ability resolves, not when it triggers - All triggers in Riftbound are time-based, with additional stipulations being resolution-based

Yes, Soraka, Wanderer will successfully save those units. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #1171**, Soraka’s ability functions at your base just as it does at a battlefield. When she is at your base, units at your base are considered "here" and are valid targets for her replacement effect. ### How the Interaction Works: 1. **Replacement Effect:** Soraka’s ability is a replacement effect that intercedes when a unit would die. 2. **Execution:** When a unit at your base would die and meets the criteria (friendly, less Might than Soraka), Soraka's ability replaces the "die" event with: **"heal it, exhaust it, and recall it."** 3. **The "Recall" instruction:** While the unit is already at your base, the "recall" instruction is still part of the replacement effect's mandatory execution. Per **Rule 450**, a recall simply relocates a permanent to its base. Because it is already at the base, it remains there. The fact that the location does not change does not invalidate the replacement effect; the unit is still healed and exhausted as instructed. This is consistent with the general principle that replacement effects fulfill their instructions to the best of the game's ability even if certain outcomes (like movement) are redundant.

Ruling: Yes. When multiple units die simultaneously, Soraka can save other units at her location that meet her conditions (friendly, at her location, less Might than her). Because the deaths are simultaneous, Soraka is still considered to be "here" at the battlefield when her replacement effect is applied to the other units' deaths. Sequence: - Simultaneous death events are queued for Soraka and the other units - As the controller of Soraka's replacement effect, you choose the order to apply it - Apply Soraka's replacement effect to the other units first—she saves them (healing, exhausting, and recalling them) - After her replacement effect sequence is complete, Soraka's own death resolves (unless she has a way to save herself, like Guardian Angel) Nuances: - If Soraka has Guardian Angel, you can choose whether to apply Soraka's effect first (saving units at her battlefield) or Guardian Angel first (saving Soraka and recalling her to base, where she could then save units dying simultaneously at base) - Each replacement effect can only be applied in one sequence to simultaneous events—once Soraka's effect is used on battlefield units, it cannot then apply to base units from the same simultaneous event

Ruling: No. When Soulgorger's ability goes on the chain, Soulgorger is already on board exhausted. There is no window where Magma Wurm would hit the board before Soulgorger. Sequence: - Soulgorger enters the board exhausted - Soulgorger's ability goes on the chain - Magma Wurm is played and resolves - Soulgorger remains exhausted

Ruling: Soulgorger enters exhausted. The "when I'm played" effect triggers after Soulgorger is already on the battlefield exhausted, so Magma Wurm enters after Soulgorger is already in play. Sequence: - Soulgorger is played and enters the battlefield exhausted - Soulgorger's "when I'm played" effect triggers - Magma Wurm enters the battlefield from the effect Nuances: - "When I'm played" effects trigger when a unit touches the table anywhere, not just when played to the battlefield

Ruling: Yes, Spinning Axe will be destroyed when the temporary trigger resolves, even if it was attached to a unit before the trigger resolved. Nuances: - Reminder text is not rules text, so the "if this is unequipped" reminder text doesn't affect how temporary works - Attaching the equipment turns off its rules text, but this happens too late to affect the trigger that's already on the chain - If there were an awakening trigger (like Irelia, Fervent while sealed), you could attach the equipment before the trigger goes on the chain to avoid temporary - Another option is to wait for your opponent to play something after they kill the equipped unit, allowing you to re-attach in response

Ruling: Yes, revealing Nocturne with Stacked Deck triggers his ability and allows you to play him for 1 power. Nuances: - Nocturne's text "if you don't draw" refers to not drawing Nocturne itself, not other cards - Drawing is different from revealing or looking at cards - The card must be banished to use the ability

Ruling: Yes, the second effect of Stand United (+1 to all buffs) is global and affects all friendly units on both battlefields. Nuances: - When played from Hidden, Stand United's targeting effect (placing the buff token) has an added "here" restriction and must target a unit on the same battlefield - The global +1 effect does not target, so it is not restricted by the "here" limitation and applies to all friendly units regardless of battlefield

No, you do not draw a card in that scenario. According to the rules and established rulings for *Riftbound*: 1. **Recall vs. Move:** A "Recall" (the mechanic that moves a unit back to the base after it is stunned or fails to conquer) is distinct from a "Move" action. As defined in **Rule 450** and confirmed in **RiftJudge FAQ #9617** and **FAQ #10024**, a recall is not a move. 2. **Trigger Condition:** Your Stellacorn Herder's ability ("When I move, draw 1") specifically triggers only upon a **Move** action. Because the unit is being recalled to the base, the trigger condition is never met. As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #9481**, which addresses a similar interaction with recall effects, the game distinguishes strictly between these two actions; therefore, any ability triggered by a "move" will not fire when a unit is recalled.

Ruling: Yes, the friendly unit still moves to the battlefield even if the damage doesn't occur because the target isn't there. Stormbringer targets the battlefield, not the units on it. Nuances: - You choose both the friendly unit and the battlefield when Stormbringer enters the chain, not at resolution - The friendly unit choice counts as targeting and is locked in before resolution

Ruling: Yes, you can play Nocturne directly to the battlefield you're defending because you're still controlling it until combat ends. Nuances: - If you're defending with Teemo via surprise defense and don't actually control the battlefield, then you cannot play Nocturne to that battlefield.

Ruling: Sun Disc can only be activated at base speed when there is no chain present. Once The Harrowing begins resolving and playing units, there is no opportunity to activate Sun Disc between those units because a chain is present the entire time until all units resolve. Sequence: - Activate Sun Disc before playing The Harrowing - The next unit played (whether from hand or from The Harrowing) will enter ready - All subsequent units from The Harrowing will enter exhausted - No activation window exists between units being played by The Harrowing Nuances: - If you have 2 Sun Discs active, only the first unit played will benefit from both effects (both see the same "next unit"), so it's better to activate one Sun Disc before each unit you want to enter ready - Units in Riftbound instantly resolve when finalized to the chain, leaving no window to react even if Sun Disc were reaction speed - When an effect instructs you to play a card, you play it when that effect is resolving and at no other time

Ruling: No, you cannot. Sun Disc does not have Reaction, so if you play your first card and that leads to triggers that would play a unit (like Phoenix from trash), there is no window to use Sun Disc and have the unit enter ready. You must play a card to activate Legion before using Sun Disc's ability. Sequence: - You must play a card first to activate Legion - Then you can exhaust Sun Disc to set up its effect - Then play/trigger the unit (it will enter ready) - If Sun Disc itself is the first card you play this turn, you can exhaust it immediately and your next unit will be readied Nuances: - Sun Disc can use its Legion ability if itself was played this turn (counts as the card played to activate Legion) - On subsequent turns, you cannot activate Sun Disc's ability if you don't have Legion active yet - Sun Disc is a Delayed Passive Ability, not a Delayed Trigger - Because Sun Disc lacks Reaction timing, you cannot activate it in response to triggers that would play units

Ruling: Yes, Sun Disk can trigger its own Legion ability even when it's the first card played that turn. The card itself and its ability are treated as separate entities. Nuances: - The rules as written use the word "another" which could be interpreted to mean Sun Disk shouldn't work this way, but the intent is clear that it does work - When the ability activates, it checks if you've played another card (meaning "other than this ability"), and playing Sun Disk itself satisfies this requirement - The rules text may need clarification in future updates to make this interaction more explicit

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: You can flip Zhonya's in response to Deathknell, but this only saves the Zhonya's proc (prevents it from being trashed) - it does not save the Faefolk itself, which is already dead. Whether this works depends on if the battlefield is contested. Sequence: - If Faefolk dies during combat (contested battlefield): Deathknell triggers, you still have control of the battlefield during the chain, you can flip Zhonya's in response to save the proc - If Faefolk dies outside combat (not contested): You immediately lose control of the battlefield when Faefolk dies, Zhonya's is trashed before you can react to Deathknell Nuances: - The key factor is whether the battlefield is contested, not whether death was caused by combat damage vs ability - If Faefolk dies by ability mid-showdown (while contested), you can still save Zhonya's because control is locked until contested is removed - Control is locked during combat until the contested state is cleared, even if you have no units remaining - Flipping Zhonya's before Faefolk dies would save the unit but prevent the Deathknell trigger entirely

Ruling: Yes, the Yi player gets to benefit from both Zhonya's being in base and Tasty Faefolk's deathreel trigger. Sequence: - Tasty Faefolk takes lethal damage in combat - Yi player allows Tasty to die - Deathreel triggers, creating a chain - Zhonya's flips up and goes to base - Both effects resolve for the Yi player's benefit

Ruling: No, you cannot reveal Zhonya's after Tasty dies if it was your only unit on the battlefield outside of Showdown. The hidden card is removed during cleanup before players get priority. Sequence: - Tasty takes lethal damage and dies - Cleanup notices Tasty has lethal damage and kills it - Follow-up cleanup for Tasty leaving the field - Game notices you no longer control the battlefield and attempts to put Deathknell trigger on the chain - Another cleanup removes Zhonya's because the battlefield status changed from controlled to uncontrolled - Players get priority with Deathknell on the chain (but Zhonya's is already gone) Nuances: - You must activate Zhonya's before Tasty dies to have it do something (which would likely prevent Tasty from dying) - In a Showdown, the rule is different: control of the battlefield doesn't change until the end of Showdown, so you CAN play Zhonya's after your unit dies to save the hidden card - In a Showdown with Tasty specifically, you could play Zhonya's either before or after the Deathknell trigger

Ruling: Yes, Nocturne can be summoned to the Teemo battlefield when revealed by Teemo's defend ability. Nuances: - This assumes the Teemo player controls that battlefield, which is almost always true when the defend trigger happens - A corner case exists where Strategist wouldn't control the battlefield: active defense where you use an effect like Ride the Wind to move Teemo into an open showdown

Ruling: With the original printed text and current core rules, the ability would trigger twice - once when played from hidden and once when declared as a defender. Nuances: - The card has received errata that changes this interaction - The printed text does not explicitly say "or when I'm played from hidden" - Under current official play, the errata'd version should be used, which would only trigger once when defending

Ruling: No. Hidden units must be played to the battlefield they were hidden in. Nuances: - This restriction also prevents playing the hidden unit to your base - The hidden unit can only be played to the specific battlefield where it was originally hidden

Ruling: The 'When I defend' ability triggers as soon as Teemo becomes a defender and remains on the chain even if Teemo is returned to hand. You can still look at the top 5 cards, but you won't deal any damage since Teemo is no longer at the battlefield. Sequence: - Teemo is revealed as a defender at the battlefield - Teemo's 'When I defend' ability triggers and goes on the chain - Opponent can react by playing Gust to return Teemo to hand - The triggered ability remains on the chain and resolves - You look at the top 5 cards as per the ability - No damage is dealt because Teemo is no longer 'here' at the battlefield Nuances: - Triggered abilities are separate entities from the unit that triggered them, so removing the unit doesn't remove the ability from the chain - The only way to remove an ability from the chain is to counter it - You cannot prevent the ability from triggering in the first place since units resolve immediately when played/revealed, which immediately triggers their abilities - You do as much as possible when resolving the ability even if the source unit is gone

Ruling: When Teemo Strategist reveals Nocturne from the top of your deck, you can play Nocturne with his ability instead of recycling him. Sequence: - Reveal Nocturne with Teemo Strategist - Play Nocturne with his effect - You can shortcut by setting Nocturne aside to play after resolving Teemo, instead of bottoming him and then retrieving him from the bottom

Ruling: If Teemo dies before his ability resolves, he cannot deal damage because his ability specifies 'here' and he is no longer at the battlefield (he's in the trash). However, you still reveal 5 cards. Sequence: - Teemo's ability goes on the chain - Teemo is killed by another effect in the chain - Teemo's ability resolves but cannot find a valid target 'here' for the damage - The reveal 5 portion still occurs Nuances: - The keyword 'here' is critical - it requires Teemo to still be at the battlefield location when the ability resolves - Only the damage portion fails; the reveal portion of the ability still happens

Ruling: When Teemo, Strategist is removed while his ability is on the chain, you still reveal your cards and recycle them, but the damage cannot be dealt because there is no valid target. Sequence: - Reveal your cards - Attempt to deal damage (fails due to no target) - Recycle all of the revealed cards Nuances: - All effects on the chain resolve to the best of their ability unless countered - The Reveal instruction doesn't require target information, but the Deal instruction does - This applies whether the opponent removes Teemo or you remove your own unit

Yes. The Spinning Axe will have two instances of the Temporary keyword - one that is active and one that is inactive. The inactive keyword will not trigger, but the active one will. Alas, Spinning Axe will die. Multiple instances of the Temporary keyword are redundant per rule 816.2., but that rule refers to the fact that multiple instances that could trigger will only trigger once, as clarified by rule 816.2.a. In the case of granted Temporary on an attached Spinning Axe, that rule isn’t of any concern - there is only one instance of Temporary that could trigger, so it will. It can help to visualize the attached permanent as it is undergoing these changes, as if it were being digitally simulated. Imagine all of its printed rules text as going gray while it is attached, as it is inactive. Then the granted Temporary keyword, because it is active, is the normal text color for Spinning Axe. There are two colors of Temporary on Spinning Axe, but the grey Temporary doesn’t have any function. We can treat it as if it didn’t exist for the purposes of rule 816.2.a. Rule 816.2.: Multiple instances of Temporary are redundant. Rule 816.2.a.: Regardless of how many instances there are, the ability will only trigger once.

Ruling: The Ravenbloom Student will be at 2 Might. When a unit buffs itself, the buff is added to its current Might value (which already includes any reductions from effects like Thousand Tail Watcher). Sequence: - Thousand Tail Watcher reduces Ravenbloom Student to 1 Might - Student plays a spell during showdown - Student's self-buff adds to the current 1 Might - Student ends at 2 Might Nuances: - This interaction is covered under the "Arithmetic" section of the rules, which explains how modifiers combine

Ruling: No, units played after Thousand Tailed Watcher resolves will not have the -3 applied to them. Thousand Tail and other spells and abilities that change stats do so when they resolve, and the amount added/removed and the number of units affected aren't updated until the effect wears off. Nuances: - The exception is for passive abilities (like a battlefield that constantly gives everything +1), which continuously update. Thousand Tail is a triggered ability (indicated by 'When' in 'When you play me'), not a passive ability.

Ruling: Tibbers deals 4 damage because its Might is reduced to 4 by Thousand-Tailed Watcher's effect (7 base Might - 3 from Watcher = 4 Might). Tibbers dies and Watcher survives the combat.

Ruling: The Thousand-tailed Watcher applies a one-time reduction that lasts the entire turn, not a persistent effect. If a unit later receives a power buff, that buff is added to the already-reduced power. Sequence: - Thousand-tailed Watcher reduces the enemy unit's power by 3 (from 2 to -1, but minimum 0 or stays at reduced value) - During combat, opponent plays a spell giving +1 power - The +1 is added to the current reduced power - Both units die in combat (2 might vs 2 power)

Ruling: Yes, you draw a card. Tianna Crownguard only prevents gaining points; she does not prevent the act of Scoring (Conquering or Holding) or interfere with the card draw replacement effect when you cannot claim the winning point. Sequence: - When you are at 7 points and conquer a battlefield but have not Scored every battlefield this turn, Rule 466.1.b.2 replaces the winning point with drawing a card. You draw 1 card. - If you then conquer the second battlefield in the same turn (having now Scored every battlefield), you would normally gain the winning point. Tianna prevents this point gain, but you do not draw a card because you already met the condition for the winning point—you simply don't get it. Nuances: - Tianna does not stop conquer or hold triggers from other cards. - The card draw from Rule 466.1.b.2 occurs because you haven't met the winning point condition yet, not as compensation for Tianna's prevention effect.

Ruling: No, you do not score a conquest point. Even though Tianna prevents you from gaining the point, the battlefield is still considered "Scored" for the turn when you attempt to Hold it. Sequence: - At the start of your turn, you attempt to Hold the battlefield (initiating the Scoring process) - Tianna's ability prevents you from gaining the point, but the act of Scoring still occurs - The battlefield is now marked as Scored for this turn, even though no point was gained - Later when you move a unit back into the battlefield, you cannot Conquer it because you already Scored that battlefield this turn - You can only Score each battlefield once per turn, regardless of whether a point was actually gained Nuances: - Tianna's errata clarifies she prevents gaining points, not the act of Scoring itself - The Scoring process has two parts: earning a point and triggering Score abilities - Tianna only prevents the first part - If you had never attempted to Hold (e.g., had no unit there at the start of turn), then killing Tianna and entering would allow a Conquest

To provide a correct ruling, we must first clarify the turn state. You stated "my turn starts," which means you are the **Active Player**. ### 1. The Beginning Phase (Hold Scoring) At the start of your turn, the game checks for **Hold** scoring. * If you control a battlefield where Tianna Crownguard is present, her passive ability ("While I'm at a battlefield, opponents can't gain points") is active. * According to **Rule 447**, you may only Score once per battlefield per turn. Even if Tianna prevents the point gain, the attempt to Hold counts as your one allowed Scoring event for that battlefield this turn. * **Result:** You do not gain a point, and that battlefield is now "Scored" for you this turn. ### 2. The Showdown Flow (Using Charm) You mentioned "defending" and using **Charm**. For you to be the Defender on your own turn, an opponent must control the battlefield (Rule 442.1.a.2). * **Phase 1 (Initial Chain):** When units are present from both sides, a Showdown begins. "When I Attack/Defend" triggers go on the chain. * **Phase 2 (Attacker Focus):** Since your opponent controls the battlefield, they are the **Attacker** and gain Focus first. They must pass Focus to you before you can act. * **Phase 3 (Defender Focus):** Once Focus passes to you, the state is **OPEN**. You may now play **Charm** (an [ACTION] spell). * **Chain:** [Charm (Targeting Tianna)] * **Resolution:** Charm resolves, moving Tianna to your current battlefield. ### 3. Winning the Combat and Scoring If you win the combat and Tianna is removed (killed or recycled): 1. **Combat Resolution:** After the Showdown closes, if only your units remain, you establish control (Rule 444.2). 2. **Conquer Check:** The game checks if this results in a **Conquer**. * **Rule 446.1:** A Conquer occurs if you gain control of a battlefield you have **not yet Scored this turn**. * **The Conflict:** If this is the *same* battlefield where you already attempted to Hold at the start of the turn, you **cannot** score a point. You already "Scored" it (even though Tianna prevented the point), and the one-score-per-turn limit (Rule 447) applies. * **The Exception:** If you moved Tianna from *Battlefield A* to *Battlefield B*, and you had no units at *Battlefield B* during your Beginning Phase, you **can** score a Conquer point at *Battlefield B* once she is removed. ### Final Ruling * **If it's the same battlefield:** **No**, you do not score a point. The Hold attempt at the start of your turn exhausted your scoring opportunity for that battlefield for the rest of the turn. * **If it's a different battlefield:** **Yes**, you score the point. Since Tianna is removed during the Showdown, her passive ability is no longer active when the "Establish Control" step occurs (Rule 444.2), allowing the Conquer point to be awarded. **Note on Final Points:** If this would be your 8th point, you must have scored at **every** battlefield this turn to win via Conquer (Rule 448.1.b.2). If Tianna prevented your point at another battlefield earlier this turn, you have still "Scored" it, satisfying the requirement to win.

Yes, you win the game. According to **Rule 447**, you may only Score once per battlefield per turn. When you attempt to Hold a battlefield at the start of your turn, you initiate the Scoring process. Even if Tianna Crownguard's ability prevents you from gaining the point, the act of Scoring still occurs, and that battlefield is marked as "Scored" for the turn. ### Sequence of Events: 1. **Beginning Phase (Hold Attempt):** You attempt to Hold the battlefield where Tianna is present. Because of her ability, you do not gain a point, but the battlefield is now marked as "Scored" for your turn (Rule 447). 2. **Showdown/Combat:** You kill Tianna Crownguard. Her passive ability ("While I'm at a battlefield, opponents can't gain points") is no longer active. 3. **Conquer:** You conquer the second battlefield. Since you have not yet Scored this battlefield this turn, this counts as a successful Conquer (Rule 446.1). 4. **Final Point Check:** To win the Final Point via Conquer, you must have Scored every battlefield through either method (Hold or Conquer) this turn (Rule 448.1.b.2). * You Scored the first battlefield via the Hold attempt (even though no point was gained). * You Scored the second battlefield via the Conquer. * Because you have Scored both battlefields this turn, you satisfy the requirement for the Final Point and win the game immediately. As clarified in **FAQ 8487** and **FAQ 8452**, Tianna only prevents the point gain, not the act of Scoring itself. Since the Scoring process was initiated at both battlefields, you have fulfilled the requirement to win the game.

Ruling: This sequence does not work because Tide Turner's errata prevents you from targeting a unit at the same location as Tide Turner itself. Nuances: - If you could target the unit, the sequence would work: Tide Turner would be played, resolve immediately as a permanent, its trigger would target Kayn, then you could react to the trigger by moving Kayn with Fight or Flight, then swap him with Tide Turner. There would be no problem with Tide Turner entering at an empty battlefield. - A simpler alternative is to play Fight or Flight first to move Kayn back (you still control the battlefield during combat showdown), then reveal Tide Turner and switch it with Kayn when you next have priority. - At Reaver's Row, if you retreat a unit, Reaver's Row triggers at the start of the showdown in the initial chain (as a "when you defend" trigger), so you don't lose control when you retreat. The retreat-Tide Turner-invulnerable defense sequence works.

Ruling: No, you do not gain a point. Control of the battlefield is never lost during Tideturner's ability resolution. Cleanups (which would check battlefield control) cannot occur during the resolution of a spell or ability. Sequence: - Tideturner is revealed and enters the battlefield - Tideturner's WYPM (When You Play Me) trigger goes on the chain and finalizes (targets are chosen) - Players can react to the trigger (e.g., play Gust) - The WYPM trigger resolves completely (the swap happens) - Only after resolution completes can cleanups occur Nuances: - If you Gust the Tideturner itself in response to its trigger, the swap will not happen because Tideturner is no longer on the battlefield when its ability tries to resolve - Rule 151.3 explicitly states that while a spell or ability is resolving, no other spells or abilities can be finalized on the chain or resolved, including triggered abilities or game effects that would occur as a result of execution - The swap happens as part of a single resolution, with no opportunity for cleanups or state-based checks in the middle

Ruling: Hextech Ray cannot be played in reaction to Tideturner because it is an action, not a reaction. If played during the showdown, it must wait until Tideturner's effect resolves. Once Tideturner's effect resolves and it swaps to base, Hextech Ray can no longer target it. Sequence: - Showdown is initiated - Fight or Flight is played from hand (not as hidden from another battlefield, as targeting from hiddens is restricted to their battlefield) - Tideturner is revealed in reaction - Tideturner's swap effect resolves (Tideturner goes to base, Thousand Tailed Watcher goes to battlefield) - Hextech Ray can now be played but cannot target Tideturner since it's in base Nuances: - Hidden cards can be revealed from other battlefields, but targeting abilities from hiddens are restricted to their own battlefield - If Tideturner were somehow killed before its effect resolved, there is uncertainty about whether the swap would work since Tideturner references "my original location" and might not be resolvable from trash

Yes, the other unit targeted by Tideturner will still move, even if Tideturner itself is stunned. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #10318**, when Tideturner's play trigger resolves, the swap is handled as a single effect. If Tideturner is stunned (which also applies a "cannot move" restriction), Tideturner itself will fail to move; however, the other targeted unit will still successfully move to Tideturner's original location. This occurs because the instruction to move the targeted unit and the instruction to move Tideturner are separate parts of the same ability. Per **Rule 359.3.e.11**, instructions that can be partially followed are followed as much as possible and ignored otherwise. Since the stun/movement restriction only applies to Tideturner, it does not prevent the other unit from completing its part of the swap. *Note: This interpretation relies on the partial resolution of instructions as detailed in Rule 359.3.e.11 and the FAQ entry #10318 regarding Tideturner's interaction with Vex, Apathetic.*

Ruling: Hidden Blade cannot change targets after it has been cast. When the original target is swapped away by Tideturner, Hidden Blade resolves but has no effect (whiffs) because the target is no longer at the battlefield where Hidden Blade was played from hidden. Sequence: - Hidden Blade is cast from hidden, targeting a unit at that battlefield - Tideturner responds by swapping that unit to a different battlefield - Hidden Blade cannot change targets to Tideturner - Hidden Blade resolves but does nothing because its effect is limited to the battlefield it was played from hidden, and the original target is no longer there - The original target survives and no cards are drawn Nuances: - The spell still resolves (doesn't "fizzle"), it just has no effect on the board ("whiffs"), which matters for triggers like student - No cards are drawn because the target is not legal (unlike with Zhonya's, which uses a replacement effect that keeps the target legal)

Ruling: Yes, the effect still triggers. All triggers resolve in this game, sometimes to no effect. Nuances: - If a card stipulates "here" but was returned to hand, the game can no longer determine where "here" is, so the effect resolves but does nothing

Ruling: Triggers always attempt to resolve even if their source no longer exists. You can discard Traveling Merchant from your hand to its own effect after bouncing it in response to the trigger. Sequence: - Move Traveling Merchant to a location (trigger goes on stack) - Bounce Traveling Merchant to hand in response - Trigger resolves - Discard Traveling Merchant from hand to its own effect Nuances: - Effects that require information that can't be found outside of the board (like "here") may not resolve normally if the source is removed