Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, this specific sequence no longer works due to the updated rule that prevents control of a battlefield from changing while it remains Contested. Nuances: - You can still use Ride the Wind during your opponent's turn if they initiate another showdown to attempt to conquer the battlefield

Ruling: Yes, the defender can use Gust to return a 3 might unit to hand when it attacks with Mask of Foresight up. Sequence: - Mask of Foresight's triggered ability goes on the chain when the unit attacks - Before Mask of Foresight resolves, the defender can use Gust as a reaction - Gust returns the unit to hand before Mask of Foresight resolves Nuances: - Gust must be used as a reaction to the Mask of Foresight trigger specifically

Ruling: No, you must distribute ALL of your damage (the summed might of your units) during the combat damage step. You cannot choose to deal less damage to avoid triggering death effects. Nuances: - You also cannot assign more-than-lethal (overkill) damage to one unit to avoid killing another unit

Ruling: Yes, a defender can conquer a battlefield if they are the only player with units remaining there and they did not control that battlefield before combat or score it earlier that turn. Sequence: - Combat occurs where the defender eliminates all attacking units - Game checks: (1) Did this player control the battlefield before combat or score it this turn? (2) Is this player the only one with units remaining? - If (1) is no and (2) is yes, the defender conquers and draws a card - To win via conquest, the player must score all battlefields on the same turn - If the defender has 7 points but only conquers one battlefield on the opponent's turn, they do not win immediately - If the turn returns to that player and they still control the battlefield (with 7 points), they win Nuances: - Conquering a battlefield on an opponent's turn awards a card draw but does not immediately win the game unless both battlefields are scored that same turn - You must score all battlefields on the same turn to win, not just control them

Ruling: No, only reaction spells can be added to a chain. Action spells can only start a chain when you have focus, while reaction spells can both start and be added to a chain. Sequence: - Action spells can only be played when you have focus and only to start a chain - Reaction spells can be played to either start a chain or be added to an existing chain - When responding to an attack chain, only reaction spells are valid responses

Ruling: A gear cannot be at a battlefield alone. If a gear is at a battlefield without a unit, it is immediately recalled to base. You can reveal a hidden Zhonya's Hourglass before the unit is moved by Charm to save it from being trashed. Sequence: - Opponent plays Charm, targeting your only unit at the battlefield where Zhonya's is hidden - Opponent passes priority - You reveal and play Zhonya's - Zhonya's immediately resolves - A cleanup happens and recalls Zhonya's to base (since no unit remains) - Priority passes back and forth - Charm resolves and moves your unit Nuances: - The gear must be revealed before the unit is moved to avoid being trashed while hidden - Permanents cannot be reacted to - once they enter the chain, they immediately resolve - There was discussion about a rules ambiguity regarding permanents with reaction speed in the middle of a chain, but the intended behavior is that permanents resolve immediately

Ruling: No. Hidden cards can only target units at the same battlefield where the card is hidden, regardless of whose turn it is. Nuances: - When a card is made hidden, it gains a <here> restriction that limits targeting to that battlefield - Unless explicitly stated, chosen targets must be at the same battlefield - Some cards have their own quirks that work around this restriction (like Zhonyas)

Ruling: When you hide a card, it gains the additional requirement that any targets must be at the battlefield where it was hidden. Using Fight or Flight on your own readied unit does not exhaust it. Nuances: - Hidden cards can only target units at the same battlefield where the card was hidden - Fight or Flight does not exhaust your own units when used on them

Ruling: A hidden Fight or Flight can only target units at the battlefield where it is hidden. When Fight or Flight resolves before Blitz's ability, the unit moves to base first, then Blitz still resolves and moves the unit to the target battlefield (since Blitz has no location restriction on its target). Sequence: - Fight or Flight resolves, moving the targeted unit to base - Blitz's ability resolves, moving the same unit from base to the battlefield - If the unit was Kayn, this satisfies the 2-move condition and prevents damage Nuances: - Blitz and similar effects without location restrictions will still resolve even if the target has moved to a different valid location (battlefield or base) - Effects that specify a location requirement (like "move a unit from another battlefield") would fail to resolve if the target is no longer in that location - If a unit is removed to an invalid location (killed, returned to hand) before resolution, the effect will fail to resolve - If the target becomes invalid due to other conditions (like taking control of an enemy unit targeted by Blitz), the effect won't resolve

Ruling: A hidden Fight or Fly can only target units at the battlefield where it is hidden, not units at other battlefields. Nuances: - Fight or Fly can be used at Reaction speed while hidden - Cards like Consult the Past that do not target can be used without this restriction

Ruling: Yes, Fox-Fire can be played with zero targets because it specifies "up to" any number of units with combined might 4 or less, meaning zero is a valid choice. This allows you to trigger effects like Ravenbloom Student's ability that care about playing spells. Nuances: - If there are legal targets available (including your own units, since Fox-Fire doesn't specify enemy units only), you must select at least one target unless you choose zero as part of the "up to" targeting. - You cannot reveal a hidden card without playing it - there is no game action to simply reveal and trash a hidden spell to manipulate graveyard count without actually playing it. - The "any number" clause in Fox-Fire applies to targeting, not resolution, so the zero-target option must be chosen during the targeting phase.

Ruling: You cannot play Foxfire as a reaction to a move, and even if you could play it, hidden cards can only target units at the battlefield they are hidden at. Nuances: - You can technically play the hidden card, but it can only target the battlefield it's hidden at - Foxfire cannot be played in reaction to a move action

Ruling: No, a hidden Switcheroo cannot be Defied. Nuances: - Defy looks at the printed values of a card, not its current state while hidden

Ruling: Yes, you can activate a hidden Tideturner during your beginning step by chaining it to the Sprite token's Temporary trigger to score the point for holding the battlefield. Sequence: - During beginning step, the Sprite token's Temporary ability triggers - The hidden Tideturner can be activated in reaction to this trigger - This allows scoring the point for holding before the Sprite is removed Nuances: - Hiding a card is not the same as playing a card - Temporary is a triggered ability that can be reacted to

Ruling: Yes, a hidden Tideturner can be revealed to swap places with a unit at a different battlefield. Nuances: - Hiding a card adds the reaction keyword to the card, which allows it to be revealed during another player's turn - Tideturner can be revealed during an opponent's turn when they are attacking a different battlefield and swap with a unit from that battlefield during combat showdown

Ruling: Yes, hidden Zhonya can be revealed as a reaction to save units being moved or discarded. Hidden cards have Reaction speed, allowing them to react to any action, and when a gear at a battlefield is revealed it returns to base. Sequence: - Opponent takes an action that would move or discard your unit (e.g., Charm, Flight or Fight) - You can react by revealing the hidden Zhonya - Zhonya returns to your base - The unit is saved from being moved/discarded Nuances: - This works even if the unit has already been moved to a different battlefield before you react - A hidden Zhonya at one battlefield (BF1) can be revealed during a showdown at a different battlefield (BF2) to save a unit at BF2

Ruling: Yes, Zhonya's Hourglass can be played while hidden at one battlefield and affect units at another battlefield. When a gear is played hidden at a battlefield, it is placed in your base instead, and Zhonya's effect is global. Sequence: - When you play a gear that is hidden at a battlefield, it is placed in your base - Gears cannot stay at a battlefield on their own - The gear's effect then applies according to its normal rules Nuances: - Hidden cards that make choices must select/choose from the battlefield they're hidden at (like Foxfire) - Zhonya's Hourglass doesn't require choosing, so it works globally regardless of where it's played from - This follows the same logic as playing it as a normal gear - you wouldn't get a choice of battlefield in either case

Ruling: Yes, a hidden Zhonya's Hourglass can save any unit anywhere on the board, not just units in the same battlefield. However, the Zhonya's must have been hidden on a previous turn, as hidden cards cannot be flipped on the same turn they were played hidden. Sequence: - Play Zhonya's Hourglass hidden in a battlefield on an earlier turn - On a later turn, play Snapvine in a different battlefield and target an enemy unit - Flip the hidden Zhonya's to protect the Snapvine from the trade Nuances: - The FAQ clarified that Zhonya's no longer has a "here" restriction when played from hidden and is treated as a global effect - "While hidden" is different from "from hidden" - the card must be flipped/activated from hidden to get the global effect

Ruling: You cannot activate Zonyah's after Bryndhir's effect resolves, but you can play it in response to Bryndhir's ability when it goes onto the chain. Sequence: - Opponent plays Bryndhir Thundersong - Bryndhir's ability goes onto the chain - You can respond by activating hidden Zonyah's at this point - Once Bryndhir's effect resolves, you cannot activate Zonyah's Nuances: - You cannot respond to Bryndhir being played itself, only to the ability when it goes onto the chain

Ruling: You can reveal and play a hidden card during your opponent's turn as a reaction. Sequence: - Turn 1: Play the card hidden at a battlefield - Turn 2 (opponent's turn): You can reveal and play it as a reaction (e.g., when they attack that battlefield) Nuances: - Hidden cards are not considered "played" when you initially hide them at a battlefield

Ruling: You can play hidden cards any time you can play a reaction, regardless of which battlefield they are hidden at. Nuances: - If a hidden card requires a target, that target must be at the battlefield where the card is hidden - This targeting restriction applies to units that trigger after they resolve (like Blastcone or Teemo) and cards that don't specify targets (like Zhonyas) - You can play a hidden card as a reaction outside of a showdown at its battlefield, even if it has no valid targets (e.g., using Blastcone Fae to maintain battlefield control when your unit is killed)

Ruling: Yes, a hidden card can be revealed in response to a sprite's Temporary trigger. The Temporary trigger goes on the chain and can be reacted to. Sequence: - Temporary trigger occurs at beginning of turn - Trigger goes on the chain - Players can react by revealing hidden cards or playing other reactions Nuances: - This interaction is commonly used in Teemo decks to still get the hold point - Also used in Viktor decks to use Hidden Blade on a sprite - Can be used to play Shen

Ruling: A spell played from hidden has the additional targeting requirement "here," so you cannot target cards at battlefield B with a card hidden on battlefield A (unless it's a card with special targeting restrictions like Tideturner). Nuances: - If a unit on battlefield A with a hidden card is targeted by a spell from battlefield B, you can react with your hidden card on battlefield A to pump that unit before the spell resolves by adding your hidden card to the chain.

Ruling: Hidden cards cannot remain on an empty battlefield. When you lose control of a battlefield (it becomes empty), any hidden cards are removed at the next cleanup. Sequence: - When a battlefield becomes empty, hidden cards remain until the next cleanup - At the next cleanup, hidden cards on empty battlefields are put into the trash - If another player empties a battlefield on their turn, the hidden will be gone by your turn Nuances: - The owner of a hidden card can activate it before the battlefield is cleared, as long as it wasn't hidden that same turn - You haven't lost control of the battlefield yet if you're the one clearing it, so you can still use the hidden before cleanup

Ruling: No, a hidden card has to target the battlefield it's hidden at. Nuances: - Hourglass and Tideturner are exceptions to this rule

Ruling: A hidden unit cannot be played at all when Mageseeker Warden is preventing units from being played to that battlefield. The hidden unit remains hidden and cannot be revealed/played. Nuances: - Initially there was debate about whether the "if able" language in the FAQ allowed the unit to default to base, but this was clarified in updated rules - The updated comprehensive rules state "A hidden unit must be played to that battlefield" without the "if able" qualifier - Hiding a card is not the same as playing a card, so you cannot hide cards at a battlefield where Warden is present in the first place - If you lose control of the battlefield, the hidden card gets trashed like any other unrevealed hidden card

Ruling: No, the unit must be played at the battlefield where it is hidden. Nuances: - When a unit is hidden at a battlefield, all choices (including location) must only be picked from among valid targets at the battlefield associated with that Facedown Zone - The rules for hidden will likely be reworded to better reflect this intent

Ruling: Hidden units can still be flipped and played even if their abilities have no valid target. The unit enters play, but the ability simply does not resolve. Nuances: - If a unit's ability requires targeting and no valid target exists, the ability does not happen but the unit still enters play - Units with abilities that can target themselves (like Blastcone Fae) must do so if they are the only valid target - Blue Teemo has a special case under review: it's unclear whether you can reveal the top 5 cards without having a target for the damage portion of the ability

Ruling: No, a hidden card cannot hold a battlefield. If you ever lose control of a battlefield, any hidden cards there are immediately sent to the trash. Sequence: - When a spell targets your units, you have a chance to react with hidden cards by flipping them - If the hidden card does not flip in reaction and the chain resolves with none of your units on the battlefield, the hidden card is trashed - Hidden cards are trashed immediately once you lose control, not only at the end of the showdown Nuances: - You should have an opportunity to react with hidden cards before they are trashed

Ruling: Yes, you can play a reaction between resolving links on the chain. Sequence: - When a link on the chain resolves, the player who owns the next link gets priority - Both players must pass priority before the next link resolves - This allows reactions to be added to the chain between link resolutions

Ruling: Yes, the non-active player can win the game by scoring their 8th point during showdowns on the opponent's turn, as long as the non-combat showdowns are resolved before combat begins at each battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent attempts to enter battlefield B - After opponent passes focus, non-active player plays Ride the Wind to move their unit from battlefield A to B - Non-active player wins the showdown at B and scores their 7th point - Opponent attempts to enter battlefield A with a different unit - Non-active player plays Ride the Wind again to move their unit from B back to A - Non-active player wins the showdown at A and scores their 8th point, winning the game Nuances: - The non-combat showdowns at each battlefield must be closed before their respective combats can begin - This assumes no interference from the opponent during the sequence

Ruling: As the non-turn player, you can only use Reactions when a Chain is open or during Showdown. You cannot use Reactions freely during the opponent's turn outside of these windows. Sequence: - If the unit has a "when I'm played" ability, that will open a Chain, and you can react to that trigger - If the unit doesn't have such an ability, you must wait until a Chain is opened or a Showdown is in progress Nuances: - You cannot preemptively use Reaction removal before the opponent moves to a Battlefield unless one of the above conditions is met

Ruling: No, after combat damage is dealt in a showdown, there is no priority or focus window to play actions like Ride the Wind. Nuances: - Once combat damage occurs, players cannot open a chain with an action - The timing window for playing such actions has passed once damage is dealt

Ruling: Yes, you can activate hidden cards regardless of where the showdown is happening. Tideturner specifically can target units on another battlefield because the card explicitly says it can. Nuances: - Hidden cards can normally only target units at their own battlefield unless they explicitly state otherwise - Tideturner is one of the rare cases where a hidden card can target outside its battlefield because the card text allows it

Ruling: Yes, a player at 7 points can win by conquering both battlefields. Drawing a card instead of gaining a point still counts as scoring. Sequence: - Player at 7 points moves to first battlefield and draws a card (instead of gaining a point) - Player moves to second battlefield and gains the 8th point to win Nuances: - Scoring is not the same as gaining a point; drawing a card when at 7 points is still considered scoring

Ruling: A player can win the game using Trinity Force's triggered ability to gain the 8th point after conquering one battlefield. The requirement to score both battlefields in the same turn only applies to the point gained directly from conquering via game rules, not to points gained from triggered abilities. Sequence: - Player conquers a battlefield while at 7 points - The conquer is replaced by drawing 2 cards (due to being one point from winning) - Trinity Force triggers off the Conquer - Trinity Force grants the 8th point and wins the game Nuances: - The "must score both battlefields" limitation only applies to scoring points directly from conquering via game rules - Trinity Force is a triggered ability, not "scoring," so it bypasses this limitation - Any effect that allows you to gain a point (abilities, holds, burnout) can win the game without needing to control both battlefields

Ruling: Yes, a player can move units from base to attack a battlefield in multiple waves, but if using standard movement (not spell-based), they must wait for the current combat to end before moving additional units. During showdowns, each player sums the might of all their units and independently decides how to distribute that total damage among the opponent's units. Sequence: - First wave of units moves to battlefield and initiates showdown - Combat resolves (cards traded, damage assigned) - After combat ends, additional units can move from base to the battlefield - New combat begins if applicable Nuances: - Damage is not dealt unit-to-unit; each player totals their might and distributes it as they choose - Both players assign damage simultaneously and independently (attacker doesn't control both sides) - Units cannot be forced to tank damage first unless they have the TANK status - In practice, the winning side often just kills all opposing units, making assignment choices less relevant

Ruling: You must select valid targets for Defiant Dance. If you cannot select an opposing unit due to Ruin Runner and have no other valid targets, you cannot play Defiant Dance. However, if you have two of your own units, you can target both of them instead. Nuances: - Defiant Dance requires two distinct unit targets to be played - The targets cannot be Ruin Runner itself - If valid targets exist (such as two of your own units), the spell can be played even if the opponent's units cannot be targeted

Ruling: Each player may only score a battlefield once per turn, though both players may each score the same battlefield in a single turn. Nuances: - Moving a unit out of a battlefield after conquering it and then moving back to that battlefield in the same turn does not allow you to score it again - If you charm an enemy unit onto an empty battlefield you previously conquered this turn, your opponent can score it (since they haven't scored it yet this turn)

Ruling: Tokens exist outside the game and are not part of any deck. You can use any object (dice, unofficial tokens, etc.) to represent tokens you create. You may use your opponent's token cards if they agree to let you borrow them, but they are not required to provide them. Nuances: - Tokens don't have to be official token cards - any agreed-upon object works (dice, tokens from other games, etc.) - You cannot take your opponent's token cards without permission - The source of the physical token representation doesn't affect gameplay

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust a rune for no reason. Runes have the text "Exhaust - Add 1 energy" which can be activated without needing to use the energy generated, allowing you to exhaust it and then ready it again with Mana Flow. Nuances: - The ability is written as "Exhaust" not "Reaction," so it can be activated at any time without requiring a trigger

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust your runes in response to the spell. Both the exhaust and recycle abilities of runes are at Reaction speed and can be used any time a reaction can be made. Sequence: - Opponent casts reaction speed spell that will kill Ekko - You can exhaust all your runes in response at Reaction speed - Once the spell begins resolving and kills Ekko, you don't have another moment to react - The exhausted runes recycle when Ekko dies, giving you additional energy for the rest of the turn Nuances: - Rune abilities can also be used mid-resolution when a card asks you to pay a cost, though this is not relevant to this scenario - The benefit is gaining more total energy for the turn (e.g., with 8 runes where 3 are exhausted, exhausting the other 5 before Ekko dies gives you 13 effective energy for the rest of the turn)

Ruling: You can exhaust runes to float energy before recycling a rune to pay for a Seal's power cost. A Seal cannot pay for itself, but one Seal can pay for another Seal. Sequence: - Exhaust runes to float energy before paying costs - Recycle one rune to pay for the Seal's power cost - The Seal enters play ready and can be used the same turn - Use the floated energy and additional runes to pay for other cards Nuances: - Seals have an energy cost of 0 but require 1 power (paid by recycling a rune) - A Seal cannot pay for its own power cost - One Seal can pay for another Seal's power cost

Ruling: Yes, you can hold priority and play a Reaction speed spell like Stupify on top of the chain. However, this doesn't effectively 'buffer' against counters like Wind Wall because counters target 'a spell' on the chain, not specifically the previous spell, so your opponent can choose to counter whichever spell they want. Nuances: - Counter spells like Wind Wall can target any spell on the chain, not just the most recent one - Simply adding more spells to the chain doesn't protect earlier spells from being countered

Ruling: Yes, when you have priority, you can play multiple cards to the chain before passing priority to your opponent. Sequence: - After the active player plays a spell, they are given the same options: play a spell that is legally timed or pass priority - The active player can continue playing legally timed cards (such as reactions on top of their own spell or action) before passing priority - Only when a player passes priority does the opponent get a chance to respond

Ruling: Yes, there can be as many showdowns in a turn as a player can legally enact, limited primarily by movement resources and ready units. A player can return to the same battlefield multiple times in the same turn. Nuances: - It can be strategically beneficial to send attacking units one at a time to try to pick off a large battlefield and prevent being blown out by a removal or pump spell

Ruling: No, a player cannot move additional units into an ongoing showdown after the initial attacker is declared. After each combat resolves, surviving units heal all damage, so a second unit moving to that battlefield would start a completely new showdown against a fully healed defender. Sequence: - Attacker declares which unit(s) are moving to start the showdown - Combat resolves with actions and reactions - If units survive, they heal all damage during cleanup - Only during a neutral open state can the active player perform another standard move to start a new showdown Nuances: - You cannot "dogpile" additional units into a showdown after it has started, even if reactions or action cards change the outcome - Moving a second unit after the first combat ends is legal, but it starts an entirely new showdown against a fully healed defender - If a showdown results in a tie and both units are destroyed, leaving the battlefield open, another unit can move in to conquer the now-open battlefield

Ruling: Players cannot move units (even readied ones) during another player's turn. Nuances: - There is an exception with Reaver's Row, a battlefield that can move only one unit

Ruling: No. When you play a reaction you hold priority, but if you pass priority and your opponent also passes, both players have passed sequentially and the top item on the chain resolves. Sequence: - Player plays a reaction and holds priority - Player passes priority - Opponent passes priority - Top item on chain resolves (both players passed sequentially) - After an item resolves, both players get priority again (whoever has the latest item on the chain gets priority first) - Players can now respond to remaining items on the chain Nuances: - You can play multiple reactions while holding priority without passing - After a reaction resolves, you can still play reactions to earlier items still on the chain

Ruling: Yes, both scenarios are valid. When a player has focus, they can play either actions or reactions. After passing focus and letting an opponent's spell resolve, the original player regains focus and can play actions or reactions before combat damage occurs. Sequence: - Attacker moves to battlefield and gets focus first - Attacker can pass focus - Defender receives focus and can play actions or reactions - After that chain resolves, attacker gets focus again and can play actions or reactions - This continues until both players pass focus consecutively with empty chains, then combat damage occurs Nuances: - Passing focus to bait responses is valid, but if the opponent also passes, the game progresses to combat damage - There can be multiple focus passes as long as one player keeps starting a chain