Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

To answer your question, we must look at how costs are paid in *Riftbound*. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9515** and **Rule 357**, the process for playing a card (including costs) happens before the spell is even added to the chain, and therefore before any player has the opportunity to play a [Reaction] to it: 1. **Announcement:** The active player announces they are playing *Sacrifice*. 2. **Payment of Costs:** The player pays the energy cost and the additional cost. To pay the additional cost of *Sacrifice*, the player **must kill a friendly Mighty unit** (a unit with 5 or more Might). 3. **Completion:** Once that unit is killed and sent to the trash, the cost is considered paid. Only *after* the cost is fully paid does *Sacrifice* become pending on the chain. ### Ruling **No, your *Stupefy* would not cause *Sacrifice* to fizzle.** By the time you have priority to play *Stupefy* as a [Reaction], the friendly unit has already been killed to pay for the cost of *Sacrifice*. The unit is already in the trash, and *Sacrifice* is already waiting on the chain to resolve. You cannot target or affect the unit that was sacrificed because it is no longer on the board. Even if you were to use *Stupefy* on the unit *before* your opponent declared they were playing *Sacrifice* (i.e., when you had Focus in an Open state), your opponent could simply choose not to play *Sacrifice* at that time, or they could target a different Mighty unit if they have one. However, once they commit to playing *Sacrifice*, the cost payment is instantaneous and cannot be interrupted.

Ruling: Yes, the unit would no longer be mighty at that point. Attacker and defender tags are removed in the cleanup before you conquer, which means Assault's mighty bonus is lost before Sunken Temple's effect can trigger. Sequence: - Attacker and defender tags are removed in cleanup - This happens before you conquer - Unit loses mighty status from Assault - Sunken Temple cannot be used since the unit is no longer mighty

Ruling: The showdown remains a combat showdown for its entire duration if both players had units there at any point. Assault and Shield remain active throughout the entire combat showdown, even if one player's units leave the battlefield. Sequence: - Combat is defined as the entire showdown where units from two different players exist at the same battlefield - If a unit leaves during combat, it's still a combat showdown - The Combat Damage Step is skipped if only one player has units remaining - Combat Cleanup still occurs and heals damage - Assault and Shield bonuses remain active for the entire showdown duration - After the showdown fully resolves, units are no longer attackers/defenders and lose Assault/Shield bonuses Nuances: - You cannot "debuff" an Assault unit by moving away during combat - it keeps the bonus until the showdown ends - A showdown can be prevented from becoming a combat showdown if you respond to a movement trigger (before the showdown begins) by removing units, since combat is only staged when cleanup occurs with opposing units present and nothing on the chain

Ruling: When a targeted action spell like Hextech Ray resolves, if its target is no longer at a battlefield, it won't deal damage to its target. You cannot choose a different target at any point. Sequence: - When you play the spell, you choose its target - If the target is moved before the spell resolves, the spell still resolves but does not deal damage - The spell does as much as it can (e.g., Void Seeker would still draw a card even if the target is gone) Nuances: - This is different from spells with "do this:" wording, which create triggers that choose targets upon resolution (like Falling Star) - Moving a unit with Flash before a spell resolves does not allow retargeting for normal targeted spells - Dragon's Rage has been errata'd to function as a "do this:" spell even though it doesn't say so on the card

Ruling: Yes, the player scores a point at battlefield A. When the unit was moved to battlefield B, cleanup occurred which made battlefield A uncontrolled, so returning there with Ride the Wind allows scoring. Sequence: - Unit is moved from battlefield A to battlefield B - Cleanup occurs, making battlefield A uncontrolled and starting combat at battlefield B - During the showdown at battlefield B, the unit uses Ride the Wind to return to battlefield A - An open showdown occurs at battlefield A, eventually scoring a conquer point there Nuances: - The key is that cleanup happens after the movement ability resolves, which makes the original battlefield uncontrolled before the unit returns - You can no longer flash a unit out and Ride the Wind back into the same combat to score a point (this was changed)

Ruling: Yes, 'when I attack' and 'when I defend' triggers will activate if units are added to an already existing showdown. These triggers function as 'when I am designated as an attacker/defender' which happens during cleanup whenever combat is present. Nuances: - 'When I attack' creates a trigger that goes on the chain at the moment of attack - 'While I am attacking' is a passive effect that is active at all times the unit is an Attacker and does not use the chain - Cleanup happens frequently throughout the game, such as when an item is removed from a chain

Ruling: Once a showdown has started, it does not immediately end when units are removed. Both players still have an action window, and the showdown only ends after both players pass priority in a row without playing anything. Sequence: - Showdown begins with valid units from both players - A unit is moved out (e.g., Poro moved back) - Both players still have their action windows - Players can continue playing actions - Showdown ends only after both players pass priority consecutively Nuances: - Having units from both players is not a requirement for showdown to proceed once it has started - Nothing can stop the showdown from continuing once started, even if there are no units at all from both sides

Yes, a unit moved to a battlefield by a spell can become an attacker or defender, provided that the movement results in a combat showdown. Whether the unit is considered an attacker or defender depends on the context of the battlefield and the combat: 1. **If the movement triggers combat:** If a spell moves a unit to a battlefield where it becomes an attacker or defender (for example, by moving an enemy unit into your occupied battlefield, or moving your unit into an enemy-occupied battlefield), that unit will gain the corresponding designation. * According to **RiftJudge FAQ #5394**, if you use a spell to move an enemy unit into your occupied battlefield, that enemy unit is treated as the **attacker** because it is the unit that applies the contested status to the battlefield. 2. **Designation Timing:** Units gain the attacker or defender designation during the Showdown Step (Rule 442.1.a). If a unit is moved to a battlefield *during* an ongoing combat, it will gain the attacker or defender designation during the cleanup phase following the action that caused it to become present (Rule 442.1.a.3.a and 442.1.a.4.a). 3. **Combat Requirement:** Attacker and defender designations only exist during combat. If a unit is moved to an empty battlefield, no combat occurs, and therefore no units are considered attackers or defenders (see **RiftJudge FAQ #5513**). In summary, the unit's designation is determined by its role in the combat showdown, not by the fact that a spell was the source of the movement.

Ruling: When a unit is moved to a battlefield during an ongoing showdown, it does not start a new showdown. Triggers that happen as a result of a NEW unit being declared attacker or defender can happen late, but triggers that require the unit itself to become an attacker/defender again (when it's already in that state) do not trigger again. Sequence: - Unit is moved to battlefield during ongoing showdown - The moved unit gains attacker/defender designation - Abilities that trigger when seeing a NEW unit become an attacker/defender will trigger (like Ahri Legend ability) - Abilities on the moved unit itself that trigger when IT becomes an attacker/defender will trigger (like yellow Leona's attack trigger) - Abilities that require a unit to become a defender again when it's already defending do NOT trigger again (like Ahri, Inquisitive's champion passive) Nuances: - Ahri Legend ability triggers on the newly moved attacker because it sees a new unit becoming an attacker - Ahri, Inquisitive's champion passive does not trigger again because Ahri is already defending and doesn't become a defender again - A unit gains the attacker/defender designation in cleanup after being present at a battlefield, and abilities trigger the first time it gains that designation each combat

Ruling: Yes, 'When I Attack' and 'When I Defend' triggers activate anytime a unit joins a combat, including after combat has already started. The unit must be under the attacking player's control to be considered an attacker and trigger 'When I Attack' abilities. Sequence: - Showdown begins and initial 'When I Attack' and 'When I Defend' triggers resolve - If a unit is moved to the battlefield during the showdown and is under the attacking player's control, it becomes an attacker - That unit's 'When I Attack' trigger goes on the chain - If the same unit is retreated and then moved back in again, the trigger activates a second time Nuances: - The unit must be under the attacking player's control to trigger 'When I Attack' abilities; if it's the opponent's unit, it does not trigger - This rule is explicitly stated in the FAQ rather than the Core Rules

Ruling: Yes, you gain a Conquer point immediately when your unit defeats opponents and takes control of a battlefield on your opponent's turn, and then you gain a Holding point at the start of your next turn. Nuances: - For Ride the Wind specifically, a showdown must be happening for the card to be played, so you must wait for your opponent to start one before you can use it to move your unit.

Ruling: No. A unit only receives attacker or defender designations when combat occurs. Without an opponent on the battlefield, there is no combat, so the unit does not become an attacker and does not gain Assault benefits. Nuances: - The absence of an opponent means no combat designations are assigned - Assault bonuses (such as +might against spells) only apply when a unit has the attacker designation from actual combat

Ruling: Mask of Foresight does not trigger immediately when the unit arrives via Ride the Wind during an ongoing non-combat showdown. The current showdown must end first, then a combat showdown will open (if the unit survives), and only at that point will Mask of Foresight trigger if appropriate. Sequence: - Player moves their unit to an open battlefield, starting a non-combat showdown - Opponent plays Ride the Wind during this showdown to move their unit to the same battlefield - The non-combat showdown continues without attacker/defender designations being assigned - Players continue passing focus until the showdown ends - After the showdown ends, cleanup stages combat at that battlefield - Combat begins (if state is Neutral and no items on chain) - Attacker and defender designations are assigned, triggering Mask of Foresight Nuances: - Mask of Foresight only triggers when attacker and defender designations are assigned, which only happens during combat showdowns - Combat can only open when the state is Neutral (not during an existing showdown) and there are no items on chain - Showdowns happen one after another, not nested inside each other - Abilities like Shield and Assault also do not modify might until attacker/defender status is applied in combat

Ruling: Dreaming Tree does not trigger from Divine Judgement because Divine Judgement does not target. The card draw will not happen. Nuances: - "Choose" and "target" are not synonyms in Riftbound - Target means a decision made for specific game objects that happens as you finalize the spell or ability - If a choice is made on resolution, it definitionally cannot be a target - Divine Judgement doesn't target anything because each player makes choices on resolution - Dreaming Tree only triggers when a unit on it is targeted

Yes, you can equip an equipment to a unit that is on a battlefield. According to Rule 744.1.b, the Equip ability allows you to attach the equipment to a chosen unit you control. There is no restriction in the rules stating that the unit must be at your base; as long as the unit is under your control, it is a valid target for the Equip ability. **Important Timing Restrictions:** While you can target a unit on a battlefield, remember that the Equip ability itself has specific timing restrictions: * You must be in your turn. * The Chain must be empty. * There must be no Showdown occurring. As long as you meet these timing requirements, you can equip a unit regardless of whether it is at your base or on a battlefield.

Ruling: The unit ends up ready at base. Nuances: - Units become exhausted after a Standard Move because exhausting is the cost to perform a standard move - Most other move effects (like Flash) leave the unit in whatever state it was already in

Ruling: A unit at 0 might does not die unless it has non-zero damage on it. Reducing might to 0 alone is not sufficient to kill a unit. Sequence: - Spell reduces might (to minimum 1 in this case) - If damage is dealt (e.g., through combat), the unit takes that damage - If might becomes 0 and the unit has non-zero damage, it dies Nuances: - The specific spell mentioned in the thread can only reduce might to a minimum of 1 - If a unit is at 0 might with no damage, it survives

Ruling: The unit can go to 0 Might. Smoke Screen's limitation only applies at the time it is played and "snapshots" the reduction magnitude at that moment. After Smoke Screen resolves, other effects can reduce the unit below 1 Might. Sequence: - Smoke Screen reduces the unit's Might and snapshots the reduction at the limited amount (to 1 Might minimum) - When the buff is later removed, the unit's Might can drop below 1 (to 0 in this case) - The unit survives at 0 Might because 0 Might only kills units if they have damage marked equal to or exceeding their Might Nuances: - Smoke Screen's "cannot be reduced below 1" text only limits the magnitude of Smoke Screen's own effect when it resolves, not future Might changes - A unit at 0 Might with no damage marked on it does not die

Ruling: Yes, hidden cards remain on the battlefield until the end of combat even if all your units are removed from that battlefield during the showdown. Sequence: - Opponent moves to an occupied battlefield and combat begins - If your unit is removed during combat (via damage or movement) - Hidden card remains on the battlefield until combat ends - You can still use the hidden card during that combat Nuances: - You can use Fight or Flight to move a unit like Kayn out of the battlefield, then use a hidden Tideturner to move him back into the battlefield with his immunity activated during the same combat - Effects like Mask of Foresight only trigger once per combat, even if a unit leaves and returns to the battlefield during that combat

Ruling: Yes, the showdown proceeds as normal until both players pass, even if no units are left at the battlefield. Players can still cast action cards during the showdown. Sequence: - Priority passes to the attacker to react to the removal effect - Once both players pass priority, the chain resolves - Focus shifts to the attacker (where they can play action cards) - If both players pass focus, the showdown ends

Ruling: When Hidden Blade resolves, it checks if the target is still legal (still at a battlefield). If the unit has been removed from the battlefield, Hidden Blade does not kill the unit and its controller does not draw 2 cards. Nuances: - The draw 2 effect is not dependent on the unit dying, but it is dependent on the target being legal on resolution - If the unit is saved by a replacement effect but remains at the battlefield, you would still draw 2 because the unit is still at a battlefield

Ruling: No, the unit does not lose its buffs. When Zhonya's Hourglass activates, the unit is recalled rather than dying, so "until end of turn" effects like Discipline and Enrage are preserved. Nuances: - The unit doesn't actually die and get revived; it never dies in the first place due to the recall effect

Yes, if a unit is saved by Guardian Angel, all other equipment attached to that unit remains attached. According to the official ruling on this interaction: * **The unit never technically "died":** Because Guardian Angel acts as a replacement effect, the unit is recalled to the base instead of being sent to the trash. * **Equipment stays attached:** Since the unit never leaves the board (it is simply moved from the battlefield to the base), all equipment remains attached to it. This is confirmed by the following FAQ: > **Q: When a unit with Guardian Angel dies, do equipped gears return to base or stay attached to the unit?** > **A: Ruling:** When a unit with Guardian Angel dies, all gears remain attached to the unit and return with it to the top of the deck. > **Nuances:** The unit never technically "died" due to Guardian Angel's effect, so the normal rule of gears returning to base does not apply. All equipment stays equipped to the unit as it returns.

Ruling: If the unit died during the combat damage step, yes, its damage still goes through because all units deal damage before the game checks for lethal damage. If the unit died during the showdown to an ability or spell, then no. Sequence: - All units deal combat damage simultaneously - After damage is dealt, the game checks which units have lethal damage marked - Units with lethal damage then die Nuances: - The timing of when the unit died matters (combat damage step vs. showdown from ability/spell) - During combat damage, damage is dealt before any unit actually dies from that damage

Yes, the unit still conquers the battlefield. According to the official rulings and the **Resolution Step (Rule 444)**, a unit being **Stunned** only prevents it from contributing its might to damage during combat; it does not prevent the unit from establishing control or conquering a battlefield if it is the only unit remaining there. ### The Sequence of Events: 1. **Showdown Begins:** Your opponent moves a unit to your battlefield (becoming the **Attacker**). You are the **Defender**. 2. **Stun Applied:** You stun the attacking unit. 3. **Hidden Blade:** Your opponent plays *Hidden Blade*, killing your defending unit. 4. **Resolution Step:** * Because your unit (the only defender) was killed, there are no defenders present to deal damage or block the conquest. * **Rule 444.2** states: "If no Showdown or Combat is staged at this location, the player with Units remaining here Establishes Control." * **Rule 444.2.b** confirms: "This results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored that Battlefield this turn." ### Key Ruling: An official FAQ specifically addresses this: > "A stunned unit conquers an empty battlefield. Stun only prevents dealing combat damage, but does not affect conquest of empty battlefields." Because your opponent's unit is now alone at the battlefield (even though it is stunned), they successfully **Conquer** and score the point immediately.

Ruling: No, a stunned unit does not deal damage when targeted by Challenge. Stun only applies to combat damage, not to damage from card effects like Challenge.

Yes, a stunned unit can still be moved by a spell or ability. According to **Rule 423.1**, the **Stun** status only restricts a unit in two specific ways: 1. It prevents the unit from contributing its might to combat damage (Rule 423.1.b). 2. It prevents the unit from being stunned again (Rule 423.1.a.1). Stun does not restrict a unit’s movement, nor does it prevent the unit from being targeted by effects that move it. As noted in **RiftJudge FAQ #10103**, if a card specifically includes a "cannot move" restriction (like the ability of *Vex, Apathetic*), that is an additional restriction imposed by the card's text, not by the Stunned status itself. Unless a card specifically says it cannot be moved, a stunned unit remains a legal target for movement effects.

Ruling: A stunned unit remains stunned for the entire turn, even if moved to a different battlefield. The Stun status lasts until the beginning of the next Ending Step (end of turn). Nuances: - Even though a stunned unit cannot attack or block, Yasuo's ability can still trigger and deal damage when he attacks, so he can still win combat when attacking despite being stunned.

Ruling: A stunned unit conquers an empty battlefield. Stun only prevents dealing combat damage, but does not affect conquest of empty battlefields. Nuances: - If the battlefield had enemy units, the stunned attacker would be recalled if it didn't take damage equal to or greater than its might - Stun does not prevent conquest mechanics, only combat damage

Ruling: No, you must still assign damage equal to the unit's might during combat, even if it was targeted by Noxian Guillotine earlier. The Guillotine effect does not reduce the lethal damage requirement for combat damage assignment. Sequence: - Noxian Guillotine resolves during showdown before combat damage - During combat, you must still assign lethal damage (damage equal to or exceeding might) to units before assigning damage elsewhere - After combat damage is dealt, the unit targeted by Guillotine will die from the combined damage Nuances: - If you have enough total damage to split between multiple units, you can assign lethal damage to one unit and less-than-lethal damage to a Guillotine-targeted unit, and both will die (e.g., 4 might attacking two 3-might units where one was Guillotined: assign 3 to one, 1 to the Guillotined unit) - This ruling applies even to units with Tank - you must still assign damage equal to their might before damaging other units - Lethal damage is defined as nonzero damage equal to or exceeding a unit's might

Your unit will **live**. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9919** and the **2026-04-29 Rules FAQ Clarification**, *Elder Dragon's* play effect has specific targeting restrictions based on location. It targets "up to one enemy unit at [a specific location]." ### Why your unit lives: 1. **Targeting:** When *Elder Dragon* is played, its "When you play me" ability is placed on the chain and your opponent must lock in targets at specific locations (e.g., "the unit at Battlefield 1"). 2. **Reaction:** By playing a reaction to move your unit to your base, you change the battlefield state before the *Elder Dragon* ability resolves. 3. **Resolution:** When the *Elder Dragon* ability resolves (LIFO order), it checks if the targeted units are still at the locations where they were targeted. Because your unit moved to your base, it no longer fulfills the targeting restriction of the ability. 4. **Result:** Your unit is no longer a valid target for that specific location-based instruction and is **unaffected** by the damage. *** *Note: This is based on the specific mechanics of location-based targeting as clarified in the Riftbound rules updates.*

Ruling: No, the kill effect does not resolve. Units that leave the board stop being legal targets, so the kill effect fizzles when the unit is no longer present. Nuances: - Portal Rescue is an action, so it cannot be used to react to effects in the first place (it cannot interrupt resolution of other effects)

Ruling: Whether the unit survives depends on whether the spell specifies a location restriction. If the spell does not mention a location (like Singularity), the unit remains a legal target even after moving and will be affected. If the spell specifies a location like "at a battlefield" (like Void Seeker), moving the unit makes it no longer a legal target and the unit survives. Sequence: - Spell is cast and targets a unit - Unit is moved to a different zone (e.g., Flash moves it to base) - On resolution, check if the spell has location restrictions - If no location restriction: spell affects the unit normally - If location restriction exists: target becomes illegal, spell effect on that unit fails Nuances: - Effects that don't reference the target can still resolve even if the target becomes illegal (e.g., Void Seeker still draws a card) - Effects that reference information about the target require the target to be legal on resolution (e.g., Hidden Blade needs the target legal to draw 2 cards)

Ruling: When a unit is moved from the battlefield to base in response to being targeted by a spell that targets units at a battlefield, the unit becomes an invalid target and the spell's damage will not be dealt. Nuances: - Voidseeker will still give you a draw even though the damage doesn't resolve, because of the "do all you can" rule

Ruling: Abilities always resolve, but if the ability specifies a location requirement (like "here") and the target is no longer at that location, the ability mistargets and does not affect the unit. Sequence: - Target is selected when the ability is activated - If the target moves before resolution, check if the ability has location requirements - If location requirements are not met, the ability mistargets - The ability resolves but has no effect on the target Nuances: - The target cannot be changed once determined, even if it mistargets - Even if another valid target is present at the location when the ability resolves, you cannot retarget to it

Ruling: You cannot cast Fight or Flight as an action to save the unit because Void Seeker must resolve first when cast from hand, killing the minion before you get a chance to respond. Sequence: - Void Seeker is cast from hand and must resolve first - The targeted minion dies - You do not get priority to cast Fight or Flight as an action Nuances: - If Fight or Flight is hidden at a battlefield (making it a reaction), it can be activated in the same chain as Void Seeker - When activated as a reaction, Fight or Flight moves the minion back to base, causing Void Seeker to lose its 'killing at battlefield' clause - Even when the minion is moved to base, the card from Void Seeker is still drawn

Ruling: The showdown remains a combat showdown even if a unit moves away after the initial chain resolves. Combat-dependent effects like Assault continue to apply until the entire showdown ends. Sequence: - Combat showdown begins when Enforcer moves to Reavers Row - Enforcer becomes 4 power due to Assault and Reavers Row effects - Initial chain resolves (Kai'Sa moves back to base) - New chain can be started, but showdown is still considered "combat" - Enforcer remains 4 power throughout the entire showdown Nuances: - "Combat" includes the entire showdown, not just the initial moment when units meet - Units moving away during the showdown does not change its combat status

Ruling: The ongoing showdown must always finish completely before a new showdown can begin at a different battlefield. Sequence: - Player A moves Kaisa Survivor to a battlefield, triggering a showdown - Player B plays Ride the Wind during this showdown to move a unit to the opposite battlefield - The original showdown with Kaisa finishes completely (including drawing the card from conquering) - Only after the first showdown is fully resolved can the new showdown at the opposite battlefield begin Nuances: - A new showdown can only start in a neutral open state: no chain (all triggers resolved) and no showdown already in progress

Ruling: No combat occurs. A combat only happens when a cleanup occurs, the chain is empty, and a battlefield has units controlled by two opposing players. In this scenario, by the time the chain clears after the Gust resolves, there are no longer units from both players on the battlefield. Sequence: - Traveling Merchant moves to battlefield with Noxus Hopeful - Move trigger goes on chain (discard/draw) - Gust is played in response, removing Merchant - Chain resolves (Gust, then move trigger) - When chain is empty, only one player has a unit on battlefield - No combat occurs, so no combat cleanup healing Nuances: - The presence of two opposing units at any point in time is not sufficient; they must both be present when the chain is empty and a cleanup occurs - The rule is missing a clause about combat not occurring when another showdown is ongoing, but this doesn't affect this scenario

No, a unit moving to an empty battlefield is not considered to be attacking. According to **FAQ #5513** and **FAQ #8664**, units moving to an empty battlefield are not considered attackers, and the unit does not receive the "Attacker" designation. Here is the breakdown of why this is the case: * **Combat is required for Attacker designation:** Attacker and defender designations only exist during Combat. As stated in **Rule 437** and **Rule 440**, Combat can only occur between units controlled by opposing players at the same battlefield. * **Empty battlefields create a Showdown, not Combat:** When a unit moves to an empty battlefield, it initiates a non-combat Showdown (**Rule 429.1**). Because there is no opposing unit present to create a Combat, your unit does not gain the "Attacker" designation. * **Triggered Abilities:** Because the unit is not designated as an attacker, "When I attack" triggers will not activate (as confirmed in **FAQ #2505** and **FAQ #8664**). Similarly, passive abilities like **Assault** will not provide their might bonus because the unit is not an attacker (**FAQ #863** and **FAQ #1818**).

Ruling: No, the unit does not get +3 attack when casting Cleave on an unoccupied battlefield because without defenders present, it does not count as attacking. Nuances: - The Assault 3 keyword lasts until the end of the turn - If an opposing unit is moved in during the showdown, a combat is staged and the unit retains its attacker status from the first showdown, gaining the +3 bonus during that combat - Multiple instances of Assault stack (e.g., two Cleaves would grant Assault 6)

Ruling: The unit survives because it was never dealt any damage. A unit needs to be dealt at least 1 point of damage to be destroyed, even if it has 0 or 1 Might. Nuances: - Units with 0 Might still require damage to be destroyed; having low Might alone does not destroy a unit

No, units that already have damage marked on them from *Frozen Fortress* will not die simply because you play *Imperial Decree*. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #8633** and **#9561**, *Imperial Decree* only creates a triggered ability that kills units that **take damage** after the card has resolved and its effect has become active. It does not look back in time to check for damage that occurred before the card was played. Here is the breakdown of why they do not die: * **Event vs. State:** The trigger condition for *Imperial Decree* is the **event** of "taking damage." If a unit was already damaged by *Frozen Fortress* before you played *Imperial Decree*, that damage event has already occurred, and the condition is not met. * **No Retroactive Effect:** *Imperial Decree* does not check the current state of damage on units; it only monitors for new damage events occurring while its effect is active. **Note:** If any of those units were to take **additional** damage later in the same turn while *Imperial Decree* is active (for example, if you cast another spell that deals damage), the trigger would fire at that time, and those units would be killed.

Ruling: Units keep the stat increase during the combat damage step even if the unit providing the buff dies first, because all combat damage is dealt simultaneously. Sequence: - Sum the might of all your units including the stat increase from the buffing unit - Assign lethal damage on a per unit basis - Opponent does the same - All damage happens at the same time Nuances: - Although damage must be assigned on a per unit basis first, the simultaneous resolution means buffs remain active throughout the entire combat damage step

Ruling: Minus effects like Smokescreen apply once on resolution and modify the unit's current might. Subsequent buffs or debuffs that turn work from the new current might value, not the original value. Sequence: - Smokescreen reduces a 3 might unit to 1 might (applying -4 with minimum 1) - If a +1 might buff is applied later that turn, the unit goes from 1 to 2 might - Effects are applied in the order they were applied Nuances: - The "minimum of 1" clause on Smokescreen is not dynamic; it only applies when Smokescreen resolves - Continuous effects like auras (Green Leona, Ahri legend) may work differently - If a unit moves away from a battlefield aura and returns, it recalculates based on its current might at that time

Ruling: Yes, the unit keeps the might increase from Discipline. The might increase lasts for the entire turn, not just until the unit takes damage. Sequence: - Discipline gives +2 might for the round/turn - If the unit takes damage during a showdown but survives, damage is removed after the showdown - The might increase remains active until the active player's turn ends Nuances: - Health is not a concept in this game; units have might and can take damage up to their might value - The duration is tied to the turn/round, not to whether the unit takes damage

Ruling: The Showdown continues through all its normal steps even if one player no longer has units present. The defending player can still play Actions/Reactions as if they had units there. Sequence: - Attacker gains Focus first (which comes with priority) - Priority passes back and forth between players normally - Showdown proceeds through all steps even with only one player having units present Nuances: - This same principle applies to non-combat showdowns as well - All players get Focus at some point during a Showdown

Ruling: Mask of Foresight triggers when a unit gains the attacker/defender designation for the first time in a combat while being the only friendly unit at its battlefield. If a unit starts combat with an ally and that ally leaves, the remaining unit does not get the buff. However, if a unit starts combat alone and gets the buff, that buff persists even if another friendly unit arrives at the battlefield later. Sequence: - Mask of Foresight checks at the moment a unit first gains attacker/defender designation - The unit must be alone at that specific moment to trigger the buff - Once the buff is granted, it persists for the rest of combat regardless of other units arriving Nuances: - A unit that starts combat with allies present will never trigger Mask of Foresight, even if those allies leave during the combat - The buff is granted based on the battlefield state at the moment of designation, not at any later point in combat

Ruling: Yes, you conquer battlefield B when your unit moves back. What matters is whether you have already scored that battlefield this turn, which you generally would not have during your opponent's turn. Sequence: - Unit starts on battlefield B at the start of opponent's turn - Opponent charms the unit to battlefield A - Before combat resolves, use Ride the Wind (an action) to move the unit back to battlefield B - You conquer battlefield B and score a point Nuances: - If you had already conquered battlefield B earlier during the opponent's turn, you would not conquer it again (no point, no conquer effects trigger) - The presence of enemy units on either battlefield does not prevent the conquer from happening

Ruling: Yes, the unit heals from damage taken in the first combat before the second showdown begins. Sequence: - The combat showdown on battlefield 2 must fully resolve first, even if you no longer control units there - After battlefield 2's combat ends, damage on your unit heals - Then the new combat showdown on battlefield 1 begins with the healed unit