Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you can win the game in this scenario. According to the RiftJudge FAQ regarding this exact interaction (FAQ 8622), when you are at 6 points and conquer a battlefield with a unit equipped with both **Trinity Force** and **Skyfall of Areion**, you will reach 8 points and win the game. ### How it works: 1. **Conquer Action:** You successfully conquer the battlefield. Because you are below 7 points, you gain 1 point from the conquer action itself (6 → 7 points). 2. **Triggered Ability:** **Skyfall of Areion** causes the "Hold" effect of **Trinity Force** to also function as a "Conquer" effect. Therefore, the **Trinity Force** ability triggers off your conquer action. 3. **Chain Resolution:** The triggered ability is placed on the chain. Players may respond with reactions. Once the chain resolves, you gain 1 additional point from the **Trinity Force** effect (7 → 8 points). 4. **Victory:** Upon reaching 8 points, you win the game. ### Important Nuances: * **Bypassing Restrictions:** The requirement to score both battlefields in a single turn to reach the final point only applies to the game action of conquering itself. Points gained from triggered abilities—like the one from **Trinity Force**—bypass this restriction and allow you to win the game even if you have only conquered one battlefield. * **Sequence:** The point from the conquer action is gained immediately as a game action, while the point from the **Trinity Force** trigger is gained when the ability resolves from the chain.

No, you cannot win the game by holding battlefields during your opponent's turn. According to the game rules, scoring points through **Holding** occurs specifically during your own **Beginning Phase**. * **Holding:** You score points for holding a battlefield at the start of your turn (during your Beginning Phase). * **Conquering:** You score points for conquering a battlefield during your own turn (Action Phase). Because the "Hold" scoring mechanic is tied to the start of your own turn, you cannot trigger a win condition by holding battlefields while it is your opponent's turn.

Ruling: You cannot target Teemo with Icathian Rain while he is hidden because you choose your targets when you put the spell on the chain.

Ruling: Yes, you can play Immortal Phoenix from the crypt if you kill it with your own Cull the Weak. Nuances: - This works similarly to other effects like Hidden Blade that can trigger Phoenix's ability to be played from the crypt.

Ruling: You cannot use Imperial Decree to spread 1 damage to multiple units to wipe them. You must assign lethal damage to an individual unit before moving on to the next one. Nuances: - When assigning damage, Imperial Decree has not triggered yet, so the damage assignment rules require lethal damage to each unit sequentially.

Ruling: No, Imperial Decree does not change how you assign damage to units. When a Tank is present, you must assign all damage to it first before dealing lethal damage, and you cannot reassign damage before doing lethal to a unit. Sequence: - Send recruits one at a time to work around the Tank - Kill the Tank with one 1M recruit (due to Imperial Decree) - Kill Ahri with another 1M recruit - Conquer with the third 1M recruit Nuances: - If you send all recruits at once, all damage must be assigned to the Tank first - Imperial Decree increases damage but doesn't bypass Tank's damage assignment rules

Ruling: Yes, you can send tokens in one at a time to trigger separate combats under Imperial Decree. Each token that deals any damage will trigger the spell's effect to kill the damaged unit, regardless of the unit's Might value. This works on offense when sending units in sequentially. Sequence: - Cast Imperial Decree, which creates a delayed trigger effect for the turn - Send in a 1-Might token to initiate combat at a battlefield - The token deals 1 damage to an enemy unit during the showdown - Imperial Decree's trigger activates and kills the damaged unit - Resolve the combat fully - Send in the next token and repeat Nuances: - Imperial Decree applies to any unit that takes damage during the turn, even units that enter play after the spell resolves (the delayed trigger exists independently, not tied to specific units) - This strategy does NOT work well on defense because damage assignment rules require you to assign all damage to one unit until it has damage equal to its Might before assigning to another unit - You cannot move in multiple tokens simultaneously and spread 1 damage to multiple units - damage must be fully assigned to one unit first - The spell does not retroactively kill units that were damaged before it was cast (the trigger is "when [they] take damage") - If a unit receives lethal combat damage, the Imperial Decree trigger still goes on the chain even though the unit dies during cleanup, opening a reaction window - Units that already have damage marked before Imperial Decree is cast are not affected unless they take additional damage after the spell resolves

Ruling: Imperial Decree only kills units that are damaged after it resolves. It does not look back in time to kill units that were previously damaged but have since healed. Nuances: - Imperial Decree causes any unit that has any damage assigned to it to die - The effect works both ways - your own units will also die from just 1 damage - A strategy is to send units one by one to attack a populated battlefield to clear enemies one by one, since any damage will kill under Imperial Decree

Ruling: Yes, Irelia can move to another battlefield with Ride the Wind regardless of Ganking status. A showdown will be staged at the destination battlefield once the game is in a neutral open state (no other showdown ongoing and no active chain), and you can score points on the opponent's turn. Sequence: - Ride the Wind moves Irelia to the target battlefield - Once the game reaches a neutral open state, a showdown is staged at that battlefield - Points can be scored during this showdown even though it's the opponent's turn Nuances: - Movement abilities like Ride the Wind ignore Ganking and ready/exhausted restrictions, which only apply to the Standard Move Action - Vilemaw's Lair only restricts moving from the battlefield to base, not to other battlefields - Ride the Wind cannot move a unit to base from Vilemaw's Lair because that restriction does apply to all moves

Ruling: Irelia's ability is a triggered ability that activates when you target a friendly unit. To use the ability multiple times in a turn, you must meet the trigger condition (targeting a unit) each time. Sequence: - Target a friendly unit with a spell or ability - Irelia's triggered ability can be used - To use Irelia's ability again, you must target a unit again Nuances: - Simply readying Irelia (such as by paying energy after conquering a battlefield) does not allow you to reuse her ability without meeting the trigger condition again

No, you cannot play two Brush tokens at the same spot. According to the **Green Father** legend card, its ability allows you to "replace that battlefield with a Brush battlefield token." Because a Brush token is a battlefield, it occupies the battlefield slot. If a battlefield is already a Brush token, there is no original battlefield left to "replace" with a second Brush token, and you cannot have two battlefields occupying the same space simultaneously. Additionally, Rule 438.1 defines "Replacing" as creating a token in the place of another card or token. Once a space is already occupied by a Brush token, there is no valid target to perform a second "Replace" action on that same spot.

### Card Information * **Janna, Savior:** A Unit with the **[Reaction]** keyword. Her ability text is: *"When you play me, heal your units here, then move up to one enemy unit from here to its base."* * **Falling Star:** A Spell that reads: *"Deal 3 to a unit. Deal 3 to a unit. (You can choose different units.)"* * **Sand Soldier:** A token unit. ### Ruling on Healing According to Rule 405.1, **Healing** is the act of clearing damage from units. Healing only removes marked damage; it does not prevent damage from being dealt. If your units are targeted by **Falling Star**, they will take the damage when the spell resolves. Because **Janna, Savior** has the **[Reaction]** keyword, she can be played during a **Closed State** (such as when a spell is on the chain). ### Interaction Sequence If you play **Janna, Savior** in response to **Falling Star**: 1. **Falling Star** is on the chain. 2. You play **Janna, Savior** as a **[Reaction]**. Because she has the **[Reaction]** keyword, she can be played while the chain is closed. 3. **Janna, Savior** enters the battlefield. Her "When you play me" triggered ability goes on the chain on top of **Falling Star**. 4. The chain resolves in **LIFO** (Last-In, First-Out) order: * **Janna's ability resolves first:** She heals your units at that battlefield. * **Falling Star resolves second:** It deals 3 damage to the targeted units. **Important Note:** Because **Falling Star** resolves *after* Janna's ability, any damage she heals will be immediately reapplied if the units are hit by the spell. Janna cannot "save" a unit from dying to **Falling Star** if the damage from the spell is lethal, as the healing happens before the damage is dealt. Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

No, you cannot use the legend ability of **Grandmaster at Arms (Jax)** during a showdown. **Ruling:** Activated abilities that do not have the **Action** or **Reaction** keyword can only be activated during your turn when the game state is Open (the chain is empty). Because the legend ability of Grandmaster at Arms lacks these keywords, it cannot be used during a showdown, regardless of whether you are attacking or defending. **Reasoning:** * **Ability Timing:** According to the rules for activated abilities, they must have a speed keyword (**Action** or **Reaction**) to be used during a showdown. * **Showdown State:** During a showdown, you are restricted to playing spells or activating abilities that are "legally timed" for that state (Rule 344). Since this ability does not have a speed keyword, it is not legally timed for use during a showdown.

Yes, you can play an Equipment card with **Quick-Draw** (granted by **Jax, Unmatched**) in response to **Falling Star** to increase a unit's Might. Here is the breakdown of how this interaction works: ### The Sequence 1. **Falling Star** is played and placed on the chain. 2. Because **Falling Star** is on the chain, the game state is "Closed." 3. **Jax, Unmatched** grants your Equipment **Quick-Draw**. According to **Rule 745.1.b** and **745.1.c**, **Quick-Draw** allows you to play Equipment from your hand using **[Reaction]** timing. 4. You play an Equipment card as a **[Reaction]** to **Falling Star**. 5. The Equipment enters play immediately (it does not use the chain to enter). 6. The **Quick-Draw** triggered ability ("When you play it, attach it to a unit you control") is placed on the chain as a new link above **Falling Star**. 7. If the Equipment provides a Might bonus (e.g., via a Might Bonus in its lower right corner, per **Rule 136**), that bonus is applied to the unit as soon as the Equipment attaches. ### Important Nuances * **Timing:** You are playing the Equipment as a **[Reaction]** to the **Falling Star** spell. Because the Equipment attaches as part of the **Quick-Draw** trigger, the Might bonus will be active before **Falling Star** resolves. * **Resolution:** The chain resolves in Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) order. The **Quick-Draw** trigger will resolve first, attaching the gear and granting the Might bonus, followed by the resolution of **Falling Star**. * **Might Bonus:** If the Equipment provides a static Might bonus, it will increase the unit's Might immediately upon attachment. If the unit's Might is increased to a level that survives the 3 damage from **Falling Star**, the unit will remain on the board. **Summary:** You can use the **[Reaction]** timing granted by **Quick-Draw** to attach gear and boost a unit's Might while **Falling Star** is waiting on the chain.

No, you cannot exceed the maximum of 12 runes on the board using the ability of the Jhin Legend, **Virtuoso**. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9949** (which addresses the interaction between the Jhin Legend and channeling runes), if you are already at the maximum of 12 runes, you cannot channel additional runes. If you attempt to channel, that portion of the effect simply fails to execute. Furthermore, channeling specifically refers to taking runes from your deck and placing them onto the board; it does not count as readying existing runes.

No, you cannot exceed the limit of 12 runes on the board. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #5452**, 12 runes is the maximum you can have on the board. If you are already at the maximum of 12 runes, the instruction to "channel 4 runes" from the ability of **Virtuoso** cannot be executed, and the effect simply fails to channel those runes. Additionally, as established by **RiftJudge FAQ #2680** (and Rule 430.1), "channeling" specifically refers to placing new runes from your deck onto the board; it is not equivalent to readying runes that are already there.

Ruling: You can play Jinx Demolitionist even with 0 or 1 cards in hand because "discard 2" is an effect, not a cost. This principle applies to other non-targeting effects like Cull of the Weak. Nuances: - If a card requires a target and you cannot satisfy the targeting requirement, then you cannot play it (e.g., Charm cannot be played if the opponent has no units) - Effects that don't target can resolve even if they cannot be fully satisfied

Ruling: Jinx Rebel can be readied multiple times per turn, with each discard trigger activating her ability separately. If she is already ready when you discard, she still gets +1 (do what you can). Nuances: - You must actually discard a card for the ability to trigger; if you have no cards to discard, the ability does not activate.

Ruling: Yes, Kadregrin can count itself.

Ruling: Yes, Kai'Sa legend ability can be used to pay deflect costs. Deflect cost is a mandatory additional cost that becomes part of the spell's total cost, and Kai'Sa can pay any part of a spell's cost whether it's the printed cost or an additional cost. Nuances: - This applies as long as the card being played is a spell - Example: A Kai'Sa player can use the legend ability to pay the deflect cost when targeting a mighty Fiora with Stupify

Ruling: Reaction means you CAN play it in reaction to something, not that you have to. You can use a Reaction any time you could play an Action or a unit, including as the first thing on your turn. Nuances: - Kai'Sa's ability only pays for spells, not for other costs like hiding cards

Ruling: Yes, Kai'Sa's legend ability can be used to pay for Deflect costs. Since Deflect is a mandatory additional cost, it becomes part of the spell's total cost. Sequence: - Put the spell on the chain - Choose targets - Calculate and pay the cost (including any Deflect costs) - Players can then react Nuances: - This only applies if the card being played is a spell (as required by Kai'Sa's ability) - Deflect is not a triggered ability; it's an additional cost that must be paid when targeting

Ruling: No, Kai'Sa's legend ability cannot be used to pay for hidden spell cards. Hiding a card is not the same as playing it. Nuances: - Even though the hidden card is still a spell, the hiding action is distinct from playing the card

Ruling: No, Kai'Sa cannot pay for hiding Sprite Call because hiding is not playing a spell, and Kai'Sa's ability only generates power when playing spells. Nuances: - Hiding a card is distinct from playing/casting it - Sprite Call only requires energy as its cast cost, not power - Kai'Sa generates power specifically for playing spells, which doesn't apply to the hide action

Ruling: Kaisa's ability only provides power that can be used to pay for spells, not energy. This power cannot be used to pay for units or to pay the energy cost of any card, including spells. Nuances: - Kaisa provides power (like recycling a rune), not energy (like exhausting a rune) - The power Kaisa generates can only be used for spell costs, regardless of when or how it was generated - Kaisa can be tapped at any time during the turn and the power gets stored in the pool - Kaisa does not give you a rune or energy; she gives power with a restriction that it can only pay for spells

Ruling: Kaisa's ability generates power (not energy) which can be used to pay for a spell's power requirement. You still need to recycle the required number of runes for the spell's recycle cost. Tapped runes can be used to pay recycle costs. Sequence: - Recycle the required number of runes for the spell (can be tapped or untapped) - Use Kaisa's power generation to fulfill the power requirement - Example: For Smoke Screen, recycle 2 runes and tap Kaisa to pay for the power Nuances: - Kaisa generates power, not energy - The recycle cost (number of runes) must still be paid separately from the power requirement

Ruling: No, Karma cannot give more than one buff when you recycle 2 cards from Candlelit. Nuances: - Karma's text specifies "one or more" cards recycled, which means it triggers once regardless of how many cards are recycled in a single instance

Ruling: No, Karthus cannot cause Ekko to trigger his deathknell twice. You must recycle Ekko to ready the runes, and you cannot recycle him twice from a single death. Nuances: - The recycle part of Ekko's triggered ability is a condition, not a cost - Triggered abilities don't have costs; costs are paid when effects enter the chain - If you fail to recycle Ekko, you don't ready the runes - Ekko's deathknell can trigger on an opponent's turn whenever he dies

Yes, **Kha'Zix, Mutating Horror** can trigger multiple times in a single turn. According to his card text, the ability is a triggered ability: > "When I attack or defend, if an enemy unit is alone here, give me +2 [S] this turn and gain 2 XP." ### Why it can trigger multiple times: 1. **Trigger Condition:** The ability triggers "When I attack or defend." Each time Kha'Zix gains the "Attacker" or "Defender" designation—such as by moving into combat or participating in different combat showdowns throughout a turn—the condition is met. 2. **No "Once Per Turn" Restriction:** Unlike some cards, Kha'Zix’s ability does not contain the phrase "once each turn" or any other language limiting the number of times it can trigger. 3. **Independence:** Each time the trigger condition is met (Kha'Zix gains the Attacker or Defender designation), the ability triggers independently. Provided the "if an enemy unit is alone here" condition is met at that time, the effect will resolve. ### Important Considerations: * **Trigger Timing:** As noted in the rules, combat triggers (Attack/Defend) happen the first time a unit gains the attacker or defender designation in a specific combat. If Kha'Zix were to somehow gain those designations again *within the same combat*, he would not trigger again. However, if he participates in a **different** combat later in the turn, those designations will be assigned again, allowing the ability to trigger anew. * **Condition Check:** The ability is a conditional triggered ability. When the ability triggers and is placed on the chain, the game checks the "if an enemy unit is alone here" condition **on execution** (see Rule 359.3.f.4). If there is an enemy unit alone at the battlefield at that time, he gets the bonus and XP. If the condition is not met (e.g., your opponent has moved another unit there), the ability will still resolve, but it will have no effect.

Ruling: After the errata, Kinkou Monk now says "up to" so it will always enter the chain, even if you only have 1 or 0 other units to buff. Nuances: - Before the errata, the effect only entered the chain if you had 2 other units available to target

According to the RiftJudge FAQ (ID 7306), Kog'Maw cannot kill a 5 might unit with his Deathknell effect. The sequence of events is as follows: 1. **Combat damage is dealt:** Kog'Maw and the opposing unit deal damage to each other. 2. **Combat damage heals:** Damage is healed from units during the Combat Cleanup step. 3. **Deathknell triggers:** Kog'Maw's Deathknell triggers and deals 4 damage. Because the combat damage is healed before the Deathknell damage is applied, a 5 might unit will only have the 4 damage from the Deathknell marked on it, leaving it with 1 might remaining and allowing it to survive.

Ruling: Yes, this interaction works as described. Kog'Maw's Deathknell can trigger during combat, and the damage from the Deathknell effect can combine with subsequent combat damage to kill a unit. Sequence: - Opponent attacks with Kog'Maw and Kayn (and hidden Tideturner) - Reaver's Row sends Kayn back to Base - Both players pass Focus and Kog'Maw dies, triggering Deathknell - Mountain Drake heals from Combat Damage - Kog'Maw trigger goes on the chain and Tideturner is activated targeting Kayn - Priority is passed and Tideturner swaps with Kayn - Priority is passed and Kog'Maw's Deathknell resolves, dealing 4 damage to Mountain Drake - Back in combat, both players pass Focus - Combat damage is dealt to Mountain Drake, which dies from the combined damage of Kog'Maw's Deathknell and Kayn's combat damage Nuances: - Once you enter the Deathknell chain, you're past the point of Focus and are passing priority instead - Priority continues to be passed until the chain is empty

Ruling: No, you cannot spend an enemy unit's buff. A player can only spend buffs on units they control. Nuances: - Cards that say "spend a buff" do not explicitly state "spend a friendly unit's buff" in their text, but the rule still applies that you can only spend buffs from units you control

Ruling: Yes, Kraken Hunter's ability to spend buffs can be used to pay for Accelerate costs because Accelerate is part of the total cost. Sequence: - Determine total cost by applying ignores - Apply additional costs (Accelerate) - Apply cost increases - Apply discounts (Kraken Hunter's effect)

Ruling: No, Last Breath cannot be used to respond to Reaction spells during a showdown because it is an Action spell, not a Reaction. Actions can only be played while the Chain is empty. Sequence: - Start of Showdown - opponent passes - You play Hidden Blade (Reaction) onto opponent's unit and pass - Opponent can only play a Reaction spell or pass at this point - If opponent passes, Hidden Blade resolves and the unit dies - Only after the Chain is empty can the opponent play Last Breath on a different unit Nuances: - Last Breath can be played on any unit, not just Yasuo (signature spells are only restricted during deck construction, not targeting) - Actions can never react to anything at any time - only Reactions can react

Ruling: No, Last Breath cannot be activated without both a friendly unit to ready and an enemy unit at a battlefield to deal damage to. Both targets must be legal at activation for the spell to enter the chain. Nuances: - If Last Breath is successfully activated with both valid targets, but one target becomes invalid before resolution, the spell resolves doing as much as it can with the remaining valid target ("do as much as you can" only applies during resolution, not activation) - The distinction between activation requirements and resolution is key: all targets must be legal when activating the spell, but targets can become invalid during resolution - This differs from cards like Dragon's Rage which use "Then" to indicate sequential timing, where the second target is chosen during resolution rather than activation

No, you cannot use LeBlanc's "Deceiver" ability if you have no cards in your hand. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #8686**, the discard in LeBlanc’s ability ("...discard 1 and exhaust me to...") is a **cost**. In Riftbound, a cost must be paid in full to activate an ability or play a card. If you have no cards in your hand, you cannot pay the cost, and therefore you cannot activate the ability at all. You cannot draw a card to satisfy this cost because the cost must be paid at the moment you choose to activate the ability, before any potential subsequent effects (such as draws from other sources) could occur.

Ruling: You can only activate abilities during your turn in a neutral open state. Dragon's Rage cannot be played in combat because it does not say action or reaction on it. Nuances: - Buffs (specifically the keyword 'buff') are permanent and will persist when you pass turn to your opponent - Other might increases that are not specifically labeled as 'buff' are not permanent

Ruling: No, a stunned unit cannot be stunned again, so Leona cannot target an already stunned unit to trigger her legend ability. Nuances: - A unit that is already stunned is not a valid target for additional stun effects

Ruling: Lonely Poro's 'alone' condition can trigger while it is in base. Nuances: - The 'alone' condition is not restricted to the battlefield only

To determine if **Lucian, Gunslinger** can deal damage before a defending unit's **Shield** applies, we must look at the timing of combat and how **Shield** functions. ### The Short Answer **No.** Lucian, Gunslinger cannot deal damage to a unit "before" its Shield applies because Shield is a **Passive Ability** that is inherently active whenever the unit is a defender in combat. There is no timing window between the unit becoming a defender and the Shield bonus being applied to its Might. ### Explanation 1. **Shield is Passive:** According to Rule 814.1, **Shield** is a passive ability. It does not use the chain and it does not trigger. It is "always on" as long as the unit has the **Defender** designation (Rule 814.1.c). 2. **Combat Timing:** When a unit is designated as a defender at the start of a combat showdown, it gains the Defender designation immediately. Because Shield is a passive ability, it immediately calculates into the unit's Might as part of the game state (Rule 471, Layers). 3. **Lucian's Ability:** Lucian’s "When I attack" ability is a triggered ability that goes on the chain when combat begins. Even if your opponent reacts to Lucian's trigger, the defender's Shield bonus is already active because the unit is already a defender. * If your opponent plays a card to remove the defender or the Shield, they can do so in response to Lucian's trigger, but they cannot force a window where the unit is a defender but *not* shielded. ### Summary of the Sequence * **Combat Begins:** Units are assigned Attacker/Defender designations. * **Shield Activates:** The defender's Shield bonus is applied to its Might instantly (passive, no chain). * **Lucian Triggers:** Lucian’s "When I attack" trigger is placed on the chain. * **Interaction:** If an opponent uses a reaction to remove the Shield or the unit, they do so while Lucian's trigger is on the chain. If the Shield remains, it is already providing its bonus to the defender's Might when Lucian's trigger resolves. In short, Shield is not a "response" that happens after Lucian acts; it is a static modification to the defender's characteristics that is present the moment combat starts.

Ruling: No, Lux - Crownguard cannot be used to pay for Hard Bargain's effect cost because Lux can only be used to play spells, not to pay for effect costs like "counter a spell unless its controller pays 2." Nuances: - Deflect is different because it changes the cost of the spell when you play it (an additional cost) - Hard Bargain's cost is not linked to the playing of the spell itself; it makes you pay an additional cost or something bad happens to your spell after it's played

Ruling: Yes, you can use Lux's 2 energy for multiple different spells. You can "float" energy in your rune pool, meaning you generate the energy and use it later in the turn, even splitting it across multiple spells. Sequence: - Use Lux ability to generate 2 energy - The energy enters your rune pool as floating energy - Spend the energy on spells at any point during your turn (can be split across multiple spells) - Any unused floating energy disappears when your rune pool empties (at draw step and end of turn) Nuances: - You don't channel new runes when using Lux, you just create energy - Floating energy/power disappears if not used before the rune pool empties - Your rune pool empties at the draw step and at the end of each turn - Runes themselves stay tapped/untapped; only floating resources disappear

Ruling: Malzahar Fanatic can only target friendly units or friendly gear, not enemy gear. Nuances: - The "or" in the ability text does not split the "friendly" modifier - it applies to both "unit" and "gear" - The ability should be read as "friendly (unit or gear)" not "(friendly unit) or (gear)"

Yes, Malzahar can kill an exhausted unit (or gear) to pay the cost for his ability. According to the FAQ regarding Malzahar: * **Costs can be paid in any order:** You can exhaust Malzahar first, then kill the target unit (or gear) to satisfy the costs. * **Exhausted status:** There is no restriction preventing an exhausted unit or gear from being chosen as the target for the "Kill" cost of Malzahar's ability. As long as the unit or gear is friendly and on the board, it is a legal target for the kill cost, regardless of whether it is currently exhausted or ready.

Ruling: Yes, Malzahar can kill himself to activate his ability. The costs can be paid in any order, so he can exhaust himself before killing himself. Sequence: - Pay energy/power costs first - Pay other costs (exhaust and kill) in any order - Exhaust Malzahar, then kill him to satisfy both costs Nuances: - The costs of an activated ability (what's before the colon) are considered non-standard costs when they aren't energy or power - Non-standard costs can be paid in any order - This follows the same steps as playing cards when activating abilities

Ruling: Mask of Foresight can trigger multiple times per battle, but only once per unit per combat. Attack and Defend triggers only apply the first time a specific unit gains the attacker/defender designation during a combat. Sequence: - When a unit first gains defender designation in a combat, Mask triggers - If that same unit leaves and re-enters the battlefield during the same combat, Mask will not trigger again for that unit - If attacking a second battlefield in a different combat (e.g., using Ride the Wind to start a new combat), Mask can trigger again Nuances: - The restriction is per unit per combat, not per turn - Different units gaining defender status in the same combat will each trigger Mask once - A new combat (even in the same turn) resets the trigger eligibility

Ruling: Yes, Miss Fortune - Captain can target and ready another unit that attacked with her, such as Traveling Merchant, because triggers resolve after the triggering event completes. Sequence: - Both Miss Fortune and Traveling Merchant exhaust and move to the battlefield when declaring the attack - After the attack is declared, Miss Fortune's Move trigger resolves - At this point, both units are exhausted and at the battlefield - Miss Fortune can target the exhausted Traveling Merchant to ready it

Ruling: Only Miss Fortune Captain moves to the contested battlefield. The unit on the other battlefield gets readied by her ability, but cannot move to join the combat because the showdown starts immediately after MF contests the battlefield. Sequence: - Miss Fortune Captain moves to contest a battlefield - Her ability triggers and readies the exhausted unit on the other battlefield - Showdown starts immediately since MF contested a battlefield - Only after the showdown resolves can other units move Nuances: - This is different from Yasuo's signature ability which occurs during combat rather than before combat

Ruling: Miss Fortune Captain cannot ready an exhausted unit in the base and then add it to a showdown at an occupied battlefield. However, if both Miss Fortune and another unit are ready and move together to the battlefield, Miss Fortune's ability can ready that unit. Sequence: - If Miss Fortune moves alone to an occupied battlefield, she cannot bring an exhausted unit from the base to that showdown - If Miss Fortune and a ready unit move together to the same battlefield, Miss Fortune's ability can ready that unit Nuances: - Units can move together at the same time to the same location, but once Miss Fortune has moved, the window to move other units with her has passed