Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

In *Riftbound*, priority is the exclusive right to take discretionary actions. According to Rule 312.2, a player receives priority at the following specific moments: 1. **Neutral Open State:** When the turn is in a Neutral Open State during the player's Action Phase (Rule 312.2.a). 2. **Gaining Focus:** When the turn is in a Showdown State and the player gains focus (Rule 312.2.b). 3. **Controlling the Chain:** When the turn is in a Closed State and the player controls the next item on the chain (Rule 312.2.c). 4. **Passing Priority:** When the turn is in a Closed State, the player is the next in turn order, and the current player with priority passes (Rule 312.2.d). Additionally, specific game steps dictate priority transitions: * **Passing:** If a player passes priority without adding an item to the chain, the active player passes priority to the next player in turn order (Rule 335.2). * **Showdown Resolution:** When the last item on a chain resolves during a showdown (excluding the initial chain), focus passes, and the next player gains both focus and priority (Rule 343). When a player is granted priority, it is either created if no player had it, or it is removed from the player who previously held it (Rule 312.3). Note: I could not fully verify the ruling regarding Rule 333.1.c.3 against the retrieved rules.

Ruling: You can play reaction spells in response to anything that stays on the chain. Units and gear do not stay on the chain, so you cannot react to them being played. However, you can react to effects that resolve when a character joins the field. Nuances: - Units and gear cannot be reacted to because they don't stay on the chain - Effects triggered by units (such as when a character joins the field) can be reacted to because those effects go on the chain

Ruling: In 2v2, teammates may not use the same Champion Legend or the same Battlefields. There are no other deck construction restrictions. Nuances: - This rule is found in the Core Rules under mode of play - Teammates cannot share battlefields during gameplay (separate from deck construction)

Ruling: The December 4th rules update made Deathknell work as written (RAW) and clarified that a Deathknell unit can die to combat damage and Zhonya's Hourglass can be flipped in response to the Deathknell trigger. Nuances: - Kog'Maw's damage still occurs after healing - The rules update fixed a technical issue where Kog'Maw previously did nothing because there was no "my battlefield" when he was in the trash

Ruling: When time is called in a Best of 3 Nexus game, finish the current turn, then play 5 overtime turns. The winner is the player with the most points at the end of overtime. Sequence: - Finish the current turn when time is called - Play 5 overtime turns - Determine winner based on who has the most points

To ensure clarity and prevent the accidental mixing of decks during high-level organized play (OPL), you must arrange your board according to the layout rules specified in **Tournament Rules 508**. ### Mandatory Board Layout (Tournament Rules 508.1 – 508.6) * **Main Deck and Trash:** These must be grouped together on either the left or the right side of your board (Rule 508.4). * **Rune Deck:** This must be placed on the **opposite side** of the board from your Main Deck (Rule 508.5). * **Legend:** Must be placed between your non-rune permanents and your Chosen Champion (Rule 508.6). * **Legend and Chosen Champion:** These must be kept together on whichever side of the board you have chosen for them (Rule 508.6). * **Vertical Positioning:** * **Runes:** Must be positioned closer to you (the player) than non-rune cards (Rule 508.2). * **Non-Runes:** Must be positioned closer to your opponent than your runes (Rule 508.3). ### Additional Layout Requirements * **Associations:** Each card or indicator that attaches to another must be clearly associated with it physically (Rule 508.7). * **Exhaustion:** Ready objects should face you. Exhausted objects must be rotated 90 degrees. All exhausted objects must be rotated consistently (either all clockwise or all counter-clockwise) (Rule 508.10). * **Tokens/Buffs:** Tokens must be represented by cards that clearly show their status, and buffs must be represented by objects that unambiguously represent a buff in game terms (Rule 508.8, 508.9). These layout rules are mandatory for clarity in competitive settings. In high OPL, players must follow these arrangements strictly.

Ruling: Each player distributes their own combat damage to opposing units (both attacker and defender assign their own damage). If might is equal on both sides, all units typically die unless effects like Stun or Kayn prevent damage. Sequence: - Each player sums total might of their units in combat - Each player assigns that much damage to opponent's units as they wish - Must assign lethal damage to one unit before moving to the next - If both attackers and defenders survive (due to Stun, Kayn, etc), attackers are recalled to base Nuances: - Moving to an unoccupied battlefield starts a noncombat showdown where the controller of the moving unit gets Focus and Priority first, then it passes around the table - Activated abilities and cards without Action or Reaction can only be used on your turn outside of showdowns - Actions can be used during Showdowns when you have Focus and there is no chain; Actions CANNOT be played in response to another effect - Reactions can be played in response to any other ability or trigger on the chain and go on top of the chain - Units do not stay on the chain and cannot be reacted to (though "when I'm played" effects can be reacted to) - When something is on the chain and both players pass, the next item resolves, then players get the chance to react again before the next item resolves

Ruling: You must communicate accurately. When an opponent moves to a battlefield and asks if you respond (with no triggers on the chain), they have passed you focus. If you say no, combat immediately resolves and you cannot then play an action spell. Sequence: - When a unit moves to battlefield, check if there are any attack/defend/move triggers - If there's a move trigger, it must be checked for reactions and resolved first - After the trigger resolves (or if there are no triggers), the attacker gains focus and must pass it - Once focus is passed to you, you can play actions or pass back - If you pass, combat resolves Nuances: - You can only respond when there's a chain or focus - moving itself creates neither - To avoid confusion, explicitly state game state changes like "move trigger resolves" instead of just saying "pass" - When playing against less technical players, verbally clarify the game state (e.g., "move trigger resolves. You have Focus.")

Ruling: Players must announce their triggers when they have an observable impact on the game (e.g., drawing a card, buffing a unit, exhausting a rune). If a trigger like Jinx Legend is missed, it follows missed trigger rules, not missed draw rules. Missed draw rules only apply when a player had an obligation to draw cards and didn't (e.g., forgetting to draw after Voidseeker resolves). Sequence: - Triggers that don't create visible changes (like stat modifications or delayed triggers) don't need to be announced until they become relevant - Once a trigger has an observable impact, it must be announced at that time - If a trigger is completely missed and never announced, the opponent decides whether to allow it to resolve Nuances: - Stat changes (might/health buffs) are not directly visible by default, so they don't need to be announced until they matter (e.g., during combat) - Creating a delayed trigger doesn't need immediate announcement (e.g., Targon's Peak on conquer only needs announcement at end of turn) - Gaining points or channeling runes are observable impacts that must be announced immediately - This policy went into effect for RQ Houston and applies to all tournaments, though the official Tournament Rules document won't be updated until January

Ruling: You may mix cards of any official language (Chinese, English, etc.) within your deck, including the Main Deck, as long as all cards are in identical opaque sleeves and are not physically distinguishable from one another when sleeved. Nuances: - Different language printings may have slight variations in card stock thickness, weight, or texture that could make them distinguishable even when sleeved - If a judge determines that mixed-language cards are physically distinguishable (by feel, visible deck profile differences, etc.), they may rule the deck as having "marked cards" and require changes - Players are responsible for ensuring their mixed-language cards are not distinguishable through sleeves - At high-level competitive play, keeping each shuffled zone (Main Deck, Rune Deck) in a single language is recommended to avoid potential marked card issues - Non-shuffled zones (Legend, Battlefields) can be any language without concern since they are never randomized - Players may call a judge at any time to receive official English card text if there are translation questions or disputes

Ruling: You can save your unit from Harnessed Dragon with Zhonya's Hourglass (hidden or active), Gust (if your unit is on the battlefield with 3 or less Might), or Sett Legend (if your unit is buffed). Nuances: - Zhonya's Hourglass works whether it's hidden or already active - Gust only works if the targeted unit is on the battlefield and has 3 or less Might - Sett Legend only works if your unit is buffed

Ruling: Token units are units created by effects that do not count as cards. They can be represented by anything players agree on (official token cards, dice, etc.), exist outside the game when not in use, and are kept off to the side (not in your deck). Sequence: - Tokens are created by effects as specified - They enter the board with stats (might, etc.) as specified by the creating effect - When tokens leave the board for any reason (killed, sent to hand, etc.), they are destroyed and vanish back to ether rather than going to trash Nuances: - Different token types exist (sprites have 3 might, recruits have 1 might) - The effect creating the token specifies its might - Tournament rules require tokens to be able to represent card state (exhausted, might, etc.)

Ruling: When you hide a card, you pay 1 Power of any domain (not the card's energy cost). When you play the card from hidden later, you pay no additional costs. Sequence: - To hide a card: Pay 1 Power (by recycling a rune or using other power-generating abilities) - To play from hidden: Pay nothing (the card is played for free) Nuances: - Power costs are paid by recycling runes (not just tapping them), or through other abilities that generate power (like Kai'Sa legend, Malzahar, or seals) - The 1 Power to hide can be paid with any domain/seal - The rune recycled for power can be one that is already tapped - If playing the card directly from hand (not from hidden), you would pay its normal energy cost in the upper left

Ezreal, Prodigy reduces additional costs that are optional to pay. These will generally use both the words “additional cost” and the word “may.” Repeat and Accelerate are the two main sources of optional additional costs, but Ezreal can also offer a discount for one-off oddballs like Blast Corps Cadet. Ezreal can’t reduce Equip costs. That’s an activation cost for an ability, so it’s neither optional nor additional. There aren’t currently any optional additional costs that apply to activating abilities.

Ruling: A card counts as "played" regardless of whether it's played from hand or cheated out through other means. Tokens are not cards and therefore spawning a token does not count as playing a card. Nuances: - Spells specifically are only considered played if they resolve. If a spell is countered, it is not "played". - When a spell is countered (e.g., by Windwall or Defy), you still pay the cost of the spell before the opponent gets an opportunity to counter it.

Ruling: Play effect triggers only occur after a card is resolved. A card that is countered (such as by Defy) will not count as being played for triggered abilities like Ravenbloom Student. Nuances: - Darius can see himself as the second card played for his own ability - Cruel Patron cannot sacrifice himself because additional costs are paid before the unit hits the board

According to **Rule 344** and the associated **RiftJudge FAQs**, a Showdown begins when control of a battlefield is contested and the turn is in a **Neutral Open State** (meaning no other showdown or combat is currently ongoing). Here is the breakdown of how a Showdown begins: ### 1. When a Showdown Begins * **Contesting a Battlefield:** A Showdown is triggered when a player moves a unit into a battlefield that they do not currently control. * **Combat vs. Non-Combat:** * **Combat Showdown:** If the battlefield already contains units controlled by an opponent, the Showdown opens as a **Combat Showdown** (Rule 344.1). * **Non-Combat Showdown:** If the battlefield is empty (uncontrolled) or contains only units controlled by the player who just moved in, it opens as a **Non-Combat Showdown** (Rule 344.2). ### 2. Important Timing Nuances * **Staging:** If a battlefield becomes contested while a chain is resolving or another showdown is ongoing, the Showdown is **staged** and will not begin until the current chain resolves and the state returns to "Neutral Open" (Rule 323.11, FAQ #4322). * **No Showdown for Reinforcements:** Moving a unit to a battlefield you **already control** does not trigger a Showdown; it is simply considered a reinforcement (FAQ #8066, FAQ #5980). * **Only One Showdown:** Only one Showdown can exist at a time. If multiple are staged, they must resolve one after another (FAQ #10). ### 3. The Sequence of Initiation When a Showdown begins: 1. **Focus:** The player who applied the "Contested" status to the battlefield gains **Focus** (Rule 345). 2. **State:** The game enters a **Showdown State**, which is a Window of Opportunity where players can play spells and activate abilities in an alternating fashion (Rule 342, Rule 343). 3. **Combat Transition:** If a non-combat showdown is ongoing and a combat becomes staged at that same battlefield, the showdown will transition into a combat showdown during the next cleanup (Rule 323.14, Patch Notes 2026-03-30).

Ruling: An ability is any text on a card, including Triggered, Activated, and Passive abilities. Nuances: - Targeting occurs when you choose a card for something (often indicated by words like "Choose", "a", "an") - Targeting does not occur when your opponent chooses for themselves - For effects that deal damage "between X units," targeting occurs when you originally choose a unit as one of your possible targets, even if the damage is distributed

In *Riftbound*, "choosing" a unit is synonymous with **targeting** it. When a card instructs you to choose one or more specific game objects to affect, those objects are considered targeted (Rule 352.6). ### Key Principles for Identifying "Choosing/Targeting" According to Rule 352.10, a game object mentioned in the text of a spell or ability is a **target** (and thus is being "chosen") unless one of the following exceptions applies: * **Programmatic Selection:** If the object is selected automatically based on its characteristics rather than by the controller's choice, it is not targeted. * *Example:* "Kill all units at a battlefield" targets the battlefield, but does not target the units themselves because they are selected by the criteria of being at that location. * **Costs, Triggers, and Replacement Effects:** Objects mentioned only as part of a cost, a trigger condition, or a replacement effect are not targeted. * *Example:* "As an additional cost to play me, kill a friendly unit" does not target the unit. * **Non-Public Zones:** Objects in non-public zones (like your hand) are generally not targeted. * **Mandatory Instructions:** If an instruction forces a player to complete an action (e.g., "You must recycle one of your runes"), the choice is made upon resolution, not when the spell is placed on the chain, and it does not count as targeting. ### Important Nuances * **Equipping:** Attaching an equipment (gear) to a unit counts as choosing/targeting that unit (FAQ 4550, 7601). * **Self-Reference:** When a unit refers to itself (e.g., "give me +3"), it is not considered choosing or targeting itself, as it is programmatically selected (FAQ 3999). * **"Any Number" / "Up To":** If a card allows you to choose "any number" or "up to" a certain amount, each object you choose is targeted independently (Rule 352.12, 352.13). * **Splitting Damage:** If a card specifies that damage may be split among units, each unit chosen to receive damage is targeted (Rule 352.14.a). If you are ever unsure if a specific card effect counts as "choosing," check if the controller is making an active selection of a specific object on the board. If the selection is forced by criteria or is part of a cost/trigger, it is likely not a target.

Ruling: An 'open' battlefield means completely empty with no units from any players present. Nuances: - You cannot play units to battlefields where opponents have units, even if you don't have units there - You can play multiple copies of the same named champion (including multiple purple MFs) on the field at once

According to Rule 134, a card's domain is defined by one or more symbols located in the lower-right corner of the card. Each domain has an associated color, a unique symbol, and a shorthand notation used in text: * **Fury:** Associated with the color **red** and represented by a circular symbol with three projecting points. Shorthand: **[R]**. * **Calm:** Associated with the color **green** and represented by a leaf-like symbol. Shorthand: **[G]**. * **Mind:** Associated with the color **blue** and represented by a sun and moon symbol. Shorthand: **[B]**. * **Body:** Associated with the color **orange** and represented by a blocky diamond-shaped symbol. Shorthand: **[O]**. * **Chaos:** Associated with the color **purple** and represented by a hexagonal symbol with swirls. Shorthand: **[P]**. * **Order:** Associated with the color **yellow** and represented by an angular winged symbol. Shorthand: **[Y]**. For colorblind accessibility, you can also identify a card's domain by the symbol itself at the bottom right of the card, or by the color of the bar behind the card's name (as noted in RiftJudge FAQ 6342).

Ruling: Triggered abilities always go on the chain when their trigger condition is met. Whether the effect itself is optional or mandatory is determined by the word "may" - if "may" is present, the effect is optional; otherwise it is mandatory by default. Sequence: - When a trigger condition is met (often starts with "When" or "At"), the triggered ability must be put on the chain - The controller of the last item in the chain gets priority first - Upon resolution, if the effect contains "may", you can choose whether to perform the action; if not, the effect is mandatory Nuances: - You don't "activate" triggered abilities - triggered abilities are triggered, while activate abilities are activated - The distinction between putting an ability on the chain (mandatory for triggered abilities) and resolving its effect (which may be optional with "may") is important

Ruling: You don't pay power to hide cards this turn. Nuances: - The phrasing means "you can [hide] [while] ignoring costs" - the verb is "hide" and you ignore the costs while doing so

Ruling: "Choose" means "Target" in Riftbound. Nuances: - This clarification applies when evaluating whether cards are "choosing" units

Ruling: Open State means the chain is empty. Actions can only be played when the chain is empty (in Open State), while reactions can be played any time you have priority. Sequence: - You gain priority when you get focus - If you have the ability to play an action (focus and chain is empty), you also have priority to play reactions Nuances: - Actions can be played in showdowns when you have focus and the chain is empty, OR outside of showdowns on your turn when the chain is empty - Reactions can be played any time you have priority, not just in Open State - If there are actions in a chain, you can still play reactions as long as you have priority

Ruling: 'Add' means you can exhaust the card and spend it for a power cost, without having to recycle a rune to generate the power.

Ruling: Something is pending when it is being added to the chain, but you haven't made the choices, determined cost, paid cost, and checked legality yet. Sequence: - Cast (becomes pending chain item) - Make choices (target) - Pay costs - Finalizes and goes on the chain - Now reactions can happen Nuances: - Pending exists because sometimes things are played/added to the chain during the resolution of a spell (like Promising Future or Baited Hook), but you have to finish the full resolution of that spell before actually finalizing those cards on the chain

Ruling: Fiora, Peerless is a 3-cost, 3-Might Champion unit with Body domain. When she attacks or defends one-on-one, her Might doubles for that combat (from 3 to 6). Nuances: - The doubling only applies in true 1v1 combat situations - She must be either the sole attacker or sole defender for the ability to trigger - The Might increase lasts only for the duration of that specific combat

HOT FEPR stands for **H**andle **O**utstanding **T**asks; then **F**inalize, **E**xecute, **P**ass, **R**esolve. According to the [Patch Notes - 2026-03-30], this process is used to manage game procedures and the resolution of items on the chain. When tasks are outstanding, the FEPR process is paused until those tasks have been handled.

Ruling: Nocturne's errata now banishes him to resolve rare corner cases in the rules and ensure the game can rollback if needed. This applies to effects that look at or reveal from the top of your deck (like Vision, Stacked Deck, Teemo, Baited Hook), but does not apply to simply drawing cards. Nuances: - Drawing cards does not trigger the errata interaction - The errata specifically handles effects that look at or reveal from the top of the deck, not just Vision

**Tideturner** is a Chaos-domain unit with the **Hidden** keyword. Its ability reads: "When you play me, you may choose a unit you control at another location. Move me to its location and it to my original location." Yes, Tideturner has errata. The text was updated to clarify that it must target a unit you control at a *different* location. **Summary of Errata (2025-10-21):** * **Old Text:** "When you play me, you may choose a **friendly unit**. Move me to its location and it to my original location." * **New Text:** "When you play me, you may choose a **unit you control at another location**. Move me to its location and it to my original location." This change clarifies that you cannot swap Tideturner with a unit at its own location and reinforces that the target must be at a different battlefield location.

In Riftbound, a number in a circle (e.g., [1], [2], [3]) represents an **Energy cost**. These symbols indicate the amount of Energy required to play a card or activate an ability. You can find this information in the "Reference" section of the provided game documentation: * **[1]/[2]/[3]/...**: Represents the energy cost of a card or ability. If you are seeing these numbers in the text of a card, they are shorthand for the cost you must pay to play that card or use its effect.

Ruling: Battlefields can have a domain identity (rune colors), though current cards don't utilize this feature yet. Nuances: - No existing battlefield cards currently have domain identity - This is a rule for potential future cards

Yes, you retain control of a battlefield while it is being attacked. According to **Rule 187.3.d** and **FAQ #8259**, a battlefield can be both controlled by a player and in a "contested" state at the same time. When an opponent moves a unit into a battlefield you control, the battlefield becomes **Contested**, but you do not lose control of it simply because the opponent has moved a unit there. Here is how this works in practice: * **Retaining Control:** You maintain control of the battlefield while it is contested. This means you can still use abilities that require you to control that battlefield (such as "Ornn's Forge" or other battlefield-specific abilities) while the combat is ongoing. * **Combat Resolution:** Control of the battlefield cannot change until the combat or showdown concludes (Rule 187.4.b). * **Changing Control:** Control is only re-evaluated at the end of the combat or showdown (Rule 187.4). If you are the only player with units remaining at the battlefield after combat ends, you maintain control. If your opponent manages to remove all your units and they have units remaining, they will establish control, and you will lose it. In summary: You remain the controller of the battlefield throughout the combat, and your control is only at risk of being lost depending on the outcome of that combat.

Winning and losing combats is a system that was inadvertently left out of the most recent rules update. Here are the conditions under which you win, lose, or tie a combat. After combat damage has been dealt: If neither player has units remaining at the battlefield or both players have units remaining, combat is a tie. If both players do, attackers are recalled. If only one player has units remaining at the battlefield, that player wins the combat and the other player loses. Draven triggers if he’s among the units that survive. It doesn’t matter whether combat damage was actually dealt, only that there was a combat showdown and only your units were left after combat damage. If you killed or removed all the opposing units with spells and abilities before Draven had to throw any punches, he still wins. (Think of it as winning by default.) You can win a combat on either offense or defense.

Ruling: Rule 538 means you cannot play Reactions when a permanent card is played (usually from hand, but also from hidden). You skip priority and go straight to resolving the chain. However, activated and triggered abilities of permanents CAN still be reacted to, because abilities are not themselves cards. Nuances: - Playing a permanent from hidden still counts as playing a permanent card, so no reactions allowed - Token units created by abilities can still be reacted to because abilities grant priority - The rule applies specifically to permanent cards being played, not to abilities of permanents

In Riftbound, "taking damage" refers to the process of marking a specific value of damage on a unit. Based on the official rules and FAQs, here is the breakdown of what this means: ### 1. Damage vs. Might It is important to distinguish between damage and a unit's Might: * **Might** represents both a unit's attack power and its maximum damage capacity. Dealing damage **does not** reduce a unit's Might. * **A damaged unit** is defined as any unit that has damage counters currently marked on it (Rule 142). Even if a unit has been buffed to have higher Might, it is still considered "damaged" if it has any damage counters on it. ### 2. The Mechanics of Taking Damage * **Marking Damage:** When a spell, ability, or combat action deals damage, that amount is marked on the unit (Rule 417.1.b). * **Tracking:** Damage is tracked per-unit using tokens, dice, or other markers. It is not a "game object" itself, but rather a value assigned to the unit (Rule 142). * **Lethal Damage:** Damage tracks how close a unit is to being killed. If a unit has non-zero damage marked on it that is **equal to or greater than its Might**, the unit is considered to have "lethal damage" and will be killed during the cleanup step (Rule 143.2.a; Rule 323.5.3b). ### 3. When is Damage Healed? Damage is not permanent. All damage marked on units is cleared (healed) at two specific times: * At the end of each round (end of combat). * At the end of each player's turn (Rule 143.3.b). ### Key Nuance: Combat Damage During the Combat Damage Step, players do not "deal" damage immediately. Instead, they first **assign** damage to enemy units. Damage is only actually "dealt" (marked on the units) once all assignments are complete and both players have finished assigning their units' total Might. *** *Source: Core Rules 142, 143, 417, 460; RiftJudge FAQ #2642.*

Ruling: The 'Add' tag means you're adding that resource to your temporary rune pool, which must be spent or it will go away at the end of the turn or at the draw phase. The universal power symbol means you can spend it on power costs of any domain (color), whereas power is normally generated by recycling a rune of the appropriate color. Nuances: - You can't respond to add abilities and they don't pass focus - The resource is temporary and disappears if not used by end of turn or draw phase

Ruling: A dual color rune cost means you can pay that power cost with power of either color shown in the symbol. For example, a dual red/purple cost of 2 can be paid with 2 purple, 2 red, or 1 of each. Nuances: - If a card required both colors separately, it would show separate red and purple symbols rather than a combined dual-color symbol - Single-power dual-domain costs (like 1 power that can be either color) exist and demonstrate this is the intended interpretation

Ruling: "Choose" means "target" in the context of card effects. Nuances: - For cards that choose multiple things, each individual choice must meet the targeting criteria (e.g., if a card requires targeting two enemy units, both chosen units must be enemies) - A card like Switcheroo that swaps stats between two units only triggers "target enemy unit" effects if both units being swapped are enemy units

Ruling: 'Here' refers to any location that the unit is currently at, whether that is the battlefield or a base. Nuances: - The effect applies specifically to the location where the card (e.g., Darius) is positioned, not to any location in general

Ruling: You pay one power to set a unit hidden to a battlefield you control. Starting next turn, you can play the card for free as a reaction, with the restriction that it only affects the battlefield it's been placed on. Sequence: - Step 1: Pay one power to set the unit hidden to a battlefield you control - Step 2: Starting next turn, you can play the card for free as a reaction Nuances: - The card can only affect the battlefield it's been placed on - You ignore the casting cost when playing it from hidden

Ruling: If it's the same player's turn again, a full turn cycle has passed and it's too late to retroactively draw the missed card. Nuances: - The turn where the mistake was made counts as part of the turn cycle - Once your turn comes around again, you cannot go back and correct the missed draw from your previous turn

Ruling: It's easier to think of what CAN be responded to: anything that makes a chain (abilities, units with triggers, and gears). The exceptions are add abilities, units themselves, and gears - these three cannot be responded to even though they use the chain. Sequence: - Playing a unit cannot be responded to - If that unit has a "when I'm played" (WYPM) trigger, that ability goes on the chain and CAN be responded to Nuances: - Cannot respond to: tapping & recycling rune, adding mana to pool, ending turn, playing a unit with no trigger, hiding a card, beginning phase (except hold triggers), standard moving - Might-changing effects using "While" (like Assault, Shield, or conditional might bonuses) don't use the chain - Physical game actions like shuffling, tapping cards, or taking a drink also cannot be responded to

When you remove the target of **Mirror Image** (e.g., by bouncing it to a hand or killing it) after the spell has been played but before it resolves, the following happens: ### The Result Your opponent **still gets the Reflection token**, but the token **fails to copy the target**. ### Sequence of Events 1. **Opponent plays Mirror Image:** They target a unit and place the spell on the chain. 2. **You play a Reaction:** You play a card to remove that unit from the battlefield (e.g., return it to hand). You place this on top of the chain. 3. **Chain Resolves (Last-In, First-Out):** * **Your Reaction resolves first:** The unit is moved to the hand (or another zone). It is no longer on the battlefield. * **Mirror Image resolves second:** It attempts to execute its instructions in order: 1. **"Play a ready Reflection unit token to your base":** This succeeds. A 0-Might **Reflection** token enters play. 2. **"It becomes a copy of that unit":** This instruction fails because the target is no longer on the board. According to **Rule 359.3.e.6**, this instruction is ignored. 3. **"Give it [Temporary]":** This executes successfully. The **Reflection** token remains on the board with the **[Temporary]** keyword and its base stats (0 Might). ### Summary Because spells and abilities in Riftbound resolve as much as they can (ignoring only the parts that are impossible to execute, per **Rule 359.3.e.11**), the token is still created, but the "copy" effect fails to find its target and is skipped. The token remains on the board until the start of your opponent's next Beginning Phase, when the **[Temporary]** effect kills it. *This interpretation is based on standard chain and timing rules (Rule 359.3) and is supported by RiftJudge FAQs #9807 and #10681 regarding similar targeting interactions.*

**Draven's Legend ability triggers and resolves BEFORE conquer effects.** According to the FAQ 'If I win on the attack and conquer, does this happen before or after I score? Before or after conquer effects?': > Draven's ability will trigger and resolve before you gain your regular point for scoring the battlefield and before any conquer effects are triggered. **The sequence is:** 1. Combat concludes and you win (only your units remain) 2. Draven's "When you win a combat, draw 1" ability triggers and **resolves immediately** 3. You gain control of the battlefield (Conquer) 4. Conquer effects trigger and resolve **Important note:** This timing matters for the Final Point rule. If you're at 6 points and conquer a battlefield with Draven, you'll draw a card instead of scoring the Final Point—because Draven's draw resolves first, bringing you to 7 points before the conquer effect would trigger.

In a combat showdown, **the Deathknell trigger happens during the Combat Cleanup, but the Deathknell ability resolves after the units have healed.** Here is the precise sequence of events during the Combat Cleanup (following Rules 323, 461, and the official RiftJudge FAQs): 1. **Combat Damage Step:** Combat damage is dealt to units. 2. **Triggering Deathknell:** As part of the "Handle outstanding board state" step of the cleanup (Rule 323.4), any units with lethal damage that have **Deathknell** (such as Scuttle Crab) trigger their abilities. These triggers are placed on the chain as "Pending Items." 3. **Killing Units:** Units with lethal damage are killed and placed in the trash (Rule 323.5). 4. **Healing:** Surviving units on the battlefield are healed (Rule 461.1.a.1). 5. **Resolution:** The game returns to the FEPR process, and the **Deathknell** abilities that were added to the chain in Step 2 resolve. ### Summary While the *trigger* for the Deathknell occurs during the cleanup, the *effect* of the Deathknell (e.g., your opponent revealing their hand) **does not execute until after the healing step is finished**. Therefore, you cannot use a Deathknell effect to "save" a unit or finish off a unit that survived the combat damage, as the healing will have already cleared the damage by the time the Deathknell resolves.

Ruling: The fight would occur but since Snapvine is dead it returns a null/0 might unit and the resulting damage is 0. Effectively nothing happens. Sequence: - Snapvine's triggered ability resolves - The fight occurs - Snapvine (now dead) is treated as a 0 might unit - No damage is dealt to the target

Ruling: When Hidden Blade is responded to with Fight or Flight, the unit does not die and you do not draw 2 cards. Nuances: - The unit moves before Hidden Blade resolves, so the returned value is "null" - You cannot kill something that doesn't exist at that location - The draw effect also does not trigger because the target no longer exists

When you use **Wages of Pain** on a unit with **Assault 2**, the outcome depends on whether that unit is currently an **attacker** in combat. ### 1. If the unit is NOT an attacker If the unit is not currently an attacker (e.g., it is sitting on the battlefield outside of combat, or it is a defender), the **Assault 2** ability is inactive. * **Result:** The unit simply takes 3 damage. It does not receive the +2 Might bonus from Assault. ### 2. If the unit IS an attacker If the unit is currently an attacker in combat, it has the **Assault 2** keyword active, granting it +2 Might. * **Result:** The unit takes 3 damage. Because **Wages of Pain** deals damage and does not reduce Might, the unit's Might remains unchanged (it still has its base Might + 2). Whether the unit is killed depends on whether the 3 damage (plus any damage already marked on it) equals or exceeds its current total Might. ### Important Rules Context * **Assault is a Passive Ability:** According to **Rule 807.1.c**, Assault is functionally short for "While I am an attacker, I have +X [M]." It is not a triggered ability; it is a continuous effect that is either "on" or "off" based on the unit's status as an attacker. * **Damage vs. Might:** As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #9118**, *Wages of Pain* deals damage; it does not reduce a unit's Might. A unit is killed if it has non-zero damage marked on it equal to or exceeding its current Might (**Rule 142.2.a**). * **Gold Token:** Regardless of whether the unit survives or is killed, you will still create the Gold gear token. As noted in **RiftJudge FAQ #9344**, the instruction to create the token does not reference the target and will execute even if the target becomes illegal or is killed by a reaction. *** *This is my interpretation based on the rules for Assault and Damage. No official FAQ exists for this specific interaction.*