Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

To answer your question accurately, let's break down the timing and combat rules. Based on your description, you are the **Attacker** (you moved into the battlefield first, establishing the *Contested* status). ### The Sequence of Events: 1. **Your Attack:** You move your unit to an empty battlefield. You are the **Attacker**, and the battlefield is now *Contested*. 2. **Zenith Blade:** Your opponent plays *Zenith Blade* during the showdown. They target your unit to stun it and move their unit to your battlefield. 3. **Your Response:** You stun the opponent's unit (e.g., using a [Reaction] or [Action] card available to you). 4. **Current State:** Both units are now present at the battlefield and both are **Stunned**. ### Combat Resolution: According to **Rule 423.1.b** and **Rule 460**, a stunned unit does not contribute its might to combat damage. Since both units are stunned, neither unit will deal damage during the Combat Damage Step. * **Combat Damage Step:** Because both units have 0 damage output, no units are killed. * **Combat Cleanup:** Your unit is the **Attacker** and the opponent's unit is the **Defender**. **Rule 461.1.a.2** states that at the end of combat, "Recall Attackers present at the Battlefield if Defenders are still present." * **Result:** Because your unit (the Attacker) is still at the battlefield and the opponent's unit (the Defender) is also still there (since it was not killed), your unit **must be recalled back to your base**. ### Who Conquers? According to **Rule 461.5** and **RiftJudge FAQ #1050/7095**: 1. Your unit is recalled to your base. 2. The opponent's unit remains on the battlefield alone. 3. Because the opponent's unit is the only one remaining after combat cleanup, they **establish control** and successfully **Conquer** the battlefield. **Summary:** Even though both units were stunned and survived, because your unit was the Attacker and the defender remained, you are recalled, and your opponent conquers the battlefield.

To determine what happens when you play **Sacrifice** while controlling a single mighty unit under the effect of **Tactical Retreat**, we must look at how costs and replacement effects interact. ### The Ruling When you play **Sacrifice**, you must pay its additional cost: "kill a friendly [Mighty] unit." Because **Tactical Retreat** creates a replacement effect that intercedes when that unit would die, the unit is saved (healed, exhausted, and recalled to your base) instead of being killed. **The result is that you successfully pay the cost and play the spell, but the unit is not killed.** ### Sequence of Events 1. **Playing the Spell:** You announce **Sacrifice** and choose your mighty unit as the target for the "kill" cost. 2. **Paying Costs:** You attempt to pay the cost by killing the unit. 3. **Replacement:** **Tactical Retreat**'s replacement effect intercedes. Instead of the unit going to the trash, it is healed, exhausted, and recalled to your base. 4. **Cost Completion:** According to **Rule 357.2.a**, costs that are replaced by replacement effects are still considered paid. Therefore, the cost for **Sacrifice** is successfully paid. 5. **Resolution:** **Sacrifice** resolves. You draw 2 cards and channel 1 rune. ### Summary You successfully play **Sacrifice**, draw your cards, and channel your rune. Your unit survives the process because **Tactical Retreat** replaced the "kill" action with a "recall" action. *** *Note: This interpretation is based on Rule 357.2.a, which explicitly states that costs replaced by replacement effects are still considered paid. This is distinct from the interaction described in FAQ #9401 regarding Baited Hook, because in that case, the "kill" was an instruction within the card's effect, not a cost paid to play the card.*

Ruling: Your opponent will Burn Out when attempting to draw 4 cards from an empty deck. They will recycle their Trash into their Main Deck, grant you 1 point, then complete drawing the required cards. Sequence: - Both players discard their hands simultaneously - The active player (caster) draws first due to turn order - The non-active player then attempts to draw 4 cards - If the opponent's deck has fewer than 4 cards, they Burn Out: draw what they can, recycle Trash into Main Deck, grant the caster 1 point, then complete the draw Nuances: - Running out of cards does not cause you to lose the game in Riftbound - If the opponent's Trash is also empty when recycling, their deck remains empty and they may Burn Out again on subsequent draws - The active player always resolves simultaneous effects first due to turn order

When you play **Smite** to kill a unit with a **Deathknell** effect, the **Deathknell** effect will **not** trigger. Here is the breakdown of why this happens based on the rules: 1. **Replacement Effect:** Smite contains the text: *"If it would die this turn, banish it instead."* This is a replacement effect (Rule 369.1). 2. **Deathknell Requirement:** According to Rule 808.1.d, the trigger for Deathknell is the permanent being **Killed** and sent to the **Trash**. 3. **Replacement of Death:** Rule 808.1.d.1 explicitly states: *"If the Permanent with the effect is not sent to the Trash, for example because its 'killed' event was replaced with a recall, the Deathknell will not occur."* 4. **Outcome:** Because Smite replaces the "die" event with a "banish" event, the unit is never sent to the trash. Consequently, the Deathknell condition is never met, and the ability does not trigger. This is consistent with how other replacement effects (like *Zhonya's Hourglass*) interact with Deathknell, as confirmed by RiftJudge FAQ #2596.

Yes, as long as you pay the Accelerate cost, Atakhan will enter ready, even if he kills Rek’Sai for his additional cost. This is because Accelerate creates a delayed replacement effect that causes Atakhan to enter ready. Although he lacks the Accelerate keyword when he resolves, he still has the delayed replacement effect that Accelerate generates.

When you play **Stacked Deck** and reveal two or three **Nocturne** cards, you can choose to play any number of them. Here is the breakdown of how this interaction resolves: ### Resolution Sequence 1. **Stacked Deck Resolution:** You play Stacked Deck. As it resolves, you look at the top 3 cards of your Main Deck. 2. **Nocturne's Ability:** Because Nocturne's ability allows you to banish it when you look at or reveal it from the top of your deck, you may choose to banish any number of the Nocturne cards revealed. 3. **Playing Nocturne:** For each Nocturne you choose to banish, you may play it for [A] (any rune). These Nocturnes are placed on the chain pending. 4. **Completing Stacked Deck:** Stacked Deck finishes resolving. You choose one of the remaining cards (if any) to put into your hand and recycle the rest. * **Note:** Playing a Nocturne does not count as the one card you are allowed to put into your hand from Stacked Deck (FAQ 6744). 5. **Finalizing:** After Stacked Deck finishes resolving, you pay the cost ([A]) to finalize each Nocturne you chose to play. ### Key Nuances * **Hand Size:** If you reveal 3 Nocturnes and play all of them, you draw nothing (no cards go to your hand) (FAQ 7941). * **Cost Payment:** You cannot exhaust runes to float energy *during* the resolution of Stacked Deck. You exhaust runes to pay for the Nocturne(s) once Stacked Deck finishes resolving and you are prompted to pay the cost to finalize the unit (FAQ 1157). * **Nocturne's Ability:** Nocturne's ability is not a triggered ability that uses the chain; it is an effect that allows you to banish and play the card when it is revealed or looked at. * **Drawing vs. Looking:** This interaction works because Stacked Deck instructs you to "look at" cards. If you were to draw the cards instead, the ability would not apply (FAQ 3447). This interpretation is based on the provided RiftJudge FAQs (7941, 6744, 8948, 1549, 8822, 9527).

Yes, your **Void Seeker** still resolves. According to **Rule 359.3.e.5** and several Riftbound FAQs (such as **FAQ #6100** and **FAQ #4742**), Riftbound spells never "fizzle" completely; you do as much as you can. ### The sequence works as follows: 1. **Chain:** You play **Void Seeker**, targeting a unit on the battlefield. Your opponent responds by playing **Retreat** to return that unit to their hand. 2. **Resolution:** Because the chain resolves in reverse (LIFO - Last In, First Out), **Retreat** resolves first. The unit is returned to your opponent's hand. 3. **Void Seeker Resolution:** When **Void Seeker** attempts to resolve, it checks for its target. Since the unit is no longer on the battlefield, it is an illegal target. * The damage portion of the effect fails because the target is illegal (**Rule 359.3.e.5**). * Because the draw effect is a separate instruction (separated by a period), the "do as much as you can" rule applies. You proceed to draw 1 card. **Summary:** The targeted unit takes no damage, but your spell successfully resolves its second instruction, and you draw 1 card.

Ruling: Units only die from having damage counters on them, not from having 0 or reduced might. After combat resolves, damage from all units on board is cleared, so removing a buff at that point does nothing. Sequence: - During combat, units receive damage counters (might itself is not changed) - After combat resolves, all damage is cleared from units - If a buff is removed after this point, the unit simply has lower might but no damage - Units only die when they have damage counters equal to or exceeding their might at cleanup Nuances: - If a buff is removed outside of combat (when damage hasn't been cleared), a unit can have damage equal to or higher than its might, causing it to die at the next cleanup - Cleanups occur at the end of combat showdown, after a chain link resolves, and at the end of the turn - Might-reducing effects like Smokescreen can reduce a unit to 0 might, but it still needs damage counters to die

Ruling: You can play any number of the Nocturne cards revealed by Stacked Deck for any rune each. If you put all three of them into play, you draw nothing (no cards go to hand). Sequence: - Stacked Deck reveals the top 3 cards - You may play any number of the revealed Nocturne cards for any rune each - Any Nocturne cards played go into play, not into your hand - If all three are played, nothing goes to your hand Nuances: - Nocturne's ability does not trigger during Stacked Deck's resolution; the cards go directly into play if you choose to play them

If you use **Deathgrip** on a friendly unit that is at the same location as **Soraka, Wanderer** and has less Might than her, Soraka's replacement effect will trigger, saving the unit from being killed. ### The Ruling Because Soraka's ability is a replacement effect (Rule 366), it replaces the "die" event with a "heal, exhaust, and recall" event. Consequently, the unit is never actually killed. Since the condition "If you do" in Deathgrip is not met, the subsequent instruction to give Might does not execute. ### Sequence of Events 1. **Play Deathgrip:** You target a friendly unit to kill and another friendly unit to receive the Might. 2. **Resolution:** As Deathgrip resolves, it attempts to kill the first unit. 3. **Replacement:** Soraka's ability replaces the death event with a heal, exhaust, and recall. 4. **Condition Check:** Because the unit was not killed, the "If you do" condition for the Might bonus fails. 5. **Finalization:** The Might bonus is not applied. However, you still draw 1 card, as the draw is not contingent on the kill. This interaction is consistent with **RiftJudge FAQ #8668**, which clarifies that if you do not actually kill the target (for example, because its death was replaced), you do not give the second unit any Might, though you still draw the card.

Yes, **Karthus, Eternal's effect counts**, and it will apply to any *Deathknell* effects that trigger from LeBlanc or any other units dying simultaneously with him. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9028**, **FAQ #8974**, and **FAQ #9317**, Karthus, Eternal's ability ("Your [Deathknell] effects trigger an additional time") is a **passive ability**, not a triggered ability. Here is how the interaction works when *Falling Star* kills both units simultaneously: 1. **Resolution:** *Falling Star* resolves, dealing 3 damage to Karthus and 3 damage to LeBlanc, killing both units simultaneously. 2. **Passive Persistence:** Because Karthus's ability is a passive ability, it remains active at the exact moment the other unit's (e.g., LeBlanc's or another unit's) *Deathknell* trigger is created, even though Karthus himself is being killed at the same time. 3. **Result:** Any *Deathknell* effect triggered by the simultaneous death of another unit will trigger its base amount plus one additional time due to Karthus's passive effect. *** *Note: You mentioned LeBlanc in your question. Please verify the specific card version of LeBlanc you are referring to, as the LeBlanc I retrieved ("LeBlanc, Everywhere at Once") does not have a Deathknell ability. If your version of LeBlanc has a Deathknell effect, it will trigger twice; if it does not, there is simply no Deathknell effect for Karthus's passive to modify.*

Ruling: When TF with Red Rune attacks a defender at Reaver Row, both the "When I Attack" trigger and the "When I Defend" trigger go on the Initial Chain, with the defend trigger resolving first, then the attack trigger. Sequence: - TF moves into enemy occupied Reaver Row - Both "When I Attack" and "When I Defend" triggers go on the Initial Chain - The opponent targets a unit of theirs when Reaver Row's trigger goes on the chain - The opponent decides whether to resolve Reaver Row's trigger before TF's trigger resolves (before TF flips up a Rune) - Defend trigger resolves first - Attack trigger resolves second

Ruling: Zenith Blade loses its target and does nothing. The card requires targeting an enemy unit at a battlefield, and if that unit is no longer at a battlefield when the spell resolves, the targeting condition fails and neither effect (stun nor moving a friendly unit) occurs. Nuances: - Zenith Blade does not separately target the battlefield itself; it only targets the enemy unit at a battlefield - The second effect references "that enemy unit's battlefield" which no longer exists if the unit is recalled - All targets are declared when the spell is cast, but the targeting condition must still be valid when the spell resolves

Ruling: Zenith Blade's movement is optional, so you cannot choose to move your unit to a battlefield where two other players are already in combat, since only 2 players can be in combat at the same time. Nuances: - If Zenith Blade were a required movement effect, you would not be able to play the card at all because it would create an illegal game state (3 players at 1 battlefield) - The concept of being 'invited' to interact has been removed; all players can interact

Ruling: Units cannot be moved to their opponent's base - this is an illegal move that cannot happen. If an effect would do this, it either must describe how to resolve the situation or the effect would fizzle. Nuances: - This is different from Gears on battlefields: battlefields are not illegal locations for Gears, but cleanup rules send them to base - If a future Golden Rule effect would permit a unit in an opponent's base, that effect would need to describe how to resolve the situation and its impact on other rules - No automatic recall or destruction occurs because the rules don't cover this scenario - it simply cannot happen unless explicitly allowed and explained by a card effect

Ruling: Both players are allowed to select the same battlefield during setup in a 1v1 game. There is no rule prohibiting this. Nuances: - Each player must have 3 unique battlefields within their own deck (no duplicates among your own 3 battlefields) - In 2v2 format, teammates cannot use the same battlefields across both of their decks - The rules do not explicitly specify what happens mechanically when both players select the same battlefield (whether one or two copies enter play), creating a potential gap requiring judge clarification

In Riftbound, it is not possible for both players to reach 8 points at the same time. According to **Rule 463.6** (for 1v1 matches), the game ends the moment a player reaches the Victory Score: > "The first player to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the game." Because the game ends immediately upon a player reaching 8 points, the second player never has the opportunity to reach that same total. Even if a game action (such as a triggered ability or a showdown) would theoretically result in both players gaining points, the game state is checked continuously. The player who reaches the Victory Score first wins the game, and the game concludes before any further points can be awarded to the opponent.

If you activate **Baited Hook** and your opponent responds by playing **Star-Crossed** to return your targeted unit to your hand, your **Baited Hook** will resolve, but you will not be able to play a unit from your deck. According to the **RiftJudge FAQ** (specifically FAQs #10345, #4379, and #8203 regarding target removal), because the unit was returned to your hand by *Star-Crossed*, it was not "killed" (sent from the board to the trash via the ability's instruction). ### The Sequence: 1. **Activation:** You activate **Baited Hook**, pay the costs, and declare a friendly unit as your target. *Baited Hook* is placed on the chain. 2. **Reaction:** Your opponent plays **Star-Crossed** in response. It is placed on top of *Baited Hook*. 3. **Resolution (Star-Crossed):** *Star-Crossed* resolves first. It returns your targeted friendly unit and the enemy unit to their owners' hands. 4. **Resolution (Baited Hook):** When *Baited Hook* resolves, its first instruction ("Kill a friendly unit") fails because the target is no longer on the board. * Because the unit was not killed, the reference to "the killed unit" to determine the might limit for the second instruction results in a **null** value (Rule 359.3.e.12 and Patch Notes 2025-10-24). * You proceed to look at the top 5 cards of your main deck. * Because you cannot calculate a might limit (you cannot compare cards to "null"), you cannot satisfy the requirement to "banish a unit... with Might up to 1 more than the killed unit." * You finish by recycling all 5 revealed cards. This is my interpretation based on the rules for targeting, null values, and the specific mechanics of *Baited Hook* as clarified in the provided FAQs. No official FAQ exists specifically for a *Star-Crossed* interaction, but it follows the established ruling for target removal (e.g., *Gust*).

In Riftbound, there is no penalty or specific game action triggered simply by having an empty hand. You may continue to play the game normally, drawing cards during your draw phase or through card effects as usual. According to the rules, your hand is simply a zone (Rule 107.6) from which you play cards. If you have no cards in your hand, you are simply unable to play cards from that zone until you draw more. Additionally, if you are instructed to discard cards while your hand is empty, you follow the "Do as much as you can" (DAMAYC) rule: you discard nothing and continue with the rest of the effect. As noted in the related FAQs: * **Discarding:** "When a card instructs you to discard but you have no cards in hand, you do as much as you can and then continue with the rest of the effect." * **Playing cards with discard costs:** You are permitted to play a card that requires a discard even if your hand is empty; you simply discard zero cards and resolve the remainder of the card's effect.

To resolve the interaction between *Piercing Light* (with *Repeat*) and *Thrill of the Hunt*, we apply the game's "Do As Much As You Can" (DAMAYC) logic. When the first target of *Piercing Light* is banished and re-played via *Thrill of the Hunt*, it becomes a new game object, rendering the original targeting attempt invalid. ### Sequence of Events 1. **Playing the Spell:** The opponent plays *Piercing Light* with the *Repeat* cost paid. They declare two targets for the first instance of damage and two targets for the second instance (total of four potential targets). 2. **Reaction:** You play *Thrill of the Hunt* as a [Reaction], targeting the unit chosen for the first damage instance. 3. **Chain Resolves (LIFO):** * ***Thrill of the Hunt* resolves first:** The unit is banished and re-played. It is now a new game object. * ***Piercing Light* resolves (First Instance):** The spell attempts to deal 2 damage to the first target. Because that unit is now a different game object than the one targeted when the spell was played, the damage instruction fails for that target. The spell proceeds to the second target, which takes 2 damage if it remains a legal target. * ***Piercing Light* resolves (Repeated Instance):** The spell repeats the process. Again, the instruction to damage the original first target fails, and the spell attempts to deal 2 damage to the second target. ### Key Rules * **"Then" is not a condition:** As noted in RiftJudge FAQ #1623, #6726, and #8840, "then" is a timing instruction. The failure of the first damage instruction does not prevent the spell from attempting the subsequent damage instruction. * **DAMAYC (Do As Much As You Can):** Per Rule 359.3.e.11, instructions are followed as much as possible. Even if one target is no longer legal, the spell continues to resolve any remaining valid instructions. * **Illegal Targets:** Per Rule 359.3.e.1, a spell continues to resolve even if some of its targets become illegal or change state (e.g., leaving the battlefield and returning as a new object). Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

If your rune deck is empty and you are instructed to channel runes, you simply do not channel any runes. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #5452**: "No, you do not draw a card if you cannot channel. You simply do not channel at all." Additionally, **Rule 315.3.b.1** states: "If there are fewer than 2 runes in the Rune Deck, they channel as many as possible." If there are zero runes in your deck, you cannot channel any, and the game continues without penalty or additional card draws, unless a specific card effect explicitly states otherwise (as noted in **RiftJudge FAQ #3355**).

If your opponent plays **Turn to Dust** on a piece of gear that is currently attached to your unit, the gear will be destroyed during your next Beginning Phase. Here is the breakdown of why this happens: ### 1. What happens to the Gear? When **Turn to Dust** resolves, it grants the **[Temporary]** keyword to the gear. * **According to the Rules FAQ (2026-04-29):** While an attached piece of gear has its *printed* rules text made inactive (Rule 135.4), any *granted* keywords (like **[Temporary]**) remain active. * Because the **[Temporary]** keyword is active, its effect will trigger during your next Beginning Phase, as specified on the card. * **Result:** The gear will be killed (sent to the trash) at that time. ### 2. Does the text stay on your unit? No. The gear's effect—and the **[Temporary]** keyword—are properties of the gear itself, not your unit. * **Rule 435.1.c** and **Rule 435.1.d** explain that while a gear is attached, it appends its effects to the unit; however, the gear remains a separate game object. * When the gear is killed by the **[Temporary]** effect, it detaches from your unit and moves to your trash. Once it is no longer attached, it no longer affects your unit, and any granted abilities or stat bonuses it was providing cease immediately. *** **Summary of the sequence:** 1. **Turn to Dust** resolves, granting **[Temporary]** to your attached gear. 2. In your next **Beginning Phase**, the **[Temporary]** keyword triggers. 3. The gear is killed (moved to your trash). 4. The gear is no longer attached to your unit, and its effects on your unit stop.

When Twisted Fate, Gambler attacks, his ability triggers: "When I attack, reveal the top rune of your rune deck, then recycle it. Do one of the following based on its domain: [list of effects for Fury, Mind, and Order]." If the revealed and recycled rune is a Chaos Rune, no additional game effect occurs. According to the card text, Twisted Fate's ability only provides specific effects for Fury, Mind, and Order runes; because the card text does not list an effect for a Chaos Rune, the ability resolves after the rune is recycled, but no further action is taken. Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

In this scenario, you do not necessarily lose the combat, but the outcome depends on the total Might remaining on your side versus the defender's side at the moment combat damage is resolved. ### The Ruling Combat damage is calculated by summing the **current Might** of all attacking units and all defending units at the battlefield. If one of your attacking units is killed by an effect before the Combat Damage Step, its Might is no longer included in your total. * **Initial State:** You have two 4-Might units (Total: 8 Might). The defender has one 6-Might unit (Total: 6 Might). * **After Effect:** One of your 4-Might units is killed. You now have one 4-Might unit (Total: 4 Might). The defender still has their 6-Might unit (Total: 6 Might). ### Combat Outcome According to **Rule 443.1**, combat damage is resolved using the current Might of the units present at the battlefield. 1. **Summing Might:** Your total attacking Might is now 4. The defender's total Might is 6. 2. **Assigning Damage:** Starting with the attacker, players assign damage equal to their total Might. You assign 4 damage to the defender. The defender assigns 6 damage to your remaining unit. 3. **Lethal Damage:** * Your unit (4 Might) receives 6 damage. Since 6 is greater than or equal to its Might, your unit is killed. * The defender's unit (6 Might) receives 4 damage. Since 4 is less than its Might, the defender's unit survives. **Result:** Because your total Might (4) was insufficient to deal lethal damage to the defender's unit (6 Might), and the defender's total Might (6) was sufficient to deal lethal damage to your remaining unit (4 Might), your unit is killed and the defender's unit remains on the battlefield.

If you use an ability (such as **Green Father's**) to replace a **Brush** battlefield token with another **Brush** battlefield token, the original Brush token ceases to exist, and the new Brush token occupies that space. According to the **RiftJudge FAQ (9356)** and **Rules FAQ Clarification (2026-04-29)**: * **Replacing a Brush:** When you "Brush a Brush," the existing Brush token is replaced and ceases to exist. Because a Brush token is a battlefield, you cannot have two battlefields in the same space simultaneously; the new token simply replaces the old one. * **Swapping Back:** If you later choose to "swap back" the battlefield (the triggered ability on the Brush token), you can choose to swap back to the original battlefield that was at that location *before* it was first turned into a Brush token. This is because the replacing object inherits the relationship with the original battlefield that it replaced, per Rule 438.1 and Rule 438.7.b. In short: The Brush token is replaced, and when you finally decide to swap the battlefield back, you revert to the original physical battlefield card that was there before any Brush tokens were created at that location.

The Brush token will cease to exist. When swapping back, a player can choose to swap back to any object that was replaced, including the original battlefield. This is because a replacing game object inherits all of the statuses and conditions of the game object it replaced, per 438.1. A game object can be instructed to “swap back”; the token stops existing and the original card is returned to the space that the token occupied, inheriting all its current effects and statuses per rule 438.7.b. “All of the effects and statuses” includes not only temporary effects applied to the battlefield, but also the relationship between replaced and replacing battlefields. Rule 438.1.: Replacing is the act of Creating a token in the place of another card or token without playing it while inheriting all effects or statuses of the game object it replaced. Rule 438.7.b.: To Swap Back, the token stops existing and the original card is returned to the space that the token just occupied, inheriting all current effects and statuses.

Ruling: The target is declared when Baited Hook is activated, so you can react with Gust on that unit. If the unit is gone when Baited Hook resolves, the might is returned as "null" and they can't play a unit. Sequence: - Opponent activates Baited Hook and declares the target unit - You can respond by playing Gust on the targeted unit - When Baited Hook resolves, if the unit is gone, the might return fails and no unit can be played Nuances: - Killing the unit is not a cost (costs are before the ":" in card text) - The targeting happens when the ability is put onto the chain, not during resolution

Ruling: If at the end of combat both attacking and defending units remain on the battlefield, the attacking units are recalled (sent to base). Nuances: - If the attacking unit is the only remaining unit after combat, they stay and conquer the battlefield.

This is a well-defined interaction under **Rule 460.2.c.7**. When a unit has both **Tank** ("assign damage to me first") and **Backline** ("assign damage to me last"), those are exclusionary demands. The assigning player chooses which one to apply. So the opponent assigning damage gets to decide: either treat it as Tank (damage it first) or treat it as Backline (damage it last). They cannot split the difference — the unit must be assigned damage entirely within the priority slot they choose for it. The FAQ on Caitlyn (who naturally has what is now Backline) being given Tank confirms this — the opponent can bypass either keyword's restriction by choosing the other.

It depends on what Might the Reflection token has after copying. If the Reflection copied a unit with **Might 3 or less**, Gust can target it. The token is returned to its owner's hand — then it immediately ceases to exist per Rule 183.1, since tokens can't exist outside the board or chain. It is **not killed**, so any Deathknell on the copied unit's text does **not** trigger (FAQ #10484). If the Reflection copied a unit with **Might 4 or more**, Gust cannot target it at all — Gust's targeting restriction requires "a unit at a battlefield with 3 might or less." And on the off chance you're thinking of Gusting **before** the copy happens (reacting to the ability creating the token), that's a different scenario — covered in FAQ #10681 — where the token still enters play but stays a 0 [M] base token because its copy target vanished.

The Temporary unit is returned to its owner's hand normally. There's no special interaction that prevents or alters this. **Gust** reads: "Return a unit at a battlefield with 3 might or less to its owner's hand." **Temporary** (Rule 816.1.b) is a triggered ability that reads: "At the start of this permanent's controller's Beginning Phase, before scoring, kill this." Since Temporary only triggers while the card is a **permanent on the board**, once Gust resolves and the card moves to hand (a non-board zone), there is no permanent left to be killed later. The Temporary trigger hasn't fired yet — and if it *is* already on the chain, it would mistarget since the unit is no longer on the battlefield (Rule 359.3.e.7). In short: Gust works exactly as it does on any other eligible unit. The Temporary keyword does not protect against being bounced.

Ruling: The card cannot be played while hidden at Rockfall Vale/Path. Nuances: - Hiding a unit at Rockfall Vale is considered a bad strategic move

If you kill a unit with an "attack trigger" (or any triggered ability) after it has been added to the chain, the ability **still resolves**, but it may fail to have an effect depending on its specific text. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #6035** and **Rule 356.3.e.6**, triggered abilities resolve as much as they can, even if the source unit is no longer on the board. However, if the ability requires valid targets or references the unit's location (e.g., "here"), those parts will fail if the unit is no longer at the specified location or no longer exists. ### Key Mechanics: 1. **No "Fizzling":** In Riftbound, there is no "fizzling" in the traditional sense. The ability always resolves; it just potentially does nothing if its conditions cannot be met. 2. **Location References:** If an ability references "here" or "this battlefield," and the unit is killed or moved, the game can no longer identify the location, causing that part of the effect to fail (**FAQ #2127**, **FAQ #2443**). 3. **Stat References:** If an ability references the unit's stats (like "my might"), and the unit is killed, the game treats those stats as "null," causing calculations based on them to be ignored (**Rule 356.3.e.12**). 4. **Independent Effects:** If an ability has a simple effect that does not depend on the unit's location or stats (e.g., "draw 1 card"), that part of the ability will still resolve successfully even if the unit is dead (**FAQ #6035**). ### Example Sequence (Killing a unit with an attack trigger): 1. **Trigger:** The unit attacks, and its "When I attack" ability is added to the chain. 2. **Reaction:** You play a card to kill the unit. The unit is moved to the trash. 3. **Resolution:** The chain resolves. The game checks the ability's instructions: * If the ability says "Deal X damage to a unit," it resolves normally (assuming the target is still valid). * If the ability says "Deal X damage to a unit here," it fails because the source unit is no longer "here" to define the location. * If the ability says "Deal damage equal to my might," it fails because the unit's might is now "null." **Summary:** The ability will always attempt to resolve, but if it relies on the unit's presence, location, or stats, it will likely do nothing.

According to the Tournament Rules, failing to separate your Chosen Champion and place it in the Champion Zone during the game setup is a deck legality/setup error. The specific outcome depends on when the error is discovered and the tournament rules enforcement level (OPL): * **If caught before opening hands are drawn:** A judge will restore the game state by allowing you to move the Chosen Champion from your Main Deck to the Champion Zone and then reshuffling your Main Deck (Rule 703.4.b.1). * **If caught after opening hands are drawn:** * **At casual or competitive OPL:** The penalty is typically a **[Warning]**. A judge will attempt to restore the game state by moving your Chosen Champion to the Champion Zone if it is found in your hand or deck (Rule 703.4.b.3.a). * **Penalty Upgrades:** If the error is caught by an opponent rather than the erroring player, or if the deck cannot be restored to its correct state (e.g., you cannot find the Chosen Champion in your deck to move it to the zone), the penalty is upgraded to a **[Game Loss]** (Rule 703.4.b.3/4). * **Exception:** If you reach the point where you would move the Chosen Champion to the zone, but no copies are available in your Main Deck, the penalty may be downgraded to a **[Warning]** and gameplay can continue without you having a champion in the Champion Zone (Rule 703.4.b.4.a). **Important Note:** Even if your Chosen Champion is shuffled into your Main Deck at the start of the game, it is still considered your Chosen Champion for game rules and effects, provided you properly registered it as such during deck construction. However, it must be in the Champion Zone to be played according to the rules for "Playing" (CR 419.1.a).

Ruling: The Tideturner's ability whiffs (resolves to no effect) if Tideturner is no longer on the board when the ability resolves. Nuances: - Tideturner's "original location" is determined when the ability resolves, not when it triggers - If Tideturner is no longer on the board at resolution, the original location returns as "null" and the ability has no effect - Gust specifically cannot target bases, only battlefields, so this exact scenario wouldn't occur with Gust

Ruling: A unit dies during the next cleanup if it has non-zero damage marked on it that is greater than or equal to its current Might. Removing a Gear that reduces Might below the marked damage will cause the unit to die. Sequence: - Damage is marked on the unit - Gear is removed, reducing the unit's Might - During the next cleanup, if marked damage >= current Might, the unit dies Nuances: - A unit can have 0 or negative Might without dying if it has no damage marked on it - The comparison only matters when there is non-zero damage on the unit

Ruling: You can target the same friendly unit with both effects. Star-Crossed resolves first (LIFO), returning both the friendly unit and an enemy unit to hand. Bloodharbor Ripper's ability then resolves, but because its target is now illegal, the return instruction fails. However, you still play an exhausted Gold gear token because that instruction can be followed independently. Sequence: - Activate Bloodharbor Ripper's ability, targeting a friendly unit at finalization - In the reaction window, play Star-Crossed targeting the same friendly unit and an enemy unit - Star-Crossed resolves first, returning both units to hand - Bloodharbor Ripper's ability resolves: the return instruction fails due to illegal target, but you still play an exhausted Gold gear token Nuances: - The Gold gear token instruction is separate and not conditional on the return instruction succeeding, so it executes via "do as much as you can."

Ruling: A stunned unit does not contribute its might to deal damage in combat, but still requires damage equal to its full might value to be killed. In both scenarios where one unit is stunned, if the non-stunned unit cannot deal enough damage to eliminate the stunned unit, the attacker is recalled. Sequence: - Showdown Step occurs (attacker gains Focus, triggered abilities go on chain) - Combat Damage Step occurs if both units remain - Starting with the attacker, each player assigns damage equal to their summed might - Stunned units do not contribute might to damage dealt - Units are killed if they take damage equal to or greater than their might - If any defender remains after damage, the attacker is recalled Nuances: - A stunned unit with 10 might that takes 6 damage survives (still needs full 10 damage to be killed) - A stunned unit with 10 might deals 0 damage to opponents (does not contribute might) - The attacker is recalled in both example situations because the defender survives

The targeted unit does not move. When Tideturner is played from Hidden to the battlefield, its play trigger goes on the chain and you choose a target. If the opponent responds with Gust and returns Tideturner to hand before the trigger resolves, the trigger still resolves but has no effect. When the trigger tries to reference Tideturner's 'original location' but Tideturner has changed zones to a non-board zone (hand), that information is no longer available. The check returns 'null' and the instruction to move the chosen unit 'to my original location' is ignored. The chosen unit stays where it is.

Ruling: If the hidden card is not revealed as a reaction and it becomes the only card remaining on the battlefield, it gets removed during cleanup. Nuances: - Hidden cards can still be played as reactions even when there's no showdown on their battlefield, as long as you could normally play a reaction at that timing - Hidden cards can only target units/cards at the battlefield where they are hidden - If a hidden card is played by paying its full cost (not as a hidden card), it can target units at any battlefield or base

Ruling: When a player loses control of a battlefield that has their hidden card on it, the hidden card goes to the graveyard.

Ruling: When you lose control of a battlefield, any hidden cards on it go to the trash. However, you can flip or play the hidden card in the last available reaction window before losing control. Sequence: - Opponent targets your minion with a spell - You have a reaction window before the minion dies - You can flip the hidden card (if it's a minion) or play it (if it's an action) during this window - If you don't use the hidden card, it goes to the trash when your minion dies and you lose battlefield control Nuances: - You can play any hidden card type in response, even Hidden Blade targeting your own unit - Only one hidden card is allowed per battlefield - Once the minion dies, it's too late to flip the hidden card

Ruling: When a unit with a hidden card is gusted away, the hidden card is put into trash at cleanup (after resolution). However, you can react with the hidden card before the gust resolves to try to get use out of it first. Sequence: - Opponent plays Gust on your unit - You can react by playing your hidden card while still holding the battlefield - If you don't react (or after your reaction resolves), Gust resolves and removes your unit - The hidden card goes to trash at cleanup Nuances: - You can react with hidden units (like Blastcone Fae) and they will be played at that battlefield - You can react with hidden spells like Block, but they may not have any effect depending on timing (e.g., if Gust happens before an attack, Block won't shield the unit being gusted) - Hidden gear cards will be recalled to base when the unit is gusted, but under current rules they work for all battlefields (though this is not intended and will be addressed in new rules before release)

When you play a unit with **Ambush** during an active showdown chain, the following occurs: 1. **Timing:** Because the Ambush keyword grants the unit **[Reaction]** timing, you are permitted to play it while the chain is in a "Closed State" (i.e., during an ongoing showdown chain). 2. **Chain Interaction:** The unit is added to the chain as a pending item. 3. **Resolution:** Units do not linger on the chain. As soon as it is the unit's turn to be finalized, it resolves immediately, enters the battlefield, and leaves the chain. It does not wait for a round of priority or for other spells on the chain to resolve before entering play. ### Critical Considerations * **No Reaction to the Play:** While you are playing the unit as a [Reaction], you cannot react to the *act* of playing the unit itself. Once it is finalized, it enters play immediately. * **Triggered Abilities:** While you cannot react to the unit entering the battlefield, you *can* react to any triggered abilities (such as "When you play me" effects) that occur *after* the unit has entered play and those triggers have been added to the chain. * **Legality:** Per the *Unleashed* rules update, Ambush is a conditional permissive ability. If the battlefield you are playing the unit to ceases to be a location where you control units before the unit finalizes, the action of playing the unit is undone and the card is returned to your hand. According to **Rule 822.1.b**, Ambush grants both the permission to be played to a battlefield where you control units and the **[Reaction]** timing required to play that unit during a Closed State (such as during a showdown). As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #9978**, units leave the chain directly without a round of priority, unlike spells which linger on the chain.

According to the official rules and FAQs, when a player loses control of a battlefield that has their hidden card on it, the hidden card is sent to the trash. This is supported by several RiftJudge FAQs: * **FAQ 3662:** "Ruling: When a player loses control of a battlefield that has their hidden card on it, the hidden card goes to the graveyard [trash]." * **FAQ 3661:** "If you lose control of that battlefield, hidden cards go to trash." * **FAQ 7421:** "Hidden cards are removed from battlefields that do not have a unit controlled by the same player present and are placed in their owner's trash." **Key Nuances:** * **Immediate Loss:** Outside of combat, you lose control of a battlefield immediately when your last unit leaves, and the hidden card is trashed at that time (Rule 184.4.c). * **Combat Exception:** During a showdown or combat, you maintain control of the battlefield until the combat fully resolves, even if all your units are removed. You may still use your hidden card as a reaction during this window (FAQ 6143). Once the combat/showdown ends, if you have no units remaining, you lose control and the hidden card is trashed (FAQ 4944). * **No Interaction Required:** The opponent does not need to interact with the hidden card for this to occur; the loss of control itself triggers the removal (FAQ 6608).

Ruling: When you lose control of a battlefield that has your hidden cards, those hidden cards are sent to the trash. Nuances: - This applies to all hidden cards at battlefields you no longer control - The opponent does not need to use or interact with the hidden cards for this to occur

When you use **Keeper's Verdict** on a token unit, the token is moved to the top or bottom of your Main Deck (as chosen by the owner), and then it immediately ceases to exist. According to **Rule 183.1**: "If a token is put into any Non-Board Zone besides the chain, it ceases to exist immediately after moving to its new zone." Because the Main Deck is a Non-Board Zone, the token will briefly enter the deck before vanishing. It cannot be drawn or played from the deck later.

Ruling: Any energy and power remaining in your resource pool will disappear at the end of your turn. The runes that generated that energy/power remain in their current state (exhausted or ready) - only the generated resources are lost. Sequence: - Generate energy/power during your turn (by exhausting runes or through card effects) - Spend the energy/power to play cards or activate abilities - At end of turn, any unspent energy/power disappears from your resource pool - Exhausted runes stay exhausted (they don't go anywhere) Nuances: - Energy and power are virtual resources separate from the physical rune cards - If you exhaust runes to generate energy but don't spend it, the runes remain exhausted and the energy is wasted - Runes do not go to the trash or rune deck when their generated energy/power is lost

When you play **Facebreaker** at **Vilemaw's Lair**, the following occurs: ### The Ruling **Facebreaker** will successfully resolve, stunning both the targeted friendly unit and the targeted enemy unit. Because **Vilemaw's Lair** only prevents "moving" units to the base, and **stunning** or **recalling** units is not considered a "move" action, the card functions normally. ### Sequence of Events 1. **Playing Facebreaker:** You play Facebreaker targeting a friendly unit and an enemy unit at Vilemaw's Lair. 2. **Resolution:** The spell resolves, and both units become stunned. 3. **Combat Damage:** Because the units are stunned, they do not contribute their might to combat damage (Rule 410.1.b). 4. **End of Combat (Cleanup):** If the combat ends and units from both players are still present at the battlefield, the attacking units will be **recalled** to their base. * **Important:** Even though Vilemaw's Lair states "Units can't move from here to base," this restriction does not apply to **recalls**. Recalls are mechanically distinct from moves, so the attacking units will return to base as normal. According to RiftJudge FAQ #8489: > "In Riftbound, **Recall is not a move**. Vilemaw's Lair only prevents the 'Move' action. The cleanup step of combat that returns attackers to base is a recall effect, which bypasses the restriction on the card."

Ruling: Here to Help whiffs because there is no legal destination to play the unit. The "can't" restriction from the battlefield overrides the "can" permission from Here to Help. Sequence: - Rockfall Path allows Here to Help to be played from hidden - Here to Help attempts to play a unit - No valid battlefield exists where units can be played - Here to Help resolves but whiffs (no unit is played) Nuances: - Here to Help uses "may" language, so it can resolve even when the effect cannot be executed - The "can't beats can" principle applies: battlefield restrictions prevent the unit from being played even though Here to Help would normally allow it