Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: When Ride the Wind resolves, the initial open showdown completes with no attackers or defenders. Then a combat showdown immediately begins with Yasuo as the attacker (since he applied contested to the battlefield). If Ember Monk wins the combat and remains at the battlefield, the opponent conquers and scores the point. Sequence: - Yasuo moves to open battlefield, initiating an open showdown - Opponent plays Ride the Wind, moving their unit in - The open showdown resolves with no control established (two players' units remain) - A staged combat immediately begins with Yasuo as attacker - Combat resolves (Ember Monk kills Yasuo in this example) - Only Ember Monk remains at the battlefield - Opponent establishes control and conquers (scores the point) Nuances: - Control cannot be established during a non-combat showdown if both players have units present - The player who scores doesn't have to be the one who applied contested to the battlefield - You can only score a battlefield once per turn

Ruling: Attacker and defender designations only exist during a single combat and reset at the end of each combat. During the open showdown (after Yasuo moves to an open battlefield), no attacker/defender designations exist because no combat took place. When you use Charm after the showdown, a new combat begins and new designations are assigned - the charmed unit will be the attacker since they are contesting the battlefield you control. Sequence: - Yasuo moves to open battlefield via Yasuo Unforgiven - Showdown resolves (no attacker/defender designations exist) - Charm is used - New combat begins with charmed unit as attacker Nuances: - Attacker and defender designations fall off at the end of each combat - Open showdowns do not create attacker/defender designations because no combat occurs

Ruling: Yasuo's controller is the attacker and Deathbloom Predator's controller is the defender. Yasuo does trigger his 'while I attack' ability. Sequence: - Yasuo moves to the empty battlefield, applying contested status and staging an open showdown - During the open showdown, Ride the Wind moves Deathbloom Predator to the same battlefield - This stages a combat but doesn't start it yet because the state is not Neutral Open - The first showdown ends without establishing control, so contested status remains - State becomes Neutral Open and cleanup occurs, starting the staged combat - Cleanup assigns attacker designation to Yasuo (who applied contested status) and defender designation to Deathbloom Predator - Combat showdown starts and Yasuo's attack trigger goes on the initial chain Nuances: - The attacker is determined by who applied the contested status to the battlefield, not who moved there most recently - Moving a unit to an already-contested battlefield does not apply contested status again - Two showdowns occur: first an open showdown (which ends without result), then a combat showdown

Ruling: Yes, Yasuo gets the Mask of Foresight trigger. When Yasuo moves to the battlefield mid-showdown, a Combat Showdown is staged, and he will get the bonus during that combat showdown. Sequence: - Kai'Sa moves to battlefield, beginning a Non-Combat Showdown - Yasuo uses Ride the Wind to move to the battlefield mid-showdown - A Combat Showdown is staged - Players play cards/pass priority to resolve the Non-Combat Showdown - Players proceed immediately to the Combat Showdown - Yasuo gets the Mask of Foresight bonus during the Combat Showdown Nuances: - Kai'Sa is the Attacker and Yasuo is the Defender in the Combat Showdown - Yasuo can conquer the battlefield if he wins the combat - If Yasuo uses Ride the Wind to return to his original battlefield, he can score another point there if he hasn't scored a point at that battlefield this turn - Players must still play cards/pass priority to end the Non-Combat Showdown before the Combat Showdown begins

Ruling: Question 1 depends on timing - if Zenith Blade is used before the first showdown ends, Leona does not get a conquer point; if used after (during the second showdown), she does. Question 2: Yes, Yasuo gets his attack trigger and remains the attacker because he applied the contested status first. Sequence: - Yasuo uses Ride the Wind to move to another battlefield, applying contested status - If Leona waits for the first showdown to end, she conquers the first battlefield (being the only unit there) - An open showdown begins at the second battlefield where Yasuo is - Leona uses Zenith Blade to move in and stun Yasuo - Combat becomes pending (the open showdown must conclude first) - Once the open showdown naturally concludes and returns to neutral Open, combat begins - Yasuo is the attacker (applied contested status first) and his attack trigger activates - Leona is the defender and gets shield Nuances: - Yasuo's attack trigger deals damage even though he is stunned, because stunned only affects damage during combat resolution, not other damage sources - The battlefield never stopped being contested from when Yasuo first moved there, which is why he remains the attacker - There is no immediate combat when Leona moves in during an open showdown - combat only becomes pending and begins after the open showdown concludes

Ruling: Yasuo's ability would not deal damage if Yasuo is removed from the battlefield before the ability resolves. The might value cannot be determined when the unit is no longer present. Nuances: - The ability does null damage (not 0 damage), which is an important distinction for interactions with cards like Void Gate that care about the difference between null damage and 0 damage.

Ruling: Yes, Discipline can be played during initial chain formation. The attacker adds their triggers first, then the defender adds their triggers, and then the defender has priority to react to their own trigger before the attacker can react. Sequence: 1. Yasuo, Remorseful's "when I attack" trigger goes on the initial chain 2. Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox's "when defending" trigger goes on the initial chain 3. Player A (defender) has priority to react to their own trigger with Discipline, which goes on the initial chain 4. Yasuo player would have priority to play a reaction before Ahri can play Discipline 5. Chain resolves in reverse order: Discipline resolves (unit goes to 6 might), Ahri trigger resolves (Yasuo goes to 5 might), Yasuo trigger resolves (defending unit takes 5 damage) 6. Chain fully resolved, priority goes to attacker Nuances: - The defender adds their triggers to the initial chain last - Before the defender (Ahri player) can play Discipline, the attacker (Yasuo player) would have priority to play a reaction

According to Combat-initiated Showdown Initial Chain, triggered abilities are added to the chain in this order: first by the player with Focus (the Attacker), then by players without the Defender designation in turn order, and finally by the Defender. In this scenario, Yasuo's 'When I attack' ability enters the chain FIRST (since Yasuo's controller is the Attacker with Focus), then Nine-Tailed Fox's 'When an enemy unit attacks' ability enters the chain SECOND (since Nine-Tailed Fox's controller is the Defender). The general principle is: the active/attacking player adds their triggered abilities to the chain first, then the defending player adds theirs.

Ruling: The attack trigger deals damage equal to Yasuo's current might when it resolves (2 damage after Smoke Screen). Only targets and choices are locked in when abilities go on the chain, not the values of variables like might. Sequence: - Yasuo moves to opponent's battlefield and starts showdown - Yasuo's attack ability triggers and opens a chain - Opponent plays Smoke Screen, which resolves first - Yasuo's might is reduced - Yasuo's attack trigger resolves, dealing damage equal to his current (reduced) might

Ruling: Reavers Row resolves before Yasuo or Leona's attack triggers. The defender's unit exits the battleground before the attacker's abilities can affect it. Sequence: - Triggers go on the chain in order: attacker first, all other players, then defender - Chain resolves from top to bottom (defender triggers resolve first, then other triggers, then attacker triggers) - When finalizing targets, you choose in the order triggers were put on the chain (bottom to top), so Yasuo picks its target first, then the Reavers Row player picks their target - Reavers Row exits the unit before Yasuo's damage or Leona's stun can apply Nuances: - The player holding Reavers Row can choose not to retreat and instead react with Call to Glory before abilities resolve, like in any other chain - Since the unit exits before Leona's stun resolves, it is not stunned (the unit is no longer 'here')

Ruling: Sett's final power is 5. Power modifications are straightforward arithmetic: start with buffed Sett at 7 power (5 base + 1 from buff + 1 from Sett's passive doubling the buff), apply Watcher's -3 to get 4, remove the buff (losing 2 power) to get 2, then add Call to Glory's +3 to reach 5. Sequence: - Sett with buff alone: 7 power (5 base + 1 buff + 1 from Sett's passive) - Watcher applies -3: 4 power - Buff removed (losing +2 total): 2 power - Call to Glory adds +3: 5 power final Nuances: - Sett's passive doubles buff effects on him (counts himself as a friendly unit) - There is no mechanic where negative power "eats up" or cancels out positive modifiers from removed buffs - all modifications are simple addition and subtraction

Ruling: Yes, the original unit loses the +2 might bonus when the hidden unit is revealed. Yi's ability is a continuous effect that uses "while", so the moment a unit is no longer the only defender on a battlefield, it loses the might boost. Nuances: - This differs from "when" effects which would lock in the bonus at a specific timing - The continuous "while" condition is checked constantly and updates immediately when the game state changes

Ruling: The player who first moved their unit to the battlefield (applying contested status first) is the attacker, and the player who used Zenith Blade to move their unit there afterward is the defender. Sequence: - Player 1 moves their unit to an empty battlefield, opening a noncombat showdown - Player 2 plays Zenith Blade, moving their unit to that battlefield and stunning the enemy unit - The noncombat showdown ends (Player 1 cannot conquer because the battlefield remains contested) - Combat showdown begins with Player 1 as attacker and Player 2 as defender - If Player 1 wins combat, they conquer and score on attack - If Player 2 wins combat (or Player 1 doesn't clear all defenders), Player 2 conquers and scores on defense Nuances: - Even if the defender doesn't outright win the combat, they will still conquer and score since the attacking unit will be sent home for not clearing the defenders from the battlefield - The unit moved by Zenith Blade would be the defender, so effects that trigger on being the defender would apply

Ruling: No, the unit does not retain the damage. Zhonya's Hourglass was errata'd to explicitly heal the unit when it is recalled and exhausted. Sequence: - Icathian Rain triggers resolve, marking damage on the unit - When lethal damage would be dealt, Zhonya's Hourglass triggers - Zhonya's Hourglass is destroyed instead of the unit dying - The unit is recalled to the base and exhausted - The unit is healed (damage is removed)

Ruling: When Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden, it is instantly recalled to base before other effects resolve, regardless of battlefield control. Sequence: - Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden in response to a bounce spell - Zhonya's is immediately recalled to base (before the bounce spell resolves) - The bounce spell then resolves Nuances: - Gears can only exist in your base - Zhonya's being recalled to base allows it to save units at any battlefield, not just the one where it was hidden

Ruling: Yes, Zhonya's Hourglass can affect units dying on other battlefields when played from hidden. When gear is played from hidden, it is immediately recalled to base as a corrective action since gear cannot exist on a battlefield. When multiple friendly units die simultaneously (whether from combat damage or spells like Singularity), the owner of Zhonya's Hourglass chooses which unit to save. Sequence: - Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden - Gear is immediately recalled to base (gear cannot exist on a battlefield) - When friendly units die, Zhonya's ability triggers regardless of which battlefield they're on - If multiple units die simultaneously, the Hourglass owner chooses which one to recall Nuances: - Zhonya's ability doesn't target units - Combat damage is dealt to all units simultaneously, not sequentially - If a unit dies from a spell during a showdown and another dies from combat damage, they die at different times (spell first), so the first death triggers Zhonya's

Ruling: When Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden, it protects the next unit that would die anywhere, not just at the battlefield where it was hidden. Sequence: - Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden to the battlefield - A cleanup happens immediately after it resolves - During cleanup, the gear is recalled to base (since gear cannot exist at battlefields) - Zhonya's then functions normally from base Nuances: - Zhonya's does not target, so it is not restricted to a specific battlefield - If a hidden gear had targeting ("When You Play Me" effects), it would have to target its battlefield - Gear cannot exist at battlefields and is recalled during cleanup if it ends up there - A cleanup happens after anything resolves/enters/moves

Ruling: No, Zhonya's Hourglass is not restricted to targeting units at the battlefield where it was hidden because it does not target. The hidden targeting restriction only applies to cards that actually target. Nuances: - The rule about hidden spells having an additional "here" targeting requirement only applies to cards that target - Zhonya's Hourglass is gear that does not target, so this restriction does not apply to it - The future rules will clarify that the restriction only applies to targeting

Ruling: When a unit is recalled by Zhonya's Hourglass, it returns to base in the same exhausted state it was in when recalled. The unit is not dying and re-entering play; it is simply being moved back to base. Sequence: - Unit moves/attacks and becomes exhausted - Zhonya's Hourglass is used on that unit - Unit returns to base still exhausted Nuances: - Zhonya's text explicitly states the unit is recalled exhausted - The unit is not dying, going to trash, and being replayed - it's just being recalled

Ruling: When Zhonya's Hourglass saves a unit from death, the unit keeps its buffs because the unit never actually dies. Nuances: - The unit is healed, exhausted, and recalled to base, but these actions do not remove buffs - The card does not require banishing the unit or any other action that would cause buff removal

Ruling: Both Zhonya's and Sett's abilities have received errata to now also heal the units they save when recalling them to base exhausted. Nuances: - The original templating did not work as intended without this errata

Ruling: Yes, the equipment stays attached. The unit never leaves the field, so it keeps all temporary effects including attached equipment. Nuances: - This applies to all temporary effects, not just equipment - Both Zhonya and Sett use recall as their replacement effect - Negative effects like -M also remain on the unit when recalled by Zhonya

Ruling: When Zhonya's triggers, the unit is recalled and healed (damage is cleared). However, other effects like might reductions from Stupidify remain on the unit. Nuances: - Only damage is cleared when the unit is saved - All other effects stay the same (debuffs, stat modifications, etc.) - Passive effects that only apply on battlefield or similar location-specific effects would not apply while recalled - Cards like Zhonya's received errata to specifically heal the unit they save

Ruling: When Zhonyas Hourglass is played from the facedown zone at a battlefield, it goes to your base (since gear cannot be at battlefields) and then acts as a replacement effect for the next unit that dies regardless of location. Sequence: - Play Zhonyas Hourglass hidden at a battlefield - When you flip it as a reaction, it goes to your base - It then saves the next unit that would die at any location Nuances: - Playing it hidden at a battlefield allows you to be selective about which unit to save, versus playing it at base where it automatically reacts to the next unit killed - The "only affect units at the battlefield where it is hidden" rule generally applies to hidden cards, but not to Hourglass because it's never actually at that battlefield - You can keep it hidden and selectively choose what unit to save via a reaction to a spell, as long as you don't lose control over the battlefield beforehand - Tideturner is another example that circumvents the "here" rules for hidden cards

Ruling: The recruit will have 1 Might during combat. Trifarian War Camp's passive +1 applies immediately when the unit moves to the battlefield (making it 2 Might), then Ahri's triggered ability resolves when the unit receives the Attacker designation, reducing it to 1 Might. Sequence: - Recruit moves to battlefield and immediately gains +1 from Trifarian War Camp (now 2 Might) - Ahri's trigger activates when the recruit receives Attacker designation during showdown - Ahri's -1 debuff is calculated and snapshotted at -1 (since 2 Might can be reduced to 1 Might minimum) - Recruit is now at 1 Might for combat Nuances: - The "minimum of 1" restriction only applies when the debuff is initially calculated and snapshotted, not continuously - If the recruit later leaves the battlefield (losing Trifarian's +1), it would be at 0 Might because the snapshotted -1 debuff remains for the turn - This snapshotting behavior prevents loops and paradoxes that would occur with always-updating limitations

Ruling: Yes, a 1 Might unit can be buffed above 1 after Ahri's reduction resolves. Ahri's ability reduces the unit to a minimum of 1, and after it resolves, any subsequent Might increases apply normally. Sequence: - Units are moved to the battlefield and designated as attackers/defenders - When attack/defend triggers go on the chain (opponent's triggers first, then defender's triggers like Ahri) - Ahri's reduction resolves, reducing the unit from 1 Might to 1 Might (minimum of 1) - The attacker gains focus and can play actions - If an action gives +5 Might, the unit becomes 6 Might (1 - 0 + 5 = 6) Nuances: - Ahri's reduction on a 1 Might unit effectively applies -0 because of the "minimum of 1" clause - Might-changing effects like Ahri take a snapshot and apply once; they are not continuous effects - If it were a 2 Might unit, Ahri would reduce it to 1, then an action could still increase it from there

Ruling: The unit becomes 1 Might. Ahri snapshots the unit's Might when her ability sees it (at 2 Might), then applies -1 Might continuously for the rest of the turn. Sequence: - Unit starts at 1 Might base - War Camp buffs it to 2 Might while at the battlefield - Unit attacks Ahri - Ahri's ability sees the unit at 2 Might and snapshots -1 Might - Unit is now 1 Might for the rest of the turn while at the battlefield Nuances: - If the unit leaves the battlefield, it loses War Camp's +1 Might buff and would go to 0 Might (due to still having Ahri's -1 Might applied) - A unit at 0 Might doesn't die unless it has non-zero damage marked on it greater than or equal to its Might

Ruling: The unit ends up at 1 power. Thousand Tailed Watcher snapshots the current power (including War Camp's +1, so 3 total) and applies -3 to set it to 1. This becomes the new fixed power value, and War Camp's lingering effect no longer applies to that snapshotted value. Sequence: - Unit starts at 2 base power - War Camp's lingering effect makes it 3 power - Thousand Tailed Watcher snapshots the 3 power and applies -3 - Unit is now set to 1 power for the turn - War Camp's effect no longer modifies this snapshotted value Nuances: - If the unit moves away from War Camp after Watcher's effect, it becomes 0 power (the snapshotted 1 minus War Camp's +1) - If the unit moves back to War Camp, it returns to 1 power - Effects that apply after Watcher (like a card giving +1 power) would still modify the snapshotted value normally - One-time power modification effects like Watcher snapshot the current power and set it to a fixed value, which then no longer benefits from previous lingering effects

No, you cannot distribute the 3 Might onto three 1-Might units in that way. According to **Rule 460.2.c.3**, "Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned to a different Unit." Lethal damage is defined as any non-zero amount of damage equal to or greater than the unit's current Might (**Rule 460.2.c.2**). Because your attacking unit has 3 Might, and the defending units have 1 Might each: 1. You must first assign 1 damage to the first defending unit to satisfy its lethal damage requirement. 2. You then have 2 Might remaining to distribute. You must assign that remaining damage to the next unit(s) following the same lethal damage rule. 3. You can kill at most three 1-Might units if you have a total of 3 Might, because you assign 1 damage to the first (1/1 lethal), 1 to the second (1/1 lethal), and 1 to the third (1/1 lethal). However, you **cannot** choose to assign less than the unit's Might to a unit to "spread it out" if that amount does not reach the lethal threshold. You must kill a unit completely before moving your remaining damage to the next target. As confirmed by **RiftJudge FAQ #1348**, Imperial Decree and similar effects do not change the requirement to assign lethal damage to a unit in full before moving to the next one.

Ruling: You react after the controller chooses the target. When a triggered ability requires choosing a target from a public zone (like your trash), that choice is made during finalization before the ability is fully placed on the chain. Once finalized with its target chosen, the game state becomes closed and priority passes, allowing you to react with full knowledge of what was targeted. Sequence: - The Deathknell ability triggers and is added as a pending item - During finalization, the controller chooses whether to place the ability on the chain (if optional) and must choose any required targets - The ability is placed on the chain as a finalized item, creating a closed state - Priority passes and opponents can now react, knowing which target was chosen - After all players pass, the chain resolves Nuances: - Cards in public zones (like trash) are valid targets and must be chosen during finalization, not resolution - Rule 355.17 does not apply here because the choice is specifically outlined as targeting in earlier rules

No, you do not have to pay the Deflect cost in that situation. According to the FAQ in the rules: > "Deflect only needs to be paid when you directly target or choose a unit with Deflect. If a spell targets a battlefield or affects all units without choosing specific units, you do not pay Deflect." **Key Nuances:** * **Targeting vs. Affecting:** Deflect is a mandatory additional cost that only triggers when a spell or ability specifically "chooses" or "targets" the unit with Deflect. * **Area Effects:** If a spell says "deal damage to all units" or "all enemies," it is not choosing individual units, so Deflect does not apply. * **Exceptions:** If a spell allows you to split or distribute damage, and you choose to assign any amount of that damage to a unit with Deflect, you must pay the Deflect cost for that unit because you have made the choice to target it. As stated in **Rule 735.1.c**, Deflect is functionally short for: "Spells and abilities an opponent controls that **choose me** cost an amount of Power equal to [Deflect Value] more to play as an additional cost for each time they choose me." If your spell does not require you to choose the unit, the cost is not incurred.

To answer your question: **No, a Gold gear token does not add a rune to the board.** According to the *Unleashed* patch notes, a Gold gear token's ability is: **"Gold gives you one Power when you exhaust and kill it."** When you activate this ability, you are generating the resource **Power** and adding it to your **Rune Pool** (as per Rule 164 and Rule 416). You are not "channeling" or adding a Rune card to the battlefield. Because no Rune card is being added to the board, the question of whether it enters exhausted does not apply. If you have any other questions about how resources or tokens function, please let me know!

Ruling: The Tideturner resolves, swapping Yasuo into the battlefield. The current combat finishes resolving but remains contested (no control established). Once the chain empties, a new combat opens with a showdown, where the opponent remains the attacker and you remain the defender. Sequence: - Combat damage occurs, Lonely Poro dies - Deathknell trigger goes on chain (CL1) - You play hidden Tideturner targeting Yasuo in base (CL2), which stages combat - Tideturner resolves: Yasuo moves to battlefield, Tideturner returns to base - Lonely Poro deathknell resolves and draws a card (condition met since Poro was removed before Tideturner played) - Control establishment step is skipped because combat is staged - Current combat closes when chain is empty - New combat opens with combat showdown - Opponent's on-attack triggers re-trigger as they're designated attacker again in the new combat Nuances: - The "died alone" condition checks when the Poro was removed (before Tideturner was played), so the draw happens - Hidden Tideturner can be played during deathknell resolution because the battlefield is still contested - Contested status persists through to the new combat since the control establishment step was skipped - The new combat proceeds with full showdown, focus windows, and priority as normal

Ruling: Combat does not start until after the movement trigger resolves. The Battlefield is marked as contested, but combat (showdown) is staged until the chain is empty. Sequence: - Merchant moves to Battlefield with enemy unit - Movement trigger goes on the chain - Battlefield is marked as contested - Trigger resolves - Chain empties - Combat/showdown begins Nuances: - If all attackers and/or all defenders are removed before the trigger resolves, there would be no combat since combat hasn't started yet

Ruling: A non-combat showdown occurs first where Rune Prison confuses Kai'Sa. Since no one dies and no clear control is established, a second combat showdown immediately follows with the Poro as the attacking player. If Poro doesn't have enough might to kill Kai'Sa, then Kai'Sa takes control (scoring a point and conquering if they haven't scored that battlefield that turn), and the Poro recalls. Sequence: - Poro moves to BF1, starting a non-combat showdown and applying contested status - Kai'Sa uses Ride the Wind to move to BF1 during the showdown - Rune Prison is played on Kai'Sa - First showdown resolves: nobody conquers, no damage, no points - Second combat showdown immediately occurs with Poro as attacker - If Poro lacks might to kill Kai'Sa: Kai'Sa takes control, scores point, conquers; Poro recalls Nuances: - The contested status is applied when the battlefield first becomes contested and remains until control is clearly established - In back-to-back showdowns, the attacker role carries over from the first showdown (the player who first applied contested status) - If a showdown ends without clear control, contested status stays in place

Ruling: The Sett Brawler retains its 8 might when saved by The Boss's effect because the unit never leaves the board zone and remains the same game object. Nuances: - The Boss uses a replacement effect, not banish, so the unit never actually leaves the board - Since the game object stays the same and never changes zones, all effects and buffs remain active - This ruling holds true even after the errata to The Boss (which changed "when" to "if" to make it not a trigger)

Ruling: The new Sprite is played, the old Sprite dies, and the hold point is scored. The new Sprite then lasts until the beginning of the next turn. Sequence: - New Sprite enters the battlefield - Old Sprite dies (due to uniqueness rule) - Hold point is scored - New Sprite remains until beginning of next turn

Ruling: Yes, Viktor can create a token when a Sprite dies because Sprite tokens are not recruits. Nuances: - Sprites count as non-recruit units due to their 'fae' unit type

Ruling: 'You' in a trigger condition refers to the controller of the battlefield and requires control of the battlefield. Only the controller can use such abilities during a contest. Nuances: - The Dreaming Tree specifically has an errata that allows your opponent to draw, making it an exception to this rule

Ruling: The boss gets readied from its ability, but Sett, Brawler does not get a new buff. Sequence: - Boss ability recalls Sett, Brawler from the battlefield - The battlefield is conquered as a result - Boss readies due to its ability - Sett, Brawler does not receive a new buff because he was not on the battlefield when the conquering happened Nuances: - A character must be on the battlefield at the moment of conquering to trigger conquest-related effects

Ruling: You can order the triggers as you please because they have the same triggering event. You can spend Sett's buff with Hirana and then buff him with his own trigger, or if he's not buffed you can buff him with his own trigger and then spend it with Hirana. Sequence: - Both triggers occur from the same event (conquering Hirana) - You choose the order to resolve them - Option 1: Spend existing buff with Hirana, then gain buff from Sett's passive - Option 2: Gain buff from Sett's passive, then spend it with Hirana Nuances: - When Sett Legend prevents a unit from dying (by recalling it), the unit does not actually die - the death is replaced - Effects that specifically check "if this kills" (like Disintegrate) will not trigger because the unit didn't actually die - Effects that don't require the unit to die (like Hidden Blade's draw) will still work because they only need to reference information about the unit's controller, and the unit is still on the board - The difference is whether the effect uses "if" to check if the death actually occurred versus just performing an action

Ruling: Yes, when you spend the buff, the unit loses 1 might even though its current might total includes might from other sources like the defender designation. Sequence: - Watcher sees the Poro at 3 might and its might reduction snapshots to -2 (bringing Poro to 1 might) - Poro gains the defender designation in combat and its might goes up to 2 might (2 base + 1 buff + 1 shield - 2 watcher) - When you spend the buff, it goes to 1 might Nuances: - The might reduction from effects like Watcher snapshots based on the unit's might when the reduction is applied - When a buff is spent, the unit loses the might from that buff regardless of what other might modifiers are currently active

Ruling: Buffs stay on a unit until you spend them or the unit leaves the board. Only damage is cleared during healing, not buffs. Nuances: - When a unit takes damage, its might is not reduced - Spells that increase a unit's might for the turn are not buffs; buffs are a specific game object

Ruling: The first showdown completely resolves before the second showdown begins. The second showdown waits in a pending state for an open neutral state to start. Sequence: - First showdown resolves completely, including all after effects (die triggers, draws, etc.) - Second showdown begins immediately after the first showdown is fully resolved

Ruling: No, ignoring energy cost only applies to base costs. Any additional costs, including the extra cost from Accelerate, must be paid as normal.

Ruling: When a card effect says "discard X, then draw Y", the discard is not mandatory. You discard as many cards as you can (including zero if your hand is empty) and then draw Y cards. Nuances: - If the text instead says "discard X to draw Y", then the discard IS mandatory and you must discard the full amount to get the draw effect - The judge's ruling that nothing happens when you can't discard the full amount was incorrect

Ruling: When a card effect explicitly says to "move" a unit, a readied unit stays readied unless the card specifies otherwise. Nuances: - This is different from a standard move action, which exhausts the unit - The unit only exhausts if the card effect specifically states it does

Ruling: Yes, when a card effect instructs you to move a unit without mentioning exhausting, the unit moves without exhausting. Nuances: - "Standard Move" is an inherent ability of units that requires exhausting the unit to move it to/from base - Card effects that simply say "move" are different from the Standard Move ability - Multiple standard moves can be used at the same time (unlike most exhaust abilities)

Ruling: Cards with Might requirements check the current Might value, not the printed value. You can decrease an opponent's card's Might (e.g., with Smoke Screen) and then target it with cards that have Might restrictions (e.g., Gust targeting 3 Might or lower). Sequence: - Apply Might decrease effect to opponent's card - Check if card now meets Might requirement for targeting - If requirement is met, card can be targeted

Ruling: Runes channeled by a card effect enter the board ready unless the effect explicitly specifies otherwise. For example, when Jhin's Virtuoso legend ability instructs you to "channel 4 runes," those runes enter ready. Nuances: - Rule 430.2 establishes that channeled runes default to the ready state. - Effects must explicitly state "channel X runes exhausted" if they want the runes to enter exhausted. - The example in Rule 430.2 ("Channel 1 rune exhausted") demonstrates an exception to the default ready state, confirming that specification is required for exhausted entry.