Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: The battlefield bonus applies first because it is a passive ability that activates immediately when a unit moves there and does not use the chain. Ahri's Legend ability then triggers afterward, reducing the unit's stats by -1/-1. Sequence: - Unit moves to the battlefield - Battlefield passive ability grants +1/+1 immediately (does not use the chain) - Ahri's Legend ability triggers and applies -1/-1 Nuances: - Battlefield bonuses are passive abilities, not triggers, so they don't interact with the trigger chain system

Ruling: The player whose unit applied the contested status to the battlefield (the first unit to arrive) becomes the attacker. The opposing player's unit becomes the defender. Attacker and defender status are not assigned during the initial open showdown, but only when the combat showdown begins after the open showdown resolves. Sequence: - First unit moves to empty battlefield, applying contested status and starting an open showdown - Second unit arrives at the battlefield during the open showdown, staging a combat - The open showdown completes (no attacker/defender status exists yet) - Combat begins with a new showdown - At the start of combat, attacker and defender status are assigned based on who applied contested status - The player who applied contested status becomes the attacker; the opposing player becomes the defender - Assault and Shield bonuses only apply during combat, not during the open showdown Nuances: - Assault and Shield are passives that only apply while a combat is ongoing, not during the open showdown phase - During the open showdown (before combat begins), neither unit has attacker or defender status - Actions taken during the open showdown happen before Assault/Shield bonuses are active - The contested status remains throughout both the open showdown and the subsequent combat

Ruling: The player who originally moved to the empty battlefield is the attacker, and the opponent who moved their unit there afterward is the defender. Sequence: - First player moves unit to empty battlefield, applying Contested status - During showdown, opponent uses Ride the Wind to move a unit to that battlefield - First player becomes the attacker (they applied Contested status) - Opponent becomes the defender Nuances: - Contested status is applied when moving to any battlefield not under your control, including empty battlefields - Combat only happens when both players have presence at a battlefield - If the opponent's unit survives the combat, they will conquer the battlefield and score a point during the first player's turn

Ruling: The player who first moved their unit to the empty battlefield is the attacker. The contested status is applied when the first unit moves to the empty battlefield and remains throughout both showdowns. Sequence: - Player 1 moves a unit to an empty battlefield - A non-combat showdown begins; Player 1 applies contested status - Player 2 plays Ride the Wind, moving a unit to the battlefield - A combat showdown is staged - Both players pass on the non-combat showdown - The combat showdown begins with Player 1 as the attacker Nuances: - Contested status is applied when any unit moves to a battlefield not already controlled by its controller (neutral to controlled counts as a change) - Contested status is not cleared between the non-combat showdown and combat showdown because control cannot be established while a showdown is ongoing - Showdowns do not end just because one or both players leave the battlefield - No points are scored from the non-combat showdown because control is not established when both players remain present

Ruling: When moving to an empty battlefield, units are not designated as attackers or defenders. A unit with Assault will gain the Assault ability for the turn, but will not gain the bonus might because it is not an attacker. Sequence: - Unit moves to empty battlefield - A non-combat showdown occurs (no combat happens on empty battlefields) - Unit gains Assault ability but no might bonus - If an opposing unit later moves to that battlefield during the same turn, a combat showdown begins and the unit becomes an attacker with the might bonus Nuances: - Attacker and defender designations only exist during combat showdowns - Combat only occurs when units controlled by opposing players are present at the same battlefield - The unit still gains the Assault ability itself, just not the might bonus until it becomes an attacker in actual combat

Ruling: The attacker is the player who first applied contested status to the battlefield (the player who moved first), and the defender is the player whose unit was moved there second, even though neither player controlled the battlefield initially. Sequence: - Player A moves their unit to uncontrolled battlefield B, starting a non-combat showdown - Player B plays an effect (like Zenith Blade) to move their unit to battlefield B during the non-combat showdown - The non-combat showdown ends without Player A conquering (battlefield remains contested) - Combat showdown begins with Player A as attacker and Player B as defender - If Player A wins, they conquer and score on attack; if Player B wins, they conquer and score on defense Nuances: - This is called "active defense" - the only way to defend a battlefield you don't control and the only way to conquer on defense - The combat cannot start during the existing non-combat showdown; it must wait until that showdown ends - Who applied contested status determines attacker/defender, not who controls the battlefield

Ruling: When an attacking unit fails to remove all defending units from a battlefield (even if they stun them), the attacking unit returns to base via a recall, not a move. Sequence: - Attacker moves to battlefield with defending unit - Combat occurs, attacker stuns defender but doesn't remove them - Attacker has failed to conquer (defenders remain) - Attacker recalls back to base Nuances: - The distinction between "move" and "recall" matters for card effects that trigger on one action but not the other - Stunned units don't kill the attacker, but their presence still means the attacker failed to conquer - Only the attacker recalls; the defender remains (stunned) on the battlefield

Ruling: Yes, the unit can be saved. When triggers happen simultaneously, they are placed on the stack based on turn order - the active player's triggers go on the stack first, then the non-active player's triggers. Since it's the opponent's turn (they're attacking with Anivia), Anivia's trigger goes on the stack first, then Reaver's Row. The stack resolves in reverse order (last in, first out), so Reaver's Row resolves before Anivia, allowing the unit to be saved. Sequence: - Anivia's trigger goes on the stack first (active player's trigger) - Reaver's Row trigger goes on the stack second (non-active player's trigger) - Players can add reactions to the stack (attacker passes priority, then defender passes) - Stack resolves in reverse order: Reaver's Row resolves first - Players can add reactions again after each resolution - Anivia's trigger resolves last Nuances: - In multiplayer, turn order determines the order triggers are placed on the stack when they occur simultaneously - After each trigger resolves from the stack, players can still use reactions before the next item resolves

Ruling: When you target a unit on The Dreaming Tree with a spell, the draw trigger goes on the chain immediately when you make the choice to target. Both players can then play reactions before the draw resolves. Sequence: - Play the spell (e.g., Cleave) targeting a unit on The Dreaming Tree - The Dreaming Tree's draw trigger goes on the chain - Both players can now play reactions and other spells - The chain resolves in reverse order (reactions first, then the draw, then the original spell) Nuances: - If the original spell gets countered (e.g., by Defy), the draw trigger still resolves because it's already on the chain as a separate effect

Ruling: The unit goes to the discard pile (trash). Once the unit is played onto the board, it becomes a normal unit with no memory of how it was put into play. Sequence: - Dazzling Aurora banishes the card as part of the playing process - The card is played onto the board as a normal unit - When the unit dies, it goes to the discard pile like any other unit Nuances: - The banish effect is only relevant for rare cases where you can't legally play the card - in those cases it stays in the banish zone - The banish mechanic during play is purely mechanical and not related to balance or preventing combos

Ruling: Recall always goes to base, regardless of which battlefield the unit moved from. Nuances: - This applies even if the unit moved from a different battlefield in the same turn before recalling

Ruling: Effects that apply a minus or plus might modifier (like Watcher or Stupify) snapshot the might at its current value when applied. They do not persist as ongoing modifiers. Sequence: - Clockworker Keeper starts at 2 might - Thousands-Tailed Watcher applies -3, setting it to -1 (snapshots current value) - During attack phase, Yi gives +2 to Clockworker Keeper - Clockworker Keeper is now at 1 might (base 2 + Yi's +2 = 4, not -1 + 2 = 1) Nuances: - The negative effect does not "linger" - it modifies the unit's might once at the time of application, then that becomes the new base value for future modifications

Ruling: When you use a buff like Discipline after -might effects resolve, the unit calculates from its current might value. It does not remember what the total -might "should have been" - only what was actually applied at resolution based on the restrictions at that time. Sequence: - Player A attacks with 3 might unit - Ahri triggers giving -1 might (unit now at 2 might) - Nine-Tailed Fox triggers giving -2 might (unit now at 1 might, since it can only see current 2 might) - If Discipline is used, unit goes to 3 might (1 + 2 from Discipline) Nuances: - Units can have 0 or negative might and will not die from this alone - they only die if they have nonzero damage marked on them - Whatever minus the card gave at its resolution, because of its restrictions, is what is applied for the rest of the turn

Ruling: No, when a unit refers to itself using "me" or similar self-reference, it is not considered choosing or targeting that unit. Nuances: - The unit is programmatically selected based on its characteristics (being itself) rather than by the controller actively choosing it - Effects that only see one possible "me" do not involve targeting or choosing

Ruling: Inflicting damage to a unit does NOT reduce its Might. A unit with damage marked on it still deals its full Might value in combat. Sequence: - Damage can be dealt to a unit before a showdown begins (using appropriate spell speeds) - The unit retains its full Might value regardless of damage marked - During the showdown, the damaged unit still deals its original Might as damage - The unit is destroyed if total marked damage equals or exceeds its health Nuances: - Base speed spells cannot be used during showdowns; only Action and Reaction abilities can be used during showdowns - Units track "marked damage" rather than losing HP or reducing stats

Ruling: When a unit moves from one battlefield to another using Ride the Wind during combat, the combat in the first battlefield ends and the unit fully heals before entering the new battlefield. Sequence: - Unit takes damage during combat in Battlefield A - Unit uses Ride the Wind to move to Battlefield B - Combat ends in Battlefield A - Unit fully heals - Unit enters combat in Battlefield B at full health

Ruling: 'When I move' triggers resolve completely before the showdown begins. Once resolved, the showdown starts with attacker triggers going on the chain first, then defender triggers, creating the initial chain. Sequence: - 'When I move' trigger activates and resolves completely before showdown - Showdown begins and attacker 'When I attack' triggers go on the chain first (targets must be declared) - Defender 'When I defend' triggers go on the chain next (defender picks order if multiple, targets declared) - Attacker gets priority to play spells - If pass, defender gets priority to play spells - Chain resolves LIFO (last in, first out) - After initial chain resolves, attacker gets focus and priority Nuances: - Each item on the chain can be reacted to before resolving - If defender has multiple triggers, they choose the order those triggers go on the chain

Ruling: When a unit moves to an uncontrolled battlefield, a non-combat showdown begins and 'when I attack' does not trigger. If an opponent's unit then moves to that battlefield during the non-combat showdown, it stages a combat showdown that occurs after the non-combat showdown resolves. When the combat showdown begins, the first player's unit is designated as the attacker and their 'when I attack' ability triggers. Sequence: - First unit moves to uncontrolled battlefield, starting a non-combat showdown - Second player's unit moves to the same battlefield during the non-combat showdown - Non-combat showdown continues until both players pass - After non-combat showdown resolves, a combat showdown begins - The player whose unit moved in first becomes the attacker - 'When I attack' abilities trigger at the start of this combat Nuances: - If a battlefield is uncontrolled, there is no 'you' for it to reference, so abilities that reference the battlefield's controller (like Fortified Position) will not trigger

Ruling: Yes, the draw and discard ability still resolves. Once the Merchant moves and triggers its ability, the discard-draw effect goes on the chain and will resolve regardless of whether the Merchant is removed from the board. Sequence: - Merchant moves to battlefield and triggers "discard 1, draw 1" ability - Ability goes on the chain - Opponent can respond with Gust to remove the Merchant - Gust resolves, removing the Merchant - The discard/draw ability still resolves because it already triggered Nuances: - The Merchant is not considered an attacker until its trigger resolves, because showdown (and therefore combat) cannot start while items are on the chain - This means you can use Gust with Cleave to remove the Merchant when it triggers its move ability, before it becomes an attacker

Ruling: When Smoke Screen reduces a unit's Might to 1, removing the first +1 Might source reduces the unit to 0 Might, and removing the second source reduces it to -1 Might (which has no real effect and is treated as 0 for gameplay purposes, but the math still tracks the negative value). Sequence: - Unit starts with 3 Might (1 base + 2 from sources) - Smoke Screen reduces it to 1 Might - First +1 source removed: unit goes to 0 Might - Second +1 source removed: unit goes to -1 Might (treated as 0 but tracked as -1) - If buffed again with +1: unit goes from -1 to 0 Might Nuances: - Might can mathematically go below 0, but this has no real gameplay effect - The unit doesn't die when at 0 or negative Might - Math continues to work normally even with negative values (e.g., -1 + 1 = 0) - "Treated as 0" does not mean "becomes 0" - the actual value is still tracked for calculation purposes

Ruling: Yes, a 4 Might unit played at Trifarian War Camp will trigger Voli Legend's ability because "when I'm played" triggers check after the unit is already on the board, at which point the War Camp's continuous buff has already applied. Sequence: - The unit enters the board at Trifarian War Camp - War Camp's continuous passive effect immediately applies, giving +1 Might - "When played" triggers (like Voli Legend) check at this point and see the unit as 5 Might - The trigger goes on the chain Nuances: - War Camp's passive effect is continuous and never goes on the chain - it always applies to units present at that battlefield - Voli Legend only triggers when you play a unit that is Mighty at the time of checking (when it hits the board), not on all units with a check on resolution - You cannot play a non-Mighty unit, then boost it in response to make Voli trigger - the trigger condition is checked when the unit enters play

Ruling: The unit remains at 4 Might with 3 damage marked on it. Damage does not reduce Might. Sequence: - The 4 Might unit takes 3 damage from Hextech Ray - The unit is still at 4 Might, but has 3 damage marked - The unit would deal 4 damage in combat - The unit would be killed if it takes 1 more damage - Marked damage is cleared at the end of each combat and at the end of turn Nuances: - Damage marked on a unit does not reduce its Might value - A unit's combat damage output is based on its Might, not Might minus damage

Ruling: Move abilities must resolve first before combat can start. The unit does not gain Assault bonuses until after the move ability has resolved and combat begins. Sequence: - Move ability goes on the chain - Move ability must resolve (opponents can react with abilities like Gust) - Chain becomes empty - Combat starts and attacker/defender status is assigned - Assault and other combat effects apply Nuances: - Combat cannot start while the chain is not empty - Opponents can react to the move ability before Assault bonuses take effect

Ruling: Assault and Shield only apply during the second (combat) showdown, not during the initial non-combat showdown. Units are assigned as attacker/defender at the start of the combat showdown when there are opposing units. Sequence: - Player 1 moves unit to empty battlefield, triggering a non-combat showdown - Player 2 plays Zenith Blade, stunning the enemy unit and moving their own unit to that battlefield - Non-combat showdown ends; Player 1 does not conquer because the battlefield is now contested - Combat showdown begins; Player 1 is the attacker (applied contested first), Player 2 is the defender - Assault and Shield modifiers now apply during this combat showdown Nuances: - You cannot have Assault or Shield in a non-combat showdown because there are no opposing units - Units only become attackers or defenders when there is opposition - "When I attack/defend" abilities trigger when a unit becomes an attacker/defender, even if played after the showdown starts - Attacker/defender roles are assigned at the start of combat showdown and don't change during it

Ruling: When Hourglass recalls a unit with Buffs attached, the unit keeps all Buffs. Buffs simply add Might to the unit and are not removed by damage unless a card specifically tells you to remove them. Sequence: - Hourglass removes all damage from the unit - Recalls the unit to base exhausted - Changes nothing else about the unit (Buffs remain attached) Nuances: - Buffs do not act as damage shields or buffers that absorb individual instances of damage - Buffs only add Might to the unit's total Might value - A unit with base 5 Might and three Buffs attached is simply an 8 Might unit

Ruling: Assault and Shield are passive abilities, not triggers. When a unit with Cleave moves to a battlefield, it instantly gains the Assault might bonus without creating a reaction window. Sequence: - If the unit has no move triggers: The unit moves to the battlefield and instantly gains the Assault bonus with no opportunity to respond - If the unit has move triggers: The unit arrives at the battlefield, the move trigger goes on the chain (allowing responses), and the Assault bonus applies only after that chain fully resolves Nuances: - Units with move triggers are considered at the battlefield when their move trigger is on the chain, but combat has not yet begun - If a unit with Cleave and a move trigger initiates combat, opponents can respond to the move trigger (e.g., with Gust) before the Assault bonus applies and combat begins - If combat is already ongoing at the battlefield and the unit joins as the attacker, it gets the Assault bonus before the move trigger chain fully resolves - There is no "move limbo" - permanents are either at their Origin before moving or their Destination after moving

Ruling: If both triggers are from the same event (the unit with Deathknell dying), you can choose to order them in either sequence. Sequence: - Both triggers occur from the same death event - The controlling player chooses which trigger to resolve first - Then resolve the second trigger

Ruling: The owner of the unit controls the Deathknell trigger, not the player who possessed it. The trigger is created from the trash.

Ruling: When a unit with Deathknell is stolen via Possession and dies, the controller (the player who stole it) gets the Deathknell trigger, but the card goes to the owner's trash (the original owner). Sequence: - The stolen unit dies - The card goes to the owner's trash - The controller (who stole it) gets the Deathknell effect Nuances: - This ruling is based on designer intent (red text) rather than being explicitly supported in the current rules text - Cards always move to the owner's zones (hand, deck, or trash), never the controller's zones when owner and controller differ - This prevents logistical issues with card sleeves and ownership tracking

Ruling: No, Deathnell does not trigger when Zhonya revives a unit. Zhonya replaces the kill effect, so the unit never dies or goes to the trash. Nuances: - For effects like Baited Hook that trigger on kill, the effect still happens when Zhonya protects the unit, but there is no "killed unit" to reference for stats like might - You would look at the top cards and recycle them all because there's no unit with Null might to reference - This interaction also applies to Sett's Legend ability

Ruling: When a unit with Guardian Angel dies, all gears remain attached to the unit and return with it to the top of the deck. Nuances: - The unit never technically "died" due to Guardian Angel's effect, so the normal rule of gears returning to base does not apply - All equipment stays equipped to the unit as it returns

Ruling: When a card is played from Hidden, it must be played to the same location where it was hidden. An additional restriction of "Here" is added to the card when played from Hidden. Nuances: - The battlefield itself is not a target, but the play location is restricted to where the card was hidden - This restriction applies whether the hidden card is a unit or has other targeting requirements

Ruling: Yes, the Mask effect triggers during the initial chain of the combat showdown. You can reveal the Hidden after the Mask trigger is added to the chain, even before it resolves, and the +1/+1 bonus remains. Sequence: - Mask effect triggers with the initial chain of combat showdown - The trigger is added to the chain - Hidden can be revealed at this point (even before the trigger resolves) - The +1/+1 bonus still applies Nuances: - If a defending unit is destroyed by a spell and you then play a Hidden unit (like Teemo) to the battlefield, Teemo becomes a defender but won't trigger Mask because he's not alone at that point - You need to play the Hidden before the other unit dies to get the Mask bonus - Once you lose control of the battlefield, any Hiddens get trashed immediately - Usually you reveal the Hidden as a reaction to the spell that would kill the other unit

Ruling: Yes, the unit retains the Primal Strength buff. Because of Zhonya's replacement effect, the unit never leaves the board/battlefield, so it keeps all modifications including until end of turn effects like buffs. Nuances: - The unit does get recalled, but the replacement effect means it never actually leaves the battlefield - This same principle is why Zhonya's errata specifies heal - otherwise damage would persist through the recall and potentially kill the unit during the next cleanup

Ruling: When a unit equipped with both Skyfall of Areion and Trinity Force holds at Reckoner's Arena, you gain 3 points total and draw 2 cards. The hold trigger, Trinity Force's hold trigger (which becomes a conquer effect via Skyfall), and Reckoner's Arena's trigger all go on the chain simultaneously. Sequence: - Unit holds, gaining 1 point - Three triggers go on the chain at the same time: the unit's hold effect, Trinity Force's hold effect, and Reckoner's Arena's trigger - When Reckoner's Arena's trigger resolves, it activates the unit's conquer effects: Trinity Force's conquer effect (scoring 1 point) and the unit's conquer effect (drawing 1 card) - Final result: 3 points gained (1 from hold, 2 from triggers) and 2 cards drawn Nuances: - Skyfall of Areion makes hold effects also count as conquer effects for the equipped unit - Reckoner's Arena itself does not become a conquer effect due to Skyfall - Both the Trinity Force hold trigger and the unit's own hold trigger become conquer effects that Reckoner's Arena can activate again

Ruling: The unit dies on the next turn, not the same turn. The Temporary trigger occurs only once at the start of the beginning phase. Sequence: - Temporary triggers at the start of the beginning phase - If death is prevented (e.g., by Zhonya), the trigger does not occur again that turn - The unit will die at the start of the next beginning phase when Temporary triggers again Nuances: - Start of phase triggers only happen once per phase and will not trigger again unless specifically instructed to do so - Multiple death prevention effects (Zhonya, Guardian Angel) do not cause the unit to die repeatedly in the same turn

Ruling: No, the game is not in a showdown state while the move trigger is on the chain. The move trigger must fully resolve before the Combat Showdown can begin. Sequence: - Unit with "When I move" trigger moves to a battlefield with an enemy unit - Move trigger goes on the chain - Move trigger must resolve completely - After chain is empty and game reaches neutral open state, showdown begins Nuances: - A showdown cannot start if there are items on the chain - The cleanup process that begins a showdown requires a "neutral open state" (no chain active)

Ruling: When you play a unit, it enters immediately and its triggered ability goes on the chain. If the unit dies in response, the triggered ability still resolves, but effects that reference the unit's location (like 'here') will fail to do anything because the unit is no longer present. Sequence: - Play the unit (it finalizes immediately and enters) - The 'When you play me' triggered ability goes on the chain - Opponent can respond (e.g., by killing the unit) - Response resolves first - Original triggered ability resolves (but may whiff if it references the unit's location) Nuances: - Effects like 'draw 1' will still resolve even if the unit dies - Effects that reference 'here' (the unit's location) will fail to do anything if the unit has died - Units and gear finalize immediately and do not cause a priority pass - Triggered abilities are identified by 'when' followed by a condition, 'at' followed by a time, or 'the [n]'th time you...'

Ruling: When a unit is recalled by Sett's legend ability, it heals from damage but keeps all other effects acting on it, including 'this turn' might increases. Nuances: - The unit would die immediately after being recalled by Sett if damage wasn't cleared, so damage is specifically cleared as a necessary correction to Rules as Written - Other conditions like might buffs follow Rules as Written and stay on the unit because it didn't leave the board - Stun and other non-damage conditions are treated the same as might increases (they remain)

Ruling: When multiple Conquer abilities trigger simultaneously (from both the conquering unit and the conquered site), you can choose the order in which they resolve. Nuances: - This applies to scenarios like Sett conquering Monastery of Hirana (you can choose whether to use Sett's buff for the Monastery's draw effect first, or trigger Sett's ability first to get the buff) - This also applies to scenarios like Qiyana conquering Sigil of the Storm (you can choose whether Sigil's effect or Qiyana's channeling happens first) - This ruling resolves potential contradictions between multiple conquer triggers

Ruling: Hidden cards have the Reaction keyword, so the opponent can flip and cast the hidden card in response to Charm being cast. If they miss that window, the hidden card is trashed during the cleanup step after Charm resolves and before any move triggers go on a new chain. Sequence: - Charm is cast and target is declared - Opponent can respond by casting the hidden card (using its Reaction keyword) - If not cast, Charm resolves - Chain closes and cleanup step occurs - Hidden card is trashed during cleanup - Move triggers (if any) go on a new chain Nuances: - The opponent must cast the hidden card in response to Charm or lose it, as there is no window after Charm resolves - Move triggers happen too late - the hidden card is already trashed in the cleanup step before move triggers can be responded to

Ruling: When a unit is being returned from a battlefield to base, you can flip the hidden gear as a response. Gear cards are not allowed to stay at a battlefield and will be recalled to your base during the next cleanup. Sequence: - Player plays effect to return unit from battlefield to base (e.g., Fight or Flight) - In response, the controlling player can flip the hidden gear (e.g., Zhonya's) - The gear recalls to base - The unit returns to base Nuances: - The opponent could technically respond to the gear being played, but players often shortcut through this - Recall is distinct from "move" in game terminology - Hidden cards at battlefields you no longer control are trashed, but this doesn't apply when you flip the gear as a response before losing control

Ruling: The move trigger is put onto the chain and resolves first, before the showdown happens. Then, when the showdown begins, the defend trigger resolves before the attack. Sequence: - Move trigger goes on the chain and resolves - Showdown begins - Defend trigger resolves - Attack happens

Ruling: No, there is no opportunity to play a spell drawn from the move trigger before showdown begins and the defender gets their shield. Once the move trigger resolves and the chain is empty (with no additional triggers), showdown begins immediately without priority passing. Sequence: - Move trigger (like Wandering Merchant) activates and resolves - If no additional triggers are created, the game transitions from closed to open state - Showdown begins immediately without players passing priority on an empty chain - Defender's abilities (like Stalwart Poro's shield) activate during showdown Nuances: - If the move trigger causes additional triggers (like discarding Scrap Heap which has its own trigger), you could play a spell as a reaction to that secondary trigger before showdown begins - However, if you draw the spell from the secondary trigger itself, you're back in the same situation with no opportunity to play it before showdown - Some spells (like Cannon Barrage) require combat to have already started, so they couldn't be played before showdown anyway

Ruling: When calculating might modifications, apply all increases before all decreases. Smoke Screen's effect is calculated ("snapshotted") when the spell is played, not continuously recalculated. Sequence: - Start with base might (2 for the poro) - Apply all increases: +1 from Trifarian War Camp, +1 from shield, +2 from Discipline = 6 total from increases - Apply all decreases: -3 from Smoke Screen (snapshotted when played) - Final might: 2 + 6 - 3 = 5 might Nuances: - If a second Smoke Screen is played after Discipline, it would only give -2 (not -3) because Discipline's +2 is already applied when the second Smoke Screen snapshots - Aura effects like Trifarian War Camp don't use the chain to resolve and apply continuously - The "increases before decreases" rule ensures aura increases like Trifarian War Camp apply before aura decreases like Green Leona

Ruling: The boosted unit will not die. Damage is healed at the same time as the stat boost is removed during end of combat cleanup. Sequence: - Lee Sin goes to trash and units heal simultaneously - All parts of the special cleanup happen at the same time - The damage removal and power reduction occur together, so the unit survives Nuances: - This same principle applies to other temporary stat boosts like Yi's defender bonus - a 2 power unit that receives +2 power as defender and takes 2 damage will survive because the damage heals as the boost ends

Ruling: When a unit with a triggered ability enters play, the ability goes on the chain and both players can respond with Reaction speed cards before it resolves. Triggered abilities always resolve regardless of whether the unit is killed, bounced, or banished. Sequence: - Unit enters play immediately - Triggered ability goes on the chain - Active player can play Reactions or pass - When active player passes, non-active player can play Reactions - Once both players pass, the chain resolves - Triggered ability resolves last (as it was first on the chain) - Once the ability resolves, its effect applies for the rest of the turn Nuances: - Only Reaction speed cards can be added to the chain; Action speed cards are too slow - Players hold priority and can play multiple Reactions before passing - Players can continue adding Reactions as the chain resolves (after each item resolves, the owner of the next item gains priority first) - Triggers always resolve even if the unit is removed, though effects referencing "here" or similar may not execute if the referent is undefined - Triggers without referential information (like "here", "me", "my") will fully execute even if the unit is gone

Ruling: Yes, both triggered abilities go on the stack at the same time, and since you control both, you can choose their order. You can resolve the battlefield effect first to draw and remove Sett's buff, then resolve Sett's trigger to rebuff him. Sequence: - Both triggers go on the stack simultaneously when Sett conquers the battlefield - You choose to order them so Monastery of Hirana resolves first - Monastery effect resolves: you draw a card and remove a buff from a unit (Sett) - Sett's trigger resolves: Sett gains a buff (he no longer has one, so this succeeds) Nuances: - Sett's trigger is always added to the stack when he conquers, regardless of whether he already has a buff - the game doesn't check legality of the effect when adding triggers to the stack - Units that already have a buff are valid targets for abilities that buff units; the buff simply fails to apply if they already have one - This is different from Kinkou Monk, which specifically requires buffing two units to resolve at all

Ruling: Once a triggered ability is added to the chain, it always resolves regardless of whether the unit is killed or moved. However, if the ability references the unit's location (like "here") or stats (like "my might"), it may resolve to do nothing if the unit is no longer in the referenced location or no longer exists. Sequence: - Targets for the ability must be chosen when the ability is added to the chain - If the unit is moved or killed after targets are chosen, the ability still resolves - The ability checks its conditions upon resolution Nuances: - For Yasuo's ability specifically: if he is moved to a different battlefield or base, the chosen target is no longer valid for "here" so no damage is dealt - If Yasuo is killed, he has no might to deal damage with, so the ability does nothing - If an ability doesn't reference the unit's location or stats (e.g. "deal 5 damage to a unit"), it would still work even if the unit is moved or killed - There is no "fizzling" like in Magic - abilities always resolve, they just potentially do nothing - Any other effects on the ability would still resolve as much as possible - Spells still count as played for effects like Ravenbloom Student even if they do nothing

Ruling: When a unit with attached gear is recycled, the gear detaches and stays in the base. Sequence: - When the unit moves from a board zone to a non-board zone (like the deck via recycling), any attached cards are detached - The detached gear remains at the last location the unit was at before it moved - If the gear was left at a battlefield (because the unit was recycled from there), it is immediately Recalled to the controller's base as a corrective action Nuances: - This behavior is consistent with other zone changes: gear does not follow the unit when it dies, is banished, or is returned to hand