Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, you cannot play reactions after the last card on the stack resolves. If the last item on the chain resolving doesn't cause an item to go on the chain, the chain closes immediately afterward. Nuances: - During a showdown, you can play reactions after cards resolve because the showdown keeps the chain open - Reactions must be played during the stack, not after it fully resolves

Ruling: Yes, you can tap runes for energy at the same time you recycle them to pay for Bullet Time's power cost during resolution. Any Add ability with Reaction speed can be used during the resolution of a spell when paying costs. Sequence: - Pay 1 energy to cast Bullet Time and choose a battlefield - Both players get reaction windows (opponent first, then you retain priority) - Once both players pass and the spell resolves, you declare the amount of power and recycle runes - During this resolution payment, you can tap those runes for energy before recycling them - At this point, the opponent cannot react with Defy or other responses Nuances: - The opponent never gets to react to Bullet Time with knowledge of how much damage it will do, since the power cost is paid during resolution, not as an additional cost to cast - You can cast Bullet Time with no intention of recycling any runes - This applies to any Add abilities with Reaction speed, not just energy generation

Ruling: Yes, seals can be used to pay for Hextech Anomaly. Seals produce power, and power of any domain can be used to pay universal power costs. Nuances: - When you pay power for Anomaly, you receive energy (not runes) - Energy cannot be exhausted

Ruling: Yes, seals can pay for deflect costs. Deflect adds onto the power cost, which seals can pay for. Nuances: - Seals can pay for any power cost that corresponds with the domain of the seal - For Hidden powers specifically, a power of any domain can pay the cost

Ruling: Seals can pay for the power cost of hiding cards. There is no distinction where power is coming from - seals add one power of a particular color to the rune pool which can be used to set hidden cards. Sequence: - To hide a card, you need power (obtained by recycling runes, putting them at the bottom of the deck) - Seals can provide this power instead of recycling runes - For example, with Ledros requiring 4 yellow: you could tap a yellow seal for 1 power, then recycle only 3 yellow runes instead of 4 Nuances: - A seal can pay for the power cost of another seal with the same color - This can be used to enable Legion effects without paying much for them

Ruling: Spells without "action" or "reaction" keywords can only be played on your turn, outside a showdown, with an empty chain. Sequence: - Must be your turn - Must be outside a showdown - Chain must be empty

Ruling: Yes, effects that say "move a unit" can move units from battlefield to battlefield without Ganking. Ganking only applies to Standard Move, which is a different type of movement than general "move" effects. Nuances: - A "valid location" is a location that doesn't break the rules or the card's text - If a card specifies "Move a unit to or from a battlefield," then another battlefield would be an invalid location if the unit is already at a battlefield - Moving a unit to the opposite base is an invalid location - You can target a unit at Vilemaw's Lair with an effect to move it to base, but it won't do anything

Ruling: Spells and units share the same facedown zone, so you can have either a single hidden unit OR a single hidden spell per battlefield, but never both. If you don't have any units at a battlefield, you lose control of that battlefield. Nuances: - You can respond to an ability that would remove your last face-up unit by playing the facedown card before losing control of the battlefield.

Ruling: Spells that don't specify they are Actions or Reactions cannot be used as if they were Actions or Reactions. They can only be played during your turn in an open and neutral state. Sequence: - Must be your turn - Game must be in an open and neutral state - No showdown can be occurring - No open chain can be active Nuances: - These spells cannot be used during opponent's turn or as reactions to events like Showdowns

Ruling: Yes, spells and abilities can target and kill attached equipment gear. They are still gear even when attached. Nuances: - Attached gear has its rule text disabled, but the type line is still active and referenceable - Effects that target or affect gear (like Thermo beam) would affect all gear including attached gear

Ruling: Units do not die from having 0 might alone. A unit only dies when it has lethal damage marked on it (damage greater than or equal to its might). Spending a buff that reduces a unit to 0 might will not kill it unless there is already damage marked on the unit. Nuances: - Lethal damage is expressly defined as non-zero damage - You can kill a unit by spending a buff if there is already damage marked on it (example: deal 4 damage to a unit with 4 might and a buff, then spend the buff to reduce it to 3 might - it will die) - Combat damage is cleared during the combat resolution step, before conquering happens, so a unit that fought and then has its buff spent during conquest will not die (the damage is already cleared)

Ruling: No, sprite tokens cannot be banished and played again later. Tokens cease to exist immediately when moved to any non-board zone, including the banish zone. Nuances: - Tokens can only exist on the board - When a token would move to any zone other than the board (hand, deck, banish, etc.), it ceases to exist as soon as it enters that zone

Ruling: Tapped runes can be activated and recycled to pay for power costs. This applies to abilities like Deflect and Bullet Time. Nuances: - Bullet Time targets the battlefield, not units - Seals can be exhausted to pay for Deflect

Ruling: No. Spells with targeting effects require a valid target to be played and enter the chain. Nuances: - If the targeting is optional (indicated by "up to" or "any number"), the spell can be played without choosing targets.

Ruling: No, the Annie player cannot play action cards after her legend ability resolves. Actions can only be played during a showdown with nothing on the chain or during your action phase with nothing on the chain, but Annie's trigger happens during the ending step. Sequence: - Annie's legend ability triggers and resolves during the ending step - After the ability resolves, the chain closes (no priority window) - The game proceeds to other end of turn steps (special cleanup, expiration step, then next player's turn) Nuances: - Reactions can be played in response to Annie's ability before it resolves (if you have open runes) - After Annie's ability resolves, there is no priority window to play any cards

Ruling: No, you cannot play a reaction after both players pass focus. Once both players pass focus in succession, combat moves to the damage step where no one has priority. Sequence: - Attacker passes focus - Defender passes focus - Combat resolves and moves to damage step (no priority available) Nuances: - If you pass focus and your opponent plays anything, focus comes back to you before combat resolves - Both players must pass focus in a row for combat to resolve - Reactions do not state "play at any time"

Ruling: Yes, the attacker can activate an action card after the chain resolves. When you pass focus and your opponent activates cards, focus returns to you after the chain resolves, allowing you to play actions. Sequence: - Attacker passes focus to defender - Defender activates reaction/action cards, starting a chain - Chain resolves completely - Focus returns to the attacker - Attacker can now activate action cards - The showdown only ends when both players pass focus without either starting a chain Nuances: - Actions can never be played in response to an ongoing chain - they can only start a chain - If the attacker had passed focus and the defender also passed without playing anything, the showdown would have ended immediately - Reactions cannot be played when there is no chain and you don't have priority

Ruling: When multiple triggers happen simultaneously, the controller decides the stack order, so the attacking player can sequence their attack triggers (like Anivia before Warwick). Units are considered in combat immediately when showdown starts at a contested battlefield, which occurs when moving units to an occupied battlefield resolves. Sequence: - Move units to contested battlefield; showdown and combat start immediately - Attacker declares order of their attack triggers (e.g., Anivia first, Warwick last) - Defender triggers are added to the stack - Attacker gets priority and can play reaction-speed cards like Cannon Barrage - Stack resolves in reverse order (Cannon Barrage, then Anivia, then Warwick) - After all triggers resolve, attacker gets focus and priority for action-speed spells Nuances: - Cannon Barrage can be played as a reaction on the stack after attack triggers are declared but before they resolve, allowing it to damage enemy units before other effects like Warwick's kill trigger

Ruling: No, Imperial Decree does not change how damage is assigned. You must still apply damage equal to a unit's might before moving on to assign damage to another unit. Nuances: - Imperial Decree doesn't change what counts as "lethal damage" for assignment purposes - Imperial Decree only has delayed triggers that kill units that were dealt damage; it doesn't modify the damage assignment rules themselves

Ruling: Yes, the deal 6 damage can be reacted to. While permanents (units and gear) themselves cannot be reacted to because they don't linger on the chain, play effects are triggered abilities that enter the chain separately and can be reacted to. Sequence: - You play Riptide Rex by paying its cost - It enters the chain but resolves immediately (no reaction window) - Its play effect (deal 6) triggers and enters the chain - Here each player can react with reactions Nuances: - Permanents themselves don't linger on the chain and cannot be reacted to - Play effects are triggered abilities that are put on the chain as pending items after the permanent enters the board - The distinction is between the permanent itself (can't be reacted to) and its triggered ability (can be reacted to)

Ruling: The new Irelia item can reduce might to 0. Units with 0 might do not die immediately; they must take damage to be killed. Sequence: - Irelia item reduces might (can go to 0) - Unit remains alive at 0 might - Unit must take nonzero damage - During cleanup, unit dies if damage marked is greater than or equal to might Nuances: - The "minimum 1" restriction is not present on this item - Cleanup phase specifically checks if damage marked ≥ might, implying damage is required for death

Ruling: Yes, the same battlefield can be scored twice in one turn by different players. The restriction that "a player may only score once per battlefield per turn" applies to each individual player, not to both players collectively. Sequence: - Player A scores Battlefield A by holding it - Player B conquers Battlefield A (e.g., via Ride the Wind) - Player B scores Battlefield A via the conquest Nuances: - Each individual player is limited to scoring any given battlefield only once per turn by either method (holding or conquering) - The restriction does not prevent both players from scoring the same battlefield in the same turn

Ruling: You can have infinite chains in a showdown, but only one chain at a time. Actions can only be used to start a chain (not in response to an existing chain), while reactions can be played whether or not there is a chain. Sequence: - A player with focus plays an action spell to start a chain - Once a chain exists, only reaction speed effects can be added to it - Both players pass priority in order without adding to the chain - The chain resolves - The next player gets focus and can start a new chain with an action - The showdown only ends when both players pass focus in order without creating a chain Nuances: - You can never have more than one action spell on a single chain - During combat with attacker/defender triggers on the initial chain, you cannot play action spells during that time

Ruling: No, three players cannot end up on one battlefield. In multiplayer modes, battlefields with pending combats or combats in progress are invalid destinations for moves by units controlled by players who don't already have permanents at that battlefield. Sequence: - First player can move a unit to a battlefield, potentially creating a combat situation - Once a combat is pending or in progress at that battlefield, it becomes an invalid destination for moves by any third player who doesn't already have permanents there - Players not involved in the combat can still be invited to take actions that affect that battlefield, but cannot move units there Nuances: - In 4-player free-for-all, no invite is needed for players to play actions and reactions on another player's showdown - The invite mechanic will be removed in general in future versions

Ruling: Yes, if you have two Vanguard Helms equipped, both can trigger simultaneously when a buffed unit dies, allowing you to buff two other units. Sequence: - A buffed unit dies - Both Vanguard Helm triggers go on the stack at the same time - Both triggers resolve, buffing the two other units

Ruling: Yes, if both players select the same battlefield, then two of the same battlefield can be used at the same time. Nuances: - This only occurs when both players independently select the same battlefield during battlefield selection.

Ruling: Unit abilities do open a chain, but they are not spells and therefore cannot be countered by current counter cards like Defy or Wind Wall, which specifically counter spells not abilities. Nuances: - The distinction between spells and abilities is critical for determining what can counter them - Current counter cards in the game (Defy, Wind Wall) only work on spells

Ruling: Units at Vilemaw's Lair cannot move to base using any movement effects, including Flash of Foresight, Ride the Wind, Flash, or Charm. The only way to get a unit from Vilemaw's Lair to base is through Recall effects (like Zhonya's Hourglass), which are distinct from movement. Sequence: - Playing movement spells/abilities targeting units at Vilemaw's Lair is legal - The spell/ability resolves successfully - However, the movement itself does not occur due to Vilemaw's restriction - Recall effects bypass this because they are not movement Nuances: - Units can still move between Vilemaw's Lair and other battlefields (including ganking) - Vilemaw's restriction only affects moves to/from base - Playing FoF or similar spells on Vilemaw units is legal but will "whiff" (do nothing) - Once an opponent passes priority after such a spell, no rewind is allowed as information has been gained - Portal Rescue also works as it uses Recall

Ruling: You must control a battlefield to play units to it. An attacker cannot play units to a battlefield they're attacking (they don't control it yet). A defender can play units to a battlefield they control when defending. Sequence: - When attacking a contested battlefield, the attacker does not have control - The attacker can only play units to their base or other battlefields they control - The defender retains control during the showdown and can play units there in defense Nuances: - If a unit is revealed via Stacked Deck during an attack, the attacker cannot play it to the battlefield being attacked - The defender can play reactive units (like Shen) to help garrison during a showdown

Ruling: Units moving to empty battlefields or starting showdowns can be Gusted during the open showdown window before battlefield conquest. Units moving to occupied battlefields (owned by that player) cannot be Gusted unless there's a move trigger creating a reaction window. Tokens disappear if Gusted to anywhere other than a base or battlefield. Sequence: - When a unit moves to an empty battlefield, an open showdown occurs before conquest - During this showdown window, Gust can be played - If the battlefield is already occupied by that player, no showdown occurs and no reaction window exists (unless a move trigger creates one) Nuances: - Tokens only persist on bases and battlefields; they disappear if moved elsewhere - The term "battlefield" in the context of tokens includes both the base and battlefield zones

Ruling: Units from a base and units with ganking from a controlled battlefield can attack the same opponent battlefield in a single wave, as long as the destination is the same. Sequence: - Any number of units can move from anywhere to the same destination - All units arrive together in a single wave - One showdown is resolved, not multiple separate showdowns

Ruling: Yes, Azir can move exhausted tokens between battlefields even if they don't have ganking. Battlefield-to-battlefield restrictions only apply to standard moves that require ganking, not to abilities like Azir's. Nuances: - Spells (like Charm or Ride the Wind) and abilities (like Azir or Stealthy Pursuer) can move units between battlefields without ganking unless they specifically state otherwise - This ability to pull units along is what makes Azir particularly strong

Ruling: Yes, Bullet Time can always be Defied because when cost is checked for effects, the printed cost is always checked, not the amount actually paid. Sequence: - Bullet Time is added to the chain - Opponent can Defy at this point (before runes are paid) - Runes for Bullet Time's power are paid on resolution, not when added to the chain Nuances: - Your opponent can never react to Bullet Time knowing how much damage it will deal, since the runes are paid on resolution

Ruling: Yes, you can Defy a spell cast from hidden.

Ruling: Yes, you can Float Energy during the resolution of Bullet Time before paying the Power cost. Anytime a player has to pay any resources, that player can activate abilities with the "add" and "reaction" tags. Sequence: - Cast Bullet Time - When Bullet Time resolves and you need to pay the Power cost - Float Energy (using "add" abilities) before paying - Pay the Power cost with the floated Energy Nuances: - This rule applies only when you are required to pay resources. You cannot float resources mid-resolution of abilities that don't require payment (like Miss Fortune - Captain's move trigger). - If an ability doesn't require resource payment, you must float resources before the ability resolves or in response to it, not during its resolution.

Ruling: No, gusting Blastcone Fae will not prevent its ability from resolving. The target is still legal because the ability doesn't care about Blastcone Fae's position on resolution. Nuances: - Hidden effects used to gain an implicit 'here' targeting restriction, but this is outdated information - Hidden effects now follow the rule that targets must be chosen from options at that battlefield, unless the ability explicitly restricts targeting differently - Moving the targeted unit (not the Blastcone Fae itself) would void the ability, as the ability does care about the target's position

Generally no. When Vayne moves to an occupied battlefield with no items on the chain, combat is immediately staged and she gains the Attacker designation before either player has priority, making her 5 Might (outside Gust's 3 or less range). However, there is an edge case: if another unit with a triggered ability (like Traveling Merchant) moves to the battlefield first, its trigger goes on the chain. This creates a window where Vayne is at the battlefield but Attacker/Defender designations haven't been assigned yet (because the Showdown cannot open while the chain is pending). In this scenario, you can Gust Vayne as a Reaction while she's still 2 Might, before the chain resolves and the Showdown opens.

Ruling: Yes, if the unit is a valid Gust target, you can Gust it in response to the Hook trigger on the chain. The Hook will still resolve, but since the target left the field, it will not successfully kill anything and the opponent will not be able to play a new unit. Sequence: - Baited Hook's trigger is placed on the chain (after paying costs including exhaust, 1 energy, 1 order power) - The target unit is chosen as the ability is placed on the chain - You can React with Gust on that chain - If Gust removes the target, Hook still resolves but fails to kill the target - No new unit can be played from the revealed cards Nuances: - Under current rules, Hook resolving with no valid target would produce a might value of 0, allowing a unit with 1 or less might to be played (though this is rare) - After an upcoming Comprehensive Rules update, failing to resolve a target will produce "null" (no valid value), meaning no unit could be played at all - You cannot choose a new target if the original target is removed, as targeting happens when placing the ability on the chain, not upon resolution - The costs of Baited Hook must still be paid when activated, regardless of whether the target is later removed

Ruling: Yes, you can successfully Gust your own 3 might Ravenbloom Student. The spell will return it to your hand before the Student's "when you play a spell" trigger can activate and increase its might to 4. Sequence: - You cast Gust targeting your 3-might Ravenbloom Student - Gust fully resolves and returns the Student to your hand - Only after Gust finishes resolving is it considered "played" - Ravenbloom Student's trigger would activate, but the Student is already in your hand, not on the battlefield - Gust successfully returns the Student to your hand Nuances: - "When you play" triggers only activate after a card finishes resolving, not when it is cast or finalized - Since the Student is removed from the battlefield as part of Gust's resolution, it cannot receive the +1 might buff from its own trigger - Target legality is checked both when the spell is cast and when it resolves, but in this case the Student is removed before it can become 4 might

Ruling: Yes, the triggered ability always activates when you conquer. On resolution, you choose whether or not to discard a card and return Death Rocket to your hand. Sequence: - When you conquer while Death Rocket is in your trash, the triggered ability automatically goes on the chain - On resolution, you may choose to discard a card to return it to your hand, or decline Nuances: - The wording "you may discard X to do Y" means the ability triggers regardless of hand state, with the discard being optional on resolution - This differs from "discard X to do this" or "discard X, if you do do this" where the discard would be mandatory to activate - The ability always creates a window/chain opportunity when you conquer, regardless of whether you have cards to discard

Ruling: Yes, you can activate Flight or Fight while your units are in Vilemaw's Lair. Since having units in your base is not an illegal game state, the activation is valid even though the units cannot actually move. Nuances: - This can be useful for effects that trigger on activation (such as Ember Monk) - Vilemaw's Lair will prevent the movement, but the card still resolves

Ruling: Yes, you can activate Hidden Within in response to Deathknell before losing control of the battlefield. When cleanup finishes, Deathknell is placed on the chain as a pending trigger, and you must resolve the chain before proceeding to the step where control is lost. Sequence: - During cleanup, triggered abilities like Deathknell become pending but cannot be added to the chain yet - Once cleanup finishes, pending triggers are finalized onto the chain - The chain must be fully resolved before moving to the control-loss step - During chain resolution, you still control the battlefield and can activate abilities like Hidden Within - Only after the chain resolves does the game proceed to losing control of the battlefield Nuances: - While cleanup is ongoing, no spells or abilities can be activated - triggers only wait as pending - Deathknell effectively stops the loss of control until it resolves because the chain must be resolved first

Ruling: You can play Reaction cards to start a chain on your turn when you have priority, even with an empty stack. Reactions function as regular actions but can also be used in response to other cards. Nuances: - Hidden cards can be played anytime you have priority, as long as at least one turn has passed since you hid the card - Each ability speed can be used at any of the speeds "above" it (Reactions can be played at Action or Base speed, Actions can be played at Base speed)

Ruling: You CANNOT activate Sett's ability during a Showdown. Unit activated abilities can only be used during your Action Phase in an Open State, not during a Showdown. You must activate the ability before moving Sett into combat if you want to use it. Sequence: - Activate Sett's ability during your Action Phase (if desired) to spend the buff and gain +4 Might - Move Sett to the controlled Battlefield - Combat is initiated (Showdown opens) - No unit abilities can be activated during the Showdown - Combat damage is dealt with Sett's current Might Nuances: - This restriction applies to all unit activated abilities, regardless of whether they have the action keyword or not - If you don't activate the ability before combat, Sett will fight with his base buffed Might (5) instead of the boosted value (8)

Ruling: No, you cannot activate Sun Disc after casting the burn spell but before Phoenix revives. Sun Disc is not a reaction, so you must activate it before casting the spell. Sequence: - Play your first card (or Sun Disc itself counts as the first card on the turn it's played) - Tap Sun Disc to give a unit +2/+2 - Play the burn spell (as your second card) - Phoenix triggers and enters play ready Nuances: - Sun Disc counts as a card played on the turn it enters play, allowing you to tap it immediately that turn

Ruling: You cannot activate Sun Disc until you've played another card that turn. For activated abilities with Legion, "apply [Text]" means the unit only has the ability if you've fulfilled the Legion condition at the time of activation. Nuances: - Sun Disc can be played from your hand and activated right away since playing it counts towards Legion - Sun Disc is a base speed ability, so it can only be used during your turn, outside of a showdown, and when there's no chain active - You cannot activate Sun Disc at the start of your turn immediately after it untaps, even if you've played another card before, because it is a base speed ability

Ruling: Yes, you can activate Sun Disc's ability the turn you play it because Sun Disc itself counts as a card played that turn, satisfying the Legion requirement. Sequence: - When you play Sun Disc, it counts as playing a card this turn - Sun Disc's Legion ability becomes active immediately - You can exhaust Sun Disc that same turn to ready the next unit you play - On future turns, you must play another card first before activating Sun Disc's ability Nuances: - Sun Disc's ability is NOT an on-play effect, so it follows the Legion rule that checks "if you have played a Main Deck card this turn" rather than "another card" - You cannot activate Sun Disc without having Legion active - the ability doesn't exist unless you've played a card that turn - The reminder text saying "another" card is technically incorrect for this type of Legion ability

Ruling: No, you cannot do this with only 2 cards. Sun Disc checks the Legion condition (whether you've played another card this turn) at the time its ability resolves, not when you later play the unit. If you haven't played another card before activating Sun Disc, the ability resolves to no effect. Sequence: - Play any card first to enable Legion - Activate Sun Disc (tap it) - Play a kill spell to trigger Phoenix's return - Phoenix enters ready because Legion was active when Sun Disc resolved Nuances: - The Legion keyword appears after the colon, so it's not a cost to activate the ability, but rather a condition checked during resolution - If you activate Sun Disc without Legion active, it simply resolves to no effect - Phoenix's triggered ability goes on the stack after the kill spell resolves, and you cannot respond with Sun Disc at that point because it doesn't have Reaction - You need 3 cards total (any card + kill spell + phoenix returns) to execute this combo, not 2

Ruling: You cannot activate Unlicensed Armory without discarding cards. Discarding is a required cost. Nuances: - You also cannot activate it without a legal friendly unit target, even if you just want to discard a card.

Ruling: No, Vi cannot be activated in response to Challenge or other effects. The card would need the Reaction tag to be used in response to something. Nuances: - Cards without Reaction or Action tags can only be used on your turn when the game is in a neutral open state (no showdown, no chain)