Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: The ability's damage can be modified after the attack trigger but before damage calculation. You can use reactions to buff Yasuo's might, which will increase the ability's damage. Nuances: - When both attacking and defending triggers exist, they go on the initial chain first in that order, and the player controlling the next item on the chain gains priority (which would be the opponent due to the defending trigger) - In cases with no defending trigger, there is a rules oversight regarding priority that should be fixed in future rules updates - If Yasuo attacks into a defending trigger like blue Ahri that reduces might, the damage would be reduced accordingly (e.g., to 4 damage assuming no other reactions)

Ruling: All combat damage is dealt simultaneously, so both defending units die at the same time and Yi's legend ability does not trigger to boost the second unit during this combat. Sequence: - Combat damage is assigned in a specific order - All assigned combat damage is dealt simultaneously - Units that would be destroyed by combat damage are destroyed at the same time Nuances: - If one of the defending units were to leave combat before combat damage is dealt (through some other effect), then Yi's ability would trigger and the remaining unit would gain +2 might before combat damage

Ruling: Yes, when you attack with multiple units that have attack abilities, you choose the order in which those abilities enter the chain. Sequence: - Attack abilities activate first - Defend abilities activate second - Defend abilities resolve before attack abilities - Attack abilities resolve last

Ruling: When assigning combat damage to multiple defending units, you must assign damage to one unit at a time until it receives lethal damage before you can assign any damage to the next unit. The exception is if a unit has Tank, which must be assigned damage first. Sequence: - Choose a defending unit to assign damage to (unless a unit has Tank, which must be chosen first) - Assign damage to that unit until it has received lethal damage - Only after assigning lethal damage can you move to the next unit - Any excess damage after all units have lethal damage is assigned to the last unit Nuances: - Units heal after combat and won't have health markers remaining, which affects interactions with cards like Warwick that care about damaged units

Ruling: No, you cannot choose to kill only the 8 health unit. You must assign damage equal to your total might (10), and you cannot overassign damage to a unit unless it is the last unit. Sequence: - Assign lethal damage (8) to the first unit - Assign remaining damage (2) to the second unit - You cannot overassign the remaining 2 damage to the 8 health unit because it is not the last unit Nuances: - You must assign damage equal to your might, not less than or equal to it - Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned to a different unit - You cannot overassign damage until you reach the last unit

Ruling: At the end of combat, if both players still have units on the battlefield, the attacking units are recalled to base. The remaining 1 might unit does not automatically enter a new showdown. Nuances: - Combat damage should be calculated by summing the total might of all attacking units and all defending units (excluding stunned units), then assigning that total damage pool to opponent's units, rather than thinking of individual unit-to-unit combat - In this example: attacker has 14 total damage (6+8), defender has 9 total damage (3+6+5+1, minus the stunned 6)

Ruling: All units must be moved together when attacking. Moving units does not create a chain unless there's a trigger from that move, and once you move a unit into an enemy-controlled battlefield, you've started Combat. Nuances: - You can immediately undo and redo the move with additional units if you haven't gained any new information in between and a judge allows it (e.g., "I move this unit... ah no, I move these two") - You cannot undo the move if you only realized the mistake after your opponent revealed new information (such as pointing out an Ahri trigger) - At lower organized play levels, the opponent may allow takebacks even in situations where they wouldn't normally be permitted

Ruling: Yes, you can play Retreat as a Reaction to Yasuo's ability on the Chain to avoid the damage. Sequence: - Yasuo enters the battlefield and his ability triggers - The ability goes on the Chain - You can play Retreat as a Reaction - Your unit leaves the battlefield - Yasuo's ability misses because the targeted unit is no longer there Nuances: - Even if Yasuo's ability targets your unit, "here" refers to the battlefield Yasuo is at, so if your unit isn't there anymore when the ability resolves, it misses

Ruling: The player attempting to conquer the open battlefield remains the attacker, and the player who moved their unit to the battlefield with Ride the Wind becomes the defender. The attacker is whoever applied the contested status first. Sequence: - The non-combat showdown must close first (all players pass in a row instead of starting a chain with their focus) - Players still have the opportunity to play appropriately timed spells and effects that could prevent combat from opening - Combat then opens with the original conqueror as attacker Nuances: - If the defender wins the combat, they can conquer and score the battlefield, as long as they haven't scored that battlefield this turn (which in the vast majority of cases they will not have) - This same interaction applies to other effects like Zenith Blade that move units to the battlefield during the showdown

Ruling: The player who played Invert Timelines discards and draws first and loses. Sequence: - Invert Timelines forces players to take Limited Actions simultaneously - Turn order is referenced to resolve simultaneous actions - The player who played Invert Timelines resolves their discard and draw first - That player attempts to draw 4 cards with an empty deck and loses before the opponent resolves their actions

Ruling: The player who first moved a unit to the unoccupied battlefield becomes the attacker at that battlefield, because they applied the Contested status first. Sequence: - Combat begins at battlefield A with original attacker and defender - Attacker casts Ride the Wind, moving their unit to unoccupied battlefield B - When Ride the Wind resolves, battlefield B becomes Contested (attacker applied this status) - Defender casts Ride the Wind, moving their unit to battlefield B - When this resolves, combat is staged at battlefield B but the current showdown continues - Combat resolves normally at battlefield A - Any remaining abilities on the chain resolve with normal response opportunities - When the game reaches an Open state, combat showdown opens at battlefield B - The player who first moved to battlefield B is the attacker there Nuances: - Combat at the new battlefield doesn't interrupt the current showdown; it's staged but waits until the first combat fully resolves - The chain must be empty (Open state) before the new combat begins

Ruling: The attacker is recalled to base after the combat damage step. Sequence: - Combat proceeds to the combat damage step - Both units are stunned and deal no damage to each other - Combat cleanup occurs - All attacking units still alive are recalled to base Nuances: - This allows a low-might unit to defend against a high-might attacker without either unit taking damage

Ruling: You can activate hidden cards whenever you would normally be able to activate a card with the reaction tag, except during the turn you hid them. Nuances: - You cannot react to a permanent being played, only to abilities activated when a card is played - If the hidden card targets, it can only target something at that battlefield - Hidden cards can be played at base speed on your turn outside a showdown

Ruling: You can play a Hidden card immediately after playing Discipline while still holding priority, without waiting for Discipline to resolve. Sequence: - You have priority and play Discipline, which is added to the chain as a Pending Item - While still holding priority, you can play another legally timed card (like a Hidden card with the Reaction tag) - You play your Hidden card, which is added to the chain on top of Discipline - You then pass priority to your opponent - During resolution (LIFO), the Hidden card resolves first, then Discipline resolves (granting +2 might and drawing a card) Nuances: - Hidden cards gain the Reaction tag, allowing them to be played during reaction windows - You can only play a card from the Hidden state if it was placed there on a previous turn, not the card you just drew - If the Hidden card is a permanent (Unit or Gear), it bypasses the resolution step and finalizes immediately, but the priority window still applies

Ruling: You cannot play a hidden card on the same turn that you hide it. When playing cards from hidden on a later turn, they function exactly like playing from hand - spells and abilities go on the chain and grant reaction windows, but permanents (units/gear) resolve immediately without a reaction window. Sequence: - Hide a card on one turn - On a subsequent turn (not the same turn), you may play it from hidden - If it's a spell or ability, it goes on the chain and opponents can react - If it's a permanent, it resolves immediately with no reaction window (unless it has a triggered ability) Nuances: - Playing any card (from hand or hidden) opens a chain, but permanents leave the chain immediately during the Finalize step, giving no opportunity for reactions - You can only react to spells, triggered abilities, and activated abilities (with small exceptions for 'add' abilities) - Permanents may have "When You Play Me" (WYPM) triggers that do grant reaction windows, but you're reacting to the triggered ability, not the permanent itself - During showdowns, there are additional focus/priority rules that allow playing cards

Ruling: Reaver's Row is a 'When defending' trigger that activates during the initial chain inside a combat showdown. Players can respond to this trigger with reactions (but not actions until the initial chain resolves). Sequence: - Player moves a unit to attack Reaver's Row, initiating showdown - Initial chain is created containing Reaver's Row's trigger and any other attack/defend triggers - Players can respond with reactions to these triggers - Reactions resolve before the battlefield effect - Both players must pass priority with an empty chain in succession to move to combat damage - After the initial chain resolves, the attacking player can play actions Nuances: - Opponent can use a reaction spell (e.g., killing a unit) before Reaver's Row resolves - Actions cannot be played until the initial chain resolves, so action spells cannot interrupt Reaver's Row's effect - The attacker can use reactions like Gust to bounce their own unit back to hand before the defender can move a unit with Reaver's Row

Ruling: Sett Brawler's ability can only be used during your turn when there is no chain present and outside of a Showdown. Counterspells cannot counter unit abilities unless the counterspell specifically states it can counter abilities. Sequence: - Must be your turn - No chain can be present - Must be outside of a Showdown Nuances: - The ability is base speed - While the ability behaves like a spell once activated, counterspells need to specifically state they can counter abilities to target them

Ruling: The ability is standard speed, meaning it can only be used on your turn outside of chains or showdowns. All effects without ACTION or REACTION keywords are standard speed, and there are no effects that can be used "whenever".

Ruling: Spirit Wheel is a triggered ability that automatically triggers when you target a friendly unit with cards like Discipline or En Garde. The trigger goes on the chain immediately before opponents can respond with reactions or Defy. Sequence: - Play a card that targets a friendly unit (like Discipline, En Garde, or an equip ability) - Spirit Wheel's triggered ability automatically triggers and goes on the chain - You decide whether to pay the cost ("may pay 1") when the trigger is on the chain - Only after Spirit Wheel's trigger is on the chain can opponents respond with their own reactions - The chain resolves with Spirit Wheel resolving before the original targeting card Nuances: - Even if the opponent plays Defy after Spirit Wheel triggers, the Spirit Wheel trigger has already been added to the chain - Multiple triggered abilities (like Spirit Wheel, Dreaming Tree, and champion abilities) all trigger simultaneously from the same targeting event - Equip abilities also trigger Spirit Wheel because activating an equip ability targets the unit being equipped

Ruling: Hidden cards gain "Reaction" starting the turn after they were hidden, allowing you to play them any time you have priority during the opponent's turn. Sequence: - Hide the card - Wait until the turn after it was hidden - Play it as a Reaction when you have priority Nuances: - You can react to spells, activated abilities, triggers, and during showdowns - You cannot react to units or gear entering play (unless they have "When You Play Me" effects that create a chain) - Battlefield effects that trigger (like drawing when holding) can be reacted to

Ruling: Action cards can only be played during showdowns when you have focus and nothing is on the chain. You cannot respond to an opponent's action card with your own action card because once something is on the chain, you can no longer play action cards. Nuances: - On your turn when nothing is happening, you can play actions, reactions, or other card types freely - Outside your turn or when things are happening, actions are restricted to showdowns with focus and an empty chain

Ruling: Both attacker and defender can play action cards during a showdown, but only when they have focus and no chain is currently open. Actions cannot be played while any chain is resolving. Sequence: - When a unit moves to an occupied battlefield, a showdown begins - Attack/defend triggers go on a chain first (only reactions can be played on this chain) - After that chain resolves, the attacker gains focus and can play an action (defender can only play reactions on this chain) - After that chain resolves, the defender gains focus and can play an action (attacker can only play reactions on this chain) - This alternates back and forth until both players pass focus without playing anything Nuances: - Actions can be played in an open neutral state on your turn, or when you have focus during a showdown on either player's turn - Reactions can be played any time you have priority - Once any chain is open (from a card being played or ability activated), actions cannot be played until that chain fully resolves - Focus stays with one player during a chain, but priority passes around - Actions played during a showdown can target anything legal for that card, not just units in the current showdown

Based on the rules of Riftbound, the ability to play **Action** cards depends on the state of the game (Open vs. Closed) and whether you have "focus" during a showdown. ### When Actions CAN be played: 1. **During your turn in a Neutral Open State:** When no chain exists, you may play actions freely as part of your turn (Rule 309.2, 398.1.a). 2. **During a Showdown (if you have focus and the chain is empty):** If you have focus during a showdown, you may play an action to start a new chain, provided no other effects are currently on the chain (Rule 309.2, FAQ). 3. **Cards with the "Action" keyword:** If a card has the **Action** keyword, it grants permission to be played during showdowns on *any* player's turn, provided the chain is empty and you have focus (Rule 732.1.b). ### When Actions CANNOT be played: 1. **During a Closed State (when a chain exists):** Once a chain has been started (by an action or a triggered ability), the game enters a "Closed State." You cannot play actions while a chain is active; you may only play **Reactions** (Rule 309.1, 309.1.a). 2. **In response to an opponent's action:** You cannot respond to an opponent's action card with your own action card. Once an action is played, it creates a chain, which immediately closes the state and restricts further play to reactions only (FAQ). 3. **When you do not have focus:** During a showdown, even if the chain is empty, you cannot play an action unless you currently hold "focus" (FAQ). ### Summary of Key Concepts: * **Open State (No chain):** Actions and Reactions can be played. * **Closed State (Chain exists):** Only Reactions can be played. * **Focus:** Required to start a new chain with an action during a showdown. * **Action Keyword:** Specifically grants permission to play a card during showdowns on any turn, but it does not bypass the restriction that the chain must be empty to play an action. *** *Note: This ruling is based on the provided game rules and FAQs. If you have a specific card interaction in mind, please provide the card names so I can verify if they have unique properties.*

Ruling: The opponent must activate Stopwatch before damage assignment. Once activated, Stopwatch will save whichever unit would die from the assigned combat damage. There is no reaction window between damage assignment and units dying. Sequence: - Showdown happens - Opponent must activate Stopwatch before damage assignment (if they want to use it) - Attacker assigns damage - Stopwatch saves the unit that would die from the assigned damage Nuances: - If Stopwatch is activated before damage assignment, the attacker can then choose to assign damage to a different unit, and Stopwatch will save that unit instead - The opponent cannot wait to see which unit receives damage before deciding to activate Stopwatch - If Stopwatch is activated and damage is assigned to one unit, the other unit that received no damage will survive anyway

Ruling: Action cards and effects cannot be played while there is a chain open. Opponents must wait until the chain closes (the game reaches an open state) before they can play action cards, meaning Yasuo and Mask always trigger first. Sequence: - Yasuo and Mask trigger at the start of combat - These triggers go on the chain - The chain must fully resolve - Only after the chain closes and the game reaches an open state can the opponent play action cards Nuances: - This applies even when Ride the Wind is used on the opponent's turn with Yasuo - the opponent still cannot respond with an action card until the chain resolves and closes

Ruling: Equipment (Gear) enters play readied and can be equipped immediately if you have the resources. When a unit wearing gear dies, the gear stays at the base and can be re-equipped following normal timing restrictions. Sequence: - Play the equipment card by paying its cost - Equipment enters readied at the base - Use the Equip ability (if you have resources) to attach it to a unit - If the equipped unit dies, the equipment remains at the base - Re-equip following timing restrictions Nuances: - Equip ability can only be used on your turn, outside of a showdown, while the chain is empty - Abilities like Weaponmaster or Quick-Draw can circumvent these timing restrictions - The Equip ability is neither an Action nor a Reaction

Ruling: Hidden cards can be revealed (flipped) at reaction speed, which means any time you could play a reaction. They are also automatically revealed when all other units you control at that battlefield are removed or when the game ends. You cannot reveal a hidden card on the same turn you hide it. Sequence: - Hide a card by recycling one rune (of any color) at a battlefield you control - The card stays hidden at that battlefield across turns as long as you control it - Reveal it at reaction speed for free (no energy cost) on a future turn - If you lose control of the battlefield, hidden cards are sent to trash during Cleanup phase Nuances: - Reaction speed means: (1) Neutral Open state in Action Phase on your turn, (2) Showdown Open state when you have Priority, or (3) Closed state when you have Priority - Cards with Hidden can alternatively be played normally for their energy cost instead of being hidden - Hidden cards are revealed (not played) if they change zones to areas with private/secret information privacy - You must have Priority during a showdown to reveal hidden cards; if both players pass, you miss the timing

Ruling: Hidden cards can be revealed any time you have priority, just like reactions. On an opponent's turn during neutral open state, you do not gain priority through phase changes - only through chains being opened. If an opponent passes during an open state, their turn ends and you don't have a chance to respond unless this causes something to trigger. Sequence: - During your turn in neutral open state, you can reveal hidden cards as discretionary actions - On opponent's turn, you can only reveal hidden cards when a chain is opened (giving you priority to react) - If opponent passes during open state without opening a chain, their turn ends with no reaction window Nuances: - The temporary trick works: if a unit with temporary at a location with a hidden card is banished, you can react by flipping the hidden card because temporary creates a chain/trigger - During showdowns, when opponent passes focus to you, you can play hidden cards even though it's not a neutral open state - Phase changes alone do not grant priority to the non-turn player

Ruling: Players can play reactions any time they have priority during the Action phase, which occurs when any item is added to a chain (except permanents like units/gears and ADD abilities) and after each item resolves. No player has priority outside the Action phase except when there's a trigger. Sequence: - Priority is passed starting with the person who added an item to the chain - Priority is passed after each item resolves, beginning with the controller of the next item - Players may play reactions when they have priority Nuances: - Permanents (units and gears) and ADD abilities (like runes or Kai'Sa/Darius) create chains but do not pass priority, so they cannot be reacted to - Playing a spell or using an ability always creates a chain if there isn't already one (except passive abilities like green Leona) - During the beginning phase, no player has priority unless there's a trigger

Ruling: You can only play a reaction spell to move Blitzcrank before he scores if another ability triggers during the Beginning Step (like Dr. Mundo or a Temporary unit dying). If no abilities trigger during the Beginning Step, there is no window to play Fight or Flight before Blitzcrank's "When I hold" ability triggers during the Scoring Step. Sequence: - Beginning Phase consists of Beginning Step, then Scoring Step - Blitzcrank's ability triggers during the Scoring Step when he scores - If another ability triggers during the Beginning Step, you can react to that trigger and move Blitzcrank to base before scoring - If no abilities trigger during the Beginning Step, Blitzcrank will score and trigger his ability with no opportunity to react beforehand - Once Blitzcrank's trigger is on the chain, he will bounce back to hand regardless of where you move him

Ruling: You can use reactions during your turn or during your opponent's turn only when you gain priority - either when there's an active chain and your opponent passes priority to you, OR during a showdown when you gain focus (and therefore priority). A chain must be started first; base speed discretionary actions (like playing vanilla units or moving to a battlefield you control) do not open a chain where you can react. Sequence: - A chain is started when spells or actions are cast - When a unit moves to a battlefield that is not controlled, an open showdown is started - During a showdown, you can play reactions when you have focus/priority - Your opponent can respond to your attempt to take a battlefield with an action or reaction Nuances: - You cannot use reactions during your main phase just because you have priority - there must be an active chain - Moving to an unoccupied battlefield triggers an open showdown - Hidden cards are not played when hidden; they can be reacted with on the next turn

Ruling: Reactions can be played during chains in a closed state, which occurs when opponents activate abilities on units, play spells, or during showdowns. When a unit moves into an empty battlefield, a showdown still starts and you can react to it, but it skips the "when I defend" and "when I attack" activations and goes right to the ability to play actions and reactions. Sequence: - When a unit moves to an empty battlefield, a showdown is initiated - The showdown skips "when I attack" and "when I defend" triggers (since there's no defender/attacker status) - Players can play actions and reactions during this showdown window - If a defender moves in during this window (e.g., via Ride the Wind), the current showdown concludes with no one taking control - If both players still have units there, a new combat showdown is initiated with proper attacker/defender designation - Only in this new combat showdown do Assault/Shield and "when I attack"/"when I defend" effects trigger Nuances: - Playing a vanilla unit (without "on play" effects) does not create a chain - Standard moves do not create chains themselves - Adding energy, Assault, Shield abilities, and playing units without "on play" effects do not create chains - Assault only applies when defenders are present at the time attackers enter the battlefield - If a defender is added during a showdown to an empty battlefield, the showdown must end and restart as a combat showdown for attacker/defender roles to be defined

Ruling: Resources can be floated when paying for costs or anytime you can play a reaction, and also whenever you have priority (which allows recycling runes to float power at any time within timing restrictions). Sequence: - Tap runes to float energy whenever you have priority - Use floated resources to pay costs - Floated resources empty at the end of turn AND after the draw phase Nuances: - You cannot float resources before the channel phase and have them available during your turn (they empty after draw phase) - Reaction effects that generate resources can be used in excess of the cost being paid - You can float resources in excess when paying for costs - Common play pattern: Float energy from runes, recycle one rune for additional effect, then use the floated energy to pay for costs

Ruling: Spells with no timing keyword are used in neutral open state (nothing on chain, no showdown). Action speed can be used in neutral open and showdown open states. Reaction speed can be used in all states including when the chain is closed. Sequence: - Base speed (no timing keyword): Anytime on your turn when there is no active showdown or chain - Action Speed: Anytime you can play Base speed, plus anytime you have priority in a showdown with no chain (state is open) - Reaction Speed: Anytime you could play Action, plus anytime you have priority in a showdown regardless of whether there is a chain Nuances: - Each speed inherits from those below it, so anytime you can play base speed you can also play action/reaction - You must have priority to use them - In neutral open state, you can only cast spells on your turn - When it's not your turn, you can only use abilities if there is a chain and you get priority to react, or there is a showdown and you get focus/priority to play on an empty chain

Ruling: Reaver's Row triggers at the start of the combat showdown on the same chain as "when I attack" abilities. You must choose the unit to potentially retreat at that point and decide whether to retreat when the effect resolves. You cannot retreat later in the showdown. Sequence: - "When I attack" abilities trigger first (go lower on chain, resolve last) - Reaver's Row defend trigger goes on chain - Chain resolves backwards, so defend trigger (Reaver's Row) resolves first - Choose whether to retreat the selected unit when effect resolves Nuances: - If an attacking unit like Yasuo has an attack trigger, the defending unit can still retreat before Yasuo's damage because the defend trigger resolves before the attack trigger

Ruling: You can tap or recycle runes any time you can play a reaction, or any time a card asks you to pay a cost during card resolution. Runes have reaction speed abilities by default. However, you cannot recycle a rune immediately after gaining it from a trigger like Star-Tipped Peak to use it before channeling, because you only get the rune after the trigger resolves and don't get priority if the chain is empty. Sequence: - Star-Tipped Peak trigger resolves, giving you the rune exhausted - Chain is empty, so no priority to react - You proceed to channeling phase - The rune remains exhausted when channeled Nuances: - You could recycle the rune before channeling if you had a second trigger (like Grove of the God-Willow) that you ordered to resolve last, allowing you to react to that trigger with the rune - Star-Tipped Peak is a "may" ability, so you can choose not to trigger it and get your rune ready during normal channeling instead - Your rune pool (Energy/Power) empties after you draw for turn - You only get priority when the chain empties during showdowns, not during other phases

Ruling: Tideturner can be activated from hidden to target units on the other battlefield when all units on its own battlefield are illegal targets, functioning as a reaction. Sequence: - Check if all units on Tideturner's battlefield are illegal targets - If so, Tideturner becomes a reaction - You can then target any unit on the other battlefield Nuances: - This allows you to save a unit on the other battlefield during combat - Can also be activated in response to a spell (though less commonly relevant)

Ruling: You can play reactions any time you have priority, not literally any time. The reminder text is simplified and not meant to be a complete rules explanation. Sequence: - Priority is given in limited circumstances defined by the comprehensive rules (on your action phase in neutral open state, when you gain focus in showdown, in closed state when you hold priority, and in closed state when you are the next relevant player and were passed to) - Additionally, each player gets priority after a card goes on the chain before it resolves (such as after Shakedown is played) - You can play reactions during any of these priority windows Nuances: - Reminder text is intentionally simplified and not legally precise - it reminds you what keywords mean if you know the rules generally, but doesn't provide complete rules details - The owner of a targeted unit doesn't need to be a "relevant player" to respond - all players get priority when cards go on the chain - Priority rules for cards going on the chain are found in the combat section of the rules, which can be non-intuitive

Ruling: You can only play En Garde before Disintegrate resolves. Once Disintegrate resolves and deals lethal damage, a cleanup occurs immediately and there is no reaction window to save the unit. Sequence: - Player A plays Disintegrate (target selected on play) - Player B can play En Garde here - If En Garde is played, it resolves first, boosting the unit's might - Then Disintegrate resolves against the now-boosted unit - Cleanup occurs immediately after Disintegrate resolves, killing any units with lethal damage - No reaction window exists between spell resolution and unit death Nuances: - Targets for spells are selected on play, not on resolution (unless the spell specifically says otherwise) - Cleanup occurs any time a Chain Item is removed from the Chain - Example 1 (playing En Garde before Disintegrate resolves) is correct - Example 2 (trying to play En Garde after Disintegrate resolves) is incorrect - no reaction window exists

Ruling: Action cards can be played on your turn or during a showdown when there isn't a chain. Unless a spell explicitly restricts where it can target, it can target anywhere (base or battlefield). Nuances: - The general timing rule applies to action cards broadly, not just Challenge specifically

Ruling: You need to have a unit on a battlefield to play units directly onto it (control it). You can move a unit onto an open battlefield and then play another unit from your hand onto that same battlefield in the same turn. Sequence: - Move or place a unit onto the battlefield to establish control - Then play additional units from hand onto that battlefield Nuances: - Some card effects may allow placing units on open battlefields without needing control - If you sacrifice your only unit at a battlefield as a cost (like with Cruel Patron), you lose control before the new unit is played, so you cannot play it there unless you control another unit at that battlefield

You can use LeBlanc, Deceiver's ability when the trigger condition is met: **"When you conquer or hold."** Because this is a triggered ability, it functions differently than activated abilities. Here is the breakdown of how and when it can be used: ### Timing and Execution 1. **Trigger Condition:** The ability triggers specifically when you conquer a battlefield or hold a battlefield. 2. **Optionality:** Because the ability text uses "you may," the trigger is optional. When you conquer or hold, you decide whether or not to place the ability on the chain. 3. **Cost:** As a cost to place the ability on the chain, you must discard 1 card from your hand and exhaust LeBlanc. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #10237** and **#10107**, you cannot activate this ability if you have no cards in hand to discard, as the cost must be paid in full to place the ability on the chain. 4. **Chain & Interaction:** Once placed on the chain, it creates a **Closed State**. This allows you and your opponent to play [Reaction] cards to interact with the ability or the resulting effects (as detailed in **RiftJudge FAQ #10329**). ### Important Considerations * **Targeting:** The Reflection token's ability to become a copy of another unit is a **reflexive trigger**. This means you choose the target unit for the copy effect when that specific part of the ability resolves, not when you first trigger LeBlanc (see **RiftJudge FAQ #10329**). * **Existing Units:** If there are no other units at the battlefield when the reflection token enters play, there is no valid target for the copy effect. * **Triggering Events:** The ability is strictly tied to the "conquer" or "hold" event. It cannot be activated manually at other times. This is my interpretation based on the card text and official FAQs. No further official rules text is needed to clarify this trigger timing.

Ruling: You cannot react to gear or units as they are played. When spells, triggered abilities, or activated abilities are played, they create a chain which allows you to play reaction spells even outside of showdown. Reaction spells can be played in all game states (Neutral/Showdown and Open/Closed). Sequence: - Opponent plays a spell, triggered ability, or activated ability - A chain is formed (Closed state) - You can now respond with reaction spells - This works even outside of showdown (Neutral state) Nuances: - Action spells cannot be played during chains; they can only start chains - Action spells can only be played during Showdown or Neutral Open states - Base spells can only be played during Neutral Open states - Anything that says "add" does not create a chain and cannot be reacted to - Units played without triggered abilities cannot be reacted to before they move to battlefield

Ruling: No, units with "when a unit dies" effects do not trigger when they themselves die. They would be in the trash when their effect would trigger, so they cannot trigger. Nuances: - This game does not have "Last Known Information" (LKI) rules like some other TCGs such as Magic: The Gathering - Without LKI, cards cannot refer to their field text after they have moved to another zone - Even if multiple units die simultaneously (such as to Bullet Time), the units with "when a unit dies" effects will not trigger for themselves or other units that died at the same time

Ruling: Warwick's ability resolves during the combat showdown as part of the Initial Chain, which is the first step of a combat showdown and includes "when I attack/defend" abilities. Sequence: - Blade Flurry is cast and Warwick moves in to attack - Combat showdown begins with the Initial Chain step - Warwick's "when I attack" ability triggers during the Initial Chain - The opponent has a reaction window (not an action window) since there is currently a chain and the attacker has focus Nuances: - You can react to Warwick's trigger with Flurry of Blades for the same result - Flash effects can counter Warwick by saving the target during this reaction window

Ruling: No, the opponent cannot react after the caster pays power during Bullet Time's resolution. The power payment happens during resolution, not as an additional cost during casting, so there is no reaction window after the amount is determined. Sequence: - Cast Bullet Time by paying its energy and power cost, targeting a battlefield and adding it to the chain - Opponent may react while Bullet Time is on the chain (before it resolves) - If opponent passes, Bullet Time resolves and the caster pays any amount of power to deal that much damage - No reaction window exists after the power amount is paid during resolution Nuances: - The opponent can react before resolution (e.g., with Retreat or buffs) but must do so without knowing how much power will be paid - The caster can respond to opponent reactions by choosing to pay 0 power after resolution if desired

Ruling: When you put Charm on the chain, you must declare both the target enemy unit and its legal end destination. Nuances: - Your own base is not a legal destination for the charmed unit - You can declare your opponent's base as the destination, but if the unit is at Vilemaw, Vilemaw's effect will prevent Charm from having any effect unless the unit moves to another battlefield before Charm resolves - If the enemy unit is at Vilemaw, you cannot move it to your opponent's base, but you can move it to the other battlefield

Ruling: Yes, the player can add a power to their pool while paying for Divine Judgement. The power won't empty until end of turn, so they'll be able to use it to hide something on their Battlefront. Sequence: - Tap the 7 runes and recycle 2 to cast Divine Judgement - Add a power to the pool from the runes - The power remains available until end of turn - Use the floated power to hide a card on the Battlefront

Ruling: Yes, you get priority back. When your opponent activates mana abilities (add abilities), those go on the chain and immediately resolve without passing priority, but they count as "adding something to the chain" which means you receive priority again when your opponent passes. Sequence: - You cast Divine Judgement and pass priority without floating resources - Opponent receives priority and activates mana abilities (these go on chain and immediately resolve) - Opponent passes priority - You receive priority again and can now float your own resources or add effects - If both players pass priority in succession without adding anything, Divine Judgement resolves Nuances: - If you float resources first and pass, your opponent can respond with counterspells like Wind Wall - The priority cycle can continue multiple times - if you both keep adding things and passing, each player gets another opportunity to respond - An opponent could strategically float resources to bait you into spending your resources, then counter your spell when they get priority again

Ruling: You must pay the Deflect cost for each time you target a unit with Deflect, even if you target the same unit multiple times. Since Icathian Rain targets 6 times, you may need to pay Deflect up to 6 times. Sequence: - Choose all 6 targets for Icathian Rain (you can target the same unit multiple times) - Pay the Deflect cost for each target that has Deflect - Opponent has opportunity to respond with reactions - Spell resolves and all 6 instances of damage happen Nuances: - You pay Deflect costs before the spell can be countered by effects like Windwall - Opponents can play reactions after you choose targets but before the spell resolves - All 6 damage instances happen at resolution; you cannot use reactions between individual shots