Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, you cannot use Ornn Legend (or Kai'Sa Legend) to pay hidden costs. Hiding cards is not the same as playing them, and these legends only generate power for playing cards of their respective types. Nuances: - Hidden is not an ability keyword like deflect or ganking - Hidden effects are never active "on the board" and don't require declaring usage - It would be illogical to reveal a card you're about to hide just to check legality

Ruling: No, Ornn's power does not work with Hextech Anomaly. "Use" refers specifically to the cost paid when activating a gear's ability, not power paid as part of an ability's effect. Nuances: - Paying power during Hextech Anomaly's ability resolution is part of the effect, not the cost to use/activate the ability - This same principle would apply to similar cards like Mistfall where you pay power as part of a trigger condition's effect

Ruling: Yes, Purple Yasuo can score the final point to win the game. The last point rules only restrict scoring through conquering battlefields, not through other scoring methods. Nuances: - Points earned from sources other than Conquer or Hold are not restricted by the Final Point rules - This applies even when scoring the 8th point for the win

Ruling: Yes, Reckoner's Arena can activate conquer effects regardless of whether the trigger condition is met. "Activate" means to put the ability on the chain as if it had triggered, bypassing the need for the condition to be fulfilled. Sequence: - Reckoner's Arena activates the conquer effect - The conquer effect goes on the chain - The effect resolves normally Nuances: - This is different from Skyfall, which converts conquer effects into hold effects rather than directly activating them - When combined with Skyfall and Trinity Force on Reckoner's Arena, holding scores 3 points total: 1 for the natural hold, 1 for Trinity Force's hold effect, and 1 for Reckoner's Arena activating Trinity Force's conquer effect (which Skyfall added) - Reckoner's Arena says "conquer effects" (plural), meaning it activates all conquer effects on all units in the battlefield

Ruling: Yes, Rell can play Spinning Axe from hand using her trigger, ignoring both its energy and power costs. The restriction "with Energy cost no more than 2" only checks the printed energy cost and does not prevent playing cards with higher power costs. Sequence: - Check if Spinning Axe meets Rell's energy cost restriction (2 or less printed energy) - If yes, Rell's "ignore its cost" effect sets both energy and power costs to 0 - Play Spinning Axe for free Nuances: - The restriction "with Energy cost no more than 2" is a targeting/eligibility requirement that only looks at printed energy cost, not power cost - "Ignore its cost" without specification means ignoring both energy AND power costs - If an effect only ignores energy costs, it will explicitly state "ignore its energy cost" (like Jayce or Fizz)

Ruling: Yes, Renata's Mastermind activation can be used to score the winning point. Only conquering has limitations on scoring the final point.

Ruling: Yes, you can cast Retreat on a champion that was played from the chosen champion zone. Once a champion is played from the champion zone onto the board, it becomes a valid target for cards like Retreat that return units to hand. Nuances: - Cards cannot target the champion zone itself unless they specifically call it out - The chosen champion zone is effectively an extension of your hand that's safe from hand-related effects - Tokens can be "returned" to hand (though they stop existing when they change zones) - You can hide champions like Teemo in the chosen champion zone to protect them from hand-related effects

Ruling: No, Riot sleeves with holographic patterns or reflective/transparent backs are not allowed for high OPL play as they violate the opaque sleeve requirement. Nuances: - The sleeves were observed at the Houston official event, but this may have been a special exception or early ruleset specific to that event - Marked cards in the main deck provide significantly more valuable information than in side decks (like Rune decks) - Individual stores may be more lenient, but the official rules require opaque sleeves - Just because something occurred at a streamed event doesn't establish it as a universal rule

Ruling: Yes, Riposte can counter your own spells. The card says "counter a spell" without specifying "enemy spell," so it can target any spell including your own. Nuances: - Riftbound card text is very literal - "a spell" means any spell, while "an enemy spell" would specifically mean an opponent's spell - If a card doesn't specify a restriction and it doesn't violate core rules, the action is allowed - This may only be viable in edge cases where it's the only play available to win

Ruling: No, this does not work. Rumble Hothead requires a valid mech target in the graveyard when the trigger is declared and added to the chain, even though the effect itself is optional ("you may") on resolution. Sequence: - When conquering with multiple trigger effects, you choose the order to place them on the chain - Each trigger must have valid targets when declared/added to the chain - The chain then resolves in reverse order (chain 2, then chain 1) - Optional "you may" effects decide whether to execute on resolution, but targeting happens at declaration Nuances: - This differs from the Monastery + Sett ruling because Rumble specifically targets a unit in the graveyard at declaration time - You cannot declare Rumble's trigger without a valid mech target already in the graveyard - The "you may" on Rumble only applies to whether you execute the effect on resolution, not whether you need to target on declaration

Ruling: When instructed to play a Sandsoldier unit by cards like Arise! or Desert's Call, you can choose any valid location (your base or any battlefield you control). Only cards with specific restrictions (like Azir's legend ability) limit placement. Nuances: - The only general exception is when a card played from hidden instructs you to play a unit—that unit must be played to the same battlefield where the hidden card was played from. - Cards will explicitly state placement restrictions when they apply.

Ruling: Yes, Skyfall of Areion can trigger Trinity Force on conquer when both are equipped to the same creature.

Ruling: Yes, Soulgorger can bring back a unit ignoring its printed energy/power costs, and you can optionally pay the Accelerate cost to have the unit enter ready. Nuances: - Soulgorger's "ignore costs" effect only applies to the printed energy/power costs on the card - Accelerate is a separate optional cost that can still be paid when using Soulgorger's effect

Ruling: Switcheroo can target any two units, including opponent units. Nuances: - There is no restriction limiting the card to only friendly units

No, this is an illegal play. Swift Scout's ability states "Put a Teemo unit you own into your hand from your Champion Zone or the board." "'Unit,' 'gear,' and 'rune' refer to objects on the Board unless specified otherwise," and another rule states "'Facedown card' refers to a card in a Facedown Zone unless specified otherwise." A facedown card is not a "unit" - it has no card type and is a different game object category. Therefore, even though the controller knows what the facedown card is (since it's Private Information they can look at), they cannot target it with Swift Scout's ability because the ability specifically requires "a Teemo unit" and a facedown card does not satisfy that requirement.

Ruling: No, Tideturner cannot change the target of a spell. Tideturner only swaps the physical positions of units; it does not redirect or change spell targets.

Ruling: Yes, Tryndamere's "when I conquer" ability can win you the game at 6 points even if you only conquered one battlefield. Only the conquer point itself has the restriction requiring you to score on both battlefields. Sequence: - You score the conquer point first - Then "when I conquer" abilities trigger Nuances: - The restriction to score on both battlefields only applies to the conquer point, not to victory points gained from abilities that trigger when conquering - Both steps (gaining the conquer point and triggering abilities) are part of the same "Scoring" event

Ruling: No, Unlicensed Armory cannot be activated without a valid target unit. Cards that require targeting cannot be used without a legal target. Nuances: - "May" language alone (e.g., "you may kill a gear") is not sufficient to make targeting optional - the target is still required at activation, with the choice to execute the effect made only on resolution - "Up to one" or "up to N" wording makes targeting optional, allowing activation without a target - Salvage received errata to change from "may" to "up to one" specifically to allow optional targeting

Ruling: No, Unyielding Spirit cannot negate Challenger damage. Unyielding Spirit only prevents damage from spells, while Challenger initiates unit-to-unit damage, so the damage source is the unit, not the spell itself. Nuances: - Challenger damage functions similarly to combat damage (stays until healed) but is not affected by stun - Units damaged by Challenger will heal at end of turn or if they survive a subsequent showdown - The damage persists until the next combat cleanup, turn cleanup, or heal effect

Ruling: Yes, Vi - Destructive's effect can be used at a battlefield as long as it is your turn, the chain is empty, and there is no showdown occurring. Nuances: - The effect can only be used during an open game state - Cannot be used during a showdown - Standard timing restrictions apply (your turn, empty chain)

Ruling: Yes, Vi can use her recycle ability multiple times in the same turn as long as she can pay the cost (recycling a card from the discard pile). Each activation grants +1 might. Sequence: - Activate the ability by recycling one card from the discard pile - Vi gains +1 might - Repeat as many times as desired (one card at a time) while cards remain in the discard pile - Opponent can play reactions between each activation Nuances: - The ability is base speed, so it can only be used on your turn when there is no active chain or showdown - Cannot be used on opponent's turn - Must be done one activation at a time (opponent has opportunity to respond between activations)

{"ruling": "YES, Whirlwind can bounce Ruin Runner. Whirlwind does not choose units—it targets players, who then choose units during resolution.", "sequence": ["You play Whirlwind (no units are chosen at this time)", "Whirlwind resolves", "Starting with the next player, each player in turn order makes a choice during resolution", "When it's your opponent's turn to choose, they select which unit to return to hand", "The opponent (Ruin Runner's controller) is making the choice during resolution, not the spell choosing during casting", "Ruin Runner can be returned to hand because the player is choosing their own unit, not an enemy spell choosing it"], "nuances": ["Whirlwind targets players, not units—the players make choices during resolution", "Ruin Runner's protection ('I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities') does not apply because the spell itself is not choosing the unit", "The choice is made by the player during resolution, not by the spell during casting", "This follows the principle that effects where 'each player chooses' do not target or choose the objects themselves", "The 'player chooses, not the spell' argument is correct in this specific context—it's about who is making the selection during resolution", "This is consistent with recall effects not targeting"]}

Ruling: YES, Whirlwind can bounce Ruin Runner. Whirlwind does not choose the unit—it targets the players, who then make choices during resolution. Sequence: - You play Whirlwind (it does not choose any units when played) - Whirlwind resolves - Each player, in turn order, makes a choice during resolution - When it's your opponent's turn to choose, they choose which unit to return - Because the player is choosing during resolution (not the spell choosing during casting), Whirlwind does not "choose" the unit Nuances: - Ruin Runner's protection ability does not apply because the opponent (Ruin Runner's controller) is choosing their own unit during resolution, not an enemy spell choosing it - This follows the same principle as recall effects not targeting - The "player chooses, not the spell" argument is correct in this context—the spell gives players a choice rather than choosing units itself

Ruling: Yes, Yasuo - Unforgiven can move a teammate's unit because "friendly" includes your teammate. The card has errata that specifies when moving a teammate's unit to a base, it goes to the owner's base, and the errata also covers moving units from a teammate's base to the battlefield. Nuances: - When moving a teammate's unit to a base, it must go to that unit's owner's base (not Yasuo's owner's base) - The errata specifically addresses both directions of movement involving teammate units

Ruling: No, only standard moves can be grouped together. Yasuo's movement effect cannot be combined with a standard move in the same timing window. Nuances: - Standard moves have special grouping rules that allow multiple units to move together - Card effects that cause movement (like Yasuo's) operate separately from standard moves

Ruling: Zhonya's Hourglass can be reacted at any moment, allowing you to choose when to save a unit. If multiple units die simultaneously (e.g., from Singularity), you can choose which one to save. Sequence: - You can wait and let the first unit die - React with Zhonya's Hourglass when the second unit would die to save that one instead - When multiple units die at the same time, you choose which unit to save with the effect

Ruling: Zhonya's is not an activated ability—it's a mandatory replacement effect that triggers whenever one of your units would die, regardless of where that unit is located (including at base). You can also play Zhonya's from hidden as a reaction to any action, and it will wait at base to replace the next death. Sequence: - When a unit would die (anywhere, including at base), Zhonya's replacement effect automatically occurs - The unit is recalled to base instead of dying - If the unit is already at base, the "recall" part does nothing, but the replacement effect still prevents the death Nuances: - Gear played from hidden (like Zhonya's) are only restricted to specific battlefields when choosing targets for "when you play this" abilities - Zhonya's played from hidden simply goes to base and waits for the next death to occur anywhere

Ruling: No. When you play a hidden card, if it targets, those targets must be chosen from among options at the battlefield where the card is hidden, unless the ability explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible. Nuances: - This targeting restriction applies to all hidden cards, not just Hidden Blade - Even though Hidden Blade's text says "target a unit at a battlefield" (not "THIS battlefield"), the Hidden mechanic adds the extra targeting restriction - Some cards like Tideturner have errata that explicitly override this restriction

Ruling: No, the battlefield and equipment that grant "conquer or hold" triggers only work with units, not with Legends. Nuances: - The battlefield specifically states it only affects units - The equipment can only be attached to units and grants the ability to that unit - Units with "When I conquer" abilities equipped with this gear will trigger twice: once from their own conquer effect (modified to also trigger on hold) and once from the battlefield triggering their ability again

Ruling: Yes, card effects can move units from battlefield to battlefield regardless of whether the unit has ganking, unless the card effect itself specifies a movement restriction. Nuances: - Some card effects may include their own movement restrictions that would prevent cross-battlefield movement - Charm is an example of a card that can move units between battlefields because it has no such restriction

Ruling: Yes, a card with Repeat can be countered by Defy even when being repeated, because Defy only cares about the base cost of the card. When Defy counters the spell, it stops the entire spell including the repeat effect. Nuances: - Repeat does not create a separate copy of the spell; it makes the single spell more impactful - Repeat functions similarly to kicker in this regard

Ruling: No, a competition official cannot participate in a high OPL event that they are officiating. If a competition official participates in an event, it must be run at Casual OPL.

Ruling: When you hide a card, it gains the additional requirement that any targets must be at the battlefield where it was hidden. Using Fight or Flight on your own readied unit does not exhaust it. Nuances: - Hidden cards can only target units at the same battlefield where the card was hidden - Fight or Flight does not exhaust your own units when used on them

Ruling: Yes, Fox-Fire can be played with zero targets because it specifies "up to" any number of units with combined might 4 or less, meaning zero is a valid choice. This allows you to trigger effects like Ravenbloom Student's ability that care about playing spells. Nuances: - If there are legal targets available (including your own units, since Fox-Fire doesn't specify enemy units only), you must select at least one target unless you choose zero as part of the "up to" targeting. - You cannot reveal a hidden card without playing it - there is no game action to simply reveal and trash a hidden spell to manipulate graveyard count without actually playing it. - The "any number" clause in Fox-Fire applies to targeting, not resolution, so the zero-target option must be chosen during the targeting phase.

Ruling: A hidden unit cannot be played at all when Mageseeker Warden is preventing units from being played to that battlefield. The hidden unit remains hidden and cannot be revealed/played. Nuances: - Initially there was debate about whether the "if able" language in the FAQ allowed the unit to default to base, but this was clarified in updated rules - The updated comprehensive rules state "A hidden unit must be played to that battlefield" without the "if able" qualifier - Hiding a card is not the same as playing a card, so you cannot hide cards at a battlefield where Warden is present in the first place - If you lose control of the battlefield, the hidden card gets trashed like any other unrevealed hidden card

Ruling: At high OPL tournaments, decklists are required by tournament rules. An illegal decklist (including one that is missing entirely) results in a game loss, not a match loss. However, judges do not have discretion under the rules to set arbitrary deadlines like "one day prior by midnight" - the organizer could make such a request, but enforcing a match loss for not meeting that specific deadline would be inappropriate. Nuances: - The distinction between "illegal decklist" penalties (game loss) versus enforcement of submission timing deadlines - While organizers can reasonably request early submission, refusing to accept a decklist on the day of the tournament and issuing penalties for that refusal is considered overreach

Ruling: No, once you move to the damage step, players cannot interact anymore and damage will resolve. Sequence: - Attacker declares attack and passes focus - Defender passes focus - Move to combat/damage assignment step - Attacker assigns damage - No further interaction allowed; damage resolves

Ruling: Yes, a player can ask their opponent to concede or intentionally draw (ID) as long as no bribery or coercion is involved. Nuances: - It's acceptable to ask if an opponent is willing to ID, but if they decline, the match must be played out - Intentional draws are common when it's clear who has a chance to make the cut or if both players are already qualified - Simply asking for a concession to make top cut is allowed, though it differs from suggesting an ID to save time - The prohibition on "Improperly Determining a Winner" refers to random or bespoke methods of determining outcomes, not to agreed-upon concessions or draws

Ruling: Yes, a player can move units from base to attack a battlefield in multiple waves, but if using standard movement (not spell-based), they must wait for the current combat to end before moving additional units. During showdowns, each player sums the might of all their units and independently decides how to distribute that total damage among the opponent's units. Sequence: - First wave of units moves to battlefield and initiates showdown - Combat resolves (cards traded, damage assigned) - After combat ends, additional units can move from base to the battlefield - New combat begins if applicable Nuances: - Damage is not dealt unit-to-unit; each player totals their might and distributes it as they choose - Both players assign damage simultaneously and independently (attacker doesn't control both sides) - Units cannot be forced to tank damage first unless they have the TANK status - In practice, the winning side often just kills all opposing units, making assignment choices less relevant

Ruling: A player who knowingly tells their opponent an incorrect ruling to gain an advantage is cheating and can be disqualified. However, a DQ should never be issued without conducting an investigation first. Sequence: - Conduct an investigation when cheating is suspected - Ask relevant questions: How does this interaction work? Why did you think that? What happened previously? - Determine if the player knowingly gave false information to gain an advantage - If investigation concludes intentional cheating occurred, issue a DQ Nuances: - Judges may take into account a player's history or skill level when investigating - Past behavior from previous tournaments can be considered as context during the investigation - Simply giving incorrect rulings is not automatically DQ-worthy; intentionality and advantage-seeking must be established - Players should always call a judge rather than rely on opponent rulings

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust a rune for no reason. Runes have the text "Exhaust - Add 1 energy" which can be activated without needing to use the energy generated, allowing you to exhaust it and then ready it again with Mana Flow. Nuances: - The ability is written as "Exhaust" not "Reaction," so it can be activated at any time without requiring a trigger

Ruling: Yes, players are allowed to lie about hidden cards. Lying is only prohibited when it concerns public information. Nuances: - Hidden cards are not public information, so no rule prevents lying about them - Public information must be truthfully represented

This question was not answered in the provided thread. No responses or rulings were given.

Ruling: Yes, Stupefy can be played in response to Mindsplitter's triggered ability. You cannot react to units themselves in Riftbound, but you can react to triggered abilities. Sequence: - Mindsplitter resolves and enters play - Mindsplitter's WYPM (When You Play Me) triggered ability goes onto the chain - Priority passes to both players before the ability resolves - Player B can play Stupefy at this point to counter the triggered ability Nuances: - The distinction is important: players react to the triggered ability, not to the unit card itself

Ruling: Yes, all players can use reactions during a showdown between two enemies. Priority passes to all players in turn order. Nuances: - Focus can also be used during a showdown, following the same priority rules

Ruling: Tournament formats for competitions are completely dependent on the venue running the event. Nuances: - Stores have flexibility to structure their tournaments, including using Best of 1 Swiss rounds followed by Best of 3 top cut

Ruling: Judges can intervene if a violation has occurred, but shouldn't stop them from occurring. When a mandatory draw is missed, the player simply draws the cards they are owed without a rewind. Both players can receive warnings - the player who missed the draw and their opponent for failure to maintain game state. Nuances: - Judges should generally not intervene constantly, as this prevents players from learning to independently manage their game state - Intervening once to provide awareness is acceptable, but repeated intervention prevents actual learning - The timing of intervention is when a violation has already occurred (after another action is taken), not before it happens

Ruling: No, units exhausted by Yasuo's legend ability cannot be moved together with readied units to enter a showdown. Sequence: - Yasuo's ability can only move a single unit - It is not a standard move - Only standard moves allow multiple units to move together

Ruling: A unit can only have one buff at a time unless a card specifically states otherwise. Nuances: - You can still attempt to buff an already buffed unit, but the action will have no effect

Ruling: Assault can stack indefinitely regardless of value. Multiple instances of the same Assault value (like Assault 1 three times) will all apply and stack together. Nuances: - A unit with Assault 4 (like Daring Poro) that receives Cleave (Assault 3) twice would have Assault 10 total (4+3+3) - There is no restriction preventing the same Assault value from stacking multiple times