Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, you can use different sleeve configurations for different deck sections (e.g., double-sleeve champion unit and deck while single-sleeving battlefields and legend). Nuances: - All cards within the same section must have the same number of sleeves - All sleeves must adhere to the marked card rules

Ruling: Hidden cards can be used at reaction speed starting the turn after you hide them, without needing to react to opponent actions. Most hidden cards can only target the battlefield where they are hidden, but some cards like Tideturner have special text allowing them to target other locations. Nuances: - Tideturner is unique due to errata that allows it to target units at other locations when played from hidden - Cards like Fight or Flight and Hidden Blade can only target the battlefield where they are hidden - The key is whether the card text specifically says "you may choose a unit you control at another location" or similar wording

Ruling: Movement effects must declare a destination location on activation, and that location must be different from where the unit currently is. You cannot directly "move" to your current location. Sequence: (for leaving and returning during a showdown) - Use the first movement effect (e.g., Flash) to leave the battlefield - Wait for it to resolve - You will get focus back during the showdown since it continues until both players pass priority - Use the second movement effect (e.g., Ride the Wind) to return to the battlefield Nuances: - A combat showdown never stops being a combat and always ends with a resolution step, even if no opposing units remain - The showdown only ends when both players pass priority without starting a chain - Hidden cards are discarded immediately when you lose control of the battlefield, so they should be played after re-entering if you plan to leave

Ruling: Damage is removed from units at the end of combat (specifically combat at a battlefield, not spells like Duel) or at the end of a turn. Therefore, a champion would die to the second Gentleman's Duel unless there is a combat in between the two duels. Sequence: - If both targets are in base: The champion will die to the second duel because damage accumulates - If one target is on a battlefield: You can attack that battlefield, use the first Gentleman's Duel during combat showdown to kill the defender (which heals the attacker), then use the second duel to kill the second target Nuances: - Damage only clears after combat at a battlefield or at end of turn, not after spell-based duels - Combat healing (from winning a showdown) can reset a champion's health between duels if structured correctly

Ruling: You can play reaction speed spells or activate reaction speed abilities in response to triggers like unit abilities. You can react to pretty much anything on the chain with reaction speed effects, except units/gear which resolve immediately when put on the chain. Sequence: - Unit ability trigger (like Snapvine) goes on the chain - You can respond with reaction speed spells or abilities - The reaction resolves first - Then the original trigger resolves with the modified game state Nuances: - Units and gear cannot be reacted to because they resolve as soon as they're put on the chain - Effects like reducing might before a damage trigger resolves will affect the damage dealt when that trigger resolves

Ruling: No, you cannot reduce the might to change what the opponent searches for. The unit's might is declared when Baited Hook's cost is paid and cannot be changed after that point. Sequence: - Baited Hook's cost is paid (unit is declared at this time) - The might value is locked in and cannot be changed - Baited Hook resolves and kills the unit - Opponent looks at top 5 cards for a unit with the declared might value Nuances: - If you remove the targeted unit from the board at reaction speed, Baited Hook will still look at the top 5 cards and recycle them, but no unit will be played

Ruling: You cannot use cards whenever you want on your opponent's turn. You only get priority when your opponent does something that gives you priority, such as during a showdown or when they play a spell. Nuances: - You do not get priority at the end of your opponent's turn - Triggering an end phase ability (like Dazzling Aurora) creates a chain that opens a window where other players can respond when they get priority - In 2v2 matches, players may play spells during their teammate's turn

Ruling: No, you cannot use the Equip ability on an Equipment that is already attached. Nuances: - Effects that allow you to attach already attached gear will specify that explicitly, like Jax Legend or Weaponmaster

Ruling: No, you need a card in hand to discard in order to bring Rocket back. The discard is a cost to return Rocket. Nuances: - This concept does not apply to cards like Chemtech Enforcer, which don't use the 'to [do stuff]' templating - For effects without the cost templating, you can activate the effect but if you don't have a card in hand by the time you resolve it, you won't get the unit back

Ruling: Yes, you can use Retreat on your own token to gain the ramp effect. The token will return to your hand and then immediately cease to exist. Nuances: - The token does not get banished; it simply ceases to exist - This means it would not trigger any hypothetical "on banish" effects

Ruling: No, you cannot use Retreat to target a champion unit in your champion zone. "A unit" refers to a unit on the board, and spells can only target units on the board unless the spell specifically says it can target units in other zones. Nuances: - This targeting restriction applies to all spells and abilities unless they explicitly state they can target units in other zones

Ruling: Yes, you can use the same red rune to pay both the energy cost and the cycle cost. Nuances: - The same rune can be used for both energy and power requirements

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust a rune for energy and also recycle that same rune to pay for a calm rune cost. Nuances: - Recycling a rune does not require it to be active (unexhausted) - A single rune can fulfill both the energy payment and the rune type requirement through exhausting and recycling

Ruling: Yes, you can use both Seals of Unity to pay for the power cost of Harnessed Dragon. Nuances: - The restriction that "abilities that add resources can't be reacted to" does not prevent using Seals with the reaction keyword to pay costs - The game allows you to tap runes or recycle them to keep them available for later during the turn, so you can use Seals even without playing cards directly after - Seals of Unity add power (the colored symbols), not energy cost (which would be denoted with circled numbers)

Ruling: No, you cannot voluntarily exhaust a unit without performing a game action. Exhausting is a limited action that can only be done when an effect or discretionary game action (like a standard move) instructs you to. Sequence: - To exhaust Pitt Rookie at Battlefield 1, you must perform a standard move (such as moving back to base) - The exhaustion occurs as part of that standard move - Once exhausted, Arena Bar can then buff the unit

Ruling: To win by conquest, you must score both battlefields in one turn (not necessarily control both). You can only score each battlefield once per turn, and conquest effects only trigger when you score. Sequence: - You can hold battlefield A (scoring it) then conquer battlefield B in the same turn to win - OR conquer battlefield A, then conquer battlefield B (regardless of whether you still control A) - Scoring on your opponent's turn is possible if: you don't currently control the battlefield, haven't scored it this turn, and gain control of it Nuances: - Leaving a battlefield after scoring it does not prevent a conquest victory, as long as you score both battlefields in the same turn - You cannot score the same battlefield twice in one turn, even if you lose and regain control - Conquest effects only activate when you score, not when you simply gain control

Ruling: Yes, you can win on your opponent's turn by scoring the last battlefield point. When you cast a card with Repeat, you must decide immediately whether to pay the Repeat cost when putting it on the stack - you cannot pay it later in response to other actions. Sequence: - When casting a card with Repeat, decide immediately if you want to pay the Repeat cost - You cannot wait to see if someone responds and then pay the Repeat cost later Nuances: - You do not need to control both battlefields to win by conquest - you only need to have scored all battlefields - Scoring from card effects has no restrictions on control

Ruling: Yes, you can win the game by gaining the final point through holding a location. The special final point rules only apply to conquering; all other methods of gaining points (holding, card effects, burnout) work normally for the final point. Nuances: - Conquering is the only method that has special rules when gaining the final point - Holding, card effects, and burnout all function normally when scoring the final point

Ruling: Yes, you can win by holding for your 7th point and then conquering another battlefield for your 8th point in the same turn. You can score the last point through holding, card effects, or by scoring/conquering a battlefield, as long as you scored at least one battlefield through any method that turn when conquering. Sequence: - Start your turn at 6 points while holding a battlefield - Gain 1 point from holding (now at 7 points) - Conquer the other battlefield to reach 8 points - Win the game Nuances: - The winning point can be obtained through holding, card effects (like Ahri or Tryndamere), or conquering/scoring a battlefield - For multiplayer: if conquering is your winning point, you must have scored a point at each battlefield that turn - You cannot "hold at 8 points" because once you reach 8 points, you have already won

Ruling: Yes, you can win the game this way as long as you've previously scored each battlefield at least once. You can score the final point via conquering. Sequence: - Score points to reach 7 by holding one battlefield - Leave that battlefield empty - Attack and conquer the other battlefield for the win Nuances: - You must have scored each battlefield at least once before winning via conquest

Ruling: Yes, you can win by scoring on both battlefields in one turn. When you move a champion from one battlefield to another and conquer the second battlefield, both scores count toward the "all battlefields" win condition even though the first battlefield is no longer occupied. Sequence: - First, score the champion onto the first battlefield (Ganking/Windswept) via conquer or hold - Second, move that champion to the second battlefield and win the showdown - Score from conquering the second battlefield for the winning point Nuances: - If you were at 7 points, you would draw 1 card from scoring on the first battlefield, then win from scoring on the second battlefield - This works the same way on both your turn and your opponent's turn - To win on an opponent's turn via conquer, you need to score on all battlefields during that turn (hold points from your previous turn don't count)

Ruling: Yes, you can win this way. As long as you've scored/controlled Battlefield A that turn, you can then move to Battlefield B and score the game-winning point. Both empty battlefields will trigger showdowns you must win. Sequence: - Move unit to empty Battlefield A (triggers showdown, gain 7th point) - Use Ride The Wind to move same unit to Battlefield B (triggers showdown, gain 8th point and win) Nuances: - The only restriction for scoring the final point via conquest is that you must have scored every other battlefield that turn - it doesn't matter how you scored them or if you're still controlling them - Anytime you contest control of a battlefield, a showdown will happen (no free points) - Ride The Wind is commonly combined with Vi's Ganking ability to attack two battlefields in one turn: RTW to battlefield A (readies the unit), then Gank to battlefield B

Ruling: Yes, you can score the 8th point and win through alternative win conditions like Yasuo Windrider, Tryndamere, or Ahri without controlling both battlefields. Nuances: - Needing control of both battlefields to win is a misconception - To win by conquer specifically (when the 2nd battlefield counts), you must have scored both battlefields, not necessarily control them at the moment of winning - Only one showdown can occur at a time; a current showdown must fully resolve before a new showdown can begin

Ruling: You can win by scoring the final point through any method except conquering a single battlefield. If you win by conquering, you must score both battlefields in the same turn. Sequence: - If you have 7 points and hold a battlefield at the start of your turn, you score your 8th point and win immediately - If you have 6 points and conquer one battlefield (reaching 7 points), you cannot win yet - If you have 6 points and conquer both battlefields in the same turn (reaching 8 points), you win Nuances: - Conquering a single battlefield to reach 8 points does not win the game - Any non-conquest method of gaining the final point (like holding) wins immediately

Ruling: To score the final point and win, you must score all battlefields in the same turn. If you already control one battlefield and are at 7 points, you cannot immediately win by conquering the second battlefield because you would need to also score the battlefield you already controlled that same turn. Sequence: - If after scoring the newly conquered battlefield, the opponent opens another showdown, you can ride the wind to the location you originally controlled - Score that battlefield for the final point and win - Alternatively, if you have another unit in base, you can immediately ride the wind it to the battlefield you originally controlled, which will trigger a second showdown there once the first showdown resolves Nuances: - A battlefield can be scored multiple times in a turn by different players - A battlefield cannot be scored multiple times by the same player in a turn

Ruling: Yes, you can win the game on your opponent's turn by scoring the final point when the showdown at battlefield 1 closes, after your opponent conquers battlefield 2. Sequence: - Opponent enters battlefield 2 with a 3 Might unit - You respond with Ride the Wind, moving Yasuo from base to battlefield 2, scoring a point (now at 7 points) - Opponent enters battlefield 2 with a 9 Might unit - You respond with a second Ride the Wind targeting Yasuo to battlefield 1 - In response to your own Ride the Wind, you play hidden Fight or Flight, pushing your unit at battlefield 1 back to base - You lose control of battlefield 1 - When Ride the Wind resolves, Yasuo moves to battlefield 1 and a showdown is staged - The current combat at battlefield 2 closes and opponent conquers battlefield 2 - The showdown at battlefield 1 opens and closes - Since you are the only player who controls a unit at battlefield 1, you conquer it (gaining control and scoring because you haven't scored it yet this turn) and win with the final point Nuances: - You must lose control of battlefield 1 before re-entering it with Yasuo for the conquest to trigger and allow you to score again - If you didn't have a unit at battlefield 1 initially, you could perform the same maneuver without needing Fight or Flight

Ruling: Yes, "When you Conquer" effects always trigger if you haven't scored that battlefield this turn, regardless of whether you actually score a point or draw a card instead. Nuances: - This applies even in scenarios where a player is already at 7 points and draws a card instead of scoring the final point

Ruling: Yes, "when you play me" abilities still resolve even if the unit is killed by a reaction to the ability. Nuances: - Parts of the effect might fail to resolve if they reference the unit itself (such as "this unit" or location references like "here") - Effects that don't reference the unit that created them will fully resolve

Ruling: Yes, 'On Play' effects (such as Purple Teemo gaining 3 might when played from hidden) go on the Chain and can be reacted to with cards like Gust.

Ruling: 'When I Attack' triggers activate when a unit is designated as an attacker, which typically happens when moving to a battlefield controlled by your opponent where a combat showdown starts. They do not trigger when moving to an uncontrolled/unoccupied battlefield. Nuances: - The trigger occurs when moving to an occupied battlefield (one with enemy units), not just any controlled battlefield - In rare cases, a unit can become an attacker even if the opponent doesn't control the battlefield at the moment of attack - If an enemy unit is removed during combat, units moved there still become attackers and triggers still activate (because the unit was present when combat started)

Ruling: Yes, all 'When I Defend' triggers will be last on the chain, therefore they resolve first. Sequence: - The Attacking player (who has Focus) places Triggered Abilities on the Chain first - All non-Defender players place triggers in Turn Order - The Defending Player places triggers last - Chain resolves in reverse order (last in, first out) Nuances: - If a unit retreats on reavers row, you still get your 'When I Attack' triggers (e.g., Mask of Foresight +1)

Ruling: Both attacking and defending triggers enter the chain together before reactions can be used. Sequence: - On attack triggers enter the chain - On defense triggers enter the chain - Once both types of triggers are on the chain, reactions can then be used

Ruling: Triggered abilities always go onto the chain. The owner does not choose whether to put them on the chain. Sequence: - The triggered ability goes onto the chain when the trigger condition is met - Targets are chosen when the ability goes onto the chain (during finalization) - Optional costs are paid during resolution - During resolution, the owner chooses whether to pay optional costs to apply the effect Nuances: - For abilities with targets (like Leona's stun or Overzealous Fan), targets must be declared when the ability goes onto the chain - For abilities with optional costs (like Vi, Qiyana), the cost payment decision happens at resolution, not when going onto the chain - Even though you choose whether to pay costs at resolution, the triggered ability still goes on the chain regardless

Ruling: Assault and Shield do not trigger - they are passive abilities that are either on or off based on the current game state. They can toggle on and off multiple times throughout a turn based on whether the unit is attacking (Assault) or if there are enemy units present (Shield). Sequence: - When Lucian attacks as an attacker, Assault is on and grants +1 Might - After conquering and readying, Lucian is no longer an attacker, so Assault turns off - If Lucian attacks a second battlefield, he becomes an attacker again and Assault turns back on - The same applies to Shield - it turns on/off each time combat conditions are met Nuances: - Assault and Shield use "while" language ("while I'm attacking"), making them passive static abilities, not triggered abilities - This is different from triggered abilities that say "when I attack" which would trigger multiple times and stack throughout the turn - For Assault to be relevant, there must be enemy units present to create a combat situation - These abilities do not "stack up" over multiple combats in a turn - they simply turn on or off based on current conditions

Ruling: Attack and Defend triggers resolve before any actions can be played. You cannot react to an Attack/Defend trigger with an action because actions can never be played when a chain exists. Sequence: - Combat showdown begins - Attack triggers are put onto the initial chain - Defend triggers are placed on top of Attack triggers - Priority passes back and forth to resolve this initial chain - Once the chain is empty, the attacker gets focus and priority as usual Nuances: - Actions cannot be played whenever a chain exists, which includes when Attack or Defend triggers occur

Ruling: Gears come onto the field ready (untapped), and you can have multiple copies of the same Gear on the field unless the card specifies otherwise. Nuances: - Some specific Gears may have different rules stated on the card itself

Ruling: Yes, playing a card from hidden for free counts as playing a card on your opponent's turn for Viktor Innovator's recruit generation. Nuances: - This applies to Hidden reacts specifically - The card is played for free from hidden

Ruling: Yes, you have to show the facedown card to your opponent. Nuances: - Since only cards with the Hidden keyword can be played facedown, opponents must be able to verify that any facedown card is indeed a card with Hidden - This verification prevents illegal plays where players could bluff with non-Hidden cards played facedown - Opponents must be given the opportunity to verify facedown cards when they move anywhere or at the end of the game - If an opponent gathers their hidden cards quickly without allowing verification, they might be cheating

Ruling: Tokens and buffs must be physically materialized on the board, but modifiers do not need to be marked. However, you must answer honestly about a unit's current Might if asked. Nuances: - Distinction between tokens/buffs (must be visible) vs modifiers (can be tracked mentally) - Players have obligation to provide accurate information when questioned about game state

Ruling: Both Miss Fortune abilities trigger Spirit Wheel because they target/choose a unit. Sequence: - Miss Fortune Legend ability targets a unit to give Ganking, so Spirit Wheel triggers as chain link 2 - Miss Fortune Captain ability chooses a unit to ready, which also counts as targeting for Spirit Wheel

Ruling: "When I attack" and "when I defend" triggers all go on one chain together. Attack triggers are put on the chain first, which means defend triggers will resolve first. Sequence: - Attack triggers are placed on the chain first - Defend triggers are placed on the chain second - The chain resolves in reverse order (defend triggers resolve first, then attack triggers)

Ruling: Yes, Recruit tokens count towards the 7+ units required to hold Grand Plaza. Tokens are not considered cards but they are still units.

No, Repeat and Accelerate costs do NOT factor in for Yordle Explorer. According to a rule, effects that need to determine a card's cost for any purpose always use its base cost, even if that cost is altered or ignored as the card is played. Yordle Explorer checks the card's base Power cost (what's printed in the upper left corner), not the total cost paid. Additional costs like Accelerate and Repeat are NOT included in this check. For example, Miss Fortune (base cost: 1 Body Power) would NOT trigger Yordle Explorer even if you pay the Accelerate cost for an additional 1 Body Power. Yordle Explorer only triggers when you play a card that has 2 or more Power symbols printed in its cost box.

Ruling: Seals are Gear, and Gear enter Ready at your Base by default. This means you can use a Seal immediately on the turn you play it. Nuances: - You recycle one rune to play a Seal, then can use it instantly that same turn - The power cost is still meaningful because recycling runes slows your energy development - On the turn you play it, you're net zero on power generation (recycle one rune, gain one power from the Seal) - The value comes from subsequent turns when the Seal continues generating power

Ruling: Seals are tapped to generate 1 power each, which goes into your resource pool to spend on cards during your turn. Any unspent power disappears at the end of your turn. Sequence: - Tap a seal to generate 1 power (instead of recycling a rune) - Power goes into your resource pool - Spend the power on cards during your turn - Any unspent power is lost at end of turn Nuances: - Multiple seals can be tapped in the same turn to pay larger power costs (e.g., tap two seals for 2 power) - Seals and runes can be combined in the same turn (e.g., tap a seal and recycle a rune) - Normal power rules apply to seals

Ruling: Shield values are summed together on a unit. Multiple instances of Assault abilities like Cleave also stack (double Cleave is equivalent to Assault 6).

Ruling: Yes, Sprite tokens dying trigger Viktor's ability. Viktor's ability triggers on any non-Recruit unit dying, and Sprite tokens are Fae units, not Recruits. Nuances: - The Recruit designation refers specifically to units with the "Recruit" tag (shown next to "token unit" text) - If the ability was meant to exclude all tokens, it would say "non-tokens" rather than specifically restricting to "non-Recruit"

Ruling: Thousand Tailed Watcher and similar might reduction effects (Smokescreen, Stupefy, Ahri BS) "snapshot" when they resolve - they apply once and then stop. Units that enter play after the effect resolves are not affected, and units that already had the reduction applied can gain might afterward without the reduction reapplying. Sequence: - When Watcher's effect resolves, it reduces the might of all units currently in play by 3 - The effect then stops looking at the game state - Any units played afterward (like Shen as a reaction after Watcher's effect has resolved) do not get the -3 reduction - If a unit that was reduced later gains might through other effects, it gains the full amount without the reduction reapplying Nuances: - If Shen is played as a reaction to Watcher being played (before Watcher's WYPM effect resolves), Shen enters first and would get the -3 reduction - If Shen is played after Watcher's WYPM effect has already resolved, Shen does not get the reduction - Passive effects with "while" text work differently than "when" or "give" effects - passive effects continuously apply - Battlefield passive bonuses are calculated in the arithmetic layer before subtractions, so a unit at a +1 might battlefield would be at 2 might when Watcher resolves, then reduced to 1 might (base 0, +1 from battlefield) - These are not "debuffs" - buffs are a protected term in Riftbound relating to specific deck archetypes

Ruling: Yes, these cards work together favorably. You can spend the buff Cithria gives to ready Wild Claw Shaman. Sequence: - Both abilities trigger simultaneously when Wild Claw Shaman enters play - You can stack them as you choose - Order Cithria's ability to happen first - Use the buff from Cithria to ready Wild Claw Shaman

Ruling: Yes, abilities stack per activated gear. The trigger will occur each time its conditions are met.