Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, you can play Cull the Weak even if you own no units. Your opponent must kill one of their units, but you do not have to kill any of your own units. Nuances: - Killing your own unit is not a cost or a target, so the card is legal to play without having units - The "do as much as you can" rule applies - you resolve as much of the effect as possible

No, you cannot play **Cull the Weak** during combat. According to the **RiftJudge FAQ (ID 8041)**, spells that are neither [Action] nor [Reaction] (often referred to as "Main" timing spells) can only be played during your Main Phase, out of a showdown, when the chain is empty. ### Why you cannot play it in combat: 1. **Timing Restriction:** Combat is a "Showdown State" (Rule 343.1). During a Showdown State, cards that are not [Action] or [Reaction] cannot be played. 2. **Missing Keywords:** Cull the Weak does not have the [Action] or [Reaction] keyword, which are the only permissions that allow a card to be played during a showdown or when the chain is not empty. 3. **Spell Category:** Because it lacks these keywords, it is restricted to your Main Phase when the board state is "Neutral" (no combat/showdown) and the chain is empty. While you do not need to control a unit to play Cull the Weak (as it does not target and follows the "do as much as you can" principle), you must always respect the timing permissions of the card itself.

Ruling: Yes to both questions. You can play Cull the Weak without controlling a friendly unit, and you can move Traveling Merchant with 0 cards in hand and still draw 1 card. Nuances: - For Traveling Merchant, being unable to fulfill the discard requirement (having 0 cards) does not prevent you from resolving the draw effect.

Ruling: No. Deathgrip requires you to choose two friendly units as targets when you play it: one to kill and another to receive the Might bonus. You must have at least two friendly units on the board to play Deathgrip. Sequence: - When you play Deathgrip, you must choose both targets: the unit to kill and the unit to receive +[M] - Both units are locked as targets when the spell is placed on the chain - Upon resolution, the targeted unit is killed and the other receives the Might bonus (if still legal) - You draw 1 card regardless of whether the targets are still legal Nuances: - If the unit targeted to receive the Might bonus leaves the board before resolution, the kill still happens (if that target is legal) but the Might bonus cannot be applied. The card draw still occurs.

No, you cannot play Fight or Flight in response to Minotaur Reckoner being played. Minotaur Reckoner is a permanent with a passive ability, not a triggered ability. According to a rulle, permanents leave the chain immediately and enter the board, with passive abilities becoming active instantly. There is no reaction window when a permanent is played unless it has a play trigger. A rule says: only provides a reaction window for spells, not permanents. Since Minotaur Reckoner has no play trigger (only the continuous passive 'Units can't move to base'), its passive ability becomes active immediately with no opportunity to respond. You could only react if the permanent had a triggered ability that went on the chain after it entered the board, but that is not the case here.

Ruling: You cannot play Find Your Center with the reduced cost in this scenario. If the opponent doesn't start another showdown after scoring their 5th point, there is no opportunity to play it during their turn. Sequence: - You can play Find Your Center when the combat starts, but at that point the opponent is still at 4 points (not within 3 of victory) - Once they score and reach 5 points, if they don't start another showdown, you get no further priority during their turn Nuances: - The cost reduction requires the opponent to already be within 3 points of victory, so you need them at 5+ points before you can use the reduced cost - There is no priority window between them scoring the 5th point and the end of their turn unless they initiate another action

Yes, you can play **Fizz, Trickster** and use his "When you play me" ability to play **Piercing Light** from your trash, including paying its [Repeat] cost. ### The Sequence of Events 1. **Play Fizz:** You play **Fizz, Trickster** from your hand. He enters the chain as a pending item. 2. **Fizz Enters Play:** **Fizz** finalizes and enters the battlefield. 3. **WYPM Trigger:** **Fizz's** "When you play me" ability triggers and is added to the chain. You target **Piercing Light** in your trash. 4. **Resolution:** The chain resolves down to **Fizz's** ability. You play **Piercing Light** from your trash. * **Cost Payment:** Per **Fizz's** ability, you ignore the Energy cost of **Piercing Light**. However, you must still pay its Power cost. * **Repeat Cost:** Because you are playing the spell, you may choose to pay its [Repeat] cost. If you choose to pay this additional cost, you must pay it in full. 5. **Finalization:** **Piercing Light** finalizes on the chain with the [Repeat] effect active. 6. **Execution:** Once the chain resolves, **Piercing Light** executes its effect twice (the initial effect and the repeated effect). 7. **Recycle:** After **Piercing Light** finishes resolving, **Fizz's** ability instructs you to recycle it to the bottom of your deck. ### Key Considerations * **Cost Payment:** While **Fizz** allows you to ignore the Energy cost of the spell, you are still required to pay the Power cost of the spell itself, as well as any optional additional costs (like [Repeat]) that you choose to pay. * **Countering:** If your opponent plays a card like **Defy** in response to **Piercing Light** while it is on the chain, the entire spell (including the repeated effect) will be countered and sent to the trash. Per **RiftJudge FAQ #5621**, if the spell is countered, it is not recycled. * **State:** Because **Fizz's** ability is a triggered ability that uses the chain, the game state is **Closed** while it is resolving. You cannot activate other abilities (like [Equip]) until the chain is empty and the state returns to **Open**. Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules, specifically regarding the cost of the [Repeat] effect.

Ruling: Yes, you can play Flash in response to Traveling Merchant's move trigger. When Flash resolves and moves the Merchant again, there will be two move triggers on the chain. Sequence: - Opponent plays Charm, moving Traveling Merchant from your base to a battlefield - Charm resolves, Merchant moves and its move ability triggers - You can play Flash in response to this trigger - Flash resolves, moving Merchant again and creating a second move trigger - First move trigger resolves: draw 1 card - Second move trigger resolves: if you have no cards in hand, draw 1 card; otherwise discard your hand and draw 1 card Nuances: - At the point after Flash resolves but before triggers resolve, the Merchant is not yet an attacker and your opponent is not yet a defender - If the card drawn from the first trigger is a reaction, you should consider playing it before the second trigger resolves, as you would otherwise discard it

Ruling: Yes, you can play Flash targeting a unit already in your base. Flash is a legal play because it only requires targeting valid units, not choosing a move destination. The spell will resolve without effect if the unit is still at base. Sequence: - Flash can be finalized because its only targets are the units (up to 2), which are legal targets - The destination (base) is not a target you choose - it's programmatically determined by the card text - Upon resolution, if the unit is still at base, the move instruction does nothing (base-to-base is not a valid move) - The spell still counts as having targeted the unit for trigger purposes (e.g., Irelia) Nuances: - This differs from Ride the Wind or Charm, which require you to choose a battlefield as a target during finalization, making same-location moves illegal at that stage - The Azir FAQ ruling confirms you can target units in the same location when the destination is programmatically determined - The Tideturner errata (preventing targeting units at the same battlefield) would have been unnecessary if game rules already prevented same-location targeting - Playing Flash on a unit at base that then moves before resolution will cause Flash to move it back to base normally - You can cast Flash with zero targets since it says "up to" 2 units

No, you cannot play *Flurry of Feathers* to directly satisfy the win condition for *The Grand Plaza*. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #10013**: * You cannot play the Bird tokens from *Flurry of Feathers* to a battlefield you are attacking (i.e., a battlefield controlled by your opponent). * Tokens must follow all normal rules for playing units, which require you to play them to your base or to a battlefield you already control. **How you can use these cards together:** While you cannot play the tokens directly onto *Grand Plaza* if you do not control it, you can use the tokens to help reach the 7-unit requirement if you already control *The Grand Plaza* and are reacting to its "When you hold here" trigger. As noted in **RiftJudge FAQ #1423** and **FAQ #1676**, you are allowed to respond to the trigger that occurs during the scoring step by playing units to reach the threshold before the trigger resolves and checks the count. However, you must have control of the battlefield for it to trigger in the first place, and you must play the units to a location you control.

Ruling: Yes, you can play Get Excited if it's your only card in hand. You declare a legal target during finalization, then during resolution you're unable to discard so you do as much as you can (which is nothing), causing the spell to whiff with no impact on the board. Sequence: - Play Get Excited from hand (e.g., via Darius's play 2 trigger) - Choose a legal target during finalization - During resolution, you cannot discard 1 card, so "its energy cost" is undefined - The spell whiffs (resolves with no effect) Nuances: - This works because Get Excited doesn't say "discard 1 card" as an additional cost - if it did, you couldn't play it - You can't target cards in private zones (like hand) - This can be useful with Darius's play 2 trigger to get the ready effect even though the spell whiffs

Ruling: Yes, this works. The discard cost for Get Excited happens at resolution of the spell, not at cast, so you can return Flame Chomper to hand with Gust before Get Excited resolves and then discard it to satisfy Get Excited's cost. Sequence: - Play Get Excited onto the chain - Play Gust, returning Flame Chomper to hand - When Get Excited resolves, discard Flame Chomper to satisfy its cost - Replay Flame Chomper to the battlefield Nuances: - During combat, control of the battlefield doesn't change, so you can replay Flame Chomper to the battlefield even if it would otherwise be empty after Gust resolves

Ruling: Yes, you can play Gust as a reaction to Jinx's Legend Ability. The Legend trigger goes on the chain at the beginning step, allowing you to react to it before it resolves. Sequence: - Jinx Legend's trigger goes on the chain at the beginning of your turn - You can react to it by playing Gust (as can your opponent) - During resolution, if you have 1 or less cards in hand, you draw a card Nuances: - The Legend Ability only draws if you have 1 or less cards in hand during resolution, not when it triggers

Ruling: Yes, you can play Gust in reaction to the Reaver's Row trigger before deciding whether to return Pouty Poro home. Sequence: - Reaver's Row triggers and you choose Pouty Poro as the target - The trigger goes on the Initial Chain like any other chain - Both players have opportunity to play Reactions (like Gust) - On resolution, you then choose whether or not to return Pouty Poro home Nuances: - You choose the target (Pouty Poro) when Reaver's Row triggers, but the decision to actually return it happens on resolution after all reactions

Ruling: Yes, you can play Gust in response to Vi's ability activation.

Ruling: No, you cannot target a 4 Might unit with Gust. The targeting requirement "a unit at a battlefield with 3 might or less" must be met when the card is played, before any reactions can be added to the chain. Sequence: - Stupefy must be played first to reduce the unit's Might to 3 or less - Then Gust can be played targeting the now-valid unit Nuances: - If Gust were worded "return a unit at a battlefield to its owner's hand if its Might is 3 or less," then you could target any unit and the Might would be checked on resolution - The "3 might or less" restriction in Gust is part of the targeting requirement, not just an instruction that resolves later

Ruling: No, this does not work. A unit must be a legal target at the time you play Gust. Damage does not reduce a unit's Might, so dealing damage would not make it a legal target anyway. Sequence: - If you want to use Gust on a high-Might unit, you must first play a card that reduces Might - Wait for that Might reduction to resolve - Then play Gust (the unit is now a legal target) - This can be done as a reaction since you can react again after the Might reduction resolves Nuances: - Dealing damage to a unit does not change its Might value - Targets must be legal at the time a card is played, not when effects resolve

Ruling: Yes, you can play Harnessed Dragon even if the opponent has no units. The ability will fail to finalize (enter the chain) if there is no valid target. Sequence: - Play Harnessed Dragon and it resolves fully - The "When you play me" trigger is evaluated - If no enemy unit exists, the ability fails to finalize and does not enter the chain - There will be no chain item to react to or resolve Nuances: - This is not a Silver Rule situation about fulfilling as much as you can during resolution - "When you play me" triggers are evaluated after the unit fully resolves - If killing a unit were required to play Harnessed Dragon, it would need to state "as an additional cost"

Ruling: You cannot play Hextech Ray if you cannot pay the Deflect cost. Since Deflect is an additional cost that must be paid when targeting, and you need to target before finalizing the cast, you cannot legally play the spell if you lack sufficient resources. Sequence: - Pay the base cost to cast the spell - Choose targets - Pay costs to target (including Deflect) - All associated costs must be paid before finalizing the play Nuances: - If a unit gains Deflect after you've already targeted it (e.g., through a chain buff), you do not need to pay the Deflect cost retroactively - Deflect costs are paid at targeting and do not work retroactively - If you attempt to make an illegal play at a tournament (targeting a Deflect unit without sufficient resources), it would likely be ruled a general error with a warning and rewind

Ruling: No, you cannot use the same exhaust to pay for both Meditate's card draw and Lee Sin Ascetic's self-buff ability. Nuances: - Both effects require exhausting as a cost - You cannot use the same resource (exhausting the unit) to pay two different costs simultaneously

Ruling: You cannot play a unit to a battlefield you do not control. As an attacker, you never control the contested battlefield, so you cannot play Nocturne to it mid-showdown. As a defender, the battlefield is contested but still under your control, so you can play units to it during the showdown. Sequence: - Attacker goes to a contested battlefield - Showdown occurs - If attacker plays Stacked Deck and finds Nocturne, they cannot play it to the contested battlefield (no control) - If defender plays Stacked Deck and finds Nocturne, they can play it to the contested battlefield (still have control despite it being contested) Nuances: - A battlefield can be both contested AND controlled by the defender simultaneously - Control, not contested status, determines whether you can play units to a battlefield

Ruling: Yes, you can play Nocturne off Strategist Teemo's effect. Nocturne works with both Look effects and Reveal effects. Nuances: - Nocturne does not have Hidden, so he does not add to damage from reveal effects - If Nocturne did have Hidden, he would not be counted for damage because he banishes himself - Nocturne's banishment can happen during effect resolutions (for example, he can be revealed by Blind Fury and be banished before the user has the chance to play him)

Ruling: Yes, you can play Nocturne to a battlefield during a showdown if you control that battlefield and began the showdown as the defender. Sequence: - You must control the battlefield when the showdown begins - You retain control of that battlefield for the entire duration of the showdown - You can play Nocturne there at any point during the showdown, even if the battlefield becomes empty Nuances: - Being the defender does not implicitly give you control of the battlefield - you must already control it - Control persists throughout the showdown even if all your units leave the battlefield (e.g., via Fight or Flight) - You could theoretically play Nocturne to an empty battlefield mid-showdown if you started as the defender with control

Ruling: Yes, you can play Nocturne when revealing from Ravenbloom Conservatory, and you can play him to the battlefield, assuming you control the Conservatory. Nuances: - This interaction works because "reveal" counts as "look at" due to an errata

Ruling: Yes, you can counter Salvage with Not So Fast if the opponent chooses to target your gear. Salvage targets on finalization, and the opponent must declare valid choices at that time. Sequence: - Opponent plays Salvage - On finalization, opponent must declare their choice (targeting a gear or choosing no target) - If they choose to target your gear, you can counter it with Not So Fast - If they choose not to target any gear, you cannot counter it Nuances: - Salvage uses "up to" language, making "no targets" a valid choice on finalization - The opponent must commit to their target choice when the ability finalizes, before you decide whether to counter

Ruling: You can play Pit Rookie even if there's no valid target, but its ability won't go on the chain. Nuances: - This is similar to other cards with targeting requirements - you can play the card itself, but the ability simply doesn't trigger if there are no valid targets

Ruling: You cannot play Possession in response to Yasuo's When I Attack trigger because When I Attack triggers create an Initial Chain at the start of combat, and you cannot play Actions to a chain. Sequence: - At the start of combat showdown, an Initial Chain is created with When I Attack triggers followed by When I Defend triggers - The Initial Chain resolves (last in first out, so Defend triggers resolve first) - After the Initial Chain resolves, the attacker gains Focus and can start a chain - Only Reactions can be played to the Initial Chain, not Actions like Possession Nuances: - If you charm an enemy unit to the battlefield, you become the defender and Green Yasuo's When I Attack would not trigger in that scenario, allowing you to play Possession during the showdown if your opponent passes focus - Focus is the permission to start a chain during a showdown, not priority for trigger resolution

Ruling: No, you cannot play Primal Strength on Carnivorous Snapvine after playing it because Primal Strength is Action speed, not Reaction speed. Only Reaction speed cards can be used in response to Snapvine's effect. Nuances: - Reaction speed cards like Discipline can be used with Snapvine's effect - Primal Strength is still useful for combat in other situations

Ruling: Yes, you can play Reaction spells in response to 'When I Attack' abilities that trigger during a showdown. Sequence: - Showdown is initiated and attacker gains Focus - 'When I Attack' and 'When I Defend' abilities trigger and go on the Chain - Players can respond with Reactions during this Chain - Once the Chain resolves, combat damage occurs (if applicable) Nuances: - The attacker gains Focus at the start of the Showdown, which occurs before the Initial Chain where 'When I Attack' triggers are placed - 'When I Attack' triggers are part of the showdown process, not a separate 'non-combat showdown' - A showdown at an open battlefield (without combat) still follows the same Focus and Chain rules, just without combat damage afterward

Ruling: During combat (when a battlefield is Contested), you maintain control of the battlefield even after all your units die to a spell, until both players pass focus without taking actions. This allows you to play Reactions like Shen or flip Hidden Units after your units die but before losing control. Outside of combat, you cannot do this - any Reaction would go on the chain before the killing spell resolves, causing the Reaction unit to also die. Sequence: - Opponent attacks your battlefield (making it Contested) - Opponent plays a spell to kill your units - Spell resolves and kills your units - Cleanup happens but battlefield remains Contested, so you maintain control - Focus passes back to you - You can now play Reactions (Shen, Hidden Units) at the battlefield you still control - Combat continues until both players pass Nuances: - This only works during combat when the battlefield is Contested - Outside combat, Reactions go on the chain before the killing spell resolves, so they would also be killed - You can play new Reactions onto the chain after some abilities resolve - there's a priority window after each chain link resolves - If a Deathknell ability triggers during combat, it creates a priority window where you could React and maintain control

To answer your question: **Whether you can play *Rebuke* after *Ride the Wind* resolves depends on who played *Ride the Wind* and the current state of Focus.** ### 1. Card Timing and Keywords * ***Ride the Wind*** is an **[Action]** spell. According to Rule 155.2.a.1, an [Action] spell can be played during a showdown on any player's turn, but only when the game is in an **Open State** (no chain exists). * ***Rebuke*** is also an **[Action]** spell. Like *Ride the Wind*, it is restricted to being played when the game is in an **Open State**. ### 2. The State of the Game * When an [Action] spell is played, it starts a chain, putting the game into a **Closed State** (Rule 309.1). * While the game is in a **Closed State**, only cards with the **[Reaction]** keyword can be played (Rule 309.1.a). * Because *Rebuke* is an **[Action]** spell and lacks the **[Reaction]** keyword, it cannot be added to the chain while *Ride the Wind* is pending or resolving. ### 3. Playing After Resolution * Once *Ride the Wind* resolves, the chain becomes empty, and the game returns to an **Open State** (Rule 336.2). * In a showdown, when a chain resolves, Focus passes to the next player (Rule 345). * If you played *Ride the Wind*, Focus passes to your opponent, and you must wait for them to pass their opportunity to act before you can play *Rebuke*. * If your opponent played *Ride the Wind*, Focus passes to you upon resolution, allowing you to play *Rebuke* as your [Action] in the resulting Open State. **Summary:** You cannot play *Rebuke* in response to *Ride the Wind* because *Rebuke* is not a [Reaction] spell. You can only play *Rebuke* after *Ride the Wind* resolves if you hold Focus at that time. Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

Ruling: No, you cannot play Recruit the Vanguard in a battlefield you are attacking. The card specifies "in your base or in a BF you control," so you can only place recruits in locations you already control, not in a battlefield you're contesting. Nuances: - All recruits from Recruit the Vanguard must be placed in the same location (either all in your base or all in one battlefield you control); you cannot split them between multiple locations.

Ruling: No, you cannot play Recruit the Vanguard when you are the attacker because you do not control the battlefield as the attacker. Nuances: - If you are the defender and controlled the battlefield before your opponent attacked into you, you can play the spell during combat showdown when you have focus and spawn the tokens into that battlefield.

Yes, you can play **Rengar, Trophy Hunter** as a reaction to a spell that targets your unit at a different battlefield, provided you meet the conditions of his ability. ### The Reasoning 1. **Reaction Timing:** A spell targeting your unit at a battlefield goes on the chain, creating a **Closed State**. This grants both players the timing permission to play **[Reaction]** cards (Rule 813.1.c). 2. **Ambush/Reaction Permission:** Rengar, Trophy Hunter’s ability grants the permission to play him as a **[Reaction]** to any battlefield with enemy units, effectively bypassing the standard requirement to have units present or control the battlefield. 3. **Legality:** Because the state is Closed, you are legally permitted to play a card with **[Reaction]** timing. Rengar’s specific ability allows him to be played to a battlefield with enemy units, making him a legal play in this situation. ### The Sequence 1. **Opponent plays a spell:** The spell targets your unit at Battlefield A and goes on the chain. The game enters a **Closed State**. 2. **You play Rengar:** Because the game is in a Closed State, you have [Reaction] timing. You play **Rengar, Trophy Hunter** to Battlefield B (assuming Battlefield B has enemy units). 3. **Chain Resolution:** The chain resolves in Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) order. * **Rengar, Trophy Hunter** enters Battlefield B first. * The opponent's spell then resolves, targeting your unit at Battlefield A. *** **Important Note on Targeting:** If your opponent’s spell targets a unit, Rengar’s entry does not interfere with the spell's targeting relationship. Per **Rule 359.3.e.3**, targeting relationships are maintained as long as the targeted unit remains on the board, even if Rengar enters play elsewhere. *Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.*

Yes, you can play **Rengar, Pouncing** to a battlefield you are attacking during a combat showdown. While Rule 739.3.a generally restricts playing units to your base or battlefields you control, Rengar's specific card text provides an exception: *"I can be played to a battlefield you're attacking."* Because Rengar also possesses the **[Reaction]** keyword, he can be played at reaction speed during a combat showdown (a closed state). ### Key Considerations: * **Timing:** As a unit with **[Reaction]**, Rengar can be played during a closed state (such as during a chain in a combat showdown). * **Location:** Rengar's ability explicitly overrides the standard restriction on where units can be played, allowing him to be placed at a battlefield you are attacking, even if you do not control it. * **Attacker Status:** Note that while you are attacking the battlefield, Rengar enters play without the "Attacker" designation. According to the established rulings for Rengar, he gains the Attacker designation and becomes Mighty (for effects like *Assault*) during the cleanup triggered by his entering the board. This is my interpretation based on the card text of Rengar, Pouncing and the rules regarding the [Reaction] keyword. No official FAQ exists for this specific interaction beyond the general rules for Rengar's play timing and location.

Ruling: No, you cannot play Rengar at an open battlefield you're contesting because you are not assigned as an attacker when contesting an open battlefield. Nuances: - Contesting an open battlefield does not count as "attacking" it for card effect purposes

No, you cannot play **Rengar, Pouncing** to an uncontrolled battlefield in this scenario. According to the card text of **Rengar, Pouncing**, he can only be played to your base, a battlefield you control, or a battlefield you are **attacking**. When your opponent moves a unit to an uncontrolled battlefield, they are contesting it. Because you do not control that battlefield and you are not the player who initiated the move (and thus are not designated as the attacker), you do not meet the requirements to play Rengar to that location. ### Key Rules and Rulings: * **Attacker Status:** Per RiftJudge FAQ #3963 and #427, simply contesting a battlefield does not grant you "attacker" status. You only gain the "attacker" designation when combat officially begins, which occurs after the move trigger resolves and the game returns to a neutral open state. * **Play Restrictions:** Rule 739.3.a (referenced in FAQ #8779) restricts where units can be played. Rengar’s ability provides an exception, but it is strictly limited to battlefields you are currently attacking. Since you are not the attacker in this situation, you cannot use that exception to play him there. In short, because you are not the attacker, you cannot play Rengar to that battlefield. You could, however, play him to your base or a battlefield you already control, provided you have the necessary energy.

Ruling: No, you cannot play Retreat without a valid target. If a card targets, it needs its targets to be played. Sequence: - You must have a valid friendly unit target to play Retreat - Once the spell is played and choices are finalized, you cannot change the target - If the target becomes illegal during resolution (e.g., killed or bounced), the spell whiffs and resolves to no effect Nuances: - The "Do As Much As You Can" (DAMAYC) rule only applies to extra instructions that don't reference information from the illegal target - For Retreat specifically, since the channeling effect references the target's owner, if the target becomes invalid the entire spell whiffs - Some cards look like they target but don't (e.g., Cull the Weak uses player choice at resolution, not targeting) - If a target becomes illegal after finalization, you cannot shift the target to another unit

Ruling: No, you cannot play Ride the Wind in response to Fox Fire. Action spells cannot be added to an existing chain - they can only start a chain. When an opponent casts a spell, they start a chain, and you can only respond with reaction spells, not action spells. Sequence: - Opponent casts Fox Fire, starting a chain - You may respond with a reaction spell (like Discipline) - Your reaction spell resolves first - Fox Fire resolves second - After the chain fully resolves, you get an opportunity to play action spells in the open game state Nuances: - Actions can only be played in open game states (when no chain exists) - You cannot play an action to counter an action, only a reaction can respond to spells in a chain - Reaction spells can also start chains, and can only be responded to with other reactions - Some spells trigger showdowns (those that move units into battlefields) while others do not (damage/stat modification spells)

Ruling: Yes, you can play Ride the Wind during your opponent's turn to move to an empty battlefield and gain a conquest point. Nuances: - This is not the only way to proactively take a conquest point on the opponent's turn - Other cards that can do this include Zenith Blade, Get Excited, Chomper, and Miss Fortune

Ruling: Yes, you can play Ride the Wind targeting a unit at Vilemaw's Lair with base as the destination. The unit will be readied but will stay at Vilemaw's Lair since the Lair prevents the movement. Sequence: - Target a unit at Vilemaw's Lair with Ride the Wind - Choose base as the move destination - When Ride the Wind resolves, do as much as you can: the unit is readied but does not move (prevented by Vilemaw's Lair) Nuances: - Base is still a valid destination for targeting purposes because Vilemaw's Lair doesn't make destinations invalid; it simply prevents the movement effect from occurring - The spell resolves legally even though the movement doesn't happen

No, you cannot use **Ride the Wind** to move a unit to the same location it currently occupies. According to Rule 355.4.a, when a spell or ability moves a unit, you must choose a destination that is "other than the Units’ current Location." Since the destination must be a different location, targeting the unit's current location is not a valid move.

Ruling: No, you cannot play Salvage when there are no gear in play. A gear must be targeted when playing Salvage, though you may choose not to kill it during resolution. Sequence: - When playing Salvage, you must target a gear in play - During resolution, you may choose whether or not to kill the targeted gear - Regardless of whether you kill the gear, you draw 1 card Nuances: - The "may" clause refers to the choice during resolution, not whether a target is required - Cards that instruct you to act upon something require a valid target, even if the action is optional

Yes, you can play **Salvage** without a target. According to the current text of the card (which received errata), it reads: "*You may kill up to one gear. Draw 1.*" Under **Rule 352.13**: > "If a card specifies that a player chooses “any number” or **“up to”** some number of Game Objects to be affected, they may choose any number of available targets, **including zero**. If they choose zero, the spell or ability can be played without any targets." Because the card uses the "up to one" language, choosing zero gears is a valid choice during the targeting step. This allows you to play the spell solely for the "Draw 1" effect even if there are no gears on the board. **Historical Note:** Older versions of Salvage were templated as "*You may kill a gear. Draw 1.*" Under that old wording, you were required to have a valid gear target to put the spell on the chain (even if you chose not to kill it upon resolution). The errata to "up to one" was specifically made to ensure the card is not "dead" in hand when no gears are in play.

Ruling: You cannot play Shen to a battlefield you are attacking because you do not control that battlefield. The "including battlefield you control" restriction prevents this. Nuances: - Even though Shen is a reaction, the control requirement still applies - This is a common point of confusion as players learn the rules

Yes, you can play **Solari Shieldbearer** with no other units in play. According to **Rule 055**, when executing card text, you do as much as you can and ignore impossible instructions. Because the ability "stun a unit" does not require you to have another unit already in play to *play* the Solari Shieldbearer itself, you can successfully play it. If there are no other units on the board to target with the stun ability, that part of the effect will simply not be executed (as described in **Rule 359.3.e.6**). Note that per **RiftJudge FAQ #7116**, Solari Shieldbearer is a valid target for its own ability if no other units are available.

Ruling: No, you cannot tap Sun Disc in response to Spectral Matron's trigger because Sun Disc does not have Reaction. You would need to tap Sun Disc before playing Matron. Sequence: - If you tap Sun Disc before playing Spectral Matron, Sun Disc will ready Matron itself - The unit played from the discard pile comes out after Matron is already readied - There is no way to ready the unit played from the discard pile with Sun Disc Nuances: - Sun Disc's Legion effect only activates if you have already played another card that turn; if you haven't played another card, the ability doesn't exist

Ruling: Yes. Stalking Wolf's text states you "may" play it to the battlefield of the unit killed to pay its additional cost. Since this is optional, you can instead play Stalking Wolf to any other legal location, such as your base or another battlefield where you control units. Sequence: - Pay the additional cost by killing a Bird, Cat, Dog, or Poro you control - Choose to either play Stalking Wolf to that unit's battlefield, or to any other legal destination Nuances: - The Ambush keyword allows Stalking Wolf to be played as a reaction to a battlefield where you have units, independent of where the cost was paid.

No, you cannot play **Star-Crossed** if you have no friendly units on the board. As established by RiftJudge FAQ #9772, while you do not need to "own" a unit (in the sense of having it in your deck), you must control a friendly unit on the board to serve as a valid target for the spell. **Star-Crossed** specifically requires both a friendly unit and an enemy unit to be present as valid targets to be played. If you do not have a friendly unit to target, you cannot fulfill the requirements of the spell, and therefore you cannot play it.

No, you cannot play **Star-Crossed** if you do not control a unit on the board. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9865**, **#10187**, and **#10769**, **Star-Crossed** creates a targeting relationship with both a friendly unit and an enemy unit. Because the spell lacks "up to" language, both are mandatory targets. You must control a friendly unit on the board to serve as a valid target for the spell at the time it is announced and placed on the chain. If you do not have a friendly unit on the board, the targeting requirement cannot be met, and the spell cannot be played.