Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, Baited Hook does not trigger Dreaming Tree because Dreaming Tree requires a spell to target, and Baited Hook is a gear card, not a spell. Nuances: - Baited Hook does target, but it must be a spell that targets to trigger Dreaming Tree - Cull of the Weak does not target because when both players are making choices, it is not considered targeting

Ruling: Baited Hook uses the current might of the unit at the time of death, including any buffs or modifications it had on the board. Sequence: - When a unit is killed by Baited Hook, the ability looks back at the unit's characteristics before it changed zones - The might value used includes all active buffs and modifications the unit had while on the board - This modified might value determines the maximum might of units that can be summoned from the top 5 cards Nuances: - Units outside of play (in deck, trash, etc.) do not have their abilities active and are not subject to board-state buffs - The game does not use "printed might" as a defined value; it always refers to "current might" - The ability to look back at characteristics before zone changes is what allows Hook to see the buffed might value

Ruling: Bandle Tree adds one additional hidden card slot to the battlefield, allowing up to two cards to be hidden there total. You must pay the hiding cost for each card separately. Sequence: - Pay the cost to hide the first card at the battlefield - Pay the cost to hide the second card at the same battlefield (only possible with Bandle Tree) Nuances: - On any battlefield without Bandle Tree, there is a cap of only one hidden card - Attempting to hide a second card at a non-Bandle Tree battlefield would be an illegal action

Ruling: Battlefield Void Gate adds +1 to the total damage, making Volibear's ability deal 6 damage split among enemy units, not +1 to each target. Nuances: - The +1 damage is applied to the total amount being split, not to each individual target that receives damage from the split

Ruling: Yes, Black Market Broker applies to hidden cards because hidden cards are played from the facedown zone. Sequence: - Hidden cards are put in the facedown zone associated with the battlefield they are hidden to - You play hidden cards from that facedown zone - Black Market Broker's "face down" text applies to this zone Nuances: - "Hidden" itself is not a zone; it's a mechanic that places cards in the facedown zone - The templating uses "face down" rather than "hidden" to be more technically accurate about which zone the card is played from

Ruling: Yes, Blind Flurry ignores power cost as well as memory cost.

Ruling: 'Here' is always evaluated at resolution, not when the effect is created or put on the chain. Sequence: - Blitzcrank's ability triggers and goes on the chain - When the ability resolves, 'here' refers to Blitzcrank's current location at that moment - If Blitzcrank has been moved or killed, the location reference changes accordingly Nuances: - If Blitzcrank is killed before resolution, there is no 'here' and the ability resolves without effect (the unit doesn't move) - If Blitzcrank is moved to a different battlefield, the pulled unit moves to that new battlefield - If Blitzcrank is moved to base, the pulled unit would recall (since units can't be moved to an opponent's base) - Blitzcrank cannot target a unit already at the same battlefield, but if moved to the target's battlefield during resolution, nothing happens (the unit doesn't move because it can't move to where it already is) - Rule 436.2.b only applies to the specific case where a unit tries to enter a battlefield with combat between two other players, causing it to go to base instead

Ruling: Yes, when Blitzcrank pulls an enemy unit to a battlefield you control, that enemy unit becomes the attacker and triggers Ahri's passive. A unit moving onto an enemy-controlled battlefield is always the attacker, regardless of how they got there. Sequence: - Blitzcrank's ability moves an enemy unit to a battlefield you control - The enemy unit's presence creates the contested status - The moved enemy unit is designated as the attacker - Ahri's passive triggers against the attacking unit Nuances: - The player who uses the effect (Blitzcrank's controller) is not the attacker; it's the unit that ends up on the enemy-controlled battlefield - This synergy between Blitzcrank/Charm effects and Ahri is intentional design - The spell itself doesn't create the contested status - the contested status is created by the enemy unit's presence on your controlled battlefield as an aftereffect

Ruling: Blood Rush's effect lasts only for the turn it is played, not permanently. Nuances: - This is confirmed day 0 errata for the card - The original card text did not clarify the duration, leading to the question

Ruling: Conquer points are gained when you conquer as normal, so you get your point from conquering before Kai'Sa's conquer trigger resolves. If you're at 3 points and conquer with her, you'll be at 4 points when her ability resolves, allowing you to cast 3-cost and lower spells. Nuances: - The confusion arose from a mistranslation of a Chinese judge FAQ about "win a combat" triggers (like Draven, Audacious), which resolve before conquer points are gained - "Win a combat" triggers are different from conquer triggers and follow different timing rules

Ruling: Blue Teemo's ability is a single instance of variable damage (X damage, where X is the number of Hidden cards revealed). Void Gate adds +1 to that single instance, so revealing 5 Hidden cards would deal 6 damage total, not 10. Nuances: - The ability only triggers deflect once, not once per revealed card, confirming it's a single damage instance - An older ruling suggested it worked differently (adding +1 per card revealed), but this was explicitly changed - The card's wording could be interpreted either way, but the official ruling treats it as one variable damage instance

Ruling: Brutalizer's wording is correct and functions as intended. When the text refers to "this," it means "this gear" (Brutalizer itself), not the attached creature. There is no functional difference between Brutalizer's wording and Guardian Angel's more explicit wording. Nuances: - Guardian Angel spells out its name for clarity, but this is an exception rather than the standard templating - The shorter "this" wording was chosen to save characters in the small effect text box - The wording prevents multiple Brutalizers from stacking their effects simultaneously

Ruling: Opponents cannot play cards on whatever turn Brynhir is played. Brynhir has no effect on cards that were played before it. Sequence: - Brynhir must be played and its triggered ability must resolve - Once resolved, opponents cannot play any additional cards for the remainder of that turn - Cards already played before Brynhir resolves are unaffected Nuances: - Players can react to Brynhir's triggered ability with reaction spells before it resolves - In FFA (multiplayer), all other players are opponents and will be prevented from playing cards once Brynhir's triggered effect resolves - Recycling and discarding are not being killed and do not trigger Deathknell effects - Promising Future interactions with Brynhir are unclear and have conflicting official responses

Ruling: No, Brynhir does not prevent Machine Evangel's deathknell from creating tokens because tokens are not cards. Nuances: - Brynhir only affects cards, not tokens

Ruling: Yes, Brynhir's ability creates a chain from the "When you play me" trigger that you may react to. Once that chain resolves, you are no longer able to play cards. Sequence: - Brynhir's "When you play me" trigger goes on the chain - Players may play reactions in response to this chain - When the chain resolves, players become shut off from playing cards Nuances: - Hidden cards are blocked by this ability because you are "playing" them from hidden, not just "flipping" them - Hidden cards can still be played if they are in reaction to Brynhir's chain before it resolves

Ruling: Bullet Time targets one battlefield. You must choose which battlefield when playing it, and it deals damage only to enemy units at that chosen battlefield. Nuances: - The card text uses "a battlefield" (singular) which indicates one battlefield must be chosen - The card would benefit from clearer templating like "target battlefield" or "choose a battlefield" to reduce ambiguity - You don't pay the power cost until the card resolves, only paying the 1 energy initially, which allows for strategic bluffing

Ruling: Bullet Time only damages at a single battlefield. Nuances: - If the card affected multiple battlefields, it would use plural wording ('at battlefields' instead of 'at a battlefield')

Ruling: Cannon Barrage deals 2 damage to enemy units in combat immediately when it resolves. This is not combat damage and happens before the damage calculation step. Viktor cannot respond with Grand Strategem because it is an Action, not a Reaction, so he cannot play it before Barrage resolves. Sequence: - Cannon Barrage is played and resolves - 2 damage is dealt to enemy units in combat immediately - If units survive, combat continues to Defender's Focus and damage calculation steps Nuances: - "In combat" means units at a battlefield where a combat showdown is currently happening, not specifically during the deal damage step - Viktor could respond with a Reaction card to increase might before Barrage resolves, but Grand Strategem is an Action and cannot be used as a response

Ruling: No, Carnivorous Snapvine is a triggered ability that opens a chain where you can only play Reactions, not action cards. Showdowns only occur when a unit moves to a battlefield. Nuances: - If the targeted unit is buffed in response (e.g., a 6/6 unit buffed by +1 against 6 damage), it can survive with damage marked on it - Units heal damage marked on them after combat and at the end of turn

Ruling: The 'When you play me' effect triggers when you play the unit from your hand onto the board. Moving a unit is not the same as playing it. Sequence: - Play the unit from your hand - The permanent comes onto the board - The 'When you play me' effect triggers Nuances: - Moving a unit to a different location does not count as playing it and will not trigger 'When you play me' effects

Ruling: Yes, Traveling Merchant's ability triggers when moved by Charm or any other effect. The ability states "When I move" and will trigger regardless of how the movement occurs—whether voluntary or caused by an opponent's effect. Sequence: - Charm is played targeting Traveling Merchant - Charm resolves, moving Traveling Merchant to a different battlefield - Traveling Merchant's triggered ability "When I move, discard 1, then draw 1" goes on the chain - The ability resolves: discard 1 card, then draw 1 card Nuances: - The ability triggers on ANY move, not just voluntary movement by the controller - Recall is specifically defined as NOT a move, so the ability would not trigger on recall - The trigger condition is simply "when I move" with no additional restrictions about who initiates the movement

Ruling: Yes, Cithria of Cloudfield's ability triggers even if she already has a buff, but she will not gain an additional buff (the trigger effectively does nothing). Nuances: - You can respond to the trigger with effects like Call to Glory even though she won't gain a buff

Ruling: Yes, Cithria's ability triggers and goes on the chain every time you play a unit, even if she is already buffed, giving your opponent a chance to play reaction spells. Nuances: - If Cithria loses her buff somewhere in the chain of reactions, she will regain it when her ability finally resolves (assuming she's still in play)

Ruling: Yes, Cleave (Assault 3) stacks when playing 2 copies, resulting in Assault 6. Assault is a stacking keyword where each new occurrence adds to previous ones. Nuances: - Shield and Deflect also stack in the same way - Spirit's Refuge is an exception that doesn't stack Deflect

Ruling: Yes, Cleave works with Assault. Assault is a passive ability that applies as long as your unit is the attacker, not a one-time activation that ends. Nuances: - Assault is a passive ability similar to Trifarian War Camp, not a trigger that activates once - "When I attack" triggers apply the first time a unit gets attacker designated in combat - Assault's bonus continues to apply throughout combat as long as the unit remains the attacker

Ruling: The card's current functionality is unclear and will be clarified in future rules updates. The development team has not yet decided whether it should be a trigger (requiring errata to add "when" or "at" language) or a non-trigger effect covered by rule 563.1.b. Nuances: - As currently worded, it does not meet the technical definition of a trigger (lacks "when" or "at" language) - If it remains non-triggered, the rules will need to define what category of effect this is - If it becomes a trigger, the card will receive errata with proper trigger templating - Until official clarification, judges may need to make rulings on a case-by-case basis

Ruling: Commander Ledros only reduces cost for units that actually die. If a unit survives through an effect like Soraka, it does not count toward the cost reduction. Nuances: - The card's specific wording "for each killed this way" requires the unit to actually die, not just be targeted by a kill effect - This functions similarly to other cards like Baited Hook that only trigger their effects when units actually die

Ruling: Convergent Mutation's effect lasts until end of turn. It was errata'd from its original text. Nuances: - The card was changed via errata because a permanent effect would have been too powerful - The card remains strong in decks like Teemo with Mundo despite the errata

Ruling: No, Cull does not prevent Unyielding because Cull is not damage.

Ruling: Cull the Weak does not trigger Dreaming Tree. When Dreaming Tree says "choose," it means "target" even though this is not explicitly outlined in the current core rules. Nuances: - This ruling comes from a Riot developer statement (red text), not from the written rules - With current rules wording, a judge ruling that CtW does trigger Dreaming Tree would be understandable - The interaction is expected to be clarified in future rules updates

Ruling: No, Dangerous Duo is not Mighty when played and does not trigger Volibear's Relentless Storm. The unit must fully resolve before its "When Played" trigger goes on the chain, so at the time Volibear checks for Mighty units being played, Dangerous Duo is not yet Mighty. Sequence: - Dangerous Duo resolves and enters play - At this point, Volibear's Relentless Storm checks if a Mighty unit was played (Dangerous Duo is not Mighty yet) - After the unit is fully played, its "When Played, Mighty" triggered ability goes on the chain - Only after this trigger resolves does Dangerous Duo become Mighty (too late for Volibear) Nuances: - This applies to any unit with "When Played" self-buffs - they are not considered to have those buffs at the moment they are played - Sett follows the same logic and is not Mighty when played

Ruling: Darius can count himself as the second card played. If Darius is exhausted at a battlefield and a second card is played that turn, he will become ready. Sequence: - Play Darius as the second card of the turn - Darius's effect triggers, counting himself - If Darius was already exhausted when the second card is played, he becomes ready

Ruling: Darius - Executioner's '+1 might to other friendly units here' is a passive effect that is always active regardless of how he is played. It increases the might of all other friendly units at his current location (base or battlefield) for as long as he remains there. Sequence: - The passive effect is separate from and independent of his Legion effect - Wherever Darius is located, he continuously provides +1 might to other units at that same location - When a new unit enters his location, it immediately gains the +1 might - The +1 might persists as long as Darius remains at that location Nuances: - This is not a "buff" in the technical Riftbound sense (which is a protected keyword term) - The effect does not say "for the turn" so it continues indefinitely while Darius is present - Timing does not matter - units already at the location and units that enter later both receive the +1 might

Ruling: The ability works in base as well as on the battlefield. 'Here' refers to wherever Darius Executioner is located, including your base. Nuances: - The keyword 'here' is not restricted to battlefield locations only

Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian gets +2 MIGHT when two spells are played on the opponent's turn. Spells count as "played" when they resolve on the chain, not when they are cast. Sequence: - Spells are added to the chain - Chain resolves - Upon resolution, spells count as "played" - Darius triggers for each spell played Nuances: - "Play" always means post-resolution in this game - Countered spells do not count as being played since they don't resolve

Ruling: Darius Trifarian gets the +2 Might bonus even if he's already readied. The ability still attempts to ready him (which has no effect if already ready), but the Might buff applies regardless. Nuances: - Darius himself counts as the second card if you play him after playing another card - The ability triggers on your opponent's turn if you play 2 cards, granting the Might buff, but Darius cannot move since it's not your turn

Ruling: No, Darius Trifarian does not get ready if played as the 3rd card. He only triggers when played as the 2nd card because he needs to see the 2nd card being played to activate his effect. Nuances: - If Darius is already on the board when the 2nd card is played, he would see it and trigger his effect

Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian readies himself when played as the second card in a turn. Sequence: - A card is considered "played" when it fully resolves - Darius enters the board as part of his resolution - Darius is already on the board when his "after you play a second card" ability checks - His ability triggers and readies himself

Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian CAN trigger his ability during your opponent's turn if you play 2 cards during that turn. Sequence: - You play your first card during opponent's turn (such as a reaction spell) - You play your second card during opponent's turn - Darius's trigger condition is met - Darius gains +2 Might and readies Nuances: - The ability does not specify "during your turn" - it only requires that you play your second card in a turn - This commonly occurs when playing reaction spells or cards during showdowns on your opponent's turn - The trigger tracks cards YOU play, not whose turn it is

Ruling: Darius Trifarian's ability triggers only when he is exactly the second card played in a turn. If he is played as the third, fourth, or later card, the ability does not trigger. Sequence: - First card is played (Darius counts himself if he's the first) - Second card is played (this is when the ability triggers) - If Darius is played as the third or later card, he won't come in ready Nuances: - Darius counts himself when determining card order (if played as the first card, he counts as the first card played)

Ruling: Darius counts himself as a played card. If Darius is your second card played this turn, his ability will trigger and he will ready himself. Sequence: - Play your first card - Play Darius as your second card - Darius resolves and sees himself as the second card played - His ability triggers, giving him 2 Might and readying him Nuances: - In Riftbound, a card is considered "played" when it resolves, which is why Darius can see himself

Ruling: Yes, Darius counts himself as the second card. Nuances: - In Riftbound, "Play" means "Resolve", so Darius is already on the field to see himself resolve and count toward his own effect.

Ruling: Yes, Darius will accelerate if he is the second card played during your turn. Nuances: - Darius must be played from hand (not already on the battlefield) - The unit played to base counts as the first card, making Darius the second card

Ruling: No, Darius does not get the +2 bonus if Challenge is the 2nd card played. Sequence: - Challenge is played as the 2nd card - Challenge causes units to deal damage to each other before it resolves - Challenge resolves - Darius's trigger goes on the chain during the cleanup that follows - If Darius has 5+ damage marked on him, he dies in step 2 of that cleanup - The trigger still resolves but whiffs because Darius is no longer a valid game object to receive +2 Might and ready Nuances: - Darius's trigger occurs after the second card is resolved in a turn, not during its resolution - Even if Darius dies, his trigger will still linger on the chain and resolve, but it will have no effect since there's no valid target

Ruling: Darius's +2 effect triggers after the second card is played (resolved) in any turn, including both your turn and your opponent's turn. Sequence: - Play first card in a turn - Play second card in a turn - Darius gains +2 after the second card resolves Nuances: - Works on both offense (your turn) and defense (opponent's turn) - Can be triggered with actions/reactions played during opponent's turn - Does not require energy if playing cards from hidden (e.g., controlling two fields with hidden cards)

Ruling: Yes, Darius's ability triggers on himself when he is played. In Riftbound, "played" means the full sequence of playing and resolving a card, so Darius is on the board and can trigger when he enters. Nuances: - This differs from some other card games where triggered abilities of permanents can only evaluate conditions once already on the board - "When I'm played" abilities work the same way in Riftbound

Ruling: Darius must be in play for his effect to be active. His effect triggers when you play your second card in a turn, regardless of whether Darius himself is the first or second card played. Sequence: - If you play Darius first, then play another card, Darius will trigger (he is in play when the second card is played) - If you play another card first, then play Darius, Darius will trigger (he is the second card played) Nuances: - A card in hand cannot be ready or exhausted, so Darius's ready effect only applies when he is already in play

Ruling: Darius only triggers when your second card of the turn is played. He must either be that second card himself, or already be on the board when the second card is played. Playing him as the 3rd, 4th, or later card will not trigger his ability. Sequence: - If Darius is played as the 1st card, he does not trigger (no second card played yet while he's present) - If Darius is played as the 2nd card, he triggers and comes into play ready with +2 - If Darius is already on board from a previous turn and you play your 2nd card this turn, he triggers - If Darius is played as the 3rd or later card, he does not trigger (the 2nd card was already played before he entered) Nuances: - The game tracks which card is the literal 2nd card each turn (3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. are distinct) - This is not "every time you play 2 cards" - it only happens once per turn when the 2nd card specifically is played

Ruling: Darius generates one energy (like tapping a rune) that contributes to paying for a card, but only after you've already played at least one card this turn. He does not lower the cost of the card itself, nor does he add a rune to the rune board. Sequence: - Play at least one card during your turn - Then you can use Darius to generate one energy - Use that energy to contribute to the payment of another card Nuances: - "Add" means contributing to the payment, not lowering the cost (this distinction may matter if future cards trigger off cost reductions) - This is different from "Channel" which adds a rune from the rune deck to the rune board - Because Darius has "add" on his ability, it can be used as part of playing another ability - Darius cannot be used to accelerate Kai'Sa if she's your first card, since his ability requires playing at least one card first

Ruling: Yes, Dazzling Aura stacks. If you have two Dazzling Auras, both triggered abilities trigger separately at the end of your turn and resolve independently. Sequence: - At end of turn, both Dazzling Aura triggers are added to the chain - Priority passes for reactions - Resolve the first Dazzling Aura effect (reveal and play a unit) - Any triggered abilities from the played unit are added to the chain and resolved - After all new triggers resolve, resolve the second Dazzling Aura effect - Any new triggered abilities are added and resolved - Chain closes when all effects are resolved Nuances: - Triggered abilities in Riftbound don't need to explicitly say they stack - multiple instances of the same triggered ability trigger separately - Spirit's Refuge is an exception that "doesn't stack" due to its "if they didn't already" clause