Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Dazzling Aurora does not cause burnout if you reveal your whole deck with no unit to play. Burnout only happens if the deck is actually empty when the effect tries to resolve. Sequence: - Reveal cards from deck looking for a unit - If no unit is found, reveal the entire deck - Shuffle the revealed cards back into the deck - No burnout occurs because cards were still in the deck Nuances: - If Aurora were to resolve while the deck is already empty, then it would cause a burnout

Ruling: Dazzling Aurora neither gets destroyed nor exhausted. It stays on the battlefield as is and triggers automatically at the end of each turn. Nuances: - Since it triggers automatically at the end of the turn, it can only trigger once per turn - If you have multiple Dazzling Auroras face up, all of them must trigger at the end of your turn (it's not an activated ability, so it's mandatory)

Ruling: Yes, Dazzling Aurora can trigger Deadbloom's play effect that allows you to move directly onto an enemy controlled battlefield. Sequence: - Dazzling Aurora triggers - Deadbloom's play effect activates - You can move directly onto an enemy controlled battlefield

Ruling: Deflect does not trigger because Cull the Weak does not target. The players make the choices on resolution, so the opponent is not making the choice to kill Deadbloom Predator. Nuances: - Even though there may only be one valid choice, the controller of Deadbloom Predator is still the one making the selection, not the opponent - Cull the Weak's lack of targeting means it doesn't interact with Deflect at all

Ruling: Yes, Defiant Dance requires 2 units on the board to play. Nuances: - The key word is "another" in the card text, which indicates you need at least one unit plus another unit (totaling 2 units minimum).

Ruling: Deflect does not activate from either Bullet Time or Warwick in this combo. Deflect only triggers when a unit is directly targeted, which neither of these effects do. Nuances: - Bullet Time targets a battlefield, not individual units, so it does not trigger Deflect - Warwick's ability does not target a unit directly, so it does not trigger Deflect - If an ability required making a choice (like "kill a damaged unit"), that would be targeting and would trigger Deflect

Ruling: Deflect only needs to be paid when you directly target or choose a unit with Deflect. If a spell targets a battlefield or affects all units without choosing specific units, you do not pay Deflect. Nuances: - For effects that say "deal damage to all units" or similar area effects, Deflect does not apply because you aren't choosing/targeting any specific unit - For effects that let you split or distribute damage and you choose to assign any amount to a Deflect unit, you must pay Deflect for that unit - If you choose the same Deflect unit multiple times with separate targeting instances (like choosing 6 times), you pay Deflect each time - If you split damage from one source among multiple Deflect units (choosing each unit once), you pay Deflect once per unit chosen - When your opponent makes the choice of which unit is affected, you don't pay Deflect even if they choose a unit with Deflect

Ruling: Deflect does not apply to Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox's triggered ability because the ability does not "choose" a target. Nuances: - Deflect only applies when an effect specifically uses the word "choose" - Ahri's triggered ability targets without choosing, so Deflect is not relevant

Ruling: Deflect does not trigger from Stormbringer damage because Stormbringer does not target enemy units. Nuances: - Stormbringer only targets a friendly unit and a battlefield, not enemy units directly - Deflect requires the unit to be targeted to trigger its effect

Ruling: No, Defy does not apply to spells with discounted costs. Defy reads the printed cost of the spell, not the modified cost. Nuances: - Cost reductions from effects like Eager Apprentice do not change what Defy considers for its effect

Ruling: Defy only looks at the printed cost of a card, not the total cost paid including additional costs like those from Rocket Barrage or Accelerate. Nuances: - This applies even in hypothetical scenarios where Defy could counter units with Accelerate costs - Additional costs paid during activation do not affect whether Defy can counter the spell

Ruling: Defy can negate Sky Splitter regardless of cost reductions. Effects that check a card's cost always use its base cost, even if that cost is altered or ignored as the card is played. Nuances: - Sky Splitter normally costs 8 and can be reduced by your highest Might - Defy only looks at the base cost (8), not the reduced cost - Cost reductions don't change what Defy can target

Ruling: Hidden cards are not affected by Divine Judgement and remain in play. When the spell says "recycle the rest," it only refers to the card types mentioned in the previous sentence (units, gear, runes on the board, and hand cards). Nuances: - The spell does not recycle cards from other zones like trash or banishment either, only the specific card types listed in the effect.

Ruling: Yes, you must choose opponent's permanents to reach the required number if available. Divine Judgement instructs each player to choose up to 2 of each permanent type from all permanents on the board (not just ones they control). You must do as much as you can (DAMAYC rule), so if there are available permanents to choose and you haven't reached 2, you must choose them even if they belong to your opponent. Sequence: - Active player (whose turn it is) makes their choices first - Then proceed in turn order for other players to make their choices Nuances: - Divine Judgement does not use targeting (it's a selection made on resolution, and involves choices by multiple players) - Each player chooses their own permanents to save; you don't dictate what your opponent keeps - If you only have 1 unit and your opponent has 3 units total, and you must choose from opponent's units to reach 2, your opponent can still save all 3 of their units (they choose 2, you chose 1 of theirs) - The card likely has a missed errata (should probably say "you control" but currently doesn't)

Ruling: Divine Judgement does not target anything upon entering the chain. The resolution instructs players to choose, but this is not targeting because both players are choosing together, not you alone. Sequence: - Divine Judgement enters the chain without targeting - Upon resolution, players make choices according to the card text - Turn player chooses first - You resolve as much as you can with available options Nuances: - For an effect to be targeting, you must meet three criteria: (1) You and you alone pick, (2) In a public space, (3) Not from the list of exceptions (must, modifiers, part of costs or targeting restrictions, etc.) - If there is only 1 gear on the entire board, you can still play Divine Judgement and keep that one gear (resolve as much as you can) - If your opponent has 3 gears and you have 1, you will choose your gear first (as turn player), then be forced to choose their gear, meaning they get to save all their gears

Ruling: Yes, Divine Judgment forces you to choose from any units/gear in play, including your opponent's, if you don't have enough of your own. Since the card does not say "up to" and does not restrict choices to things you control, you must choose 2 of each type from all available options. Sequence: - Turn player makes their choices first - Then each other player makes choices in turn order - Each player chooses 2 units, 2 gear, 2 spells from among all permanents in play - Each player chooses 2 cards in their own hand (this is the only category restricted to your own) - Everything not chosen is recycled Nuances: - The card does not target, so it can be played even if there aren't enough permanents to fulfill all choices - If you only control 1 unit and your opponent controls 3, you must choose your 1 unit and 1 of theirs, then your opponent can choose the 2 you didn't pick - This means playing Divine Judgment when behind (with fewer permanents) can actually help your opponent keep more than 2 of each type - The card is most effective when you have 3+ of each type and your opponent has fewer

Ruling: Yes, Dr. Mundo recycles as many cards as possible even with fewer than 3 cards in trash. Recycling effects do not target, so they follow "do as much as you can" rules. Nuances: - This is specific to Recycling as a keyword - it has a special case for "do as much as you can" - Mundo doesn't target because it says "recycle three cards" rather than "choose three cards and recycle them" - Other effects like Annie (requiring cards in trash) work differently and may not trigger if requirements aren't met - The distinction between targeting and non-targeting in Riftbound can be subtle and depends on specific wording

Ruling: Dr. Mundo's ability does not target because you choose the cards to recycle as the ability resolves, not before. If you have two Dr. Mundo, you would have to recycle six cards total. Sequence: - Both Dr. Mundo abilities trigger at the same time - They go on the chain (chain 1, chain 2) - As each ability resolves, you choose three cards to recycle - You cannot use both abilities on the same three cards Nuances: - The key distinction is that cards are chosen on resolution, not when the ability is put on the chain, which is why it does not target

Ruling: Yes, you must move an enemy unit to deal damage. The movement must occur first, and then if there is another enemy unit at the destination location, damage is dealt to each other. Sequence: - Move the selected enemy unit to a location - Then, if there is another enemy unit at that location, deal damage to each other - If no other enemy unit is present at the destination, no damage is dealt Nuances: - If the selected unit is killed by a reaction spell before Dragon's Rage resolves, the card becomes illegal and cannot take effect - The card uses a reflexive trigger structure: you choose the first unit when playing the card, but the second unit choice only occurs if the movement successfully executes

Ruling: Yes, Draven's leader ability still applies if you win a showdown as a result of the enemy retreating. As long as the combat showdown started and your units are the only ones remaining after that combat, you are considered the winner. Nuances: - Damage does not need to be applied for this to count as winning combat - The key requirement is that combat showdown must have started before the retreat occurs

Ruling: No, conquering an empty battlefield does not trigger Draven's legend ability because it was a showdown, not a combat. Nuances: - Showdowns and combats are distinct game events - Draven's ability only triggers from combat, not showdowns

Ruling: Yes, Draven must remain at the battlefield when combat concludes for his ability to trigger. If Draven is moved away during combat (even during Showdown), he loses his Attacker/Defender designation and is no longer participating in that combat, so his ability will not trigger even if you win. Sequence: - Draven enters a contested battlefield and gains Attacker/Defender designation (now in combat) - If Draven is moved to base during Showdown, he loses his designation and is no longer in combat - Combat continues and resolves - If you win the combat (your units remain), Draven's ability does NOT trigger because he was not present - For the ability to trigger: Draven must have Attacker/Defender designation when combat concludes Nuances: - You win a combat if only your units remain at the battlefield after combat concludes (determined at end of Resolution step) - Being "in combat" requires having the Attacker or Defender designation - Leaving the battlefield causes a unit to lose its Attacker/Defender designation - If both players' units are removed during combat, neither player wins (it's a tie) - Draven can trigger his ability without dealing damage (e.g., if opponent's units are removed via spells during Showdown) - The "I" in "when I win a combat" refers to Draven as a unit-character, requiring him to be present/participating when combat is won

Ruling: Dreaming Tree triggers on targeting, immediately after the spell that targets finalizes. You draw before the spell that targets resolves, so countering the spell would not prevent the draw. Sequence: - Play spell targeting unit on Dreaming Tree - Spell finalizes immediately - Dreaming Tree triggers - Chain becomes: Spell -> Draw from Tree - First reaction window opens - If spell is countered (e.g., with Defy), chain resolves LIFO: counter resolves first, then draw, then countered spell Nuances: - Dreaming Tree is currently the only "on finalize" trigger in Riftbound (equivalent to "on cast" in other games)

Ruling: After the upcoming errata, Dreaming Tree will work as expected - you can move onto it, target a unit you control there with a spell or ability, and draw a card. Control of the battlefield is irrelevant. Sequence: - When you finalize a spell or ability that targets a unit you control on Dreaming Tree, the battlefield ability triggers - The Dreaming Tree trigger resolves before the spell/ability that triggered it - You get a priority window to play the drawn card before the triggering spell/ability resolves - If the spell is countered (e.g., with Defy), you still draw because targeting happens during finalization, not resolution Nuances: - The initial rules update (181.6.c) made it seem like you needed to control Dreaming Tree for the ability to trigger, but this was unintended - An errata file will clarify that Dreaming Tree works as it did before - control of the battlefield doesn't matter - The Chinese FAQ that was posted accurately reflects how Dreaming Tree should work

Ruling: Yes, Dreaming Tree triggers and draws a card even if the spell is countered by Defy. The trigger condition is met when you target a friendly unit with a spell, which happens when the spell is put on the chain, before it resolves. Sequence: - Player casts a spell targeting a friendly unit (e.g., Discipline) - Dreaming Tree trigger is put on the chain - Opponent can respond with Defy targeting the original spell - Defy resolves, countering the original spell - Dreaming Tree trigger resolves, drawing a card Nuances: - Dreaming Tree does not use the word "play" (which means resolve in Riftbound), so it triggers before resolution - Defy can target any spell on the chain, not just the most recent one - The opponent can respond to the Dreaming Tree trigger before it resolves - If you use Cull the Weak (which doesn't target), Dreaming Tree does not trigger because targeting is required - A countered spell is not considered "played" (played = resolved), but Dreaming Tree's condition is already met before the counter happens

Ruling: Dreaming Tree triggers only on finalization targeting (spells only, not effects). Nuances: - This is the current judge ruling and intent, though it may not be explicitly detailed in the current rules document - Additional clarification is expected in the next version of the comprehensive rules document

Ruling: No, Dreaming Tree does not trigger from Cruel Patron. Dreaming Tree only triggers when a player targets a friendly unit at that location with a spell, and it is spell-only (not units). Cruel Patron's kill effect is an additional cost, which does not target. Nuances: - Additional costs do not target or choose, even if they affect units - If you only have one unit at a battlefield you control, you cannot play Patron to that battlefield if you choose to kill that sole unit as part of Patron's additional cost - "Choose" in card text does not always mean targeting - the determining factor is whether you alone make the choice with public information, and it's not part of a cost, restriction, or requirement - Effects where multiple players make choices (like Cull the Weak or Divine Judgment) do not target - Other additional costs like Meditation also do not trigger Dreaming Tree

Ruling: Yes, Dreaming Tree triggers when you use Zenith Blade to move a unit from Dreaming Tree because you are choosing a friendly unit at Dreaming Tree with a spell. Nuances: - "May" effects still count as choosing/targeting - Moving a unit TO Dreaming Tree does not trigger the ability (only moving FROM) - The spell itself must target the unit - spells that create separate damage triggers (like Falling Star or Icathian Rain) do not work because the spell doesn't directly target - The unit must be friendly when you cast the spell (Possession makes it not friendly) - Chaining Gust in response to Possession would work since the unit is still friendly when Gust is cast

Ruling: Dunebreaker does count himself. His passive ability checks when he's resolving on the chain, at which point he has already left your hand and is on the chain. Sequence: - Dunebreaker is played and leaves your hand - Dunebreaker enters the chain as part of the play process - His passive ability checks while resolving on the chain - He counts himself and any other cards played this turn Nuances: - Items leave the zone they were played from and enter the chain as part of the process of playing them, so Dunebreaker is on the chain when his ability checks

Ruling: Yes, Eager Apprentice's effect stacks if you have multiple on the battlefield.

Ruling: Eclipse Herald only triggers from stuns that occur after it is on the board. It does not retroactively gain +1 might or ready from stuns that happened earlier in the turn. Nuances: - Some effects like "When you've played your 2nd card this turn" do track actions from the entire turn, but Eclipse Herald has a specific trigger that only becomes active once the card is in play - Eclipse Herald gains +1 might from its effect, which is technically not a "buff"

Ruling: No, Ember Monk does not get +2. The hidden spell card must resolve to be considered played for Ember Monk's ability. Nuances: - If a spell is countered, it's considered never to have happened and does not count as being played.

Ruling: Yes, Ember Monk gets +2 might when any card from hidden is played, regardless of which battlefield either card is at. Nuances: - Ember Monk tracks all hidden cards regardless of zone as long as you control the hidden card

Ruling: Ember Monk triggers each time you play a hidden card, not just the first time. The same applies to Ravenbloom Student with spells. Nuances: - In Riftbound, triggers activate every time the condition is met unless the card explicitly says "first time" - Cards that limit to once per turn will explicitly state "first time" in their text - "Each time" is not part of the standard trigger templating in Riftbound; the default "when [trigger], then [effect]" format means it happens every time

Ruling: The +2 boost lasts until end of turn and stacks for each card played from hidden. It doesn't matter which battlefield the hidden cards were on. Sequence: - Play first card from hidden: Ember Monk gets +2 - Play second card from hidden same turn: Ember Monk gets +4 total - Boost persists until end of turn Nuances: - You cannot play a card the same turn you hide it - This stacking mechanic also applies to similar abilities like Ravenbloom Student - Playing more than 2 cards from hidden in a turn is difficult in practice

Ruling: Yes, Ember Monk's ability triggers when you play a card from hidden on any battlefield, not just the battlefield where the Monk is located. Nuances: - The ability does not specify "here" (meaning the same battlefield), so it applies globally across all battlefields.

Ruling: Yes, if you choose a non-zero number of friendly units with Emperor's Divide, you will trigger Dreaming Tree once when finalizing Emperor's Divide. Sequence: - Choose friendly units with Emperor's Divide - Dreaming Tree triggers when finalizing Emperor's Divide - The Dreaming Tree trigger resolves first Nuances: - Dreaming Tree only triggers once, even if multiple units are chosen

Ruling: Yes, Emperor's Divide works with Blade Dancer. The spell targets/chooses the units being moved, not just the battlefield and number. Sequence: - When you play Emperor's Divide, you choose which specific units to move as part of placing the spell on the chain - This counts as targeting/choosing units for Blade Dancer's trigger - The units are selected before resolution, not during or after Nuances: - Emperor's Divide is worded similarly to Foxfire, which also targets units - Spells like Whirlwind do NOT trigger Blade Dancer because the unit selection happens after resolution (both players may select, and it's a "may" selection made after the spell resolves) - The key distinction is whether you choose/target units when placing the spell on the chain versus selecting units during or after resolution

Ruling: The +1 bonus applies based on whether the targeted unit is the only unit you control at its location. You control your units that are in play, regardless of whether you control the location itself. Nuances: - Controlling units is separate from controlling locations - The bonus condition checks if your targeted unit is alone among your units at that location, not whether you control the location

Ruling: Yes, you can play any spell that Kai'Sa can legally select, and it goes onto the chain and resolves like normal. The speed of the spell she picks is not part of her targeting requirements. Nuances: - The ability allows you to cast spells regardless of their normal speed restrictions - The spell still goes onto the chain and resolves following normal chain rules

Ruling: Experimental Hexplate adds the Mech tag without removing existing tags. The phrase "I am a" functions the same as "is" and "are" (all conjugations of "to be"), which the rules cover. Nuances: - Cards that affect tags work additively unless the card explicitly states otherwise - The rules example stating "Other friendly units are Yordles" adds the Yordle tag rather than replacing existing tags, which establishes the additive principle - No existing tags are lost unless a card specifically says so

Ruling: Experimental Hexplate only counts as a mech when it is attached to a unit, not when it is unequipped in your base. Nuances: - The "I am a mech" text only applies while the equipment is actively attached to a unit

Ruling: No, Ezreal - Prodigy does not reduce Irelia - Legend's power payment. Additional costs only refer to effects that specifically use the term "additional cost" in their text. Nuances: - The primary examples of additional costs are Repeat and Accelerate keywords - Some individual cards may also have additional costs explicitly stated - Optional payments (like Irelia's "may" ability) are not the same as additional costs

Ruling: No, Ezreal Prodigy does not reduce Fae Porter's ability cost. Ezreal only reduces optional additional costs (paid during spell finalization), while Fae Porter uses a cost within an instruction (paid during effect resolution). Sequence: - Optional additional costs are chosen in step 2 of finalizing a spell - Optional additional costs are paid in step 4 of finalizing a spell - Costs within instructions are paid when resolving the effect (not during finalization) Nuances: - Costs within instructions use the formatting "____ to ____" - Optional additional costs use formatting like "as an additional cost, you may ___ to play [this/me]" - Examples of cards with optional additional costs include: Accelerate, Repeat, Clockwork Keeper, Brazen Buccaneer, Blast Corps Cadet, Frostcoat Cub, Bard - Mercurial - Spirit Wheel also does not work with Ezreal Prodigy for the same reason

Ruling: No, Ezreal Prodigy's discount does not apply to Draven Vanquisher's activated ability. Optional additional costs only apply to costs paid when playing a card, such as Accelerate, Repeat, or abilities that specify "when you play me, you may pay an additional cost." Nuances: - The ability must explicitly state "as an additional cost" or be inherent in rules text like Accelerate and Repeat - Activated abilities that trigger after a card is already in play are not optional additional costs

No, Ezreal won’t help with Deflect costs, and Deflect is not optional. Deflect is a mandatory additional cost, meaning you must pay it if you want to finalize a spell or ability that chooses something with Deflect. It’s true that you can choose not to pay Deflect costs for triggered abilities by choosing not to finalize them, but that doesn’t make it an optional cost.

Ruling: No, Ezreal does not reduce the cost of Flame Chompers. Flame Chompers has an optional cost but not an optional additional cost, which is what Ezreal requires. Nuances: - Optional additional costs must use both the phrase "as an additional cost" AND the word "may" to qualify for Ezreal's discount - Flame Chompers uses "you may pay" but lacks the "as an additional cost" phrase - Flame Chompers is a trigger ability on discard, not a passive ability like true optional additional costs - The cost itself is optional (you choose whether to play it), but it's not formatted as an "optional additional cost" in the rules sense

Ruling: Ezreal's ability reduces optional additional costs by either 1 energy or 1 power. Equip costs are not optional additional costs, so the ability does not reduce gear equip costs. Sequence: - Identify if the cost is an "optional additional cost" (must say both "as an additional cost" AND "may") - If yes, you can reduce that cost by 1 energy OR 1 power - If no (like equip costs), Ezreal's ability does not apply Nuances: - The most common use cases are cards with Repeat and Accelerate keywords - Example: A card stating "As an additional cost, you may pay 1 energy 1 power to [effect]" could have its cost reduced by either 1 energy OR 1 power

Ruling: Ezreal's cost reduction does not work on Draven's ability. Ezreal only discounts cards that have "as an additional cost" and "may" wording together, which are optional additional costs paid when playing a card. Draven's ability is a triggered ability with its own cost, not an additional cost to cast. Nuances: - The "may" wording on Draven refers to whether you want to pay the cost for the triggered ability to resolve, not an optional additional cost to cast - Optional additional costs are only paid when you play the card itself, not when using triggered abilities - Ezreal works with effects like Accelerate that have "as an additional cost" wording

Ruling: Ezreal's ability triggers similar to The Dreaming Tree - if the spell is canceled after choices are made, the ability still triggers and lets you draw. Repeat does not inherently trigger Ezreal's ability. Nuances: - Repeat only triggers Ezreal's ability if the repeated spell itself targets - Paying the Repeat cost for Called Shot does not trigger Ezreal (Called Shot doesn't target) - Paying the Repeat cost for Rocket Barrage does trigger Ezreal twice (Rocket Barrage targets, so it targets twice with Repeat)