Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Hidden Blade is still played and counts as being cast even if its target becomes invalid before resolution. The spell resolves to no effect, but Ravenbloom Student still gets the might increase because a spell was played. Only countering a spell prevents it from counting as being played. Sequence: - Player A plays Hidden Blade targeting their unit - Player B plays Gust removing the targeted unit - Hidden Blade resolves to no effect (no kill, no draw) - Ravenbloom Student still gains might because Hidden Blade was played Nuances: - If Hidden Blade's target is moved out of the battlefield before resolution, the draw effect is lost because the target is no longer valid - If the killing is replaced by a replacement effect (like Zhonya's), the draw still happens because the target remains valid - Baited Hook works differently because it moves its target as part of resolution, allowing it to check properties of the target after moving it

Ruling: Hidden Blade gives the draw if the unit survives with Zhonya's Hourglass because the unit is still in play and its controller can be established. If the unit is Retreated or moved to base before Hidden Blade resolves, you do not draw because it's no longer a legal target at a battlefield. Sequence: - Hidden Blade targets a unit at a battlefield - Cards check legality on finalize and on resolution - If the unit is still in play when resolving (even if it didn't die due to Hourglass), the controller can be established and you draw - If the unit is no longer in play or no longer at a battlefield, it's not a legal target and you don't draw Nuances: - Zhonya's Hourglass is unique because Hidden Blade already resolved with a legal target at a battlefield before Hourglass triggers - If the unit is moved to base via a flash effect before Hidden Blade resolves, you wouldn't draw

Ruling: No, the draw 2 does not happen if the unit is moved away from the battlefield before Hidden Blade resolves, because the spell cannot identify the controller of a unit that is no longer at the battlefield. Nuances: - If the unit was saved by an effect like Zhonya's (which presumably keeps it at the battlefield or maintains it as a legal target), the controller would still draw since the target was legal at the beginning of resolution - Spells don't fizzle for their target moving in Riftbound, but Hidden Blade specifically needs to reference the unit at the battlefield to execute the draw effect - If the unit is moved back to the battlefield before Hidden Blade resolves, the effect would go through

Ruling: Hidden Blade's controller only draws 2 cards if the target is still legal when the spell begins to resolve. The "its controller" wording requires a valid target to determine who draws. Sequence: - Hidden Blade targets a unit at a battlefield (with "here" restriction if played from hidden) - Before resolution, check if target is still valid - If target is valid, controller draws 2 and unit is killed - If target is invalid (moved to base/hand, already killed, etc.), no draw occurs Nuances: - If the unit's death is prevented by replacement effects (Zhonya's, Sett's ability, etc.), the target remains valid at resolution so the controller still draws 2 cards - If Hidden Blade was played from hidden, the target must still be at the same battlefield ("here" restriction) - This differs from cards like Void Seeker where the draw happens regardless of target validity because it doesn't reference "its controller"

Ruling: Hidden's reminder text is confusing and misleading when considered alone. Hidden Blade's reminder text says you can play it later for 0 and that it kills a unit at a battlefield, but it cannot actually kill a unit at a battlefield when being played from hidden. Nuances: - Reminder text in general does not always fully explain the mechanics (similar to how Adventure's reminder text doesn't explain the exile-on-resolution is a replacement effect) - This is acknowledged as a design issue that can be particularly off-putting to both enfranchised TCG players and newer players - The comprehensive rules have clunk and ambiguity that contribute to confusion

Ruling: Hostile Takeover does choose a target, so it does not bypass Deflect. You must pay Deflect costs to play Hostile Takeover on an enemy unit with Deflect.

Ruling: Immortal Phoenix does not have an additional cost or alternate cost. Purple Ezreal only reduces optional additional costs (like Accelerate), so it does not work with Immortal Phoenix or Flame Chompers. Nuances: - Immortal Phoenix's "spend 1 power to play" is technically a cost within instructions, but not an "additional cost" because it doesn't explicitly say "as an additional cost" - Purple Ezreal reduces optional additional costs only - Deflect is functionally an additional cost in the rules, but purple Ezreal does not reduce Deflect costs because Deflect costs are not optional

Ruling: Yes, if you play Cull the Weak and kill one of your own units, Immortal Phoenix can return from the graveyard. Nuances: - Phoenix's effect does not require an enemy unit to be killed, so killing your own unit with Cull the Weak triggers the revival effect.

Ruling: Imperial Decree does not change how damage must be assigned during combat. You must still assign damage equal to or greater than a unit's current Might before assigning damage to another unit. The card creates a triggered ability that kills any unit when it takes damage, but this doesn't make small amounts of damage count as "lethal damage" for assignment purposes. Sequence: - Imperial Decree resolves and creates a lasting effect for the turn - During combat, damage is assigned following normal rules (must assign full Might to each unit before moving to the next) - When a unit takes any amount of damage, Imperial Decree triggers - The trigger goes on the chain and kills the unit when it resolves Nuances: - The effect applies to all units for the entire turn, including units played after Imperial Decree resolves (it modifies game rules, not individual units) - The intended use is to attack with multiple small units in separate combats/showdowns at the same battlefield - Units that take lethal damage from combat will already be dead before the Imperial Decree trigger resolves - The trigger can be reacted to, but cannot be stopped once on the chain

Ruling: Irelea's ability triggers each time she readies or is chosen by a spell/equipment, with no once-per-turn limit, so she can gain multiple +1 might in a single turn. Sequence: - If Irelea was exhausted at start of turn, she gains +1 might when she readies during Awaken phase - If a spell/equipment chooses her as a target, she gains +1 might from that trigger - Multiple triggers in the same turn stack (e.g., ready + Discipline + En Garde = +3 might total) Nuances: - She must be exhausted at start of turn to gain the +1 from readying during Awaken phase - Some spells affect units without choosing them (like Meditation) and would not trigger her ability - She cannot ready if she's already ready

Ruling: Irelia Fervent only gets +1 Might from the battlefield effect, not +2. She does not get the bonus from her own Fervent ability because the battlefield trigger does not "choose" or target units—it is programmatically determined. Nuances: - Irelia Fervent specifically requires "when you choose or ready me" to trigger her bonus - The battlefield trigger is "programmatically chosen" rather than player-chosen, meaning the game automatically determines which unit is affected (the one that fulfilled the trigger condition) - "Choose" in Irelia's context is synonymous with "target"—a player decision, not an automatic game decision - Effects like Ezreal champion's "when I attack/defend" ability do target/choose, so they would trigger Fervent and must pay costs like Deflect - If the resolution text (after the comma) cannot automatically determine which object is affected (like "a unit here"), it usually targets

Ruling: No, Irelia Fervent's ability does not trigger from enemy spells or effects. "You" refers to the controller of the card, so only effects controlled by Irelia's owner will trigger her ability. Nuances: - An enemy Stupify targeting Irelia would result in -1 ATK (no trigger from her ability) - Enemy effects that choose or ready Irelia do not trigger her ability

Ruling: Yes, Irelia Graceful can reduce the REPEAT cost because REPEAT is an optional additional cost, and discounts can apply to additional costs. However, the discount only applies once per spell, as REPEAT repeats the spell's effect but is not itself a new spell. Nuances: - REPEAT is not considered a spell itself, only a repeat of the spell's effect - The discount applies only once total, not separately to the REPEAT cost

Ruling: Yes, Irelia gets +1 from awaken phase even if she was exhausted.

Ruling: Irelia's Fervent effect triggers every time you target her or ready her, not just once per turn. Nuances: - A spell that readies her provides +2 Might (once for targeting, once for readying)

Ruling: Irelia's ability is not an optional additional cost and does not interact with Ezreal, Prodigy's cost reduction. Only costs that explicitly include both "may" and "as an additional cost" qualify as optional additional costs. Nuances: - The ability is optional (contains "may") and is a cost ("Do X To Y" structure), but it is not an "additional" cost - Ezreal specifically reduces "optional additional costs," not all optional costs - The distinction requires both the optional nature ("may") AND the "as an additional cost" wording to qualify

Ruling: Irelia, Fervent only gets +1 might at the start of turn if she is exhausted during the Awaken phase. If she is already ready, she does not trigger because a ready unit cannot be readied again. Sequence: - During Awaken phase, the turn player readies all exhausted game objects they control - If Irelia is exhausted, readying her triggers her "when you ready me" ability - She gains +1 might from the trigger - This creates a react window before the Beginning step Nuances: - A unit that is already ready cannot be readied again, so no trigger occurs if Irelia starts the turn ready - The Awaken phase counts as "you ready me" because the rule states the turn player readies their game objects - If an opponent readies Irelia (e.g., opposing MF moving), this would not trigger her ability since it requires "you" to ready her

Ruling: Iron Ballista counts as ability damage, so Unyielding Spirit prevents it. If you target a unit with Deflect, you must pay its power cost because you are choosing to select that unit. Nuances: - Iron Ballista is both ability damage and gear damage (though nothing currently cares about the gear damage distinction)

Ruling: No, healing does not remove negative Might effects. Healing only removes marked damage from units. Nuances: - Negative Might effects (like Stupefy, Smoke Screen) are not considered damage - Healing specifically targets marked damage, not stat modifications or debuffs

Ruling: Jinx Legend's ability triggers at the start of your Beginning Phase regardless of how many cards are in your hand, opening a chain. The condition of having 1 or fewer cards is checked on resolution, not when triggering. This allows players to play reactions during the chain and potentially meet the draw condition before the ability resolves. Sequence: - At start of Beginning Phase, Jinx Legend's ability triggers and opens a chain - Players can respond with reactions/cards - On resolution, check if you have 1 or fewer cards in hand - If condition is met, draw 1 card - This all happens before channeling a rune or drawing normally Nuances: - The wording "At start of your Beginning Phase, draw 1 if you have 1 or fewer cards" causes the ability to trigger based on timing, with the card count condition checked on resolution - If it were worded "At the start of your beginning phase while you have 1 or fewer cards in your hand, draw 1" it would only trigger when the condition is already met - A player with 6 cards could theoretically play reactions down to 1 card and still get the draw, all before the normal draw step

Ruling: Jinx Legend's ability triggers at the beginning of every turn regardless of how many cards she has in hand, and goes onto the chain. This gives all opponents an opportunity to play Reactions before the Scoring Step. Sequence: - Beginning Step occurs (Jinx Legend ability triggers) - All players get opportunity to play Reactions in turn order - Scoring Step occurs (hold points are scored) Nuances: - In FFA, all players at the table get the opportunity to play Reactions in turn order when Jinx's ability triggers - This is generally not a huge downside for Jinx since opponents have limited information at the beginning of her turn - they haven't seen what she'll do yet - The main advantage for opponents is forcing Jinx to awaken/use runes before they commit their Reaction, but this provides minimal information gain - Annie has a similar trigger at the end of her turn, which is more disadvantageous since opponents have seen the whole turn before deciding to react

Ruling: Yes, Jinx's ability is a trigger that opens a chain and can be reacted to. You can recognize triggers from the words "when" or "at". Sequence: - Beginning phase starts - Jinx trigger creates a chain as link 1 - Opponent can react (e.g., with cards like Gust as chain link 2) - Chain resolves in reverse order - When Jinx trigger resolves, it checks the condition at that time (if opponent bounced a unit to bring hand to 2 cards, Jinx does not draw) Nuances: - Jinx always triggers every turn at the beginning phase - The trigger checks hand size when it resolves, not when it triggers, so opponents can respond to prevent the draw by bouncing a unit to the Jinx player's hand - This happens before hold scoring, so there is always an opportunity to react against Jinx before she would hold, regardless of her hand size

Ruling: Ka'sai's ability provides 1 power of any color that can only be used to pay for Spell cards. This power can substitute for recycling one rune, but does not pay for energy costs. Sequence: - To play a spell card, you must pay both its energy cost and its power cost separately - Ka'sai's ability provides 1 power (of any color) that counts toward the power cost - You still need to pay the full energy cost through other means - If a spell needs 2 power, you can use Ka'sai's 1 power plus recycle 1 rune (instead of recycling 2 runes) Nuances: - Ka'sai's power can ONLY be used for spell cards, not other card types - The power must match the color requirement of the spell (Ka'sai can provide any color) - Power and energy are separate costs - Ka'sai only helps with power, not energy

Ruling: Kai'sa must survive and remain on the battlefield when the conquer occurs in order for her triggered ability to enter the chain and draw a card. If she dies during combat, you will not draw a card. Nuances: - Triggered abilities of permanents only enter the chain if the permanent remains on board at that time

Ruling: Kaisa's Accelerate costs both 1 energy and 1 power. Nuances: - The circled number symbol represents energy cost - The colored symbol represents power cost

Ruling: No, Karma Channeler does not trigger when you pay recycling costs for runes. Runes are not cards and Karma received errata clarifying she only cares about Main Deck cards, which runes are not part of. Nuances: - Karma Channeler will trigger off her own Vision if you recycle the card itself - Recycling runes never triggered Karma, but the errata made this more clear

Ruling: Karma's ability does not trigger when recycling runes to pay for Sett legend's ability because runes are not cards. Nuances: - Karma's card text specifically states that runes are not cards - For rules purposes, "cards" always refers to main deck cards, which runes are not

Ruling: No, Karma's ability does not trigger when you play Sabotage. The opponent is the one actually recycling the card due to Sabotage's effect, so you do not get the trigger from Karma. Nuances: - Sabotage's text specifies that the opponent reveals and recycles the card, making them the one taking the recycle action - Even though you choose which card, the opponent performs the recycle action

Ruling: Yes, Karthus sees itself when it dies with Sacred Shear equipped, so it draws 2 cards total (the Sacred Shear deathknell triggers twice due to Karthus's passive). Sequence: - Karthus dies while equipped with Sacred Shear - Karthus's deathknell goes on the chain while Karthus is still on the board - Karthus's passive is in effect at this time, so it triggers twice - You draw 2 cards total Nuances: - This is similar to how Karthus doubles deathknell effects of units that died together with him - This ruling differs from blue Viktor's interaction, which works differently despite seeming similar - Karthus is considered a "weird niche card" that doesn't work like the game engine would suggest

Ruling: Yes, multiple copies of Karthus stack. Each Karthus adds one additional trigger to death-knell effects. Sequence: - Base death-knell effect triggers once - Each active Karthus adds +1 additional trigger - With 2 Karthus copies: death-knell triggers 3 times total (1 base + 1 per Karthus)

Yes. Kato gives his current keywords and additional Might equal to his current Might to the unit you choose. Later changes to Kato don’t matter; what the unit gets is locked in as the ability resolves.

Ruling: Kog'Maw cannot kill a 5 might unit with his Deathknell effect. Combat damage heals before Deathknell triggers, so the 5 might unit will have 4 damage marked on it after combat but will not die. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt - Combat damage heals - Kog'Maw's Deathknell triggers and deals 4 damage - The 5 might unit survives with 4 damage marked Nuances: - Deathknell damage does persist after combat (the unit has 4 damage marked after combat finalizes) - Temporary might buffs from cards like Discipline remain active until end of turn, so they still count when Deathknell damage is applied - Shield bonuses from effects like Block wear off after combat special cleanup finishes, before Deathknell triggers - This interaction changed from earlier rules versions where Kog'Maw was intended to kill 5 might units

Ruling: When Kog'Maw dies during combat, units heal during the combat special cleanup step before his Deathknell trigger resolves. After combat with Kog'Maw, all units in that combat will be left with 4 damage marked on them until the next combat or end of turn. Sequence: - Kog'Maw dies during combat special cleanup step 2 - His Deathknell trigger goes onto the chain, but the special cleanup finishes first - All units heal from combat damage - Kog'Maw's Deathknell resolves, marking 4 damage on all units - Units with 4 or less might die from this damage Nuances: - The damage persists after combat cleanup because the Deathknell trigger resolves after units have already healed - Units can die from the Deathknell damage if they have 4 or less might

Ruling: Kog'Maw's Deathknell damage triggers and resolves before units conquer the battlefield. If the damage is not enough to kill the units, they will heal after combat as usual. Sequence: - Combat cleanup occurs (special cleanup invoked in 440.1.a) - Deathknell triggers from combat cleanup and resolves - Any additional cleanups triggered by Deathknell occur - Contested status is cleared from the battlefield (440.1.b) - Units conquer the battlefield - Combat ends and healing occurs Nuances: - The "Combat Cleanup" heading in 440.1 is misleading - only 440.1.a (the special cleanup) is actually a cleanup. The clearing of contested status in 440.1.b happens after the special cleanup completes. - Chain items cannot resolve during a cleanup, but can resolve between the special cleanup (440.1.a) and the clearing of contested status (440.1.b). - The Chinese referee FAQ explicitly confirms that 440.1.b is not part of the special cleanup.

Ruling: Ahri's -1 might effect applies once when the attack is initiated and does not reapply if the unit's might changes later in the turn. If a 1 might unit is reduced to 1 might by Ahri, then receives +1 might from another effect, it will be at 2 might. Sequence: - Ahri's on-attack trigger resolves first when a unit attacks - The -1 might is applied to the attacking unit(s) - Any subsequent might buffs are added to the current might total - Reactions or actions played in response to the attack resolve before Ahri's trigger Nuances: - Ahri's effect would only trigger again if the unit is moved to another battlefield or moved from and back to the same battlefield, initiating a new attack - If multiple units attack together, each attacking enemy unit receives -1 might - Players should wait to play buff cards until after Ahri's effect resolves to maximize the unit's might

Ruling: Yes, Legend Ahri triggers on units that gain the attacker designation after combat has begun. Sequence: - Combat begins and Ahri triggers on attacking units - A unit joins the fight later (e.g., via Ride the Wind) - Ahri triggers again on the newly arriving unit Nuances: - Ahri triggers whenever a unit gains the attacker designation for the first time at a battlefield her owner controls, regardless of when during combat this happens

Ruling: Legion does not trigger if a spell is countered, as a spell is only considered to have been played when it fully resolves. Nuances: - If a spell resolves but cannot find its target (e.g., a unit is moved from battlefield to hand/base before the spell resolves), the spell still counts as having been played and Legion would trigger - Countering effects like Defy or Wind Wall prevent Legion from triggering - Effects like Hextech Ray that resolve but lose their target still allow Legion to trigger

Ruling: Legion itself does not go on the chain. It is a condition that modifies other abilities. Whether the modified ability goes on the chain depends on what type of ability it is. Sequence: - Check if the ability with Legion is a Spell - Check if the ability has a "When" triggered effect - Check if the ability has an activated ability (denoted by ":") - If any of the above are true, it goes on the chain Nuances: - Abilities that only modify costs (like Noxus Hopeful) do not open a chain - Abilities that gain "When" effects (triggered abilities) do start a chain - Activated abilities open a chain, except those that give resources

Ruling: Legion is active once you've played 1 card from your main deck, regardless of how many more cards get played after that. Nuances: - The Legion card does not need to be played as exactly the second card; it can be the third, fourth, or any subsequent card in the turn

Ruling: Yes, Leona Determined's ability to stun an enemy unit does choose/target for the purpose of Deflect. Charm also triggers Deflect. Nuances: - The rule that uses 'Kill a unit' as an example for targeting applies to similar effects like 'stun an enemy unit'

Ruling: Leona Zealot enters ready when your opponent is at 5 points or higher (without Aspirant's Climb) or 6 points or higher (with Aspirant's Climb in play). When counting "within 3 points," you do not count the starting number itself. Nuances: - At 5 points, it takes 3 more points to reach 8, so the opponent is "within 3 points of the Victory Score" - Aspirant's Climb changes the Victory Score from 8 to 9, which shifts the threshold from 5 to 6 points

Ruling: Leona Zealot's ability is a passive effect that continuously reapplies, not a snapshot. The Ravenbloom Student stays at 1 might because Leona's -8 (minimum 1) reapplies after Discipline resolves. Sequence: - Ravenbloom Student is stunned (2 might reduced to 1 might by Leona's -8, minimum 1) - Discipline is played, granting +5 might - Leona's passive immediately reapplies -8 (minimum 1) to the stunned unit - Ravenbloom remains at 1 might (the unused portion of the -8 reduction increases from -7 to -4) Nuances: - Passive abilities (worded as statements of fact without "when") continuously check and apply, unlike triggered abilities (with "when") which snapshot their values when they resolve - The unit would need to gain enough might to overcome the full -8 reduction before exceeding 1 might (e.g., gaining +8 or more total) - The +1 from Triferian War Camp works similarly as a passive - it continuously applies even after reductions, which is why a unit leaving the War Camp after being reduced loses that +1

Ruling: Leona announces the target when the attack trigger goes on the chain. The target is checked for validity again just before the effect resolves. Sequence: - Leona's attack trigger goes on the chain and a target is announced - Opponent can respond with Flash (or other effects) on the initial chain - When the trigger resolves, the target is checked for validity - If the target is no longer valid (e.g., removed by Flash), no stun occurs and no buff is granted from Leona's legend Nuances: - The word "target" does not appear in print in Riftbound, but any time you make a choice, it's almost always going to function as a target - Targets are announced when triggers go on the chain and checked again for validity just before resolution

Ruling: Leona's legend effect can trigger multiple times per turn. However, you cannot stun an enemy that is already stunned to trigger the effect again, as they will not be considered stunned again. Nuances: - Targeting an already-stunned enemy with a stun effect does not count as stunning them again - The effect does not proc when applying stun to an already-stunned target

Ruling: If Leona is removed in response to her ability triggering, the ability does not work because "here" is undefined when Leona no longer exists on the board. However, if a unit is already stunned and then Leona is removed afterward, the unit stays stunned until end of turn. Sequence: - Case A: Leona attacks and stuns a unit, then Leona gets removed - the unit stays stunned until end of turn - Case B: Leona moves to battlefield and targets a unit with her ability, opponent kills Leona in response - the ability resolves but does nothing because "here" is not defined anymore Nuances: - Abilities do resolve even if their sources are removed, but if those abilities need to know anything about the source (its controller, Might, or location including "here"), they find a null value and don't work - Moving Leona to another battlefield or to base also prevents the ability from working - Yasuo works the same way - removing him in response to his trigger prevents the damage

Ruling: Lonely Poro only triggers if there were no other friendly units at the battlefield when it died. The past tense wording "died alone" checks whether the condition was true at the moment of death. Nuances: - The reminder text uses present tense for the definition of "alone" but the effect checks if that definition applied in the past - If you attack with Lonely Poro and another unit, but only Poro dies, you do NOT draw because it did not die alone (there were other friendly units present at the battlefield)

Ruling: Yes, Loose Cannon's ability goes to Chain even if you have 2+ hands. You can play Reaction cards to reduce your hand size before the ability resolves and draws the additional card. Sequence: - The ability triggers at start of beginning phase regardless of current hand size - The ability goes to Chain - You can play Reactions to reduce your hand size - When the ability resolves, it checks the condition (1 or fewer cards in hand) - If the condition is met at resolution, you draw the additional card Nuances: - This works differently than abilities where the condition is part of the trigger condition (before the comma), such as Sunken Temple which requires a mighty unit as part of the trigger itself - The timing differs from cards like Rocket which don't trigger when in hand

Ruling: Yes, Lux draws a card. The spell was played and resolved (to no effect due to lack of legal targets), which triggers Lux's ability. Sequence: - Spell is cast - Spell attempts to resolve - Spell resolves to no effect (no legal targets) - Lux's ability triggers and draws a card Nuances: - A spell that resolves to no effect is still considered "played" - If a spell is countered, it would NOT be considered played and would not trigger the draw - "Played" means the spell resolved, not just that it was cast

Ruling: Lux triggers based on the printed cost of a spell, not its reduced cost. Cost reductions do not affect whether Lux triggers. Nuances: - The comprehensive rules include Lux as an explicit example for this interaction

Ruling: Yes, Lux triggers based on the printed/base cost of the spell, not the reduced cost you actually pay. Nuances: - Cost reduction effects like Eager Apprentice reduce the cost you pay, but do not change the base cost for trigger purposes - This principle applies to other similar effects like Defy and blue Kai'sa, which all check printed cost on the card - This is different from "ignoring cost" effects, which reduce the base cost to 0