Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, you can score your 8th point (the game-winning point) using abilities such as Ahri's hold ability or Tryndamere's conquer ability.

Ruling: You can score the last point with card abilities like Ahri. The only restriction for scoring the last point is that it cannot come from conquering. Nuances: - Card abilities that gain points are allowed to win the game - Conquering is specifically restricted from scoring the final point

Yes, you can score the final (8th) point to win the game using alternate scoring conditions like those found on **Tryndamere, Barbarian** or **Yasuo, Windrider**. According to Rule 448.1.a.1, points earned from sources that are not "Conquer" or "Hold" are not beholden to the final point restrictions (such as needing to control both battlefields or having scored all battlefields that turn). These alternate scoring effects function as direct paths to victory. Here is how they apply: * **Yasuo, Windrider:** You can score the final point by triggering his ability (the third time he moves in a turn). This bypasses the standard battlefield scoring restrictions. * **Tryndamere, Barbarian:** His ability allows you to score a point when you conquer after an attack and assign 5 or more excess damage. Because this is a specific ability-based point, it can be used to reach the final point total. **Important Nuances:** * **Restriction Scope:** The restrictions requiring control of both battlefields or holding only apply to scoring points directly from the battlefields themselves (Conquer/Hold). * **Tryndamere's Specifics:** Note that Tryndamere's ability triggers "When I conquer after an attack." This means he must be the Attacker for the conquer action to trigger his ability. If he is brought in as a defender (e.g., via a card effect), his ability will not trigger.

Ruling: You can only score each battlefield once per turn. This applies to both conquering and holding - if you score a battlefield through holding in your Beginning phase, you cannot score it again that turn by conquering. Sequence: - Holding is scored during your Beginning phase - If you score a battlefield through holding, that counts as scoring it for your turn - You cannot then conquer that same battlefield for another point on the same turn - In a 2 battlefield game, the maximum you can score on your turn is 2 points (one per battlefield) Nuances: - Scoring on your opponent's turn is legal and doesn't count against your own turn's scoring limit - If you score on your opponent's turn (e.g., through a Charm effect), you still get your hold point during your Beginning phase, but cannot rescore that battlefield again on your turn

Ruling: You can only score each battlefield once per turn. If you've already scored it from a conquer or hold that turn, you can't score it again. Nuances: - This applies even if you conquer a battlefield, then lose control of it (such as by using Charm to move an enemy unit there), and then reconquer it in the same turn.

Ruling: No, you cannot score the 8th point this way. You must score both battlefields within the same turn to reach the 8th point. Nuances: - You could theoretically win on an opponent's turn by conquering both battlefields during their turn if you started with 0 controlled battlefields - You can use Ride the Wind to leave and reconquer the same battlefield to draw a card and score a point (just not to reach the 8th point from controlling two different battlefields across different turns)

Yes, you can include Champion units in your sideboard. According to **Rule 403.4.a**, during the sideboarding process between games of a match, a player may change their Chosen Champion to one from their sideboard or Main Deck, provided that the new Chosen Champion meets the deckbuilding rules of the competition format. Additionally, **Rule 403.3** notes that limits on copies of named cards apply to the combination of your Main Deck and sideboard. Therefore, as long as your total count of a specific Champion unit across your Main Deck and sideboard does not exceed the allowed limit (typically 3 copies), it is legal to include them in your sideboard.

No, you cannot sideboard before the start of the match after seeing your opponent's Legend or Champion unit. According to **Rule 403.5**, players may not use sideboard cards in the first game of a match. Sideboarding is only permitted between games of a match (Rule 403.4). Additionally, per **Rule 406.1.e**, the start-of-game procedure—which includes placing your Legend and Chosen Champion—occurs as part of the initial setup, and you are not permitted to use sideboard cards at this stage.

Yes, you can perform that sequence. Because Sett, Brawler's ability to spend a buff is an activated ability and Pit Rookie's ability is a triggered ability, you can chain them together as long as you have the necessary resources and timing. Here is the sequence to achieve this: 1. **Initial State:** Sett, Brawler is on the board with a buff. 2. **Spend First Buff:** During your Action Phase (when the chain is empty), you activate Sett, Brawler's ability: "Spend my buff: Give me +4 might this turn." * You spend the buff (removing the counter). * Sett gains +4 Might for the turn. 3. **Play Pit Rookie:** You play Pit Rookie from your hand. * Pit Rookie enters the board. * Pit Rookie's "When you play me" ability triggers and goes on the chain. 4. **Resolve Pit Rookie:** The chain resolves. You target Sett, Brawler with Pit Rookie's ability. * Since Sett no longer has a buff (you spent it in step 2), he receives a new buff counter. 5. **Spend Second Buff:** Now that Sett has a new buff, you can activate his ability again during your Action Phase (when the chain is empty). * You spend the new buff. * Sett gains another +4 Might for the turn. **Important Rules to Note:** * **Rule 702.3:** "There can only be one Buff on a Unit at a time." This is why you must spend the first buff before Pit Rookie can successfully apply a new one. * **FAQ #1477:** Confirms that Sett, Brawler's ability can be activated multiple times in one turn to stack buffs, provided you can give him a new buff between each activation. * **FAQ #5784:** Confirms that Pit Rookie's ability targets another unit, and the "it" in the reminder text refers to that targeted unit.

Ruling: You can spend a buff from any unit you control, regardless of location (field or base). Nuances: - The ability does not specify location, so it applies to all units you control - You can only spend buffs from units you control, not opponent's units

Yes, you can spend a buff on Sett, Brawler that was gained during the same turn. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #3329**: "Ruling: You can immediately spend the buff when Sett Brawler is played. You do not need to wait for Sett Brawler to be in the ready state before spending the buff." **Important Considerations:** * **Activation Requirement:** You must spend the buff *using Sett's own ability* to trigger the +4 Might effect. If an external effect spends or removes the buff, Sett's ability will not trigger (see **RiftJudge FAQ #8625**). * **Timing:** While you can spend the buff immediately after gaining it, you cannot spend it *during* the resolution of the effect that granted the buff (e.g., you cannot spend it while the "When I'm played" trigger is still resolving). You must wait for the trigger to finish resolving, at which point the buff is on Sett and you can then activate his ability.

Ruling: No, you cannot spend buffs on units controlled by your teammate. A player can only spend buffs on units they control, unless a card specifically allows otherwise. Nuances: - Cards may override this restriction if they explicitly specify spending buffs on friendly units or teammate units

Ruling: You can only save a unit by spending a buff that is on that specific unit. You cannot spend a buff from a different unit to save another unit. Nuances: - The key phrasing is "spend its buff" (must be the unit's own buff) versus "spend a buff" (which would allow spending any buff on a unit you control)

Ruling: No, you can only spend one buff to draw one card when you conquer with Monastery of Hirana. Sequence: - The triggered ability triggers once when you conquer - You may spend a single buff as part of that one trigger - You draw one card Nuances: - Even if you have multiple units with buffs, the ability only triggers once per conquer and allows spending only one buff ("a buff", not "buffs")

Ruling: No, you cannot spend the buff from Showstopper on Sett Brawler before moving him into a battlefield because you would be trying to do that during Showstopper's effects.

Ruling: Yes, you can still do the Zhonya's interaction after the rules update. The ruling for this situation remains the same despite the rules being rewritten more cleanly.

Ruling: Yes, you can stun units in bases. Whether you can target enemy units specifically depends on the exact wording of the ability or spell. Sequence: - If the ability says "Stun an enemy unit" - you can target any enemy unit including those in bases - If the ability says "Stun an enemy unit at a battlefield" - you cannot target units in bases - If the ability says "Stun a unit" (without specifying enemy) - you can target any unit including friendly units Nuances: - Abilities that say "stun a unit" without specifying enemy can target friendly units - If an ability says "stun a unit" and only friendly units are on the board, you must stun a friendly unit

Yes, you can stun a unit that has the "Attacker" designation even if it is currently participating in a showdown. According to **Rule 410.1**, stunning is the act of selecting one or more units on the board and rendering them stunned. There is no rule that prevents a unit with the "Attacker" designation from being targeted by a stun effect. However, keep in mind the following: * **Stun is a Limited Action:** Per **Rule 410.2**, you can only stun units when directed to by a game effect (such as a spell or ability). * **Combat Impact:** Per **Rule 410.1.b**, a stunned unit does not contribute its might to damage in combat. If you stun an attacking unit during a showdown, it will not deal combat damage when the showdown proceeds to the damage step. * **Designations:** A unit's designation (Attacker or Defender) is determined by the player who controls it and the battlefield it is on (Rule 442.1.a). Stunning a unit does not remove its Attacker or Defender designation.

Ruling: A unit that is already stunned cannot be stunned again. Nuances: - You can target already stunned units with stun effects, but the additional stun won't do anything - The rest of the effect (beyond the stun) will still resolve normally

Ruling: No, you cannot stun units that are already stunned. However, you can still target stunned units with stun effects. Nuances: - You can target already-stunned units with stun effects, but the stun won't apply - Effects that trigger on stunning a unit (like Leona) will not trigger when the stun effect resolves on an already-stunned unit

Ruling: You cannot use standard moves to move units to a battlefield once a showdown has started. You must move multiple units at once before the showdown begins if you want them both there. Nuances: - You can still move units to a battlefield during a showdown using spells that move units, just not standard moves - You can play units to a battlefield during a showdown if you already control that battlefield (usually when defending) AND the unit has action/reaction itself (like Shen) or you play it via another action/reaction (like Stacked Deck revealing Nocture) - A showdown happens whenever a unit is moved to a battlefield the unit's owner doesn't control - this can happen multiple times during a turn - Showdowns can also happen in the end phase (e.g., if you draw Deadbloom from Aurora and play it to an enemy battlefield)

Ruling: Yes, you can summon units to your base and move them to battlefields after a showdown ends. A showdown does not end your turn, and you can perform any legal actions after it concludes. Sequence: - A showdown occurs when a unit moves to a battlefield it doesn't control - During the showdown, you cannot play base speed cards (like most units) - After the showdown ends, you can resume playing base speed cards - You can summon units to your base and then move them to battlefields - Multiple showdowns can happen in a single turn Nuances: - There are no fixed "steps" to the Action Phase - you can perform legal actions in any order you desire - Base speed cards can only be played during your turn when there is no showdown or chain happening - You can move units to the same battlefield multiple times in a turn if you have ready units available - Moving a unit only requires it to be ready (not exhausted) - no runes needed for the move itself

Ruling: Yes, you can tap 1 rune to pay for Acceleration and use that same rune for the recycling cost.

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust two runes for energy, recycle one of those exhausted runes to play Seal, then use the floating energy to play Noxus Hopeful. Energy and power remain in your pool until used or until the end of turn/end of draw phase. Sequence: - Exhaust two runes to add 2 energy to your pool - Recycle one of the exhausted runes to add power to your pool - Use the power to play Seal (which gives you LEGION) - Use the 2 floating energy to play Noxus Hopeful (which now costs 2 energy due to LEGION discount) Nuances: - Energy and power pools empty at the end of turn and end of draw phase - Energy remains in your pool during showdowns and throughout the turn - You can float both energy (from exhausting runes) and power (from recycling runes) - Playing Seal this way means you lose one energy on your next turn (as you recycled a rune)

Ruling: Yes, you can tap 1 energy to use Hextech Ray and then tap Kaisa Daughter of the Void to pay for the power cost instead of recycling the red rune.

Ruling: No, Viktor's ability cannot be used as a defensive action during a showdown because it does not have the 'Action' tag. Nuances: - The ability allows adding a token to a battlefield you control, but the lack of an 'Action' tag means it cannot be used mid-showdown

Ruling: Yes, you can play both cards in this sequence. Energy and power exist in separate pools that persist during your turn. Sequence: - Tap Fury Rune for Energy (Energy goes into your energy pool) - Recycle Fury Rune for power - Play Seal of Rage using the power - Use the Energy from Fury Rune (still in your pool) plus Chaos Rune to play Vi, Destructive

Ruling: You can tap a resource to add energy/power as a reaction, and it cannot be responded to. However, this is effectively pointless because priority passes to the opponent after it resolves, allowing them to play reactions anyway - the same outcome as if you hadn't done it. Sequence: - Player taps resource to add energy/power as a reaction - This ability is added to the chain and cannot be responded to - The ability resolves - Priority passes to the opponent - Opponent can continue adding to the chain Nuances: - The "unreactable" nature of adding energy/power doesn't prevent the opponent from playing reactions afterward - they simply aren't reacting to the resource tap itself, but can still add to the chain - A player can use any amount of reactions before passing priority - You can force a cleanup with this, but that's about the only purpose

Ruling: Yes, you can exert a rune to add energy to your pool, then recycle that same tapped rune to generate power for another card, and still use the floated energy later in the turn. The rune pool persists throughout your turn and only empties after you draw for turn and at end of turn. Sequence: - Tap a rune to add energy to your pool - Recycle that tapped rune to pay for a card's power cost - The energy remains in your pool to spend later in the turn Nuances: - This is a major difference from Magic: The Gathering - you maintain a bank of energy for the entire turn since there is no specific order/phase structure to a turn - The rune pool empties at two specific times: after you draw for turn and at end of turn

Ruling: Yes, this is a valid play. Resources float for your entire turn, so you can tap all runes first, then use Miss Fortune's ability to ready a rune and tap it again, accumulating enough resources to play a 10-cost card as long as you don't spend the resources elsewhere. Sequence: - Tap all 9 runes for resources - Move Miss Fortune to ready a rune - Tap the readied rune for an additional resource - Play the 10-cost Volibear using the accumulated resources

Yes, you can tap (exhaust) all your runes for energy before Ekko's Deathknell trigger resolves, and then use the Deathknell effect to ready them. According to **Rule 163.2.a** and **Rule 163.2.b**, basic runes have [Reaction] abilities to add energy or power. Because these are [Reaction] speed, you can activate them at any time you have priority, including while a Deathknell trigger is on the chain waiting to resolve. Here is how the sequence works: 1. **Ekko dies:** His Deathknell triggers and is placed on the chain as a pending item (**Rule 808.1.d.2**). 2. **Priority:** Before the Deathknell trigger resolves, you have an opportunity to act. You can exhaust all your available runes to add energy to your pool. 3. **Resolution:** The Deathknell trigger resolves. You pay the cost (recycling Ekko) and the effect readies your runes (**Rule 808.1.c**). 4. **Double Dip:** Because your runes are now ready again, you can exhaust them a second time to add more energy to your pool for the rest of the turn. **Important Nuances:** * **Recycling is a cost:** As noted in **FAQ #1510**, the "recycle me" portion of Ekko's Deathknell is a mandatory cost paid at resolution. You must be able to recycle Ekko to ready the runes. * **No "Doubling" of the trigger:** You cannot trigger Ekko's Deathknell twice from a single death (e.g., with Karthus), because you cannot recycle the same card twice (**FAQ #1510**, **FAQ #7490**). * **Timing:** You can perform these actions as long as you have priority. If the Deathknell was triggered by a spell or ability, you are reacting to that item on the chain. This is a standard play to maximize your total energy for the turn.

Ruling: No, you cannot recycle runes and then channel them for extra mana in the same turn because the mana pool empties after the draw step. Sequence: - Mana pool empties after draw - Any mana generated before draw is lost - Recycled runes would need to be channeled in a later turn

Ruling: Yes, you can tap runes for energy at Reaction speed during an opponent's turn, and that energy will float until the turn ends. Nuances: - There is generally no strategic reason to float energy preemptively since having readied runes provides the same bluffing potential - Floating energy only matters if you need to pay power but only have readied runes available (as of the current rules)

Ruling: No, you cannot target 2 units at the same location with Dragon's Rage and make them hit each other. Nuances: - Move effects require movement between two different locations

No, you cannot target **Ruin Runner** with **Falling Star**. **Ruin Runner** has the ability: *"I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities."* Because **Falling Star** is a spell that requires you to choose targets (as confirmed by Rule 352.14.a: *"If a card specifies that an amount of damage may be split among some number of Units, then each Unit chosen is Targeted"*), it is blocked by Ruin Runner's protection ability.

Ruling: No, you cannot target a unit with 4 might with Gust. The 3 might restriction is a targeting restriction, and the target must be valid at the time of playing Gust. Nuances: - This means you cannot use Gust on your own 4+ might unit (like Irelia) as a way to trigger other effects while having no effect on the unit itself.

Ruling: You can target a hidden card if the spell allows targeting "facedown cards," but you cannot target a hidden card with a spell that specifically targets "unit" or "gear" because a facedown card is not a unit or gear for targeting purposes. Nuances: - A facedown card exists in a public zone and is publicly visible as a facedown card - "Unit" and "gear" refer to objects on the Board unless specified otherwise - "Facedown card" refers to a card in a Facedown Zone unless specified otherwise - The FAQ is retired and patch notes are not rules text

Ruling: You can target stunned units with Facebreaker, but stunning an already stunned unit does not trigger effects that require a unit to become stunned (like Leona's ability). Nuances: - You can use Facebreaker multiple times on the same unit to stun multiple different attackers - Applying stun to an already stunned unit does not count as "becoming stunned" for trigger purposes

Yes, you can target a unit in a base with a "kill" spell, provided the spell does not specifically restrict its target to a "battlefield." According to **RiftJudge FAQ #7344**, if a card does not explicitly specify "battlefield" as a targeting restriction, it can target units in a base. If a spell states "Kill a unit," it can target any unit on the board, including those in a base. However, if the spell specifically says "Kill a unit at a battlefield," you cannot target a unit in a base. Additionally, as per Rule 359.3.e.9 and its example, if a spell targets a unit "at a battlefield" and that unit is moved to a base before the spell resolves, the target becomes invalid and that part of the spell's instruction will not be executed.

Ruling: Yes, you can target units that are not at the active showdown with action cards. Nuances: - Cards played from hidden can only target units at the battlefield they were hidden at - Units from different battlefields can be made to fight each other using action cards

Ruling: A stunned unit is a legal target for Face Breaker and other stun effects. Nuances: - You won't get any "when you stun" triggers if the unit is already stunned

Ruling: You can target an already stunned unit with Zenith Blade and still get the move effect, but Radiant Dawn will not trigger because the stun part resolves without doing anything (the unit is already stunned). Nuances: - Triggers that require a target to be stunned won't activate if the unit is already stunned

Ruling: Yes. When you play Salvage, you are choosing a gear as the target, not the unit it is attached to. Ruin Runner's protection ability ("I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities") only prevents the unit itself from being chosen, not the equipment attached to it. Nuances: - Targeting a gear attached to a unit does not count as targeting that unit. - Effects that require choosing a unit (like Angled Shot) would still be prevented by Ruin Runner's ability.

Yes, you can target gear attached to **Ruin Runner**. According to RiftJudge FAQ #9699: > **Q: Can you target equipment attached to Ruin Runner with Salvage?** > **A:** Ruling: Yes. When you play Salvage, you are choosing a gear as the target, not the unit it is attached to. Ruin Runner's protection ability ("I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities") only prevents the unit itself from being chosen, not the equipment attached to it. **Nuances:** * Targeting gear attached to a unit does not count as targeting the unit itself. * If a spell or ability specifically requires you to choose a **unit** (like Angled Shot), it would still be prevented by Ruin Runner's protection ability.

Ruling: No, you cannot target the champion in the champion zone because the champion zone is not on the board; it is specifically a non-board zone. Nuances: - While the champion zone is a public zone and contains a permanent, it being a non-board zone prevents it from being targeted by effects that target units on the board.

Yes, you can target the same unit twice with **Bellows Breath** if you pay the **Repeat** cost. According to the **RiftJudge FAQ #8461** and **#8454**: 1. **Targeting:** While a single instance of Bellows Breath cannot target the same unit more than once, the repeated instance is a separate set of choices. This allows you to choose the same unit again in the second execution of the effect. 2. **Resolution:** The first instance deals 1 damage to the unit. Then, the second instance deals 1 damage to the unit. 3. **Survival:** Damage is marked on a unit but does not reduce its Might. Lethal damage is only checked during **Cleanup**, which occurs after the entire spell (including the repeat) has finished resolving. Therefore, if the unit has 1 Might, it will survive the first hit and only be defeated during the cleanup phase after the second hit has landed. **Key Nuances:** * **Locations:** You can choose the same location for both instances, or you can choose a different location for the second instance. * **Choices:** Per **Rule 746.2.a**, choices made for the additional execution do not have to be the same as the choices made for the initial execution.

Ruling: No, you cannot target units with 5 or more Might with Fox Fire. All targeted units must be valid targets (total Might ≤4) at the time of activation, and you need at least one valid target to play the spell. Nuances: - You cannot activate Fox Fire if your opponent controls no units with 4 Might or less - You cannot mix valid and invalid targets (e.g., a 1 Might unit and a 5 Might unit together) - All original targets must have a combined total Might of 4 or less when the spell is put on the chain

Ruling: You can target units anywhere on the board with Challenge, and it does not start a showdown. The only way to respond is by casting a reaction while Challenge is on the chain. Nuances: - Damage dealt by Challenge persists on units unless healed - A unit's might value does not decrease when it takes damage; it still deals full might damage in showdowns - A unit dies when its current damage equals or exceeds its might value

Ruling: Yes, you can target your teammate's unit with Flash. When a unit is instructed to move "to base" without further specification, it moves to its controller's base, not the spell caster's base. Sequence: - Flash can target up to 2 friendly units (including teammate's units in 2v2) - Each targeted unit moves to its own controller's base - Your units go to your base, teammate's units go to their base Nuances: - The templating "to base" is ambiguous but interpreted as "to their respective bases" - This triggers abilities like Traveling Merchant that care about moving to base - This is consistent with Portal Rescue being errata'd to prevent stealing teammate's units - The lack of errata on Flash (unlike The Syren and Unforgiven which specify "its base") suggests the current templating is intentional

Ruling: No, you cannot trigger Candlelit Sanctum before Traveling Merchant's discard and draw effect. Traveling Merchant's ability triggers when he moves, which occurs before he might conquer. Sequence: - Traveling Merchant's ability triggers when he moves - The discard and draw effect resolves - Conquest (and Candlelit Sanctum trigger) happens after movement