Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, you cannot trigger deathknell and save the unit with Zhonya's. Zhonya's is a replacement effect that prevents the unit from dying, so deathknell (which only triggers after the unit dies) never triggers. Nuances: - During a contested showdown, you can now wait to play a hidden Zhonya's after a deathknell trigger resolves (since you retain battlefield control during showdowns), allowing you to save the Zhonya's itself rather than being forced to use it or lose it - Outside of a contested showdown, when a unit dies you immediately lose battlefield control, so hidden cards are trashed in the same cleanup - this is a "save or die" situation with no option to preserve the Zhonya's - The ability to save Zhonya's during showdowns only works if the battlefield is contested; it does not work against removal spells outside of combat

Ruling: Yes, you can unhide multiple hidden cards at reaction speed, including cards from battlefields that are not being attacked. Each unhide is a separate reaction that can be chained together. Nuances: - When unhiding a card from a different battlefield (not the one being attacked), any targeting choices will be restricted to only that battlefield where the hidden card was located

Yes, you can target an already-readied unit with **Upstage Comedy**, and you can target the same unit twice if you pay the **Repeat** cost. However, because a unit that is already readied cannot be readied again, targeting the same unit a second time will not trigger "when you ready" effects for that second instance. ### 1. Targeting an already-readied unit An already-readied unit is a legal target for **Upstage Comedy**. According to **Rule 415.1.c**, "If a Unit is instructed to be Readied while it is already Ready, nothing additional happens." Targeting a unit does not require that the effect will successfully change the unit's state—only that the unit meets the definition of the target. By analogy to **RiftJudge FAQ #7700** (which confirms stunned units are legal targets for stun effects), targeting a unit with an effect it is already in the state of is permitted. ### 2. Repeating and targeting the same unit You may target the same unit twice when using **Repeat**, as targets for the repeated instance are chosen independently (per **Rule 820.2.a** and **RiftJudge FAQs #9078** and **#88**). However, per **Rule 415.1.b**, "A Unit that is already Ready cannot be Readied again." Because the second instance of the effect fails to change the unit's state, it will not trigger any abilities that specify "When you ready a unit." *Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.*

Yes, you can use **Alpha Strike** on a battlefield where Baron Nashor is present, but **Baron Nashor cannot be chosen as a target** for the damage. ### Reasoning * **Baron Nashor's Protection:** Baron Nashor has the ability: *"I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities."* As established in **RiftJudge FAQ #9446** and **#8771**, when an ability or spell (like **Alpha Strike**) requires you to select specific units to deal damage to, that process is considered "choosing" those units. Consequently, Baron Nashor is an illegal target for any portion of the damage from Alpha Strike. * **Alpha Strike Mechanics:** According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9467**, you are not required to target all enemy units at a battlefield; you choose which units receive damage. Since Baron Nashor cannot be chosen, you simply must choose other legal targets at that battlefield to receive the damage. If there are no other legal enemy targets at that battlefield, you would not be able to assign any damage to units at that location.

Ruling: No. When triggered abilities are placed on the chain, you must choose targets during the placement process before any abilities resolve. Since the Reflection token does not exist yet when Amateur Recital is being placed on the chain, it cannot be chosen as a valid target. Sequence: - Both Amateur Recital and Deceiver trigger simultaneously when you hold the battlefield - You choose the order to place them on the chain - As each triggered ability is placed on the chain, you follow the steps for playing or activating abilities, including making all relevant choices (such as targets) - When placing Amateur Recital on the chain, only units already in play can be chosen as targets - The Deceiver trigger has not yet resolved, so the Reflection token does not exist and cannot be targeted - Even if Deceiver resolves first to create the token, Amateur Recital has already locked its target to a different unit Nuances: - Rule 355.5.b does not apply here because Amateur Recital is already in play, not a card being played - Triggered abilities from permanents in play follow the standard ability activation rules where targets are chosen during placement, not resolution

Ruling: No. The [Reaction] timing granted by Ambush only applies when playing the unit to a battlefield where you control units. When playing a unit to your base, the Ambush condition is not met, so the unit must be played at [Action] timing during an open state. Nuances: - You can always play an Ambush unit to your base, but only at normal [Action] timing. - Ambush adds an additional valid location (battlefield where you control units) and grants [Reaction] timing only for that specific play location. - The [Reaction] timing benefit is conditional and does not apply to plays that don't meet the keyword's requirements.

No, you cannot use **Arcane Shift** if there are no enemy units at a battlefield. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #378** and **FAQ #8655**, Arcane Shift requires you to have valid targets for both parts of the effect—a friendly unit to banish AND an enemy unit to deal 3 damage to—at the time you play the spell. You cannot initiate the spell without satisfying both targeting requirements. While it is true that if a target becomes invalid *after* the spell is already on the chain (for example, if the enemy unit is removed by another effect in response), you would simply "do as much as you can" (resolving the blink but not the damage), this does not allow you to bypass the initial requirement to have both targets present when you first play the card.

Ruling: No, you cannot replay the unit to the contested battlefield you are attacking. As the attacker, you do not control that battlefield—the defender does, even while contested. You can only play the unit to your base or to a battlefield you control. Sequence: - The unit is banished from the contested battlefield - You must play it to either your base or a different battlefield you control - If played to a battlefield during showdown, the unit enters exhausted and gains attacker/defender designation during the cleanup phase Nuances: - Arcane Shift can be played during showdowns, but the replayed unit must go to a legal location - A player maintains control of their battlefield while it is being contested by an opponent - This is different from a Recall effect, which would specifically force the unit to return to your base

Ruling: No, you cannot use Arena Bar during a Showdown to put a buff token on a unit conquering Monastery of Hirana because Arena Bar does not have the Reaction or Action keyword, so it cannot be played during a Showdown. Sequence: - A unit conquers Monastery of Hirana during a Showdown - Monastery's effect requires the unit to have a buff token when it conquers to draw a card - Arena Bar cannot be played at this timing because it lacks the Reaction or Action keyword needed to play cards during Showdowns - Therefore, you cannot add the buff token in time to get the draw

Ruling: No, you cannot get the full Baited Hook effect if you save the unit with Sett. Baited Hook references the might of the killed unit, and saving the unit means there is no killed unit. Sequence: - You will look at 5 cards - No might can be defined (since no unit was killed) - You'll recycle all the cards looked at Nuances: - This works differently than Hidden Blade, which still lets you draw 2 if the unit gets saved

Ruling: Yes, you can use Baited Hook to play Kai'sa ignoring her base cost, then pay her Accelerate cost (Tap 1 and recycle one) to have her enter ready. Sequence: - Baited Hook allows you to ignore Kai'sa's base cost - As you finalize Kai'sa to the chain (before she's on the board), you can pay the Accelerate cost - If you pay the Accelerate cost, she will enter ready

Ruling: No, you cannot interrupt Baited Hook's resolution with Altar of Souls. When Baited Hook kills a unit, Altar triggers as pending on the chain but must wait until Baited Hook completely finishes resolving before Altar can resolve. Sequence: - Activate Baited Hook (pay costs), the ability goes onto the chain and finalizes (choose which unit to kill but don't kill it yet) - Reaction opportunity - Baited Hook resolves: kill the unit - Altar triggers and goes onto the chain as pending - Baited Hook continues resolving: look at top 5 cards, choose a unit, banish it, then play that unit - The unit goes onto the chain as pending, on top of Altar - Finish resolving Baited Hook by recycling the other cards - Finalize Altar on the chain - Finalize the chosen unit on the chain (choose location, potentially pay additional costs) - The unit immediately resolves - Reaction opportunity on Altar's effect - Altar resolves: choose whether to exhaust it to do its effect or not Nuances: - Altar is only exhausted when it resolves, not when it triggers - The unit from Baited Hook is banished due to Baited Hook errata

Ruling: Yes, you can respond to the Fortified Positions battlefield trigger with Cannon Barrage to kill the unit before it gains shield. The battlefield trigger that grants shield goes on the chain when combat begins, and you can play a reaction when you have priority. Sequence: - Move occurs - Passive abilities turn on - Combat triggers (including Fortified Positions) go on the chain - Players can respond with reactions like Cannon Barrage Nuances: - Shield itself is a passive ability, but the trigger that grants shield is a triggered ability you can respond to - If a unit already has shield as a baseline ability before combat (not from a trigger), you cannot respond to kill it since there's no trigger to respond to - The showdown starting happens in the cleanup after the move, unless there is a move trigger

Ruling: Yes, you can move a unit without Ganking to another battlefield using Charm. Nuances: - Movement restrictions (like requiring Ganking to move between battlefields) only apply to standard moves - If a card effect wants movement restrictions to apply, it will specify that in the effect text

Yes, you can use **Charm** to move an enemy unit to a battlefield occupied by another enemy unit in a free-for-all game. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #7385** and **Rule 444.2**, movement caused by card effects like Charm is not restricted by the same rules as a Standard Move (such as the Ganking requirement). As long as the destination is a legal battlefield (i.e., it does not already have units from two other players present, per Rule 444.2), you may move the unit there. In a free-for-all game, moving an enemy unit to a battlefield occupied by another enemy unit will cause a showdown between those units, and the opponent who controls the unit you moved will become the attacker in that showdown (as clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #7385**).

Yes, you can play **Cull the Weak** even if you have no units in play. According to the official rulings for this card: * **No Units Required:** Cull the Weak does not target specific units when it is played. Instead, the choice of which unit to kill happens during the resolution of the spell. Because it doesn't require a target to be finalized on the chain, you can play it regardless of your board state. * **"Do As Much As You Can":** In Riftbound, if an instruction cannot be fully followed, you perform as much of the effect as possible (Rule 055). If you have no units, you simply do not kill one, but your opponent must still kill one of theirs if they have any. * **Not a Cost:** Killing a unit is part of the spell's effect, not an additional cost to play the card. If it were a cost, you would be required to have a unit to sacrifice in order to play it.

Ruling: No, you cannot use Defy on Falling Star. A card must meet both conditions (no more than 4 memory AND no more than 1 recycled rune) to be eligible for Defy. Nuances: - The use of "and" means both requirements must be satisfied, not just one - Falling Star meets the memory requirement but fails the recycled rune requirement

Ruling: Yes, you can Defy Hextech Ray. Only the printed cost is checked for Defy, and Kai'sa's power-generating ability resolves before Hextech Ray is played, so they are never on the chain together. Sequence: - Kai'sa's ability that adds resources resolves - Hextech Ray is played using those resources - You can react with Defy to Hextech Ray on the chain Nuances: - There is no chain blocking in Riftbound - you can Defy anything on the chain that is Defy-able regardless of its position - Abilities that add resources resolve instantly and can be used any time a card asks you to pay resources - Abilities that add resources can be used before, during, or after finalization/resolution - Reminder text is not rules text and should not be treated as such - Some abilities with the reaction tag (like Malzahar Fanatic) cannot be used during the playing of something

Ruling: No, you cannot use Defy on Sky Splitter even if its cost is reduced to 4 or less. Defy looks at the printed energy cost, not the modified cost. Nuances: - This same principle applies to other cost-reduction interactions - for example, Kai'sa cannot cast Sky Splitter from trash for a value of 2 even though Sky Splitter's cost can be reduced.

Ruling: You cannot Defy a Bullet Time after the opponent has paid power for it. Paying power is part of Bullet Time's effect, and once the power is paid, it is too late to Defy. Sequence: - Bullet Time must be Defied before the opponent pays any power - Once power is paid, Defy can no longer be used - If Defied before power is paid, the opponent does not need to pay any power

Ruling: Yes, you can use Defy on a spell targeting a unit with Deflect. When an effect checks a card's cost, it only checks the printed cost, not any additional costs from keywords like Deflect. Nuances: - Deflect is considered a "mandatory additional cost" but does not change the printed cost of a card - You cannot Defy a card that has a high printed cost even if it was played for less due to cost reduction effects

Ruling: Yes, you can Defy Bullet Time. Defy only looks at the printed energy and power cost in the upper left corner of the card, not any additional costs paid during resolution. Sequence: - Bullet Time is cast and goes on the chain - Defy can target it based on its printed cost (0 energy, 0 power) - If Defy is used, Bullet Time is countered and the caster doesn't have to recycle any power - If Bullet Time resolves without being countered, then the caster pays power during resolution (at which point it's too late to Defy) Nuances: - The "pay any amount of power" text on Bullet Time is not a cost, it's part of what the card does during resolution - Defy always cares about the printed cost on the card, not modified costs (this also applies to interactions like Deflect)

Ruling: No, Defy cannot target Shen. Shen is a unit, not a spell, and Defy can only target spells. Nuances: - Even though Shen is played at reaction speed, it is still a unit card and therefore not a valid target for Defy

To determine if you can play **Detonate** when there are no gears on the battlefield, we must look at its targeting requirements. ### Ruling **No, you cannot play Detonate if there are no gears on the battlefield.** According to **Rule 355.10**, a game object mentioned in the text of a spell is a target unless specific exceptions apply. For Detonate, which reads "Kill a gear. Its controller draws 2," the gear is a target. Because the spell requires a target to be chosen to be played, you must have at least one gear on the battlefield to legally place Detonate on the chain. ### Reasoning 1. **Targeting Requirement:** Detonate's instruction "Kill a gear" targets a gear. As established in **Rule 355.10.d.2**, even if a gear is the only valid choice, it is still a target. 2. **Playing a Spell:** To play a spell, you must be able to choose valid targets for all of its instructions that require them. If no gears are present on the battlefield, there are no valid targets, and the spell cannot be played. 3. **Comparison to "Up to":** If the card text had specified "Kill up to one gear," you would be able to choose zero targets and play the spell without a gear present (as per **Rule 355.13**). However, because Detonate does not use "up to," it requires a target. 4. **Resolution vs. Playing:** While **Rule 359.3.e.1** states that a spell resolves even if its targets become illegal *after* it has been played, this does not allow you to *initiate* the play of a spell without a valid target in the first place. **Summary:** You must have at least one gear on the battlefield to play Detonate. If you have a gear, you can play the spell, and if that gear is removed or becomes an illegal target before the spell resolves, the "Kill" instruction will fail, but the "Draw 2" effect will still occur (as they are separate instructions). Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

Ruling: No, you cannot use Dragon's Rage between 2 units in the same location. The ability requires you to move a unit, and it cannot stay at the same place. Nuances: - Units cannot use the move action to move from battlefield to battlefield without ganking - Abilities like Dragon's Rage and Charm can move units anywhere (unlike the normal move action) - You can play units directly to a battlefield you control

Ruling: Yes, you can use Dragon's Rage to move an enemy unit even if there is no other enemy unit at the new location. The only initial target required is an enemy unit to be moved. If there is no target for the reflexive trigger (another enemy unit at the destination), then that part of the effect simply won't happen.

Ruling: No, you cannot use Dragon's Rage to move an enemy unit to a battlefield where their teammate is already present. Teammates cannot both occupy the same battlefield, and no more than two people can have units at a battlefield. The target would need to be rechosen because it would result in an illegal gamestate. Nuances: - Even if one unit would die as a result of Dragon's Rage, the move still cannot go through because the unit needs to be able to legally 'land' at the location when it moves - Dragon's Rage does two things (damage and movement), and both must be legal - The same restriction applies to other movement effects like Charm

Ruling: Yes, you can move an enemy unit to its controller's base with Dragon's Rage. A base is a valid location to which units can move, and Dragon's Rage doesn't restrict the effect to battlefields only. Nuances: - The ability does not restrict movement to only battlefields, so bases are valid targets for the forced movement

Ruling: No, you cannot use Draven's effect multiple times in one attack or defend. Sequence: - The trigger "When I attack or defend" happens once per attack or defend - You may pay the cost once when the trigger occurs - You gain the +2 might effect once if you pay Nuances: - The trigger is what allows you to activate the effect, so because it only triggers once, you can only get the effect once

Ruling: Yes, you can use Fight or Flight after Charm resolves and the Showdown starts, but before the Showdown resolves. Sequence: - Charm resolves and moves your unit to the battlefield - Showdown starts - You can play Fight or Flight - Showdown resolves Nuances: - If your opponent only has 1 unit at that battlefield, you can use Fight or Flight on their unit to conquer the battlefield and score a point (as long as you haven't already scored on that battlefield that turn)

Ruling: You cannot react to a standard move with Flash because standard moves do not create a chain. However, once the showdown begins and you have focus, you can cast Ride the Wind to move a unit from your base to that battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent declares a standard move to a battlefield (cannot be reacted to) - Showdown begins at that battlefield - When you gain focus during the showdown, you can play Ride the Wind to move a unit from your base to that battlefield Nuances: - If a unit has a move trigger that creates a chain (like Traveling Merchant), you could react with Flash before the showdown begins - Ride the Wind is an action spell, so you specifically need focus (not just priority) to cast it

Ruling: You can use Flash in response to Dragon's Rage, but the Dragon's Rage player doesn't choose which battlefield to move the targeted unit to until the spell resolves. If you Flash a unit to consolidate all your units in one location before Dragon's Rage resolves, the strike will be prevented because a unit cannot be moved to the same place it's currently at. Sequence: - Dragon's Rage is played, targeting one of your units - You can respond with Flash before Dragon's Rage resolves - Dragon's Rage resolves: the caster chooses which battlefield to move the targeted unit to - If all your units are in the same location after Flash, the targeted unit cannot be moved there (can't move to same place) and no strike occurs - If your units are in different locations, Dragon's Rage can move the targeted unit to strike one of them Nuances: - When Dragon's Rage is triggered, only the target unit is declared, not the destination battlefield - You cannot wait until after the unit has been moved to a battlefield to use Flash to prevent the strike - Moving a unit requires changing its location; you cannot move a unit to where it currently is

Ruling: No, you cannot use Get Excited to kill Warwick in response to his "When I attack" trigger. Action spells can only be played in an Open state (when no chain exists), and when Warwick attacks, his "When I attack" trigger is immediately put on the stack along with any "When I defend" triggers, creating a chain before you have an opportunity to respond with an Action spell. Sequence: - Warwick initiates the attack - "When I attack" triggers are put on the stack - "When I defend" triggers are put on the stack - The chain is formed with no window to play Action spells before these triggers resolve Nuances: - Action spells can be played during Showdown Open states, but only when no chain exists - Non-action and non-reaction cards can only be played in a Neutral (non-showdown) Open state

Ruling: Yes, you can use Get Excited to discard Flame Chompers and play it at the battlefield being attacked. You retain control of battlefields even while they're being contested, and playing through Flame Chompers' triggered ability is a limited action that bypasses normal timing restrictions. Sequence: - Opponent attacks battlefield with units - Opponent passes - Defending player (with focus) plays Get Excited and passes - Opponent passes - Get Excited resolves, discarding Flame Chompers - Flame Chompers' trigger goes on the chain - Defending player uses Flame Chompers ability and passes - Opponent passes - Flame Chompers is played at the battlefield Nuances: - Playing as a discretionary action (from hand) is limited by timing, but playing as a limited action (when instructed by a spell or ability) bypasses normal timing restrictions unless the source has specific restrictions - Flame Chompers' ability allows playing from the trash through its trigger, which supersedes normal rules about playing units only during your turn - The trigger creates the only window to play Flame Chompers with the alternate cost

Ruling: You cannot react directly to a unit being played or to movement itself. You can only react if the unit or movement triggers an ability. Sequence: - When a unit is played or moves, check if it has a triggered ability (e.g., "When you play me..." or "When I move...") - If there is a triggered ability, you can react to that ability - If you react to kill the unit (like Harnessed Dragon), the triggered ability still resolves Nuances: - You are reacting to the triggered ability, not to the unit or movement action itself - Even if you kill a unit in response to its triggered ability, that ability still resolves (example: Harnessed Dragon's ability to kill your unit will still happen)

Ruling: You cannot Gust Vayne when she moves alone to an enemy-occupied battlefield because moving does not create a reaction opportunity and she instantly becomes an attacker with 5 might when combat begins. However, you can Gust her if she moves to an open battlefield (no combat occurs, so she's not an attacker) or if another unit with a move trigger creates a chain before the showdown begins. Sequence: - When combat begins, Assault and other passive abilities activate immediately - An initial chain is built with all triggered abilities that care about combat beginning (including "When I attack/defend") - Players can then add reactions to that chain before those abilities resolve Nuances: - Moving itself does not open a chain or create a reaction opportunity - If another unit with a move trigger (like Traveling Merchant) moves alongside Vayne, that trigger opens a chain before the showdown, allowing you to Gust Vayne in that chain - Vayne is only a valid Gust target when she's not an attacker (2 might or less), which only occurs when moving to an open battlefield or during a chain opened by another unit's move trigger

Ruling: No, you cannot use Gust after Tideturner's triggered ability resolves. Once the ability resolves and the chain is empty, there is no window to play reaction spells. Sequence: - Tideturner is played and its triggered ability goes on the chain - The triggered ability is the only item on the chain - When it resolves, the units swap positions - The chain becomes empty - Since the chain is empty, you stop and do not get another window to play reactions Nuances: - Rule 543.4 only applies when there are still items remaining on the chain after something resolves, determining whose priority comes first before the next item resolves - Rule 544 is relevant here: when the chain is empty after resolving, you stop repeating the priority windows

To answer your question: **Yes, you can play Gust in response to a Deathknell trigger, but doing so will not stop the Deathknell from triggering.** Here is the breakdown of why this works, based on the timing rules of *Riftbound*: ### 1. The Interaction When a unit with **Deathknell** is killed, two things happen in sequence: * **The Trigger:** Per Rule 808.1.d.2, the **Deathknell** ability is placed on the chain as a pending item the moment the unit is killed (before it is moved to the trash). * **Reaction Window:** Because the **Deathknell** ability is now on the chain, the game state is "Closed." This provides an opportunity for players to play **[Reaction]** cards, such as **Gust**, before the **Deathknell** trigger resolves. ### 2. Does Deathknell still trigger? **Yes.** * **Trigger Condition Met:** The trigger condition for **Deathknell** is "the permanent being killed and sent to the trash" (Rule 808.1.d). This event has already occurred at the moment the unit died, which is what placed the **Deathknell** trigger on the chain in the first place. * **Effect Independence:** Once the **Deathknell** trigger is on the chain, it is an independent game object. Even if you use **Gust** to return another unit to a hand, or if the original unit has ceased to exist (in the case of tokens), the **Deathknell** effect will still resolve normally (per **RiftJudge FAQ #9398** and **Rule 808.1.d.2**). ### Summary of the Chain If you play **Gust** in response to a **Deathknell** trigger, the resolution follows LIFO (Last-In, First-Out): 1. **Chain State:** * *Bottom:* Deathknell Trigger * *Top:* Gust (played as a reaction) 2. **Resolution:** * **Gust** resolves first, returning its target unit to its owner's hand. * The **Deathknell** trigger resolves second, executing its effect as normal. *** *Note: This interpretation is based on the standard rules for triggered abilities and the specific definition of Deathknell provided in Rule 808. No official FAQ exists for this exact scenario, but this follows the established mechanics for how Deathknell handles triggers and chain resolution.*

Ruling: Yes, you can use Gust to return Teemo-Scout to hand before he gains the +3 might boost. Sequence: - Teemo-Scout is played (from hand or after being hidden) - Teemo's ability triggers and goes on the chain - You can react with Gust to return him to hand - Teemo returns to hand before the might boost resolves

Ruling: No. You cannot use Heedless Resurrection to kill a unit and then resurrect that same unit from your trash. Sequence: - Step 2 (Make Choices): When playing Heedless Resurrection, you must choose a unit from your trash as the target. At this point, the unit you intend to kill is still on the board and not yet in the trash, so it cannot be a valid target. - Choices are locked in and cannot be changed (Rule 355.15). - Step 4 (Pay Costs): You then pay the additional cost by killing a friendly unit, moving it to the trash. However, because the target was already locked in during Step 2, you cannot retroactively choose the newly killed unit. Nuances: - The finalization process requires targets to be chosen before costs are paid, preventing this interaction. - A unit must already be in your trash to be a valid target for "a unit from your trash."

Ruling: No, you cannot use Here to Help to play Deadbloom Predator to an occupied enemy battlefield. Here to Help restricts you to playing units only to a battlefield you control, which overrides Deadbloom's ability to be played to an occupied enemy battlefield. Sequence: - Here to Help grants permission to play a unit at action speed - Here to Help restricts the play location to a battlefield you control - This restriction forbids playing to an occupied enemy battlefield - Restrictions supersede allowances (the "can't beats can" principle) - Therefore, Deadbloom can only be played to a battlefield you control when using Here to Help Nuances: - The cost reduction from Here to Help still applies - Here to Help doesn't use the word "can't" explicitly, but it functions as a restriction by limiting valid play locations - If played from hand normally (without Here to Help), Deadbloom could be played to either a battlefield you control or an occupied enemy battlefield, but not your base

Ruling: No, you cannot. Here to Help restricts you to playing a unit only to a battlefield you control, and this restriction overrides Deadbloom Predator's additional placement options. Sequence: - Here to Help resolves and allows you to play a unit to a battlefield you control - When you choose to play Deadbloom Predator, you must select the target location as part of playing it - The location choice is restricted by Here to Help to only battlefields you control - Deadbloom Predator's text allowing placement to occupied enemy battlefields does not override this restriction - You must play Deadbloom Predator to a battlefield you control, or not play it at all Nuances: - This follows the silver rule principle that restrictions override permissions ("can't beats can") - The "may" on Here to Help makes playing a unit optional, but doesn't make the location restriction optional - If Here to Help is played from hidden, the restriction is even tighter (must play to "here") - If you have no legal targets (no battlefields you control), Here to Help does nothing and is wasted - If a legal target becomes illegal before resolution, the effect whiffs

Ruling: No, you cannot assign damage and then use Hidden Blade. Hidden Blade must be played from the facedown zone before reaching the combat damage step, when you have priority. Sequence: - You must play Hidden Blade when you have priority before the combat damage step - If both players pass with focus on an empty chain, you proceed to combat damage - Once you're assigning damage to each other, it's too late to play Hidden Blade Nuances: - If you use Hidden Blade when you have priority, you kill your own unit and draw 2 cards, but then deal 0 combat damage - If you pass/pass and deal combat damage, all units die and Hidden Blade goes to the trash since you've lost control over the battlefield

Ruling: No, you cannot use Hidden Blade to kill the unit chosen as an additional cost for Cruel Patron. Costs are paid immediately without using the chain, so there is no opportunity for anyone to play anything targeting the unit killed as a cost. Nuances: - Playing a permanent does start a chain, but no player receives priority during cost payment, so you cannot react to it - Zhonya's Hourglass works differently because it uses replacement effects, which happen instantly without requiring priority - If Zhonya's was played before Cruel Patron (both can be played in any order as permanents without giving opponent opportunity to react), it can save the unit paid as a cost - You cannot save a unit with Zhonya's if it's face down when you pay the cost for Cruel Patron - Zhonya's must be played before paying the cost

Ruling: No, you cannot use Kai'sa to hide a card. Hiding is not the same as playing a card - you're using an ability. When you reveal the card from hide, it is then played. Nuances: - Hiding a card is distinct from playing a card - The card is only considered "played" when it is revealed from hide

No, you cannot activate the **Deceiver** legend's ability if you have no cards in your hand. According to **Rule 422.3**, when discarding is listed as a cost, the action must be able to be completed for the cost to be paid. Because the text of the Deceiver legend uses "discard 1" as a cost to activate the ability, you must have at least one card in your hand to discard in order to successfully activate it. If you have no cards in your hand, you cannot pay the cost, and therefore you cannot activate the ability.

Ruling: Yes, you can charm an enemy unit into your battlefield with Master Yi Honed, kill it, and then gank to another battlefield. Sequence: - Hold a battlefield with Master Yi Honed - Use charm to pull an enemy unit into your battlefield - Kill the charmed unit - Gank to another battlefield

Ruling: No, you cannot use Not So Fast to counter Brynhir Thundersong's ability. Not So Fast can only counter spells or abilities that choose a friendly unit or gear, and Brynhir Thundersong's play effect is a global effect that does not target or choose a specific unit or gear. Nuances: - You can respond to Brynhir Thundersong's ability with other reactions (such as activating a hidden Zonyah's) while her "When you play me" trigger is still on the chain - Once her ability resolves, you will be prevented from playing any further cards for the remainder of the turn

Ruling: Not So Fast can only counter Get Excited if your opponent plays Get Excited targeting one of your units or gear. You cannot use Not So Fast to counter your own Get Excited or an opponent's Get Excited that targets their own units. Nuances: - "Friendly" in Riftbound refers to friendly relative to the controller of the card being played - Not So Fast protects your own units and gear from opponent spells and abilities - Not So Fast cannot counter spells or abilities that target enemy units or gear

Ruling: Yes, but only if your opponent chooses one of your units as the target. Not So Fast requires countering an enemy spell or ability that chooses a friendly unit or gear. When your opponent plays Mirror Image targeting your unit, it meets both conditions: it is an enemy spell, and the chosen unit is friendly to you. Nuances: - A spell does not need to literally contain the words "friendly unit" in its text to be counterable by Not So Fast. What matters is whether the actual target chosen is friendly to you. - If your opponent plays Mirror Image targeting one of their own units, you cannot use Not So Fast to counter it, because the chosen unit is an enemy unit from your perspective. - "Friendly" and "enemy" are always relative to the controller of the card being played.