Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, Minefield does not trigger "When you discard" abilities. Nuances: - You must perform the Discard game action to trigger "When you discard" effects - Discarding specifically refers to moving cards from hand to trash

Ruling: The buff does not stack. A unit can only have one buff at a time (unless it's Green Lee Sin, who can have multiple buffs). Sequence: - Each turn you hold Navori with a unit, that unit would receive a +1/+1 buff - However, the Buff mechanic prevents stacking - a unit can only have 1 buff at a time - So a Might 1 unit after 3 turns of holding stays at Might 2, not Might 4 Nuances: - Green Lee Sin is an exception and can receive multiple buffs from effects - The italic reminder text about buffs not stacking doesn't apply to Lee Sin's specific ability

Ruling: Possession does not ready the unit you're gaining control of. If it was already readied, it stays readied. If it was exhausted, it stays exhausted. Nuances: - Some units have abilities that ready them (e.g., Darius readies when you cast a second spell), but that's not related to Possession itself - An exhausted unit's only restrictions are: you cannot exhaust it for costs/effects and you cannot move it with a Standard Move Action - If you use a spell or effect (like Ride the Wind, Yasuo Unforgiven, or Zenith Blade) to move an exhausted unit into a battlefield, it can still conquer

Ruling: Sett readies at the start of your turn during the awaken phase like all other exhausted cards. The conquer trigger is an additional way to ready Sett beyond the normal start of turn readying. Sequence: - All exhausted cards (legends, runes, units, gear) ready during the awaken phase at the start of your turn - Sett can also ready at other points when his conquer trigger activates Nuances: - The conquer ability is a bonus readying effect, not a replacement for normal turn start readying

Ruling: Yes, each instance of Shield stacks. Multiple sources of Shield add together to create a cumulative Shield value. Sequence: - Each unit with Shield grants its Shield value - Shield granted by other units' abilities adds to the total - Shield granted by combat tricks (like Block) also adds to the total - All Shield values sum together for the final Shield amount Nuances: - In the example with 2 Tarics and a Sunlit Guardian: one Taric would have Shield 5 (1 from itself, 1 from the other Taric, 3 from Block), the other Taric would have Shield 2, and the Guardian would have Shield 3 - The resulting might values would be: one Taric with 9M, one Taric with 6M, and Sunlit Guardian with 6M

Ruling: Shield is only active during combat showdown, not while a unit just sits at a battlefield. A unit is only considered a defender while there is a combat. Sequence: - Shield is added in the showdown step of combat - Defending units with Shield have their Might modulated by the value of Shield at this time - The status is removed on cleanup Nuances: - Shield is a static ability (though there's discussion about whether this terminology might be updated) - Units are designated as attackers or defenders at the start of combat in the showdown step based on who applied the contested status

Ruling: If something has multiple instances of Vision, they trigger separately. Sequence: - First Vision triggers: look at 1 card, choose to keep on top or put on bottom - Second Vision triggers: look at 1 card, choose to keep on top or put on bottom - Third Vision triggers: look at 1 card, choose to keep on top or put on bottom - (Continue for each instance) Nuances: - If you choose to keep a card on top during the first Vision, you can forgo looking at the remaining Visions since you already know what card you want on top

Ruling: Yes, Volibear's legend ability will trigger when you play a 4 Might unit on Trifarian Warcamp. The unit resolves to the battlefield and Trifarian Warcamp's passive ability applies the +1 Might instantly, so Volibear only ever sees it as 5 Might. Sequence: - The 4 Might unit resolves to the battlefield - Trifarian Warcamp's passive ability applies +1 Might instantly (no chain, no delays) - When Volibear's play effect registers the unit as resolved, it sees it as 5 Might - Volibear's legend ability triggers Nuances: - Trifarian Warcamp is a passive ability, not a trigger, so it applies immediately with no chain - This is similar to how Darius sees himself as the second card played in a turn

Ruling: The Watcher does not choose enemy units. It applies a blanket effect to all enemies, which is mechanically different from choosing. Nuances: - Effects that trigger "when chosen by enemy spells or abilities" will trigger from targeted spells and abilities that choose specific units - They will not trigger from blanket effects like Watcher that affect all units without choosing - Examples: Would trigger from targeted spells, but not from effects like Unchecked Power or Watcher

Ruling: No, the defend keyword only applies during combat, not when units are targeted by spells. Nuances: - The +2 bonus from defending alone does not trigger when a spell targets a single unit on the battlefield

Ruling: Yes, the attacking player gets another action after the defender's action resolves. Focus passes back and forth between players, and passing focus automatically when a chain resolves is different from voluntarily choosing to pass focus. Sequence: - Attacker has focus and passes without playing anything - Defender has focus and plays an action card - Attacker can react with reaction-speed cards (optional) - Defender's action resolves and attacker automatically receives focus - Attacker can now play an action card (like Cleave) - This continues until both players consecutively pass focus without playing anything Nuances: - You can only play one action at a time, but action-speed cards can effectively be used to "react" to opponent plays by waiting for focus to return - If a chain resolves and kills a unit (like Kai'sa), you still gain focus and could play Cleave, but not on the dead unit - Passing focus automatically when a chain resolves does NOT count as voluntarily passing focus for the purpose of ending the showdown - Both players must consecutively pass focus without playing anything for the showdown to end

Ruling: The Sapphire Seal only provides power, not energy. The player was able to pay for Teemo by floating energy from a rune they recycled earlier to pay for the Seal, then using that floated energy along with the Seal's power. Sequence: - Player channels two runes (adding energy to their rune pool) - Player plays Sapphire Seal for one power, exhausting one rune (the energy from this rune goes into the rune pool) - Player plays Teemo using the floated energy from the rune pool plus the power from the Seal and the remaining physical rune Nuances: - The rune pool (where energy floats) and physical runes are separate concepts - Energy from recycled/exhausted runes remains available in the rune pool even after the physical rune is used

Ruling: The chain functions like Magic: The Gathering - players can respond between individual resolutions. There is no chainlock; only one item resolves at a time, and players receive priority to play cards or activate abilities before the next item resolves. Sequence: - When an item on the chain resolves (Step 4: Resolve), only the topmost item resolves - If the chain is not empty and there are no pending items, the controller of the newest item on the chain gains priority and becomes the active player - Return to Step 2: Execute, where the active player may play a card, activate an ability, or pass priority - If they pass, the other player gains priority and may play cards/abilities or pass - Once both players pass consecutively, the next item on the chain resolves - This process repeats until the chain is empty Nuances: - Priority after resolution goes to the controller of the next item on the chain, not necessarily the player who last played something - You can draw a card from a resolving effect (like Consult the Past or Discipline's cantrip) and cast it before the next item on the chain resolves - Focus and priority are different concepts: Focus allows starting a chain during a showdown and passes automatically when chains empty; Priority allows playing items on an existing chain

Ruling: The cost reduction only applies once. When you pay the Repeat cost, you pay the base cost (3) plus the Repeat cost (3) minus the single reduction (2) for a total of 4 energy, then execute Find Your Center's effect twice upon resolution. Sequence: - Declare you are casting Find Your Center and paying the Repeat cost - Calculate total cost: 3 (base) + 3 (Repeat) - 2 (reduction if opponent is within 3 VP) = 4 energy - Pay the 4 energy - Upon resolution, execute Find Your Center's instructions twice Nuances: - Cost reductions are passive abilities that apply during the cost determination step, not instructions that execute upon resolution - The Repeat keyword specifically states the effect is performed an additional time "upon resolution," which happens after costs are paid - Cost reductions like Skysplitter can still reduce the combined Repeat cost if the reduction is large enough (e.g., a 16 might unit would make an 8-cost spell with Repeat free)

Ruling: Yes, both players assign their damage during combat resolution. The attacker assigns their damage first, then the defender assigns their damage. Sequence: - Attacker assigns their damage (lethal damage must be assigned first) - Defender assigns their damage - All combat damage happens at the same time - Units with damage equal to or greater than their might are removed (before cleanup) Nuances: - Units don't die the moment they receive damage; they are removed after both players have assigned damage - This removal happens before the cleanup step (unlike non-combat damage which is handled during cleanup)

Ruling: Yes, the defender gets an opportunity to play actions after a chain from the attacker's invasion resolves. Nuances: - It may be strategically wise to save certain Reactions during an attacker's action for a chain that may develop on your own action.

Ruling: Reaver's Row is a defender trigger that goes on the initial chain started by the showdown. The opponent can play reactions but not action spells in response, since action spells can only be played on an empty chain. Sequence: - Opponent moves a unit to Reaver's Row, starting a showdown - Reaver's Row triggers as a defender trigger on the initial chain - Target is declared when the trigger goes on the chain - Opponent can respond with reactions on this initial chain - After the initial chain fully resolves, the attacker gets focus and priority and can then play action speed spells onto the stack Nuances: - If the targeted unit is removed (e.g., bounced by Gust) before Reaver's Row resolves, you cannot pick another target - Targets are declared on trigger; choices are made on resolution

Ruling: Yes, equipping targets a unit. When you attach an equipment to a unit you control, you are choosing that unit, which makes it a target under the current rules. Nuances: - The determination is based on the criteria that you (and only you) are choosing a unit, it's not a replacement effect, cost, or trigger condition, it's not programmatically selected, and it's not part of an instruction you "must" complete.

Ruling: No, each player can draw once per turn when they choose a friendly unit at The Dreaming Tree with a spell for the first time that turn. Nuances: - The old text used "you" which was clarified to always mean "the battlefield's controller," limiting the effect to only that player - The new text allows all players to benefit from the effect, enabling interactions like "attack, cleave, draw" for non-controller players

Ruling: The first player draws a card on their first turn in a 2-player game, but does not draw a card on their first turn in games with more than 2 players. Nuances: - In multiplayer (3+ players), the first player only plays with their starting hand of 4 cards without drawing - This is a balancing mechanism because the first player has advantages (going first, being one turn ahead in reactions throughout the game)

Ruling: In 1v1 games, the first player draws a card on their first turn. In multiplayer games (more than 2 players), the first player does not draw a card on their first turn. Sequence: - Both players draw 4 cards for opening hand - Both players may mulligan up to 2 cards - Each player draws 1 card at the start of their own turn (except first player in multiplayer) Nuances: - The rule differs based on number of players in the game - Players do not draw simultaneously; each draws at the start of their own turn

Ruling: In 1v1 mode, the first player draws on their first turn. In 3+ player modes, the first player does not draw on their first turn. Nuances: - In any mode, the last player to play in turn order channels an extra rune at the start of the game.

Ruling: In 1v1 modes, the first player does draw a card on their opening turn, giving them 5 cards total (4 starting cards plus 1 drawn).

Ruling: Yes, the first player draws a card on turn 1 in 1v1 Match format (and 1v1 Duel format). Nuances: - In 4-player games, the first player does not draw on turn 1 - There is no difference between 1v1 Match and 1v1 Duel regarding first turn draw (the only difference is sideboarding) - The duel 1v1 setup rules do not mention 'not drawing' as first player, while other formats like 4-player explicitly state the first player does not draw

Ruling: The attacker becomes the active player after the initial chain resolves. Focus does not pass to the defender after the initial chain. Nuances: - The rules documentation may not explicitly use the word "Focus" when describing this transition, only stating that the attacker becomes the active player - This was identified as a known documentation issue where the rules steps of combat don't clearly address Focus using that specific terminology

Ruling: Thousand-Tailed Watcher's -3 power effect is a snapshot that only applies to units in play when it resolves. It does not continuously check or apply to units that enter play afterward. Sequence: - Watcher's effect resolves and reduces the power of all current units by 3 (to a minimum of 1) - The effect stops checking after it resolves - Units that enter play after Watcher resolves are not affected - If an affected unit is later buffed, it simply adds to its current power (no retroactive recalculation) Nuances: - Hidden units are not affected because they are not in play when the effect resolves - The layers update does not change this snapshot behavior; it only addresses issues where later layers affect earlier layers (like Fiora's might reduction affecting her traits) - Other similar effects like Grand Strategem work the same way (snapshot, not continuous)

Ruling: You do not draw 2 cards if the unit is recalled to hand before Hidden Blade resolves. When Hidden Blade resolves, it looks at the battlefield but cannot find the target anymore, so it is unable to determine who was its controller and therefore you do not draw. Nuances: - If you use Sett's legend ability (The Boss) to recall Sett to base while saving him from death, you still draw 2 cards because the unit remains at a battlefield location - You cannot re-select a new target if the original target is no longer valid

Ruling: No, Ahri does not score a point "from holding." Ahri puts a trigger on the chain when she holds, and that trigger scores the point, so it is not considered a point scored from holding. Nuances: - The design intent may have been for it to work with Needlessly Large Yordle, but strictly speaking the point is scored by Ahri's triggered ability, not from the hold action itself.

Ruling: The rune icon means pay 1 Power of any type. This can be paid by recycling a rune of any domain, or by using a seal. Nuances: - Seals can cover the cost without requiring you to recycle a rune - The icon specifically requires power of any domain, not specifically recycling

Ruling: In a 1v1 game, both players draw on their first turn. Nuances: - In 4-player games (1v1v1v1 or 2v2), the first player does not draw on their first turn

Ruling: No. During the first player's first turn, only the first player has runes. The second player only gets their runes in the channel step of their first turn.

Ruling: Triggering Hook does not count as playing a card for Legion. However, playing the Hook item itself or playing a unit that was summoned this turn by a second Hook does count as played for Legion. Sequence: - If you use Hook to play a unit (like Poro), then play Vanguard Captain after, the Captain would have Legion because the unit played via Hook counts as played this turn Nuances: - When you use Hook, you announce the target and the opponent can respond by reducing its Might or destroying/bouncing it to prevent Hook from working - Hook looks at current Might (not printed Might) of the unit it kills

Ruling: Playing Sprite's Call from hidden does trigger Viktor Innovator's ability to make a 1M recruit in base, but the sprite token created by Sprite's Call does not trigger the ability. Nuances: - Tokens are not cards; only main deck cards are cards for the purpose of any effect in the game - Tokens are units for other purposes (like Gemcraft Seer) - The hidden Sprite's Call itself is a spell card and counts for Viktor Innovator when played

Ruling: Untapping happens before scoring points for holding. The turn structure is Awaken (unexhaust), Beginning (score holds), Channel, Draw. Sequence: - Awaken step: Units unexhaust - Beginning step: Score points for holding bases - Channel step - Draw step Nuances: - "When I hold" triggers happen after gaining the point for holding, which is the earliest opportunity to play a Reaction on your turn - If a unit with a "when I hold" trigger is moved to a different zone (like base via replacement effect), the trigger still resolves if it can - If a unit is killed without a replacement effect (goes to trash), it won't return to hand from trash even if it has a "when I hold" return trigger

Ruling: Yes, Caitlyn's ability has the exhaust icon, so using it exhausts her. After using her ability, she cannot use a standard move action (which requires exhausting) unless she is readied again. Sequence: - Using Caitlyn's ability exhausts her - An exhausted unit cannot perform actions that require exhaustion (like standard movement) - If Caitlyn is readied after using her ability, she can exhaust to move again Nuances: - Only standard movement exhausts a unit; if a card effect moves a unit (like Charm or Yasuo's ability), it does not exhaust that unit - Abilities without the exhaust symbol can be used even when the unit is exhausted - Units can potentially use exhaust abilities more than once per turn if they can be readied multiple times

Ruling: No, Meditation does not trigger DreamingTree's battlefield ability. You only draw the +1 card from Meditation itself. Nuances: - Meditation exhausts a unit as a cost of playing the spell, not as a target or chosen unit - DreamingTree requires choosing/targeting a unit to trigger its ability - Meditation does not choose a unit, so it cannot trigger DreamingTree

Ruling: Yes, returning a unit to hand with Pack of Wonders triggers "Leaves the board" effects like Treasure Trove's draw and rune channel.

Ruling: No, using Sabotage on your opponent does not trigger your Karma. Only recycling cards into your own deck triggers Karma's effect. Nuances: - Only the owner of a card can recycle it into their deck - If your opponent uses Sabotage on you while you control Karma, you do get the buff since you are recycling into your own deck

Ruling: No, the unit does not become exhausted. Exhausting a unit is a cost only for Standard Moves, and most other move effects (including Yasuo's ability) leave the unit in its current state. Nuances: - Yasuo's ability can move exhausted units (they remain exhausted) - Yasuo's ability cannot be used at instant speed or as a reaction unless it has the Reaction tag

Ruling: Actions can only be played when the chain is empty (to start a new chain). Reactions can be played at any time during a chain. When you have focus and priority, you can play action > reaction(s) and pass priority. After a chain resolves, focus and priority automatically pass to the opponent. Sequence: - Player with focus can play an action to start a chain - That player retains priority and can add reactions to their own chain - When they pass priority, opponent can add reactions - Chain resolves one link at a time, starting from the top - Player who owns the next resolving link gets priority first - Both players must pass priority for each link to resolve - When the last item resolves, focus and priority automatically pass to the opponent - Opponent can now start a new chain with an action or reaction - Showdown ends only when both players pass in succession while the chain is empty Nuances: - You can play reactions even during chain resolution (when drawing cards from resolving effects) - When something resolves and you draw a card (like Defy from Discipline), you can play it before the next link resolves - The player who owns the next link to resolve gets priority first, but both players get priority before it resolves - Defy can target any valid spell in the chain, not just the last one played - You cannot play actions in response to an existing chain - only reactions

Ruling: After an action and its reactions resolve, focus passes to the other player who may play an action. Focus continues to alternate between players until both players pass focus in succession, then you proceed to combat/damage step. Sequence: - Attacker gains focus after initial attack/defend triggers - Attacker may play an action - Either player may play reactions to that action - When chain resolves, focus passes to the other player - That player may play an action or pass - If they pass, focus returns to the first player - Continue alternating until both players pass focus in succession - Then proceed to combat itself Nuances: - You cannot play an action in response to a reaction (only while you have focus and nothing is on the chain) - Actions can only be played while a player has focus and there's nothing on the chain

Ruling: Yes, the attacker can start another chain. When the last item on a chain resolves during a Showdown, Focus passes and the next player gains both Focus and Priority, allowing them to start a new chain. Sequence: - Attacker starts chain, it resolves - Defender gains Focus and Priority, starts chain, it resolves - Attacker gains Focus and Priority, can start another chain - Both players must pass without starting a chain to proceed to the next step in the contest Nuances: - This is a relatively common occurrence when both players have multiple Actions to play

Ruling: Yes, during a showdown you can play action cards and target units on either battlefield. There are no restrictions about where you target during a showdown. Nuances: - Hidden cards (cards played from facedown zone that were previously hidden) have additional restrictions that limit targeting to the current battlefield - Non-hidden cards only have their printed restrictions and can target either battlefield during a showdown

Ruling: Yes, you can play hidden cards and actions at any battlefield during a showdown, even if the showdown is happening at a different battlefield. The only restrictions are what the cards themselves specify. Nuances: - Hidden cards still have their normal targeting requirements tied to their battlefield - There are no "only while there is a showdown here" restrictions on card play

Ruling: Yes, you can target any legal target for your spells during a showdown, including units at battlefields that did not trigger the showdown. Nuances: - Cards played from hiding can only target the battlefield they were hidden on

Ruling: When there are 'when I attack' or 'when I defend' triggers, the showdown starts with an initial chain. During this initial chain, only reactions can be played until the triggers resolve. After the chain resolves and the pile is free, actions can be played by the priority player. Sequence: - Yasuo moves to occupied battlefield and triggers 'when I attack' - Showdown starts with an initial chain - Only reactions can be played until triggers resolve - Once chain resolves and pile is free, actions can be played (if you're the priority player)

Ruling: You cannot play action cards or activate action abilities until the chain is empty. After the initial chain of attacker/defender triggers resolves, the attacker retains focus and has the first opportunity to play action speed cards in the showdown. Sequence: - Attacker triggers go on the stack first, then defender triggers - The initial chain must fully resolve before any action cards can be played - After only the initial chain resolves, the attacker retains focus (special exception) - The attacker gets the first focus in the showdown Nuances: - The attacker retaining focus only applies to the initial chain of triggers at the start of showdown, not subsequent chains during the showdown

Ruling: During the initial chain of a showdown, when both 'when I attack' and 'when I defend' effects go on the chain, the defender gets priority first to play reactions because their 'when I defend' effect goes on the chain last (making it the topmost item). The player controlling the topmost item on the chain always gets priority first. Sequence: - When a showdown begins, 'when I attack' effects go on the chain first, then 'when I defend' effects - The defender (controlling the topmost item) gets priority first and can play as many reactions as they want before passing - Once they pass, the attacker can play as many reactions as they want, then passes - Players alternate passing until both pass in a row, then the topmost item resolves - After an item resolves, whoever controls the new topmost item gets priority again - This continues until the entire chain resolves - Once the chain fully resolves, focus passes automatically to the other player Nuances: - Reactions don't necessarily target the top of the chain - they can target any legal target on the chain or even something unrelated - A player with priority can play multiple reactions in a row before passing, but the opponent's reactions will still resolve first (since they go on top of the chain) - Priority works this way for all chains, not just the initial showdown chain - Focus (for playing actions) passes automatically after a chain resolves, unlike priority which requires passing - Optional 'when defending' effects (like battlefield abilities) still count as going on the initial chain even if you choose not to use them

Ruling: Actions can only be played to start a new chain when a player has focus, not during an ongoing chain. During a showdown, focus passes back and forth between attacker and defender after each chain resolves, allowing either player to start a new chain with an action card until both players pass consecutively. Sequence: - Attacker declares attack and gets focus first - If attacker passes, focus goes to defender - Defender plays a reaction (e.g., +2 might buff), starting a chain - Chain resolves completely - Focus returns to attacker, who can now play an action card (like Hidden Blade) to start a new chain - This continues until both players pass focus consecutively, then combat resolves Nuances: - Actions cannot be played while a chain is ongoing (closed state) - Reactions are the exception and can be played during a chain - Hidden cards at the battlefield can be played at reaction speed as part of the Hidden mechanic

Ruling: During a showdown, after a chain resolves, focus and priority pass to your opponent. Both players must pass focus in succession (without starting a new chain) before the showdown closes and combat resolution begins. Until then, either player can start new chains with spells. Sequence: - Player plays a spell, starting a chain - Player can play additional reaction spells/abilities before passing (since they control the topmost item on the chain) - When player passes, opponent gets priority - If opponent also passes, the chain resolves - After resolution, focus and priority go to the opponent - Opponent can start a new chain or pass focus back - This continues until both players pass focus in succession - Only then does combat resolution begin Nuances: - You can counter any spell currently on the chain that hasn't resolved yet, not just the most recent one - Playing multiple reaction spells before passing is generally disadvantageous because it reveals all your intentions at once, allowing your opponent to see everything before deciding how to respond - After a chain resolves and focus passes to your opponent, if they start a new chain, you can react to their spells normally