Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

No, moving an enemy unit with **Charm** does not make it a "surprise defender." Here is the breakdown of why this interaction functions differently than a "surprise defense": ### 1. The Definitions * **Surprise Defense:** This is a tactical maneuver (typically performed by a player on their own turn or in reaction) where a player uses an effect to move their *own* unit into a battlefield where an opponent's unit is already attacking, designating themselves as the defender. * **Charm:** This effect moves an *enemy* unit. According to RiftJudge FAQ #7385 and #7275, when you use **Charm** to move an enemy unit to a battlefield you control, **that moved unit becomes the attacker**. You (the controller of the battlefield) are the defender. ### 2. Why it isn't a "Surprise Defender" "Surprise defender" is a term specifically used when you voluntarily move your own units to engage in combat on a battlefield where you were not previously present. Because **Charm** forces an enemy unit to move, it essentially "drags" them into a showdown where they are the aggressor, not a defender reacting to an attack. ### Summary of the Flow 1. **You play Charm** to move an enemy unit to a battlefield you occupy. 2. **A showdown is forced** (if the battlefield becomes contested). 3. **The moved unit is designated as the Attacker.** 4. **You are designated as the Defender.** Because the unit moved by **Charm** becomes the **Attacker**, it cannot be a "surprise defender." It is simply the attacking unit for that showdown.

When you use **Temporal Portal** to give **Charm** the **Repeat** keyword and move two units, the timing of the resulting Showdowns depends on where the units are moved. ### 1. Moving both units to the same Battlefield you control If you move both units to the same Battlefield, they will participate in **one single Showdown**. * **Reasoning:** According to **Rule 442.1**, a Showdown opens when a Battlefield becomes Contested. When the first Charm effect resolves, the Battlefield becomes Contested and a Showdown is "pending." However, the Chain containing the Repeated Charm must finish resolving all its effects before the game checks for state-based triggers like opening the Showdown. * **Result:** Both units arrive at the Battlefield. Once the spell finishes, the game sees multiple enemy units at your Battlefield and opens one Showdown. Both moved units will gain the **Attacker** designation (Rule 442.1.a.3). ### 2. Moving units to two different Battlefields you control If you move the units to two different Battlefields (e.g., one to Battlefield A and one to Battlefield B), you will have **two separate Showdowns**. * **Reasoning:** Each Battlefield is a distinct zone. Since both Battlefields now contain both your units and an opponent's unit, both meet the criteria for being Contested. * **Sequence:** Because these are two separate locations, the game will open one Showdown first (usually in the order the active player chooses or by battlefield position), resolve it completely, and then open the second Showdown. ### Key Nuances * **Attacker Status:** In both scenarios, the opponent whose units were moved becomes the **Attacker**, and you are the **Defender** (Rule 442.1.a.1). * **Timing:** Charm does not have the **Action** or **Reaction** keyword. Therefore, you must play this combo during your Main Phase. You cannot play Charm *during* an existing Showdown to bring more units in (as confirmed by official FAQ). * **State:** The moved units retain their current state. If they were exhausted before being Charmed, they remain exhausted during the Showdown.

Ruling: Yes, Traveling Merchant's ability triggers when moved by Charm or any other effect. The ability states "When I move" and will trigger regardless of how the movement occurs—whether voluntary or caused by an opponent's effect. Sequence: - Charm is played targeting Traveling Merchant - Charm resolves, moving Traveling Merchant to a different battlefield - Traveling Merchant's triggered ability "When I move, discard 1, then draw 1" goes on the chain - The ability resolves: discard 1 card, then draw 1 card Nuances: - The ability triggers on ANY move, not just voluntary movement by the controller - Recall is specifically defined as NOT a move, so the ability would not trigger on recall - The trigger condition is simply "when I move" with no additional restrictions about who initiates the movement

Ruling: Yes, Cithria of Cloudfield's ability triggers even if she already has a buff, but she will not gain an additional buff (the trigger effectively does nothing). Nuances: - You can respond to the trigger with effects like Call to Glory even though she won't gain a buff

Ruling: Yes, Cithria's ability triggers and goes on the chain every time you play a unit, even if she is already buffed, giving your opponent a chance to play reaction spells. Nuances: - If Cithria loses her buff somewhere in the chain of reactions, she will regain it when her ability finally resolves (assuming she's still in play)

In **Clash of Giants**, the damage dealt is **not** considered your damage. According to **Rule 417.6.c.1**: "The Damage assigned, and subsequently Dealt, to attackers has the defenders as the source and vice versa." When you use the ability of **Clash of Giants** to choose two units to deal damage to each other, those units are acting as the sources of the damage dealt to one another, not you as the controller of the spell.

Ruling: Yes, Cleave (Assault 3) stacks when playing 2 copies, resulting in Assault 6. Assault is a stacking keyword where each new occurrence adds to previous ones. Nuances: - Shield and Deflect also stack in the same way - Spirit's Refuge is an exception that doesn't stack Deflect

Ruling: Yes, Cleave works with Assault. Assault is a passive ability that applies as long as your unit is the attacker, not a one-time activation that ends. Nuances: - Assault is a passive ability similar to Trifarian War Camp, not a trigger that activates once - "When I attack" triggers apply the first time a unit gets attacker designated in combat - Assault's bonus continues to apply throughout combat as long as the unit remains the attacker

Ruling: The card's current functionality is unclear and will be clarified in future rules updates. The development team has not yet decided whether it should be a trigger (requiring errata to add "when" or "at" language) or a non-trigger effect covered by rule 563.1.b. Nuances: - As currently worded, it does not meet the technical definition of a trigger (lacks "when" or "at" language) - If it remains non-triggered, the rules will need to define what category of effect this is - If it becomes a trigger, the card will receive errata with proper trigger templating - Until official clarification, judges may need to make rulings on a case-by-case basis

Ruling: Commander Ledros only reduces cost for units that actually die. If a unit survives through an effect like Soraka, it does not count toward the cost reduction. Nuances: - The card's specific wording "for each killed this way" requires the unit to actually die, not just be targeted by a kill effect - This functions similarly to other cards like Baited Hook that only trigger their effects when units actually die

Yes, **Confront** affects token units. According to **Rule 179.1.d**, token units are units and follow all rules for their type unless otherwise specified. Because they are units, they are subject to effects that target or modify units, such as the effect of **Confront**, which causes units you play this turn to enter ready. Additionally, **Rule 179.1.a** states that tokens are played by their owner following all applicable steps for playing a card, including any modifications from effects that created the token or other active effects like Confront.

Yes, that is correct. When you use the **Hidden** keyword to hide *Consult the Past*, you ignore its printed energy cost and instead pay a cost of 1 Power (by recycling a rune). According to **Rule 737.1.b** and the associated **RiftJudge FAQ (6234)**: * **Hiding:** To hide a card, you ignore both the energy and power costs printed on the card. You only pay the 1 Power cost (by recycling a rune) to put it into the Hidden state. * **Playing from Hidden:** Once the card is hidden, you may play it from that state on a subsequent turn for free (ignoring its base cost). **Summary of the sequence:** 1. **From hand to Hidden:** Pay 1 Power (recycle a rune). 2. **From Hidden to battlefield (playing the card):** Pay 0 energy and 0 power.

Ruling: Convergent Mutation's effect lasts until end of turn. It was errata'd from its original text. Nuances: - The card was changed via errata because a permanent effect would have been too powerful - The card remains strong in decks like Teemo with Mundo despite the errata

Yes, **Counter Strike** works against damage dealt during the Combat Damage Step of a combat showdown. According to **Rule 460.2**, the Combat Damage Step is when units deal damage to each other. Because **Counter Strike** creates a delayed replacement effect that waits for the "next time" a unit would be dealt damage, it will successfully intercede and prevent that damage when the combat damage is dealt. ### Key Considerations: * **Simultaneous Damage:** Combat damage is dealt simultaneously to all units involved in the combat (Rule 460.2.c.1.a). Therefore, if you target a unit with **Counter Strike**, it will prevent *all* combat damage that would be dealt to that specific unit during that damage event, regardless of how many opposing units are attacking it (RiftJudge FAQ #8527). * **Timing:** You can play **Counter Strike** as a [Reaction] during the combat showdown. If you play it while the chain is open or closed (e.g., in response to an ability or simply during the showdown), it will resolve, create the replacement effect, and wait for the damage step. * **Replacement Effect:** As a replacement effect, it alters the execution of the damage event (Rule 369). Once the damage is prevented, the effect is consumed (RiftJudge FAQ #8921). **Summary:** If you play **Counter Strike** targeting your unit before the Combat Damage Step, it will prevent all combat damage that unit would take during that step.

**Counter Strike** only blocks a single instance of damage. According to the card text, it creates a delayed replacement effect: "The next time that unit would be dealt damage this turn, prevent it." Once that specific instance of damage occurs and is prevented, the effect is consumed and no longer applies to any subsequent damage the unit might take for the remainder of the turn. As noted in the official FAQ regarding **Counter Strike**: * "When you play Counter Strike, you choose one of your units. The next time that unit would take damage... all of that damage is prevented." * If you wish to prevent multiple separate instances of damage, you would need to play multiple copies of **Counter Strike**, as each one creates its own separate delayed replacement effect that is consumed individually upon the next damage event.

Ruling: No. Crescent Strike only targets the battlefield and the one enemy unit you choose. The "other enemy units" at that battlefield are programmatically selected based on their characteristics (location and controller), so they are not targets. Nuances: - Only the chosen battlefield and the initially chosen enemy unit are targets of Crescent Strike. - Effects that care about targeting (such as protection from targeting or "when targeted" triggers) will not apply to the other enemy units dealt 1 damage.

Ruling: No, Cull does not prevent Unyielding because Cull is not damage.

No, **Cull the Weak** does not trigger **The Dreaming Tree**. According to the official rulings for this interaction: * **Cull the Weak** does not target units. It instructs each player to choose a unit they control as the spell resolves. * **The Dreaming Tree** triggers only when you actively target a friendly unit with a spell (such as using a buff or targeted removal). * Because the choice for *Cull the Weak* happens during resolution rather than when the spell is played, it does not count as "choosing a friendly unit with a spell" in the targeting sense that *The Dreaming Tree* requires.

No, **Cull the Weak** does not target. According to the RiftJudge FAQ (ID 8519, 8598, 8613, 8910), Cull the Weak does not "choose" or "target" a unit when it is played. The instruction to kill a unit is performed by each player during the resolution of the spell, rather than being a targeted choice made when the spell is placed on the chain. Because it does not target, it bypasses mechanics like **Deflect** and cannot be countered by cards like **Not So Fast** that specifically require targeting to function.

Ruling: Cull the Weak does not trigger Dreaming Tree. When Dreaming Tree says "choose," it means "target" even though this is not explicitly outlined in the current core rules. Nuances: - This ruling comes from a Riot developer statement (red text), not from the written rules - With current rules wording, a judge ruling that CtW does trigger Dreaming Tree would be understandable - The interaction is expected to be clarified in future rules updates

Yes, Daisy counts as an "Ivern" unit and will receive the +1 Might bonus from a Brush battlefield token. According to the Brush battlefield token's ability (Rule 184.8), "Bird, Cat, Dog, Poro, and **Ivern** units here have +1 [M]." Since Daisy possesses the "Ivern" tag, she satisfies the condition for this bonus when she is at a location with a Brush battlefield token.

Ruling: No, Dangerous Duo is not Mighty when played and does not trigger Volibear's Relentless Storm. The unit must fully resolve before its "When Played" trigger goes on the chain, so at the time Volibear checks for Mighty units being played, Dangerous Duo is not yet Mighty. Sequence: - Dangerous Duo resolves and enters play - At this point, Volibear's Relentless Storm checks if a Mighty unit was played (Dangerous Duo is not Mighty yet) - After the unit is fully played, its "When Played, Mighty" triggered ability goes on the chain - Only after this trigger resolves does Dangerous Duo become Mighty (too late for Volibear) Nuances: - This applies to any unit with "When Played" self-buffs - they are not considered to have those buffs at the moment they are played - Sett follows the same logic and is not Mighty when played

Ruling: Darius can count himself as the second card played. If Darius is exhausted at a battlefield and a second card is played that turn, he will become ready. Sequence: - Play Darius as the second card of the turn - Darius's effect triggers, counting himself - If Darius was already exhausted when the second card is played, he becomes ready

Ruling: Darius - Executioner's '+1 might to other friendly units here' is a passive effect that is always active regardless of how he is played. It increases the might of all other friendly units at his current location (base or battlefield) for as long as he remains there. Sequence: - The passive effect is separate from and independent of his Legion effect - Wherever Darius is located, he continuously provides +1 might to other units at that same location - When a new unit enters his location, it immediately gains the +1 might - The +1 might persists as long as Darius remains at that location Nuances: - This is not a "buff" in the technical Riftbound sense (which is a protected keyword term) - The effect does not say "for the turn" so it continues indefinitely while Darius is present - Timing does not matter - units already at the location and units that enter later both receive the +1 might

Ruling: The ability works in base as well as on the battlefield. 'Here' refers to wherever Darius Executioner is located, including your base. Nuances: - The keyword 'here' is not restricted to battlefield locations only

Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian gets +2 MIGHT when two spells are played on the opponent's turn. Spells count as "played" when they resolve on the chain, not when they are cast. Sequence: - Spells are added to the chain - Chain resolves - Upon resolution, spells count as "played" - Darius triggers for each spell played Nuances: - "Play" always means post-resolution in this game - Countered spells do not count as being played since they don't resolve

Ruling: Darius Trifarian gets the +2 Might bonus even if he's already readied. The ability still attempts to ready him (which has no effect if already ready), but the Might buff applies regardless. Nuances: - Darius himself counts as the second card if you play him after playing another card - The ability triggers on your opponent's turn if you play 2 cards, granting the Might buff, but Darius cannot move since it's not your turn

Ruling: No, Darius Trifarian does not get ready if played as the 3rd card. He only triggers when played as the 2nd card because he needs to see the 2nd card being played to activate his effect. Nuances: - If Darius is already on the board when the 2nd card is played, he would see it and trigger his effect

Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian readies himself when played as the second card in a turn. Sequence: - A card is considered "played" when it fully resolves - Darius enters the board as part of his resolution - Darius is already on the board when his "after you play a second card" ability checks - His ability triggers and readies himself

Yes, **Darius, Trifarian** does see himself as the second card played in a turn and can trigger his ability to ready himself and gain +2 might. According to the Riftbound rules and FAQs regarding this interaction: * **Darius counts himself:** In Riftbound, a card is considered "played" once it has fully resolved and entered the board. Because Darius is already on the board when his "When you play a second card" ability checks, he is able to see himself as that second card. * **Triggering the effect:** If you play Darius as the second card of your turn, his ability triggers, granting him +2 might and readying him (if he was exhausted). **Sequence of events:** 1. You play your first card of the turn. 2. You play **Darius, Trifarian** as the second card. 3. Darius resolves and enters the board. 4. Darius's triggered ability checks the game state, sees that he is the second card played this turn, and triggers. 5. Darius gains +2 might and readies himself. As noted in the Riftbound FAQs (e.g., FAQ #7847, #7793), this interaction is consistent because "Play" means "Resolve," and Darius is present on the field to witness his own resolution. Note that this only works if he is exactly the second card played; if he is played as the third card or later, the ability will not trigger.

Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian CAN trigger his ability during your opponent's turn if you play 2 cards during that turn. Sequence: - You play your first card during opponent's turn (such as a reaction spell) - You play your second card during opponent's turn - Darius's trigger condition is met - Darius gains +2 Might and readies Nuances: - The ability does not specify "during your turn" - it only requires that you play your second card in a turn - This commonly occurs when playing reaction spells or cards during showdowns on your opponent's turn - The trigger tracks cards YOU play, not whose turn it is

Ruling: Darius Trifarian's ability triggers only when he is exactly the second card played in a turn. If he is played as the third, fourth, or later card, the ability does not trigger. Sequence: - First card is played (Darius counts himself if he's the first) - Second card is played (this is when the ability triggers) - If Darius is played as the third or later card, he won't come in ready Nuances: - Darius counts himself when determining card order (if played as the first card, he counts as the first card played)

According to the Riftbound rules and FAQs, **Darius, Trifarian does not count a countered spell.** This has not changed in recent updates. The ruling remains consistent with the core game mechanics regarding "playing" a card: * **"Played" means "Resolved":** A card is only considered "played" once it has fully resolved on the chain. * **Countered spells do not resolve:** According to Rule 425.1.b, "A card that is Countered is not considered to have been played." Because a countered spell is cleared from the chain without resolving, it does not count toward the total number of cards played in a turn for the purpose of triggering Darius's ability. As confirmed in RiftJudge FAQ #2190 and FAQ #8306, triggered abilities that rely on a card being "played" only trigger if the card successfully resolves. If a spell is countered, it does not count as being played, and therefore will not contribute to the count required to trigger Darius, Trifarian.

Ruling: Darius counts himself as a played card. If Darius is your second card played this turn, his ability will trigger and he will ready himself. Sequence: - Play your first card - Play Darius as your second card - Darius resolves and sees himself as the second card played - His ability triggers, giving him 2 Might and readying him Nuances: - In Riftbound, a card is considered "played" when it resolves, which is why Darius can see himself

Ruling: Yes, Darius counts himself as the second card. Nuances: - In Riftbound, "Play" means "Resolve", so Darius is already on the field to see himself resolve and count toward his own effect.

Ruling: Yes, Darius will accelerate if he is the second card played during your turn. Nuances: - Darius must be played from hand (not already on the battlefield) - The unit played to base counts as the first card, making Darius the second card

Ruling: No, Darius does not get the +2 bonus if Challenge is the 2nd card played. Sequence: - Challenge is played as the 2nd card - Challenge causes units to deal damage to each other before it resolves - Challenge resolves - Darius's trigger goes on the chain during the cleanup that follows - If Darius has 5+ damage marked on him, he dies in step 2 of that cleanup - The trigger still resolves but whiffs because Darius is no longer a valid game object to receive +2 Might and ready Nuances: - Darius's trigger occurs after the second card is resolved in a turn, not during its resolution - Even if Darius dies, his trigger will still linger on the chain and resolve, but it will have no effect since there's no valid target

Ruling: Darius's +2 effect triggers after the second card is played (resolved) in any turn, including both your turn and your opponent's turn. Sequence: - Play first card in a turn - Play second card in a turn - Darius gains +2 after the second card resolves Nuances: - Works on both offense (your turn) and defense (opponent's turn) - Can be triggered with actions/reactions played during opponent's turn - Does not require energy if playing cards from hidden (e.g., controlling two fields with hidden cards)

Ruling: Yes, Darius's ability triggers on himself when he is played. In Riftbound, "played" means the full sequence of playing and resolving a card, so Darius is on the board and can trigger when he enters. Nuances: - This differs from some other card games where triggered abilities of permanents can only evaluate conditions once already on the board - "When I'm played" abilities work the same way in Riftbound

Ruling: Darius must be in play for his effect to be active. His effect triggers when you play your second card in a turn, regardless of whether Darius himself is the first or second card played. Sequence: - If you play Darius first, then play another card, Darius will trigger (he is in play when the second card is played) - If you play another card first, then play Darius, Darius will trigger (he is the second card played) Nuances: - A card in hand cannot be ready or exhausted, so Darius's ready effect only applies when he is already in play

Ruling: Darius only triggers when your second card of the turn is played. He must either be that second card himself, or already be on the board when the second card is played. Playing him as the 3rd, 4th, or later card will not trigger his ability. Sequence: - If Darius is played as the 1st card, he does not trigger (no second card played yet while he's present) - If Darius is played as the 2nd card, he triggers and comes into play ready with +2 - If Darius is already on board from a previous turn and you play your 2nd card this turn, he triggers - If Darius is played as the 3rd or later card, he does not trigger (the 2nd card was already played before he entered) Nuances: - The game tracks which card is the literal 2nd card each turn (3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. are distinct) - This is not "every time you play 2 cards" - it only happens once per turn when the 2nd card specifically is played

Ruling: Darius generates one energy (like tapping a rune) that contributes to paying for a card, but only after you've already played at least one card this turn. He does not lower the cost of the card itself, nor does he add a rune to the rune board. Sequence: - Play at least one card during your turn - Then you can use Darius to generate one energy - Use that energy to contribute to the payment of another card Nuances: - "Add" means contributing to the payment, not lowering the cost (this distinction may matter if future cards trigger off cost reductions) - This is different from "Channel" which adds a rune from the rune deck to the rune board - Because Darius has "add" on his ability, it can be used as part of playing another ability - Darius cannot be used to accelerate Kai'Sa if she's your first card, since his ability requires playing at least one card first

Ruling: Yes, Dazzling Aura stacks. If you have two Dazzling Auras, both triggered abilities trigger separately at the end of your turn and resolve independently. Sequence: - At end of turn, both Dazzling Aura triggers are added to the chain - Priority passes for reactions - Resolve the first Dazzling Aura effect (reveal and play a unit) - Any triggered abilities from the played unit are added to the chain and resolved - After all new triggers resolve, resolve the second Dazzling Aura effect - Any new triggered abilities are added and resolved - Chain closes when all effects are resolved Nuances: - Triggered abilities in Riftbound don't need to explicitly say they stack - multiple instances of the same triggered ability trigger separately - Spirit's Refuge is an exception that "doesn't stack" due to its "if they didn't already" clause

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

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

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

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

No, *Deathknell* does not trigger if a unit is returned to your hand. According to **Rule 808.1.d**: > "The Trigger for this effect is the Permanent being Killed and sent to the Trash." Because *Deathknell* requires the unit to be killed and move to the trash, if a card effect causes that unit to be returned to your hand, the "death" event never occurs. Consequently, the *Deathknell* ability is never triggered.

Yes, *Death from Below* can trigger and be played multiple times in a single turn, provided you have the necessary resources. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #10622**, there is no per-turn limit on how many times you can play *Death from Below* from your trash, as long as each instance successfully resolves and its target meets the condition. ### How it Works 1. **Resolution:** When you play *Death from Below* and it resolves, it kills the target unit. If that unit had 3 [S] (Might) or less, the spell's effect creates a triggered ability allowing you to play the card again from your trash. 2. **Recast:** Once the spell finishes resolving, it moves to the trash. You may then pay the [A] (any domain) cost to play it from your trash again. This process can be repeated as many times as you have the energy and runes to pay for it. ### Important Restrictions * **Resolution Requirement:** The target must be a valid target at the moment the spell resolves. If the target is killed or removed from the battlefield by another effect before *Death from Below* resolves, the spell fails to execute its kill instruction, and the "you may play this from your trash" effect will not trigger (**RiftJudge FAQ #9400**). * **Must Move to Trash:** You cannot play the card from the trash while a previous instance is still on the chain. The card must fully resolve and move to the trash first (**RiftJudge FAQ #10169**). * **Targeting:** The condition "if it had 3 [S] or less" is evaluated based on the unit's Might at the time it was killed. If the target is illegal (not on the board) when the spell resolves, the check returns null, and you cannot use the recast effect (**RiftJudge FAQ #9400**).

Yes, you will still draw one card. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #10082**, **#10334**, and **#10055**, the draw effect of *Deathgrip* is not contingent on the success of the kill or the Might bonus. ### Why this happens: 1. **Partial Resolution:** When you play *Deathgrip*, you must target two friendly units (one to kill and one to receive Might). If one of these units is removed (e.g., via *Gust*) before *Deathgrip* resolves, the spell still attempts to resolve as much as possible (**Rule 359.3.e.11**). 2. **Target Legality:** If the unit targeted to be killed remains on the board, it is destroyed as instructed. Even if the unit targeted to receive the Might bonus is removed and the bonus cannot be applied, the spell continues to resolve. 3. **The Draw:** Because the "Draw 1" instruction is not linked to the success of the kill or the Might bonus, it is performed regardless of whether those previous instructions successfully executed or were rendered impossible due to mistargeting. **Summary:** As long as the spell itself was played legally (by having two valid targets at the moment it was placed on the chain), you will draw one card when it resolves, even if the targets leave the board in the meantime.