Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: You target a unit when the trigger goes on the stack, but decide whether to actually move it (the "may" part) when the trigger resolves. You must target a unit every defense and make the choice on each resolution. Sequence: - When Reaver's Row triggers, you must target a unit - When the trigger resolves, you decide whether or not to move the targeted unit Nuances: - This allows you to target a unit to potentially bait reaction spells, then choose not to move it when the trigger resolves

Ruling: You choose the target unit at the beginning of the stack when Reaver's Row is activated. You decide whether to actually retreat that unit at the end of the stack when Reaver's Row resolves. Sequence: - Opponent attacks Reaver's Row - You defend and choose your unit as the target (e.g., Trav Merchant) - Other effects can be played and resolve on the stack - When Reaver's Row resolves, you choose whether to retreat the previously targeted unit Nuances: - The "may" clause is part of the resolution, so the choice to retreat happens during resolution, not when initially declaring the target

Ruling: Yes, you must pay the full cost of the unit (or non-unit card) when using Rek'Sai's legend ability. Only effects that explicitly say "ignoring [their/its] cost" allow you to play cards for free, and even then only the base cost is ignored. Sequence: (for Candlelit Sanctum interaction) - When both Candlelit Sanctum's battlefield effect and Rek'Sai's legend ability trigger from the same event, you control both triggers - You may order them as you please since you control both effects Nuances: - Rek'Sai's ability works with non-unit cards as well, not just units - You still pay the full cost for those cards unless an effect specifically says to ignore cost

Ruling: You choose the target when you play/activate Ride The Wind. It needs a valid target to enter the chain, and when it resolves you decide where to move that unit. Sequence: - Choose the target on activation - Put it on the chain - When it resolves, decide where to move that unit

Ruling: You choose both the unit and its destination when you put Ride the Wind on the chain. Sequence: - Choose the unit - Choose the destination - Put the ability on the chain

Ruling: You can only recycle a unit from the board (base or battlefield). "Unit" without further specification only refers to units on the board. Nuances: - "Friendly unit" means a unit you control, which excludes opponent's units - Units in hand and trash are in non-board zones and are not considered "units" for this purpose - The term "unit" by default only refers to objects on the board unless specified otherwise

Ruling: The rule should reference Champion Legend, not Chosen Champion. This was a typo in the rules. Your Rune Deck cards must match the Domain Identity of your Champion Legend. Nuances: - The original rule text incorrectly stated "Chosen Champion" but this has been acknowledged as an error and will be corrected

Ruling: No, you cannot add SMDR to your hand without discarding a card. The "discard to add to hand" wording means the discard is a cost that must be paid on resolution to get the effect. Nuances: - The "to" wording indicates a cost-effect relationship, not a simple instruction that can be partially followed - This is a cost paid on resolution (when the ability resolves from the chain), not on finalization - The triggered ability is placed on the chain every time you conquer if SMDR is in the trash, but you only get the effect if you can pay the cost when it resolves - Instructions that can be partially followed (like "discard 2, then draw 2") work differently from cost-effect instructions (like "discard to add to hand")

Ruling: You choose targets when you announce the spell. The two hits happen at the same time. Nuances: - When both units would be destroyed simultaneously and one has Zhonya's, the Zhonya's controller decides which unit is saved - This is similar to when multiple units die from combat clean-up

Ruling: When you play Spectral Matron, you select the target unit from trash when adding the trigger to the chain (because playing a card from trash is a targeted ability), but this does not create a pending item. You only pay costs and actually play the unit when the effect resolves. Sequence: - Play Spectral Matron and its "when you play me" trigger goes on the chain - Select which unit from trash to target when adding the trigger to the chain - Opponent can now react to the trigger on the chain - When the trigger resolves, pay additional costs and play the unit from trash Nuances: - The "pending" state applies to items pending to be added to the chain (like cards played during resolution of another effect, such as Promising Future) - Spectral Matron's trigger goes directly on the chain and is not a pending item - Target selection happens when adding to chain, but actual playing happens on resolution

Ruling: A card counts as Hidden only if it has the Hidden keyword itself. Cards that merely mention or reference Hidden (like Ember Monk) do not count as Hidden cards. Nuances: - Ava Achiever revealed from Strategist Teemo's effect does not count as a "card with Hidden" - Ember Monk does not count as a Hidden card despite mentioning Hidden in its text

Ruling: To accelerate Tasty Faefolk, you need to pay 1 energy and 1 calm power. You can get energy by exhausting any rune, and you can get calm power by recycling any calm rune. Nuances: - Numerals always represent energy costs - Symbols always represent power costs - How you generate the required energy and power is flexible (exhaust/recycle are the most common methods)

Ruling: No, Ember Monk does not count. A card must have the Hidden keyword itself, not just reference Hidden in its text. Nuances: - "Having X" means having the ability X on the card itself - Simply having the text "X" written on the card does not count as having that keyword

Ruling: Excess damage only counts after ALL defending units are killed. You must assign lethal damage to all units before any damage can be considered "excess." Sequence: - Assign damage to first defending unit until lethal (3 damage) - Assign remaining damage to second defending unit until lethal (3 more damage) - Only after both units have lethal damage assigned can the remaining damage (2 in this case) be considered excess - If Tryndamere attacks with an ally who can kill one unit, then Tryndamere's 8 damage against the remaining 3 Might unit would result in 5 excess damage Nuances: - Units cannot have more damage assigned than minimum lethal unless no further units remain to have damage assigned - Units that cannot be dealt damage (like immune Kayn) are exempt from mandatory damage assignment rules, meaning you can choose whether to assign damage to them or not, but they don't block excess damage calculation if you choose not to assign to them

Ruling: Only combat damage assigned during the combat damage step counts toward Tryndamere's exceeding damage requirement. Spell damage does not count, even if cast during combat. Sequence: - Spells (like Hidden Blade) resolve before combat damage is assigned - Combat damage is resolved last - Tryndamere must be present in the combat and conquer - You need to damage at least one unit in the combat damage step with at least 5 exceeding damage in that step Nuances: - You can use spells to damage units before combat, reducing the amount of combat damage needed to reach 5 exceeding damage - Direct kill spells like Hidden Blade resolve before combat damage, so they don't contribute to the exceeding damage calculation

Ruling: When Volibear attacks, the trigger goes on the chain and you choose targets at that time. When the trigger resolves, you then assign the 5 damage between the chosen targets (must assign at least 1 damage to each). Sequence: - Attack with Volibear, trigger goes on the chain - Choose targets for the damage - When trigger resolves, assign the 5 damage between chosen targets Nuances: - You must assign at least 1 damage to each chosen target - Because targets are chosen before resolution, opponents can respond by buffing units before damage is assigned

Ruling: You declare the targeted unit when you put Get Excited on the chain, but you don't discard until the spell resolves. This applies when the discard is part of the resolution of the spell and isn't an additional cost. Sequence: - Declare the targeted unit when casting (putting on chain) - Discard during resolution Nuances: - This timing only applies to cards where the discard is part of the spell's resolution, not an additional cost - Bullet Time works the same way - These appear to be the only two examples in the current card pool

Ruling: You can play the card as long as any player controls a gear (including your opponent's). You draw 1 card regardless of whether the gear is killed or not. Sequence: - Target any gear (yours or opponent's) when playing the spell - The gear's controller chooses whether to kill it during resolution - Draw 1 card regardless of the choice made Nuances: - You cannot play the card if no gears are on the battlefield at all - The draw effect is independent from the kill effect (separated by a full stop/period) - You can target your own gear and choose not to kill it, still drawing the card

Ruling: You must declare all targets when the ability goes on the chain/stack, before the ability resolves and before any reactions can be played. This applies even when the target is mentioned in the middle or end of the ability text. Sequence: - Play the ability card - Immediately declare all targets (before knowing information like damage amounts) - The effect goes on the stack - Priority passes and reactions can be played - The ability resolves (executing instructions in order) Nuances: - If a targeted unit dies before the ability resolves, the ability still resolves but cannot find the target, so nothing happens (the effect is not "negated") - You have no information about variable effects (like damage amounts from card reveals) before choosing targets - The active player retains priority after playing the ability and declaring targets, allowing them to play reactions before passing priority

Ruling: May choices are made on resolution. The trigger always goes onto the chain, and as it resolves, the controller may choose to do the effect. Sequence: - The trigger goes onto the chain (this always happens) - The trigger resolves - On resolution, the controller chooses whether to use the may effect Nuances: - This applies to all "when [trigger], you may do" effects - they always go onto the chain and then optionally have an effect - You cannot skip putting the trigger on the chain to avoid starting a chain

Ruling: When an ability with "you may" wording triggers, you must choose targets during activation (before opponent can react), but you decide whether to actually execute the "you may" effect during resolution. Sequence: - The ability triggers and goes onto the chain if there is a valid target - You choose any required targets as part of activation - Opponent can now react to the ability on the chain - When the ability resolves, you decide whether to use the "you may" option Nuances: - This ruling comes from Riot devs and Chinese judges, though it has been acknowledged as confusing and may be clarified in upcoming rules updates - If there are no valid targets, the ability does not trigger at all

Ruling: You must recycle exactly 3 cards to activate Garbage Grabber's ability because it is a cost. You can play Chemtech Enforcer with an empty hand because the discard is an on-play effect, not a cost. Nuances: - Costs (like recycle 3) must be paid in full to activate an ability - On-play effects happen after the unit has already resolved and hit the board, so they attempt to resolve even if they cannot be fully completed - On-play effects are not the same as on-cast effects

Ruling: Yes, you still draw the card. The spell resolves even if some or all of its targets become illegal. Nuances: - Only instructions that specifically need or refer to a target can mistarget - Other effects on the spell (like drawing a card) still resolve normally even when the target becomes illegal

Ruling: When you play a unit with Accelerate, you may choose to pay the Accelerate cost or not at that time. You cannot pay the Accelerate cost later in your turn. Sequence: - When playing the unit card, decide whether to pay the Accelerate cost - If paid, the Accelerate effect occurs as part of playing the card - Once the unit is on the board, Accelerate can no longer be paid Nuances: - Accelerate costs can only be paid as part of the steps of playing a card, not while the unit is on the board

Ruling: Yes, targets in optional effects using "may" must still be chosen when finalizing the spell. If there are no legal targets for any part of the effect that involves targeted game objects, you cannot play the spell at all. Nuances: - The "may" decision is made on resolution, but target selection happens when finalizing the spell - This applies even though the effect itself is optional - A target on the same battlefield as another target is a legal target choice - Cards using "up to" work differently than "may" for this purpose

Ruling: No, you cannot choose 0 targets for abilities that say "any number of units." These abilities require at least one legal target to be put on the chain. Sequence: - When an ability that targets is triggered, it must have legal targets to enter the chain - If no legal targets exist when the ability would trigger, it does not enter the chain - If legal targets exist, you must choose at least one target (minimum of 1) - The ability then resolves with those chosen targets Nuances: - For damage-dealing effects like "deal 5 damage split among any number of units," the damage must be dealt to something - you cannot deal damage to nothing, which requires at least one target - For effects like Foxfire that target "any number" of units, you need legal targets to cast the spell in the first place - Card text saying "any number" does not include 0 because the action (dealing damage, killing, etc.) requires at least one valid target to be performed

Ruling: For beginners, only focus on Domain (runes) matching your Legend. Cards with one Domain must match that Domain, cards with two Domains must match both, and Signature Spells must match the Legend's name. Nuances: - While the rules mention Domain Identity could theoretically include Type, Tag, or other attributes, currently only Domain (runes) matters for deck building - The Domain Identity rules section may be clarified in future versions

Ruling: The destination of the move must be chosen when the spell enters the chain (i.e., when playing the card), not when it resolves. Nuances: - The unit being moved is also chosen when playing the card - This ruling comes from a recent FAQ update

Ruling: Doubling a unit's might is counted as arithmetic, not assignment. Nuances: - Assignment would require language like "a unit's might becomes double its current might" using words like "becomes" or "is" - Without "becomes" or "is", doubling should be treated as arithmetic (essentially "give a unit +X Might where X is its current might") - When both a doubling effect and a flat bonus (like +2) apply with the same timestamp, the doubling effect depends on the flat bonus, so the flat bonus is applied first, then the doubling

Ruling: The payment is made at resolution of the triggered ability, not when it is placed on the chain. Sequence: - When the trigger condition is met, the triggered ability is placed on the chain - Any targets are declared when the ability is placed on the chain - When the ability resolves, the player decides whether to pay the cost (if optional) and the cost is paid - The effect then occurs based on whether the cost was paid Nuances: - Costs within instructions (formatted as "Do X to Do Y" or "You may pay X to do Y") are paid at resolution, not when the ability goes on the chain - This is different from "additional costs" which use the phrase "as an additional cost" and are paid when finalizing the card to the chain - The "may" is part of the instruction itself, not a choice made before placing the ability on the chain - Targets and other choices defined in rule 352 are still made when the ability is placed on the chain

Ruling: Costs formatted as "do X to do Y" within triggered ability instructions are paid on resolution, not when adding the trigger to the chain. You decide whether to pay the optional cost and pay it when the trigger resolves. Sequence: - The triggered ability is placed on the chain when its condition is met - Other triggers and effects can be added to the chain and resolve first - When the triggered ability resolves, you decide whether to pay the optional cost - If you pay the cost, the effect happens (e.g., Vayne returns to hand) - Opponents cannot react during resolution (i.e., while you're paying the cost and the effect is happening) Nuances: - These are called "costs within instructions" and are distinct from costs paid when playing/triggering abilities (which appear before the ':' in activated abilities) - If multiple triggers occur simultaneously (like Vayne's trigger and another trigger from the same event), the owner can order them and resolve other triggers first before deciding whether to pay Vayne's optional cost

Ruling: After a spell is fully resolved, Everbloom Student's trigger goes on the chain to increase her might by +1. A spell countered with Defy or similar effects will not count as "played" and will not trigger her ability. Sequence: - A spell must fully resolve first - Only then is the spell considered "played" - Everbloom Student's trigger then goes on the chain to give her +1 Might Nuances: - The +1 Might is not a "buff" (which is a specific game object that can be spent for costs and has stacking restrictions), it is just a might increase

Ruling: Each player brings three battlefields as part of their deck. In best-of-three matches, each player chooses which battlefield to use for each game but can only use each battlefield once per match. In best-of-one matches, battlefields are randomly chosen. Sequence: - Each player constructs a deck with three battlefields - In BO3: Players choose their battlefield for each game - In BO3: Each battlefield can only be used once across the three games - In BO1: Battlefield is randomly selected Nuances: - The selection method differs based on match format (BO3 vs BO1)

Ruling: Sett The Boss has a replacement effect (triggered ability), not an activated ability. Replacement effects and other non-activated abilities trigger whenever their condition is fulfilled, regardless of whose turn it is. Nuances: - Only activated abilities are limited by timing restrictions and require the action or reaction keyword to be used on an enemy turn - Sett's ability exhausts to save "a buffed unit" so he only handles one unit at a time

Ruling: When both players pass in sequence, the chain doesn't fully end - it stops accepting new items and resolves the top item. After that top item resolves, all players regain priority and can react again. Sequence: - Player A plays spell targeting unit at battlefield (chain starts) - Player B reacts with spell to move unit to base - Both players pass priority in sequence - Chain stops accepting new items and resolves top item (Player B's move spell) - Unit moves to base - Players regain priority and can now react - Player A can now play spell to move unit back to battlefield - After passes, original spell resolves with unit as legal target Nuances: - "The chain ends" in rule 540.4.b means priority stops passing between players, not that the entire chain is finished - After each item resolves from the chain, players get priority again before the next item resolves

Ruling: Rule 563.2.c.4 only applies when a target changes zones to or from a Non-Board Zone. As long as the target stays on the board the entire time (moving between board zones like battlefield and base), it remains the same object and rule 563.2.c.3 applies. Nuances: - The key distinction is "Non-Board Zone" - moving between board zones (like battlefield to base) does not trigger the "not the same object" treatment - Only movement involving non-board zones causes the target to be treated as a different object

Ruling: To win the final (8th) point, you can hold a battlefield at the start of your turn, or win via card effects. To win via conquering, you must score all battlefields in the same turn. Sequence: - If at 7 points and you conquer only one battlefield, you draw a card instead of winning - To win via conquering at 7 points, you must score all battlefields (both in 1v1) in the same turn - If at 7 points and holding a battlefield at the start of your turn, you win immediately Nuances: - When you conquer a battlefield at 7 points but cannot win the final point (because you haven't scored all battlefields that turn), you draw a card instead - Scoring a battlefield means winning the combat there; you don't need to continue controlling it - Points earned from card effects (like Ahri or Yasuo) or opponent burning out can be the winning point without restriction - You can win on an opponent's turn if you score all battlefields during that turn (e.g., via multiple Ride the Wind effects)

Ruling: The player made a misplay in the order of rune recycling. They had enough runes to legally achieve the same board state, but recycled them in the wrong order - using yellow runes to hide cards when they should have used orange runes first, then used yellow runes to pay for Divine Judgement. Sequence: - Player should have recycled 2 orange runes to hide 2 cards (2 power) - Then recycled 2 yellow runes to pay for Divine Judgement (1 yellow power required) - This would have resulted in 4 total recycled runes for the correct payment Nuances: - In casual play, this type of misplay could be corrected by reordering the rune payments if caught immediately, since the end result would be the same - In competitive play (higher OPL), the player would likely have to recycle an additional yellow rune and accept the misplay

Ruling: When Attacking triggers go on an "initial chain" first, then When Defending triggers, then the attacker gets priority and focus. This initial chain must fully resolve before any subsequent chains can begin. Players can play Reaction speed spells during the initial chain, but the attacker cannot play Action speed spells while the initial chain is ongoing. Sequence: - When Attacking triggers go on the initial chain - When Defending triggers go on the initial chain - Attacker gets priority and can play Reaction speed spells - Opponent can play Reaction speed spells after attacker passes - Initial chain fully resolves - Attacker gets focus and priority and can now play Action speed spells - Subsequent chains can begin Nuances: - Passive effects (like wielder of water) resolve immediately without opportunity to react and do not go on the initial chain - All non-passive triggers go on the initial chain and can be reacted to - There cannot be multiple chains at the same time

Ruling: You target up to four different units with Fae Dragon, each receiving one buff. You can target units that already have buffs, but this won't add additional buffs to them (except for Lee Sin Ascetic). When spending a unit's buff (like with Sett Legend ability), you spend one buff at a time. Sequence: - When Fae Dragon's ability is played, you choose up to four different units as targets - Each chosen unit gets one buff when the ability resolves - If a unit already has a buff when the ability resolves, it won't gain an additional buff (except Lee Sin Ascetic) - If you react with Call to Glory after targeting a buffed unit, that unit can gain a buff if it's no longer buffed when Fae Dragon's ability resolves Nuances: - Lee Sin Ascetic is an exception that can receive multiple buffs - Targeting an already-buffed unit is legal for purposes like triggering Sett Legend ability multiple times, even though it won't add extra buffs - Reactions that remove buffs before Fae Dragon's ability resolves can allow a unit to receive the buff

Ruling: Cleanups are Riftbound's game state checks. The updated rules will substantially expand on when they happen, what they check, and what order things happen in during them. Nuances: - The current core rules do not fully describe everything typically associated with game state checks - More detailed information will be available in future rules documentation updates

Ruling: Gears are played into your base and remain on the battlefield until something sends them to the trash. When you play a Gear, you get its on-play effect, and any continuous effects remain active as long as the Gear stays on the field. Sequence: - Play the Gear into your base - Resolve any on-play effects when played - Continuous effects remain active while the Gear is on the field - Gear stays on the battlefield until removed by a game effect Nuances: - Gears do not need to be attached to units; they exist independently in your base - Hidden Gears like Zhonyas do not have proper rulings defined yet

Ruling: Focus is the permission to play actions or reactions while you have priority. Priority is the permission to play reactions and the permission to play cards or abilities at all. Sequence: - During showdowns, the contesting player gets focus first - After a chain resolves, the other player gets focus, and this can alternate many times - If you have focus and pass it, and the other player also passes, the showdown ends and moves to resolution - You get priority during your turn's action phase (after you draw before you end your turn) and whenever you get focus during a showdown - As abilities or spells are played or a chain resolves, you get priority giving you chances to respond Nuances: - A showdown is the overarching event that chains sit within, not a chain itself - Once a showdown ends, no more action cards can be played - Passing focus is not the same as focus changing after chain resolution

Ruling: Seals generate Power (color-specific resource) when exhausted, not additional Runes. They function as an alternative way to generate Power beyond recycling Runes. Sequence: - Exhaust the Seal - Power is added to your resource pool - The Power remains in your pool until end of turn Nuances: - Riftbound has two resource types: Energy (numerical, color agnostic) and Power (domain symbols, color specific) - Runes generate Energy when exhausted and Power when recycled - Both Energy and Power can be generated by other abilities and effects beyond Runes - Resource pools don't empty until end of turn

Ruling: Seals enter play ready and can be exhausted to pay for Power costs (the colored domain symbols below the energy cost) instead of recycling runes. They do NOT pay for Energy costs (the number in the top left circle), which still requires exhausting runes. Sequence: - To play a Seal card, you must pay its energy cost (exhaust runes) and recycle a rune of the matching color - The Seal enters play ready - Once in play, you can exhaust the Seal to provide Power of its color for future cards - You can use a ready Seal to pay the Power cost of another Seal card Nuances: - Seals provide net-even Power (not Energy) on the turn they're played since they enter ready - With 2 Seals already in play at 12 mana, you effectively have access to 14 Power worth of resources - Seals can be reused across multiple turns since exhausting them doesn't recycle them - You can exhaust a Seal to pay the Power cost for playing another Seal, but still need to pay the Energy cost

Ruling: When you conquer, both Sett Brawler's buff trigger and Monastery's spend-a-buff-to-draw trigger activate simultaneously. Since you control both, you choose the order they go on the chain, and they resolve in reverse order. You can order them so Sett gains a buff first, then spend that buff for Monastery's effect, resulting in Sett having no buff at the end. Or if Sett already has a buff, you can spend it for Monastery first, then Sett gains it back. Sequence: - Both triggers activate simultaneously when you conquer - You choose which trigger goes on the chain first (since you control both) - The trigger added to the chain last resolves first - If Sett has a buff: put Sett's trigger on chain first, then Monastery's trigger; Monastery resolves first (spending the buff), then Sett's resolves (gaining the buff back) - If Sett has no buff: put Monastery's trigger on chain first, then Sett's trigger; Sett's resolves first (gaining a buff), then Monastery's resolves (spending that buff) Nuances: - Sett's trigger can activate even if he's already buffed, but if he doesn't spend the existing buff before his trigger resolves, the trigger does nothing - Items on a chain always resolve one after another, never simultaneously

Ruling: Might modifiers are applied symmetrically and continuously, not snapshotted. When a unit is in Trifarian War Camp, it has +1 Might; when affected by Thousand-Tailed Watcher, it gets -3 Might (minimum 1). If the unit leaves the camp, the +1 Might bonus is removed, and the -3 Might effect continues to apply to the new base value. Sequence: - Unit enters Trifarian War Camp battlefield: gains +1 Might - Thousand-Tailed Watcher effect applies: -3 Might (minimum 1 Might total) - Unit leaves Trifarian War Camp: loses +1 Might bonus, -3 Might effect still applies to resulting value Nuances: - Might can be reduced to 0, but units only die when they have positive damage marked on them - Effects are not retroactively computed; you snapshot effects at the time they're applied and don't recalculate based on previous modifiers that would have applied differently - The minimum 1 Might restriction from Thousand-Tailed Watcher means a 2M unit at 3M (in camp) goes to 1M, effectively calculating as -2M for future modifications

Ruling: Actions can only be played when there is no chain (when you have focus). Once a chain starts with either an action or reaction, only reactions can be played until the entire chain resolves and focus passes to the next player. Sequence: - Player with focus can play an action or reaction to start a chain - Once a chain exists, both players can only play reactions (passing priority back and forth) - When both players pass priority in order, the top link of the chain resolves - Priority passes again and players can add more reactions or pass - Once the full chain resolves, focus passes to the next player - The next player can then play an action or reaction to start their own chain - When both players pass focus on an empty chain, the showdown ends Nuances: - Reactions can react to action spells, but action spells cannot be played in response to other actions once a chain has started

Ruling: During a showdown, players alternate getting focus to play actions/reactions and start chains. Once a chain is started, players alternate priority to play reactions to items on the chain until both pass, then the chain resolves top-down. Sequence: - Starting with the attacker, each player gets focus to play an action/reaction and start a chain - Once a chain is started, players alternate priority to play reactions to that item on the chain - Once both players pass priority, the top link of the chain resolves - When a chain item resolves, the next link's owner gets priority - Players pass priority again and resolve the next link, repeating until the chain is empty - Then focus passes to the next player, who can start their own chain with an action/reaction - When both players pass focus without starting a chain in order, the showdown ends - The game proceeds to conquering (if open showdown) or combat damage (if combat) Nuances: - You can use reactions while resolving a chain - In combat showdowns, there are some additional rules about a potential initial chain

Ruling: Once any card is played or ability activated during a showdown, the game state becomes Closed and only reactions can be played until the chain resolves. Actions can only be played in an Open game state (when no chain exists). Sequence: - Showdown begins with the attacking player having focus and priority - The player with focus can play an action or reaction, or pass priority - If they play an action or reaction, it goes on the chain and the game state becomes Closed - While the chain is open (Closed game state), players can only play reactions, not actions - Players can hold priority and play multiple reactions in succession before passing - When both players pass priority in succession, the most recent item on the chain resolves - After each chain link resolves, priority passes to whoever controls the most recent item on the chain, and players can respond with reactions again - After the entire chain finishes resolving, focus automatically passes to the next player - Once the chain is fully resolved and the game state is Open again, the player with focus can play actions or reactions - The showdown ends when all players pass both priority and focus in succession Nuances: - You can play multiple reactions in a row without passing priority, which is sometimes necessary (e.g., playing two Stupefies in succession ensures both resolve before your opponent can respond) - Focus is always passed after a chain finishes resolving - you can hold priority but not focus - The attacking player is usually the active player, but exceptions exist (e.g., when a charmed unit attacks) - After the initial chain during a combat showdown resolves, the active player (attacker) gets focus