Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Fiora's "When I Attack/Defend" ability only triggers if she is in a 1v1 situation at the exact moment she is designated as attacker or defender. Once triggered and resolved, the bonus cannot be removed. Sequence: - Fiora must be designated as attacker or defender - At that exact moment, it must be a 1v1 situation - If both conditions are met simultaneously, the ability triggers - Once resolved, she gains the bonus permanently for that combat Nuances: - If combat starts as 1v2 and later becomes 1v1, the ability does NOT trigger because the designation timing has already passed - If combat starts as 1v1 (triggering the ability) and later more units are added, she keeps the bonus because the ability uses "when" not "while"

Ruling: You choose one specific battlefield, and all enemy units at that battlefield take 3 damage. Nuances: - The phrase "at a battlefield" indicates you must choose a target battlefield, not that it affects all battlefields - Cards that affect all battlefields use different wording (see Unchecked Power and Flurry of Blades for comparison)

Yes, First Mate's "When you play me" ability creates a chain that can be reacted to. According to the rules and FAQs regarding "When you play me" triggered abilities: 1. **Playing the Unit:** When you play First Mate, the unit itself enters the battlefield immediately and does not use the chain (it cannot be reacted to). 2. **Triggered Ability:** The "When you play me" ability triggers immediately upon the unit entering play. This ability is added to the chain as a pending item. 3. **Reaction Window:** Because the ability is now on the chain, the game state becomes "Closed." This creates a window where players can play **Reaction** cards in response to the ability before it resolves. **Sequence:** 1. You play First Mate. 2. First Mate enters the battlefield. 3. The "When you play me" ability is added to the chain. 4. Players receive priority to play **Reaction** cards. 5. Once all players pass, the ability resolves, and you must ready another unit (if a valid target exists, it must be chosen, even if it is an enemy unit).

Ruling: Fizz Trickster does NOT work with Drag Under. Cards like Fizz Trickster look at the base cost (printed number) on the card, not the final modified cost. Nuances: - This works the same way as Defy with Sky Splitter - it checks the printed energy cost - Cost reductions like Drag Under do not change what Fizz Trickster sees

Yes, **Fizz, Trickster** targets the spell in your trash that you choose to play. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #6132** and **FAQ #10020**, you must target the specific spell in your trash at the moment you add Fizz's "When you play me" (WYPM) triggered ability to the chain. Additionally, as clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #9320**, when you play the spell from your trash during the resolution of Fizz's ability, you must declare any targets that spell requires at that time (following the normal rules for playing that spell).

Ruling: Fizz, Trickster targets the spell. Nuances: - The targeting happens when you choose which spell to play, not on resolution

Ruling: You only pay the fury cost, not the printed cost. The fury payment is an alternate cost that replaces the normal cost. Nuances: - The card text does not explicitly say "ignoring my cost" even though functionally it works that way - "Alternate cost" is not formally defined in the core rules, but this ruling was confirmed by developers during spoiler season - This same templating issue applies to other cards like Immortal Phoenix

Yes, **Fight or Flight** requires a valid target to be played. According to the rules of *Riftbound* and the associated FAQs: * **Targeting Requirement:** Because the card text instructs you to "Move a unit from a battlefield to its base," it targets that unit. Rule 352.7 states: "In order to put a spell or ability on the chain, valid choices must be made for all targets." * **Declaration:** You must declare the target for **Fight or Flight** at the moment you finalize it (put it on the chain), before your opponent has the opportunity to react (RiftJudge FAQ #6474). * **Validity:** If there are no units at a battlefield to target, you cannot play the card, as you cannot satisfy the targeting requirement. This is consistent with the general rule that any spell or ability mentioning a game object (like "a unit") targets that object unless it falls under a specific exception (such as affecting all units or being part of a cost/restriction), as outlined in Rule 352.10.

Yes, playing **Flurry of Blades** while you control **Elder Dragon** will cause all enemy units at battlefields to be killed. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #8684**, this interaction works as follows: 1. **The Interaction:** Elder Dragon’s passive ability states: "Any amount of your damage is enough to kill enemy units." When you cast Flurry of Blades, you are the controller responsible for the spell, and thus responsible for the "deal" action. 2. **The Sequence:** * You play **Flurry of Blades**. * The spell resolves, dealing 1 damage to all units at all battlefields. * Because you control Elder Dragon, your damage is subject to its passive ability. Any enemy unit that takes that 1 damage is immediately considered to have received lethal damage and is killed. * Your own units at the battlefields also take 1 damage from the spell, but because the passive only applies to "enemy units," they survive (provided the 1 damage is not lethal to them normally). As confirmed in the FAQ, Elder Dragon's ability does not require the damage source to be the Elder Dragon itself; it only requires that the damage be **yours** and that the target be an **enemy unit**. Since Flurry of Blades is a spell you control, the damage it deals to enemy units is "your damage," triggering the lethal threshold modification.

Ruling: Flurry of Blades does not require paying recycle costs for Deflect because it does not target units. Nuances: - Flurry of Blades programmatically selects units rather than having the controller choose targets - The phrase "deal 1 to" does not mean targeting - the spell blankets all units at battlefields without the controller making choices - Unlike targeted spells which cannot be played without valid targets, Flurry of Blades can be played even with no units at battlefields

No, **Flurry of Blades does not target units**, and you do not pay recycle costs for Deflect when playing it. According to RiftJudge FAQ #1583: * **Targeting:** Flurry of Blades does not target units. It programmatically selects all units at battlefields rather than having the controller choose specific targets. * **Deflect:** Because it does not target, it does not trigger the additional cost imposed by the **Deflect** keyword (Rule 735.1.c). Additionally, Rule 352.10.d states that objects are not targets if they are "programmatically selected based on its characteristics rather than chosen by the spell or ability’s controller." Since Flurry of Blades affects "all units at battlefields," it falls under this exception.

Ruling: Yes, Forecaster activates vision when played alone because it's a passive effect that includes itself. Multiple Forecasters do stack, so playing a mech with multiple Forecasters in play will trigger vision multiple times. Sequence: - Each instance of vision triggers separately - When each trigger resolves, you look at the top card of your deck - For each trigger, you choose whether or not to recycle that card Nuances: - If you don't recycle the top card and nothing else happens between triggers resolving, each instance of vision will see the same card - This means you could look at the same card X times in a row if you don't recycle it - You can recycle through your entire library this way if desired

Yes, **Forecaster** benefits from its own ability. According to RiftJudge FAQ #84, Forecaster activates **Vision** when played alone because it is a passive effect that includes itself (as Forecaster is a Mech). Therefore, when you play Forecaster, its own Vision ability will trigger.

Yes, **Forgefire Cape** works on **Ruin Runner**. Here is the breakdown of why this interaction works: * **Equipping is not targeting:** The **Equip** keyword (and the action of attaching an equipment) does not require you to "choose" or "target" a unit in a way that violates protection abilities. You are simply attaching the gear to a unit you control. * **Ruin Runner's protection:** **Ruin Runner** has the ability: *"I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities."* This protection only prevents your opponent from targeting it with their spells or abilities. It does not prevent you from targeting or attaching your own equipment to your own **Ruin Runner**. * **Effect resolution:** Once **Forgefire Cape** is attached, its effect ("When I attack or defend, deal 2 to all enemy units here") is a triggered ability of the gear. Because this effect does not target (it deals damage to all enemy units at that location), it will function normally even if the **Ruin Runner** is the unit carrying it.

Ruling: No, you cannot use both abilities. Exhausting your legend is a cost for both Forge of the Fluft's ability and your legend's ability (like Azir's Sand Soldier creation), so you cannot exhaust your legend once to pay both costs, nor can you activate two abilities at the same time. Sequence: - You must choose which ability to activate - Exhaust your legend to pay the cost of that one ability - You cannot activate the other ability that also requires exhausting your legend until it readies

**Forge of the Future** kills itself as a **cost**—you do not need another card to kill it for you. According to the card's ability text, "**Kill this:** Recycle up to 4 cards...", the instruction to kill the card precedes a colon (`:`). In *Riftbound*, any text appearing before a colon in an ability is a **cost** you must pay to activate the ability (Rule 150.1). Here is how the process works, based on Rule 150.2 and RiftJudge FAQs (#5082, #5382, #9207): 1. **Activation:** During your Main Phase in a neutral, open state (when no chain is active), you announce that you are activating the ability of **Forge of the Future**. 2. **Paying the Cost:** You pay the cost by choosing to move **Forge of the Future** from your board to your trash. Because this is a cost, you do not need another card effect to destroy it. 3. **Ability on Chain:** Once the cost is paid, the ability "Recycle up to 4 cards..." is placed on the chain as a pending item. 4. **Resolution:** Players now have the opportunity to react to this ability (as it is now on the chain). If both players pass, the ability resolves, and you carry out the recycle effect. **Crucial Nuance:** Because killing the card is a cost to activate the ability, if **Forge of the Future** is killed by an opponent's card effect (such as *Acceptable Losses*) or a game rule before you have chosen to activate it, you **cannot** then activate its recycle ability. This is because you are not paying the cost to activate it; it is simply being destroyed by an outside source (RiftJudge FAQ #9207).

Ruling: Forge of the Future does not activate when killed by an opponent's Adaptatron conquering a base because Forge of the Future is an activated ability, not a triggered ability.

Forgotten Monument completely prevents the process of scoring there. That means no conquer triggers, no hold triggers, and no points from doing those things. “Extra” points such as those from Renata Glasc, Mastermind are unaffected. You can still gain control of the battlefield following a showdown—you just can’t conquer it.

Ruling: Fortified Position does not trigger on surprise defense. The battlefield must be controlled for its ability to trigger, and "you" on a battlefield always refers to the controller. Nuances: - If the battlefield is uncontrolled when a unit arrives via surprise defense, there is no controller to satisfy the "you" in the trigger condition - This same principle applies to other battlefield abilities with "you" in their trigger conditions

Ruling: Fortified Position's effect does start a Chain. You can play an Action card once the Chain resolves, but only during Combat Showdown. Nuances: - Effects with "When" triggers start a Chain - This is different from Shield-Assault, which doesn't start a Chain because its trigger is "When you defend" rather than an effect that gives Shield

Ruling: Fortified Position is a defend trigger that goes onto the initial chain. The target unit must be declared when the trigger is put on the chain (when it finalizes onto the chain), not upon resolution. Sequence: - Fortified Position triggers when you defend - The trigger goes onto the initial chain - You choose the target unit as the trigger finalizes onto the chain - Opponents can react with spells or abilities before it resolves - Upon resolution, the chosen unit gains shield 2 Nuances: - It is possible to kill the targeted unit with a spell before it gains the shield bonus - The "choose a unit" wording indicates targeting, so the choice is made when the trigger goes on the chain, not at resolution - This is not a reflexive trigger (which would require "do this" wording)

Ruling: Fox Fire targets the units when put on the chain, not the battlefield. You must choose a legal set of targets (units with total Might 4 or less) when casting. Sequence: - When casting Fox Fire, target any number of units whose total Might adds up to 4 or less - If targeted units gain Might as a reaction, choose a subset of the original targets with 4 or less total Might on resolution - Some of the original targets become illegal, but you choose which ones to affect Nuances: - You cannot target all units on the battlefield and then choose on resolution; you must choose a legal set of targets initially - If a new unit appears after targeting (like a hidden Teemo), it cannot be targeted by Fox Fire since targets are chosen when the spell is put on the chain - If you targeted a unit with Deflect and paid the additional cost, but that unit becomes illegal on resolution, you do not get the Deflect cost refunded

Yes, **Fox-Fire targets**. According to Rule 355.10, a game object mentioned in the text of a spell is a target unless it meets specific exceptions. Fox-Fire instructs you to "Kill any number of units at a battlefield," and per Rule 355.11 and the associated FAQs, these units are chosen and locked in as targets when the spell is put on the chain. Key points regarding Fox-Fire's targeting: * **Targeting Requirements:** You must choose a group of units at a single battlefield whose total Might is 4 or less at the time you cast the spell. * **Lock-in:** These targets are locked in when the spell is put on the chain. * **Resolution:** If the Might of your chosen targets changes before resolution (e.g., via a reaction), you must choose a subset of the original targets that still fulfills the "total Might 4 or less" requirement upon resolution. You cannot add new targets that were not part of the original group. * **Battlefield Restriction:** Because it targets units at a battlefield, all chosen units must be located at the same battlefield. If you play Fox-Fire from hidden, it can only target units at the battlefield where it was hidden.

Ruling: Fox-Fire kills any number of units whose combined might is 4 or less (e.g., a 2 might and a 2 might, or a 3 might and a 1 might). You must choose and declare targets when playing the spell, before opponents can react. Sequence: - Choose targets when playing the spell (units whose combined might is 4 or less at a single battlefield) - Opponent can react knowing your targets - Spell resolves and kills the targeted units (if still legal targets) Nuances: - All targeted units must be at the same battlefield ("at a battlefield" means only one battlefield) - If an opponent buffs a targeted unit in response, making the combined might exceed 4, the targets become illegal and the spell has no effect - This works similarly to other targeted removal like Gust - you can buff units out of range as counterplay

Ruling: Fox-Fire targets. If the total Might of the targets becomes illegal (over 4) upon resolution, you choose a subgroup from among the initial targets that is still legal (4 Might or less). Sequence: - Fox-Fire is cast and targets are chosen - If a reaction spell increases the targets' Might above 4 - Upon resolution, choose a subgroup of the initial targets with total Might of 4 or less

Ruling: Fox-Fire targeting a group of units does not change how Deflect works. You must pay Deflect costs for each targeted unit that has Deflect. Sequence: - Deflect costs are paid when selecting the targets - This applies to each unit with Deflect in the targeted group

Ruling: Foxfire deals 4 damage total that must be distributed among units, not 4 damage to each unit. Nuances: - You can distribute the 4 damage in any combination (e.g., four 1-Might units, two 2-Might units, one 2-Might unit and two 1-Might units, etc.) - The key word is "total" which indicates the damage is shared across targets

Ruling: Friendship gives +1 Might for each unique tag (Bird, Cat, Dog, or Poro) present among your units, not for each individual unit with those tags. The maximum bonus is +4 Might if you control at least one unit with each of the four listed tags. Nuances: - If you have 3 Birds, 2 Poros, and 1 Cat in play, Friendship gives +3 Might (three unique tags present), not +6. - Multiple units sharing the same tag do not increase the bonus beyond +1 for that tag.

Ruling: No, Frigid Touch alone cannot kill a unit. Units die only when they have nonzero damage marked on them that is at least equal to their Might, so it always takes at least 1 point of actual damage to kill something. Nuances: - Reducing a unit's Might to 0 does not kill it by itself - Death requires both damage marked AND that damage meeting or exceeding the unit's Might

Ruling: Frigid Touch does not kill units regardless of their current Might. Units with negative Might are treated as 0 Might for all purposes, but the actual negative value is tracked for arithmetic operations. Sequence: - When a unit's Might would go below 0, it is treated as 0 for all game purposes - However, the actual negative value is still tracked internally - When adding Might (like with Discipline), you add to the actual negative value, not the displayed 0 - Example: A 1 Might unit hit twice by Frigid Touch (-2 each time) becomes -3 Might (displayed as 0), requiring two Disciplines (+2 each) to return to 1 Might Nuances: - Units never die from having 0 or negative Might alone - Negative Might values are not snapshotted and continue to affect calculations - When evaluating layers, you always start from base values and apply increases before decreases

Ruling: Frozen Fortress triggers and resolves before scoring occurs. The Beginning Phase consists of two steps: the Beginning Step (where "at the start of Beginning Phase" effects like Frozen Fortress trigger), followed by the Scoring Step (where holding and "when I hold" abilities occur). Sequence: - Beginning Step: Frozen Fortress triggers, is placed on the chain, and resolves, dealing 1 damage to each unit - Scoring Step: The turn player holds all battlefields they control and scores Victory Points - "When I hold" abilities trigger after the hold action completes and points are gained

Yes, *Frozen Fortress* works with *Imperial Decree*. If *Imperial Decree* is active, the 1 damage dealt by *Frozen Fortress* during the Beginning Phase will trigger *Imperial Decree*, causing those units to be killed. ### Reasoning 1. **Damage Source:** *Frozen Fortress* deals 1 damage to each unit at the battlefield at the start of the Beginning Phase. 2. **Trigger Condition:** According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9789** and **#8420**, *Imperial Decree* creates a triggered ability that monitors for the event of a unit taking damage. It triggers on *any* damage dealt to a unit, regardless of the source. 3. **Interaction:** When the *Frozen Fortress* ability resolves and deals 1 damage to a unit, the event of "taking damage" has occurred. This satisfies the condition for *Imperial Decree*, which then triggers and kills the damaged unit. ### Sequence * **Beginning Phase:** The Beginning Step begins. * **Frozen Fortress:** Its ability triggers and resolves, dealing 1 damage to units at its battlefield. * **Imperial Decree:** Because a unit took damage, the *Imperial Decree* trigger is placed on the chain. * **Resolution:** Once the chain resolves (or if no reactions are played), the effect executes, and the damaged unit is killed. As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #9882**, the Beginning Phase occurs before the Scoring Step, so this sequence happens before you proceed to score Victory Points for holding battlefields.

A unit on the *Gardens of Becoming* battlefield cannot activate its granted ability if it is already exhausted. Because the ability granted by *Gardens of Becoming* is `[T] : Gain 1 XP`, it requires exhausting the unit as a cost. According to **Rule 414.4**, an action (the cost) must be able to be completed for the cost to be paid. Since a unit that is already exhausted cannot be exhausted again, you cannot pay the cost required to activate the ability. Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

Ruling: Yes, tokens are units when on board, so they receive Vision from Gemcraft Seer. Nuances: - Tokens count as units once they are on the board

Ruling: No, Glasc Deathknell's ability does not work with Drag Under because Drag Under is not a unit and costs more than 3 energy. Nuances: - When determining if a card meets cost requirements for abilities, always use the printed cost on the card, not any reduced or altered cost - This means even if you play a card with a cost reduction, effects that check cost thresholds use the original printed cost

Ruling: Yes, all three requirements must be met to activate the ability. Everything to the left of the semicolon represents the cost that must be paid. Sequence: - Recycle 3 cards from your trash - Pay 1 energy - Exhaust the Grabber - Draw 1 card Nuances: - If you don't have 3 cards in your trash or 1 energy to spend, you cannot use the ability - The ability can be used when you first summon Grabber

Ruling: You must have 7+ units at the battlefield when you score the hold point at the start of your turn. However, you can react to the On-Hold trigger and play units before it resolves. Sequence: - Temporary units die first - If you still have at least one unit, the hold trigger is created - You can react to the hold trigger by playing hidden units or other reaction speed effects - When the trigger resolves, if you have 7+ units, you get the point Nuances: - If only a temporary unit is present, the hold ability won't trigger at all (unless you react by playing another unit before the temporary unit dies) - You cannot react to the scoring step itself, only to triggered abilities that occur during scoring (like the On-Hold trigger) - Hidden units, Shen, and reaction speed moves can all be used to add units in response to the hold trigger

Ruling: Yes, Grand Stratagem boosts all friendly units including token units. Tokens are units and receive the +5 boost. Nuances: - In most cases, Grand Stratagem is used specifically to boost token units

Ruling: Grand Stratagem does not apply to units spawned after the spell resolves. When Grand Stratagem resolves, it gives its effect to units that exist at that moment, and units that enter the battlefield afterward are not given the buff. Sequence: - Grand Stratagem resolves - The spell gives +1 Might to all friendly units currently on the board - The effect is given to those specific units for the turn - Any units spawned afterward do not receive the buff because they were not given anything when the spell resolved Nuances: - The key distinction is the word "give" in the card text - effects that "give" something to units apply only to units present when the spell resolves - This differs from true aura effects like Imperial Decree or Unyielding Spirit, which use passive wording ("have" or "would be") and apply continuously to units that enter later - Cards that say "give" use active wording (simple present imperative) and apply their effect once, not continuously - Siphon Power works the same way as Grand Stratagem - it gives its effect to units at resolution, not as an ongoing aura

Ruling: Grand Stratagem gives its buff only to units present on the board when it resolves. Units that enter the board after resolution do not receive the buff. Sequence: - Grand Stratagem resolves - It buffs all units currently on the board at that moment - Any units entering the board afterward are not affected

Ruling: Grand Strategem only affects units that are in play when the spell resolves. Units that enter play afterwards do not gain the +5 might bonus. Sequence: - Grand Strategem is cast and resolves - All friendly units currently in play gain +5 might until end of turn - The spell is discarded after resolving - Any units that enter play after this point do not receive the bonus Nuances: - Spells cannot create passive effects that persist after they resolve and are discarded - "Friendly units" refers specifically to units in play at the time of resolution - The "this turn" wording indicates when the buff expires, not that it applies to all units played during the turn

Ruling: Green Yasuo's ability does not trigger in this scenario. The attacker/defender designation is determined by who initiated the contested status on the battlefield, not by which units move onto it. Since the opponent is attacking the battlefield, Yasuo is a defender and does not gain the attacker designation. Nuances: - The player who initiates contested status on a battlefield is the attacker, regardless of which units move onto the battlefield - 'When I attack' abilities trigger the first time a unit gains the attacker designation in each combat - A unit can gain the attacker designation multiple times in a single combat, but the 'when I attack' ability only triggers the first time per combat - A unit can trigger 'when I attack' abilities multiple times per turn if it participates in multiple combats

Yes, **Guardian Angel** prevents **Lonely Poro** from drawing a card. ### Reasoning * **Replacement Effect:** According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9367** and **Rule 369.1**, **Guardian Angel** acts as a replacement effect. When the unit would die, the effect replaces that "death" event with "kill this Guardian Angel instead," and the unit is healed and recalled to your base. * **Death Prevented:** Because the unit is recalled to the base, it never actually "dies" or is sent to the trash. * **Deathknell Requirement:** According to **Rule 808.1.d.1**, the **Deathknell** trigger condition is specifically the permanent being killed and sent to the trash. Since the "killed" event is replaced by a recall, the **Deathknell** condition is never met, and the ability does not trigger. This interaction is consistent with how other replacement effects, such as **Zhonya's Hourglass**, function in *Riftbound* (see **RiftJudge FAQ #8617**).

Ruling: When a unit is saved by Guardian Angel, it does not reset its Might. The unit retains all buffs, damage, exhausted status, and equipment when recalled to the base. Sequence: - Guardian Angel triggers as a Replacement Effect, so the unit never actually dies or goes to trash - The unit is healed and recalled to the base - All buffs (including +1 Might Buff tokens) remain on the unit - Equipment and its bonuses remain attached - Temporary "until end of turn" effects will still expire naturally at end of turn Nuances: - Recall moves a unit between Board Zones (battlefield to base), not to/from a Non-Board Zone - Buffs only get removed when a unit changes to or from a Non-Board Zone (hand, trash, deck) - The unit keeps its exact state (damage, buffs, exhausted status) when recalled unless the recall effect specifically states otherwise

Ruling: No, Guardian Angel triggering does not count as a move for Apprentice Smith's ability. Nuances: - Recall and Move are separate game actions and are not treated as the same thing

Ruling: No, Gust does not take effect before Assault. Assault is a passive ability that turns on immediately when a unit is designated as an attacker, which happens during cleanup after a move ends, before there are any opportunities to cast spells like Gust. Sequence: - Unit moves to an enemy-occupied battlefield - Battlefield becomes contested when the unit arrives - Cleanup begins at the end of the move - Attacker and Defender designations are assigned during cleanup - Assault and Shield turn on immediately upon designation - Cleanup completes (including marking Combat as pending) - Combat begins with Showdown - Showdown has an Initial Chain where "When I Attack" and "When I Defend" triggers occur Nuances: - Assault and Shield are passive abilities (always on/off based on designation), not triggers - Triggers are identifiable by the word "When" (like "When I Attack" or "When I Defend") - Spells like Gust only have opportunities to be cast after cleanup completes

Ruling: Gust targets based on the unit's current might, not the printed might on the card. Damage does not lower might, but effects that reduce might do affect targeting eligibility. Sequence: - Check the unit's current might (printed might modified by any effects) - If current might is 3 or less, the unit is a valid target for Gust - Damage on a unit does not change its might value Nuances: - If a 3 might unit has Discipline played on it (increasing might), it cannot be targeted by Gust - If a 5 might unit has Smokescreen played on it (reducing might to 3 or less), it can be targeted by Gust - Spells need to fulfill valid targets to be added to the chain; if no valid target exists, the spell cannot be played

*Heedless Resurrection* does not require you to pay any "recycle cost." The spell has an additional cost—killing a friendly unit—and it specifies that you play a unit from your trash that costs no more Energy and Power than the unit you killed. You do not need to pay the Energy or Power cost of the unit you are bringing back from the trash; the spell explicitly says to "ignore its cost." Furthermore, "Recycle" is a specific game action (Rule 416) that is not part of the cost or effect of *Heedless Resurrection*.

Ruling: Heimerdinger copies Renata's exhaust ability but not her passive battlefield restriction, so he can use her ability from base. He must still pay the full cost (recycle 4 blue, tap 4, and tap himself). Nuances: - Renata has only one exhaust ability that Heimerdinger can copy - The battlefield restriction is a separate passive effect, not part of the exhaust ability itself - Heimerdinger inherits the activation cost but not location-based restrictions

Ruling: Heimerdinger can only copy abilities that have the exhaust icon (symbol) at the start of the ability. If a card doesn't have the exhaust icon, Heimerdinger cannot copy it, even if the card exhausts as part of its effect. Nuances: - The exhaust symbol specifically represents exhausting as a cost (paid on activation), not exhausting as part of resolution - Activated abilities use "cost : effect" structure where everything before the colon is cost - Triggered abilities have effects (not costs in the same sense), and exhausting within a triggered ability happens on resolution, not activation - Altar of Memories is a triggered ability that exhausts on resolution as part of its effect, not as an activation cost - Heimerdinger is looking for abilities with the exhaust symbol, not just any effect that exhausts something at any point