Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Heimerdinger gains every ability that has exhaust in its cost from other game objects. He can use whichever abilities he wants by paying their individual costs (including exhaust). Sequence: - Heimerdinger gains each ability separately (e.g., if there are cards with ":exhaust: : do A", ":exhaust: : do B", and ":exhaust: : do C", he gains all three as distinct abilities) - To use any ability, he must pay its full cost including exhaust - He chooses which ability to activate each time Nuances: - He does not activate all effects simultaneously with one exhaustion - Each ability includes both its cost and effect - Examples of cards this applies to include Vik legend, seal, and Malz

Ruling: Heimerdinger has the ability and must pay the full cost when he uses an ability, including exhausting. Nuances: - If Heimerdinger uses an ability with a reaction tag (like Kai'Sa's ability), he can use it at reaction speed even though Heimerdinger himself doesn't have a reaction tag, because the reaction tag is on the ability itself.

Ruling: Heimerdinger does not trigger all exhaust abilities at once. He gains all exhaust abilities from your cards, and you must choose which one to activate when you exhaust him. Nuances: - Heimerdinger copies the abilities themselves, not their effects - You still need to pay any additional costs (like energy or power) required by the chosen ability - Only one ability can be activated per exhaustion

Ruling: No, Heimerdinger does not copy Renata's legend ability. An Exhaust ability must be an activated ability that has the Exhaust symbol as its cost. Nuances: - Having an Exhaust cost in text is not sufficient; the ability must have the actual Exhaust symbol to qualify as an Exhaust ability that Heimerdinger would copy.

Ruling: Heimerdinger can copy exhaust abilities from cards you or your ally controls that are currently in play (units and gear) or in the Legend Zone (legends). It cannot copy abilities from cards in the trash or other zones. Nuances: - Cards only apply their effects while in play unless stated otherwise - Legends are an exception because Heimerdinger specifically references "Friendly Legend" and legends can only exist in the Legend Zone - If Heimerdinger is alone in play with no other units, gear, or legends with exhaust abilities, it has nothing to copy

No, you do not draw 2 cards if your opponent uses **Fight or Flight** to move their unit to their base in response to **Hidden Blade**. According to the established rulings for this interaction: * **Target Legality:** When **Hidden Blade** resolves, it checks for a valid target. Because **Fight or Flight** moves the unit to the base before **Hidden Blade** resolves, the unit is no longer "at a battlefield." This makes the target illegal. * **Resolution:** When a spell resolves with an illegal target, the effect fails to apply. Because the target is illegal, the game cannot determine "its controller" to resolve the draw effect. Consequently, the unit is not killed, and no cards are drawn. This is a standard defensive play in Riftbound: moving a unit out of the battlefield in response to a targeted effect that requires a unit at a battlefield makes that target illegal, causing the spell to fizzle.

Ruling: Hidden Blade is still played and counts as being cast even if its target becomes invalid before resolution. The spell resolves to no effect, but Ravenbloom Student still gets the might increase because a spell was played. Only countering a spell prevents it from counting as being played. Sequence: - Player A plays Hidden Blade targeting their unit - Player B plays Gust removing the targeted unit - Hidden Blade resolves to no effect (no kill, no draw) - Ravenbloom Student still gains might because Hidden Blade was played Nuances: - If Hidden Blade's target is moved out of the battlefield before resolution, the draw effect is lost because the target is no longer valid - If the killing is replaced by a replacement effect (like Zhonya's), the draw still happens because the target remains valid - Baited Hook works differently because it moves its target as part of resolution, allowing it to check properties of the target after moving it

Ruling: Hidden Blade gives the draw if the unit survives with Zhonya's Hourglass because the unit is still in play and its controller can be established. If the unit is Retreated or moved to base before Hidden Blade resolves, you do not draw because it's no longer a legal target at a battlefield. Sequence: - Hidden Blade targets a unit at a battlefield - Cards check legality on finalize and on resolution - If the unit is still in play when resolving (even if it didn't die due to Hourglass), the controller can be established and you draw - If the unit is no longer in play or no longer at a battlefield, it's not a legal target and you don't draw Nuances: - Zhonya's Hourglass is unique because Hidden Blade already resolved with a legal target at a battlefield before Hourglass triggers - If the unit is moved to base via a flash effect before Hidden Blade resolves, you wouldn't draw

Ruling: No, the draw 2 does not happen if the unit is moved away from the battlefield before Hidden Blade resolves, because the spell cannot identify the controller of a unit that is no longer at the battlefield. Nuances: - If the unit was saved by an effect like Zhonya's (which presumably keeps it at the battlefield or maintains it as a legal target), the controller would still draw since the target was legal at the beginning of resolution - Spells don't fizzle for their target moving in Riftbound, but Hidden Blade specifically needs to reference the unit at the battlefield to execute the draw effect - If the unit is moved back to the battlefield before Hidden Blade resolves, the effect would go through

Ruling: Hidden Blade's controller only draws 2 cards if the target is still legal when the spell begins to resolve. The "its controller" wording requires a valid target to determine who draws. Sequence: - Hidden Blade targets a unit at a battlefield (with "here" restriction if played from hidden) - Before resolution, check if target is still valid - If target is valid, controller draws 2 and unit is killed - If target is invalid (moved to base/hand, already killed, etc.), no draw occurs Nuances: - If the unit's death is prevented by replacement effects (Zhonya's, Sett's ability, etc.), the target remains valid at resolution so the controller still draws 2 cards - If Hidden Blade was played from hidden, the target must still be at the same battlefield ("here" restriction) - This differs from cards like Void Seeker where the draw happens regardless of target validity because it doesn't reference "its controller"

Ruling: Hidden's reminder text is confusing and misleading when considered alone. Hidden Blade's reminder text says you can play it later for 0 and that it kills a unit at a battlefield, but it cannot actually kill a unit at a battlefield when being played from hidden. Nuances: - Reminder text in general does not always fully explain the mechanics (similar to how Adventure's reminder text doesn't explain the exile-on-resolution is a replacement effect) - This is acknowledged as a design issue that can be particularly off-putting to both enfranchised TCG players and newer players - The comprehensive rules have clunk and ambiguity that contribute to confusion

Yes, the controller of the unit targeted by **Hidden Blade** will still draw 2 cards if **Guardian Angel** is used to save it. ### Ruling When **Hidden Blade** resolves, it checks if its target is still a legal target on the battlefield. If the target is still on the battlefield (even if the "kill" effect is replaced by **Guardian Angel**'s effect), the spell successfully resolves, and the controller of the unit is established, allowing the draw effect to occur. ### Sequence 1. **Hidden Blade** is played, targeting a unit on the battlefield. 2. **Hidden Blade** resolves. It attempts to kill the target. 3. **Guardian Angel**'s replacement effect triggers, replacing the "kill" event with "Heal me, exhaust me, and recall me." 4. Because the unit was a legal target on the battlefield when **Hidden Blade** began resolving, the spell successfully completes its resolution. 5. The controller of the unit draws 2 cards. As noted in RiftJudge FAQs (such as FAQ #5700 and #4899), **Hidden Blade** does not require the unit to actually die to trigger the draw; it only requires the target to be valid on the battlefield when the spell resolves so that the game can identify the unit's controller. Since **Guardian Angel** keeps the unit on the board (or processes the replacement while the unit is still considered a valid target on the battlefield), the draw still happens.

Ruling: Hostile Takeover does choose a target, so it does not bypass Deflect. You must pay Deflect costs to play Hostile Takeover on an enemy unit with Deflect.

Yes, **Hostile Takeover** works on token units. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #8620**, token units are considered 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 **Hostile Takeover**.

To determine if the **Hunt** keyword resolves twice when holding at **Reckoner's Arena**, we must analyze the interaction between the **Hold** action, the **Reckoner's Arena** battlefield ability, and the definition of **Hunt**. ### The Ruling **Yes, a unit with Hunt will trigger its Hunt ability twice when you perform a "Hold" action at Reckoner's Arena.** ### Reasoning 1. **The Nature of Hunt:** According to **Rule 823.1.b**, Hunt is "both a Conquer and a Hold effect." **Rule 823.1.c.1** defines Hunt as: *"When I Conquer or Hold, my controller gains X XP."* 2. **The "Hold" Trigger:** When you perform a "Hold" action at Reckoner's Arena, you are fulfilling the "Hold" condition of the Hunt keyword. This places the Hunt ability on the chain as a triggered ability (Rule 383.3). 3. **The "Conquer" Trigger:** **Reckoner's Arena** has the ability: *"When you hold here, activate the conquer effects of units here."* As established in **FAQ 8550, 9002, and 9342**, this ability forces the "When I conquer" abilities of units present to trigger. Because Hunt is explicitly defined as a "Conquer effect" (Rule 823.1.b), the Arena's ability forces the "Conquer" portion of the Hunt keyword to trigger as a separate event. 4. **Precedent:** This follows the logic established in **FAQ 7492** and **FAQ 1341**. When a single card or keyword possesses multiple triggers (or is treated as such via effects like *Skyfall of Areion*), and an external effect (like Reckoner's Arena) forces the activation of one of those triggers while the other is met naturally, both triggers are placed on the chain. ### Sequence of Events 1. **Action:** You perform a "Hold" action at Reckoner's Arena. 2. **Trigger 1 (Hold):** The "Hold" condition of the Hunt keyword is met. The Hunt ability is placed on the chain. 3. **Trigger 2 (Conquer):** Reckoner's Arena's ability triggers: *"activate the conquer effects of units here."* This forces the "Conquer" condition of the Hunt keyword to trigger. A second instance of the Hunt ability is placed on the chain. 4. **Resolution:** Both instances of the Hunt ability resolve from the chain (LIFO), resulting in the controller gaining the Hunt value in XP twice. *** *This is my interpretation based on the provided rules and the precedent set by FAQ 1341 and FAQ 7492 regarding how Reckoner's Arena interacts with multi-trigger keywords.*

Yes, you need both targets to be able to play **Star-Crossed**. According to Rule 355.10, a game object mentioned in the text of a spell is a target unless it falls under specific exceptions. Because **Star-Crossed** instructs you to return "a friendly unit and an enemy unit," both are required targets. Furthermore, as established by RiftJudge FAQ 1462 (regarding *Back to Back*), spells that require multiple targets without "up to" language require all targets to be present and valid to be played. You cannot cast **Star-Crossed** if you do not have both a valid friendly unit and a valid enemy unit to target.

Ruling: Immortal Phoenix does not have an additional cost or alternate cost. Purple Ezreal only reduces optional additional costs (like Accelerate), so it does not work with Immortal Phoenix or Flame Chompers. Nuances: - Immortal Phoenix's "spend 1 power to play" is technically a cost within instructions, but not an "additional cost" because it doesn't explicitly say "as an additional cost" - Purple Ezreal reduces optional additional costs only - Deflect is functionally an additional cost in the rules, but purple Ezreal does not reduce Deflect costs because Deflect costs are not optional

Ruling: Yes, if you play Cull the Weak and kill one of your own units, Immortal Phoenix can return from the graveyard. Nuances: - Phoenix's effect does not require an enemy unit to be killed, so killing your own unit with Cull the Weak triggers the revival effect.

Ruling: Imperial Decree does not change how damage must be assigned during combat. You must still assign damage equal to or greater than a unit's current Might before assigning damage to another unit. The card creates a triggered ability that kills any unit when it takes damage, but this doesn't make small amounts of damage count as "lethal damage" for assignment purposes. Sequence: - Imperial Decree resolves and creates a lasting effect for the turn - During combat, damage is assigned following normal rules (must assign full Might to each unit before moving to the next) - When a unit takes any amount of damage, Imperial Decree triggers - The trigger goes on the chain and kills the unit when it resolves Nuances: - The effect applies to all units for the entire turn, including units played after Imperial Decree resolves (it modifies game rules, not individual units) - The intended use is to attack with multiple small units in separate combats/showdowns at the same battlefield - Units that take lethal damage from combat will already be dead before the Imperial Decree trigger resolves - The trigger can be reacted to, but cannot be stopped once on the chain

Yes, *Imperial Decree* triggers the moment a unit takes damage. According to the **RiftJudge FAQs (#1917, #5341, #8633)**, *Imperial Decree* creates a lasting effect for the turn that functions as a triggered ability. When any unit takes damage while this effect is active, the trigger fires immediately. Here is how the interaction works: 1. **The Trigger Event:** When a unit takes damage, the event of "taking damage" acts as the trigger condition. 2. **The Chain:** The trigger is placed on the chain. Because it is a triggered ability that uses the chain, it provides a window for players to play [REACTION] cards (such as flipping a hidden *Zhonya's Hourglass*) before the ability resolves. 3. **Resolution:** Once the chain resolves (or if no reactions are played), the effect executes, and the damaged unit is killed. **Important Nuances:** * **Not Retroactive:** As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #2873** and **#8633**, *Imperial Decree* only triggers for damage taken *after* it has resolved. It does not look back to kill units that were already damaged before the spell was cast. * **Damage Event vs. State:** It triggers on the *event* of receiving damage, not simply because a unit is currently in a damaged state. * **Combat Assignment:** *Imperial Decree* does not change standard combat damage assignment rules (you must still assign full might to a unit before moving to the next). However, because it kills units upon taking *any* amount of damage, it is effectively used to clear enemy boards by sending units into combat sequentially.

Ruling: Irelea's ability triggers each time she readies or is chosen by a spell/equipment, with no once-per-turn limit, so she can gain multiple +1 might in a single turn. Sequence: - If Irelea was exhausted at start of turn, she gains +1 might when she readies during Awaken phase - If a spell/equipment chooses her as a target, she gains +1 might from that trigger - Multiple triggers in the same turn stack (e.g., ready + Discipline + En Garde = +3 might total) Nuances: - She must be exhausted at start of turn to gain the +1 from readying during Awaken phase - Some spells affect units without choosing them (like Meditation) and would not trigger her ability - She cannot ready if she's already ready

No, Irelia, Fervent does not get +1 Might if *Cull the Weak* is countered. According to the official ruling for *Cull the Weak* (FAQ #8619): * *Cull the Weak* uses the structure "Each player kills a unit they control," which does not count as "choosing" or "targeting" for the purpose of triggering abilities like Irelia's. * Because the selection is programmatic and made by multiple players as part of the spell's resolution, it does not trigger "when you choose" abilities. Furthermore, regarding the interaction with countering: * Even if *Cull the Weak* were a card that *did* trigger Irelia (e.g., a spell that specifically said "Choose a unit, kill it"), if that spell were countered, it would be removed from the chain and would not resolve (Rule 412.1.a). * However, per FAQ #636, if a spell *did* trigger Irelia upon being played (when the target is chosen), that trigger would already be on the chain and would resolve even if the original spell were countered. In this specific case, because *Cull the Weak* does not "choose" or "target" Irelia in the first place, her ability does not trigger regardless of whether the spell resolves or is countered.

Ruling: Irelia Fervent only gets +1 Might from the battlefield effect, not +2. She does not get the bonus from her own Fervent ability because the battlefield trigger does not "choose" or target units—it is programmatically determined. Nuances: - Irelia Fervent specifically requires "when you choose or ready me" to trigger her bonus - The battlefield trigger is "programmatically chosen" rather than player-chosen, meaning the game automatically determines which unit is affected (the one that fulfilled the trigger condition) - "Choose" in Irelia's context is synonymous with "target"—a player decision, not an automatic game decision - Effects like Ezreal champion's "when I attack/defend" ability do target/choose, so they would trigger Fervent and must pay costs like Deflect - If the resolution text (after the comma) cannot automatically determine which object is affected (like "a unit here"), it usually targets

Yes, Irelia, Fervent will become 5 Might if she is exhausted at the start of your turn during the Ready Step (formerly the Awaken phase). According to **RiftJudge FAQ #236**: * **The Trigger:** During the Ready Step, you ready all exhausted game objects you control. Because you are the one readying her, this satisfies the condition of her ability: "When you choose or ready me, give me +1 Might this turn." * **The Result:** If Irelia was exhausted, she is readied, and her ability triggers, granting her +1 Might. Since her base Might is 4, she becomes 5 Might for the turn. * **Important Nuance:** If Irelia is already ready at the start of your turn, she cannot be readied again (Rule 415.1.b), so her ability will not trigger, and she will remain at 4 Might. Additionally, this only triggers if *you* are the one readying her; if an opponent's effect readies her, it does not trigger her ability.

Ruling: No, Irelia Fervent's ability does not trigger from enemy spells or effects. "You" refers to the controller of the card, so only effects controlled by Irelia's owner will trigger her ability. Nuances: - An enemy Stupify targeting Irelia would result in -1 ATK (no trigger from her ability) - Enemy effects that choose or ready Irelia do not trigger her ability

Ruling: Yes, Irelia Graceful can reduce the REPEAT cost because REPEAT is an optional additional cost, and discounts can apply to additional costs. However, the discount only applies once per spell, as REPEAT repeats the spell's effect but is not itself a new spell. Nuances: - REPEAT is not considered a spell itself, only a repeat of the spell's effect - The discount applies only once total, not separately to the REPEAT cost

No, using the Irelia Legend's ability (Blade Dancer) to ready a unit does not count as "choosing" that unit. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #6528** and **#8590**: * The Irelia legend ability "Blade Dancer" does not target or choose a unit when you pay [A] to ready it. * Because the ability does not target or choose, it does not trigger any other abilities that specifically require a unit to be "chosen" (such as the bonus on *Irelia, Fervent*). However, *Irelia, Fervent* has a specific ability that triggers when she is either "chosen **or readied**." So, while the Legend ability does not count as "choosing" her, it **does** count as "readying" her, which will still trigger her ability to gain +1 Might.

No, the **Blade Dancer** (Irelia's legend) ability does not target or "choose" the unit it readies. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #220** and **FAQ #703**, the ability's effect of readying a unit is not considered "choosing" or "targeting." When you perform an action that triggers Blade Dancer (like targeting a friendly unit with a spell), the unit that was the subject of that action is automatically the one that Blade Dancer readies. Because no further choice is made by the player to determine which unit to ready, it does not count as targeting. As a result: * The Blade Dancer ability will **not** trigger any effects that specifically look for a unit being "chosen" or "targeted" (such as Irelia, Fervent's bonus for being chosen). * However, successfully readying a unit via this ability **will** trigger effects that look for a unit being "readied."

Ruling: Yes, Irelia gets +1 from awaken phase even if she was exhausted.

Ruling: Irelia's Fervent effect triggers every time you target her or ready her, not just once per turn. Nuances: - A spell that readies her provides +2 Might (once for targeting, once for readying)

Ruling: Irelia's ability is not an optional additional cost and does not interact with Ezreal, Prodigy's cost reduction. Only costs that explicitly include both "may" and "as an additional cost" qualify as optional additional costs. Nuances: - The ability is optional (contains "may") and is a cost ("Do X To Y" structure), but it is not an "additional" cost - Ezreal specifically reduces "optional additional costs," not all optional costs - The distinction requires both the optional nature ("may") AND the "as an additional cost" wording to qualify

Ruling: Irelia, Fervent only gets +1 might at the start of turn if she is exhausted during the Awaken phase. If she is already ready, she does not trigger because a ready unit cannot be readied again. Sequence: - During Awaken phase, the turn player readies all exhausted game objects they control - If Irelia is exhausted, readying her triggers her "when you ready me" ability - She gains +1 might from the trigger - This creates a react window before the Beginning step Nuances: - A unit that is already ready cannot be readied again, so no trigger occurs if Irelia starts the turn ready - The Awaken phase counts as "you ready me" because the rule states the turn player readies their game objects - If an opponent readies Irelia (e.g., opposing MF moving), this would not trigger her ability since it requires "you" to ready her

Ruling: Iron Ballista counts as ability damage, so Unyielding Spirit prevents it. If you target a unit with Deflect, you must pay its power cost because you are choosing to select that unit. Nuances: - Iron Ballista is both ability damage and gear damage (though nothing currently cares about the gear damage distinction)

Yes, when a unit like **Ivern, Friend to All** dies and moves to the trash, it loses all temporary modifications and characteristics associated with its presence on the board. According to **Rule 110**: "Whenever a Game Object changes zones to or from a Non-Board Zone, all Temporary Modifications of all kinds cease to be tracked on it in all capacities." Because the tag gained by Ivern's ability is a modification to the card's state while it is in play, that tag is removed once the card leaves the board and enters the trash.

Yes, when **Ivern, Friend to All** moves to the trash (your graveyard), he loses the additional tag he gained. According to **Rule 110**: "Whenever a Game Object changes zones to or from a Non-Board Zone, all Temporary Modifications of all kinds cease to be tracked on it in all capacities." Because the tag gained by Ivern's ability is a modification to the card's state while it is in play, that tag is removed once the card leaves the board and enters the trash. This is also confirmed in **RiftJudge FAQ #9364** and **FAQ #9754**.

To answer your question: **No, healing your unit with Janna will not save it from the damage dealt by Elder Dragon’s play effect.** ### Reasoning This interaction relies on how Elder Dragon's passive ability modifies the rules for lethal damage. 1. **The Triggered Ability:** When you play Elder Dragon, its "When you play me" ability is placed on the chain, targeting your unit. 2. **The Passive Ability:** Elder Dragon’s passive ability states that "Any amount of your damage is enough to kill enemy units." This modifies the definition of lethal damage for any unit that has damage marked on it by the Elder Dragon's controller. 3. **The Resolution:** * You play Janna in response to Elder Dragon’s triggered ability. * Janna's ability resolves first: She heals your unit, removing any pre-existing damage. * The Elder Dragon's triggered ability then resolves: It deals 1 damage to your unit. * Because the Elder Dragon’s controller is the source of this damage, the passive ability recognizes that the unit now has damage marked on it by that player. * Per the modified definition of lethal damage, that 1 damage is sufficient to kill the unit. Healing the unit before the damage is dealt does not protect it because the damage event itself creates the condition—marked damage from the Elder Dragon's controller—that triggers the modified, instant-kill lethal threshold. ### Sequence of Events 1. **Play Phase:** Opponent plays Elder Dragon. Its triggered ability is placed on the chain, targeting your unit. 2. **Reaction Window:** You play Janna in response to the Elder Dragon trigger. 3. **Resolution:** * **Janna resolves:** Your unit is healed. * **Elder Dragon trigger resolves:** Your unit takes 1 damage. 4. **State Check:** Because the unit now has damage marked on it by the Elder Dragon's controller, the passive ability applies. Since the unit has non-zero damage that is considered lethal, it is killed. *Note: This interpretation is based on the specific interaction logic detailed in RiftJudge FAQ #10289 and #9964.*

No, Janna's healing ability does not remove Might reductions applied earlier in the turn. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #560**: * **Ruling:** Healing does not remove negative Might effects. Healing only removes marked damage from units. * **Nuances:** Negative Might effects (such as Stupefy or Smoke Screen) are not considered damage; they are stat modifications or debuffs. Healing specifically targets marked damage and does not clear these modifications. This is consistent with the general rules of *Riftbound*, where healing is defined as clearing damage from units (Rule 405.1), and stat modifications (like Might reductions) are tracked separately from damage.

Yes, moving an enemy unit with *Janna, Savior's* ability triggers **Deflect** because it requires you to "choose" a specific enemy unit. ### Why it triggers Deflect According to **Rule 355.7** and **Rule 809.1.d**, Deflect is a mandatory additional cost imposed on any spell or ability that chooses or targets a permanent with Deflect. * **Targeting vs. Affecting:** While *Janna's* ability does not explicitly use the word "target," it instructs you to "move up to one enemy unit." Because you must select a specific enemy unit on the board to move, you are **choosing** that unit. * **Mandatory Cost:** If you select an enemy unit that has **Deflect**, you must pay the Deflect cost as an additional cost to place that ability on the chain. ### Sequence and Interaction 1. **Playing Janna:** When you play *Janna, Savior*, she enters the board, and her "When you play me" ability is placed on the chain. 2. **Making Choices:** You decide whether to use the ability to move a unit. If you choose to move a unit, you must select which enemy unit to move at this time. 3. **Deflect Payment:** If the unit you chose has **Deflect**, you must pay the Deflect cost (in addition to any other costs for the ability) to finalize the ability on the chain. 4. **Inability to Pay:** If you cannot afford the Deflect cost, you cannot choose that unit as a target (**FAQ #8660**). **Summary:** Because the ability requires you to select a specific unit to move, it acts as a targeted ability for the purposes of the **Deflect** keyword. *This is my interpretation based on the mechanics of targeting and mandatory additional costs defined in Rule 355.7 and Rule 809.1. No official FAQ exists for this specific interaction with Janna, but it follows the established rulings for other cards with similar "move an enemy unit" effects (see RiftJudge FAQ #8505).*

Ruling: No, healing does not remove negative Might effects. Healing only removes marked damage from units. Nuances: - Negative Might effects (like Stupefy, Smoke Screen) are not considered damage - Healing specifically targets marked damage, not stat modifications or debuffs

Yes, the energy spent on **Repeat** costs counts toward the energy spent to play the spell for the purpose of triggering **Jhin, Meticulous Killer's** legend ability. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #10012**, when you play a spell with the **Repeat** keyword, you pay its base energy cost plus the additional **Repeat** cost. This total energy spent is what Jhin's ability checks to see if you have satisfied the requirement of spending [4] or more energy to play a spell that turn. Because **Repeat** is an optional additional cost paid during the process of playing the spell, that energy is considered part of the total energy spent to play that single spell instance. Even though the card text only shows the base cost in the top corner, the game accounts for the total energy paid during the play process. This is consistent with **Rule 356.4.f.1**, which establishes that costs paid during the play process contribute to the total energy spent, and **Rule 820.1.c.1**, which clarifies that the **Repeat** cost is an additional cost paid during the steps of playing the spell.

Ruling: Jinx Legend's ability triggers at the start of your Beginning Phase regardless of how many cards are in your hand, opening a chain. The condition of having 1 or fewer cards is checked on resolution, not when triggering. This allows players to play reactions during the chain and potentially meet the draw condition before the ability resolves. Sequence: - At start of Beginning Phase, Jinx Legend's ability triggers and opens a chain - Players can respond with reactions/cards - On resolution, check if you have 1 or fewer cards in hand - If condition is met, draw 1 card - This all happens before channeling a rune or drawing normally Nuances: - The wording "At start of your Beginning Phase, draw 1 if you have 1 or fewer cards" causes the ability to trigger based on timing, with the card count condition checked on resolution - If it were worded "At the start of your beginning phase while you have 1 or fewer cards in your hand, draw 1" it would only trigger when the condition is already met - A player with 6 cards could theoretically play reactions down to 1 card and still get the draw, all before the normal draw step

Ruling: Jinx Legend's ability triggers at the beginning of every turn regardless of how many cards she has in hand, and goes onto the chain. This gives all opponents an opportunity to play Reactions before the Scoring Step. Sequence: - Beginning Step occurs (Jinx Legend ability triggers) - All players get opportunity to play Reactions in turn order - Scoring Step occurs (hold points are scored) Nuances: - In FFA, all players at the table get the opportunity to play Reactions in turn order when Jinx's ability triggers - This is generally not a huge downside for Jinx since opponents have limited information at the beginning of her turn - they haven't seen what she'll do yet - The main advantage for opponents is forcing Jinx to awaken/use runes before they commit their Reaction, but this provides minimal information gain - Annie has a similar trigger at the end of her turn, which is more disadvantageous since opponents have seen the whole turn before deciding to react

Ruling: Yes, Jinx's ability is a trigger that opens a chain and can be reacted to. You can recognize triggers from the words "when" or "at". Sequence: - Beginning phase starts - Jinx trigger creates a chain as link 1 - Opponent can react (e.g., with cards like Gust as chain link 2) - Chain resolves in reverse order - When Jinx trigger resolves, it checks the condition at that time (if opponent bounced a unit to bring hand to 2 cards, Jinx does not draw) Nuances: - Jinx always triggers every turn at the beginning phase - The trigger checks hand size when it resolves, not when it triggers, so opponents can respond to prevent the draw by bouncing a unit to the Jinx player's hand - This happens before hold scoring, so there is always an opportunity to react against Jinx before she would hold, regardless of her hand size

Ruling: Ka'sai's ability provides 1 power of any color that can only be used to pay for Spell cards. This power can substitute for recycling one rune, but does not pay for energy costs. Sequence: - To play a spell card, you must pay both its energy cost and its power cost separately - Ka'sai's ability provides 1 power (of any color) that counts toward the power cost - You still need to pay the full energy cost through other means - If a spell needs 2 power, you can use Ka'sai's 1 power plus recycle 1 rune (instead of recycling 2 runes) Nuances: - Ka'sai's power can ONLY be used for spell cards, not other card types - The power must match the color requirement of the spell (Ka'sai can provide any color) - Power and energy are separate costs - Ka'sai only helps with power, not energy

Yes, Kadregrin can count itself. According to the official FAQ: **Q: Can Kadregrin count itself?** **A: Ruling: Yes, Kadregrin can count itself.**

Kai'Sa, Daughter of the Void gives floating **power**, not energy. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #2634** and **#5342**, Kai'Sa's ability specifically adds power to your rune pool. This power is restricted and can only be used to pay for the power costs of spells; it cannot be used to pay for energy costs (the numbered cost in the top corner of a card) or to pay for unit costs. Additionally, as clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #8961**, this power can be "floated" (retained) in your rune pool until the end of your turn, allowing you to accumulate it for later use.

Ruling: Kai'sa must survive and remain on the battlefield when the conquer occurs in order for her triggered ability to enter the chain and draw a card. If she dies during combat, you will not draw a card. Nuances: - Triggered abilities of permanents only enter the chain if the permanent remains on board at that time

Ruling: Kaisa's Accelerate costs both 1 energy and 1 power. Nuances: - The circled number symbol represents energy cost - The colored symbol represents power cost

Ruling: No, Karma Channeler does not trigger when you pay recycling costs for runes. Runes are not cards and Karma received errata clarifying she only cares about Main Deck cards, which runes are not part of. Nuances: - Karma Channeler will trigger off her own Vision if you recycle the card itself - Recycling runes never triggered Karma, but the errata made this more clear

Ruling: Karma's ability does not trigger when recycling runes to pay for Sett legend's ability because runes are not cards. Nuances: - Karma's card text specifically states that runes are not cards - For rules purposes, "cards" always refers to main deck cards, which runes are not