Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, Ember Monk does not get +2 might. In Riftbound, a card is not considered "played" until it fully resolves. Since Defy counters Consult the Past before it resolves, it was never "played" and therefore does not trigger Ember Monk's ability. Sequence: - You attempt to play Consult the Past from hidden - Opponent plays Defy targeting Consult the Past - Consult the Past is countered and does not resolve - Since Consult the Past never resolved, it was never "played" - Ember Monk's trigger condition is not met, so no +2 might Nuances: - There is a distinction between "play" (the act of putting a card on the chain) and "played" (a card that has resolved) - Cards with "When You Play Me" (WYPM) triggers work differently because they are permanents that resolve instantly before their triggers go on the chain - The rules language around "play" vs "played" has some inconsistencies that may create edge cases with cards like Raging Firebrand

Ruling: No, Lucian does not deal damage. If Lucian dies to Ezreal's trigger before his own trigger resolves, the returned value would be Null and wouldn't do any damage. Sequence: - Ezreal's defender ability triggers first - Ezreal deals 3 damage to Lucian, killing him - Lucian's attacker trigger attempts to resolve - Since Lucian is no longer in play (in trash), the ability executes what it can but cannot deal damage Nuances: - The trigger doesn't completely disappear, but it returns a Null value since the source is no longer present - The ability executes what it can, but cannot deal damage when the source unit is in the trash

Ruling: Yes, you can use Mushroom Pouch's effect to draw a card. Both Temporary (from Fading Memories) and Mushroom Pouch trigger at the start of your beginning phase simultaneously, and since you control both triggers, you choose the order in which they resolve. Sequence: - Both triggers (Temporary and Mushroom Pouch) occur at the start of your beginning phase - You choose the order of resolution - If you resolve Mushroom Pouch first, you draw a card, then Temporary resolves and the unit dies - If you resolve Temporary first, the unit dies and the hidden card goes away, making Pouch invalid Nuances: - The key is that both triggers happen simultaneously at the same timing, giving the controlling player choice of ordering - If you want to draw the card, you must choose to resolve Mushroom Pouch before Temporary

Ruling: Yes, the unit keeps the Temporary keyword even after being saved by Sett's legend ability. Nuances: - The unit will die again at the end of the next turn due to retaining Temporary

Ruling: Yes, Lux's Legend still gets triggered when Falling Comet is reacted with Retreat because the card still resolves and counts as played.

Ruling: Yes, if Falling Comet deals damage equal to or greater than the unit's might, it kills the unit before combat damage is dealt. Sequence: - Actions can be played when entering a showdown, starting a chain - Players can play reactions to that action - The chain resolves (spells take effect) - After the chain resolves, players can start a new chain - If no new chain is started, combat damage is dealt - Units killed by spells before combat damage do not deal their combat damage Nuances: - If a spell deals damage less than a unit's might, the unit is damaged but survives and will still deal its full might as combat damage (though it needs less additional damage to be destroyed)

Ruling: Yes, the unit dies. When Thousand-Tailed reduces the unit's might while it still has damage marked from Falling Star, the damage can exceed the reduced might total, causing the unit to die. Sequence: - Falling Star deals damage to a unit (leaving it with 3 HP remaining) - The unit has 6 might and 3 damage marked on it - Thousand-Tailed is played, reducing the unit to 3 might - The unit now has 3 might and 3 damage marked, causing it to die Nuances: - This only works if both cards are played in the same turn with no combat in between, otherwise the damage would be healed

Ruling: The unit dies. Moving the unit to base doesn't make it an illegal target, so Falling Star will still deal the damage when the trigger resolves.

Ruling: Yes, Sett dies. Units with lethal damage (damage equal to or greater than Might) are killed during cleanup. Sequence: - Falling Star deals damage to Sett - Smoke Screen reduces Sett's Might - During cleanup, the game checks if damage equals or exceeds current Might - Sett is killed because the damage now equals or exceeds his reduced Might

Ruling: No. Annie only increases existing instances of damage. Since Stupify does not originally deal damage, Annie does not cause it to deal damage. Nuances: - Annie's effect only amplifies damage that is already present on a card, it does not add new damage to cards that don't deal damage

Ruling: Dragon's Rage fails to move the unit because the destination (base) is now the same as the unit's current location. Since the unit was not actually moved by Dragon's Rage, the reflexive trigger is not put on the chain at all. Sequence: - Dragon's Rage is played, targeting Ember Monk and choosing base as the destination - Fight or Flight is played as a reaction and resolves first, moving Ember Monk to base - Dragon's Rage resolves but cannot move the unit (origin and destination are the same) - The reflexive trigger does not go on the chain because the unit was not actually moved by Dragon's Rage Nuances: - The destination must be chosen when Dragon's Rage is played (before it goes on the chain), per rule 352.3 - The FAQ explicitly states: "If there's no enemy there, or if you didn't actually move the unit you chose for any reason (and therefore there's no 'its destination' to reference), the trigger isn't put on the chain at all" - The destination is tied to the specific movement effect; if another effect moves the unit, Dragon's Rage's destination reference no longer applies

Ruling: No, Yasuo's 'When I Attack' ability does not resolve if Fight or Flight is used on him as a reaction during the attack, because the ability targets "here" and the target is no longer legal when Yasuo moves zones. Sequence: - Yasuo attacks and triggers his 'When I Attack' ability - Fight or Flight is played as a reaction from hidden, moving Yasuo to another zone - Yasuo's ability fails to resolve because the target location "here" is no longer where Yasuo is Nuances: - Fight or Flight must be played as a reaction from hidden for this interaction to work. If played as an action from hand, Yasuo's ability would have already resolved before Fight or Flight could be played.

Ruling: No, Lee Sin does not become exhausted. Only a standard move has the cost of exhausting a unit; every other move effect will not alter the state of a unit unless it explicitly says so. Nuances: - After being moved by Fight or Flight, Lee Sin can still move to the battlefield to conquer (assuming you haven't scored that battlefield via holding or conquering this turn)

Ruling: Hidden Blade does not kill the unit and its controller does not draw 2 cards. When the unit is moved to base before Hidden Blade resolves, the target becomes invalid and the game cannot track the controller information. Sequence: - Fight or Flight is played in response to Hidden Blade, moving the targeted unit from battlefield to base - When Hidden Blade resolves, it checks for a valid target - The target is now invalid (not at a battlefield) - Hidden Blade resolves with no effect, cannot change targets - No cards are drawn because controller information is not available for invalid targets Nuances: - This differs from replacement effects like Zhonya's, where the target remains valid when Hidden Blade begins resolving, so the controller still draws 2 cards even if the unit doesn't die - The key distinction is whether the target is legal when the spell starts to resolve - if legal at resolution start, controller information is available; if illegal, controller becomes null - The unit dying is not a requirement for drawing cards, but having a legal target at resolution is required

Ruling: When Charm is played, you must declare both the target and destination. If the unit is moved to that same destination before Charm resolves (via Fight or Flight on the chain), Charm will resolve but have no effect since the unit is already at the declared location. Sequence: - Charm is played, declaring target unit and destination location (locked in at time of play) - Fight or Flight is played in response, moving the unit to base - Fight or Flight resolves first, moving unit to base - Charm resolves but has no effect since unit is already at the declared destination Nuances: - The spell still "resolves" even though it has no effect (important for cards that care about spells resolving) - You cannot re-choose Charm's destination once it's on the chain, even if the game state changes

Ruling: Combat does not end when units are moved out of the battlefront. The showdown continues with focus being passed until both players pass on the same empty chain. Sequence: - Fight or Flight moves the attacking unit out of the battlefront - Combat does not end - Focus continues to be passed - Both players can play actions - Showdown ends when both players pass on the same empty chain

Ruling: Fiora's ability does not trigger. Her trigger condition requires her to be attacking or defending one-on-one at the time attack/defend triggers are evaluated. Since she is not one-on-one when triggers are initially checked, her ability does not go on the chain at all, and playing Fog of War afterward cannot retroactively create the trigger. Sequence: - Combat is declared with 2 attackers against Fiora - Attack/defend triggers are evaluated and added to the chain - Reavers triggers (if applicable), but Fiora does not trigger because she is not one-on-one - After initial triggers are on the chain, Fog of War can be played - Fog of War resolves and removes one attacker, but this does not allow Fiora's trigger to be added retroactively Nuances: - It is more accurate to say Fiora's ability "doesn't trigger at all" rather than being "missed" - a missed trigger infraction would only apply if the trigger condition was met but the player failed to acknowledge it - Reaction speed of Fog of War does not matter; triggers are evaluated before players can add reactions to the chain - The timing of when triggers are evaluated versus when reactions can be played is the key distinction

Ruling: Once Fiora's ability triggers and goes on the chain, her might will double when it resolves. The trigger condition ("one on one") is checked when the ability triggers, not when it resolves, so revealing the hidden card afterward does not prevent the might doubling. Sequence: - Fiora attacks a battlefield with 1 unit and 1 hidden card - Her ability triggers and goes on the chain (condition met: only 1 unit visible) - Opponent cannot flip the hidden card as a reaction to prevent the trigger - Ability resolves and her might doubles Nuances: - The "one on one" condition is part of the trigger condition, not the effect, so it's checked at trigger time only - Once the ability is on the chain, revealing additional units will not undo or prevent the might doubling

Ruling: No, the opponent does not need to recycle a card. Once a spell is finalized (costs paid and targets chosen), gaining Deflect afterward does not trigger the Deflect cost requirement. Sequence: - Opponent plays spell targeting Fiora (who does not have Deflect yet) - Opponent pays costs and chooses targets (spell is finalized) - Player reacts by increasing Fiora's might, giving her Deflect - Spell resolves without requiring the Deflect cost Nuances: - It doesn't matter if Fiora gains Deflect before the spell resolves; what matters is whether she had Deflect when the spell was finalized (when costs were paid and targets were chosen)

Ruling: Yes, Fiora gets the +1 from Shield when she gains Mighty during combat, even after being declared as a defender. Nuances: - Shield and Assault are passive "while" effects, not triggered "when" abilities - They do not use the chain and are always active when their conditions are met - If Fiora gains Mighty from Shield itself (like from Fortified Position), she gets both bonuses at once

Ruling: Yes, Fiora's might still doubles. The trigger condition is only checked when determining whether the trigger should go onto the chain, not when it resolves. Sequence: - Fiora attacks what appears to be a one-on-one situation - Attack trigger checks condition and goes onto the chain as "double my might this combat" - Defender reveals hidden Teemo - Trigger resolves and doubles Fiora's might regardless of the changed battlefield state Nuances: - This works this way because Fiora uses "when" (trigger) rather than "while" (passive). A passive ability like "my might is doubled while I am attacking one on one" would continuously check the condition and would not double might after Teemo is revealed. - The comma placement in the card text determines what is the trigger condition versus what is the effect.

Ruling: Yes, Fiora can be chosen by Challenge and deal her doubled 6 damage. Combat does not end when Fight or Flight resolves and moves Fiora to base. Sequence: - Fiora defends at battlefield and triggers her On Defend ability, doubling her might to 6 during the Initial Chain - Initial Chain closes - Fight or Flight is played, targeting Fiora - Fiora moves to base when Fight or Flight resolves - Combat continues - both players can still play cards - Challenge can be played, choosing Fiora and the attacking unit - Fiora deals 6 damage - Combat only ends when both players pass with focus on an empty chain Nuances: - Fiora retains her doubled might even after moving to base, as the buff persists for the duration of combat - A unit moving out of the battlefield during combat does not automatically end the combat

Ruling: Yes, First Mate will ready the enemy unit. Nuances: - Triggers always enter unless there's no valid target - If a valid target exists, it must be chosen to add the effect to the chain - You cannot ignore a valid target even if it's an enemy unit

Ruling: No, Fizz cannot recycle Arcane Shift after it gets banished. Effects can only interact with banished cards if they were the ones that banished that card. Sequence: - Fizz targets Arcane Shift in trash - Arcane Shift gets banished (due to its own effect) - Fizz can no longer interact with the card because it didn't banish it - Arcane Shift is not recycled Nuances: - An effect can only interact with a banished card if that same effect was responsible for banishing it - Once a card moves to banish zone, effects that didn't cause the banishment lose the ability to reference that card

Ruling: Damage dealt by Flurry of Blades (or other effects) outside of combat persists on units until either a combat showdown occurs or the turn ends. The damage does not heal immediately after the effect resolves. Sequence: - Activate Flurry of Blades before combat to deal damage - Damage remains marked on all affected units - Damage persists until either: (1) a combat showdown completes, or (2) the turn ends - At that point, all damage on all units at all locations clears simultaneously Nuances: - There are two types of showdowns: regular showdown (moving into an open battlefield) and combat showdown (moving into an opponent-controlled battlefield) - Only combat showdowns clear damage, not regular showdowns - When damage clears, it clears from all units everywhere, not just those involved in the combat

Ruling: Fox-Fire cannot kill both units. When Fox-Fire resolves, it can kill units with a total of up to 4 Might among its targets. Since the targets now total 6 Might (one 2-Might unit and one 4-Might unit), Fox-Fire can only kill one of them, not both. Sequence: - Fox-Fire is cast, targeting both 2-Might units - Discipline is played in response, buffing one unit to 4 Might - Fox-Fire resolves with both targets still valid but now totaling 6 Might - The Fox-Fire player chooses to kill either the 2-Might unit or the 4-Might unit, but cannot kill both Nuances: - Targets are selected when the spell is cast, but the spell's instructions (total of 4 Might) must still be followed when it resolves - There is a common misconception that Fox-Fire can kill all units that each have 4 Might or less, which is incorrect - Pixelborn has a bug with this interaction and should not be relied upon for correct rulings

Ruling: The spell will still resolve, but nothing will happen because Foxfire specifically requires the unit to be at a battlefield. Nuances: - The spell does not fizzle completely, it just has no effect - No new target is chosen

Ruling: The target becomes invalid and Foxfire will not resolve. The kill should not happen. Nuances: - This interaction is bugged on Pixelborn, where Foxfire incorrectly still kills the unit even after it exceeds the might threshold

Ruling: No, Yasuo's ability will not deal damage if he is killed or removed before it resolves. The ability fizzles because it deals damage to a unit "here" (at Yasuo's location), and if Yasuo is no longer on the battlefield, the effect cannot resolve. Sequence: - Yasuo attacks and his ability triggers, targeting an opponent's unit - In response, Hidden Blade kills or removes Yasuo - Yasuo's ability attempts to resolve but fails because Yasuo is no longer "here" - The targeted unit takes no damage Nuances: - This ruling applies to any ability that references "here" - the source must still exist at that location for the effect to resolve - If Yasuo is moved to a different location (like being sent back to base with Zhonya), the same principle applies - the ability trigger still exists on the chain but cannot resolve because the targeted unit is no longer at the same location as Yasuo - Effects that specify a fixed amount of damage (like "deal 5 damage") would still resolve even if the source dies - Under current rules, if a unit dies, it is treated as having 0 Might, though this may change in future rules updates

Ruling: When Garen is killed in combat, his +1 Might buff ends immediately, but other units he was buffing will survive if they took damage during that same combat. The damage is cleared from surviving units before the game checks for lethal damage again. Sequence: - Combat damage is assigned to all units - Units with lethal damage (like Garen) are killed and sent to trash (Garen's ability stops working) - Contested status is cleared from the battlefield - All marked damage is cleared from remaining units - A cleanup occurs to check for any units with lethal damage (but the previously buffed units now have 0 damage) Nuances: - Under revised rules, combat damage is dealt, units with lethal damage are killed, then units are immediately healed of all damage before lethal damage is checked again - This means units buffed by Garen will survive even if the damage they took would be lethal without his buff - The combat resolution and cleanup timing rules are under revision, but the core interaction (buffed units surviving) will remain the same

Ruling: Yes, you still have to discard a card even if there is no valid target when Get Exited! resolves. Sequence: - Get Exited! is played targeting a unit - Opponent responds with Hidden Blade, killing their own unit - Chain resolves: Get Exited! has no valid target, but the caster still must discard a card

Ruling: No, Svellsongur gives units a copy of their own abilities, not abilities from other units. White Flame Protector will have two copies of its own "when you play me" ability, but nothing will trigger them since the unit is already in play. Nuances: - Svellsongur only copies abilities that belong to the unit itself - The copied abilities on White Flame Protector won't trigger because the unit has already been played

Ruling: Yes, Yasuo will deal his attack trigger damage and not take combat damage. Yasuo's ability damage is dealt before Actions as part of the Initial Chain, while Ride the Wind is an Action Speed Spell, so his attack trigger will resolve before he is moved. Sequence: - Yasuo triggers showdown as attacker - Yasuo's attack trigger damage is dealt (as part of Initial Chain) - Ride the Wind can be cast (Action Speed) - Yasuo is moved and readied, avoiding combat damage Nuances: - To avoid the damage from Yasuo's attack trigger, you would need to move or kill him with a Reaction Speed spell, not an Action Speed spell - When Yasuo re-attacks after being readied, the damage from his first attack trigger is still present on the target because a combat showdown occurred (even though combat damage didn't happen), and units only heal after combat or at end of turn - "Combat" is a process that includes the Showdown and Combat Damage as separate parts; combat damage does not need to be dealt for a Combat Showdown to have occurred

Ruling: Yes, Yasuo's might can be increased to 7 before his ability resolves. Sequence: - Green Yasuo's ability and Mask of Foresight's ability both trigger simultaneously when Yasuo solo moves into a battlefield with an enemy unit - The player controlling both abilities selects the order to place them on the Chain - By ordering Mask of Foresight's ability to resolve first, Yasuo will be at 7 might when his ability resolves

Ruling: Green Yasuo's ability will mistarget and not resolve because "here" refers to Yasuo's location, which is no longer where the target unit is after Fight or Flight moves it. Nuances: - The ability targets a unit at a specific location ("here" = Yasuo's location) - Even though the opponent's unit is still on the battlefield, it's no longer at the required location - This results in a mistarget, causing the ability to fail to resolve

Ruling: Yes, you can play a reaction spell to raise the might above 3. Gust will still resolve but won't do anything because it checks the target's might at resolution, not just at activation. Nuances: - Gust does not "fizzle" - it resolves without effect if the target is no longer valid

Ruling: Gust will still resolve, but it will not return the unit to hand since the unit no longer meets the targeting criteria. The spell does not fizzle (go to trash without resolving). Nuances: - This distinction matters for effects that care about spells resolving, such as Ravenbloom Student - In Riftbound, spells don't fizzle in the traditional sense - they either resolve, are countered, or are illegal to play (in which case all actions are undone) - When a spell resolves but its target is no longer valid, it resolves but does nothing (different from fizzling)

Ruling: Harnessed Dragon kills the originally targeted enemy unit, even if Tide Turner swaps the battlefields after the target is declared.

Ruling: Yes, Fizz can play spells at reaction speed when played by Here to Help, including cards like Invert Timelines. You still have to pay the power costs for any cards played. Nuances: - Fizz can even play the same Here to Help that summoned him, since Here to Help fully resolves and goes to the trash before Fizz's triggered ability resolves

Ruling: Yes, Immortal Phoenix will trigger. The source of the damage that killed the Poro is the Hextech Ray, so it's considered to have killed it. Nuances: - The game does not treat this as state-based actions killing the unit; the spell itself is considered the source of the kill.

Ruling: No, Hextech Ray cannot change targets. Once an item has been finalized to the chain with its target chosen, there is no rule that allows you to go back and change targets even if the original target becomes illegal. Sequence: - Step one: When playing Hextech Ray, you make necessary choices (including target selection) while the item is still pending - Step two: Once those choices are made and the item is finalized to the chain, the targeting is locked in - Step three: If the target later becomes illegal (such as being returned to hand), the item cannot retarget

Ruling: Hidden Blade does not kill the unit and no one draws 2 cards. When the unit moves to a different battlefield, it becomes an invalid target for the hidden card, causing Hidden Blade to resolve with no effect. Sequence: - Hidden Blade is cast from hidden and targets the attacking unit at battlefield A - Tideturner is cast in response - Tideturner swaps places with the targeted unit, moving it to battlefield B - Hidden Blade fails to find a valid target "at this battlefield" so it kills nothing - Since the target is invalid, the controller information returns null, so no one draws Nuances: - Hidden cards can only target units at their battlefield, so once the unit moves, it's no longer a valid target for a hidden card - This is different from death replacement effects (like Zhonya's) where the unit still dies and the draw still happens, because replacement effects alter how an event happens but it still happens - If Hidden Blade were played from hand (not hidden), moving the unit to a different battlefield would still allow the draw to occur - The second clause of Hidden Blade (drawing 2) is dependent on the first clause (killing) having a valid target; if the target is invalid, the information returns as null

Ruling: Yes, Hidden Blade loses its target and no unit will die and no cards will be drawn. However, the card is still considered played (so effects like Ravenbloom that trigger on playing cards still work). Sequence: - Hidden Blade is flipped from hidden targeting a unit at a specific battlefield - Tideturner is flipped in response, moving the unit to a different battlefield - Hidden Blade resolves but the target is now illegal (unit is at a different battlefield) - No unit dies and no cards are drawn - Hidden Blade is still considered played for other card effects Nuances: - Hidden Blade played from hand only requires the unit to be at any battlefield at resolution - Hidden Blade played from hidden has an extra targeting requirement that the unit must be at that specific battlefield - When played from hidden, if the target becomes illegal, the controller cannot be determined, so no cards are drawn - Effects always resolve doing as much as they can unless countered - This interaction does NOT work the same way with Riptide Rex, as Rex only requires the unit to be at any battlefield

Ruling: No. Spells and play effects of units played from hidden can only target game objects at the battlefield where they were played from unless the targeting specifies otherwise. Nuances: - This restriction only applies to targeted effects; untargeted effects (like the second part of Stand United) don't have this restriction - Play effects that explicitly specify another battlefield (like Tideturner) are exempt from this restriction - While saying hidden effects add the word "here" is a common shorthand, it's not technically accurate because it wouldn't correctly describe untargeted effects or cards that specify other battlefields

Ruling: No, you do not draw 2 cards. When a spell is countered, it is removed from the chain without any resolution and none of the countered card's instructions will be carried out. Sequence: - Defy resolves - The countered spell (Hidden Blade) is immediately removed from the chain - Hidden Blade never resolves, so its draw effect does not happen Nuances: - The countered card does not count as a "played" card since it never resolved - Once removed from the chain, the countered spell cannot be targeted by other effects (it no longer exists)

Ruling: The unit's controller will not draw 2 cards. Nuances: - When Retreat returns the unit to hand, the controller cannot be established for the draw effect

Ruling: The unit remains a valid target for Blitzcrank. You will save the unit and draw 2 cards from Hidden Blade, but the unit still gets pulled to fight Blitzcrank. Sequence: - Hidden Blade kills the buffed unit - Unit returns to base (saved by Sett's effect) - Draw 2 cards from Hidden Blade - Unit still gets pulled by Blitzcrank to fight it - Unit fights Blitzcrank without its buff Nuances: - Blitzcrank has no location restriction on where the enemy target has to be, so it can pull from base - If Blitzcrank's text specified "on a battlefield" as a targeting requirement, then recalling the unit would cause the effect to whiff

Ruling: No, the damage will not happen. When Crackshot Corsair dies before its trigger resolves, the trigger still resolves but cannot define "here" and does nothing. Sequence: - Crackshot Corsair attacks and its trigger goes on the stack - Hidden Blade is played in response, killing Crackshot Corsair - Crackshot's trigger resolves but fails to do anything because Crackshot is no longer "here" Nuances: - If the ability did not include the word "here" (e.g., "when I attack, deal 1 damage"), it would still resolve and deal damage even if the unit died - The word "here" is a limiting factor that requires the unit to still be in its original location for the effect to work - Other cards like Leona also use "here" and would have the same interaction - Cards like Falling Star that don't reference location work regardless of where the unit ends up

Ruling: When Hidden Blade resolves and cannot find its target on the battlefield, it cannot kill the unit and therefore cannot determine who the controller was, so the draw effect does not trigger. Sequence: - Hidden Blade resolves - It looks for its target on the battlefield - Target cannot be found (due to flash/removal) - Cannot kill the target - Cannot determine the controller - Draw effect does not occur

Ruling: The Hidden Blade spell does not fizzle, but Jinx becomes an illegal target after switching locations with Tideturner. The spell resolves to no effect, and Tideturner survives. Sequence: - Hidden Blade targets Jinx on the battlefield - Player reveals Tideturner in reaction and switches it with Jinx - Jinx is now at a different location, making it an illegal target - Hidden Blade resolves to no effect Nuances: - Tideturner is an exception to the normal hidden targeting restriction because its ability can never target units on the same battlefield where it was hidden (after errata) - The hidden targeting restriction only applies when choosing targets, but targets must still be legal when the spell resolves - If a target becomes illegal during resolution (like moving to another location), the spell resolves to no effect