Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, you do not need to pay the deflect cost. Fiora was already targeted when the challenge was declared. Sequence: - Challenge is declared targeting Fiora (who is not mighty at this time) - Opponent plays a card giving Fiora +3, making her mighty - The challenge proceeds without requiring deflect payment Nuances: - Deflect cost is only paid when you would put the spell on the chain, not when stats change after targeting

Ruling: If a unit moves, it moves and triggers "When I move" effects. Recall is not considered a move (cards specify "this is not a move" for recall). Charming an opponent's merchant causes it to move and trigger. Nuances: - "This is not a move" text is specifically for recall effects - When moving to a battlefield, "When I move" triggers must resolve before combat/showdown can begin

Ruling: You cannot change your target if your opponent reacts and moves the original target from the battlefield to base. Nuances: - Once a target is chosen, it is locked in even if the target becomes invalid due to opponent reactions

Ruling: You cannot win this way. To win by conquering all 3 battlefields, you must score all of them during the same turn. Since you passed your turn, it is no longer the same turn where you scored the other 2 battlefields. Nuances: - You CAN win on an opponent's turn, but only if a single unit moves to all 3 battlefields and wins all 3 showdowns in one turn (such as being charmed multiple times in sequence) - Special card mechanisms like Yasuo/Trynd may also allow winning outside your turn - When your unit conquers a battlefield on an opponent's turn (but doesn't win the game), you still draw a card

Ruling: Yes, you can draw from Zaun Warrens and then discard that card to return Rocket from trash. Sequence: - Order the triggers with Rocket above Zaun Warrens on the stack - Zaun Warrens resolves first: you can't discard (empty hand), then you draw 1 card - Rocket trigger resolves: you can now discard the card you just drew to return Rocket to hand

Ruling: Yes, you still draw a card from the Zaun Warrens trigger even if you have no cards in hand to discard. Nuances: - The inability to discard does not prevent the draw from occurring

Ruling: No, you do not gain another point. You can only score each battlefield once per turn, even if you lose and regain control of it during the same turn.

Ruling: Yes, you get a conquer point and the card draw. You can only score 1 point per battlefield per turn, so if you already scored at that battlefield during your own turn, you cannot score there again until the next turn cycle. Nuances: - If this would be the final point of the game, you cannot score it unless you have scored at every battlefield "this" turn. In that case, you would draw 1 extra card instead of getting the final point. - Other cards may override the one-point-per-battlefield-per-turn rule if they explicitly say otherwise.

Ruling: No, you do not score again. A player may only score once per battlefield per turn, regardless of the method (Conquer or Hold). Nuances: - Even though the battlefield becomes empty and you gain control of it again, the restriction is based on whether you already scored from that battlefield this turn - This applies to both Conquer and Hold scoring methods

Ruling: You only need to score both battlefields to win the final point; it doesn't matter what happens to the units afterwards. If you were within 2 points of the winning score at the start of the turn, conquering both battlefields wins the game even if the unit moves or leaves after the first conquest. Sequence: - Conquer the first battlefield - The conquest counts even if the unit subsequently leaves - Conquer the second battlefield (via retreat and replay with accelerate, or other movement) - Win the game if you were at 6 or 7 points when the turn began Nuances: - A common example is Vi + Ride the Wind combo where Vi conquers one battlefield, then uses ganking to move to the second battlefield while ready, winning the game

Ruling: No, only the turn player can issue standard movement by exhausting units. The opponent cannot move awake units from base to contest a conquest through standard movement. Sequence: - When you move into an open battlefield, a showdown begins - You gain focus to activate actions or reactions and start a chain - If you don't, your opponent can do the same, even without units on that battlefield - Once both players pass, the showdown ends - If you still have units on the battlefield, you conquer it (gain a victory point and trigger on conquer effects) Nuances: - The opponent can move units onto the battlefield using an action or reaction that moves a unit (such as Zenith Blade) - If units are moved this way, the current showdown is paused and a new combat showdown begins - If the opponent wins that combat, they will conquer the battlefield - After the combat showdown resolves, the original showdown continues

Ruling: No, your opponent does not win before you. When you move to a battlefield and start a showdown, if your opponent uses Ride the Wind to move to another battlefield during that showdown, their showdown is "staged" and cannot begin until your current showdown ends. Since you win the game when your showdown resolves (assuming you win it), their staged showdown never gets to resolve. Sequence: - You move to a battlefield, starting a showdown - Opponent uses Ride the Wind during your showdown to move to another battlefield - Your showdown is already in progress; opponent's showdown is staged - Your showdown resolves first - If you win and score the final point, you win the game - Opponent's staged showdown never begins because the game has ended Nuances: - To win by conquering, a player must score on all battlefields "this turn" - scoring one battlefield on your turn and another on your opponent's turn does not trigger the win condition - A showdown cannot begin while another showdown is already in progress; the new showdown becomes "staged" - When multiple showdowns are staged simultaneously (not when one is already in progress), the turn player chooses which staged showdown to resolve first - An example of multiple staged showdowns would be in a 3-4 player game where multiple players use Ride the Wind to different battlefields at the same time

Ruling: Yes, you can play a unit from your trash directly to the battlefield you just conquered using Last Rites. When you have 7 cards in your trash and play Rhasa the Sunderer from trash, it costs 3 Energy and 1 Chaos Power. Sequence: - You establish control of the battlefield (conquer) - Last Rites triggers and goes on the chain - Upon resolution, you choose a unit in your trash and pay its costs - The unit is removed from trash and placed on the chain first - You make necessary choices - You determine the total cost (Rhasa's base cost is 10 Energy and 1 Chaos Power) - You apply discounts (Rhasa is no longer in the trash at this point, so only the 7 remaining cards count: 10 - 7 = 3 Energy) - You pay the card's cost (3 Energy + 1 Chaos Power) - Since you control the battlefield you just conquered, it is a valid destination for that unit Nuances: - Last Rites allows you to play a unit even during your opponent's turn, ignoring normal timing restrictions - Cost reduction effects only apply to Energy unless specified otherwise; Power costs must still be paid in full - When playing a card from trash, it is removed from that zone BEFORE its cost reduction is calculated, so Rhasa does NOT discount itself - If you used Recycle 2 to equip Last Rites earlier that turn, those 2 cards would be on the bottom of your deck and would not count toward Rhasa's discount

Ruling: Yes, you score for conquering the battlefield. You gain control when the battlefield goes from uncontrolled to under your control, regardless of whether you controlled it earlier in the game. Sequence: - You controlled the battlefield (from your previous turn) - Battlefield became uncontrolled (when your unit was sent back to base) - Battlefield became contested (when opponent moved onto it) - Combat showdown occurred - You won and gained control (triggering the conquest score) Nuances: - The key is that you did not score for holding at the beginning of the opponent's turn, and you did not have control at the start of the showdown - the battlefield transitioned from uncontrolled to your control, which triggers scoring.

Ruling: Yes, this counts as a new conquest instance and you score a point. Sequence: - When your last unit leaves an uncontested battlefield, you lose control of that battlefield - When your unit returns to the now-open battlefield during your opponent's turn, you conquer it again - You score a point because you did not already score on that battlefield this turn (it's your opponent's turn) Nuances: - The key factors are: (1) you did not score on that battlefield this turn, and (2) you lost control when your last unit left the uncontested battlefield

Ruling: Yes, you would conquer and score the battlefield again on turn 4. Nuances: - When turn 4 starts, the battlefield is uncontrolled (not yours), even though you previously controlled it - You can only score each battlefield once per turn - You can only conquer if you score

Ruling: No, you cannot play a new unit into a battlefield if you have no units there. You need to have a unit at the battlefield and be in control of it to play additional units there. Nuances: - Even if you previously conquered the battlefield, moving your last unit out means you can no longer play units there from hand

Ruling: No, you do not get Candlelit Sanctum's effect when moving a different unit onto it after moving off, because it is not a conquer. Nuances: - The effect only triggers on conquest, not when simply moving a unit to a location you already control

Ruling: Yes, you can play Flame Chompers to Reaver's Row. During combat, the battlefield remains Contested and control cannot change until combat ends, even if only one player has units there temporarily. Sequence: - Opponent attacks into Reaver's Row - Use Reaver's Row ability to move Traveling Merchant to Base, discarding Flame Chompers - Play Flame Chompers to Reaver's Row (battlefield is still Contested during combat) Nuances: - Control of the battlefield cannot change during combat, so even though only units of a single player remain temporarily, the battlefield stays Contested until combat resolves

Ruling: You can move Yasuo to Base and use Tideturner to return him to Reaver's Row during the combat showdown. You don't lose control of the battlefield until the end of combat after the combat showdown, so you have the whole showdown to play Tideturner and bring Yasuo back to the battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent declares an attacker - Move Yasuo to Base - During the combat showdown, activate Tideturner to return Yasuo to Reaver's Row - You retain control of the battlefield throughout this sequence

Ruling: Yes, you can react to the temporary trigger (sprite dying) by playing Shen to the Battlefield. Because Shen resolves before the temporary trigger (last in, first out), you score points with Shen without triggering a showdown. Sequence: - Awaken-Beginning step starts, sprite's temporary trigger goes on the chain - You can react by playing Shen to the Battlefield - Shen resolves first (last in, first out), you score points - Sprite dies after Shen resolves - No showdown occurs because you already controlled the Battlefield when Shen was played Nuances: - This works the same as playing a unit to a battlefield you already control normally - You get both the score point and the hold point from Shen

Ruling: You cannot play Flame Chompers to the battlefield in any of these scenarios. When the Traveling Merchant moves away from the battlefield, you immediately lose control of that battlefield since you no longer have any units there. Sequence: - Traveling Merchant moves from the battlefield - You lose control of the battlefield (no units remaining) - Merchant's "When I move" ability triggers, causing you to discard - Flame Chompers' ability triggers when discarded - You cannot play Chompers to that battlefield because you no longer control it Nuances: - Control of a battlefield is lost immediately when a player has 0 units on it, regardless of contested status or whether a chain link is in the middle of combat that is not yet resolved - This applies in all gamestates (open or closed)

Ruling: Battlefields can only be scored once per turn. If you already scored a hold point this turn, moving units off and back on does not grant another point. Nuances: - If you began the turn with control of the battlefield without having scored it yet (e.g., you gained control on an opponent's turn), then moving units off and back onto it during your turn will allow you to score it.

Ruling: No, you cannot play Ledros into your own battlefield if doing so would require sacrificing the only unit there as an additional cost. Ledros can never enter the chain with those specifications because it would create an illegal game state. Sequence: - When attempting to play Ledros, you must declare targets and pay costs - If you sacrifice your only unit in the battlefield as an additional cost, the battlefield would no longer be controlled by you - Since Ledros requires targeting a battlefield you control, this creates an illegal state - Therefore, Ledros cannot be played with these specifications Nuances: - You would need another unit in the battlefield (that isn't killed by Ledros) for this play to be legal - The "as you play me" timing on Ledros doesn't change this ruling

Ruling: No, you do not score. If you maintain control of the battlefield throughout the showdown (even if your unit is removed and replaced during that same showdown), you will not score when you win. Nuances: - If you completely lose the battlefield and the showdown ends, then later move a unit back in and win a new showdown, you would score - This applies to any method of playing a unit during an ongoing showdown (reactions, Ride the Wind, etc.) - You must lose control of the battlefield completely between showdowns to be eligible to score again

Ruling: No, you lose control of the battlefield immediately after moving your units off of it during the cleanup step, and you cannot play units there without control. Sequence: - Step 1: You move your units off the battlefield - Step 2: During cleanup (step 4), you lose control of the battlefield - Step 3: You can no longer play units to that battlefield without control

Ruling: Yes, the hidden card will go away when you return your units to base because you no longer control the battlefield. Nuances: - You cannot activate the hidden card in reaction to moving your unit to base - You can activate the hidden card before you move your units (during your action phase if it's your turn) - Reaction spells don't need to be played in reaction to something - you can play them to start a chain - Most hidden cards only target the specific battlefield, so there are limited situations where you'd use them outside of a showdown

Ruling: No, it does not count as a new conquer. Conquer only occurs when a player gains control of a battlefield they did not yet score this turn. Nuances: - Once you have scored a battlefield in a turn, moving units out and back in does not trigger another conquer for that same battlefield in the same turn.

Ruling: No. You cannot play Cruel Patron to a battlefield if killing the unit as part of the cost would leave no units there, as this creates an illegal game state. Sequence: - You declare where you want to play the unit before paying costs - Paying Cruel Patron's cost (killing the unit) results in an illegal state if that was the only unit at the target battlefield - Cruel Patron must be played to base if the unit being killed is alone at the battlefield Nuances: - If you use an effect that replaces the unit's death (like Setts' recall ability), the cost still counts as paid and the play is legal

Ruling: Blitzcrank's trigger goes on the chain during the ongoing showdown. Once it resolves and moves the unit, it stages a second showdown that waits until the first showdown finishes before proceeding. Sequence: - Opponent attacks one battlefield, starting a showdown - Play 'Here to Help' and Blitzcrank at the other battlefield - Blitzcrank's trigger is placed on the chain as a reaction - Blitzcrank's trigger resolves, moving the targeted unit - The moved unit stages a second showdown - The second showdown waits for the first showdown to complete before proceeding Nuances: - If you move an attacking unit like Yasuo with Blitzcrank, the unit gets a second attack trigger at the new battlefield - The first attack trigger can resolve without the unit present, but won't deal damage since the unit is no longer 'here' - Referents are evaluated on resolution, so effects check where units are when they resolve, not when they trigger - If you hook Anivia in response to her trigger, she would deal damage to units at the battlefield Blitzcrank was played to once the move resolves and her trigger resolves

Ruling: No, Smoke Screen does not count as being played. Cards that are countered (negated) do not resolve, and if they do not resolve, they are not counted as played. Sequence: - Opponent plays Smoke Screen - You counter it with Defy - Smoke Screen is negated and does not resolve - Smoke Screen is not counted as played for Darius Trifarian's ability

Ruling: Damage is only healed after combat (during Combat Cleanup) and at the end of a player's turn. Initiating a showdown on a different battlefield will heal all damage after that combat resolves, including damage on units not involved in the showdown. Sequence: - Cast spell and mark 2 damage on a unit at battlefield A - Move units to battlefield B and initiate combat/showdown - After combat at battlefield B resolves, all damage is healed from all units (including the damaged unit at battlefield A) - If battlefield B has no other units, there is no combat and no healing occurs, so damage only heals at end of turn Nuances: - Showdowns themselves don't heal; only combat cleanup heals - If there is no combat (no opposing units), damage is not healed until end of turn - A unit that was damaged before combat still uses its full might value during combat, but requires less additional damage to be killed

Ruling: Damage does not reduce might. Your unit would take the full 6 damage because damage only marks a unit with the amount dealt - it doesn't reduce the unit's might value. Nuances: - Effects that reduce might would reduce the damage dealt in combat - A unit dies when damage marked on it equals or exceeds its might - All damage heals after combat showdown - The cleanup phase must complete as a whole before any pending triggers (like Deathknell) can be put on the chain, meaning damage clears before death-triggered abilities resolve

Ruling: The opponent's attacking unit gets recalled because both players still have units at the battlefield during combat cleanup. However, you do not score a conquest point because you maintained control of the battlefield throughout (never lost control during the contested state, so you cannot gain control at end of combat). Sequence: - Opponent attacks your controlled battlefield with their unit - You Flash Kayn to base, then Ride the Wind him back - Combat resolves with both units present - Opponent's attacker is recalled during cleanup - You do not score because conquering requires gaining control at end of combat, which requires not having control when contested was applied Nuances: - You can score a conquest on opponent's turn by gaining control of a battlefield you didn't control when it became contested - If you Flash a unit from a different battlefield and Ride the Wind it into an ongoing combat as a defender, you can score a conquest point (and possibly hold point) because you're gaining control of a battlefield you didn't previously control

Ruling: Yes, you can cast the Defy you drew from Stupefy resolving to counter the Discipline before it resolves. After each card on the chain resolves, both players get priority again to play reactions to the remaining cards on the chain before the next card resolves. Sequence: - Opponent attacks with Clockwork Keeper and casts Discipline, passes priority - You cast Stupefy in response, pass priority - Opponent passes, so Stupefy resolves: Clockwork gets -1 might, you draw a card - Discipline is now next to resolve, opponent has priority first (because they added it to the chain) and passes - You now have priority and can cast the Defy you just drew to counter Discipline - Each card only resolves when both players pass without taking an action Nuances: - Shield on Stalwart Poro is a passive ability, not a trigger - The attacker always gets priority first when a new combat showdown starts - When a card resolves from the chain, the player who originally added that card to the chain gets priority first before the next card resolves

Ruling: No, giving a unit deflect in response to a spell does not apply to that spell. Deflect only applies if the unit has deflect while a spell or ability is being finalized (choosing targets and paying costs). Sequence: - A spell is finalized (targets chosen and costs paid) - The spell becomes a legal chain item that can be reacted to - By the time you can react to the spell, finalization has already ended - Deflect given at this point cannot retroactively increase the spell's cost Nuances: - The finalization process ends when the spell becomes a legal chain item that can be reacted to - There is no way to give a unit deflect in response to a spell that would make that spell cost more

Ruling: Yes, with two Gemcraft Seers in play, every friendly unit has Vision Vision. Multiple instances of Vision trigger separately, so you perform Vision twice in a row when a unit enters play. Sequence: - Unit enters play - First Vision trigger activates (look at top card) - Second Vision trigger activates (look at top card again) Nuances: - Units can see themselves being played (Vision triggers when the unit with Vision enters play) - This stacking behavior applies to other similar keywords like Shield (two Tarics would give units Shield 2)

Ruling: Yes, both Mask of Foresight triggers will resolve before Yasuo's trigger, giving him +4 might total, so his trigger will deal 8 damage. Sequence: - Place Yasuo's trigger onto the chain first - Place both Mask of Foresight triggers onto the chain - Mask triggers resolve first (adding +2 might each) - Yasuo's trigger resolves last (dealing damage based on his current might) Nuances: - Triggers added to the chain from the same event can be placed in the controller's chosen order

Ruling: No, multiple Spirit's Refuge cannot stack. Units will only have one instance of Deflect. Nuances: - The card specifically states that multiple instances do not stack - Even if you could somehow play both at the same time, the pending rules prevent Spirit's Refuge from stacking

Ruling: Yes, when one Viktor dies while another Viktor is on the board, the surviving Viktor will generate 1 token because Champion Units are still units and each separate card counts as an "other" unit. Nuances: - If both Viktors die simultaneously (such as from a board wipe), neither generates a token. When units die simultaneously during cleanup, they are all in the trash when their effects would trigger and cannot see each other die, so the effects do not resolve.

Ruling: No, only one Zhonya's Hourglass applies when a single unit dies. Nuances: - If 2 of your units die at the same time, each Zhonya's will save one of them - With cards like GA and Soraka, you can order replacement effects to choose not to utilize your Zhonya's (if you can)

Ruling: When a unit dies with multiple Zhonyas on the battlefield, only one Zhonyas will be used to save the unit. The other Zhonyas will not be wasted. Sequence: - First Zhonyas trigger resolves and saves the unit - Second Zhonyas trigger has nothing to replace since the unit is already saved - Second Zhonyas remains on the battlefield Nuances: - This works the same way regardless of whether the Zhonyas are Hidden or not - Even if both triggers are added to the chain, the second one cannot waste itself because the "instead" replacement effect has nothing to replace after the first resolves

Ruling: Both Mask of Foresight copies will trigger when a unit attacks or defends alone, giving +2 total. Sequence: - The first time each unit becomes an attacker or defender alone in each combat, both Masks trigger - Each Mask provides +1, totaling +2 Nuances: - Each unit can only trigger the Masks once per combat (they can't move out and back in with the same unit to trigger it again)

Ruling: Only one Vi Destructive gets +1 when you recycle 1 card from trash. You activate the ability of one specific Vi and pay its cost, so only that Vi's ability resolves. Nuances: - The ability refers to "me" which means only the specific Vi whose ability you're using gets the buff - Vi's ability is not a trigger that activates whenever you recycle a card; you must choose to use a specific Vi's ability - You cannot simultaneously use abilities from multiple units - Even if you could use multiple abilities at once, you would need to pay the cost (recycling a card) for each one separately

Ruling: No. "When I attack/defend" triggers only when a unit becomes an attacker/defender. If you attack with 2 units, they are not alone when they become attackers, so the trigger misses. Moving a unit away afterward does not cause a new trigger because the remaining unit already was an attacker/defender. Nuances: - "While" effects (like Wielder of Water or Yi) would apply when the condition becomes true during combat - "When" effects (like Mask of Foresight) must have their condition met at the moment the unit is assigned as attacker/blocker - The rules may change in future versions to handle "when I attack/defend" triggers differently

Ruling: You will win the game as you've scored on all battlefields that turn. Nuances: - The same unit can be used to conquer both battlefields in the same turn (e.g., via Last Breath) - You don't need different units on each battlefield to win

Ruling: In 1v1, you win the game by scoring the 8th point. In multiplayer modes (FFA or 2v2), you must score on EVERY battlefield in a single turn to win with your final point, otherwise you draw a card but don't gain the point. Nuances: - In multiplayer modes there are 3 battlefields total, not just 2 - The requirement is to score on all battlefields, not necessarily conquer on all of them - This rule only applies when attempting to score your final point through conquering rather than holding a battlefield at the start of your turn

Ruling: Your opponent wins. They score their 7th point from conquering Battlefield B, then when you move from Battlefield A (triggering Ride the Wind), the showdown on Battlefield A goes to cleanup and results in a conquer, giving them their 8th point before your Ride the Wind showdown on Battlefield B even starts. Sequence: - Opponent conquers Battlefield B and scores to 7 points - Opponent moves into Battlefield A, initiating showdown - You use Ride the Wind to move from Battlefield A to Battlefield B - Showdown on Battlefield A goes to cleanup (since you left) - Opponent conquers Battlefield A and scores their 8th point - Your showdown on Battlefield B does not begin because opponent has already won Nuances: - The opponent does not need to control both battlefields simultaneously to win, they just need to score them both in the same turn

Ruling: Yes, you get 3 separate Karma buffs. Each unit being played (Vanguard Captain and the two recruit tokens) has its own instance of Vision, and each Vision trigger can trigger Karma if you recycle. Sequence: - Vanguard Captain is played - Two recruits are played (you choose when relative to other triggers) - Vision trigger #1 (you choose which unit) -> Recycle -> Karma buff - Vision trigger #2 (you choose which unit) -> Recycle -> Karma buff - Vision trigger #3 (you choose which unit) -> Recycle -> Karma buff Nuances: - You can choose to resolve Vanguard Captain's Vision before the recruits come down - Multiple triggers that happen at the same time can be ordered however you choose

Ruling: Irelia's ability does not trigger when you use Meditate because exhausting a unit as part of Meditate's cost does not count as targeting. Costs cannot target by definition. Nuances: - An action is a cost if it appears as part of paying for a spell or ability, and costs definitionally cannot target - An effect targets if it meets all of these conditions: (1) you choose which game object to affect, (2) it's in a public zone, (3) it's not part of a targeting restriction, (4) it's not part of a trigger condition, cost, or replacement effect, (5) it's not programmatically selected based on characteristics, (6) only you make the choice, and (7) it doesn't use the word "must" - Cleave does target (which is why it triggers Dreaming Tree even if countered), but Meditate's exhaust does not because it's a cost