Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, Karma's ability can buff Unit B played via Baited Hook. Sequence: - Baited Hook resolves, killing Unit A and looking at top 5 cards - You pick a card, banish it, then play it (Unit B is pending on the chain) - You recycle the rest (Karma's trigger is now pending on the chain) - Unit B finalizes first (oldest pending item) and enters play - Karma's trigger then finalizes and can target Unit B which is now on the board - Karma's trigger resolves, buffing Unit B Nuances: - This interaction differs from Vanguard Helm, which would trigger and finalize before the unit is played via Baited Hook - The key is that pending items finalize in the order they were added to the chain, and Karma's trigger is added after the unit is played during Baited Hook's resolution

Ruling: When a replacement effect would replace multiple events at once (multiple units dying), the controller of the replacement effect decides which event it will replace. Nuances: - The unit is not technically "revived" because the replacement effect prevents the death from happening in the first place - If multiple replacement effects would attempt to replace the same singular event (like Zhonyas and GA on one unit), you choose which replacement effect happens first - When one replacement effect resolves (healing, exhausting, and recalling the unit), the second replacement effect cannot trigger because the unit is no longer "dying" - it's being healed/exhausted/recalled, which isn't a valid event to replace - Only one of the replacement effects will go off (your choice), the other doesn't trigger

Ruling: Yes, the +1 buff from Mask of Foresight can apply before you reveal the hidden unit, making your original defender a 5-power unit. However, this depends on when you choose to reveal your hidden card. Sequence: - Your opponent moves a unit into the battlefield - Mask of Foresight trigger condition is met (your unit is alone) - You can let the Mask of Foresight trigger resolve, boosting your lone unit's Might by +1 - After the trigger resolves, you can then reveal and play the hidden unit as a reaction Nuances: - If you reveal the hidden unit before reaching the trigger point (before the showdown starts and before your unit is designated as an attacker/defender), Mask of Foresight won't boost because the unit is no longer alone when designated

Ruling: Yes to both scenarios. When you conquer, all three Super Mega Death Rocket abilities trigger and go onto the chain simultaneously, then each resolves separately one after the other. Sequence: - All three SMDR abilities are put on the chain when you conquer - Each ability resolves individually in the order you choose - When each resolves, you may discard a card to return that SMDR to hand - Jinx's might increases by 1 for each card discarded this way Nuances: - You can discard a newly reacquired SMDR to get back a different one - This allows you to resolve all three triggers without losing net cards in hand - The "you may" choice happens when each ability resolves, not when they're put on the chain

Ruling: You can react to the Temporary trigger by flipping the Hidden card before the token is removed. Sequence: - Temporary trigger occurs at the beginning of your turn - You can flip the Hidden card in response to this trigger - If it's a unit, you can even score by holding this way since the Temporary trigger happens before scoring - The token is then removed

Ruling: No, you cannot move the buff to the newly played unit from Baited Hook. The Vanguard Helm trigger must finalize and choose its target before the unit from Baited Hook enters play. Sequence: - Baited Hook kills a unit with a buff - Vanguard Helm triggers and becomes pending on the chain - Baited Hook looks at 5 cards and selects a unit, which becomes pending - Once Hook fully resolves, pending items finalize in the order they were added - Vanguard Helm finalizes first and must choose a target - Since the unit from Hook isn't on the board yet, it cannot be chosen as a target - After Helm finalizes, the unit from Hook enters play Nuances: - The entire text of Baited Hook resolves before anything else can be finalized on the chain, but things still become pending in the order they're written - Playing a unit resolves by adding that unit to the pending chain - If the newly played unit had a "when you buff a friendly unit" trigger, it would not activate because it wasn't on board when Helm finalized

Ruling: If you use Fight or Flight to move the unit back to base in response to Hidden Blade, the unit becomes an illegal target. Hidden Blade will mistarget on resolution, so the unit will not die and no one will draw cards. Sequence: - Hidden Blade is cast targeting a unit at a battlefield - Fight or Flight is revealed, moving the unit back to base - Hidden Blade resolves but the target is now illegal (not at a battlefield) - The spell mistargets, making the controller reference null - No effects occur: unit doesn't die, no cards are drawn Nuances: - This is different from replacement effects like Zhonya's or Sett that prevent death. With those, the unit dying still "occurred" so the controller would still draw 2 cards. - When a target becomes illegal, information checks about that target (like "its controller") return null and calculations based on it are ignored.

Ruling: Yes, you can react to the temporary trigger before the location leaves the battlefield. Sequence: - Temporary triggers at the start of the beginning phase - The triggered ability is put on the chain - Priority is granted when triggered abilities are put on the chain - You can play reactions (including hidden cards) when you have priority - After the chain resolves, the location leaves the battlefield Nuances: - Temporary is a triggered ability keyword, so it follows the normal rules for triggered abilities and priority

Ruling: If there is no showdown, you lose control immediately when you recall your only unit. If your opponent contests the battlefield and you recall the unit during the showdown, you retain control until the end of the showdown. Sequence: - Outside showdown: Recall unit → lose control immediately - During showdown: Recall unit → retain control until showdown ends Nuances: - During a showdown, it is legal to have 0 units but 1 hidden card at a battlefield. The hidden card goes to trash during cleanup after the showdown ends. - If you recall a unit during a showdown, you can use an effect to move another unit to that same battlefield before the showdown ends (following action/reaction timing rules). - If you charm an opponent's unit from battlefield A to B, they lose control of A before officially entering B to start the showdown.

Ruling: Outside of combat, when Fight or Flight resolves and moves your only unit away, you lose control of the battlefield and any hidden cards there are moved to the trash immediately. You must play Zhonya's in response to the Fight or Flight before it resolves, or you will lose it. Sequence: - Opponent plays Fight or Flight targeting your unit - You must play (reveal) Zhonya's in response while it's on the chain, OR - If you let Fight or Flight resolve, your unit moves to base - You lose control of the battlefield during cleanup - Hidden Zhonya's is immediately moved to trash Nuances: - This works differently in combat. During combat, you cannot lose control of the battlefield until the showdown ends, so you have a window to play Zhonya's after Fight or Flight resolves (as long as the battlefield remains contested) - If you're not in combat and don't play Zhonya's in response to Fight or Flight, you cannot save it - Playing Zhonya's means revealing it and putting it on the chain, where it immediately resolves to your base

Ruling: You maintain control of the battlefield during the showdown and can replay the unit to that battlefield. The player who controls a battlefield at the beginning of a showdown maintains control until the showdown is completed, even if they temporarily have no units there. Sequence: - Opponent attacks your solo defender - You play Arcane Shift, banishing your defender - You still control the battlefield (contested status prevents loss of control) - You replay the banished unit to the battlefield - Combat continues and eventually resolves - Contested status clears during combat resolution step Nuances: - This only works during a showdown. If you play Arcane Shift when the battlefield is not contested (during your own turn or at a different battlefield), you would lose control after Arcane Shift resolves and before you can replay the unit, making you unable to choose that battlefield as the replay location.

Ruling: You can react to Temporary with Teemo, and Teemo would hold since you didn't lose control of the Battlefield. Sequence: - Sprite with Temporary dies in your beginning phase - You can react with hidden Teemo - Teemo remains hidden (holds) because you maintained control of the Battlefield throughout

Yes, Zhonya's Hourglass will proc and save the sprite. The replacement effect intercedes when Temporary triggers, killing Zhonya's Hourglass instead and recalling the sprite to base (healing and exhausting it). The sprite survives because base is a Board location, not a Non-Board Zone. The sprite retains Temporary because it never left the Board. However, this only buys one turn—next turn, Temporary will kill the sprite again since Zhonya's Hourglass is already dead.

Ruling: Yes, you can wait for Fight or Flight to resolve before using Tide Turner. You maintain control of the battlefront until the end of the combat showdown, so your hidden card is not discarded until after that point. Sequence: - Combat opens at the battlefront - Fight or Flight resolves during combat - Combat showdown occurs - You can use Tide Turner anytime before the combat showdown ends - Once combat showdown ends and resolution begins, you lose control and the hidden card would be discarded Nuances: - Deathknell triggers during resolution can create additional opportunities to act before losing control

Ruling: No, under current rules you cannot score in this situation. You do not lose control of the battlefield until combat ends, so when you Ride the Wind your unit back to the battlefield, you are still the defender and still control that battlefield, which means you cannot score. Nuances: - The initial answers in this thread were based on old rules (pre-October 25th) where this would have worked - Under old rules, you would have been able to score because leaving the battlefield would have caused you to lose control immediately - The showdown does not end until both players pass focus in a row without playing an action

No, you do not draw. Dreaming Tree says "The first time you choose a friendly unit with a spell here each turn, draw 1." Cull the Weak does not target units—it instructs each player to choose a unit they control as the spell resolves. When a set of objects is chosen in whole or in part by other players during resolution, it does not count as targeting. While you are making the choice of which unit to kill, you are not "choosing a friendly unit with a spell" in the targeting sense that Dreaming Tree requires. Dreaming Tree triggers when you actively target a friendly unit with a spell (like using a buff or targeted removal on your own unit), not when you make a choice during a spell's resolution.

Ruling: When you add a chain item (action or reaction), priority first goes to the player who added it. So yes, you can play a reaction immediately after your action before passing priority to your opponent. Sequence: - Player with focus plays an action - That player retains priority and can add reactions - Player can continue adding reactions until they pass priority - Once priority is passed, opponent gets priority to respond - Priority passes back and forth as players add chain items - When both players pass consecutively, the top chain item resolves - After resolution, priority goes to whoever controls the next item on the chain Nuances: - You cannot chain block in Riftbound - even if you play a reaction after your action, your opponent still has full opportunity to respond to the original action - Adding a chain item gives you priority back, but you must pass it for your opponent to respond - The defender will always be able to respond to any chain item, though it may be delayed if the active player adds multiple items before passing - You could theoretically add many reactions before passing priority, but this can be risky (e.g., if opponent counters one, you may waste the others)

Yes, you can save your unit this way. If you move your unit to base in response to Hidden Blade being played (before it resolves), your unit changes zones from a battlefield to base. A target is illegal as the spell resolves if it no longer meets the targeting requirements of the spell, or if it has changed Zones to or from a Non-Board Zone. Since your unit is no longer 'at a battlefield' when Hidden Blade tries to resolve, it becomes an illegal target. If any of the spell's targets are no longer legal, those targets are unaffected by the spell as it resolves. The result is that your unit is not killed (it's safely at base) and your opponent does not draw 2 cards (because the target became illegal, the entire effect fails to apply). This is a valid and effective defensive play.

Ruling: The opponent can reveal the Hidden Card as a reaction on the same chain as the kill spell before it resolves, preventing the Hidden Card from being trashed. Sequence: - You cast a spell targeting the opponent's only unit on the battlefield - Before the spell resolves, the opponent can reveal their Hidden Card as a reaction - If revealed, the Hidden Card enters the battlefield and prevents itself from being trashed - The spell then resolves Nuances: - Hidden Cards cannot be revealed as a reaction on the same turn they are played - If a player has no units remaining on a battlefield with a Hidden Card, that card gets trashed - Not all Hidden Cards are units (e.g., Hidden Blade), so targeting the only unit can still force suboptimal plays - When a Hidden Card is flipped up, that's when it counts as being played and can be responded to (e.g., with Windwall)

Ruling: No, this does not work. Reaver's Row targets a friendly unit when it is finalized to the chain, before you can play Tideturner. After exchanging positions, the originally targeted unit is no longer at the battlefield, making it an illegal target, so the trigger whiffs. Sequence: - Reaver's Row trigger goes on the stack and targets a specific friendly unit at that battlefield - You play Tideturner face-down and exchange positions with the targeted unit - The originally targeted unit is now at a different battlefield - Reaver's Row trigger resolves but whiffs because its target is no longer legal (not at the battlefield) - You end up with Tideturner at Reaver's Row and your other unit at the battlefield where Tideturner was played from Nuances: - Reaver's Row creates a target even though it doesn't explicitly use the word "choose" - it meets the criteria for targeting because it's a choice in a public zone made by a single player that isn't a replacement effect/condition/cost

Ruling: Yes, you can use Get Excited to discard Flame Chompers to kill the opponent's unit, then play Flame Chompers into the open battlefield. This all happens within the same showdown, and Flame Chompers will conquer the battlefield at the end of that showdown since it's the only unit remaining. Sequence: - Opponent moves to start a showdown in an open battlefield - You use Get Excited to discard Flame Chompers and kill their unit - You play Flame Chompers into the open battlefield (same showdown continues) - At the end of the showdown, Flame Chompers remains as the only unit and conquers the battlefield Nuances: - This is a non-combat showdown since the battlefield is open, not a combat showdown - The opponent will have a chance to respond with actions or reactions before the showdown ends and the conquer happens - There is no second showdown; everything happens within the same initial showdown

Ruling: Yes, having three Blue Viktor in your base will generate three 1-Might recruits every time you play a card on your opponent's turn. Each Viktor triggers independently. Nuances: - Portal Rescue can be played on an opponent's turn during Showdown to trigger Blue Viktor - If Blue Viktor is removed from the field (such as by Retreat or Gust) during your opponent's turn, his ability does not trigger because he is not present when the spell finishes resolving - If you use Portal Rescue to banish and play Blue Viktor itself, Viktor will see himself being played and trigger once, but will not trigger on Portal Rescue itself since he was banished when Portal finished resolving

Ruling: Yes, if you have two Gem Crafters on the battlefield, the ability triggers twice when a new unit enters. Multiple instances of Vision trigger separately. Sequence: - When a new unit enters, the first Gem Crafter's Vision triggers - Look at 1 card and decide whether to put it into your memory - Then the second Gem Crafter's Vision triggers - Look at 1 card and decide whether to put it into your memory Nuances: - When you play the second Gem Crafter, it will also trigger both existing Gem Crafters' abilities - You resolve each Vision trigger separately (look at 1, decide, then look at the next 1, decide) - not look at 2 cards and decide for both at once

Ruling: Yes, if you have two Irelia Graceful units and a single spell targets both of them, the spell's cost is reduced by 2 total (1 for each Irelia targeted). Sequence: - Calculate the total cost of the spell including any additional costs like repeat - Apply cost reductions: each distinct Irelia Graceful targeted reduces the total cost by 1 - Pay the final modified cost Nuances: - If you target the same Irelia twice with one spell, it only reduces the cost once (not twice) - The reduction applies to the total spell cost after additional costs are added, not separately to base cost and repeat cost - Cost reductions are applied after additional costs are calculated

Ruling: Only one Vi gains Might from a single recycle action. You must declare which Vi is using its ability and only that unit gains the Might. Sequence: - Declare which Vi is performing the ability - Apply the Might gain to only that declared Vi

Ruling: Imperial Decree will trigger only once. Damage is pooled together and then distributed, so all units take damage in a single event regardless of how many sources are dealing damage. Nuances: - If you deal enough damage to kill a unit through Imperial Decree, you can kill it even through Zhonya's. Zhonya's would trigger and resolve first (exhausting, recalling, and healing the unit), but then Imperial Decree would still kill it afterward. - Having multiple recruits does not create multiple damage events for Imperial Decree purposes.

Ruling: No, Mask of Foresight will not trigger in this scenario. Attack/defend triggers only fire when a unit first gains the attacker/defender designation during a combat. Since both units were already designated as defenders when the showdown began, moving one away does not cause the remaining unit to be re-designated as a defender, so Mask's condition is never met. Sequence: - Opponent declares attack on battlefield with two defending units - Both units gain defender designation simultaneously - Mask checks conditions but sees two units, so does not trigger - Moving one unit away removes its defender designation but does not re-apply defender designation to the remaining unit - Mask cannot trigger because the remaining unit already had defender designation and is not gaining it "for the first time" Nuances: - If you move both units away and then move a single unit back in (e.g., using Ride the Wind), that unit would gain defender designation for the first time while alone, triggering Mask - Mask can trigger multiple times in the same turn across different combats, but only once per unit per combat - The trigger condition must be met at the moment the unit gains its attacker/defender designation, not checked continuously throughout combat

Ruling: When you play a hidden Sprite Call, you must place the sprite token on the same battlefield where the spell was hidden. You cannot choose a different battlefield or your base. Nuances: - Hidden cards have an additional restriction requiring you to choose the hidden location when determining where to play the card itself - This restriction applies even though Sprite Call doesn't target - it still chooses where to play the unit - You can alternatively play Sprite Call from your hand by paying its energy cost, which would allow normal placement choices

Ruling: Yes, when you react with a hidden Tide Turner, you get the "when you play me" effect because you played it as a Reaction. Nuances: - The card is played for 0 Energy when played as a Reaction from hidden

Ruling: No, the hidden spell does not gain Reaction speed until the turn after you hide it, and it cannot be played at all until the following turn. Sequence: - Turn 1: Hide the spell at the battlefield - Turn 2 onward: The spell gains Reaction speed and can be played Nuances: - Even if the hidden card were an action (not a spell), it still could not be played until the following turn

Ruling: No, you do not gain a conquest point or trigger the conquest effect. You can only score each battlefield once per turn. Nuances: - If you already held a battlefield at the start of your turn, you cannot conquer it again during that same turn, even if you left and returned to it.

Ruling: Yes, moving units back onto a battlefield you previously held triggers an Open showdown, but you will not score another holding point. Nuances: - You only score the holding point once (at the start of turn when you initially held it) - The showdown still occurs when you move units back onto the battlefield

Ruling: No, you cannot play a unit there after moving your only unit back to base because you are no longer in control of that battlefield. Sequence: - When you move your only unit back to base, you lose control of the battlefield - Cleanup happens after a unit is moved - Hidden cards at that battlefield would be discarded during cleanup if no other unit is played there first - To maintain control, you must play another unit at the battlefield before moving the original unit back to base Nuances: - During a showdown, if your last unit is killed, hidden cards stay until the opponent contests the battlefield or passes - Outside a showdown, once you lose your last unit you lose control immediately - Cleanup also happens after every item on the chain resolves

Ruling: You need to control a location for it to be a valid location to play a unit to. If you don't have a unit at a battlefield (unless that battlefield is currently in combat and you started the combat with control of the battlefield), you don't have control of that battlefield. Therefore, once you move your unit off the location, you can no longer play a unit there. Nuances: - Exception: You maintain control during combat if you started the combat with control of the battlefield, even if your unit is no longer there

Ruling: No, you cannot reactivate conquer effects by recapturing a point you already held. A conquer is part of scoring, and you can score a battlefield only once per turn.

Ruling: No, you cannot score a battlefield more than once per turn. If you have already held or conquered a battlefield this turn, you cannot score it again by either method during the same turn. Sequence: - You hold and score the battlefield on your turn - You leave the battlefield - Opponent conquers it during a showdown - You move back to the battlefield - You cannot score again because you already scored it this turn Nuances: - Conquer triggers will not occur because scoring is a prerequisite for conquering, and you cannot score the battlefield again - This restriction applies regardless of whether your first score was from holding or conquering

Ruling: You gain your last point and win the game. When you conquer on your last point, you win if you have already conquered or held the other battlefield in the same turn. Sequence: - Hold one battlefield to score from 6 to 7 points - Win the showdown at the other battlefield - Score your final point and win (no card draw) Nuances: - You can win by holding both battlefields from 6 to 8 points - You can win by holding from 6 to 7 then winning the other battlefield - You can win by conquering both locations in the same turn - You can also win by holding from 7 to 8 points - The special rule about needing both battlefields only applies when gaining your last point through conquest

Ruling: Yes, you win the game when you gain the 8th point by holding two battlefields at the start of your turn. Nuances: - You do not need to wait until the turn after reaching 7+ points; the win occurs immediately when the threshold is crossed during the holding check.

Ruling: The invite mechanic has been removed from the game, so this situation no longer applies under current rules. Nuances: - Players can now show up uninvited into combat - The previous invite mechanic that would have made this relevant is no longer part of the game

Ruling: Yes, you can return the unit you killed with Baited Hook using Spectral Matron's effect. The unit is in the trash when Matron resolves, making it a valid target. Sequence: - Play Baited Hook - Kill a unit (this happens during Baited Hook's resolution) - The unit goes to the trash - Play Spectral Matron from the revealed cards - Matron can target the killed unit (or any other valid unit) from the trash Nuances: - The unit is trashed during Baited Hook's resolution, not as a cost - A common example is killing Captain Vanguard with Baited Hook, then playing Matron with the hook to revive Captain Vanguard

Ruling: You can play Immortal Phoenix from trash to your base or to a battlefield you control (even when defending). You cannot play it to a battlefield you don't control (so not when attacking) or to an open battlefield. Nuances: - When played this way, Immortal Phoenix comes in exhausted - It can be played to a battlefield you're defending before combat resolves, where it would provide 3 might

Ruling: No, you cannot summon Cruel Patron to that battlefield. The legality of choices is evaluated after paying costs, at which point you no longer control that battlefield since the unit is dead. Sequence: - Pay the cost (kill the unit) - Evaluate legality of choices (battlefield selection) - At this point, you no longer control the battlefield where the unit died - Cruel Patron cannot be summoned there Nuances: - This is an example of a deterministically illegal choice - At high-level play, if you start playing Cruel Patron, you must finish playing it (choosing a valid battlefield if one exists)

Ruling: Yes, you get another chance to play an action after killing the opponent's only unit with an action spell during the showdown. Nuances: - The showdown does not end automatically just because there are no cards in the battlefield - This occurs during your action phase on your turn

Ruling: The showdown continues even if the opponent has no units remaining. The opponent still has the opportunity to play action cards. Nuances: - The opponent can even play cards that bring new units to the showdown (such as Zenith Blade)

Ruling: Yes, you target 0-4 cards in any combination from any trashes (yours and/or your opponent's), and those specific cards are recycled. Nuances: - You have full control over which cards to recycle, not just how many - Cards can come from any combination of trashes

Ruling: Yes, Phoenix can return itself with its ability even if you kill it with your own spell. Nuances: - This interaction was explicitly covered in the FAQ

Ruling: Yes, the combat has already begun when the opponent uses retreat during the combat showdown, so Draven will get his draw if only your units remain at the end of it. Sequence: - You move into an opponent-controlled battlefield - A showdown occurs inside a combat - Opponent retreats during the combat showdown - Combat resolves with only your units remaining - Draven's legend ability triggers for the draw Nuances: - A showdown can exist independently if you move to an unoccupied battlefield, or inside a combat if you move into a controlled battlefield

Yes, Leona's 'When I attack' trigger will activate. Leona does not need to be present when the Showdown starts.If a Unit controlled by the Attacker becomes present at the battlefield after Combat begins, it will gain the Attacker designation during the Cleanup phase following the action that caused it to become present. The sequence works as follows: (1) Showdown begins when Sett moves to the battlefield, (2) Focus passes and you play Zenith Blade during the Showdown, (3) Zenith Blade resolves and moves Leona to the battlefield, (4) During Cleanup after Zenith Blade resolves, Leona gains the Attacker designation because she's now present at the battlefield where Combat is staged and her controller has the Attacker designation, (5) Leona's triggered ability triggers when she gains the Attacker designation and is added to the chain as a Pending Item. The 'When I attack' condition is met when a unit gains the Attacker designation, which happens during Cleanup after Leona arrives, so her ability triggers before Combat Damage resolves.

Ruling: Traveling Merchant's ability triggers twice - once from the initial move to battlefield and once from Fight or Flight moving it back to base. You will discard 1 and draw 1 twice total. Sequence: - Traveling Merchant moves from base to battlefield (Standard Move) - Trigger #1 goes on chain: "When I move, discard 1, then draw 1" - Opponent plays Fight or Flight as a Reaction - Fight or Flight resolves, moving Merchant from battlefield back to base - Trigger #2 goes on chain: "When I move, discard 1, then draw 1" - Trigger #2 resolves: discard 1, draw 1 - Trigger #1 resolves: discard 1, draw 1 Nuances: - Both movements qualify as Moves because any permanent changing position from one space on the board to another is a Move (unless it's a corrective Recall) - The ability has no location-based targeting requirement, so it doesn't matter where the Merchant ends up - Any effect that moves Traveling Merchant will trigger the ability, whether it's a Standard Move, Ride the Wind, Fight or Flight, or any other movement effect

Ruling: No, the Jinx Rebel cannot move with the Traveling Merchant. The Merchant's move triggers only after it has already moved, so once that ability chain resolves, the showdown will begin. Sequence: - Traveling Merchant moves to the occupied battlefield - Traveling Merchant's ability triggers after the move - Jinx Rebel is readied by discarding a card - Showdown begins (too late for Jinx Rebel to join) Nuances: - Units can only move together when they're moving at the same time and have the same destination