Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

No, **Teemo, Strategist** does not work on all attacking units. According to his card text and the RiftJudge FAQ, when Teemo defends, you **choose only one** enemy unit at his battlefield to target with his ability. The damage is then dealt specifically to that single chosen unit based on the number of cards with [Hidden] you reveal. As per **RiftJudge FAQ #8586**: "No, Teemo, Strategist cannot target multiple units. You choose only **one** enemy unit with his ability, regardless of how many cards with [Hidden] are revealed."

Ruling: Teemo's "when I defend" trigger only activates when he is flagged as a defender in an active combat. He does not trigger simply by being revealed from hidden state outside of combat. Sequence: - Teemo must be defending in an active combat to trigger - The trigger occurs once per combat where he's defending - After the turn you hide a card, it gains reaction and can be played anytime you have priority Nuances: - Old rulings allowed Teemo to trigger when played from hidden, but this changed with the errata - Under new rules, flipping from hidden outside combat wouldn't work anyway since there isn't a legal target - Whether or not Teemo's trigger goes on the chain after playing him is not relevant to whether you can play him

Ruling: The damage is dealt all at the same time. You count the number of hidden cards revealed, then deal that total amount of damage. Sequence: - Choose the target unit before revealing cards - Reveal the hidden cards - Count the total number of hidden cards revealed - Deal that total amount of damage to the single target Nuances: - The ability can only target one unit - The target must be chosen before the revealing occurs

Ruling: Yes, Teemo enters exhausted when revealed from hiding because you 'play' him from hidden and units enter exhausted when played.

Ruling: Gust invalidates "here" and makes the target illegal, so Teemo does not deal damage. However, you still reveal the cards and then recycle them without dealing damage. Sequence: - Teemo declares a target on cast - If Teemo is moved with Gust, the target becomes illegal because it's not "here" relative to Teemo anymore - Cards are revealed - Cards are recycled without dealing damage

Ruling: Yes, all 'When You Play Me' triggers go on the chain and can be reacted to. Nuances: - The game uses a 'chain' rather than a 'stack' for triggered effects - Players have priority to respond to these triggers with fast spells or other reactions

Ruling: Teemo's ability works only with cards that have the Hidden keyword, not with cards that merely have the word "hidden" in their text.

Ruling: Yes, Teemo still triggers when played from hidden during a showdown because he is assigned as a defender when played to the battlefield, which triggers his "when I defend" ability. Sequence: - Teemo is played from hidden to the battlefield during a showdown - Teemo is assigned as a defender - His "when I defend" ability triggers and enters the chain - The ability targets an opposing unit at the battlefield Nuances: - "When I attack" and "when I defend" triggers are not exclusive to the start of a showdown - These triggers happen whenever a unit is assigned attacker or defender, which can occur in the middle of a showdown if a unit enters the battlefield

Ruling: No, Teemo only triggers once. The card has been errata'd to say "when I defend" so it only triggers when gaining defender status. Sequence: - When Teemo is played from hidden during a combat showdown, he gains defender status - His ability triggers once at that time Nuances: - The errata changed the trigger condition to specifically "when I defend" which clarifies the single trigger timing

Ruling: Yes, Temporary creates a chain that can be reacted to because it is a Triggered Ability keyword, and triggers start a chain.

Ruling: The Dreaming Tree triggers when you target your own unit with a spell, and you draw the card when you choose/target the unit, not upon resolution. This means you still draw even if the spell is countered. The effect is once per turn, not per unit targeted. Sequence: - You cast a spell that targets your own unit - The Dreaming Tree triggers immediately when you choose/target the unit - You draw 1 card - The spell then resolves (or is countered) on the chain Nuances: - Not all cards that say "choose" trigger The Dreaming Tree - only cards that actually target trigger it - Cards involving multiple players choosing (like Divine Judgment) don't target and won't trigger The Dreaming Tree - Cards that say "each player" don't target - Costs don't target (e.g., Meditation's exhaust cost doesn't trigger The Dreaming Tree) - The trigger is once per turn total, not once per unit - you cannot draw multiple cards by targeting different units with multiple spells in the same turn

Ruling: The Dreaming Tree does not trigger from Meditation because exhausting a unit is part of Meditation's cost, not its effect, and additional costs do not target. Nuances: - The phrase "a friendly unit" does not automatically mean targeting; some cards with this wording target (like Back to Back) while others don't - The Dreaming Tree only cares about targeting - Additional costs (as opposed to spell effects) do not target

Ruling: No, The Dreaming Tree does not trigger when you tap a card on it to pay Meditation's additional cost. Nuances: - Additional costs do not target, so they do not trigger abilities that require targeting

Ruling: The Dreaming Tree's ability is a triggered ability that must be resolved using the chain as normal. Nuances: - The only abilities that resolve immediately are ones that "add" resources (energy or power) - Static abilities are constantly "on" and never resolve - All other abilities use the chain

No, **The List** does not count toward **Ezreal’s** legend ability. ### The Ruling Ezreal’s legend ability requires that you have chosen enemy units and/or gear twice this turn with **spells or unit abilities**. In *Riftbound*, there is a formal distinction between ability categories: * **Unit Abilities:** Triggered or activated abilities originating from a unit (Rule 145). * **Gear Abilities:** Triggered or activated abilities originating from gear (Rule 150). Because Ezreal’s legend ability specifically limits the qualifying sources to "spells or unit abilities," an activated ability originating from a piece of gear does not contribute to the "chosen twice" requirement. ### Why it does not work 1. **Categorization:** Per Rule 145 and Rule 150, the game treats unit abilities and gear abilities as distinct categories. 2. **Specific Phrasing:** Ezreal’s legend ability uses restrictive phrasing. In *Riftbound*, when a card specifies the source of an interaction (e.g., "unit abilities"), that restriction is authoritative. 3. **No FAQ Override:** There is no official *Riftbound* ruling or FAQ entry that classifies gear abilities as unit abilities. **Summary:** Since *The List* functions as a gear card, its ability is classified as a gear ability. It does not meet the "unit ability" requirement specified in Ezreal’s legend ability text. Note: I could not fully verify the classification of 'The List' against the retrieved rules.

Ruling: The Watcher's 'When you play me' trigger resolves once and does not continue to apply during showdown. Might increases that happen during combat (such as from Shield abilities) are unaffected by the Watcher's earlier trigger. Sequence: - The Watcher's 'When you play me' effect triggers and resolves, reducing units' might to 1 - The effect is complete and does not continue looking to reduce might further - During showdown, any might increases from abilities like Shield apply their full value without being reduced again by the Watcher

Ruling: Thermo Beam only destroys the non-hidden Zhonya's Hourglass. The hidden card on the battlefield is not affected. Nuances: - Hidden cards don't "exist" in the game before they're flipped, so they are not affected by effects that would target or destroy cards with matching names

Ruling: Thousand Tailed Watcher does not choose targets when its trigger activates, so you do not need to pay Deflect costs even if your opponent has a Deflect unit. Nuances: - Since Watcher's trigger chooses nothing, Deflect does not apply to it

Yes, **Ruin Runner** will receive the -3 might reduction from **Thousand-Tailed Watcher**. The reason for this interaction is that Thousand-Tailed Watcher's ability does not **choose** (target) specific units; it applies a global effect to all enemy units. Ruin Runner's ability states, "I can't be **chosen** by enemy spells and abilities," which only protects it from effects that require a player to specifically target it. Because the Watcher's ability affects the entire board without targeting, Ruin Runner is affected normally. **Key Details:** * **Targeting:** Because the Watcher's ability doesn't use the word "choose" or "target" for the units it affects, it bypasses Ruin Runner's protection. * **Minimum Might:** Per the text of Thousand-Tailed Watcher, Ruin Runner's might will be reduced from 5 to 2 (it cannot be reduced below 1). * **Timing:** This reduction only applies to units already on the board when Thousand-Tailed Watcher's "When you play me" ability resolves.

Ruling: Thousand Tailed Watcher does not target because it does not choose - it programmatically selects based on characteristics. Nuances: - The effect is a snapshot at the time it resolves, so units added later (such as through hidden) would not be affected by the debuff.

No, Thousand-Tailed Watcher's effect does not affect units played after the ability has resolved. According to the RiftJudge FAQ (ID 6445, 1603, and 7280), Thousand-Tailed Watcher's ability "snapshots" the game state at the moment it resolves. It only applies the -3 Might reduction to units currently on the board at that time. Units that enter play later in the turn are not affected by the reduction. However, if a unit is played as a reaction to the Thousand-Tailed Watcher's trigger (or to another reaction on the same chain), that unit will be on the board when the trigger resolves and will be affected by the -3 Might reduction (RiftJudge FAQ ID 2236).

Ruling: Neither Thousand Tailed Watcher nor Unchecked Power trigger Deflect because they do not target. They apply blanket effects to all enemy units rather than selecting specific game objects. Nuances: - Reflexive triggers use the language "Do this" - Targets require you to select a specific game object for an effect - Blanket effects that affect all units of a type do not count as targeting

No, **Thousand-Tailed Watcher** does not have to pay Deflect costs. According to official rulings and the mechanics of the **Deflect** keyword: 1. **Deflect only applies to targeting:** Rule 735.1.c defines Deflect as a cost imposed on spells and abilities that "choose" (target) the permanent. 2. **Thousand-Tailed Watcher does not target:** Its ability ("give enemy units -3 might this turn") is a blanket effect that applies to all enemy units. Because you do not select or "choose" specific units for the effect, it does not trigger the additional Power cost from Deflect. As stated in the official FAQ: > "Thousand-Tailed Watcher does not choose targets when its trigger activates, so you do not need to pay Deflect costs even if your opponent has a Deflect unit."

No, **Thousand-Tailed Watcher** will not give -3 Might to the Mech tokens spawned by **Ferrous Forerunner** if the Forerunner dies *after* the Watcher has already been played. According to the RiftJudge FAQ (ID 8473 and 8571) regarding Thousand-Tailed Watcher: * **Timing:** The -3 Might reduction only applies to units already on the board when Thousand-Tailed Watcher's "When you play me" ability resolves. Because the Mech tokens are created by the Deathknell ability of Ferrous Forerunner *after* the Watcher's ability has already resolved, they are not on the board at the time the Watcher's effect is applied. Therefore, they do not receive the -3 Might reduction.

Ruling: Thousand-Tailed Watcher's -3 might effect is not perpetual. It applies once when the ability resolves, reducing all face-up units to a minimum of 1 might, then the effect is complete. Any subsequent might changes start from the new value. Sequence: - Watcher's ability resolves, giving all face-up units -3 might (minimum 1) - The effect completes and does not linger - Any buffs or debuffs applied afterward modify the unit's current might normally - Units that enter the battlefield or are revealed after Watcher's ability resolves are not affected by it Nuances: - Hidden units are not affected by the -3 when Watcher's ability resolves, since they are not face-up on the battlefield at that time - If a unit is revealed after Watcher's ability has resolved, it does not receive the -3 debuff

Ruling: Thousand-Tailed Watcher gives all enemy units -3 might this turn (down to a minimum of 1 might). If units are later buffed, they gain might from their current value after Watcher's effect. Negative might values below 1 are not stored. Sequence: - Watcher reduces all current enemy units by -3 might (minimum 1) - If a unit would go below 1 might, it stays at 1 - If that unit is later buffed, it gains might starting from 1 (the extra negative values are not stored) Nuances: - Extra negative might values that would take a unit below 1 are not stored or tracked for later calculations

Ruling: If Shen is played as a reaction to Thousand-Tailed Watcher's trigger (or to anything that reacted to it), Shen will be affected by the ability because the chain resolves backwards and Shen hits the field before the trigger resolves. If Shen is played later in the turn after the trigger has already resolved, he will not be affected. Sequence: - Thousand-Tailed Watcher's trigger goes on the chain - Shen is played as a reaction to the trigger (or to another reaction) - Chain resolves backwards: Shen enters the field first - Thousand-Tailed Watcher's trigger resolves, affecting all units currently present including Shen Nuances: - Thousand-Tailed Watcher's trigger affects every unit present at resolution, not just units that were on the field when it triggered - The same principle applies to other spells or abilities that affect all units (they affect the "current" all, such as Grand Stratagem) - If Shen is played after the trigger has already resolved (later in the turn), he will not be affected by the -3 Might

Ruling: No, you do not need to recycle an additional card. Deflect does not apply to Thousand-Tailed Watcher's ability. Nuances: - Watcher's ability doesn't target, so deflect has no effect - Deflect only applies when choices are involved in targeting

Ruling: Thousand-Tailed Watcher has a "When you play me" triggered ability that uses the chain and can be responded to with reactions. Nuances: - The key difference between triggered abilities (that use the chain) and static abilities (that don't) is the usage of "When" vs "While" in the ability text - When playing Watcher, you must announce the trigger or you risk missing it if an opponent points it out later

Ruling: Thousand-Tailed Watcher only affects units currently in play when it enters. Might modifications stack - if a unit is reduced to 1 might by Watcher and later increased by 2, it becomes a 3 might unit. Sequence: - Watcher enters and reduces might of all units currently in play - Later might modifications apply on top of the reduced value - Example: 2 might unit reduced to 1, then increased by 2, results in 3 might Nuances: - The effect is not passive; new units entering after Watcher are not affected - Might modifications are cumulative, not overriding

Yes, **Brynhir Thundersong** effectively prevents an opponent from playing a hidden card for the remainder of the turn once its ability resolves. According to **FAQ #5027**: "The opponent cannot reveal hidden cards this turn after you play Brynhir Thundersong. Cards from hidden are also played, so Brynhir's effect prevents revealing them." ### Timing and Interactions Because playing a card from hidden uses the chain (Rule 811.1.c.3), you can still interact with Brynhir Thundersong when it is played: 1. **Opponent plays Brynhir Thundersong**: The unit enters play. 2. **"When you play me" trigger**: Brynhir’s ability is added to the chain. 3. **Window for Response (The "Hidden" Window)**: Because the chain is open, you **can** play your hidden Zhonya's Hourglass in response to Brynhir's triggered ability. 4. **Resolution**: Once Brynhir’s triggered ability resolves, its effect ("opponents can't play cards this turn") takes hold. At that point, you are barred from playing further cards from hidden for the rest of the turn (FAQ #7748). **Summary**: Brynhir Thundersong does not remove or destroy your hidden card; it simply restricts your ability to play it after her ability has resolved. You must respond to the *trigger* of Brynhir entering play if you wish to use your hidden card on that turn.

Ruling: Tianna Crownguard does not prevent the point from burning out. The opponent still gains the point when you burn out. Nuances: - Burning out causes an opponent to "gain" a point, not "score" a point - Scoring specifically refers to hold/conquer mechanics and card effects that explicitly use the word "score" (like Windrider or Tryndamere) - Tianna blocks scoring but not gaining points, so she prevents effects that say "score" but not burnout

No, **Tianna Crownguard does not stop Conquer or Hold effects** from triggering. According to **RiftJudge FAQ 8403** and the sequence clarified in **FAQ 9179**, Tianna’s ability ("While I'm at a battlefield, opponents can't gain points") is specifically limited to preventing the gain of Victory Points. The mechanics of "Scoring" (which triggers your Conquer and Hold abilities) and "Gaining Points" are treated as distinct parts of the same process. Even if Tianna prevents you from actually gaining the point: * The battlefield is still considered to have been "Scored" for that turn. * Your Conquer and Hold triggered abilities will still trigger and be placed on the chain normally, provided their other conditions are met.

Ruling: Tibbers' "When you play me" text is an ability that goes on the chain when played, so Annie will increase the damage from it. All functional text on cards are abilities. Nuances: - Flavor text like "Bear hug!" is not an ability - The ability doesn't need to have a keyword to count as an ability

Ruling: Tide Turner as a hidden card does not count as a spell and will not activate Dreaming Tree.

Yes, Tide Turner must choose a target to put its "When you play me" ability on the chain. According to FAQ 6775 and FAQ 7573, you must choose targets during the activation of the ability (when the trigger is placed on the chain) before opponents can react. If you choose to use the "you may" ability, the target must be declared at the moment the trigger is initiated. ### Key Clarifications: * **Trigger Category:** As defined in Rule 383.4.a and 383.4.a.1, Tide Turner’s "When you play me" ability is a Play Effect. * **Timing of Choices:** Contrary to general triggered abilities, FAQ 6775 specifies that for Tide Turner, you choose required targets as part of the activation process, occurring when the trigger is placed on the chain. * **Ability Initiation:** Because the ability is phrased as "you may," it is optional. You may choose to play Tide Turner without placing the triggered ability on the chain; however, if you do choose to activate it, you must declare the target immediately upon placing it on the chain. Note: This ruling is based on the provided FAQs, which override general rule interpretations regarding the timing of target selection for this specific unit.

Ruling: No, Tide Turner's location switch ability does not exhaust a readied card. Only standard move actions or effects that explicitly state "exhaust" will exhaust cards. Nuances: - Any movement that is not a standard move action will not change the exhausted/readied status of cards - If an effect doesn't explicitly state "exhaust" in its text, it doesn't exhaust the card

Ruling: No, Tideturner does not ready the unit it swaps with. Abilities that move units forcibly don't ready or exhaust them unless otherwise specified. Nuances: - Exhausting a unit is part of the cost to move it yourself, but this doesn't apply to forced movement from abilities

Ruling: Tideturner only works with cards already on the battlefield, not cards in hand. When a unit with an Attack or Defend trigger enters combat mid-showdown via Tideturner, that trigger goes on the chain only if appropriate for their attacker/defender status. Sequence: - Attacker/defender designations are applied to players first - Units get assigned during the showdown process - When Tideturner resolves and swaps a unit in, that unit gets assigned defender during Tideturner's cleanup - If the swapped-in unit has an Attack or Defend trigger, it only triggers if their role (attacker/defender) matches the trigger condition Nuances: - In the Yasuo example, since Yasuo's controller is not the attacker, Yasuo's "on attack" trigger would not activate - Tideturner received errata so that when hidden, it can now target another battlefield (previously it couldn't)

Ruling: Yes, Tideturner's ability moves the targeted unit (Kayn), so if Kayn is moved by Tideturner and then moved again, his passive ability activates and he doesn't take damage. Nuances: - The word "move" is implied in Tideturner's text even though it only explicitly states "move me to its location and it to my original location" - the second "move" is understood to apply to the target as well.

Ruling: Yes, Traveling Merchant draws a card even if you have no cards in hand to discard. Nuances: - If the card said "discard 1 to draw 1" (with "to") or "Discard 1. If you do..." then you would NOT be able to draw with an empty hand - The current wording allows each part to resolve as much as possible independently

Ruling: Traveling Merchant triggers as a mandatory effect - you discard if you can, then draw even if you didn't discard. Super Mega Death Rocket requires you to discard TO retrieve it; if you don't discard, you don't get it back. Sequence: - When Traveling Merchant triggers, discard a card if you have one in hand - If your hand is empty, skip the discard - Then draw a card regardless of whether you discarded Nuances: - The key difference is "to" vs "then" - "to" creates a requirement, "then" creates a sequence where later steps happen even if earlier steps couldn't - Traveling Merchant is a triggered ability (not activated) that resolves as much as possible - Super Mega Death Rocket always triggers when its condition is met, but you choose whether to pay the discard cost to get the effect

Ruling: No, Traveling Merchant does not get +3 Might from Assault when his trigger fires. The showdown has not started yet, so he won't receive the Assault bonus until after his ability resolves. Sequence: - The Merchant moves to the battlefield - The Merchant's triggered ability goes on the chain, and the Battlefield becomes Contested - A Cleanup occurs - Combat cannot yet start because there is an effect on the chain; Combat remains marked as Pending until the chain is empty - After the chain resolves, combat begins and Assault applies Nuances: - The battlefield becomes Contested immediately when the Merchant moves, but this does not mean combat has started - Combat is marked as Pending and cannot start while effects are still on the chain

Ruling: Traveling Merchant triggers before the showdown begins, so the discard/draw effect resolves before the opponent has a chance to kill it with cards like Hextech Ray. Sequence: - Player attempts to conquer with Traveling Merchant - Merchant's move effect triggers and resolves (discard/draw) - Showdown begins - Opponent can now respond with cards like Hextech Ray

Yes, the Traveling Merchant's ability triggers and resolves before the Tank ability becomes relevant. Here is the breakdown of why: 1. **Traveling Merchant's Ability:** This is a **triggered ability** ("When I move..."). When the Merchant moves, this ability is placed on the chain and must resolve. 2. **Tank Ability:** This is a **passive ability** (Rule 741.1). It does not trigger or use the chain; instead, it functions as a continuous rule that modifies how combat damage is assigned during the Combat Damage Step (Rule 443.1.d). **Sequence:** * **Movement:** The Traveling Merchant moves. * **Trigger:** The Merchant's "When I move" ability goes on the chain. * **Resolution:** The chain resolves, and the Merchant's controller discards one card and draws one card. * **Combat:** Only after the chain is empty and all triggers have resolved does the game proceed to combat (if applicable). * **Damage Assignment:** During the Combat Damage Step, the Tank ability is then applied to determine the order in which damage must be assigned to units. Because the Merchant's ability is a trigger that resolves on the chain and Tank is a passive ability that only applies during the damage assignment phase of combat, the Merchant's effect will always be finalized long before the Tank ability influences the game.

Ruling: Yes, Travelling Merchant's move trigger resolves before showdown/combat starts. Move triggers resolve first because showdown/combat won't start when there are things on the Chain. Sequence: - Travelling Merchant moves to the battlefield - His move trigger goes on the Chain - The trigger resolves (discard and draw) - Then showdown/combat begins Nuances: - If there are simultaneous showdowns pending at different battlefields, non-combat showdowns fire before combat showdowns - If both showdowns are at open battlefields, you choose which to resolve first - If Travelling Merchant is Gusted back to hand in response to his ability triggering, his ability still resolves because it doesn't have a "here" restriction - Going back to hand is not considered a "move" and wouldn't trigger move abilities again

Ruling: War Camp's +1 might buff is continuous and always applies while a unit is at War Camp. When effects like Stupefy reduce might, you apply all increases and decreases to the base might together - the War Camp buff doesn't "reapply" after other effects resolve. Sequence: - A unit at War Camp has its base might +1 from the War Camp buff - When Stupefy resolves, it snapshots the current calculation and applies its reduction - The final might is: base might + War Camp buff + any other modifiers - Example: A 1 might unit at War Camp becomes 2 might (1+1). After Stupefy (-1), it becomes 1 might (1+1-1) Nuances: - Negative might can occur mathematically but is treated as 0 for all purposes that check might - When calculating might changes, all increases are applied first, then all decreases - Units with 0 might stay alive unless damaged - "Treated as 0" means effects that check might see it as 0, but arithmetic still works from the negative value (e.g., a -1 might unit given +2 becomes 1 might, not 2)

Ruling: Trifarian War Camp does not count as a buff. A Buff is a specific game object - if something is called a buff, it's a Buff; if it's not called a buff, it's not a Buff. Nuances: - Trifarian War Camp increases the might of units but doesn't give them a Buff - Sett's Legend ability requires "a buffed unit" and requires a buff to be spent, so just being at the battlefield doesn't make the unit able to be saved

Ruling: Yes, Triferian War Camp's passive effect is always active, so a Unit entering the board at War Camp will enter at 5 Might and will not be destroyed by Relentless Storm. Sequence: - Unit enters the board at Triferian War Camp - War Camp's passive effect applies immediately, making the Unit 5 Might - Relentless Storm triggers and only destroys Units with 4 or less Might - The Unit survives at 5 Might

Ruling: Yes, you score twice from Trinity Force when both Trinity Force and Skyfall of Areion are attached to a unit on Reckoner's Arena, for 3 points total.