Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Guardian Angel triggers during cleanup and recalls the unit to base before control is lost and before a showdown is staged. The opponent loses control of the battlefield (special FAQ ruling), making it uncontrolled. One non-combat showdown opens with only Yone present. When Yone conquers this uncontrolled battlefield, his ability DOES trigger to deal 5 damage to a target unit in a base. Sequence: - Stormbringer resolves: damage is marked on the defender and Yone moves to the battlefield - The battlefield becomes Contested immediately when Yone arrives - During cleanup, Guardian Angel triggers before the unit would die, healing and recalling it to base - The opponent loses control of the battlefield (special FAQ ruling that overrides the normal rule that control cannot change while Contested) - The battlefield is now Uncontrolled (even though still Contested) - One non-combat showdown opens with only Yone present - When the showdown closes, Yone conquers the uncontrolled battlefield - Yone's ability triggers, dealing 5 damage to a target unit in a base Nuances: - This uses a temporary stop-gap ruling from the Hostile Takeover FAQ that forces control loss even while Contested - This is a known gap in the rules acknowledged by the official FAQ - Only one showdown occurs (not two) - The battlefield transitions from opponent-controlled to Contested to Uncontrolled to your control

Ruling: Ravenbloom Student only triggers when your spell is "played" (fully resolved). You cannot chain Ravenbloom Student to Stupefy because the spell has not been "played" yet when you're still declaring targets. Sequence: - Play Stupefy and declare a target - Opponent can respond (e.g., with Defy) - If Stupefy is countered by Defy, it was never "played" and Ravenbloom Student does not trigger - If Stupefy resolves fully, then it has been "played" and Ravenbloom Student triggers Nuances: - Counter effects like Defy can target anything on the chain, not just the last thing played - Even if something triggers when you cast Stupefy, opponents can still Defy the Stupefy itself

Ruling: The order matters. Watcher reduces Might by 3 to a minimum of 1 when it resolves. Buffs applied after Watcher increase Might from its current value, while buffs applied before Watcher get reduced. Sequence: - If Grand Stratagem resolves first: tokens get buffed to 6 Might, then Watcher reduces them to 3 Might - If Watcher resolves first: tokens stay at 1 Might (can't go below minimum), then Grand Stratagem buffs them to 6 Might Nuances: - Snapshotting applies: playing Watcher against tokens that haven't received bonus Might yet does essentially nothing, as the Watcher effect snapshots to -0 for all of them (they're already at 1 Might minimum)

Ruling: Yes, Tideturner can select a card outside your battlefield when played as a hidden card. Tideturner is currently the only exception to the normal hidden card rules because it cannot target units at its location. Nuances: - Pay attention to Tideturner's errata - The exception exists specifically because Tideturner cannot target units at its location

Ruling: No, Viktor will be dead before his effect can trigger, so no tokens are created. Sequence: - Unchecked Power destroys all units - Viktor dies along with the other units - Viktor's effect does not trigger because he is no longer on the battlefield

Ruling: Malzahar's ability still counts as killing a unit even if the unit is saved by Unlicensed Armory. You get the 2 power from Malzahar after saving the unit, so you cannot use that power to pay for Armory's save effect. Sequence: - Activate Malzahar's ability (tap and discard as costs) - Begin paying the kill cost for Malzahar - During the killing, Unlicensed Armory's replacement effect activates - Pay 1 power to save the unit (it recalls to base instead of dying) - Malzahar's ability then resolves, adding 2 power Nuances: - The death is replaced by the recall, so the unit doesn't actually die, but Malzahar's ability doesn't check whether the unit actually died - it only cares that you made the choice to kill it as part of paying costs - You must have the 1 power available before activating Malzahar if you want to save the unit with Armory

Ruling: Yes, you still draw 1 card. You resolve as much of Void Seeker's effect as possible even if the target is no longer valid.

Ruling: Yes, you can cast the Hidden card during your extra turn from Time Warp. The extra turn counts as a new turn, which satisfies the Hidden timing requirement. Nuances: - Even though you are the same player taking the extra turn, it still qualifies as a "new turn" for Hidden card timing purposes

Ruling: Yes, you can spend Cithria's buff to reduce Kraken Hunter's cost, and then Cithria will receive a new buff when Kraken Hunter is played. Sequence: - Cithria must already have a buff before you play Kraken Hunter - You spend Cithria's buff(s) to reduce Kraken Hunter's power cost - Kraken Hunter is played and enters the board - Cithria receives a new buff from Kraken Hunter's ability Nuances: - If you want to use Kraken Hunter's Accelerate ability, you must pay the power cost for Accelerate before playing the card - You cannot spend the buffs that Cithria gains from Kraken Hunter being played to pay for Accelerate, as the cost must be paid before the card is played - The Accelerate decision happens during the process of play, before any triggers go on the Chain

Ruling: Yes, you can negate the effect. When Gust returns Noxian Drummer to hand before its triggered ability resolves, the ability cannot determine where "here" refers to since the Drummer is no longer at the battlefield location, causing the ability to resolve with no effect and no token is created. Sequence: - Opponent declares moving Noxian Drummer to the Battlefield - Noxian Drummer's ability triggers and goes on the initial chain - You play Gust as a Reaction before the trigger resolves - Gust returns Noxian Drummer to hand - Noxian Drummer's ability resolves but cannot determine where "here" is - The ability resolves to no effect and no token is made Nuances: - Spells in Riftbound re-evaluate legality at resolution - If the battlefield gave Drummer +1 might as a passive effect, you would not be able to target it with Gust (which targets units with 3 or less might) by the time you could play it

Ruling: Ornn's Forge does not discount your next gear if you already played a gear earlier in the turn before conquering. The ability cannot "look back" to check if a gear was already played. Sequence: - Play first gear before conquering - Conquer and gain Ornn's Forge - Play second gear (no discount applies) Nuances: - This follows the same logic as Darius Trifarian: if you play Darius as your 3rd card of the turn, he does not ready when you play your 4th card, because the condition checks from when the ability becomes active, not from the start of the turn.

Ruling: No, Darius Trifarian's ability will not trigger if he is played after a gold token. Tokens are not cards, so playing a token does not count toward the "second card this turn" condition. Nuances: - Tokens do not count as cards for any game effects that reference "cards" - Darius must be the second actual card played in a turn to trigger his ability, not the second thing played

Ruling: "Play a spell" triggers require the spell to fully resolve, so Viktor Inventor will not trigger if the spell is countered.

Ruling: When you cast a spell with Repeat, you must choose whether to use Repeat at the time of casting, before your opponent can respond. If you choose to Repeat and your opponent Defies the spell, the entire spell (including the repeated portion) is countered. You cannot choose to Repeat after a Defy. Sequence: - Declare you are casting the spell - Choose whether to pay the Repeat cost as an additional cost - Finalize the spell on the chain - Opponent can now respond with Defy - If Defied, the entire spell (including any Repeat) is countered Nuances: - Repeat is an optional additional cost paid before finalizing the spell, not a separate spell or ability - Repeat extends the spell's effect box but does not create a second spell - You cannot wait to see if your opponent Defies before deciding to Repeat

Ruling: Yes, you must pay the Deflect cost before the spell can be countered. Sequence: - You put your spell in the chase - You target and pay all costs (including Deflect as a forced additional cost) - Only then can the spell be countered Nuances: - Deflect is a forced additional cost that must be paid when targeting, not when the spell resolves

Ruling: Yes, when multiple triggered abilities trigger simultaneously, the player who controls those abilities selects the order to place them on the chain. Sequence: - Both abilities trigger at the same time (when the unit attacks) - The controlling player chooses which order to place them on the chain

Ruling: Yes, playing red Darius as the second card in your turn triggers his Legion effect and readies him. Nuances: - The Legion keyword triggers when you play the card as your second card of the turn, which includes the card itself being played

Ruling: Both Darius cards trigger. When the second Darius is played, he sees himself as the second card played that turn. Sequence: - Play Darius #1 from hand - Play Darius #2 from hand - Both Darius cards are now ready and have +2 attack (total 7 attack)

Ruling: You score for conquering the battlefield because you haven't already scored at that battlefield that turn. Sequence: - You controlled Reaver's Row and moved your unit away, losing control - Opponent gained control after the showdown resolved - You moved a unit back to Reaver's Row with Ride the Wind - When the new showdown at Reaver's Row resolves and you gain control, you score for conquering Nuances: - The key factor is whether you have already scored at that battlefield during the current turn, not whether you previously controlled it - The combat at the battlefield must have fully resolved before you moved back in for this ruling to apply

Ruling: Bullet Time deals 8 damage to each enemy unit at the battlefield, not split across them. Nuances: - You don't pay the Power cost for Bullet Time's ability until the spell starts to resolve, so opponents must use reactions before knowing how much Power you'll invest - Opponents cannot use Defy after seeing how much Power is paid, because Defy targets the card on the chain before the Power payment happens - You can tap for energy while resolving Bullet Time's ability to pay the Power cost

Ruling: Showdowns never automatically end - they only conclude when both players pass empty focus in a row. You can play multiple action cards in sequence during the action window, and any unit you bring into an active showdown will gain the defender designation if you are the defending player. Sequence: - Opponent pushes into your battlefield, initiating showdown - You play Fight or Flight to remove your unit - After it resolves, opponent gets focus and can pass - You get focus again and can play another action (like Ride the Wind) - The new unit enters the battlefield and gains defender designation - If both players pass, showdown proceeds to combat Nuances: - Attacker/defender designations are locked to players, not specific units - Any unit entering a battlefield where its controller is the defender will gain the defender designation - Units gain defender/attacker status when they arrive at the combat battlefield and lose it if they leave - "When I defend" triggers occur the first time a unit gets flagged as defender in that combat - The entire showdown process (from initiation through resolution) is considered "the combat," not just the damage step

Ruling: Yes, the Spinning Axe will still die. When you respond to the trigger with Angle Shot, the trigger is already on the chain, so it will resolve and destroy the Spinning Axe even though it has been moved to a different unit. Sequence: - Spinning Axe's temporary trigger goes on the chain - You respond with Angle Shot, moving Spinning Axe to a new unit - Angle Shot resolves - Spinning Axe's trigger resolves, destroying it on its new unit

Ruling: You do not get the 1 might recruit. When Retreat finishes resolving and is considered played, Viktor is already in your hand and cannot trigger. Sequence: - Retreat is put on chain - Retreat starts executing and returns Viktor to hand - Retreat finishes resolving and goes to the trash (this is when it's considered as played) - Viktor is now in hand and can't trigger Nuances: - This was ruled incorrectly by a judge on stream at SCG Vegas

Ruling: You cannot reveal Pakaa Cub after your last unit dies because hidden cards are removed during cleanup when you have no units at the battlefield. You must reveal the cub before your last unit dies, and when revealed, it is designated as a "defender" when it joins the showdown. Sequence: - Reveal Pakaa Cub before your last unit dies - The cub joins the showdown as a defender - If you wait until after your last unit dies, hidden cards go to trash during cleanup Nuances: - You cannot reveal in response to something dying; you must reveal before the unit dies - Hidden cards are removed as part of cleanup when you lose your last unit at a battlefield

Ruling: No, you cannot play the new unit to that battlefield. When you sacrifice your only unit on the battlefield, you lose control of that battlefield immediately. Nuances: - The rule about retaining control when units move during combat only applies during combat, not when sacrificing units to pay costs outside of combat.

Ruling: Yes, you still draw 2 cards. The "its controller draws 2" effect only needs the unit's information to be referenceable, which it is when the unit is on the board and a valid target on resolution. Nuances: - If a replacement effect banished the unit instead of it dying, the controller would NOT draw 2, because Hidden Blade was not the effect that moved the unit to a different zone - Effects that move units to different zones get a specific carve-out to reference those units (like how Baited Hook and normal Hidden Blade work when units die) - A spell can only look back at a unit's characteristics if that spell itself moved the unit to a different zone, not if a different effect did the moving

Ruling: Yes, you score the point on the battlefield during your opponent's turn when you win the battle. Nuances: - If it would be the final point needed to win, you cannot win because you haven't scored at all battlefields during "this" turn (your opponent's turn), so the game would draw instead.

Ruling: Yes, you can score the same battlefield again on your opponent's turn. The "once per Battlefield per turn" restriction resets each turn, regardless of whose turn it is. Sequence: - Your turn: You score Battlefield A and Battlefield B (2 points total), end turn - Opponent's turn: Opponent starts a showdown at Battlefield A - During the showdown: You move your unit from A to B - Battlefield B becomes Contested (if it was empty/uncontrolled) - You establish control/conquer Battlefield B on opponent's turn (1 additional point) - Total: 3 points (2 from your turn, 1 from opponent's turn) Nuances: - The scoring restriction is "once per battlefield per turn" where "turn" means any player's turn, not just your own turn - Each new turn (whether yours or opponent's) resets the scoring restriction for all battlefields - You can only score if you actually establish control through conquering - simply maintaining control doesn't trigger scoring - If you leave a battlefield and don't return to it during opponent's turn, you don't get another scoring opportunity there

Ruling: You can banish all three Nocturnes when revealed by Stacked Deck. Stacked Deck won't do anything since the banished Nocturnes are no longer valid cards to add to your hand or recycle. Sequence: - When you reveal 3 Nocturnes from Stacked Deck, you can choose to banish all three - A new chain starts with all 3 Nocturnes (which can't be reacted to because units can't be reacted to) - Before each Nocturne goes on the chain, you choose between finalizing the unit (by paying its cost) or leaving it in banish - If you choose not to finalize, the Nocturne stays in banish and the unit is not finalized on the chain Nuances: - Nocturne's trigger works with any effect that instructs you to publicly reveal cards from the top of the deck or allows you to secretly see them (like Stacked Deck, Candlelight Sanctum, or the purple Poro with Vision) - The "and don't draw them" text prevents you from drawing regularly and cheating Nocturne into play that way - You are not required to play Nocturne if you banish it; the wording is "you may banish, then play"

Ruling: When you control stolen equipment (attached to Akshan), you can use it as if you played it, including using Lucian's Weapon Master to move it for free. Your opponent cannot use its abilities while you control it. Sequence: - While Akshan is in play, you control the stolen equipment - You can use Lucian's Weapon Master to attach it to Lucian for free - The equipment remains on Lucian even after Akshan leaves play - Once Akshan leaves play, control returns to the opponent - After control returns, the opponent can use their attach effects (like Weapon Master) to take it back Nuances: - The equipment doesn't immediately return when Akshan leaves play; it stays on Lucian until the opponent actively moves it or Lucian leaves play - Your opponent cannot pay equip costs or use abilities on the equipment while you control it (while Akshan is in play)

Ruling: Yes, you get all instances of the repeat effect that were paid for. When you gain control of a repeat spell, the repeated spell effects are part of the original spell which has been finalized and paid for, so gaining control doesn't change the fact that the repeat cost has been paid. Sequence: - The original spell is cast and repeat costs are paid - The spell (with repeat effects) is finalized - Control of the spell is stolen - The spell performs its effects the number of times corresponding to how many repeat costs were paid Nuances: - Repeat effects don't go on the chain separately; they're essentially appended to the text of the original spell - You get 1 spell that performs its effects multiple times (twice if one repeat cost was paid, three times if two repeat costs were paid, etc.)

Ruling: The unit returns to its owner's base, not the controller's base. Portal Rescue has been errata'd so that the owner of the card plays it to its base. Sequence: - Banish the friendly unit (which you control but don't own) - The unit goes to its owner's banish zone - The owner plays it to its base, ignoring its cost Nuances: - The errata changes Portal Rescue to specify "its owner plays it to its base" rather than the controller playing it

Ruling: Yes, you get the Deathknell trigger. Deathknell triggers capture all information about the creature right before it's killed, including its current controller. Nuances: - Even though the creature returns to the opponent's trash after dying, the controller at the moment of death determines who gets the Deathknell trigger - In the case of Ferrous Forerunner, the player who controlled it when it died would get the 2 3-might units, not the original owner

Ruling: Unspent Energy/Power disappears after each Draw Step and at the End of each turn (including your opponent's turn and draw phase). Nuances: - Energy disappears at multiple points: after each Draw Step, at the end of your turn, at the end of your opponent's turn, and at the end of your opponent's draw phase

Ruling: Void Seeker will still hit the unit as long as it remains a legal target. A unit that moves from one battlefield to another is still "at a battlefield" even though it is no longer "here" at the original battlefield. Nuances: - Hidden Blade works differently - if the targeted unit moves from the battlefield where Hidden Blade is hidden, Hidden Blade will not kill the unit and you do not draw a card - The distinction is between "at a battlefield" (any battlefield) vs "here" (the specific battlefield)

Ruling: The opponent's unit is sent to their base by Fight or Flight, making it no longer a valid target for Hidden Blade. The unit survives and the opponent does not draw two cards. Sequence: - Hidden Blade targets a unit at a battlefront - Opponent reveals hidden Fight or Flight in response - Fight or Flight sends the unit to their base - Hidden Blade loses its target and does not resolve - The unit lives and no cards are drawn

Ruling: You choose the unit, not the battlefield. The unit just needs to be at any battlefield when you target it and when the effect resolves. If the unit is moved to a different battlefield, it still takes damage. However, Ride the Wind cannot actually be used in response to Snapvine's trigger because Ride the Wind does not have the Hidden keyword and can only be played as an Action, and Snapvine doesn't create a showdown. Nuances: - If the unit is moved to base (not a battlefield), the effect won't work - Fight Or Flight (which does have Hidden) could be used in response to move a unit to base and cause Snapvine to fail

Ruling: Yes, the hidden unit enters play before the kill spell resolves. Permanent items (including units) leave the chain immediately after finalizing and enter play, then the chain continues resolving in reverse order. Sequence: - Kill spell is played (chain link 1) - Hidden unit is played as a reaction (chain link 2) - Hidden unit finalizes, leaves the chain, and enters play at the battlefield - Kill spell resolves Nuances: - Hidden cards gain the "this battlefield" designation when they are hidden and must be used on that battlefield unless it becomes illegal to do so - This permanent-falling-off-chain rule is why reactive cards like Defy can function properly

Ruling: Ravenbloom Student dies. The cleanup that checks for lethal damage occurs immediately after Piercing Light is removed from the chain, before Ravenbloom Student's "When you play a spell" triggered ability can trigger and give it +1 might. Sequence: - You play Piercing Light, targeting your own Ravenbloom Student (2 might) - Piercing Light resolves and deals 2 damage to the Student - Piercing Light is removed from the chain - Cleanup occurs immediately - During cleanup, the Student has 2 damage marked and 2 might—this is lethal - The Student is killed and placed in trash - Only after cleanup would Ravenbloom Student's triggered ability attempt to trigger, but the Student is already dead Nuances: - A spell only counts as "played" after it completely resolves, so "when you play a spell" triggers happen after the spell finishes resolving - Cleanup occurs after a chain item is removed from the chain, before triggered abilities from that spell can be added to the chain - The +1 might buff from Ravenbloom Student's ability comes too late to save it from the lethal damage

Ruling: When you target your own unit on Dreaming Tree with Hidden Blade, you draw 3 cards total (1 from Dreaming Tree, 2 from Hidden Blade). Cull the Weak does not trigger Dreaming Tree because it doesn't target. Sequence: - Cast Hidden Blade targeting your unit on Dreaming Tree - Dreaming Tree's trigger is added to the chain on top of Hidden Blade - Dreaming Tree's trigger resolves, you draw 1 card - Hidden Blade resolves, you draw 2 more cards Nuances: - Cull the Weak doesn't target because when multiple players choose a set of objects, those objects aren't considered targets

Ruling: Yes, you still draw a card. The Dreaming Tree's trigger enters the chain when you target the unit, and is not dependent on the resolution of the spell itself. Sequence: - Player 1 plays a spell targeting their unit at The Dreaming Tree - The Dreaming Tree's draw trigger enters the chain - Player 2 can react with Defy (they are reacting to the tree trigger, not the original spell) - The draw resolves regardless of whether the spell is countered Nuances: - You still draw even if the targeted unit is removed from the battlefield before the spell resolves (e.g., with Recall) - Units at the battlefield during showdown count as "here" for The Dreaming Tree's purposes - Spells that target your own attacking unit at The Dreaming Tree (like Cleave) will trigger the draw

Ruling: ASSAULT is a stacking keyword. Multiple instances of ASSAULT add up together, so two Cleaves giving ASSAULT 3 each would result in ASSAULT 6. Nuances: - ASSAULT only applies while the unit is an attacker - ASSAULT is functionally "While I am an attacker, I have +X [S]" - Once combat resolves, the unit is no longer an attacker and loses the ASSAULT bonus

Ruling: You cannot play the unit back to the same battlefield unless you are in combat at that battlefield. When you blink your only unit, you lose control of the battlefield during the cleanup step that occurs between Arcane Shift resolving and the unit being finalized to the chain. Sequence: - Arcane Shift resolves and instructs you to play the unit (adding it as pending to the chain) - A cleanup step occurs - During cleanup, since you have no units at the battlefield and are not in combat there, you lose control of it - The unit finalizes to the chain, but you no longer control the battlefield so cannot play it there Nuances: - If you are in combat at the battlefield (it is contested), you maintain control throughout the showdown and can play the unit back - Arcane Shift requires targeting both a friendly unit AND an enemy unit at a battlefield - you cannot play it without valid targets for both - "Do as much as you can" only applies during resolution, not when initially targeting the spell - You can Arcane Shift a unit from one battlefield and play it to a different battlefield you control

Ruling: Yes, a stunned unit can deal damage through Challenge because Challenge damage is not combat damage, which is what Stun prevents. The stunned 3M unit deals 3 damage via Challenge to the 6M attacker, then the other 3M unit can finish it off in the showdown. Sequence: - Challenge is played targeting the stunned 3M unit and the 6M attacking unit - Both units deal their might to each other (3 damage marked on the 6M unit) - The stunned 3M unit dies - The 6M unit (with 3 damage marked) trades with the other 3M unit in the showdown Nuances: - Stun only prevents combat damage, not damage from card effects like Challenge

Ruling: Blue Ahri's -2 might effect and Block's shield 3 do not apply when using Challenge outside of a showdown, as these effects only trigger during combat showdowns where there are designated attackers and defenders. Nuances: - If Challenge is used during a combat showdown, these effects will apply - Non-combat showdowns do not have attackers and defenders, so these effects would not apply even during those showdowns - Shield 3 only applies to defenders, which only exist in combat showdowns

Ruling: You are the defender. The attacker is determined by which player controls the units that applied the contested status to the battlefield, not by who played the spell that moved the units. Nuances: - The current rules could be read as "the player who played the spell is the attacker," but this interpretation is incorrect - A future Comprehensive Rules update will clarify that the attacker is the controller of the units that applied contested status - If you control a battlefield and use Charm to bring an enemy unit there, the enemy unit applies the contested status, making your opponent the attacker and you the defender

Ruling: Yes, the enemy unit is the attacker because the attacker is the player whose unit creates the contested state at the battlefield. The player who controls the unit that moved is the player who applied contested status. Sequence: (for Nine-Tailed Fox trigger timing) Case A - Attacker is the turn player: - Attacker's "When I attack" triggers - Nine-Tailed Fox trigger - Defender's "When I defend" triggers Case B - Defender is first in turn order (e.g., via Charm): - Nine-Tailed Fox trigger - Attacker's "When I attack" triggers - Defender's "When I defend" triggers Nuances: - Nine-Tailed Fox is treated as an attack trigger ("when X attacks"), not a defend trigger, even though it's controlled by the defender - When multiple attack triggers are controlled by different players, turn order determines the sequence - Attack triggers always resolve before defend triggers

Ruling: If you charm an enemy unit to a battlefield and they end up in control of it, even on your turn, they score it. Nuances: - This applies even though the conquering happens during the active player's turn - The interaction works with instant-speed removal spells like Ray or Void Seeker that can be played on the opponent's turn

Ruling: Yes, this triggers Master Yi's defend alone ability. The charmed unit is considered the attacker because it is the unit applying contested status to the battlefield. Sequence: - You charm the opponent's unit into the battlefield - The moved unit applies contested status - Since the moved unit's controller is your opponent and they are applying contested, they are the attacker - Your unit (Deadbloom/Master Yi) is defending alone Nuances: - This works the same way for any forced movement effect (Ahri passive, Blitzcrank pull, etc.) - the unit being moved is always the one applying contested status and is therefore the attacker, regardless of how they got there

Ruling: Yes, the opponent will conquer the battlefield and gain a point when their unit is moved there on your turn. Nuances: - This can be used strategically with cards like Zenith Blade to move an enemy unit to a battlefield, then move your own unit there to both conquer and kill the enemy unit.