Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, playing a card from hidden is still playing a card, so Viktor Innovator triggers and lets you create a recruit token. Nuances: - Hiding a card (putting it facedown) is not playing a card - Playing a card from hidden (or from hand) counts as playing a card

No, Viktor, Innovator will not create a Recruit token if the spell you played was countered by Defy. According to **Rule 425.1.b**: "A card that is Countered is not considered to have been played." Because Viktor's ability triggers "When you play a card," and a countered card never completes the process of being played, the trigger condition is never met. This is further supported by a RiftJudge FAQ regarding Viktor, Innovator: "A card that is countered is not considered to have been played, so it does not count for effects that check 'if you played two cards this turn' or similar conditions... if you attempt to play a card on your opponent's turn and it is Defied, Viktor's ability will not trigger, and you will not get the Recruit token."

Ruling: Viktor Innovator's ability does not trigger from runes. Only main deck cards count for Viktor's ability. Nuances: - Tokens from Viktor's legend form also do not count for his ability - Runes are not considered cards for Viktor's trigger purposes

No, Viktor, Leader's ability does not trigger in that scenario. According to the **RiftJudge FAQ (ID 7419, 7662, 4253, 6953, 8082)** and **Rule 376.2.c.2**, Viktor's ability requires him to be on the board immediately after another non-Recruit unit dies. If Viktor and another non-Recruit unit die simultaneously (such as during combat damage or a board wipe), Viktor is no longer on the board when the trigger condition would be evaluated. As stated in **Rule 376.2.c.2**: > "A Game Object will not be able to successfully be able to evaluate its Trigger Condition, however, if it leaves the zone that its Trigger is active from at the same time that its Trigger is satisfied." Because Viktor is in the trash at the same time the other unit dies, he cannot "see" the event, and his ability does not trigger.

Ruling: No, playing a token with Viktor Legend does not enable Legion. You need to play a main deck card to enable Legion. Nuances: - Tokens do not count as main deck cards for the purpose of enabling Legion

Ruling: No, generating a recruit token from Viktor Legend's ability does not count as playing a card for Legion's effect. Nuances: - Legion specifically requires main deck cards to be played before it - Activating an effect that generates a token is not the same as playing a card - Tokens in general do not count as playing a card

Ruling: No, Viktor does not trigger his ability if he dies during a battle with other units. He must be alive to see other units die for his ability to trigger.

Ruling: Viktor does not trigger when Retreat is played on him. Viktor only triggers when a spell is fully resolved and only if he is still on the board when that resolution happens. Since Retreat returns him to hand before the spell resolves, he is no longer on the board to trigger. Sequence: - Retreat is played targeting Viktor - Viktor is returned to hand - Retreat finishes resolving - Viktor does not trigger because he is not on the board when resolution completes Nuances: - A card is only considered "played" when it resolves, not when it is cast

Ruling: Viktor's ability does not trigger if he and another non-Recruit unit die at the same time from the same spell or game action. Sequence: - Viktor's ability only triggers when he is on the board immediately after another non-Recruit unit dies - If Viktor leaves the board at the same time as the other unit, he cannot evaluate his trigger condition - The ability is only active while Viktor is on the Board zone, not in Trash Nuances: - This applies to any simultaneous death effect, such as both units being killed in the same Cleanup due to damage from a card like Unchecked Power

Ruling: Viktor triggers once for each unit killed individually, not once per kill instance. Nuances: - This applies whether multiple units die from a single spell or from a single combat showdown - If 4 units are killed simultaneously, Viktor triggers 4 times

Ruling: Yes, Viktor's leader effect triggers when Sprite Mother's tokens die. The tokens are units that are not Recruits, so when they die, they trigger Viktor's effect. Nuances: - The tokens count as units for the purpose of Viktor's ability - The tokens are not Recruits, which is the requirement for Viktor's trigger

Ruling: Playing a recruit unit token counts as playing a unit and will trigger abilities like Gemcraaft Seer, but it is not considered playing a card. Nuances: - Token creation is playing a unit but not playing a card - Tokens enter tapped

Ruling: No, Viktor's ability does not trigger legion effects because tokens are not cards. Nuances: - Only main deck cards count as cards - The word "play" in Viktor's ability text does not change this rule

Ruling: Viktor, Innovator does not trigger when Retreat targets him because a card isn't considered "played" until it resolves, at which point Viktor is already in your hand and not on the battlefield to see the play event. Sequence: - Retreat is announced and placed on the chain targeting Viktor - Before Retreat resolves, Viktor is still on the battlefield but the card has not been "played" yet - Retreat resolves, returning Viktor to hand - The card is now considered "played" but Viktor is no longer on the battlefield to trigger Nuances: - When a trigger condition involves a card being played, it refers specifically to the card resolving, not just being put on the chain - This ruling applies even though reaction cards can be played "before spells and abilities resolve" - the distinction is that triggers checking for "when you play" only fire after resolution

Ruling: Vilemaw Lair prevents all forms of movement effects, including abilities like Zenith Blade, Flash, and Ride the Wind. Nuances: - Recall is not considered a move, so effects like Sett or Zhonyas can still recall units from the battlefield - The Syren's gear effect would not work with units in Vilemaw Lair battlefield since it involves movement

Ruling: Yes, Vilemaw's Lair cancels out Fight or Flight effect.

Ruling: Vilemaw's Lair restricts all movement to the base, not just standard move actions. This includes movement from card effects. Nuances: - Cards like Charm, Fight or Flight, Tide Turner, and Flash can still legally target the base or units in Vilemaw's Lair, but they resolve with no effect because the restriction prevents the movement ("can't" triumphs over "can"). - Players should be aware of battlefield effects when making plays, as misreading them can lead to wasted actions.

Ruling: No, Virtuoso's ability will not trigger if the spell is countered. A countered card is not considered to have been played, so "When you play a spell" triggers do not activate. Sequence: - You play a spell and place it on the chain - Opponent counters the spell - The spell is removed from the chain before resolving - Because the spell never resolves, it is not considered "played" - Virtuoso's "When you play a spell" ability does not trigger Nuances: - There is a distinction between "When you play a spell" triggers (which require the spell to resolve) and "When you choose/target" triggers (which occur when the spell is finalized on the chain, before potential counters) - "When you choose/target" abilities would still trigger even if the spell is later countered, because the targeting action was already completed

When a card is Recycled, it is moved to the **bottom of the corresponding deck**, not the trash. According to **Rule 403.1**: > "Recycling cards is the action in which a player takes one or more cards from a specific zone and then puts it on the bottom of the corresponding deck." Specifically for the **Vision** keyword, **Rule 743.1.b** states it is functionally short for: "When this is played, look at the top card of your Main Deck. You may recycle it." When you choose to recycle that card, it is moved from the top of your Main Deck to the bottom of your Main Deck.

Ruling: Void Gate does not amplify damage from Challenge. Nuances: - Challenge makes units deal damage to each other directly, rather than the effect itself dealing damage - Void Gate only amplifies damage from spells or abilities, not damage dealt by units to each other

Ruling: Void Gate only works with spells and abilities that explicitly deal damage. Reducing might is not dealing damage, so Thousand Tailed Watcher would not trigger Void Gate's bonus damage. Nuances: - Damage stacks up on units rather than HP going down - Reducing might lowers the threshold of damage needed to kill a unit, but is not itself damage - Only cards that specifically state they are dealing damage will trigger Void Gate's effect

No, **Void Rush** does not account for or interact with **Repeat** costs. Here is the breakdown of why: 1. **Different Mechanics:** **Repeat** (Rule 746) is an optional additional cost keyword found on spells that allows you to execute the spell's effect an additional time. **Void Rush** is a spell that allows you to play a card from your deck at a reduced cost. 2. **Cost Determination:** According to **Rule 130.4**, effects that determine a card's cost for any purpose always use its **base cost**. Additional costs, such as **Repeat** or **Accelerate**, are separate from the base cost and are not factored into cost-reduction effects (see also FAQ #18 regarding Yordle Explorer). 3. **Void Rush's Effect:** Void Rush reduces the cost of the card you play from your deck by [2]. This reduction applies to the base cost of that card. If the card you play from your deck happens to have the **Repeat** keyword, you would still have to pay the full, separate **Repeat** cost if you chose to use it, as that is an optional additional cost paid during the "Pay Costs" step (Rule 354.2). In short, Void Rush only reduces the base cost of the card it plays; it does not cover, reduce, or interact with any additional costs like Repeat.

Ruling: Tank only applies to combat damage. Yasuo can target any unit at the battlefield with his ability, even when Volibear Imposing is defending. Sequence: - Yasuo can use his ability to target any unit (including Snapvine Predator) - Combat damage occurs at the end of combat when both players sum their might and allocate lethal damage - Tank only applies during this combat damage step Nuances: - Combat damage specifically refers to might calculations at the end of combat, not ability damage

Ruling: No, Volibear Legend will not trigger from Sett's self-buff. Volibear Legend checks Sett's Might value at the moment Sett enters play, before Sett's triggered ability goes on the chain, so Sett will still only have 4 Might at that time. Sequence: - Sett enters play - Volibear Legend checks if any unit has 5+ Might (Sett has 4 at this point) - Volibear Legend does not trigger - Sett's triggered ability goes on the chain - Sett's ability resolves and grants him +1 Might (now at 5) - The trigger window for Volibear Legend has already passed Nuances: - Draven Showboat will trigger Volibear Legend because his effect doesn't use the chain and applies immediately, so the Might increase happens before the trigger check

Ruling: Volibear must be at a battlefield for his draw effect to trigger. When Volibear is on the base, his effect does not trigger because "other than mine" requires "mine" to be defined as a battlefield. Nuances: - The effect triggers once per move action, not per unit moved (if 3 units move together, draw 1 card) - Playing a unit directly to a battlefield is not considered "moving" and does not trigger the effect - It is unclear whether the effect triggers if you (the Volibear player) move an opponent's unit to a different battlefield, though the reasonable ruling is that it does not trigger since "opponent" refers to the opposing player taking the action

Ruling: Volibear's effect will not trigger when playing Sett who gains +1 power from his on-play ability, because Sett is not Mighty when played and Volibear checks for Mighty units at that moment, before Sett's buff resolves. Sequence: - Sett is played from hand and resolves - Sett's on-play trigger goes onto the chain to give him a buff - Volibear's trigger checks right now if a Mighty unit was played (no) and does not go onto the chain - Sett's on-play trigger resolves, buffing him - The window for Volibear has passed Nuances: - If Sett had 4 power base and was played directly to a battlefield with a buffed unit (making him Mighty via a passive ability), it would trigger Volibear because passive abilities are evaluated on cleanup after Sett resolves, before any triggers are checked - Passive abilities are evaluated constantly, even without a cleanup

Yes, you will still create the Gold gear token even if the target of *Wages of Pain* becomes invalid (e.g., because your opponent used a reaction to return it to their hand). ### The Ruling According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9296** and **#9472** regarding *Wages of Pain*: > "Wages of Pain WILL still give the gold token even if the target becomes illegal. [...] Wages of Pain's gold token generation is a separate instruction after a full stop that doesn't reference target information, so it executes even when the damage cannot be dealt." This is consistent with Rule 356.3.e.6, which states that instructions that cannot be followed are ignored, but instructions that do not reference target information are still executed. Because the creation of the Gold gear token is a separate instruction that does not depend on the success of the damage, it proceeds regardless of the target's status. ### The Sequence 1. **Playing the Spell:** You play *Wages of Pain* targeting an enemy unit. The target is locked when the spell is placed on the chain. 2. **Reacting:** Your opponent plays a reaction (such as a card that returns the unit to their hand) in response. 3. **Resolution (LIFO):** * The reaction resolves first, returning the unit to its owner's hand. * *Wages of Pain* then attempts to resolve. Because the target is no longer on the battlefield, it is now an illegal target. The instruction to "Deal 3 to a unit" cannot be performed and is ignored. * The next instruction, "Play a Gold gear token exhausted," does not reference the target and therefore executes successfully.

Ruling: Spending a buff on Wallop's additional cost does not trigger Sett Brawler's +4 attack ability. Spending a buff is the cost of activating Sett's ability, so the buff must be spent specifically to activate Sett's ability to gain the +4. Nuances: - Sett's ability is not passive and does not have the react tag, so it cannot be used in response to other effects like Showstopper - When using Showstopper on Sett, you must move to battlefield with +4 and a buff because there is no timing window to use Sett's ability while Showstopper is resolving - You can spend a buff from any unit to activate Wallop, allowing you to use Sett's ability for +4, then play Wallop using another unit's buff to ready Sett

Ruling: Yes, Cannon Barrage can be played in response to Warwick's ability on the Initial Chain. Cannon Barrage will resolve first, dealing damage to units, and then Warwick will see the damaged units and kill them. Sequence: - When I Attack and When I Defend abilities trigger and go on the Initial Chain during Showdown - Cannon Barrage (as a Reaction) can be played in response to abilities on the Initial Chain - Cannon Barrage resolves first, damaging units - Warwick's ability resolves, killing all damaged units Nuances: - When I Move abilities trigger before Showdown, not during the Initial Chain - The Initial Chain is part of Combat and Showdown

Ruling: No, 'when I attack' effects do not trigger when defending. Attack triggers only activate when their source is given the attacker designation, which does not happen when your units are defending and not applying contested status. Nuances: - The defending player's units do not receive attacker designation - Units that are not applying contested status cannot be the attacker

Ruling: Warwick's trigger always goes on the chain when he attacks because it doesn't target. Cards can be chained in response to damage units before his ability resolves. Nuances: - Abilities that target (like blue Teemo) don't go on the chain at all if there are no valid targets - Abilities that don't target (like Warwick) always trigger and go on the chain regardless of board state - This sequencing enables combos like Warwick with Flurry of Blades

Ruling: Yes, Warwick's attack trigger goes on the chain when he moves to an occupied battlefield, even if there are no damaged units present. You can respond to this trigger with reaction speed spells before it resolves. Sequence: - Move Warwick to an occupied battlefield - His attack trigger goes on the chain - You hold priority and can place reaction speed spells on the chain - Pass priority - Opponent passes priority - Reaction speed spell resolves - Pass priority, opponent passes priority - Warwick attack trigger resolves Nuances: - It is safer and more optimal to play reaction speed spells like Flurry of Blades before moving Warwick, or even while Warwick is still in hand before playing him - If Warwick is killed before his trigger resolves, the ability still resolves but has no effect because it specifically targets units 'here' and Warwick is no longer on the battlefield

Ruling: Warwick's effect only triggers when units are killed by damage, not by -might reduction or other means of death. Nuances: - The effect specifically requires damage to trigger, even though both methods result in unit death

Ruling: Weapon Master does not ignore the kill cost of Blade of the Ruined King. The Weapon Master ability reduces the equip cost by power, but you must still pay the "kill a friendly unit" part of the equip cost. Nuances: - Only Quick-Draw circumvents the cost to equip entirely - Weapon Master attaches for the equip cost reduced by power, but doesn't ignore non-power costs

Weaponmaster allows you to equip gear at a reduced cost only when the unit with the Weaponmaster keyword is played. According to Rule 747.1.b and the related FAQs: * **Weaponmaster is a Play Effect:** It triggers specifically when you play the unit. * **Timing:** The cost reduction applies only during the resolution of that specific "on-play" trigger. It does not grant you the ability to equip gear for free (or at a discount) at any other time. * **Standard Equip Rules:** Outside of this specific "on-play" trigger, you must follow the standard rules for the Equip keyword (Rule 744), which requires you to pay the full cost and can only be done during your own turn, outside of a showdown, and with nothing on the chain. In summary, Weaponmaster is a one-time, "on-play" opportunity to attach equipment at a discount; it does not change the timing or cost rules for equipping gear at any other point in the game.

Yes, **Weaponmaster** only works when you play the unit. It does not stay in effect to allow you to equip gear at a discount after the unit is already on the board. According to **Rule 821.1.b** and **Rule 821.2**: * **Weaponmaster is a Play Effect:** The keyword functions specifically as a triggered ability that triggers "When you play me." * **Inactive on Board:** Once the unit with **Weaponmaster** has finished entering the board, the keyword becomes inactive and has no further function (Rule 821.2). As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #10048** and **FAQ #9161**, this is a one-time opportunity that occurs exclusively as part of the process of playing the unit. Once the unit is on the battlefield—even just one turn later—you cannot use the Weaponmaster ability to equip gear. Any subsequent equipping must be done according to the standard rules for the **Equip** keyword (paying the full cost during your Main Phase when the chain is empty).

No, "When I move" abilities do not resolve instantly. According to the rules and FAQs regarding movement: * **Movement itself is instantaneous:** Per Rule 424.3, moving is instantaneous and does not use the chain. * **"When I move" triggers create a chain:** Per the FAQ, "When I move" is a triggered ability that is placed on the chain. This gives players an opportunity to react to the trigger once it is on the chain. * **Resolution:** Because these triggers are placed on the chain, they must resolve according to standard chain resolution rules (LIFO - Last In, First Out). They do not resolve instantly at the moment the move occurs. Additionally, per the FAQ regarding "When I move" triggers and combat: * These triggers are finalized during the cleanup phase after a move. * If a move triggers an ability, the chain must be empty before any staged Showdown or Combat can begin.

Ruling: Whirlwind does not target, so it can affect Ruin Runner even though Ruin Runner has protection from being targeted. Nuances: - Since Whirlwind doesn't target, you would not have to pay for Deflect when using it

Ruling: Whirlwind does not target, similar to Culling the Weak. Nuances: - The "each player" wording indicates no targeting is involved - Since there is no targeting, it does not trigger Deflect or Dreaming Tree

Ruling: Whirlwind does not trigger deflect because it does not target. Deflect is a passive ability that levies an additional cost only for spells or abilities that target the permanent with deflect. Nuances: - Deflect is not a trigger; it's a passive ability that adds a cost requirement - The devs are aware that Whirlwind's interaction isn't fully accounted for in the CRD - Based on both RAW (rules as written) and RAI (rules as intended), Whirlwind wouldn't require deflect to be paid

Ruling: Wielder of Water only gets +2 power when it is in a combat showdown attacking or defending alone, not simply when it is alone on the battlefield. Nuances: - The card text specifies "while I'm attacking or defending alone" not just "when I'm alone" - Units are only considered attacking or defending during a combat showdown

Ruling: Wielder of Water counts as alone when a hidden card is at the same Battlefield because hidden cards technically don't exist until revealed. Sequence: - While the card remains hidden, Wielder of Water maintains its alone bonus - When a hidden unit is revealed, Wielder of Water immediately loses the alone bonus - If the hidden card is a spell (not a unit), Wielder of Water keeps the alone bonus even after revelation Nuances: - This applies even if the hidden card is a unit like Paaka Cub - Only revealed units cause Wielder of Water to lose the alone status - Revealed spells do not affect the alone status

Ruling: No, Wielder of Water does not gain +2 attack when attacking on an open battlefield. A unit must be in combat to have the attacker or defender designation, and combat only opens when units controlled by different players are present on a battlefield. Nuances: - The attacker/defender designations require units from different players to be present on the battlefield together

Ruling: No, Wielder of Water does not get the +2 might bonuses when targeted by Falling Star cast from hand. Since it's not a combat (not attacking, just casting a spell), the unit is not a defender and remains at base might. Nuances: - This applies when the spell is cast from hand without a chain or showdown - The bonuses only apply during combat when the unit is actually defending

Ruling: Yes, Wielder of Water gets the +2 might because "while I defend alone" is a passive ability that continuously checks the game state, so it applies when Fight or Flight resolves and Wielder becomes the sole defender. Nuances: - A "when I'm defending" trigger would work differently - it would trigger during the initial defend chain or when the unit joins combat mid-combat (added in CR 1.1) - "When I'm defending" triggers can only happen once per unit per combat, even if moved in and out repeatedly - The +2 might from Wielder's passive ability is not a "buff" in the game-mechanical sense (not a Buff game object)

Ruling: Wielder of Water does not get +2 might when moving into an empty battlefield because it is a showdown, not a combat, so there are no attacker/defender designations. Therefore, it can be targeted by Gust. Nuances: - Wielder of Water's ability is a passive "while I'm defending alone" effect, not a "when I defend" trigger, so you cannot react to it with Gust during combat - If player 2 moves units to a battlefield where Wielder of Water is already present, combat starts when the battlefield becomes contested, attacker and defender are assigned, and Wielder of Water has 4 might before there's any opportunity to use Gust (unless player 2's movement opened a chain from a move-triggered ability)

Ruling: Yes, Wielder of Water will proc. Wielder of Water's ability is a permanent ability that checks if he is alone at the location, regardless of how combat started. Nuances: - It doesn't matter whether Wielder of Water started combat alone or became alone during combat; the ability checks the current state

Ruling: Wielder of Water gets the +2 bonus when moving to an empty battlefield. Moving to an open battlefield starts a showdown but not a combat, so Wielder of Water has 2 power. Nuances: - A showdown occurs when moving to an empty battlefield, but the combat step does not open - The attacking/defending labels are assigned during the showdown phase, not the combat phase

Ruling: Wielder of Water does not retain the +2 might bonus because it uses "while" language (static ability) that continuously checks conditions. Mask of Foresight does retain its bonus because it uses "when" language (triggered ability) that checks only once and lasts "this turn." Sequence: - When Wielder attacks/defends alone, check if conditions are met - Wielder's "while" ability grants +2 might only while alone - If Tideturner contests the showdown, Wielder is no longer alone - Wielder immediately loses the +2 might bonus - Mask of Foresight's "when" trigger activates once and persists for the turn Nuances: - "While" abilities are static and continuously check conditions - they turn off immediately when conditions aren't met - "When" abilities are triggered and only check conditions at the moment of trigger, then apply their effect for the stated duration - Mask of Foresight specifically says "this turn" so its bonus persists even after the unit is no longer alone

Ruling: No, Wildclaw Shaman does not buff itself if you don't spend a buff. The parenthetical text is just clarification that a unit can generally only get buffed once, and if it already has a buff, nothing happens. Nuances: - Units can generally only receive one buff - If a unit already has a buff, attempting to buff it again has no effect