Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, your opponent can use Fight or Flight after Discipline resolves. The attacker gains focus first at the start of a showdown, and after any chain resolves during a showdown, focus passes back to the next player. The showdown doesn't end until both players pass focus in succession without creating a chain. Sequence: - Attacker (opponent moving in) gains focus at the start of the showdown - If attacker passes without playing anything, defender gains focus and can play Discipline - After Discipline resolves and the chain closes, focus automatically passes back to the attacker - Attacker can then play Fight or Flight (even at action speed) because they have focus - Showdown only ends when both players pass focus consecutively without playing anything Nuances: - Once a chain has started, only reaction speed spells/abilities can be added to it; action speed cards can only start a chain, not add to one - Even if a unit is removed from the battlefield during a showdown (like with Gust), the showdown continues until both players pass focus in succession

Ruling: No, you do not get a conquer point. You only score a battlefield via conquering when you GAIN control of the battlefield, not when you successfully defend a battlefield you already control. Nuances: - Winning a showdown while already controlling a battlefield means you maintain control, but do not reconquer it for a point - You can only score a point if you haven't already scored at that battlefield during that turn (either on your turn or your opponent's turn) - The rule states that control is only established if you do not already control the battlefield

Ruling: No, you do not get another focus. After a non-initial chain resolves, focus moves automatically to the next player. Sequence: - Attacker plays a spell during their focus - Spell resolves (non-initial chain) - Focus automatically moves to the defender - If both players pass focus with no chain being started, focus continues to alternate Nuances: - The rule about gaining focus after playing a card only applies to the Initial Chain (When I Attack and When I Defend triggers) - After non-initial chains resolve, you don't pass focus - it moves automatically to the next player

Ruling: Yes, the order matters. If you move a unit out first and then move another unit in, you lose control temporarily and trigger a showdown when the new unit arrives. If you move the new unit in first before moving the original unit out, you maintain control throughout and no showdown occurs. Sequence: - Moving unit B in first, then unit A out: You maintain control at all times, no showdown - Moving unit A out first, then unit B in: You lose control when A leaves, battlefield becomes contested when B arrives, showdown begins Nuances: - Opponents cannot react to unit movement itself, but can interrupt during a showdown if one is triggered - Units with movement triggers (like merchant) can still be responded to

Ruling: No, Fading Memories killing a unit through its temporary effect does not trigger Immortal Phoenix. Nuances: - Immortal Phoenix triggers if the spell instructs a unit to be killed and that unit is placed in the trash this way - Immortal Phoenix also triggers if the spell instructs damage to be dealt and the unit is killed by it upon the following cleanup - Fading Memories does not meet either of these conditions

Ruling: Yes, Imperial Decree will kill the unit even after Zhonya's saves it from combat damage. The unit dies twice - once from combat damage (prevented by Zhonya's) and once from Imperial Decree's delayed trigger. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt between equal might units - Imperial Decree's delayed trigger is added as pending - Immediate cleanup occurs: damaged units are killed and Imperial Decree's trigger is finalized - Zhonya's replaces the death from combat damage and is removed from the board - Imperial Decree's trigger resolves and kills the unit again Nuances: - The damage is only relevant for adding Imperial Decree's effect to the chain; when the effect resolves, it simply kills the unit regardless of current damage state - It doesn't matter whether Zhonya's was hidden or already revealed before the combat

Ruling: No, Stupefy does not kill units when Imperial Decree is in play because Stupefy does not deal damage.

Ruling: Yes, when Imperial Decree kills a unit during Showdown, it creates a delayed trigger (not a reflexive trigger) that gives a window for the opponent to flip Zhonya's Hourglass. Nuances: - The kill happens through Imperial Decree's effect, not through normal combat damage - This creates a "delayed trigger" specifically, which is distinct from a "reflexive trigger"

Ruling: No, the damage is not dealt. When the unit is moved in response, it is no longer a legal target when Incinerate resolves. Sequence: - Incinerate is played targeting a unit at a battlefield - Opponent reacts by moving the unit with Flash - When Incinerate resolves, the unit is no longer at the battlefield and is not a legal target - No damage is dealt

Ruling: Yes, Gust's requirement is checked upon resolution. When you choose Irelia with Gust, her trigger intercepts the chain and resolves first, bringing her to 4 might. Then when Gust resolves, the target is no longer valid so it whiffs (resolves but has no effect on the board). Sequence: - Gust is cast targeting Irelia at 3 might - Irelia's trigger intercepts the chain and resolves first - Irelia grows to 4 might - Gust resolves but the target is no longer valid - Gust whiffs (resolves with no effect) Nuances: - Spells never fizzle in Riftbound, they always resolve unless countered and follow DAMAYC (do as much as you can) - All spells and abilities check their requirements upon resolution - If opponent casts Gust on Irelia, there is no trigger so it goes through normally

Ruling: No, Kai'sa's ability does not trigger if she dies before the location is conquered. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt - Kai'sa dies from combat damage - Conquest occurs (a couple steps after damage is dealt) - Kai'sa must be present when conquest actually occurs to trigger her ability

Ruling: No, Kaisa's ability does not trigger. Conquering is a form of scoring, and you cannot conquer a battlefield you've already scored this turn. Sequence: - If you attempt to re-take a battlefield you've already scored, a showdown still begins - If you establish control of the battlefield, you do not get any points or any on-conquer effects Nuances: - Conquering only occurs when establishing control of a battlefield that you have not yet scored that turn - You can still fight for and establish control of a previously-scored battlefield, but it does not count as a conquer

Ruling: When a card references "Cost" (like Kaisa does), it only refers to the printed cost in the top left corner, not what was paid. Sky Splitter is always an 8 for those abilities, so it cannot be used with only 3 points even with Kaisa's cost reduction. Nuances: - Cost reduction from abilities like Kaisa's does not change what counts as the card's "cost" for other card effects - For Bullet Time specifically, you pay the energy cost when adding it to the chain, but power costs are paid during resolution (so if countered, power is not paid) - The Bullet Time timing is unique because paying power is part of the effect, not a cost of the spell

Ruling: Yes, Karma dies when the second Falling Star resolves. After being saved by Sett's ability (which recalls and debuffs her), she returns at 2 might with 3 damage marked, causing her to die. Sequence: - First Falling Star resolves: Karma has 3 might and 3 damage marked - If Sett's ability is used: Karma is recalled and debuffed (doesn't die, buff removed) - Second Falling Star resolves: Karma has 2 might with 3 damage marked and dies - If Sett's ability is NOT used: Karma dies to the first Falling Star and the second one has no valid target Nuances: - Technically Karma only dies once total, not "again" - either Sett replaces the first death or she dies the first time without Sett's intervention

Ruling: When a unit leaves the battlefield during combat, the showdown does not end. You can use Ride the Wind to move Kayn to base, then use a second Ride the Wind to bring him back to the battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent moves into attack against defending Kayn - Use Ride the Wind to move Kayn to base - Combat continues even with no units present - When you get focus back, use second Ride the Wind to return Kayn to battlefield - Upon resolution, attacking units are recalled to base as Kayn takes no damage Nuances: - Combat continues as normal until both players pass with focus on an empty chain, even if you have no units on the battlefield - The defender status is maintained because contested status was applied to the battlefield

Ruling: Once combat starts, attacking and defending players are locked in and remain so until combat ends, regardless of which units move in or out. Kayn remains a defender even after being recalled and returned. Sequence: - Combat is declared with Kayn defending on Reaver's Row - Kayn is recalled using Reaver's Row ability - Kayn is returned to Reaver's Row with Ride the Wind (now can't take damage) - Kayn is still the defender for this combat Nuances: - The defending player does not score a point for successfully defending in this scenario because they maintained control of the battlefield the entire time (they never lost control to gain it back)

Yes, Kayn retains its Ready status when recalled to base. Recalls do not affect the state of the Permanent being recalled. The rule states: 'Unless otherwise stated by the source of the Recall, Damage, Exhausted Status, Buffed Status, and applied Layer alterations will all remain unaffected by a Recall.' Since the recall is a corrective action due to Kayn being unable to conquer the battlefield (it cannot take damage after moving twice and therefore cannot be killed), and the recall doesn't specify otherwise, Kayn's Ready status from Ride the Wind is preserved. Kayn will be in base in a Ready state, available to act on the next turn or immediately if other actions are available.

Ruling: Kinkou Monk's triggered ability requires two valid targets (two other friendly units) to be placed on the chain. If only one or zero other friendly units are available when the ability would trigger, the ability cannot be activated at all and fails to enter the chain. Sequence: - When Kinkou Monk is played, its triggered ability attempts to activate - During the targeting step (559.3), you must choose two other friendly units as required by the card text - If fewer than two valid targets exist, you cannot complete the targeting requirement - The legality check (562.3) determines the action is illegal due to insufficient valid targets - The ability activation is cancelled and never enters the chain Nuances: - This is different from a target becoming invalid after the ability is on the chain - in that case, the ability still resolves and buffs any remaining valid targets ("do as much as you can") - Cards with "up to" wording (like "up to two units") allow choosing fewer targets, but Kinkou Monk lacks this optional language - The distinction between "must have valid targets to activate" versus "resolve as much as possible" is key: the former applies when putting abilities on the chain, the latter when resolving them - An already-buffed unit is still a valid target when choosing, though it won't receive another buff on resolution (unless it's Lee Sin's Calm or the buff was consumed)

Ruling: No, the opponent does not score. Kog'Maw's deathknell triggers and resolves after combat cleanup but before establishing control/conquering, so if it kills all remaining attackers, there are no units left to conquer. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt - Special cleanup occurs (Kog'Maw dies, damage is healed, attackers/defenders unassigned) - Kog'Maw's deathknell trigger enters the chain - Chain resolves (deathknell damage is dealt) - Establish control/conquer happens (if any units remain) Nuances: - Damage is healed during special cleanup before Kog'Maw's deathknell resolves, so Kog'Maw cannot kill a 5 might unit if he only dealt 1 damage during combat - The deathknell trigger enters the chain during special cleanup but doesn't resolve until after cleanup is complete - Priority is passed before establishing control, allowing reactions to the deathknell trigger

Ruling: Yes, Deathknell triggers immediately when Kog'Maw dies to a spell during a showdown.

Ruling: No, bases are not considered battlefields. Kog'maw's Deathknell ability only affects units at his battlefield, not units at bases. Nuances: - Units are at one of several locations while on the board: a battlefield or their base, which are separate zones of interaction - If bases were considered battlefields, cards like Void Seeker could hit units at a base, which is not intended

Ruling: Yes, Kayn will heal at the end of combat. All units heal at the end of combat. Sequence: - Last Breath resolves - There is a window for Player B to play action or reaction speed effects - If Kayn survives to combat cleanup, his damage will heal Nuances: - The healing occurs during combat cleanup, so there is an opportunity for the opponent to respond with effects before the combat ends

Ruling: The Yordle dies before its controller can use Cleave to save it, because the chain must resolve fully before focus is passed back, and Cleave is an action that requires focus. Sequence: - Hexray is played, dealing 3 damage to the Yordle - The chain resolves fully - The Yordle dies from the damage - Only after the chain resolves does focus pass back - At this point it's too late to Cleave Nuances: - The attacker could Cleave preemptively if they have focus first, before the opponent plays Hexray - If the Yordle's controller had used a reaction to buff the Yordle during the chain, it could survive and then Cleave could be used after

Ruling: Only one buff is spent by Wallop. Lee Sin retains any remaining buffs after spending one to pay for Wallop's effect. Nuances: - Each buff on Lee Sin is a separate entity, not a stacking counter - You can play multiple different copies of Wallop by spending multiple buffs from Lee Sin - You cannot play the same copy of Wallop multiple times

Ruling: The order does not matter. Both units will die. Once Lee Sin dies, the other unit will have its might reduced (losing the centered buff) and then die in the cleanup after the one where Lee Sin dies. Sequence: - Lee Sin takes damage and dies - Cleanup occurs and Lee Sin is removed - The other unit loses the might buff from Lee Sin's centered ability - Cleanup loops again and the other unit dies (now having insufficient might to survive its damage) Nuances: - Cleanup loops continuously until nothing happens, which is why both units die even though they don't die simultaneously

Ruling: When Watcher resolves and removes Lee Sin from the battlefield, the buffed unit drops from 5 Might to 2 Might (losing the orange buff), then to 0 Might (losing Lee Sin's passive). If the unit then loses its remaining buff, it would drop to -1 Might, which is treated as 0 Might. Sequence: - Watcher resolves, buffed unit goes from 5 to 2 Might - Lee Sin is removed from battlefield, his passive stops applying - Buffed unit loses 2 Might from Lee Sin's passive, dropping to 0 Might - If the buff is later removed, unit drops to -1 Might Nuances: - Negative Might values (like -1) are technically possible according to the rules but are treated as 0 Might for all intents and purposes

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust Lee Sin again to activate his buff ability after readying him. Exhausting is the cost of getting the effect, so as long as you have ways to ready him, you can use the ability multiple times.

Ruling: Yes, Spirits Refuge will buff Lee Sin even if he already has a buff. The text on Spirits Refuge stating it doesn't buff units that already have a buff is reminder text (italicized in parenthesis), not rules text. Lee Sin's passive ability allows him to stack buffs, which overrides the general rule. Nuances: - Reminder text is italicized in parenthesis and serves only as a reminder of general rules, not as binding rules text - The reminder text exists to remind players of the default rule that units can only have one buff, but units like Lee Sin circumvent that rule

Ruling: The unit dies before healing. When Lee Sin dies and his might buff is removed, the other unit will have lethal damage and will die during a cleanup check before the healing step occurs. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt to all units - Units with lethal damage are killed (Lee Sin dies here) - Lee Sin's might buff is removed from other units - A cleanup check occurs (or will occur in updated rules) that kills units now at lethal damage - Healing step occurs Nuances: - Under current rules as written, whether the unit dies depends on if there's a triggered ability (like Deathknell) between the killing step and healing step, but this is not the intended design - The new comprehensive rules will implement cascading cleanups that repeat whenever the game state changes during a cleanup, which will make the unit die consistently - This ruling parallels how Kog'Maw's Deathknell can kill units between damage and healing - 0 Might units are intentionally allowed to exist (they only die when they have nonzero damage marked)

Ruling: Yes, if Lee Sin has X buffs, Stand United gives Lee an additional X might. Sequence: N/A Nuances: None discussed.

Ruling: No, you cannot double up on Lee Sin's exhaust ability when copied by Svellsongur. Since both copies of the ability require exhausting Lee Sin as a cost, and you can only exhaust him once, you can only activate one of the two abilities. Nuances: - Svellsongur gives Lee Sin a second copy of his text, meaning he has two separate abilities that both require exhausting as a cost - This makes the copy essentially a waste for Lee Sin's exhaust ability - However, if Lee Sin is orange (upgraded), the copied aura effect (+4 Might) would still provide value

Ruling: No, there is no window to use the hidden card. All units with lethal damage are removed at the same step of cleanup, so both Lee Sin and Noxus Saboteur die simultaneously. Nuances: - This would be different if there were deathknell triggers involved, which could create a window - This ruling applies specifically to hidden cards; replacement effects like Sett's ability work differently because they replace the death at the point it would occur rather than activating as a response

Ruling: If Lee Sin dies to combat damage, other units will be healed before any cleanup happens and therefore won't die even if they have damage equal to their (now reduced) might. Sequence: - Lee Sin dies to combat damage - Damage is healed from all units during Combat Cleanup - State-based actions check for units with damage >= might - Units survive because they were healed before the check Nuances: - Damage is only healed during Combat Cleanup (which occurs after combat resolves) and at the end of each player's turn - Open showdowns do not have Combat Cleanup, so units are not healed after showdowns that don't involve combat - After any combat, damage is cleared, so you can charm another unit into combat and your unit will survive (assuming no other effects)

Ruling: Yes, Leona Radiant Dawn's buff trigger resolves before the damage step when Leona (Determined) stuns a unit by moving to an occupied battlefield. Sequence: - Leona (Determined) moves to occupied battlefield - Stun triggers - Leona Radiant Dawn's buff trigger resolves, giving +1 - Damage step occurs with might values resolved

Ruling: Fight or Flight can prevent Leona's stun if used in response to the attack trigger. When Leona is pushed back to base before the trigger resolves, the selected target is no longer at her location ("here") and becomes an illegal target, so the stun does not occur. Sequence: - Leona attacks, triggering her stun ability - Opponent responds to the attack trigger with Fight or Flight - Leona is pushed back to base - The stun trigger resolves but the target is no longer at Leona's location - The target is not a legal target, so no stun occurs Nuances: - Fight or Flight must be used in response to the attack trigger specifically to prevent the stun - Leona's stun ability specifies "here" as the location requirement, making location-based removal effective

Ruling: Leona's stun does not apply if either Leona or her target is moved before her When I Attack trigger resolves, because her ability requires both units to be at the same battlefield ("here"). Sequence: - Leona moves into the occupied battlefield, creating the Initial Chain - Leona's When I Attack trigger goes on the Initial Chain and targets a unit currently at that battlefield - Opponent can React with Fight or Flight (and additional Reacts) - Fight or Flight effects resolve first, potentially moving units - Leona's trigger resolves, but fails to stun if either unit is no longer at the same battlefield - Combat continues Nuances: - The ability specifically requires both Leona and the target to be "here" (at the same battlefield) when it resolves - Multiple Fight or Flight actions can be played in response, but only the one at Leona's battlefield matters for this interaction

Ruling: Leona does not stun the unit because once it moves to base, it is no longer a valid target at the battlefield Leona is at. Sequence: - The battlefield move effect resolves first (before Leona's ability) - Leona's ability is added to the chain first, so it resolves after the battlefield move - Once the unit has moved to base, Leona can no longer target it Nuances: - Leona can only target units at the battlefield she's at - The battlefield moves the unit (it does not "recall" the battlefield itself)

Ruling: If a unit is removed from a location before their trigger resolves, the "here" it refers to might no longer have valid targets. If the unit has been defeated, the ability will resolve to no effect. Nuances: - The opponent cannot play Challenge during the Initial Chain (when attacking/defending triggers occur) because Challenge is an Action speed card - Attack triggers resolve before Action speed cards can be played

Ruling: No, Fiora cannot use her ganking ability after Leona moves. All units moving to a battlefield must move simultaneously, and once Leona has completed her move, it is too late for Fiora to join even if she becomes mighty from the resulting trigger. Sequence: - Declare all units moving to the battlefield simultaneously - Complete the move(s) - Triggers (like Leona's stun or legend buffs) go on the chain - Showdown begins after triggers resolve Nuances: - Standard moves can only occur when the turn is in an open state (no chain, no showdown) - Even if a "when I move" trigger goes on the chain before showdown begins, there is no window between the trigger and showdown cleanup where another unit could perform a standard move - Spells with move effects can be used during appropriate timing windows, but standard moves cannot

Ruling: Yasuo's ability damage still happens when stunned because stun only prevents combat damage, not ability triggers. However, Yasuo's ability only triggers when he is attacking, so if Leona is attacking (stunning) him, he would be defending and his ability would not activate. Nuances: - Stun prevents combat damage but not ability triggers - Yasuo's ability only activates when he is the attacker, not when defending - If Leona attacks and stuns Yasuo, he is defending and his ability doesn't trigger regardless of the stun

Ruling: Yes to both. The attacking unit bounces back (is recalled) because a defender is now present, and Leona's controller scores the battlefield. Sequence: - During the Resolution Step, a Combat Cleanup is performed - As part of the Special Cleanup, attackers are recalled if defenders are still present at the battlefield - If any units remain at the battlefield and their controller doesn't already control it, that player establishes control - This results in a Conquer (scoring) if that player has not yet scored that battlefield this turn Nuances: - The attacking unit bounces back even though the battlefield was initially open, because Zenith Blade created a defender presence before resolution

Ruling: If Leona dies before her attack trigger resolves, the trigger resolves but does nothing because her location is 'null' and the term 'here' cannot find a legal target. Sequence: - Leona's attack trigger goes on the stack - Leona dies before the trigger resolves - The trigger resolves but her location returns as 'null' - The term 'here' cannot find a legal target - No stun occurs

Ruling: The number of buffs depends on how the stuns are created. Leona's legend ability triggers based on "when you stun one or more" units. Sequence: - If a single effect stuns multiple units (like Thwonk with repeat cost), Leona's legend triggers once because it's one spell resolving once with a doubled effect - If multiple separate effects each stun units (like Svellsongr on Leona creating multiple triggers on the chain, or multiple Leonas attacking), each separate stun effect triggers Leona's legend separately Nuances: - A repeated spell only goes on the chain once and resolves once, it just doubles the effect, so it only triggers "when you stun" abilities once - Multiple triggers that each stun will each go on the chain separately, causing Leona's legend to trigger multiple times

Ruling: Yes, Leona's continuous effect applies after all snapshot/one-time effects are calculated, reducing the stunned Ember Monk's Might to 1 regardless of buffs received earlier. Sequence: - One-time effects (like Ember Monk's +2 Might trigger) are calculated first - Continuous effects (like Leona's -8 to stunned enemies) apply after all one-time effects - Leona's reduction applies last, setting the final Might to minimum 1 Nuances: - This follows a layering system where snapshot effects resolve before continuous effects - The minimum clause in Leona's effect means the unit will have at least 1 Might after her reduction - This ruling is based on designer clarification that Leona "applies last"

Ruling: No, Lonely Poro does not draw a card. Deathknell triggers snapshot the unit's information at the moment the trigger is placed on the chain, which happens before units actually die. At that moment, Fiora is still present at the battlefield, so Poro is not alone. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt and units are marked to die - Deathknell triggers are placed on the chain, snapshotting each unit's current state (Fiora is still present at the battlefield) - Units actually die/are moved to trash (this is when Zhonya's replacement effect recalls Fiora instead of her dying) - Deathknell triggers resolve using the snapshotted information from step 2 Nuances: - Even though Fiora doesn't actually die (she's recalled), she was present at the battlefield when Poro's deathknell trigger was created, so Poro was not "alone" - The replacement effect (recall) happens simultaneously with the actual death, but after the deathknell trigger has already been placed on the chain with its snapshotted information - "Alone" means "no other friendly units were present at my location" at the time the deathknell trigger is created, not at the time units actually go to the trash

Ruling: You score 2 points total when conquering with Lucian equipped with both Trinity and Skyfall.

Ruling: Lucian's printed ready ability can only be used the first time he conquers each turn. You must use it when it triggers and cannot save it for a later conquest. Sequence: - When Lucian enters play exhausted, play Relentless Pursuit to move him to battlefield 1 - He conquers and triggers both his printed ready ability and Pursuit's return-to-base ability - Resolve Pursuit's ability first to move him back to base - Resolve his printed ability to ready himself - Use a standard move action to move him to battlefield 2 - He conquers again and triggers Pursuit's return-to-base ability (but not his printed ready ability) - Resolve Pursuit's ability to return him to base Nuances: - Moves granted by Relentless Pursuit do not exhaust the unit - Lucian's ready ability only triggers the first time he conquers each turn, not on subsequent conquests - When multiple "when I conquer" abilities trigger simultaneously, you can order them however you want - Relentless Pursuit's return-to-base ability lasts the entire turn and applies to all conquests that turn

Ruling: Yes, you keep the +2 energy even if Lux dies. The effect cannot be reacted to, and the energy goes into a conceptual "Rune Pool" as floating energy. Nuances: - The energy is temporary floating energy, not a rune - The Rune Pool (where all Energy and Power goes) gets cleared at the end of every turn and at the end of every draw phase - Even if someone tries to kill Lux in reaction to her trigger, you still get the energy because the effect cannot be reacted to

Ruling: Lux does not draw a card. A card is not considered "played" for trigger purposes until it resolves, and Mystic Reversal returns Singularity to hand before it resolves. Nuances: - The card is put on the chain when announced from hand, but "play" for trigger purposes means resolution - If this interaction happens on Dreaming Tree (targeting your own unit), Lux still draws because Dreaming Tree triggers on announcement. After Mystic Reversal changes targets to Ahri's units, Ahri also draws from Dreaming Tree.

Ruling: Deathknell triggers only once. When both units die simultaneously, Karthus is in the trash when Deathknell would trigger, so Karthus is not active to cause an additional trigger. Sequence: - Machine Evangel and Karthus die at the same time - Both are moved to trash - Deathknell triggers from trash - Karthus is no longer active on the board to see the death or cause additional triggers Nuances: - Karthus must be on the board to see something die and create additional triggers - Deathknell effectively triggers from trash, at which point Karthus is already inactive