Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: The +1 might bonus from Mask of Foresight lasts for the rest of the turn regardless of whether the unit leaves the battlefield, joins other units, or loses attacker/defender status. Each time the unit attacks alone in the same turn, it gains an additional +1 might that stacks with previous bonuses. Sequence: - Unit attacks alone and gains +1 might for the turn - Unit can move to base or join other units and retains the +1 might - If the unit attacks alone again in the same turn, it gains another +1 might (now +2 total) - This stacking continues for each separate attack made alone during the turn Nuances: - The bonus persists even if the unit becomes joined by other units after gaining it - The bonus persists even if the unit loses attacker or defender designation - Multiple Mask of Foresight artifacts multiply the bonus (+3 per attack with 3 masks equipped)

Ruling: Nocturne does not have an optional additional cost. The power cost to play Nocturne from banish is just the regular cost you pay to play the card, not an additional cost. Sequence: - First, decide whether to banish Nocturne when you look it up or reveal it - If you banish Nocturne, it goes to the banish zone (a public zone) - Then decide whether to play Nocturne from banish - If you choose to play it, you must pay the 1 power cost as its regular cost - If you don't pay the cost, Nocturne remains banished Nuances: - Optional additional costs refer specifically to mechanics like Accelerate or Repeat, not alternative ways to play cards - Alternative costs (like Immortal Phoenix or Flame Chompers) are also not optional additional costs - The distinction matters for effects like Purple Ezreal that specifically reduce "optional additional costs" - Banish zone is a public zone, so all players can see cards banished there

Ruling: Yes, Fiora's ability doubles her Might including any Might gained from Shield and Assault keywords, as these are passive effects that are already active when her ability triggers. Sequence: (when Shield is granted by a triggered ability like a battlefield) - Shield and Fiora's ability both trigger simultaneously - You can order Shield to resolve before Fiora's ability - Fiora's ability then doubles her total Might including the Shield bonus Nuances: - Passive Shield/Assault effects are automatically included in the doubling - When Shield is granted by a triggered ability (like a battlefield), you can choose the order of resolution to ensure Shield resolves first

Ruling: Poro Herder does not target itself. While it does buff itself when played if you control a Poro, you did not "choose" or "target" the Poro Herder for effects that care about targeting. Nuances: - The self-buff happens automatically without choosing, so it doesn't count as targeting for cards like Irelia that trigger when you target allies

Ruling: No, Purple Ezreal does not make Bullet Time cheaper. Bullet Time's Universal Power cost is paid on resolution, not as an additional cost when playing the card, so Ezreal's ability does not apply. Nuances: - Optional additional costs must be formatted with "you may ___ as an additional cost to you play [this]" or "as you play [this], you may pay ___" - both the "as you play" timing and "may" are key features - Ezreal's ability only reduces optional additional costs (like Accelerate or Repeat), not base costs or costs paid on resolution - Multiple Ezreals can stack to reduce the same optional additional cost - When calculating costs with both increases (like Vex) and reductions (like Ezreal), apply additional costs first, then cost increases, then cost reductions - Universal Power (:UniversalPower:) can be paid with any power type, and Ezreal's reduction can reduce any power type in an optional additional cost

Ruling: Rally the Troops buffs all friendly units played this turn. Each time a friendly unit is played, a delayed trigger goes on the chain to buff it. Nuances: - If the effect only applied to the next unit, the card would explicitly say so (similar to how Ravenborn Tome is worded) - The wording creates a condition for the entire turn that triggers whenever a friendly unit is played

Ruling: Yes, Rally the Troops applies to tokens created by cards. The card would need to explicitly state "non-token unit" to exclude tokens from the effect. Nuances: - Cards only exclude tokens when they specifically use the "non-token" qualifier in their text

Ruling: Yes, Raven Bloom Student gains +2 power if two spells are played (it triggers for each spell). Nuances: - The card would specify "first" or similar limiting language if it only triggered once per turn

Ruling: No, Ravenbloom Student does not get +2 from repeated spells. A repeated spell is still only one spell, just with additional text added to it. Nuances: - Repeat modifies the spell's text but does not create multiple instances of the spell for counting purposes

Ruling: In Riftbound, a card is not considered "played" until it resolves. If a spell is countered or otherwise prevented from resolving, it was not played and does not trigger abilities that trigger on playing cards. Nuances: - This rule may be counterintuitive to players familiar with other card games where "playing" and "resolving" are separate events - The relevant rule text was added in version 1.1 of the rules, so players using older versions may not find this clarification

Ruling: Yes, Reaver's Row always targets the friendly unit when you put it on the chain, regardless of whether you ultimately choose to return the unit to hand or not. Sequence: - When the defender trigger occurs and the initial chain is formed, you declare the friendly unit as a target - Priority passes to the opponent - When priority returns to you, you then decide whether to actually return the unit to hand or not Nuances: - The targeting happens at the moment you put the ability on the chain, not when it resolves - You can choose not to return the unit but the targeting still occurred

Ruling: No, Rek'Sai does not count herself for her Accelerate effect when played from the champion zone. Her passive ability does not become active until after you've already decided whether to pay the Accelerate cost, and you must still pay the Accelerate cost (1 power of the card's domain and 1 energy). Sequence: - Decide whether to pay Accelerate cost when playing Rek'Sai - Pay the cost if choosing to Accelerate - Card enters the board - Passive abilities become active during the Resolve step Nuances: - Rek'Sai's Accelerate passive does not make Accelerate free; it still requires payment of 1 power of the domain and 1 energy - Passives don't become active until one of the first steps of "Resolve" in FEPR (after the card is already on board)

Ruling: No, Repeat does not cause Ravenbloom Student to trigger twice because it is still only one spell being cast. Nuances: - Repeat modifies how a spell resolves, but does not change the fact that only one spell is being cast

Ruling: No, Repeat does not give Ravenbloom +2 attack because Repeat is still only one spell being cast.

Ruling: Rocket Barrage does not have a reflexive trigger because it uses "Choose one" instead of "Do this" wording. If countered while using Repeat, the entire spell is countered, not just the Repeat effects. Nuances: - Reflexive triggers are specifically marked with "Do this..." wording, as seen on cards like Falling Star or Icathian - A spell with Repeat is still one spell, so countering it affects the entire spell including all Repeat instances

Ruling: Yes, Sett triggers Fiora's leader ability both when played and when he spends his buff. He momentarily exists at 4M before his buff applies or reapplies. Sequence: - When played: Sett enters at 4M, then his triggered ability goes on the chain to gain the buff - When spending buff: Sett goes to 4M, then his activated ability goes on the chain to gain +4M - In both cases, there is a window where players can react while he is at 4M Nuances: - The ability goes on the chain, creating a real game state where Sett is at 4M for a considerable amount of time before resolving

Ruling: Yes, Sett counts himself as a buffed friendly unit for his passive ability when he is buffed and at a battlefield location. Nuances: - Sett must be at a battlefield location (not in hand, deck, or other zones) to count himself

Ruling: No, Sett's recall does not remove Watcher's effect. Heal only removes damage, and the unit is recalled with all other effects unchanged. Nuances: - Heal specifically only removes damage counters - Other effects (like Watcher's ability) remain on the unit when it is recalled

Yes, Sett, Kingpin counts himself. The ability states 'I get +1 [M] for each buffed friendly unit at my battlefield' with no exclusion, so if Sett is buffed, he receives the bonus for himself plus any other buffed units on the battlefield.

Ruling: Showstopper requires you to choose both the unit and the battlefield as targets. Nuances: - Both the unit being moved and the destination battlefield are selected during the targeting phase of the ability

Ruling: Soraka can save multiple units at once. Based on the rules as written, she should be able to save other units even if she dies simultaneously with them, because replacement effects check while she is still on the board before units are moved to trash. Sequence: - Kill action occurs on multiple units (including potentially Soraka) - Soraka's passive replacement effect checks while she is still on the battlefield - Units that would die are saved by her ability - All units are then moved to trash during cleanup Nuances: - This interpretation follows from how deathknell works (units trigger deathknell before being sent to trash, creating a time lag between the kill action and trash movement) - There is no explicit rule preventing passive replacement effects from functioning when their source dies simultaneously, unlike triggered abilities which have specific rules preventing them from triggering when their source changes zones - The rules don't explicitly confirm this interaction and official clarification is needed - This assumes units don't go to discard in any particular order - they all die simultaneously while Soraka is still on board

Ruling: Standard Move does not use the chain. It is classified as an "inherent ability" and a "discretionary action," which are distinct from activated abilities that do use the chain. Sequence: - Select valid targets for the Standard Move - Pay the cost (exhaust the units) simultaneously - Execute the move immediately without using the chain Nuances: - Standard Move is called an "ability" in the rules but is specifically an "inherent ability," not an activated ability (which would require ":" formatting and use the chain) - The rules for Standard Move are scattered across multiple sections rather than consolidated in one place - Rule 424.3.c confirms that moving does not use the chain and cannot be reacted to - Rule 398.1.b.2 specifies that costs for discretionary actions must be paid to perform them - The mechanics rely partially on natural language understanding of "cost" rather than explicit procedural rules

Ruling: Stupefy draws a card only when the spell resolves, not immediately when cast. Any player can hold priority to cast multiple spells in a row, but must explicitly announce they are doing so (tournament rules assume priority is passed when casting a spell unless stated otherwise). Sequence: - When a spell or ability resolves from the stack, there is a new round of priority - The player who controls the topmost item remaining on the stack receives priority first - Players can hold priority after casting a spell to cast additional spells before passing priority - You can counter any spell on the chain, not just the most recently cast spell Nuances: - Any player can hold priority (not just the player with focus or turn player), but must explicitly state they are doing so - For Red Kai'Sa specifically: you can only conquer battlefields you haven't scored yet this turn

Ruling: No, Sudden Storm does not deal 4 damage when moving to an open battlefield because moving to an open battlefield does not result in combat or attacking—it only starts contesting that battlefield. The 4 damage effect only applies if there is either a unit already there or a unit moved in during the showdown, making the first unit designated as an attacker. Sequence: (when a unit moves in during showdown) - A unit moves to contest a battlefield - If another unit moves in during the showdown, both players must pass with focus in succession - The showdown closes and combat opens - Unit designations (attacker/defender) are applied - Sudden Storm's 4 damage effect can trigger Nuances: - Simply moving to an open battlefield does not create an attacker designation - If a unit moves in during the showdown, you must wait until combat opens before designations are applied

Ruling: Svellsongur only copies the printed text on a unit card, not abilities added by other equipment's Effect Text. Nuances: - This was clarified via Red Text by Riot as a day 0 clarification, not a formal errata yet - The intention is to prevent equipment order from mattering - At tournaments without formal errata, resolution depends on head judge discretion per rule about unclear situations

Ruling: Svellsongur only copies the rules text (including keywords) that is visually printed on the card it attaches to. It does not copy might values, nor does it copy bonus text granted from other attached cards. Sequence: - When Svellsongur attaches to a unit, it copies the printed rules text from that unit into Svellsongur's effect box - The unit then receives this copied text back as equipment effect text - Keywords that stack (like deflect) will stack with the unit's original keywords - Might is not copied because it is a separate card property, not rules text Nuances: - Only text visually printed on the card itself is copied, not text granted by other equipment or effects - This ruling is confirmed by developer word, not explicitly in the written rules - Even if might were copied, it would not provide a might bonus - might and might bonus are different properties - Equipment rules text is normally inactive while attached, but Svellsongur's "as this is attached" effect is a special exception

Ruling: No, Svellsongur only copies text printed on the card itself, not text granted by attached equipment. Nuances: - According to a strict reading of the rules as written, this interaction would work since both effects apply on the same layer and equipment text acts as rules text - However, the designers have officially clarified that Svellsongur is intended to only copy the printed text on the card - This clarification will likely be reflected in a future rules update

Ruling: No, Teemo does not auto-select itself. You don't make any choice in this situation, so Irelia's Legend effect cannot be triggered.

Ruling: No, The Dreaming Tree does not trigger from spells with reflexive triggers like Falling Star. The reflexive trigger itself is a "triggered ability" and not the spell itself, and only the spell needs to target for The Dreaming Tree to work. Sequence: - The spell (Falling Star) is cast - The spell creates a reflexive trigger - The reflexive trigger (not the spell) does the targeting - Since the spell itself didn't target, The Dreaming Tree doesn't trigger Nuances: - Kill actions and deal actions are exceptions that have specific rules attributing the source back to the root game object - Target attribution does not trace back to the source in the same way that kill/deal actions do - This is an intentional design choice, though reflexive design can create unintuitive interactions

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

Ruling: Trifarian War Camp triggers Volibear but does not trigger Legend Fiora. Sequence: - When you play a 4-might unit to Trifarian War Camp, the battlefield's passive applies before the "play" trigger resolves - The unit becomes 5 might before being considered "played" - Volibear sees a 5-might unit being played and triggers - Legend Fiora does not trigger because there is no moment where the unit transitions from non-mighty to mighty - it enters already at 5 might Nuances: - This is similar to how Shield works - passive battlefield effects apply before play triggers - The unit never exists in play at 4 might, so it never "becomes" mighty for Fiora's purposes

Ruling: No, Tryndamere's ability does not trigger when defending via Ride the Wind. The wording "after an attack" requires Tryndamere's owner to have been the attacker, and Tryndamere must be present during that attack for his conquer effects to trigger. Nuances: - The phrase "after an attack" (rather than "after a combat") is intentional and distinguishes attacking from defending - "After a combat" would be redundant since conquering and assigning damage always happen after combat - The ambiguous wording "an attack" instead of "your attack" or "I attack" likely stems from Origins compatibility

Ruling: Unchecked Power deals 12 damage to EACH unit at battlefields simultaneously. Both friendly and enemy units take the full 12 damage. Nuances: - The phrase "deal 12 to ALL units" means 12 damage per unit, not 12 damage split among all units - If the card intended split damage, it would use language like "split 12 damage among units" or "deal 12 damage divided among units" - All units at all battlefields are affected, including your own units

Ruling: Unyielding Spirit does not affect Vi's might increase or cleave effects. These are normal combat damage, not spell damage or ability damage. Nuances: - Vi's damage remains normal combat damage regardless of how she gains her might - Cleave effects are also not affected by Unyielding Spirit - The distinction is between spell/ability damage versus combat damage modified by abilities

Ruling: Defy only checks the printed cost of a card, not any modified cost. Any effect that refers to a card's cost checks the printed cost. Nuances: - Cost reduction effects like those that reduce Hextech Ray to 2 power do not affect whether Vex can Defy it - This principle applies to all effects that reference a card's cost

Ruling: Yes, Vex's ability applies to hidden cards. Hidden sets the cost to 0 first, then Vex's cost increase is applied afterward, resulting in a total cost of 1 energy + 1 power. Sequence: - Hidden sets the card's cost to 0 (ignoring base cost) - Cost increases are then applied - Vex's passive adds 1 energy + 1 power as a cost increase - Final cost is 1 energy + 1 power Nuances: - This only applies if combat has actually begun at the battlefield where Vex is present - If Vex just moved but combat hasn't started yet (e.g., with "When I move" triggers still resolving), the additional cost would not be active - Vex's effect is a cost increase, not an additional cost, which is why it applies after hidden's cost reduction

Ruling: Vex's cost reduction applies once to the total cost of a spell, including all additional costs like Repeat. For a spell costing 2 with Repeat 2, the total cost with Vex would be 3 (base 2 + Repeat 2 - Vex discount 1). Sequence: - Calculate base cost of the spell - Add any additional costs (like Repeat) - Apply Vex's cost reduction once to the total Nuances: - Vex's discount is applied after all additional costs are added - The discount applies to the entire spell cost, not separately to base and Repeat costs - If Repeat cost uses colorless or universal energy, Vex's discount can reduce that portion

Ruling: Viktor does not see his own death and does not trigger his ability to recruit when he dies. He also does not trigger if he dies simultaneously with another friendly non-recruit unit. Nuances: - With multi-target spells like Falling Star or Icathian Rain, if triggers are misordered, Viktor could potentially see his comrades die first before he dies, allowing the trigger. However, proper play involves targeting Viktor in a way that ensures he dies first to prevent this.

Ruling: Yes, Vilemaw's Lair prevents Yasuo legend's effect from moving a unit from the battlefield to base. Nuances: - The effect can still activate and target a unit at Vilemaw's Lair - The effect will resolve but do nothing (the unit will not move)

Ruling: Void Hatchling does not reveal the top card when you look at it. The card you look at remains at the top of the deck if not recycled, and you reveal cards afterward with the original effect. Sequence: - When you conquer, Void Hatchling's replacement effect applies - You look at the top card of your deck (not revealed) - You may choose to recycle that card - If not recycled, it remains on top of the deck - Then you reveal cards as per the original effect (e.g., Rek'Sai Legend reveals top 2) Nuances: - The looked-at card is still considered at the top of the deck if not recycled - Void Hatchling is a replacement effect, not a trigger

Ruling: Volibear's Imposing ability does not trigger when Volibear is already on the base and an opponent moves a unit into that battlefield. When multiple units move simultaneously to a battlefield, the ability triggers once and draws 1 card. Nuances: - The ability only triggers based on the action of moving units, not the number of units moved in a single action

Ruling: Volibear's legend does not trigger in either case because the units are not Mighty at the moment they are played. Sequence: - When a unit is played, Volibear's legend checks if it is Mighty - For Weaponmaster: The unit becomes Mighty only after the "When You Play Me" trigger resolves (after the legend check) - For Rengar: The unit becomes Mighty only after receiving the attacker designation (after the legend check) Nuances: - Passive abilities (that aren't dependent on designations) become active just before a unit is considered "played" - Examples of units that would trigger Volibear: Point Draven (becomes Mighty via passive before being played) or a 4 Might unit played to Trifarian Warcamp

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 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: Windwall can only counter the entire Icathian Rain spell before it resolves. Once Icathian Rain begins resolving and its individual instances go on the chain, Windwall cannot counter the original spell anymore, only individual instances. Sequence: - Opponent plays Icathian Rain - You can play Windwall to counter the entire spell before it resolves - Once Rain resolves, its 6 instances go on the chain individually - At this point, Windwall can only counter one individual instance, not the original spell Nuances: - The timing window matters: Windwall must be played before Icathian Rain resolves to counter the entire spell - After resolution begins and targeting starts, you cannot counter the original spell with Windwall anymore

Ruling: No, the damage does not go through if Yasuo is moved before his ability resolves. Yasuo's ability specifically deals damage to a unit "here" (same location as him), so if he gets moved while his ability is on the chain, the target is no longer legal and no damage is dealt. Nuances: - If Yasuo can somehow be moved back to the original location before his ability resolves, the damage would still go through

Ruling: Yes, Yasuo equipped with Svellsongur triggers his 'When I attack' ability twice when he attacks. Sequence: - Svellsongur copies Yasuo's printed text box - Svellsongur grants that copied text back to Yasuo as equipment text (bottom bar) - When Yasuo attacks, both instances of 'When I attack' trigger - You can choose different targets for each trigger Nuances: - The equipment (Svellsongur) itself is not attacking; the equipped unit (Yasuo) is attacking - Equipment cannot attack on their own - Text on the bottom bar of equipment is granted to the attached unit

Ruling: Yone's ability triggers when you conquer an "open battlefield," which means an uncontrolled battlefield (not controlled by any player). This includes conquering through surprise defense combat, since the battlefield is uncontrolled when you conquer it. Nuances: - "Open battlefield" is not officially defined in the rules but is interpreted as an uncontrolled/empty battlefield - If there were friendly units, there wouldn't be a showdown; if there were enemy units, there would be combat - The battlefield must be uncontrolled at the time of conquest for Yone's ability to trigger

Ruling: Yes, Yone's ability triggers when holding in Reckoner's Arena because the Arena's "activate" effect puts the triggered ability onto the chain directly, regardless of whether the trigger condition (empty battlefield) is actually fulfilled. Nuances: - Normally, Yone cannot conquer an empty battlefield if he's already at that battlefield, since his presence makes it controlled/occupied rather than uncontrolled/empty - With Skyfall of Areion (which makes his conquer effect a hold effect), Yone's ability would NOT trigger because the battlefield is not empty when he holds - Reckoner's Arena specifically bypasses the normal trigger condition check by using "activate" wording