Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Mask of Foresight does not trigger and does not give the remaining unit +1 might. The trigger condition for Mask ("when I attack/defend alone") must be met at the moment units are designated as attackers/defenders, which only happens during the initial chain of a showdown. Sequence: - Units are designated as attackers/defenders (this is when "when I attack/defend" triggers check) - If a unit is alone at this moment, Mask triggers and goes on the stack - If Mask triggered, it will give +1 might to "that unit" (the specific unit that triggered it) when it resolves, even if that unit is no longer alone - If a unit was not alone when designated, Mask does not trigger at all - Moving units in or out of the battlefield after designation does not create new Mask triggers Nuances: - Mask does not target, so it doesn't check conditions again on resolution - it will resolve and give might to the unit that triggered it even if the battlefield state has changed - The might goes specifically to "that unit" (the one that triggered Mask), not to whichever unit happens to be alone when it resolves - If the unit that triggered Mask is removed before Mask resolves, the effect fizzles and no other unit gets the might - A hidden unit revealed after designation was not alone when it became a defender, so it cannot trigger Mask or receive might from an existing Mask trigger

Ruling: When Mask of Foresight triggers on your alone unit entering combat, that unit receives +1 Might for the rest of combat regardless of whether it becomes not-alone afterwards (like flipping Tideturner). However, if you use Fight or Flight after combat has already started, you miss the trigger window for Mask of Foresight since it's a "When" triggered ability. Sequence: - Opponent moves to contest, triggering combat - Mask of Foresight triggers ("When" ability) because your unit is alone - The +1 Might buff is applied to your unit - You can then flip Tideturner and the Poro keeps the +1 Might - The buff persists because the resolution text has no "alone" condition Nuances: - "When/At" are Triggered Ability keywords that require specific timing windows - "While/If" are Passive Ability keywords that continuously check conditions - If you play Fight or Flight as an action after combat has started, the new unit misses the Mask trigger window since combat already began

Ruling: No, Mask of Foresight does not trigger. The trigger condition checks whether the unit is alone when it is initially assigned as attacker/defender at the start of combat. Moving another unit away afterward does not change the attacker/defender status or cause the trigger to check again. Sequence: - When combat starts, all units are assigned as attackers and defenders - At that moment, Mask of Foresight checks if the unit is alone - If the unit is not alone when assigned, the trigger does not go on the chain - Moving units away later does not cause the trigger to re-evaluate Nuances: - Attack/defend triggers can only be fulfilled once per unit per combat - If a different unit is moved onto the battlefield alone after the initial assignment (during or after the initial chain), that unit's Mask of Foresight would trigger - The same unit cannot trigger its attack/defend ability multiple times in the same combat, even if it leaves and re-enters the battlefield

Ruling: No, the bonus does not disappear when Mask of Foresight is removed. It is a triggered ability, not a passive effect. Nuances: - If it were a passive effect, the static bonus would disappear immediately when the item is removed - Triggered abilities persist for their duration even after the source is removed (like a timed debuff that continues even if the caster dies) - Passive aura effects would disappear immediately when removed (unlike triggered effects)

Ruling: Yes, the unit still receives the +1 might bonus from Mask of Foresight even after being returned to base by Fight or Flight. Sequence: - Player 2 moves a single unit to attack Player 1's battlefield - Mask of Foresight triggers and goes on the chain/stack - Player 1 plays Fight or Flight, which resolves and returns the attacking unit to base - Mask of Foresight effect resolves, giving the unit +1 might for the turn Nuances: - The trigger condition (attacking alone) only needs to be true when the effect goes on the chain, not when it resolves - No validation check occurs upon resolution for this effect - The unit retains the +1 might bonus for the turn even though it's no longer attacking - If the same unit is sent back to attack alone again, Mask of Foresight will trigger again

Ruling: Units heal at the end of combat (during the combat resolution step), not at the end of the combat showdown. This healing occurs regardless of what happens to the units during combat. Sequence: - Combat showdown occurs (first step of combat) - Combat damage step occurs (second step) - Combat resolution step occurs (third step) - units heal here Nuances: - If a showdown occurs outside of combat (open showdown), no healing happens - Healing happens even if units are killed, moved, or otherwise affected during the combat showdown - A unit can be damaged during combat showdown and still need to survive combat damage to benefit from healing

Ruling: Yes, Miss Fortune can ready the unit that moved with her to the battlefield, and that unit will be ready at the battlefield. Sequence: - Exhaust all units being moved together (as the cost of the standard move) - Move them all to the destination - Resolve any move effects (including Miss Fortune's ready ability) - Start a showdown if needed Nuances: - The unit being readied doesn't get readied until after the move is complete, but since all units move together as a group in one action, the readied unit still arrives at the battlefield ready - This only works for units moved together with Miss Fortune; you cannot ready an already exhausted unit and have it join the move

Ruling: No, by the time Ms. Fortune Captain's move trigger resolves, a showdown is already staged, so the readied unit cannot join the same combat. Sequence: - Ms. Fortune Captain moves to attack a battlefield - The showdown is staged - Ms. Fortune Captain's move trigger resolves - Any unit readied by the trigger cannot join the already-staged showdown

Ruling: Yes, Mundo survives. Unchecked Power marks 12 damage on Mundo and moves to trash (triggering Mundo's passive +1 power) before the cleanup occurs that would check for lethal damage. Sequence: - Unchecked Power resolves, marking 12 damage on Mundo - Unchecked Power moves to trash - Mundo gains +1 power passively (now at 13 power) - Cleanup occurs when Unchecked leaves the chain - Mundo has 13 power with 12 marked damage and survives Nuances: - Cleanups do not happen in the middle of card resolution - The passive power gain from the card entering the graveyard occurs before the cleanup that checks for lethal damage

Ruling: When the card leaves trash, Mundo's might becomes 0. If a third Smokescreen is played while Mundo is at 0 might, he remains at 0. Sequence: - Mundo starts at 6 might base - His ability increases him to 7 might (while card is in trash) - Two Smokescreens resolve, each "snapshotting" their decreases, reducing him to 1 with a total snapshotted decrease of -6 - When the card leaves trash, the -6 decrease no longer has the "minimum of 1" limitation, so Mundo goes to 0 might - A third Smokescreen played at this point would snapshot as -0, leaving Mundo at 0 Nuances: - Units can have 0 or less might without dying - Units only die from non-zero damage, not from having 0 might - The "minimum of 1" limitation on Smokescreen only applies when the effect resolves and snapshots; once snapshotted, the decrease persists without that limitation

Ruling: The owner of Time Warp does not take two additional turns. They take one extra turn (from Time Warp) followed by their regular turn. Sequence: - Opponent's current turn completes - You take an extra turn (from the reversed Time Warp) - You take your regular turn - Opponent takes their regular turn - Normal turn order resumes Nuances: - The extra turn from Time Warp is inserted immediately after the current turn, followed by what would have been your regular turn in the rotation

Ruling: Not So Fast counters the entire spell including all Repeat effects. Repeat does not add separate triggers, so the whole spell is countered as one. Sequence: - Missile Barrage is cast with Repeat effect - Not So Fast is played in response - The entire spell (both the initial effect and the Repeat effect) is countered Nuances: - This applies regardless of whether Repeat targets two different units or the same unit twice - The spell is treated as a single spell with combined energy cost and power for purposes of cards like Defy

Ruling: The Trifarian War Camp passive buff applies to Noxian Drummer as soon as it arrives, making it 4 might. Since Gust can only target units with 3 or less might, Noxian Drummer is not a valid target for Gust. Nuances: - Gust checks for valid targets after the unit has already received location-based buffs from being "here"

Ruling: Yes, the opponent can play Hidden Blade to kill Drummer before the token spawns, and if Drummer dies this way (from a hidden Hidden Blade), the token will not be spawned because the game cannot determine "here" anymore. Sequence: - Zenith Blade fully resolves, moving Drummer to the battlefield - Drummer's move trigger goes on the chain - The controller of the trigger (Drummer's controller) gets priority first - Then the opponent gets priority and can play Hidden Blade as a reaction - If both players pass, the trigger resolves - If Drummer was killed by Hidden Blade as a reaction, the token does not spawn Nuances: - If Hidden Blade is played as an action (not as a reaction from being hidden), the token still spawns even if Drummer dies - The key difference is whether Hidden Blade was played as a reaction from being hidden versus as a normal action

Ruling: When Noxian Drummer moves to a battlefield, her triggered ability goes on the chain. If the opponent reacts with Fight or Flight (played from hidden) to move her to base before the trigger resolves, the trigger still resolves and creates one token at the base (where Drummer currently is). No showdown begins because the battlefield is no longer contested. Sequence: - Noxian Drummer moves to battlefield - Her triggered ability goes on the chain - Opponent plays Fight or Flight from hidden in reaction to the trigger - Fight or Flight resolves, moving Drummer to base - Drummer's trigger resolves, creating a token "here" at base - No showdown occurs Nuances: - The move itself cannot be reacted to, but the triggered ability can be reacted to - Only one token is created total (not two), because Drummer only triggers when moving to a battlefield, not when moving to base - "Here" refers to Drummer's current location when the trigger resolves (the base)

Ruling: The token would not be created because Noxian Drummer is no longer on the board when the ability resolves, so "here" cannot be determined. Nuances: - A unit that is no longer on the board has no location - Spell and ability instructions are checked for legality both at trigger time and at resolution time - Units in hand return "null" for "here"

Ruling: No, the opponent cannot activate Zhonya to save their unit if it dies in combat with Noxus Saboteur. Sequence: - Combat damage occurs - Units are removed from the board - No window exists between these steps for the opponent to react and activate Zhonya

Ruling: The Clockwork Keeper does not die. After combat damage is assigned and units are killed, they are immediately healed before any other game state checks and before any abilities are able to enter the chain. Sequence: - Combat damage is assigned to all units simultaneously - Units that received lethal damage are killed - All units are immediately healed - Game state checks and abilities occur after healing Nuances: - You cannot assign over-damage to a unit; once lethal damage is assigned to a unit, you must assign remaining damage to the next unit - The written rules initially suggested the Clockwork would die, but the FAQ clarified that healing occurs before the buff is removed, so the Clockwork survives

Ruling: The ability resolves to no effect (whiffs). Since killing Overzealous Fan is a cost-within-instruction required to move the unit, and Fan cannot be killed because it's no longer on the battlefield, the effect cannot be performed. Sequence: - Overzealous Fan's ability triggers and is finalized - Opponent reacts with Gust, returning Fan to hand - Fan's ability resolves but cannot kill Fan (it's not on battlefield) - The unit is not moved to owner's hand Nuances: - This applies to any effect worded as "do X to do Y" - the first part is a cost paid during resolution that is required for the second part to occur - The ability has already triggered and finalized by the time you react to it

Ruling: Yes, a showdown will start and you'll gain a point if you re-establish control. Sequence: - P1 retreats their unit from BF2 in response to charm - Cleanup establishes the battlefield as uncontrolled immediately after the retreat effect resolves - When P1's unit arrives at BF2, a showdown starts - P1 can score if they re-establish control Nuances: - P1 lost control of the battlefield when they retreated the unit, even though they controlled it at the start of the turn - The battlefield becomes uncontrolled in the window between the retreat resolving and the arriving unit

Ruling: No, P2 cannot prevent the loss at this point. The opponent wins because they don't need to be in control of both battlefields to win - they just need to score a point from both battlefields on the same turn. Nuances: - P2 should have played Gust during the initial showdown with the Poro at an earlier time to prevent this situation

Ruling: Yes, Phoenix can trigger its ability to summon itself from the discard after Hidden Blade fully resolves. Sequence: - Hidden Blade is played targeting Phoenix - Phoenix is killed and sent to the discard - Draw 2 cards - Hidden Blade fully resolves - Phoenix is now in the discard and its triggered ability can be put into the chase - If you pay for Phoenix's triggered ability, it will successfully be played from the discard Nuances: - You must fully resolve an effect before putting a triggered ability into the chase, which is why Phoenix's ability can only trigger after Hidden Blade completely resolves

Ruling: Yes, the unit at the base still takes 2 damage. The "then" in the spell text is a timing instruction, not a condition that requires the first target to still be valid. Nuances: - This ruling can be extrapolated from similar card interactions like Traveling Merchant - The removal of the first target does not invalidate the second part of the effect

Ruling: No, bouncing Pit Rookie with Gust does not prevent the buff. The buff still applies to the targeted unit because once the ability becomes a chain item, its source doesn't matter anymore. Sequence: - Pit Rookie is played - Pit Rookie's when played buff ability goes on the chain and targets a unit - Gust is played in response to bounce Pit Rookie - Gust resolves, returning Pit Rookie to hand - The buff ability still resolves and applies to the target Nuances: - You are responding to the unit's when played effect, so you will know the target of the buff before you can play Gust - The ability resolves as long as it has a valid target, regardless of whether the source unit is still in play

Ruling: Player 1 would draw, not win. You need control of both battlefields simultaneously to score the 8th point, not just to have scored at each battlefield at different times. Sequence: - Player 2's Showdown 1 on Battlefield A resolves first, giving control to Player 2 - Player 1 now has control of the other battlefield only - Player 1 does not have control of both battlefields simultaneously - Player 1 draws instead of winning Nuances: - If Player 1 could somehow return to Battlefield A and conquer it again in the same turn, then they would win

Ruling: The player who plays Mystic Reversal gains control of Defy, but since there is only one legal target on the chain (Dragon's Rage) and Defy says "a spell" not "an enemy spell", they must still target Dragon's Rage with Defy. Nuances: - Mystic Reversal gives control of the spell to its caster, but does not allow retargeting if only one legal target exists - Defy's targeting restriction is "a spell" rather than "an enemy spell", so it can target your own spells

Ruling: Yes, if Player 2 wins the combat showdown and is the only remaining player with units at the battlefield, they score. Sequence: - Player 1 moves to empty battlefield A, starting a non-combat showdown - Player 2 uses Ride the Wind to move a unit into battlefield A during the non-combat showdown - A combat showdown is marked as pending - Resolve the non-combat showdown completely - The game sees units from opposing players remain, triggering the combat showdown - If the Ride the Wind player wins the combat showdown and is the only player with units remaining, they score Nuances: - Player 1 (who moved to the empty battlefield first) is the attacker in the combat showdown, as they applied the contested state to the uncontrolled battlefield - Player 2 (the Ride the Wind player) is the defender in the combat showdown - Player 2 does not score from the original non-combat showdown, only from the combat showdown if they win it

Ruling: Yes, Player 2 can draw from Discipline as it resolves and then play a Defy (or other reaction) they drew to respond to Void Seeker before it resolves. Sequence: - Player 1 plays Void Seeker targeting an enemy unit - Player 2 plays Discipline in response - The chain resolves last in first out, so Discipline resolves first - Player 2 draws from Discipline - After Discipline resolves, the owner of the next item (the attacker) gains priority and can pass - Player 2 then has another opportunity to play a reaction, including anything drawn off Discipline - If Player 2 plays Defy, it goes on the chain before Void Seeker resolves Nuances: - Players have opportunities to play reactions as the chain is resolving, not just when initially building the chain

Ruling: Fight or Flight will still resolve and move the targeted unit back to base even though it moved to a different battlefield via Tideturner. Spells don't fizzle in Riftbound - they always resolve, though they might resolve with no effect. Nuances: - If Fight or Flight were played as a hidden card (rather than from hand), it would have the targeting restriction 'here' and the target would become illegal when moved to a different battlefield, causing it to resolve with no effect. - The key distinction is whether Fight or Flight was played from hand (works as described) or was already hidden at the battlefield (would not work).

Ruling: Yes, Player B still draws from Dreaming Tree. Once En Garde finalizes and enters the chain, Dreaming Tree's trigger happens based on the unit being chosen, regardless of where the unit moves afterward. Sequence: - Player B plays En Garde on their unit at battlefield with Focus - En Garde finalizes and enters the chain - Dreaming Tree triggers because a unit at battlefield was chosen - Player A plays Force of Flow in reaction window to move the unit to base - When Dreaming Tree resolves, the draw still happens Nuances: - Dreaming Tree triggers off of choosing the unit, not the unit's location at resolution - Dreaming Tree's instruction doesn't check for location when it resolves - it simply draws 1 card once triggered

Ruling: No, Player A does not draw 2 cards. When the unit is returned to hand by Retreat, it becomes a different object and Hidden Blade can no longer find the controller of the unit it was trying to kill. Sequence: - Player B casts Hidden Blade targeting Player A's unit - Player A responds with Retreat, returning the unit to hand - Hidden Blade resolves but mistargets because the unit has left the board - Hidden Blade cannot kill anything and cannot find the controller of something it didn't kill - No cards are drawn Nuances: - When cards move from a board zone to a non-board zone, they are considered different objects - This applies even if the destination is a public zone like discard - Replacement effects like Zhonyas or Sett work differently because they change Hidden Blade's effect to recall the unit itself, allowing Hidden Blade to track the information since the spell itself moved the object - Control only applies to game objects on the board; once something leaves the board, the concept of control no longer applies

Ruling: When Player A uses Mystic Reversal on Player B's Gust, they gain control of the spell but must still choose a valid target. Since the only valid target is Player A's own 3 Might unit, Mystic Reversal becomes a waste and the 3 Might unit still gets bounced. At high OPL, this is a misplay and does not warrant a judge-initiated rewind. Sequence: - Player B plays Gust - Player A reacts with Mystic Reversal, taking control of Gust - Player A must make new choices but cannot choose "no target" to fizzle the spell - Player A must target their own 3 Might unit (the only valid target) - The 3 Might unit is bounced Nuances: - You cannot choose "no target" when taking control of a spell with Mystic Reversal if valid targets exist - the same targeting rules apply as if playing from hand - At low OPL, a rewind might be appropriate since there's no information gain - If both players agree to a rewind, they will likely do so regardless of official ruling once the judge leaves

Ruling: Player B scores only one point. When Player B plays Ride the Wind to battlefield 2 while the first showdown at battlefield 1 has not yet resolved, the showdown at battlefield 2 never happens because the existing showdown must fully resolve first. Sequence: - Player A initiates showdown at battlefield 1 - Player B plays Ride the Wind to battlefield 2, staging a second showdown - The first showdown at battlefield 1 must fully resolve before the second showdown can begin - Player B plays Ride the Wind back to battlefield 1 before the first showdown resolves - Since Player B returned to battlefield 1 before the first showdown resolved, the showdown at battlefield 2 never happens - Player B wins at battlefield 1 and scores one point Nuances: - A showdown fully resolves when both players pass on an empty chain with focus - Playing Ride the Wind into an ongoing showdown at the same battlefield is called a "surprise defence"

Ruling: Yes, Player B scores a point for conquering. A player can score by gaining control of a battlefield they haven't scored that turn, regardless of whether they were the attacker or defender ("conquering on defense"). Sequence: - Player A moves unit to empty battlefield, applying contested status - Player A passes - Player B plays Ride the Wind, moving stronger unit to battlefield - Combat resolves, Player A's unit is defeated - Player B gains control and scores for conquering Nuances: - Rule 442.1.b states "A player will gain control of a Battlefield after establishing Control by applying Contested first" - the word "first" means contested must be applied before gaining control (temporal), not that the scoring player must be the one who applied contested - The attacker is always the player who applied contested first (Player A in this scenario), but either player can score if they gain control - Rule 345.2.a covers gaining control when only one player's units remain at a battlefield - Rule 440.2 covers the specific triggers for conquering during combat

Ruling: No, Player A cannot play a card after both players pass focus. Combat happens when both players voluntarily pass focus. Sequence: - When a unit is moved to the battlefield, "When I attack" then "When I defend" are added to the chain - Player B has the opportunity to react (passing priority) - Player A then has focus for a new chain, then Player B - This cycle continues until both players pass focus - Once both players pass focus, combat begins Nuances: - Focus (the opportunity to play Actions) is separate from priority - Priority is passed starting with the player with Focus when a chain is created, then focus automatically passes - When any chain item is placed, the player who placed it gets priority first

Ruling: Player A can play another action or reaction. Only Player B has passed; Player A's chain closed (which is different from passing). All players must consecutively pass in order for the combat showdown to close. Sequence: - Player A plays an action card and starts a chain - The chain resolves and closes - Player B gains focus (this is not A "passing") - Player B chooses to pass - Player A gains focus again and can start a new chain or pass Nuances: - When a chain closes, focus moves to the next player, but this is mechanically different from a player choosing to pass - All players need to consecutively choose the "pass" option (not just have focus move through chain resolution) for combat showdown to close - The terminology "focus is passed" can be ambiguous, but the rules distinguish between starting a chain (which closes and moves focus) versus choosing to pass

Ruling: No, you cannot get Altar of Memories to resolve before Baited Hook. Baited Hook must fully resolve (including killing the unit) before any triggered abilities can be added to the chain. Sequence: - Baited Hook is activated targeting Pouty Poro - Baited Hook resolves completely, killing the unit as part of its effect - Deathknell triggers immediately before death - Altar of Memories triggers on death after Deathknell - Both triggers go on the chain with Altar on top (resolving first) - Altar resolves, then Deathknell resolves Nuances: - Altar of Memories is not an activatable ability; it triggers on death and then you choose whether to exhaust it when the trigger resolves - While Baited Hook is resolving, no other effects can resolve - they must wait until it's done - It would be different if killing the unit were a cost to activate Baited Hook, but it's part of the effect - This interaction does work to influence the draw from Sacred Shears

Ruling: You cannot start a showdown while a chain exists. The showdown will stage and start at the first open state, which means after Promising Future fully resolves. Sequence: - Promising Future resolves completely - The showdown stages - The showdown starts at the first open state Nuances: - Players looking at their 5 cards cannot play those cards during the showdown staging, as the showdown doesn't actually start until the card fully resolves

Ruling: Quiana equipped with Hexdrinker will have Deflect 2. Nuances: - Deflect values stack when multiple sources grant the keyword ability

Ruling: Yes, Ravenbloom Student triggers and gains +1 might before Hextech Ray resolves, allowing it to survive at 4 might when the 3 damage is dealt. Sequence: - Hextech Ray is activated targeting Ravenbloom Student - Player A activates a spell in response (e.g., Consult the Past) - The spell resolves - Ravenbloom Student's "play a spell" trigger goes on the chain - Ravenbloom trigger resolves, granting +1 might - Hextech Ray resolves, dealing 3 damage to the now 4-might Student

Ruling: No, Challenge resolves first, and Darius's might increase only triggers after Challenge has resolved. Darius will not have 7 might when Challenge resolves. Sequence: - Play Darius - Play Challenge (Challenge goes on the chain) - Darius's trigger goes on the chain on top of Challenge - Darius's trigger resolves first (increasing his might) - Challenge resolves second (readying and buffing Darius based on his current might) Nuances: - Cards are considered played after resolving, which is why Darius can ready himself when played as the 2nd card in a turn

Ruling: Heimerdinger copies the ability but does not copy the battlefield restriction, so he can use Renata's abilities from the backline. Nuances: - Heimerdinger copies the full ability including its cost - The battlefield restriction on Renata does not apply to Heimerdinger when he copies the ability - This allows Heimerdinger to stay safe in the backline while using the copied ability

Ruling: The unit will not heal until the end of the combat showdown, in the cleanup phase. Units only heal at the end of a showdown and end of a turn, not before a showdown starts. Sequence: - Riptide Rex deals 6 damage to the 8 might unit when summoned - A 2 might unit moves onto that battlefield to start a showdown - The showdown occurs (the two units will trade) - Healing occurs during cleanup at the end of the showdown Nuances: - In this specific scenario, the 8 might unit (with 6 damage already on it) and the 2 might unit will trade during the showdown

Ruling: Yes, the 6 damage effect still applies even if Riptide Rex dies before resolving. Nuances: - The ability requires no information from the Rex itself, so it resolves independently of whether Rex is still in play

Ruling: The damage ability fizzles if the target is no longer valid (not at the battlefield). You do not get to re-target once a target has been selected. Sequence: - Riptide Shark is played and resolves immediately onto the battlefield - The 6 damage ability goes on the chain with a target selected - If the target is moved before the ability resolves, the ability whiffs - No re-targeting is allowed Nuances: - You cannot react to the unit itself being played (units resolve immediately once they finalize onto the chain) - You can only react to the triggered ability once it's on the chain - Once a target is selected for the ability, it either resolves or whiffs - no re-targeting occurs

Ruling: Yes, Seth would still draw 2 cards even if the unit doesn't die. The unit is still on the board when Hidden Blade resolves, so information about its controller is still available. Nuances: - The unit doesn't have to die for the draw effect to trigger - As long as the unit is still on the board when the effect resolves, the controller information is available

Ruling: Yes, Sett would die. When you activate the ability, removing the buff is a cost paid to add the ability to the chain, which means Sett loses the health buff before the ability resolves. Sequence: - The buff is removed as a cost to activate the ability - The ability is added to the chain - Before the ability can resolve, cleanup happens - Sett has 0 health (due to the 4 damage and loss of the buff) and dies during cleanup - The ability never resolves Nuances: - If removing the buff were part of the effect (not the cost), Sett would survive because the +4 attack would be gained simultaneously with losing the buff during resolution

Yes, spending the buff DOES trigger Fiora's Leader ability. Here's why: When Sett activates his ability "Spend my buff: Give me +4 [M] this turn", the buff is spent (removed) as a cost during step 4 of activating abilities. This causes Sett to drop from 5 Might to 4 Might (losing the +1 from the buff). Then, when the ability resolves, Sett gains +4 Might, going from 4 to 8 Might. Since he crosses from below 5 Might to 5 or greater Might, he "becomes Mighty", which triggers Fiora's "When one of your units becomes Mighty" Leader ability. Note: Fiora also triggers when Sett is first played, as his Play Effect buff causes him to go from 4 Might to 5 Might, making him become Mighty for the first time.

Ruling: You cannot legally target Sett with Call to Glory in this situation. When you pay the cost by removing the buff, Sett dies during cleanup before the spell is finalized, making him an illegal target. The entire action is undone and the spell returns to the zone it was played from. Sequence: - You attempt to cast Call to Glory, choosing to remove Sett's buff as the cost and targeting Sett - The buff is removed as part of paying the cost - Cleanup occurs before the spell finalizes - Sett dies (4 might = 4 damage) - The game checks target legality during finalization - Sett is no longer a legal target (he's dead, not a friendly unit) - The action is undone in its entirety - Call to Glory returns to the zone it was played from Nuances: - You can cast Call to Glory by removing Sett's buff if you target a different unit - Sett will still die but the spell will resolve on the other target - You must choose either a different buff to remove or a different unit to target - If Sett uses his own ability to buff himself while damaged, this is allowed because his ability doesn't target himself, so there's no illegal target check during finalization even though he dies

Ruling: Sett Brawler will not die when reduced to 0 Might after the buff is removed. Units only die when they have non-zero damage on them, not from having 0 Might alone. Sequence: - Smoke Screen reduces Sett Brawler to minimum 1 Might while buffed - When the buff is removed (e.g., by activating Sett leader ability), Sett becomes 0 Might - Sett survives at 0 Might unless he takes any non-zero damage Nuances: - A unit at 0 Might will die if it takes any amount of non-zero damage afterward - Removing Sett's buff via the leader ability also increases his Might, which should be considered in the calculation - When Sett is recalled to base, damage is removed but Might modifiers remain (the unit retains modifiers as the same game object)