Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: The showdown does not end. When the attacker passes focus after the defender's chain resolves, the defender gets focus back and can play more actions. The showdown only ends when two players pass focus consecutively. Sequence: - Defender plays action-speed card (Hextech Ray) - Chain resolves and focus passes to attacker - Attacker passes focus - Defender gains focus again and can play actions - Showdown ends only if defender also passes focus Nuances: - Focus passing due to a chain resolving is different from a player passing focus - "Passing" specifically refers to the choice to not play a card when you have priority/focus, not focus automatically moving after chain resolution - Two consecutive passes of focus (not just focus moving between players) are required to end the showdown

Ruling: When a player plays an action during a showdown, it creates a closed state where only reactions can be played. Once the chain fully resolves, the game returns to an open showdown state and focus passes to the next player, who can then play actions or reactions. Sequence: - Turn player triggers showdown (open state) and has focus - Turn player plays an action/reaction, creating a closed state - Both players get a round of reaction play timing in the closed state - If both players pass, the chain resolves in order - Game returns to open showdown state - Focus passes to the non-turn player who can play an action/reaction - This continues back and forth until both players pass in succession without playing cards Nuances: - Players cannot play actions once the game is in a closed state (when a chain exists) - When a player passes priority during a closed state, focus does NOT get passed - Focus only passes when returning to an open state after chain resolution

Ruling: During a showdown, players can play actions and reactions, but not normal spells. After both players pass priority back-to-back, damage happens and the showdown ends with no further window to play cards. Sequence: - Active player has priority and can play actions or reactions to start a chain - Opponent can only respond with reactions to that chain - After the chain resolves, the opponent has priority to play the same types of cards the active player just did - Priority passes back and forth until both players pass consecutively - Damage is dealt and the showdown ends Nuances: - You cannot "respond" with actions (they don't go on the chain as responses), but both players will have chances to play actions during the priority passing - It's unclear whether a chain can be started with a reaction (not definitively answered in thread)

Ruling: When combat starts, all "when I attack" and "when I defend" triggers enter the chain together, with the attacking player's triggers added first. Chains resolve backwards (last in, first out), so the defending player's triggers resolve first. Sequence: - Combat starts - Attacking player's "when I attack" triggers are added to the chain first - Defending player's "when I defend" triggers are added to the chain second - Chain resolves backwards: defending player's triggers resolve first, then attacking player's triggers Nuances: - The key distinction is that triggers from the defending player resolve first, not just "when I defend" triggers specifically. For example, triggers like "when enemy attacks" also resolve first because they belong to the defending player. - Passive abilities like Shield are always active when defending and don't use the chain.

Ruling: During a showdown when the initial chain is resolving and the chain is empty, the attacker gets focus and priority. After an action resolves, priority goes to the owner of the next effect on the chain if the chain is not empty; if the chain is empty during a non-initial chain, the next player (not the owner of the most recent effect) gets focus and priority. Sequence: - During showdown, initial chain resolving, chain empty: attacker gets focus and priority - During showdown, initial chain resolving, chain not empty: owner of next effect on chain gets priority - During showdown, not initial chain, chain empty: next player (after owner of most recent effect) gets focus and priority - During showdown, not initial chain, chain not empty: owner of next effect on chain gets priority - Outside showdown, chain empty: current turn player gets priority - Outside showdown, chain not empty: owner of next effect on chain gets priority Nuances: - Action speed cards can only be played on your turn when the chain is empty OR by either player during a showdown when they have focus and the chain is empty - If you have two Last Breath cards and priority with an empty chain during showdown, you can play one, but after it resolves the other player gets priority (assuming it's not the initial chain)

Ruling: Yes, you get the focus back. Focus continues passing between players until all players pass focus in succession, at which point Showdown ends. Sequence: - Attacker gets focus and plays an action spell - Defender gets focus (if no reactions played) - If defender plays nothing, focus passes back to attacker - This continues until all players pass focus in succession - Then Showdown ends

A unit's Might does not decrease when it takes damage. It will continue to attack and defend with its full Might value unless an effect specifically states that it reduces Might.

The showdown does not start during the Beginning Phase. According to **Rule 340**, a Showdown begins when Control of a Battlefield is Contested **and the turn is in a Neutral Open State**. The Beginning Phase is a structured phase of the turn, not a Neutral Open State. Here is the breakdown of why this occurs: 1. **Trigger Resolution:** When you trigger *Last Rites* during the Scoring Step of the Beginning Phase, you play the *Sneaky Deckhand*. This action occurs within the Beginning Phase. 2. **Contested Status:** While playing the *Sneaky Deckhand* to an empty battlefield makes that battlefield "Contested" (as you are attempting to conquer it), the game does not immediately transition into a Showdown because the turn is not in a Neutral Open State. 3. **Staging:** Because the battlefield is contested but the game state does not allow for a Showdown yet, the Showdown becomes **Staged**. 4. **Showdown Initiation:** Once you complete the Beginning Phase and proceed through the Channel and Draw phases, you will enter the Action Phase. The Action Phase is a Neutral Open State. Per **Rule 322.13**, if the current state is a Neutral Open State and one or more Showdowns are Staged, the Turn Player chooses one of those battlefields, and the Showdown begins there. In summary, the *Sneaky Deckhand* is played during the Beginning Phase, but the resulting Showdown will not begin until you reach the Action Phase.

Baron Nashor is a high-cost, powerful Chaos unit that focuses on battlefield control and buffing your other units. Here is a breakdown of what it does: ### 1. Battlefield Creation and Entry When you play Baron Nashor, it automatically adds the **Baron Pit** battlefield token to the board if it isn't already present. Baron Nashor then enters that specific battlefield. * **Note on the Baron Pit:** The Baron Pit token has the ability: *"Units can move here from anywhere."* This makes it a highly accessible location for your units to move to. * **Scoring:** Because playing Baron Nashor creates the Baron Pit and places him there, this can count as "conquering" that battlefield for the purpose of scoring a point, provided you haven't already scored the Baron Pit that turn (RiftJudge FAQ #9221). ### 2. Protection Baron Nashor has the ability: *"I can't be chosen by enemy spells and abilities."* * This makes him immune to any enemy effects that require the opponent to "choose" or "target" him (e.g., spells that say "Return target unit to hand"). * **Important Nuance:** This protection **does not** stop effects that do not "choose" a target. For example, if an opponent plays a card that forces all players to kill one of their own units (like *Cull the Weak*), Baron Nashor can still be affected because that spell does not "choose" him (RiftJudge FAQ #9385). Similarly, effects that "programmatically select" a unit based on a trigger (like *Vex, Apathetic*) can still affect him because they do not require the player to make a choice (RiftJudge FAQ #8685). ### 3. Passive Buff Baron Nashor provides a passive aura: *"Other friendly units have +2 [S] (Might)."* * This buff applies to all your other units on the board, regardless of which battlefield they are on, making your entire board more threatening. *** *Disclaimer: This is my interpretation based on the card text and existing FAQs. No official rulebook entry exists for every specific interaction with this card.*

King's Edict resolves by forcing each of your opponents to choose a unit you do not control to be killed. Because the choice is made by the players during resolution rather than by the spell itself, it does not "target" units in the traditional sense. According to the official ruling for **King's Edict**: * **The Sequence:** 1. The spell resolves. 2. Starting with the next player in turn order, each opponent chooses one unit you don't control that hasn't been chosen yet for this spell. 3. This continues until all opponents have made their choice. 4. All chosen units are killed simultaneously. * **Key Nuances:** * **No Targeting:** The caster makes no choices. The spell does not target, meaning units with protection from being chosen by enemy spells or abilities (like *Rune Runner*) can still be chosen by players as instructed by this spell. * **1v1 Format:** In a standard 1v1 game, this functions as: "Your opponent chooses one of their units. Kill that unit." * **Multiplayer Format:** In games with more than two players, each opponent chooses one unit you don't control, and all of those units are killed. In 2v2, this can be particularly disadvantageous for the caster, as opponents can choose your teammate's units.

When you reveal Nocturne using Stacked Deck, the resolution follows a specific sequence based on the interaction between the spell's effect and Nocturne's ability. ### Resolution Sequence 1. **Stacked Deck Resolution:** You play Stacked Deck. As it resolves, you look at the top 3 cards of your Main Deck. 2. **Nocturne's Ability:** Because Nocturne's ability allows you to banish it when you look at or reveal it from the top of your deck, you may choose to banish any Nocturne cards revealed. 3. **Banishment and Playing:** If you choose to banish a Nocturne, you may then play it for [A] (any rune). * Nocturne is placed on the chain pending. * Stacked Deck finishes resolving. You choose one of the remaining cards (if any) to put into your hand and recycle the rest. * After Stacked Deck finishes, you pay the cost to finalize the Nocturne(s). 4. **Completing the Sequence:** Per FAQ 6744, playing a Nocturne does not count as the one card you are allowed to put into your hand from Stacked Deck. ### Key Nuances * **Nocturne's Ability:** Nocturne's ability is not a triggered ability that uses the chain; it is an effect that allows you to banish and play the card when it is revealed or looked at. * **Drawing vs. Looking:** Nocturne's ability works because Stacked Deck instructs you to "look at" cards. If you were to draw the card instead, the ability would not apply (FAQ 3447). * **Hand Size:** If you reveal 3 Nocturnes and play all of them, you draw nothing (FAQ 7941). * **Costs:** You cannot exhaust runes to float energy during the resolution of Stacked Deck. You exhaust runes to pay for the Nocturne(s) once Stacked Deck finishes resolving and you are prompted to pay the cost to finalize the unit (FAQ 1157). This interpretation is based on the provided FAQs (7941, 6744, 1549, 1157). Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

The ability of **LeBlanc, Everywhere at Once** consists of two parts: a keyword and a static passive ability. According to the card text: * **[Backline]:** As defined in Rule 826, this is a passive ability. It means that during the Combat Damage step, LeBlanc must be assigned combat damage only after all other units you control that do not have [Backline] have already been assigned lethal damage. * **"Your [Temporary] effects at my battlefield don't trigger":** This is a passive ability that creates a restriction on your cards. **How it works:** If LeBlanc is on a battlefield, any ability or effect you own that has the **[Temporary]** keyword and is located at that same battlefield will not trigger. Because this is a passive ability, it is a statement of fact that continuously affects the game state while LeBlanc is in play. This means that if you play a card with [Temporary]—for example, a spell or an ability that says "When I enter, deal 2 damage [Temporary]"—that effect will not activate as long as LeBlanc is present at that battlefield. If you have additional questions about specific card interactions with LeBlanc, feel free to ask!

To explain how Ivern works, it is important to distinguish between the different cards that share his name. Based on your question, you are referring to the ability to create **Brush** battlefield tokens, which is associated with the card **Ivern, Green Father** (as noted in the *Unleashed* patch notes). ### How Ivern (Green Father) Works When you play **Ivern, Green Father**, his ability allows you to replace an existing battlefield with a **Brush** battlefield token. According to **Rule 184.8**, a Brush battlefield token has the following text: * **"Bird, Cat, Dog, Poro, and Ivern units here have +1 [M]"** * **"When you score here, you may replace this with the battlefield it replaced."** This means the Brush token acts as a battlefield that provides a passive Might bonus to specific unit types. It remains in play until you choose to replace it or another game effect removes it. ### Can you return the battlefield to its original state if you conquer another battlefield? **No.** You cannot return the Brush token to its original battlefield state by conquering a *different* battlefield. The ability on the Brush token specifically states: **"When you score here, you may replace this with the battlefield it replaced."** * **"Here"** refers to the specific battlefield location where the Brush token is currently located. * The ability is triggered by the act of **scoring** at that specific location. * Conquering or scoring at a different battlefield does not satisfy the condition to trigger the replacement ability on the Brush token. In summary, the Brush token only reverts to the original battlefield when you score at the location where the Brush token is currently present.

Yes, **Counter Strike** can prevent damage from **Falling Star**, even if you target the same unit with both instances of damage. However, because **Counter Strike** creates a delayed replacement effect that is consumed after a single damage event, you would need to play two copies of **Counter Strike** to prevent both instances of damage. ### How the Interaction Works According to the official FAQ regarding this specific interaction: 1. **Playing the Cards:** You play **Falling Star**, targeting your unit with both instances of 3 damage. In response, you play two **Counter Strike** cards targeting that same unit. 2. **Chain Resolution:** Both **Counter Strike** cards resolve first, creating two separate delayed replacement effects on your unit. 3. **Damage Application:** When **Falling Star** resolves, it deals its first instance of 3 damage. * Because you have two active **Counter Strike** effects, you (as the owner of the unit being damaged) choose which one to apply. * You apply one **Counter Strike** effect to prevent the first 3 damage. That effect is now consumed. 4. **Second Instance:** When **Falling Star** deals its second instance of 3 damage, the second **Counter Strike** effect is still active and applies to prevent that damage as well. ### Key Nuances * **Delayed Replacement Effect:** **Counter Strike** does not grant a permanent ability to the unit; it creates a "delayed replacement effect" that waits for the next damage event. * **Consumption:** Each **Counter Strike** effect is consumed only when it is applied to a specific damage event. * **Owner's Choice:** When multiple replacement effects are applicable to the same event, the owner of the object being acted upon (your unit) determines the order in which they are applied. **Summary:** If you only play one **Counter Strike**, it will prevent the first 3 damage, but the second 3 damage will still be dealt to your unit. To prevent both, you must play two copies of **Counter Strike**.

The difference lies in **how the instructions are phrased** and **whether they are categorized as targeting**. In *Riftbound*, a spell or ability must "target" any object it selects if that selection is made when the card is played (finalized on the chain). If the selection is made during resolution, it is not considered a target. ### Cull the Weak: Resolution Choice * **The Text:** *"Each player kills one of their units."* * **Why it isn't choosing on activation:** According to Rule 355.10.e, "Each player kills a unit they control" does not target. Because the effect instructs players to make the choice **during resolution**, no targeting takes place when you play the card. * **The Result:** You do not have to identify which unit will be killed when you place *Cull the Weak* on the chain. In fact, if you have no units when you play it, you can still play the card, and you simply "do as much as you can" when it resolves (FAQ #8580). ### Beast Below: Activation Target * **The Text:** *"Return another friendly unit and an enemy unit to their owners' hands."* * **Why it IS choosing on activation:** Unlike *Cull the Weak*, *Beast Below* uses language that requires you to identify specific game objects as part of the ability's requirement. * **Targeting Rules:** According to Rule 355.10, any game object mentioned in the text is a target unless specific exceptions apply (such as it being in a non-public zone or part of a cost). Since *Beast Below* is not a "kill all" or "each player" effect, but rather an effect that selects specific units to bounce, those units are **targets**. * **The Result:** Because these are targets, you **must** have valid targets for both a "friendly unit" and an "enemy unit" to place the triggered ability on the chain (FAQ #466). If there is no valid enemy or friendly unit to target, you cannot put the triggered ability on the chain at all, although you are still allowed to play the *Beast Below* unit itself. ### Summary Table | Feature | *Cull the Weak* | *Beast Below* | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Selection Type** | Independent choice (non-targeting) | Target selection | | **When is it chosen?** | During resolution | When placed on the chain | | **Requirement to play** | None (can play with 0 units) | Must have valid targets to trigger | | **Rule Reference** | 355.10.e (Non-targeting) | 355.10 (General targeting) | In short: **"Each player chooses"** is a resolution-based instruction that does not target, whereas **"Return [x] and [y]"** identifies specific units as targets that must be locked in when the ability is placed on the chain.

The **Sun Disc** is a Gear card (Domain: Fury, Cost: 2 Energy, 1 Power) that features an activated ability. ### How Sun Disc Works 1. **Playing the Gear:** As a Gear card, you must play it to your Base (Rule 146.1.a.1). It enters play Ready (Rule 147.1). 2. **Activated Ability:** The card has the ability: `[T] : [Legion] — The next unit you play this turn enters ready. (Get the effect if you've played another card this turn.)` * **Cost:** To use this ability, you must exhaust the Sun Disc (`[T]`). * **Timing:** You may only activate this ability during your Action Phase while in an Open State (Rule 148.2). * **Legion Keyword:** This is a conditional effect. You only gain the benefit if you have already played another card earlier in the same turn. * **Effect:** If the condition is met, the very next unit you play during that turn will enter the battlefield Ready (instead of the standard state for units). ### Example Scenario Imagine it is your turn and you have already played a spell (e.g., a "Draw" spell) earlier in the turn. 1. **Setup:** You have a Sun Disc on your Base. 2. **Activation:** During your Action Phase, you exhaust your Sun Disc to activate its ability. Because you already played a spell this turn, the `[Legion]` condition is satisfied. 3. **Resolution:** The ability resolves, creating a game effect that applies to the next unit you play. 4. **Playing a Unit:** You then play a unit card from your hand. Normally, units enter play and must wait to act, but because of the Sun Disc's effect, this unit enters the battlefield **Ready**. You can now immediately use that unit to attack or perform other actions that require it to be ready.

In Riftbound, replacement effects are governed by **Rule 368**. When multiple replacement effects apply to the same event, the priority for determining the order of application is as follows: 1. **If the event acts on an object:** The owner of the object being acted upon determines the order in which the replacement effects apply (Rule 368). 2. **If the event acts on a player:** That player determines the order in which the replacement effects apply (Rule 368.1). 3. **If the event acts on an Uncontrolled Battlefield:** The Current Turn Player determines the order in which the replacement effects apply (Rule 368.2). **Key Concepts:** * **Definition:** A replacement effect is an ability that alters the execution of a game effect or rule, typically identified by the word "instead" (Rule 365, 366). * **Intercession:** Replacement effects intercede during the execution of a game effect to alter how it resolves (Rule 366). * **Resolution:** While a spell or ability is resolving, you must finish resolving all its effects before addressing anything the spell triggered or caused through its execution (Rule 154.3). If a replacement effect is applied during this process, it modifies the execution of that specific part of the spell or ability. If you have a specific scenario involving two or more cards with replacement effects, please provide the card names so I can verify their specific interactions.

To explain the interaction between **Vex** and **Ezreal, Prodigy** regarding the cost of **Called Shot**, we must clarify the rules governing cost calculation. ### Card Identities * **Vex** (Champion Unit, Chaos): While in combat, friendly spells cost [1] [A] less to a minimum of [1], and enemy spells cost [1] [A] more. * **Ezreal, Prodigy** (Champion Unit, Chaos): Optional additional costs you pay cost [1] or [A] less. * **Called Shot** (Spell, Chaos): Base cost of 0 Energy and 0 Power. Features the keyword **[Repeat] [C]**, which is an optional additional cost. ### Ruling and Interaction According to **Rule 391.2** and **Rule 391.3**, cost increases and decreases are applied during the "Determine Total Cost" step of playing a card. 1. **Base Cost:** Called Shot has a base cost of 0 Energy and 0 Power. 2. **Vex's Reduction:** While Vex is in combat, she provides a reduction of 1 Energy and 1 Power to friendly spells, with a minimum of 1 Energy. Because Called Shot's base Energy cost is 0, Vex's Energy reduction cannot reduce it further. Her Power reduction does not change the cost, as the base Power cost is already 0. 3. **Ezreal's Reduction:** Ezreal, Prodigy reduces "optional additional costs." The **[Repeat]** keyword on Called Shot is an optional additional cost (Rule 746.1). If you choose to pay the Repeat cost (1 Chaos Power), Ezreal's ability reduces that specific cost by 1 Power. ### Summary of Costs * **Playing Called Shot (without Repeat):** The base cost is 0 Energy and 0 Power. The total cost is **0 Energy and 0 Power**. * **Playing Called Shot (with Repeat):** You pay the base cost (0 Energy, 0 Power) plus the Repeat cost. The Repeat cost is normally 1 Chaos Power. Ezreal, Prodigy reduces this optional additional cost by 1 Power, making the Repeat cost 0. The total cost is **0 Energy and 0 Power**. **Important Note:** Vex's "minimum of 1 Energy" restriction applies only to her own discount (Rule 353.4.c). It does not prevent other effects (like Ezreal's) from reducing costs to 0, nor does it force a spell to cost at least 1 Energy if its base cost is already 0. Note: I could not fully verify this ruling against the retrieved rules.

To answer your question: **Yes, Fiora, Victorious automatically gains the Shield bonus the moment she becomes Mighty.** There is no "trigger" for this that you can miss. Because Shield is a **passive ability** (Rule 814.1), it is always active as long as the condition for the ability is met. Here is how the interaction works: 1. **Passive Nature of Shield:** Fiora, Victorious has the text: *"While I'm [Mighty], I have [Deflect], [Ganking], and [Shield]."* According to Rule 814, Shield is a passive keyword that functions as: *"While I am a defender, I have +1 [M]."* 2. **Layers of Interaction:** When Fiora receives a buff (such as from a stun interaction) that brings her to 5 or more Might, she satisfies the "Mighty" condition. The game automatically updates her characteristics in the "Ability-Altering Effects" layer (Rule 471). 3. **Automatic Application:** As soon as she becomes Mighty, she gains the Shield keyword. Because she is currently in combat as a defender, the Shield keyword immediately grants her +1 Might. This is not a triggered ability that goes on the chain; it is a static game state update. **Summary:** You cannot "miss" this bonus. As soon as her total Might hits the 5 threshold, she becomes Mighty, gains the Shield keyword, and immediately receives the +1 Might bonus from Shield, bringing her to a total of 6 Might.

Ruling: 'Kill This' is an activated ability where killing the card is the cost to activate the ability, as indicated by the colon (':') in the card text. Sequence: - Pay the cost by killing/trashing the card - The ability activates Nuances: - This is an activated ability, not a passive effect that can be used at any time without structure

Ruling: The discard is not a cost—it happens during resolution. You declare the target when casting, give opponents a chance to react, then discard and deal damage during resolution. You must always discard a card when Get Excited resolves, even if the target is no longer valid. Sequence: - Declare what is being targeted - Give the opponent a chance to react - Resolve the spell by discarding a card and dealing damage Nuances: - You do not have to announce what you are discarding until the spell is resolving - If the target becomes invalid (removed by a reaction), you still must discard a card - You can choose to discard something different than originally planned when resolving - Nothing fizzles in Riftbound; effects resolve doing as much as they can (target becomes NULL but other effects still happen)

Ruling: For Accelerate abilities, you must both exhaust (tap) 1 energy rune of any color AND recycle 1 rune of the specified color shown in the Accelerate cost. Sequence: - Pay the normal unit cost (e.g., 5 runes for Miss Fortune) - Exhaust 1 additional rune of any color for the energy cost - Recycle 1 rune of the color specified in the Accelerate cost (e.g., orange for Miss Fortune) - The unit enters play ready instead of exhausted Nuances: - The energy cost (exhaust) can be paid with any color rune - The recycle cost must match the specific color shown in the Accelerate ability

Ruling: Adaptatron can conquer together with other units you control. The "When I conquer" trigger activates as long as Adaptatron is part of the conquering force when you take control of a battlefield you didn't previously control. Nuances: - Moving or playing Adaptatron into a battlefield you already control does not count as conquering - The "I" in the ability text refers to Adaptatron being part of the conquer, not requiring it to conquer alone

Yes, Ahri, Inquisitive's ability counts as choosing a target, and therefore it triggers Deflect. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #468** and **FAQ #1076**, Ahri, Inquisitive's ability targets a unit, which triggers the Deflect cost. If the targeted unit has Deflect, you must pay the Deflect cost to apply the -2 might effect. If you choose not to pay (or cannot pay) the Deflect cost, the ability will not resolve on that target. Additionally, **Rule 352.6** states: "When a card Chooses one or more specific Game Objects to affect, it is Targeted." Because Ahri's ability requires you to select a specific enemy unit to receive the -2 might, it is considered targeting.

Ruling: Baited Hook uses the current might of the unit as it was killed. Nuances: - This is the might value at the time the unit is killed by Baited Hook, not the printed/base might value on the card.

Ruling: You can pick any unit with might equal to or below 1 plus the might of the killed unit. So killing a 4 might unit allows you to pick units with 5 might or less, including a 2 might unit.

Ruling: You can play a unit with might anywhere from 0 to 5 (0 to X+1, where X is the killed unit's might). Nuances: - The card text "up to 1 more than the killed unit" means the entire phrase "1 more than the killed unit" is the ceiling, not that "up to 1" creates a range from X to X+1 - If you substitute the actual number (e.g., killed unit has 3 might), it reads "has Might up to 4" which includes 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 - The alternative interpretation (only X or X+1) would require different wording like "exactly the same might or one more might than the killed unit"

Ruling: You pick the target when activating the ability. If the target is missing at resolution, the "kill a friendly unit" part fizzles, but you still look at the top 5 cards of your main deck and recycle them. Sequence: - Kill a friendly unit: fizzles if the target is not present anymore - Look at the top 5 cards of your main deck: do as much as you can, so you do it even if target is missing - Banish a unit with might up to 1 more: can't find any because there is no might to compare - Recycle the rest: do as much as you can, recycle the 5 cards Nuances: - The game does not use last known information for checking unit stats like Might - If the unit is not killed or is missing, you cannot check the unit might and won't resolve the "search a unit" part, but other parts of the ability resolve as much as possible

Ruling: The 1 energy and 1 Fury power is an additional cost you may choose to spend while casting Blazing Scorcher, not a cost reduction. You determine the base cost of 5 energy first, then optionally pay the additional cost of 1 energy and 1 Fury power to have the unit enter ready instead of exhausted. Sequence: - Determine the base cost of the card (5 energy) - Optionally pay the additional cost of 1 energy and 1 Fury power - If additional cost is paid, unit enters ready; if not paid, unit enters exhausted Nuances: - When paying for the Fury power, you are able to recycle an exhausted rune to pay its cost

You must choose the target for **Blood Money** when you play it (on cast/finalization), not during resolution. According to **Rule 355.6** and **Rule 355.8**, you must choose valid targets for a spell or ability when finalizing it onto the chain. Once a target is declared and the spell is on the chain, that target is locked in. Regarding your scenario: 1. **Targeting:** You play *Blood Money* and target *Lonely Poro*. You must confirm it is a legal target (i.e., it has 2 Might or less) at the moment you finalize the spell. 2. **Reaction:** Your opponent plays *Discipline* in response, giving *Lonely Poro* +2 Might. 3. **Result:** You **cannot** change the target. *Blood Money* remains locked onto the *Lonely Poro*. 4. **Resolution:** When *Blood Money* resolves, it checks its targeting requirements again. Because the *Lonely Poro* now has 4 Might, it no longer meets the requirement of "2 Might or less." Consequently, *Blood Money* will resolve with no effect (it fails to kill the unit and does not play any Gold gear tokens). This is based on standard targeting rules (**Rule 355.10**) and the established mechanics for targeted spells in *Riftbound*, which dictate that targets are locked upon finalization and spells resolve with no effect if the target becomes invalid before resolution (as detailed in similar FAQ rulings, such as **FAQ 10047** and **FAQ 6814**).

Ruling: You pay the recycle cost when the effect resolves, not when you play it. If Bullet Time gets countered, you don't pay the recycle cost. Sequence: - Play Bullet Time and choose the target battlefield when announcing - Bullet Time enters the stack - When Bullet Time resolves, you decide how much to recycle and pay that cost - If countered before resolution, no recycle cost is paid Nuances: - The target battlefield is chosen when announcing/playing the card, not on resolution - The recycle cost is not an "additional cost" so it's paid on resolution rather than as part of playing the card

Ruling: You play Bullet Time first, your opponent responds without knowing how many runes you'll spend, then after their response resolves you choose how much power to pay by recycling runes. Sequence: - Play Bullet Time - Opponent makes any responses they want (without knowing how much power you'll spend) - Opponent's responses resolve - You choose how much power to pay by recycling runes and Bullet Time resolves Nuances: - You pay power by recycling runes, not "pay runes" directly

Ruling: The power payment for Bullet Time is not a cost of the spell. The choice of how much power to pay and the actual payment happens on resolution, not when the spell is played and placed on the chain. The total cost to play Bullet Time is just 1 energy. Sequence: - Step 1: Pay the 1 energy cost to play Bullet Time - Step 2: The spell is finalized and placed on the chain (no power amount declared yet) - Step 3: When Bullet Time resolves, the controller declares and pays the power amount Nuances: - "Do X to do Y" wording is specifically omitted from targeting requirements in Step 2 - The power payment is handled as a choice made on resolution, not as an additional cost during the playing of the spell - If the card were worded "as you play me, you may pay any power as additional cost," then the amount would need to be declared before finalizing onto the chain, but that is not the current wording

Ruling: You can choose to recycle zero cards. The "may" in "you may recycle one or both of them" means recycling is optional, so you can look at the cards and choose not to recycle any. Sequence: - Look at the top two cards of your deck - Choose whether to recycle zero, one, or both cards - Put any non-recycled cards back on top in any order Nuances: - The phrasing "one or both" does not exclude the option of recycling neither card; the "may" makes the entire recycling action optional

Ruling: If you channel 1 rune, you also draw 1 card. Nuances: - This ruling may differ from answers given in older rule question threads

Ruling: No, the copied creature does not keep the buffed stats permanently. The card has a printing error and should read "until end of turn" according to the errata. Nuances: - For competitive play, the errata always takes precedent over what is printed on the card

To determine how Daisy's cost reduction works, we look at her ability: *"Reduce my cost by [1] for each of the following tags among your units — Bird, Cat, Dog, and Poro."* According to RiftJudge FAQ #10255, the reduction is based on the **number of unique tags present among your units**, not the number of units themselves. If you have multiple units of the same tag (e.g., 3 Bird units, 2 Poros, and 1 Cat unit), you have three of the four required tags present on the board. In that scenario, Daisy receives a discount of 3 generic energy. Since there are only four specific tags listed (Bird, Cat, Dog, Poro), the maximum possible cost reduction for Daisy is **[4]**. Having multiple units with the same tag does not increase the discount beyond the number of unique tags represented.

Yes, Darius, Trifarian can trigger his ability when he is played as the second card in a turn. He does not need to be played first. According to the RiftJudge FAQs regarding Darius, Trifarian: * **Darius counts himself as a played card.** If he is your second card played this turn, his ability will trigger and he will ready himself. * **Sequence:** 1. Play your first card. 2. Play Darius as your second card. 3. Darius resolves and enters the board. 4. Because he is already on the board when the "after you play a second card" ability checks, he sees himself as the second card played. 5. His ability triggers, giving him +2 Might and readying him. **Important Nuances:** * **Darius must be the second card:** If he is played as the third, fourth, or later card, his ability will not trigger because the "second card" condition has already passed. * **Tokens do not count:** Playing a token does not count toward the "second card" condition. Darius must be the second *actual card* played in the turn. * **Already on board:** If Darius is already on the board from a previous turn, he will also trigger his ability when you play your second card of the current turn. *Source: RiftJudge FAQ #7647, #1119, #4088, and #8290.*

Ruling: When Dazzling Aurora activates, you reveal cards until you find a unit, banish and play that unit, then recycle the other revealed cards to the bottom of your deck in random order. Your opponent can see all revealed cards for a reasonable amount of time as they are public information. Sequence: - Reveal cards from your deck until you reveal a unit - Banish the unit and play it - Shuffle the other revealed cards - Place the shuffled cards at the bottom of your deck Nuances: - Only the unit gets banished; the other revealed cards stay in the deck and are recycled - This prevents deck-out when you have no units remaining - When recycling multiple cards, the order is always random (except for runes, which can be ordered by choice)

To answer your question, you **must** choose a friendly unit to kill when you play *Deathgrip*. You cannot choose "no unit" as a way to avoid the kill requirement. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9295**, *Deathgrip* targets a friendly unit. Because it targets a friendly unit, you must have a valid target available and select that target when you place the spell on the chain. If you have no friendly units, you cannot play the card at all. ### Why you cannot "choose no unit" 1. **Targeting Requirement:** Rule 355.8 states that in order to put a spell on the chain, valid choices must be made for all targets. Since "Kill a friendly unit" is a targeted action, the friendly unit must be selected during the "Make relevant choices" step of playing the card. 2. **"If you do" condition:** The Might bonus in the text is contingent on the kill occurring ("If you do..."). If you fail to kill the unit (e.g., if the unit is saved by a replacement effect, as seen in **RiftJudge FAQ #8668**), you do not get the Might bonus. ### What happens if you can't complete the kill? If you play *Deathgrip* and the target becomes invalid (mistargeting) before the spell resolves, the kill instruction fails. However, as noted in **RiftJudge FAQ #8668**, you still draw the card. The draw is not contingent on the successful completion of the kill; it happens regardless of whether the unit actually dies or if the kill is prevented. **Summary of your options:** * **Can you play it if you have no units?** No, you must have a valid target to play the card. * **Can you choose "no unit"?** No, you must target a specific unit. * **Do you draw if the kill fails?** Yes, the card draw is not dependent on the unit successfully dying. This is my interpretation based on the standard rules for targeting and the provided FAQs for *Deathgrip*. No official FAQ exists that explicitly says "you can play *Deathgrip* intending to have it fail," but the rules requiring a target to be chosen at the time of play make such a maneuver impossible.

Ruling: When not specified otherwise, the turn player chooses first, then other players choose in turn order. You must choose any valid permanents even if they belong to your opponent when you don't control any of that type. Sequence: - Turn player makes their choices first - Other players choose in turn order - In a two-player game where you have no units but your opponent has four, you choose two of your opponent's units, then your opponent chooses two (potentially the same ones you chose, saving all four) Nuances: - Divine Judgement does not target, so it can be played even if a player doesn't have the required number of cards in hand - The card can be played in situations where it may benefit your opponent more than you, as they see your choices first and make decisions with more information

Yes, an enemy base is considered a location, and you can target an enemy unit located there with Elder Dragon's ability. According to Rule 107.1.b, a base is a location. Elder Dragon's ability allows you to "choose up to one enemy unit at each location" and deal 1 damage to them. Since a base is a valid location, any enemy unit occupying that base is a valid target for the ability.

Ruling: You must declare both targets simultaneously when Falling Star is put on the chain. Sequence: - Both items are put on the chain at the same time - Targets must be declared when items are put on the chain - You cannot wait for responses between targeting

Ruling: You must choose the unit when playing Fight or Flight, not when it resolves.

Yes, you can "stack up" (float) energy and power in your rune pool, including power generated by Kai'Sa's ability. According to **Rule 162.3**, players may use a physical tracker to retain unspent Energy and Power over the course of their turn. Your pool of energy and power only empties at the end of the draw phase and at the end of the turn. Regarding Kai'Sa specifically, here is how that interaction works based on the official rules and FAQs: ### Key Mechanics * **Floating Resources:** You can activate Kai'Sa's ability at any time you have priority (or as a reaction when paying costs) to add power to your rune pool. This power remains available in your pool until the end of the turn. * **No Chain for Adding:** As noted in **Rule 416.2** and the text on Kai'Sa's card, abilities that "Add" resources finalize immediately and do not use the chain. You cannot react to the act of adding resources itself. * **Usage Restriction:** While you can accumulate power from multiple activations of Kai'Sa, that power is restricted by the ability's text: it can **only** be used to pay for spell costs (not for units, energy costs, or other abilities). ### Sequence for "Stacking" 1. **Activate:** You exhaust Kai'Sa to activate her ability. 2. **Add:** 1 power is added to your rune pool. Because this is an "Add" ability, it finalizes immediately. 3. **Repeat:** You may activate her ability again (if you have other ways to ready her) or activate other "Add" abilities to continue increasing the total power in your pool. 4. **Spend:** When you play a spell, you can draw from this accumulated pool of power to pay the spell's power costs. **Important Nuance:** As clarified in **RiftJudge FAQ #8110**, Kai'Sa's power can only be used to pay the colored power costs on spell cards, not the numbered generic costs that you normally recycle runes for. You still need to recycle the required number of runes for a spell's generic cost separately.

Ruling: You can score Forgotten Monument on your third turn as soon as the condition is met. Sequence: - Turn 1: Play a 2-cost unit - Turn 2: Score the other field and play another unit - Turn 3: Send the unit to Forgotten Monument and score it immediately Nuances: - The card does not say "at the end of your 3rd turn," so you score it as soon as the condition is satisfied during that turn

Ruling: 'When I attack' triggers are placed on the stack first but resolve last. The battlefield's 'when you defend' trigger resolves first, giving shield 2 to a chosen unit before 'When I attack' abilities resolve. Sequence: - Combat is initiated - 'When I attack' triggers go on stack - 'When you defend' triggers go on stack (on top) - 'When you defend' resolves first, granting shield 2 - 'When I attack' resolves last Nuances: - You can choose any unit (including enemy units) for the shield effect - Abilities with 'while' (like static modifiers) are intrinsic and always active, not triggered abilities that use the stack

Ruling: You choose units with might that total up to 4 to destroy. You can select any combination of units whose might adds up to 4 or less (e.g., two 2-might units, four 1-might units, one 3-might and one 1-might unit, etc.). Nuances: - You have full control over which units are destroyed, including choosing only opponent units if desired - It functions similar to having 4 damage to distribute, but specifically targets units based on their might values

Ruling: You declare targets when the spell goes on the chain. The targets must meet the condition (total might 4 or less) at that time, and those targets are locked in. Sequence: - When you play Foxfire, choose units whose total might is 4 or less - These targets are set and must meet the condition at this time - When the spell resolves, check the targets again and do as much as possible - At resolution, you confirm from within the original group which targets you are dealing damage to and how you divide that damage Nuances: - You specify the maximum possible targets when finalizing, creating "the group" - At resolution, you can only shrink the group to conform to the game state, never expand it - If targets were pumped after being chosen, you still only affect the originally targeted units (doing as much as possible) - You cannot target units that don't meet the condition initially, even if you plan to reduce their might on the chain

Ruling: Recycling 3 cards from your trash is part of the cost to activate the ability. You must be able to recycle 3, pay 1 energy, and exhaust Garbage Grabber in order to draw 1 card. Nuances: - "Do as much as you can" (DAMAYC) applies to resolution of effects on the chain when targets are killed/moved or other changes happen between when the spell/ability finalizes and resolves, not to paying costs.