Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, the unit dies. Damage marked on a unit remains until it is cleared during combat cleanup or at end of turn. If a unit's might is reduced below its marked damage (even outside of combat), it dies. Sequence: - Opponent deals 6 damage to Kayn (6 might) - Player buffs Kayn to 8 might with Discipline - Opponent uses Smokescreen, reducing Kayn to 4 might - Kayn still has 6 damage marked on it - Since marked damage (6) exceeds current might (4), Kayn dies Nuances: - Smokescreen reduces might to a minimum of 1, meaning it cannot reduce a unit's might below 1 - Damage marks persist and are only cleared at combat cleanup or end of turn, not when might changes

Ruling: Yes, if you target an opponent's unit that has deflect with a gear's effect, it counts as an ability and you must pay the deflect cost. If the unit is yours and it's your own gear, you don't have to pay because deflect only applies to opponents' effects. Nuances: - Deflect only triggers when opponents target the unit - Your own gear targeting your own unit with deflect does not trigger the deflect cost

Ruling: The unit would have -1 Might (which is then treated as 0 for purposes like damage calculation). Might modifications apply to the actual current value, not the value it's treated as. Sequence: - All Might modifications are calculated using effect layers based on the unit's actual current Might value (including negative values) - The modifications are applied to create the computed Might value - Only after all calculations are complete, if the final Might is negative, it is treated as 0 for purposes such as combat damage or lethal damage calculation Nuances: - "Treated as 0" and "being 0" are different - the game tracks negative Might values internally - Math/calculation is not considered a "purpose" under the rule - the treating as 0 only applies when the Might value is being used for game effects, damage, etc. - You must first make up for negative Might before you can increase it to a positive value

Ruling: The unit stays alive at 0 might. Units only die if their damage is equal to or greater than their might, so a unit with 0 might and no damage on it will not die. Nuances: - While might reduction effects state that minimum might is 1, this minimum is only checked when the reduction is applied. If a unit later loses a buff, it can drop below 1. - Any might value below 0 is treated as 0.

Ruling: The unit has shield 3. Shield values stack additively when multiple sources grant shield to the same unit.

Ruling: Yes, the unit retains assigned damage until the end of Combat. Sequence: - Opponent casts spell dealing damage to unit in Reaver's Row - Unit is pulled back from Reaver's Row - Damage remains on the unit until Combat cleanup - Damage is removed during the cleanup step at the end of Combat Nuances: - The Showdown that started with the Initial Chain (including Reaver's Row) is designated as part of Combat because the opponent moved into a controlled battlefront - Combat doesn't end until all steps are completed, including the cleanup that removes damage from everything

Ruling: Both Ahri, Inquisitive and Nine Tailed Fox trigger when a unit is forced to move onto the same battlefield, as combat starts and designations are assigned. The moved unit does get Assault bonuses if they have it. Sequence: - Unit is charmed/forced to move to battlefield where Ahri is - Combat starts when two units exist on the same battlefield - Attacker and defender designations are assigned - Ahri, Inquisitive and Nine Tailed Fox both trigger Nuances: - Assault is not a trigger, it is a passive ability - Units have Assault bonuses from the moment they gain the Attacker designation

Ruling: Yes, combat cleanup still occurs even when the combat damage step is skipped, so units heal marked damage at that time. Sequence: - Combat damage step is skipped when no units deal combat damage - Combat cleanup step still occurs - Units heal marked damage during combat cleanup Nuances: - Units heal to 0 marked damage (not to a specific health value, as units don't have health in Riftbound)

Ruling: Yes, if a unit's might is reduced below the amount of damage on it, the unit dies. Nuances: - This interaction is noted as a reason why Kai'sa is particularly strong

Ruling: Yes, the watcher heals back to full health. Once combat has been initiated, you always go through all combat steps including Resolution, where healing occurs. Sequence: - Combat is initiated (Showdown phase begins) - Before Damage step, the recruit is removed via Void Seekers - Combat continues through all phases - During Resolution phase, healing happens - The watcher heals from 1 health back to full (7 health) Nuances: - Combat consists of three main parts: Showdown, Damage, and Resolution - Many players incorrectly think only the Damage step counts as "combat" - Healing occurs during Resolution regardless of whether damage was actually assigned in the Damage step

Ruling: Yes, the unit will die at cleanup. Damage does not decrease Might - it is marked separately. At cleanup, if a unit has damage marked greater than or equal to its current Might, it dies. Sequence: - Unit takes damage (damage is marked, but Might stays the same) - Stupefy reduces the unit's Might by 1 - At cleanup, marked damage is compared to current Might - If marked damage >= current Might, the unit dies Nuances: - This does NOT count as Stupefy killing the unit (relevant for effects like Phoenix)

Ruling: Focus still passes to the defending player even if their unit dies during the showdown. Showdowns only end when both players pass focus without creating a chain, never sooner. Sequence: - Attacker uses an action (e.g., Void Seeker) to kill the defending unit - Defender passes priority and the action resolves, killing their unit - Focus passes to the defender, who can still play actions - Showdown continues until both players pass focus without creating a chain Nuances: - A player whose unit died can still play actions when they receive focus, such as playing a Zhonya's Hourglass that was hidden at the battlefield

Ruling: All triggered abilities still resolve as much as they can, even if the unit dies. However, if the ability requires valid targets or references the unit's location, those parts will fail if the target is no longer valid or the unit is no longer at the specified location. Sequence: - The ability triggers and goes on the stack - If the unit is killed before resolution, the ability still resolves - The game checks if targets are still valid and if location references can be satisfied - Effects that don't depend on invalid targets or locations still apply Nuances: - Abilities that reference "here" or a specific battlefield location (like "a unit at my battlefield") will fail if the unit is no longer at that location - Abilities with simple effects like "draw 1" that don't reference location or require targets will fully resolve - Targeting must still be valid at resolution for that part of the ability to do anything

Ruling: Yes, the unit would no longer be mighty at that point. Attacker and defender tags are removed in the cleanup before you conquer, which means Assault's mighty bonus is lost before Sunken Temple's effect can trigger. Sequence: - Attacker and defender tags are removed in cleanup - This happens before you conquer - Unit loses mighty status from Assault - Sunken Temple cannot be used since the unit is no longer mighty

Ruling: The showdown remains a combat showdown for its entire duration if both players had units there at any point. Assault and Shield remain active throughout the entire combat showdown, even if one player's units leave the battlefield. Sequence: - Combat is defined as the entire showdown where units from two different players exist at the same battlefield - If a unit leaves during combat, it's still a combat showdown - The Combat Damage Step is skipped if only one player has units remaining - Combat Cleanup still occurs and heals damage - Assault and Shield bonuses remain active for the entire showdown duration - After the showdown fully resolves, units are no longer attackers/defenders and lose Assault/Shield bonuses Nuances: - You cannot "debuff" an Assault unit by moving away during combat - it keeps the bonus until the showdown ends - A showdown can be prevented from becoming a combat showdown if you respond to a movement trigger (before the showdown begins) by removing units, since combat is only staged when cleanup occurs with opposing units present and nothing on the chain

Ruling: When a targeted action spell like Hextech Ray resolves, if its target is no longer at a battlefield, it won't deal damage to its target. You cannot choose a different target at any point. Sequence: - When you play the spell, you choose its target - If the target is moved before the spell resolves, the spell still resolves but does not deal damage - The spell does as much as it can (e.g., Void Seeker would still draw a card even if the target is gone) Nuances: - This is different from spells with "do this:" wording, which create triggers that choose targets upon resolution (like Falling Star) - Moving a unit with Flash before a spell resolves does not allow retargeting for normal targeted spells - Dragon's Rage has been errata'd to function as a "do this:" spell even though it doesn't say so on the card

Ruling: Yes, the player scores a point at battlefield A. When the unit was moved to battlefield B, cleanup occurred which made battlefield A uncontrolled, so returning there with Ride the Wind allows scoring. Sequence: - Unit is moved from battlefield A to battlefield B - Cleanup occurs, making battlefield A uncontrolled and starting combat at battlefield B - During the showdown at battlefield B, the unit uses Ride the Wind to return to battlefield A - An open showdown occurs at battlefield A, eventually scoring a conquer point there Nuances: - The key is that cleanup happens after the movement ability resolves, which makes the original battlefield uncontrolled before the unit returns - You can no longer flash a unit out and Ride the Wind back into the same combat to score a point (this was changed)

Ruling: Yes, 'when I attack' and 'when I defend' triggers will activate if units are added to an already existing showdown. These triggers function as 'when I am designated as an attacker/defender' which happens during cleanup whenever combat is present. Nuances: - 'When I attack' creates a trigger that goes on the chain at the moment of attack - 'While I am attacking' is a passive effect that is active at all times the unit is an Attacker and does not use the chain - Cleanup happens frequently throughout the game, such as when an item is removed from a chain

Ruling: Once a showdown has started, it does not immediately end when units are removed. Both players still have an action window, and the showdown only ends after both players pass priority in a row without playing anything. Sequence: - Showdown begins with valid units from both players - A unit is moved out (e.g., Poro moved back) - Both players still have their action windows - Players can continue playing actions - Showdown ends only after both players pass priority consecutively Nuances: - Having units from both players is not a requirement for showdown to proceed once it has started - Nothing can stop the showdown from continuing once started, even if there are no units at all from both sides

Ruling: When a unit is moved to a battlefield during an ongoing showdown, it does not start a new showdown. Triggers that happen as a result of a NEW unit being declared attacker or defender can happen late, but triggers that require the unit itself to become an attacker/defender again (when it's already in that state) do not trigger again. Sequence: - Unit is moved to battlefield during ongoing showdown - The moved unit gains attacker/defender designation - Abilities that trigger when seeing a NEW unit become an attacker/defender will trigger (like Ahri Legend ability) - Abilities on the moved unit itself that trigger when IT becomes an attacker/defender will trigger (like yellow Leona's attack trigger) - Abilities that require a unit to become a defender again when it's already defending do NOT trigger again (like Ahri, Inquisitive's champion passive) Nuances: - Ahri Legend ability triggers on the newly moved attacker because it sees a new unit becoming an attacker - Ahri, Inquisitive's champion passive does not trigger again because Ahri is already defending and doesn't become a defender again - A unit gains the attacker/defender designation in cleanup after being present at a battlefield, and abilities trigger the first time it gains that designation each combat

Ruling: Yes, 'When I Attack' and 'When I Defend' triggers activate anytime a unit joins a combat, including after combat has already started. The unit must be under the attacking player's control to be considered an attacker and trigger 'When I Attack' abilities. Sequence: - Showdown begins and initial 'When I Attack' and 'When I Defend' triggers resolve - If a unit is moved to the battlefield during the showdown and is under the attacking player's control, it becomes an attacker - That unit's 'When I Attack' trigger goes on the chain - If the same unit is retreated and then moved back in again, the trigger activates a second time Nuances: - The unit must be under the attacking player's control to trigger 'When I Attack' abilities; if it's the opponent's unit, it does not trigger - This rule is explicitly stated in the FAQ rather than the Core Rules

Ruling: Yes, you gain a Conquer point immediately when your unit defeats opponents and takes control of a battlefield on your opponent's turn, and then you gain a Holding point at the start of your next turn. Nuances: - For Ride the Wind specifically, a showdown must be happening for the card to be played, so you must wait for your opponent to start one before you can use it to move your unit.

Ruling: No. A unit only receives attacker or defender designations when combat occurs. Without an opponent on the battlefield, there is no combat, so the unit does not become an attacker and does not gain Assault benefits. Nuances: - The absence of an opponent means no combat designations are assigned - Assault bonuses (such as +might against spells) only apply when a unit has the attacker designation from actual combat

Ruling: Mask of Foresight does not trigger immediately when the unit arrives via Ride the Wind during an ongoing non-combat showdown. The current showdown must end first, then a combat showdown will open (if the unit survives), and only at that point will Mask of Foresight trigger if appropriate. Sequence: - Player moves their unit to an open battlefield, starting a non-combat showdown - Opponent plays Ride the Wind during this showdown to move their unit to the same battlefield - The non-combat showdown continues without attacker/defender designations being assigned - Players continue passing focus until the showdown ends - After the showdown ends, cleanup stages combat at that battlefield - Combat begins (if state is Neutral and no items on chain) - Attacker and defender designations are assigned, triggering Mask of Foresight Nuances: - Mask of Foresight only triggers when attacker and defender designations are assigned, which only happens during combat showdowns - Combat can only open when the state is Neutral (not during an existing showdown) and there are no items on chain - Showdowns happen one after another, not nested inside each other - Abilities like Shield and Assault also do not modify might until attacker/defender status is applied in combat

Ruling: Dreaming Tree does not trigger from Divine Judgement because Divine Judgement does not target. The card draw will not happen. Nuances: - "Choose" and "target" are not synonyms in Riftbound - Target means a decision made for specific game objects that happens as you finalize the spell or ability - If a choice is made on resolution, it definitionally cannot be a target - Divine Judgement doesn't target anything because each player makes choices on resolution - Dreaming Tree only triggers when a unit on it is targeted

Ruling: The unit ends up ready at base. Nuances: - Units become exhausted after a Standard Move because exhausting is the cost to perform a standard move - Most other move effects (like Flash) leave the unit in whatever state it was already in

Ruling: A unit at 0 might does not die unless it has non-zero damage on it. Reducing might to 0 alone is not sufficient to kill a unit. Sequence: - Spell reduces might (to minimum 1 in this case) - If damage is dealt (e.g., through combat), the unit takes that damage - If might becomes 0 and the unit has non-zero damage, it dies Nuances: - The specific spell mentioned in the thread can only reduce might to a minimum of 1 - If a unit is at 0 might with no damage, it survives

Ruling: The unit can go to 0 Might. Smoke Screen's limitation only applies at the time it is played and "snapshots" the reduction magnitude at that moment. After Smoke Screen resolves, other effects can reduce the unit below 1 Might. Sequence: - Smoke Screen reduces the unit's Might and snapshots the reduction at the limited amount (to 1 Might minimum) - When the buff is later removed, the unit's Might can drop below 1 (to 0 in this case) - The unit survives at 0 Might because 0 Might only kills units if they have damage marked equal to or exceeding their Might Nuances: - Smoke Screen's "cannot be reduced below 1" text only limits the magnitude of Smoke Screen's own effect when it resolves, not future Might changes - A unit at 0 Might with no damage marked on it does not die

Ruling: Yes, hidden cards remain on the battlefield until the end of combat even if all your units are removed from that battlefield during the showdown. Sequence: - Opponent moves to an occupied battlefield and combat begins - If your unit is removed during combat (via damage or movement) - Hidden card remains on the battlefield until combat ends - You can still use the hidden card during that combat Nuances: - You can use Fight or Flight to move a unit like Kayn out of the battlefield, then use a hidden Tideturner to move him back into the battlefield with his immunity activated during the same combat - Effects like Mask of Foresight only trigger once per combat, even if a unit leaves and returns to the battlefield during that combat

Ruling: Yes, the showdown proceeds as normal until both players pass, even if no units are left at the battlefield. Players can still cast action cards during the showdown. Sequence: - Priority passes to the attacker to react to the removal effect - Once both players pass priority, the chain resolves - Focus shifts to the attacker (where they can play action cards) - If both players pass focus, the showdown ends

Ruling: When Hidden Blade resolves, it checks if the target is still legal (still at a battlefield). If the unit has been removed from the battlefield, Hidden Blade does not kill the unit and its controller does not draw 2 cards. Nuances: - The draw 2 effect is not dependent on the unit dying, but it is dependent on the target being legal on resolution - If the unit is saved by a replacement effect but remains at the battlefield, you would still draw 2 because the unit is still at a battlefield

Ruling: No, the unit does not lose its buffs. When Zhonya's Hourglass activates, the unit is recalled rather than dying, so "until end of turn" effects like Discipline and Enrage are preserved. Nuances: - The unit doesn't actually die and get revived; it never dies in the first place due to the recall effect

Ruling: If the unit died during the combat damage step, yes, its damage still goes through because all units deal damage before the game checks for lethal damage. If the unit died during the showdown to an ability or spell, then no. Sequence: - All units deal combat damage simultaneously - After damage is dealt, the game checks which units have lethal damage marked - Units with lethal damage then die Nuances: - The timing of when the unit died matters (combat damage step vs. showdown from ability/spell) - During combat damage, damage is dealt before any unit actually dies from that damage

Ruling: No, a stunned unit does not deal damage when targeted by Challenge. Stun only applies to combat damage, not to damage from card effects like Challenge.

Ruling: A stunned unit remains stunned for the entire turn, even if moved to a different battlefield. The Stun status lasts until the beginning of the next Ending Step (end of turn). Nuances: - Even though a stunned unit cannot attack or block, Yasuo's ability can still trigger and deal damage when he attacks, so he can still win combat when attacking despite being stunned.

Ruling: A stunned unit conquers an empty battlefield. Stun only prevents dealing combat damage, but does not affect conquest of empty battlefields. Nuances: - If the battlefield had enemy units, the stunned attacker would be recalled if it didn't take damage equal to or greater than its might - Stun does not prevent conquest mechanics, only combat damage

Ruling: No, you must still assign damage equal to the unit's might during combat, even if it was targeted by Noxian Guillotine earlier. The Guillotine effect does not reduce the lethal damage requirement for combat damage assignment. Sequence: - Noxian Guillotine resolves during showdown before combat damage - During combat, you must still assign lethal damage (damage equal to or exceeding might) to units before assigning damage elsewhere - After combat damage is dealt, the unit targeted by Guillotine will die from the combined damage Nuances: - If you have enough total damage to split between multiple units, you can assign lethal damage to one unit and less-than-lethal damage to a Guillotine-targeted unit, and both will die (e.g., 4 might attacking two 3-might units where one was Guillotined: assign 3 to one, 1 to the Guillotined unit) - This ruling applies even to units with Tank - you must still assign damage equal to their might before damaging other units - Lethal damage is defined as nonzero damage equal to or exceeding a unit's might

Ruling: No, the kill effect does not resolve. Units that leave the board stop being legal targets, so the kill effect fizzles when the unit is no longer present. Nuances: - Portal Rescue is an action, so it cannot be used to react to effects in the first place (it cannot interrupt resolution of other effects)

Ruling: Whether the unit survives depends on whether the spell specifies a location restriction. If the spell does not mention a location (like Singularity), the unit remains a legal target even after moving and will be affected. If the spell specifies a location like "at a battlefield" (like Void Seeker), moving the unit makes it no longer a legal target and the unit survives. Sequence: - Spell is cast and targets a unit - Unit is moved to a different zone (e.g., Flash moves it to base) - On resolution, check if the spell has location restrictions - If no location restriction: spell affects the unit normally - If location restriction exists: target becomes illegal, spell effect on that unit fails Nuances: - Effects that don't reference the target can still resolve even if the target becomes illegal (e.g., Void Seeker still draws a card) - Effects that reference information about the target require the target to be legal on resolution (e.g., Hidden Blade needs the target legal to draw 2 cards)

Ruling: When a unit is moved from the battlefield to base in response to being targeted by a spell that targets units at a battlefield, the unit becomes an invalid target and the spell's damage will not be dealt. Nuances: - Voidseeker will still give you a draw even though the damage doesn't resolve, because of the "do all you can" rule

Ruling: Abilities always resolve, but if the ability specifies a location requirement (like "here") and the target is no longer at that location, the ability mistargets and does not affect the unit. Sequence: - Target is selected when the ability is activated - If the target moves before resolution, check if the ability has location requirements - If location requirements are not met, the ability mistargets - The ability resolves but has no effect on the target Nuances: - The target cannot be changed once determined, even if it mistargets - Even if another valid target is present at the location when the ability resolves, you cannot retarget to it

Ruling: You cannot cast Fight or Flight as an action to save the unit because Void Seeker must resolve first when cast from hand, killing the minion before you get a chance to respond. Sequence: - Void Seeker is cast from hand and must resolve first - The targeted minion dies - You do not get priority to cast Fight or Flight as an action Nuances: - If Fight or Flight is hidden at a battlefield (making it a reaction), it can be activated in the same chain as Void Seeker - When activated as a reaction, Fight or Flight moves the minion back to base, causing Void Seeker to lose its 'killing at battlefield' clause - Even when the minion is moved to base, the card from Void Seeker is still drawn

Ruling: The showdown remains a combat showdown even if a unit moves away after the initial chain resolves. Combat-dependent effects like Assault continue to apply until the entire showdown ends. Sequence: - Combat showdown begins when Enforcer moves to Reavers Row - Enforcer becomes 4 power due to Assault and Reavers Row effects - Initial chain resolves (Kai'Sa moves back to base) - New chain can be started, but showdown is still considered "combat" - Enforcer remains 4 power throughout the entire showdown Nuances: - "Combat" includes the entire showdown, not just the initial moment when units meet - Units moving away during the showdown does not change its combat status

Ruling: The ongoing showdown must always finish completely before a new showdown can begin at a different battlefield. Sequence: - Player A moves Kaisa Survivor to a battlefield, triggering a showdown - Player B plays Ride the Wind during this showdown to move a unit to the opposite battlefield - The original showdown with Kaisa finishes completely (including drawing the card from conquering) - Only after the first showdown is fully resolved can the new showdown at the opposite battlefield begin Nuances: - A new showdown can only start in a neutral open state: no chain (all triggers resolved) and no showdown already in progress

Ruling: No combat occurs. A combat only happens when a cleanup occurs, the chain is empty, and a battlefield has units controlled by two opposing players. In this scenario, by the time the chain clears after the Gust resolves, there are no longer units from both players on the battlefield. Sequence: - Traveling Merchant moves to battlefield with Noxus Hopeful - Move trigger goes on chain (discard/draw) - Gust is played in response, removing Merchant - Chain resolves (Gust, then move trigger) - When chain is empty, only one player has a unit on battlefield - No combat occurs, so no combat cleanup healing Nuances: - The presence of two opposing units at any point in time is not sufficient; they must both be present when the chain is empty and a cleanup occurs - The rule is missing a clause about combat not occurring when another showdown is ongoing, but this doesn't affect this scenario

Ruling: No, the unit does not get +3 attack when casting Cleave on an unoccupied battlefield because without defenders present, it does not count as attacking. Nuances: - The Assault 3 keyword lasts until the end of the turn - If an opposing unit is moved in during the showdown, a combat is staged and the unit retains its attacker status from the first showdown, gaining the +3 bonus during that combat - Multiple instances of Assault stack (e.g., two Cleaves would grant Assault 6)

Ruling: The unit survives because it was never dealt any damage. A unit needs to be dealt at least 1 point of damage to be destroyed, even if it has 0 or 1 Might. Nuances: - Units with 0 Might still require damage to be destroyed; having low Might alone does not destroy a unit

Ruling: Units keep the stat increase during the combat damage step even if the unit providing the buff dies first, because all combat damage is dealt simultaneously. Sequence: - Sum the might of all your units including the stat increase from the buffing unit - Assign lethal damage on a per unit basis - Opponent does the same - All damage happens at the same time Nuances: - Although damage must be assigned on a per unit basis first, the simultaneous resolution means buffs remain active throughout the entire combat damage step

Ruling: Minus effects like Smokescreen apply once on resolution and modify the unit's current might. Subsequent buffs or debuffs that turn work from the new current might value, not the original value. Sequence: - Smokescreen reduces a 3 might unit to 1 might (applying -4 with minimum 1) - If a +1 might buff is applied later that turn, the unit goes from 1 to 2 might - Effects are applied in the order they were applied Nuances: - The "minimum of 1" clause on Smokescreen is not dynamic; it only applies when Smokescreen resolves - Continuous effects like auras (Green Leona, Ahri legend) may work differently - If a unit moves away from a battlefield aura and returns, it recalculates based on its current might at that time

Ruling: Yes, the unit keeps the might increase from Discipline. The might increase lasts for the entire turn, not just until the unit takes damage. Sequence: - Discipline gives +2 might for the round/turn - If the unit takes damage during a showdown but survives, damage is removed after the showdown - The might increase remains active until the active player's turn ends Nuances: - Health is not a concept in this game; units have might and can take damage up to their might value - The duration is tied to the turn/round, not to whether the unit takes damage