Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, you do not draw a card. Noxian Guillotine creates a delayed trigger that kills the unit when it takes damage, so the kill credit goes to Guillotine's delayed trigger, not to Disintegrate. Sequence: - Noxian Guillotine resolves and creates a delayed triggered ability - Disintegrate resolves and deals 3 damage to the unit - The delayed trigger from Guillotine goes on the chain to kill the unit - The delayed trigger resolves and kills the unit Nuances: - Kill instructions work differently than damage for determining kill credit - The rule about damage credit looking back at the last resolved spell does not apply to explicit kill instructions - Disintegrate's text may receive errata in the future which could change this interaction

Ruling: The unit joins the current combat. Nothing is staged when moving a unit to a battlefield where you already have units fighting. Sequence: - Ride the Wind is cast as an action during a showdown - When Ride the Wind resolves, the unit moves to the other battlefield - If you already had units at that battlefield, the moved unit simply joins the current combat - If you didn't have units there, a combat will be staged at that battlefield and will begin when the current showdown closes Nuances: - The player who applied contested status to that battlefield will be the attacker (the player who moved there first) - When moving to an unoccupied battlefield, a showdown or combat is staged depending on whether enemy units are present

Ruling: Yes, the Mind Splitters die. Watcher reduces their might from 7 to 4, and they already have 6 damage marked on them, so they die when their damage meets or exceeds their might. Sequence: - Singularity deals 6 damage to the Mind Splitters (7 might units) - Mind Splitters are now 7 might with 6 damage marked - Watcher is played, reducing their might by 3 - Mind Splitters become 4 might with 6 damage marked - Mind Splitters die because damage (6) exceeds might (4) Nuances: - Damage does not reduce might; it is tracked separately - Watcher's might reduction applies to the unit's current might value, not the damaged value - The "minimum of 1" clause on Watcher does not prevent this interaction because the units start at 7 might

Ruling: Time Warp gives you another turn after your current turn ends, and each turn is taken separately. During overtime, the extra turn from Time Warp counts as one of the total overtime turns, meaning your opponent loses one of their turns in the final turns of the round. Sequence: - Cast Time Warp during your current turn - Continue playing actions, spells, and moves during your current turn (Time Warp does not end your turn immediately) - End your current turn - Take the extra turn granted by Time Warp (this counts as one of the overtime turns) Nuances: - If you cast Time Warp on the 5th overtime turn (the final turn), it does nothing because there are no more turns available - Time Warp is not an end-of-turn effect; it resolves immediately but the extra turn only happens after you end your current turn

Ruling: For every instance of Time Warp that resolves, the player who resolves it queues an extra turn after the current one, regardless of normal turn order. You get both extra turns. Nuances: - This applies even though it would be more efficient to cast the second Time Warp during the first extra turn

Ruling: You cannot score a battlefield more than once per turn. When you close the second showdown after moving back to a previously scored battlefield, you will not score a point and thus will not conquer. No conquer effects will trigger. Nuances: - Conquering is a type of scoring, not a separate step that happens after scoring - If you conquer but cannot get a point (like when you're at 7 points), you still get conquer effects - If you take control of a battlefield you've already scored that turn, you don't conquer at all, so no effects trigger - You can still win on your 8th point via conquering, as long as you've scored every other battlefield that turn

Ruling: Yes, you score the 8th point and win by conquering. You only need to have scored all other battlefields in order to score the final point via conquering - you do not need to maintain control of the previously conquered battlefield. Sequence: - Conquer first battlefield, reaching 7 points - Remove unit from first battlefield (no longer controlling it) - Conquer second battlefield - Score 8th point for conquering both battlefields Nuances: - You do not need to simultaneously control both battlefields, only to have scored them both through conquering

Ruling: No, you cannot score at the same battlefield more than once per turn. If you began your turn with control of a battlefield, you Held it for points, and you cannot conquer it again that turn. Nuances: - There is no conquering without scoring (7 points scores a draw instead of a point) - If you began a turn other than yours with control of a battlefield, left it, and returned during a different showdown, you would score a point for conquering (assuming you won the showdown)

Ruling: No. A hidden unit must be played to the battlefield where it was hidden, and this restriction cannot be overridden by Miss Fortune's ability. Sequence: - When playing a hidden unit, you must play it to the battlefield where it was hidden - Miss Fortune's ability grants permission to play units to open battlefields - The "must" requirement from hidden rules supersedes the "may" permission from Miss Fortune - This applies both to hidden units themselves and to units played via hidden spell effects Nuances: - The restriction is based on "can't beats can" as a broad method of determination - requirements trump permissions - Miss Fortune's ability adds to valid locations for normal units, but cannot override the mandatory restriction on where hidden units must be played - The hidden unit has only one valid location (the battlefield it was hidden at), and this cannot be expanded by other effects - This is not about whether hiding is valid at the new location, but about where a hidden card can be played when revealed

Ruling: No, you cannot ready 2 runes at the end of turn. You cannot score on the same battlefield twice in one turn, and conquering is a form of scoring. Nuances: - You could lose control of the battlefield by simply moving your units away, not just through losing a showdown - This restriction only applies during your own turn; if you lost and regained control during your opponent's turn, the conquer effect could trigger again (though Targon's Peak's specific effect wouldn't be useful in that case)

Ruling: No, you cannot get the conquer effect again. You can only score each battlefield once per turn, and to conquer you must be able to score. Nuances: - Even if you leave and return to a battlefield in the same turn, you cannot trigger conquer effects again if you already scored that battlefield

Ruling: You do not score a conquest point in this scenario because you were already in control of the battlefield when combat started and remained in control at the end. You never lost control. Nuances: - To score a conquest point, you must actually lose control of the battlefield and then regain it - Simply having all your units killed and then bringing in new units while maintaining control throughout does not count as conquering - In the specific scenario with Zenith Blade, the Stormbringer unit would be stunned and likely repel to base if it can't kill the defending unit

Ruling: Yes, a showdown begins when you move a unit to the now-empty battlefield. However, you cannot conquer at that battlefield (for triggers like Qiuana or Candlelit), though you can regain control. Nuances: - The showdown that occurs is not a combat - Rule of thumb: anytime a unit entering a battlefield could change its controller, do a showdown

Ruling: No, you cannot conquer the same battlefield twice in one turn. You can score each battlefield only once per turn, and conquering counts as scoring. Nuances: - Even if the battlefield becomes empty after you've already scored it, you cannot score it again that turn - This applies even if you use a different unit to move onto the battlefield

Ruling: You need to score both battlefields in the same turn to win via conquest. Simply holding one battlefield from your previous turn and conquering another on your opponent's turn does not count, because you must conquer both battlefields in the same turn. Sequence: - You held the first battlefield on your own turn, not your opponent's turn - To win on your opponent's turn, you would need to score both battlefields during that opponent's turn - If you had two Ride the Winds, you could move back and forth to score both battlefields on their turn and win Nuances: - The key requirement is that both conquers must happen in the same turn - Holding a battlefield from a previous turn does not count toward the "both in same turn" requirement

Ruling: If you have a deathknell ability, you can respond to that ability with Zhonya's hidden ability to send Zhonya back to base. Without a deathknell ability, Zhonya will be discarded when you lose the battlefield. Sequence: - Combat damage occurs - If you have a deathknell ability, it triggers - You get priority to respond to the deathknell trigger with Zhonya's hidden ability - Zhonya returns to base - Opponent gains control of the battlefield Nuances: - Deathknell is the only way to get priority in the window after combat damage but before the opponent gains control of the battlefield - Without deathknell, you go straight to the opponent controlling the battlefield without getting a chance to respond - You cannot use other reactions to activate Zhonya's hidden ability in this situation

Ruling: Yes, you score a point for holding the battlefield. The hidden unit being played resolves before the temporary unit actually dies, so you never lose control of the battlefield. Sequence: - Your turn begins - Temporary keyword triggers (token would die) - You can play the hidden token as a reaction to the Temporary keyword's triggered ability - Hidden token resolves and enters the battlefield - Temporary token dies - You maintain control throughout and score the holding point Nuances: - Reactions can be played during the Beginning Phase if a chain is open (such as when the Temporary keyword's triggered ability goes on the chain)

Ruling: Yes, you can play the unit back to the same battlefield. You cannot lose battlefield control as long as a combat is ongoing, and as long as you control a battlefield you can play units there. Sequence: - Opponent attacks into your battlefield - You play Arcane Shift targeting your only unit at that battlefield - The unit is banished (battlefield temporarily has no units) - You play the unit back to the same battlefield for free - You still control the battlefield throughout this process because combat is ongoing

Ruling: No, this cannot happen. When you play a hidden creature (or any permanent), it resolves immediately and enters the battlefield with no response window. Both creatures will already be on the board before the opponent can use their reaction to remove the initial creature. Sequence: - Hidden creature is played from hidden - The permanent goes through steps 1-6 of being played (including finalization) - Upon finalization (step 6), the permanent immediately leaves the chain and becomes a game object on the battlefield - No player can react during this process or before the permanent lands - Only after the permanent is on the battlefield can players respond to any triggered abilities it may have Nuances: - Permanents never "linger" on the chain after being finalized, unlike abilities or spells which do linger and can be reacted to - While no one can react to the permanent itself resolving, if playing the permanent triggers an ability, players can react before that triggered ability resolves - The card's controller can react during the pay costs step, but this is the only reaction window during the playing process

Ruling: You get all 3 Phoenix triggers - the one already in trash, the one discarded from hand, and the one killed from the field. Sequence: - Play Get Excited - Discard Phoenix from hand (goes to trash) - Get Excited resolves and kills Phoenix on field (goes to trash) - All three Phoenixes in trash trigger Nuances: - The Phoenix discarded as part of playing Get Excited is in the trash before the cleanup/resolution that kills the Phoenix on the field - The act of "killing" (transferring a unit from field to trash) means the killed Phoenix is also in trash when triggers are checked

Ruling: Yes, this is legal. Dropboarder's ability triggers when it enters play and only checks if you control 2 or more gear when it resolves, not when it triggers. Sequence: - Play Dropboarder with only 1 gear in play - Dropboarder's 'when played' ability goes on the chain - Respond to the ability by playing Cloth Armor (reaction) - When Dropboarder's ability resolves, you now control 2 gear and the effect happens Nuances: - The 'if' clause in Dropboarder's text is checked on resolution, not when determining if the ability triggers - This differs from templating where the 'if' comes first (like 'If you control 2 or more gear, when you play me...'), which would check the condition before the ability goes on the chain - Abilities with conditions after the comma go on the chain regardless of whether the condition is met, but do nothing if the condition isn't met on resolution

Ruling: Yes, if two units die simultaneously and you control two Zhonyas Hourglass, each Zhonyas can save one unit. X Zhonyas can save X units, even if they die simultaneously. Sequence: - When two units die simultaneously, each Zhonyas sees both death events - The controller picks which death event each Zhonyas will replace - Each Zhonyas replaces one of the deaths and is killed instead - Both units are saved Nuances: - If only one unit dies with two Zhonyas in play, the controller chooses which Zhonyas replaces the death. The second Zhonyas does nothing because the death has already been replaced by the first Zhonyas. - When multiple replacement effects would replace the same event, the owner of the object being acted on determines the order the replacement effects apply. - The second replacement effect cannot replace a death that has already been replaced.

Ruling: No. Teemo does not create a damage event if 0 cards with Hidden are revealed. You cannot deal 0 damage - 0 damage is not a valid damage event. Nuances: - "Deal 1 for each card revealed this way" is a single deal action, not multiple separate damage instances - The effect counts cards with Hidden and deals that much damage; if there are no Hidden cards revealed, no deal action is performed - The rules specify that only non-zero damage is valid damage (found in the splitting rules section) - With Rabadon's Deathcrown, Teemo's possible damage range is 0, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (where 0 means no damage event occurs)

Ruling: Yes, you can summon Immortal Phoenix to your base with its effect after discarding it with "Get Excited!" to kill a unit at a battlefield. Sequence: - Discard Immortal Phoenix with "Get Excited!" - Deal damage equal to Phoenix's Energy cost to a unit at a battlefield - If that unit is killed, Phoenix's effect triggers - Summon Phoenix to your base Nuances: - The Phoenix sees that a unit was killed before it goes to the trash, allowing its effect to trigger

Ruling: After a Reaction resolves during chain resolution, you can immediately play another Reaction card (such as one you just drew) to react to earlier cards still in the chain. You do not have to wait for the entire chain to resolve. Sequence: - Reaction 3 resolves - Cleanup happens - The controller of Reaction 2 gets first priority to play reactions on top of the chain - Then the other player gets priority - Chain resolution continues Nuances: - Priority to play reactions after each card resolves goes first to the controller of the next card in the chain, then to the other player

Ruling: No, this does not count as a burn out. The effect of Dazzling Aurora recycles the cards back into the deck, so you do not burn out. Sequence: - Reveal cards from your deck looking for a unit - If no unit is found, fail to find and recycle (shuffle) the revealed cards back into your library - No burn out occurs Nuances: - You do not shuffle your trash into your deck if you don't find anything with Aurora, because no burn out is performed

Ruling: An exhausted card on a battlefield can still defend in combat. Nuances: - This is similar to how moving a unit to an open battlefield exhausts it, but it can still defend

Ruling: Yes, you can repeat the spell multiple times if it has multiple instances of Repeat. Sequence: - Each instance of Repeat on a spell can be paid or not paid individually - You may choose to pay the cost for each instance separately Nuances: - This follows the pattern of other keywords like Vision that stack when it makes sense for them to do so - The ruling was initially uncertain and required waiting for official rules clarification

Ruling: Yes, you can use Super Mega Death Rocket's effect with the card you just drew from conquering. The draw from conquering at 7 points happens before 'when you conquer' triggers go on the chain. Sequence: - You conquer at 7 points - You draw a card (instead of earning a point, since you can't score) - 'When you conquer' triggers (like Super Mega Death Rocket) go on the chain - You resolve Death Rocket's trigger with the card now in hand Nuances: - The draw from conquering does not use the chain - If the trigger happened in response instead of after, it wouldn't work (you'd resolve the trigger first while still having no cards)

Ruling: No, this is not true. You still draw a card from your main deck even if you have 12 runes channeled at the beginning of your turn. Nuances: - This misconception may arise from confusion with cards like Mobilize and Catalyst of Aeons - The confusion may also stem from misunderstanding the restriction on channeling more runes when at 12 (which does exist) - There are no priority windows during start of turn steps unless there is a trigger during the Beginning Phase

Ruling: If you have 6 points at the beginning of your turn and conquer 2 battlefields, you score 2 points and win with 8 points total. You do not need to be at 7 points first. Nuances: - The only scenario where scoring does not get you a victory point is if you are at 7 points and conquer a battlefield where you have not scored at all other battlefields this turn - in this case you get a draw instead of a point, but this still counts as "scoring" - If you are at 7 points and begin your turn with a hold (control of a battlefield from the start of your turn), you win immediately - Having control of a battlefield is not the same as "holding" - holding specifically means beginning your turn with control of a battlefield

Ruling: Yes, if you have 7 points and hold a single battlefield at the start of your turn, you win the game. The only restriction for the final point is that you cannot win by conquering a single battlefield alone - you must conquer both battlefields on the same turn to win via conquest. Nuances: - Points earned from champion abilities (like Green Ahri or Tryndamere) can be your 8th point and are not restricted - You can win by holding one battlefield for your 8th point - You can win by conquering both battlefields on the same turn - You can win via burnout for your 8th point - Any point source other than a single conquest can be your final point

Ruling: Yes, Cithria gets a buff from Wildclaw Shaman being played. You can choose the order in which "when you play" effects are added and resolved. Sequence: - Both "when you play" effects trigger in the same timing window - You can choose to resolve them in either order - You can resolve Wildclaw Shaman's effect first (giving Cithria a buff), then spend that buff to ready and buff the Shaman - Or you can resolve Cithria's effect first to give the Shaman a buff, then trigger the Shaman's effect to spend it Nuances: - The buff does not need to be present when you play Wildclaw Shaman; both effects are in the same timing window so you can order them as needed

Ruling: No, you cannot order both draws after Divine Judgement. The draw triggered by Promising Future will happen before Divine Judgement resolves, and the draw triggered by Divine Judgement will happen after it resolves. Sequence: - Promising Future begins resolving - Divine Judgement is added to the pending chain during Promising Future's resolution - Promising Future finishes resolving - Lux's trigger from Promising Future and Divine Judgement are finalized onto the chain - Lux's trigger from Promising Future resolves (first draw happens) - Divine Judgement resolves - Lux's trigger from Divine Judgement resolves (second draw happens) Nuances: - Nothing can go onto the chain while something is resolving; items go onto the pending chain first and are finalized once the resolving item finishes - Since Divine Judgement is already pending when Promising Future finishes, Lux's trigger from Promising Future must go on top of it

Ruling: No, you cannot play Cruel Patron to the battlefield by sacrificing Machine Evangel. When you sacrifice the Evangel as an additional cost, you lose control of the battlefield before Cruel Patron resolves, so it will be played to your base instead. Sequence: - You pay the additional cost (sacrifice Machine Evangel) - You lose control of the battlefield - Cruel Patron resolves and is played to your base (since you no longer control the battlefield) Nuances: - The sacrifice cost is paid before the card is "played", which is why you lose battlefield control before Cruel Patron resolves - This interaction was apparently allowed in early development but was later changed

Ruling: You can only reveal a hidden Zhonya's after your unit dies if the battlefield is contested AND there is a deathknell ability (or similar chain-forming effect) that gives you an opportunity to react. If your only unit dies to combat damage with no deathknell triggers, you have no opportunity to react before combat resolves, and the hidden card will be discarded when you lose control of the battlefield. Sequence: - Unit dies to combat damage - If battlefield is contested AND a deathknell trigger exists, you can react during the chain and reveal Zhonya's - If battlefield is not contested OR no deathknell exists, cleanup occurs immediately - Hidden cards are discarded when battlefield controller loses control during cleanup Nuances: - Facedown cards aren't gear, spells, or units - they're just facedown cards - Gear (including Zhonya's when revealed) is always played to base, never to battlefield - During contested battlefields, control can't change, which prevents the cleanup step from discarding hidden cards - This applies during both combat and showdowns

Ruling: You cannot react with Fight or Flight before the opponent locks in the target and destination for Charm. Once those choices are locked in, even if you use Fight or Flight, Charm cannot retarget, so the unit would stay at base. Sequence: - Opponent declares Charm and locks in target/destination - Fight or Flight cannot be used to react before these choices are locked - If Fight or Flight is used after choices are locked, Charm cannot retarget - The unit remains at base

Ruling: When multiple Zhonyas are present and a unit dies, only one Zhonya gets destroyed because after the first replacement effect resolves, nothing has died so the second Zhonya doesn't trigger. If multiple units die simultaneously and multiple Zhonyas are present, you can choose different targets for each Zhonya. Sequence: - When a unit dies with multiple Zhonyas present, order your replacement effects - The first Zhonya replacement resolves, destroying that Zhonya and saving the unit - Since nothing died after the first replacement, the second Zhonya does not trigger - If multiple units die at once, you can order replacements to have different Zhonyas save different units Nuances: - Zhonya is noted as a hotly debated topic that may need official Riot clarification - The replacement effects section does not directly answer these specific scenarios

Ruling: No. If you can't channel a rune because your rune deck is empty, you don't do anything at all. You do not draw an extra card as a replacement.

Ruling: Yes, having three Vanguard Helms in play when a buffed unit dies gives you three buffs that can be shared between whatever remaining units you have.

Ruling: Both Sun Disc effects apply to the same next unit redundantly. The second effect does not carry over to a subsequent unit. Sequence: - Tap both Sun Discs, creating two delayed passive abilities - When you play the next unit, both delayed passive abilities see it and apply - Both effects make the unit enter ready (redundantly) - Both effects are consumed on that one unit Nuances: - To have two units enter ready, you must tap one Sun Disc, play a unit, then tap the second Sun Disc, and play another unit - Sun Disc creates a delayed passive ability (similar to Ravenborn Tome), not a replacement effect or trigger - The effect specifies "the next" unit, which means each effect only applies to the next unit it sees, not subsequent units - Even though applying both effects to one unit is redundant, the game has no way to know this in advance

Ruling: When you lose control of a battlefield (by having no units there), any card hidden to that battlefield goes to the trash. You lose control immediately when your last unit dies, unless the battlefield is Contested (which only happens during showdowns). Sequence: - Your last unit at the battlefield dies - You immediately lose control of the battlefield (unless it's Contested during a showdown) - The hidden card goes to the trash Nuances: - During a showdown, you don't lose control of the battlefield until the showdown is done, even if all your units die - A battlefield can only be Contested during showdowns - This rule applies outside of combat/showdown timing as well

Ruling: No, you cannot conquer a battlefield you have already scored (held) during the same turn. Each player can only score each battlefield once per turn. Sequence: - If you hold a battlefield at the beginning of your turn, you score it - If you later retreat and move another unit there, you cannot conquer it again - Combat cleanup only results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored that battlefield this turn Nuances: - Your opponent scoring a battlefield on your turn does not prevent you from scoring it (unless you already have) - The "once per turn" restriction is per player, not shared between players

Ruling: No, you do not get conquer triggers. Conquering is part of the scoring process, and if you don't score (because you already scored at that battlefield this turn through holding), you don't get conquer triggers. Nuances: - You can only score once per battlefield per turn, and conquering is part of the scoring process - If you're at 7 points and conquer a battlefield for the first time that turn, you still go through the entire scoring process including conquer triggers, even though you draw a card instead of gaining a point - Gaining a point from other sources (not through conquering) while at 7 points does not trigger the card draw replacement effect

Ruling: No, you cannot trigger the conquering ability because conquering is a subset of scoring. If you can't score the battlefield (because you already hold it), you can't get conquer triggers. Nuances: - You can score the same battlefield twice in a game, but not while you already hold it - The same principle applies to abilities as it does to scoring

Ruling: You cannot score a point from a battlefield you already held at the start of the turn, even if you leave and return to it. For the final victory point, a single unit can capture both battlefields sequentially in the same turn - you do not need to maintain control of the first battlefield while capturing the second. Sequence: - If you held a battlefield at turn start, you cannot gain a point from it that turn - A unit can capture battlefield A (scoring a point) - The same unit can then move to battlefield B and capture it (scoring another point) - Other units entering already-captured battlefields that turn do not score additional points Nuances: - You do not need to maintain simultaneous control of both battlefields to win the final victory point - Once a battlefield has been captured for a point in a turn, no additional points can be scored from it that turn by other units

Ruling: You cannot conquer a battlefield if you have already held it that turn. Once you've scored a battlefield by holding it, moving back to it later in the same turn does not trigger conquest effects. Sequence: - If you hold a battlefield at start of turn, you score it - If you then leave the battlefield and return to it later that turn - Even if you win a showdown and gain control, you do not conquer it again - No conquest effects trigger Nuances: - Conquering is a subset of scoring, not a separate mechanic - This applies even if the battlefield changes control between when you held it and when you return (e.g., through active defender mechanics)

Ruling: You can only score a given battlefield once per turn, regardless of whether you hold or conquer it. If you already scored a battlefield by holding it, you cannot conquer it again that turn. Nuances: - Conquering is part of scoring, so if you cannot score a battlefield (because you already scored it), you cannot conquer it - You will not draw a card from the conquer effect if you already scored that battlefield earlier in the turn

Ruling: Yes, you still win. You do not need to maintain control of the battlefield you held at the start of your turn in order to score the winning point from ganking/conquering the second battlefield. Sequence: - At the start of your turn (after readying but before channeling), you hold a battlefield and score point 7 - During your turn, you gank/conquer the opposing battlefield - You score point 8 from the conquest, achieving victory - You do not need to still control the first battlefield when you score point 8 Nuances: - You get points by holding (controlling a battlefield at the start of your turn, after readying everything but before channeling runes) - You do not get points by defending a battlefield you already control - If you are at 6 points and hold one battlefield at the start of your turn, then conquer the second, you also score the 8th point

Ruling: The hidden facedown card is trashed immediately once you lose control of the battlefield (when all units move away). You cannot score a battlefield twice in a turn, even if you held it and then try to retake it. Sequence: - At start of turn, you hold the battlefield and score a point - You move your unit away using ganking - The facedown card is immediately trashed when you lose control - If you move another unit to that battlefield, you do not score another point Nuances: - If you held a battlefield at the start of turn (scoring from holding), then lose control and retake it later that turn, you cannot score again because you already scored from that battlefield this turn - Retaking a battlefield you already scored from this turn does not count as a "conquer" and will not trigger conquer effects