Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: No, Sun Disk's ability checks for Legion only at the moment you tap (activate) it. It does not look back or retroactively trigger if you gain Legion afterwards. Sequence: - When you tap Sun Disk, it checks if you have Legion at that moment - If you don't have Legion when tapping it, the ability does nothing - Gaining Legion afterwards (by playing a unit via Baited Hook) does not cause Sun Disk's ability to retroactively apply Nuances: - The turn you play Sun Disk, it does have Legion because the ability is separate from the card itself and sees that you played a card (Sun Disk itself)

Ruling: You pick targets for all 6 triggers simultaneously and decide which Deflect costs to pay before they go on the stack. You can choose to pay for only 1 Deflect and decline to pay for the other 5. Sequence: - All 6 Icathian Rain triggers target at the same time - You decide which Deflect costs to pay (can choose to pay for 1 and not the others) - Only the ones you pay for go on the stack - The ones you don't pay for never go on the stack - This decision is made before your opponent can react Nuances: - You must make all payment decisions before seeing what your opponent will do in response

Ruling: No, you do not ready 2 runes from Targon's Peak. Once the Ending Step begins, all "at end of turn" triggers that are currently active go on the chain at that moment. After this point, no more "at end of turn" triggers can trigger for the rest of that turn. Sequence: - At the Ending Step (317.1.a), all current "at end of turn" triggers go on the chain (Aurora's delayed ability in this case) - Aurora resolves, playing Deadbloom and staging combat - If you win the showdown and conquer Targon's Peak, its "at end of turn" trigger becomes active - However, the window for "at end of turn" triggers has already passed for this turn - Targon's Peak never "saw" the start of the Ending Step, only became active after that moment Nuances: - This is consistent with how phase-based triggers work in all other phases - Phase-based triggers occur precisely when you hit the step specified in the rules, not a moment after - The Ending Step happens once per turn, and all relevant triggers must be present at that exact moment to trigger

Ruling: When Sett's legend ability saves a unit targeted by Baited Hook, the replacement effect changes "kill" to "recall." Since no unit was actually killed, Baited Hook cannot find a "killed unit" to reference for its might value. You will look at the top 5 cards but cannot play a unit, then recycle the rest. Sequence: - Baited Hook begins resolving and attempts to kill the targeted unit - Sett's replacement effect intercedes during resolution, replacing the kill with a recall - The unit is recalled instead of killed - Baited Hook looks for the might of the "killed unit" but finds none (null or 0) - You look at the top 5 cards of your deck - You cannot play a unit because there is no valid might value to compare against - You recycle the remaining cards Nuances: - Sett's ability is a replacement effect, not a trigger that goes on the chain - it intercedes during the resolution of other effects - The wording "killed unit" on Baited Hook requires an actual killed unit, not just a targeted unit - There was debate about whether the might value should be 0 or null when no unit is killed, but either way you cannot play a unit from the top 5

Ruling: You can play Cruel Patron, but if you select the banished unit, it will stay banished. Alternatively, you can choose not to select the banished unit and Cruel Patron will recycle. Sequence: - If you select the banished unit: Cruel Patron stays banished - If you don't select the banished unit: Cruel Patron recycles Nuances: - Even though the only valid target is banished, you still have the option to not select it, resulting in recycling rather than being forced to select an invalid target

Ruling: No, the unit must actually be killed for Baited Hook to work. However, even if the unit is not killed, you still excavate 5 cards but don't play anything since there's no Might to compare to. Nuances: - When Baited Hook looks at units to play from excavation, it only checks the printed Might on the card (units in non-board zones are evaluated by inherent Might) - When Baited Hook is used to kill a unit, it counts any buffs on that unit (units on the board are evaluated by current Might) - An attacker is only an attacker during a combat showdown, so using Baited Hook on a unit with Assault would not see the extra power bonus

Ruling: No, you cannot play the unit to that battlefield. By the time Hook finishes resolving and you would play the unit, you no longer control that battlefield since your only unit there was killed. Nuances: - This works the same way as Cruel Patron - if you sacrifice your only unit at a battlefield to Cruel Patron, you cannot play Cruel Patron to that battlefield. - The comprehensive rules document explicitly addresses the Cruel Patron interaction.

Ruling: When Baited Hook plays Cruel Patron, you must still pay the additional cost of killing a friendly unit because Baited Hook only ignores printed costs, not additional costs. If you cannot pay the additional cost (e.g., Cruel Patron is your only unit), the card is placed on the chain but then returned to banishment since the cost cannot be paid. Sequence: - Baited Hook allows you to play the card ignoring its printed cost - Additional costs (like Cruel Patron's kill effect) must still be paid - If the additional cost cannot be paid, the card goes onto the chain but returns to its original zone (banishment) Nuances: - You are not required to banish a card with Baited Hook if you know you won't be able to pay its additional cost - you can choose nothing instead - Effects that check or ignore "cost" only refer to printed cost, not additional costs - Printed cost includes both energy and power costs if both are printed on the card

Ruling: No, you do not still control the battlefield. When you lose your last unit on a non-contested battlefield, you lose control immediately. Sequence: - You use Baited Hook and sacrifice your only unit - You immediately lose control of the battlefield (since it's not contested) - You cannot place a new unit there because you no longer control it Nuances: - This only applies when the battlefield is not contested - If the battlefield were contested, control changes work differently and happen at a different timing - The cleanup step does not handle battlefield control changes; control changes happen immediately for non-contested battlefields

Ruling: Yes, the opponent can score a point. When a unit moves to a battlefield not already controlled by that player, a showdown occurs, and if they win the showdown and are able to score on that battlefield, they will score a point. Sequence: - Unit is moved to a battlefield not controlled by that player - A showdown occurs (non-combat if the battlefield was empty) - If the unit wins the showdown and is still there after, they score Nuances: - This works even during the opponent's turn (when Charm is used) - Each battlefield can only be scored once per turn, but typically a battlefield won't have been scored yet during an opponent's turn - The battlefield must not already be controlled by the player whose unit is being moved

Ruling: No, Svellsongur only copies printed text on units, not text granted by other effects like Cleave. Nuances: - Cleave grants Assault 3 to a unit, but this is not printed text - Svellsongur will only copy the unit's original printed text box, not any modifications from spells or other effects

Ruling: The unit takes 6 damage. Void Gate's damage bonus only applies "to units here," so once the unit is moved to base with Flash before Falling Star resolves, it is no longer at Void Gate and doesn't receive the +1 damage bonus from Void Gate for either instance of damage. Sequence: - Falling Star is played and choices are made (targeting the same unit twice) - Flash is used to move the unit from Void Gate to base - Falling Star resolves, dealing 3 damage twice (6 total) without Void Gate's bonus since the unit is no longer there

Ruling: No, you do not draw 2 cards if the unit is moved away before Hidden Blade resolves. The target must be legal when Hidden Blade resolves for you to draw cards. Nuances: - If the unit dies but death is replaced by another effect (like moving to base), you still draw because the target was legal when Hidden Blade resolved - If the unit is moved before Hidden Blade resolves, the target becomes null/illegal, so no draw occurs - The FAQ reference about replacement effects applies when death is replaced, not when the target becomes illegal before resolution

Ruling: It depends on when Fight or Flight is played. If played in response to the unit moving (before combat begins), combat never occurs and there is no healing. If played after combat begins but before damage, combat still completes and healing occurs. Sequence: - If Fight or Flight is played in response to the move trigger: Combat is staged but never occurs, no special cleanup, no healing - If Fight or Flight is played after combat begins: Combat step continues, special cleanup occurs, all marked damage is cleared from all units Nuances: - Combat only occurs at Battlefields where both players control at least one Unit when Combat would begin. If this condition fails, the staged Combat is removed before it starts. - The healing effect is technically "clearing all marked damage from all units" during combat cleanup, not a specific heal effect

Ruling: No, if you Flash a unit in response to Hidden Blade, the controller does not draw 2 cards. When Hidden Blade resolves, the unit is no longer at the battlefield, making the target illegal and preventing Hidden Blade from determining "its controller." Sequence: - Player A plays Hidden Blade targeting a unit - Player B responds with Flash, which resolves first - The unit moves back to base - Hidden Blade resolves but cannot find the target at the battlefield, so "its controller" becomes null and no cards are drawn Nuances: - Death prevention abilities like Zhonya's work differently - they allow you to draw 2 and save the unit because Hidden Blade begins resolving and identifies the controller before the unit is moved - The key difference is timing: Flash moves the unit before Hidden Blade resolves, while Zhonya's triggers after Hidden Blade starts resolving and can identify the controller

Ruling: When you deal damage to a unit with a spell outside of combat, the unit does not heal immediately. If you then attack that unit with one of your units, it will still have the damage marked on it when combat damage is dealt. Sequence: - Cast spell (e.g., Hextech Ray) to deal damage to enemy unit - Damage is marked on the unit - Attack the damaged unit with your unit - Units deal damage to each other while the spell damage is still marked - Units heal at the end of combat Nuances: - Dealing damage with a spell does not start a combat or showdown - Playing a spell starts a chain, not a showdown - Units heal at the end of turn and at the end of each combat, not immediately after taking damage

Ruling: Yes, you still draw 2 cards. Hidden Blade's kill effect and draw effect are separate from each other, so the draw happens regardless of whether the unit actually dies. Nuances: - If the targeted unit leaves the battlefield before Hidden Blade resolves (bounced, banished, recycled, or killed by another card), the target becomes illegal and nobody draws cards because the controller can no longer be determined - The unit must still be at a battlefield when Hidden Blade resolves for the draw to happen - If the unit moves to a board-zone (base), its controller can still be determined and draws two - If the unit moves to a non-board-zone (hand, deck, trash, banish), there is no controller to determine and nobody draws

Ruling: Yes, you still draw 2 cards. Hidden Blade's text consists of two independent effects: killing a unit and drawing 2 cards. The drawing occurs regardless of whether the death is prevented. Sequence: - Hidden Blade resolves: Kill a unit at a battlefield - Sett's replacement effect can prevent the death - The controller draws 2 cards (this happens whether or not the death was prevented) Nuances: - If Hidden Blade hypothetically read "Kill a unit at a battlefield. When it dies, its controller draws 2" then the effects would be conditional and drawing wouldn't happen if the death was prevented - If two Hidden Blades target the same unit, you only draw 2 from the first one that resolves, because the second one has no valid target (the unit no longer exists) - The only way to draw 4 from two Hidden Blades on the same unit would be to prevent the first death using Sett or similar effects, keeping the unit as a valid target for the second Hidden Blade - Sett's ability functions as a replacement effect that intercedes during Hidden Blade's resolution, not as a triggered ability that uses the chain (despite current card text suggesting otherwise)

Ruling: The rules do not currently define how extra turns interact with Mystic Reversal, so this is a judge's discretion call at the local level. The judge should announce their ruling before the event begins and explain that the rules are ambiguous on this interaction. Nuances: - The natural language of "after this one" (referring to the opponent's turn) is ambiguous - Judges should be upfront with players that there is no official ruling and align expectations before play begins - One reasonable interpretation is that you only get one extra turn because "this one" refers to the opponent's turn

Ruling: No, the original caster does not get Legion when their spell is stolen by Mystical Reversal. A spell counts as played when it fully resolves under one's control, so the stolen spell counts as being played by the person who cast Mystical Reversal, not the original caster. Nuances: - If the stolen spell itself has Legion (like Noxian Guillotine), the Legion trigger activates for the person who played Mystical Reversal, not the original caster - The spell is not countered, but it changes who is considered to have played it

Ruling: No. When Portal Rescue banishes a token, the token ceases to exist when it enters the banished zone (a non-board zone), so there is nothing left to play to your base. Sequence: - Portal Rescue banishes the token - The token enters the banished zone (a non-board zone) - The token ceases to exist immediately - The "play it to your base" effect has no valid target and does nothing Nuances: - You can technically target a token with Portal Rescue, but it will simply disappear rather than achieving the intended effect

Ruling: Yes, you conquer the battlefield and score a point when you use Ride the Wind during a showdown on your opponent's turn to move a unit into the battlefield and win the resulting combat showdown. Sequence: - Opponent moves a unit into an open battlefield, triggering a showdown - During your priority in the showdown, you play Ride the Wind to move your unit into the battlefield - This turns it into a combat showdown - Whoever wins the combat showdown conquers the battlefield and gains a point - If you win, you conquer on the opponent's turn and then hold it on your next turn Nuances: - This cannot be used to score the 8th point (winning both battlefields), because the 8th point requires you to score from both battlefields in the same turn, not just control them

Ruling: Yes, you score the conquer point when you use Ride the Wind to move to an empty battlefield on your opponent's turn. You can also score the hold point if you still control it at the start of your next turn. Sequence: - You can score a conquer point on a battlefield during your opponent's turn if you gain control - The scoring limit is per turn, so you can score on your opponent's turn and again on your own turn - If you start your opponent's turn on a battlefield, move off it, then Ride the Wind back to it (making it empty), you can score the conquer point again - If you maintain control until the start of your next turn, you score the hold point Nuances: - You can score more than 2 points per turn cycle by scoring on both your turn and your opponent's turn - You cannot move a unit to the battlefield it's already at (can't use Ride the Wind as just an untap effect) - When moving to a contested empty battlefield, whoever applied contested status first is the attacker; the player moving in second is the defender - To win the game (8th point) on opponent's turn using Ride the Wind, you must score on all other battlefields that turn - you would need to Ride the Wind to multiple battlefields or find another way to control both

Ruling: When you use Ride the Wind to open a battlefield during combat at another battlefield, a showdown will become staged at the new battlefield but won't begin until the first showdown finishes. After the first showdown ends, the second showdown immediately starts, and you can score a point during your opponent's turn if you win. Sequence: - First showdown (combat) finishes at the original battlefield - Second showdown immediately begins at the battlefield opened by Ride the Wind - If you win the second showdown, you score during your opponent's turn Nuances: - Only one showdown may happen at a time - You can only score each battlefield once per turn (so if you already scored for holding a battlefield on your turn, you cannot score it again that same turn even if you recapture it)

Ruling: No, they do not fight. When Snapvine's trigger resolves, it looks for the enemy unit "at a battlefield" but cannot find it, so the effect fails. Sequence: - Snapvine's trigger goes on the chain - Opponent uses Fight or Flight to move their unit away from the battlefield - When Snapvine's trigger resolves, it cannot find the target unit at a battlefield and fails to execute

Ruling: Wind Wall happens before the Bullet Time player chooses how much power to pay. The player using Bullet Time pays no extra power because the amount is chosen during resolution, not when the card is played. Sequence: - Bullet Time is played and put on the chain (paying only its base cost and declaring the battlefield as target) - Opponent can respond with Wind Wall or other reactions - If no responses, Bullet Time resolves - During resolution, the Bullet Time player chooses and pays any amount of power - Bullet Time's effect fully resolves - Opponent can then play cards after full resolution Nuances: - The power payment is part of Bullet Time's effect, not an additional cost - Opponents cannot respond during resolution (including after seeing how much power is paid) - The target of Bullet Time is the battlefield, declared when played

Ruling: Yes, moving a unit you control into another battlefield with enemy units creates a second showdown. Sequence: - The first showdown begins - The second showdown waits for the first one to finish - After the first showdown resolves, the second showdown resolves

Ruling: Yes, the first combat must fully resolve through all its steps before the second combat begins. When you play Zenith Blade during combat, the second combat is staged (put on hold) until the current combat closes completely. Sequence: - First combat continues through all normal combat steps - If the attacking unit moves out before damage, the damage step is skipped but still occurs as a step - First combat closes and units heal during cleanup - Game returns to neutral open state - Second staged combat then initiates at the new battlefield Nuances: - You cannot avoid damage from the first combat and immediately start a fresh combat elsewhere - the first combat must complete first - Even if units are killed or moved out early, all combat steps must still be processed - Zenith Blade has the action keyword, so you need focus to play it (must wait for your turn to start a chain during showdown) - Any damage taken in the first combat will heal before the second combat begins

Ruling: You win. The condition for winning through conquering is that you have scored both battlefields in the same turn. Nuances: - Your total point count (6, 7, or 8) doesn't matter for the conquest victory condition - What matters is conquering both battlefields within the same turn

Ruling: Yes, you can hold one battlefield and conquer another battlefield to win when at 7 points. To score the final point and win, you must either: hold a battlefield at the start of your turn, OR score all battlefields in a single turn, OR gain a point through other card abilities. Sequence: - If at 6 points: Hold one battlefield at start of turn (scores to 7), then conquer another battlefield during that turn (scores to 8 and wins) - If already at 7 points: Simply holding one battlefield at start of turn is enough to win - Holding always gives you a point with no restrictions Nuances: - Only conquering has the restriction that you must score ALL battlefields in a single turn to win - You can use movement abilities (like Ganking or Ride the Wind) to move to an empty battlefield and conquer it for the winning point in the same turn you held another battlefield - Opponents can still respond to prevent the conquer (e.g., with Gust)

Ruling: Yes, you can trigger the 'When I Defend' ability a second time. When a unit is banished and replayed, it becomes a new game object that never saw the first trigger happen, so it can trigger again even in the same combat. Nuances: - While units normally only trigger their 'When I attack/defend' abilities the first time they gain the attacker/defender designation in a combat, banishing creates a new game object that is treated as never having triggered before - This interaction is a core combo for cards like Watcher when defending

Ruling: The opponent draws a card but does not win the game. To win by conquer, you must score both battlefields on the same turn, which is a requirement that must be met. Nuances: - Even if reaching 8 points, the win condition requires scoring both battlefields in the same turn - Scoring a battlefield on the opponent's turn (via Ride the Wind) does not fulfill the conquer victory condition

Ruling: Yes, you score a point for conquering the battlefield even though you are the defender in the showdown. The defender can conquer a battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent moves into empty battlefield, opening a showdown and becoming the attacker - You play Ride the Wind to move your unit in during the showdown - If the showdown already started, it first finishes without combat - A combat showdown then begins where you are still the defender (opponent applied the contested status) - If you win the showdown, you conquer and score the point Nuances: - You remain the defender throughout because your opponent applied the contested status to the battlefield - The battlefield remains contested until control is established or re-established - You can only score a battlefield once per turn, even on your opponent's turn - If you instead used Ride the Wind to move into a different battlefield, you would be the attacker there in a separate combat showdown

Ruling: If your opponent controls the gear itself, it is no longer friendly to you. If your opponent only controls the unit that your gear is attached to, the gear remains friendly to you. Nuances: - Gaining control of a unit does not grant control of its attached gear - A gear that remains friendly to you (even while attached to an opponent's unit) can still be moved by effects like Weaponmaster - Akshan is the only way to gain control of a gear itself

Ruling: In a best-of-1 (single duel), the battlefield is random. In a best-of-3 match, you pick your battlefield. Sequence: - Battlefields are revealed before drawing cards and mulligans - In best-of-3, the battlefield is discarded going into game 2 and cannot be reused in the current match Nuances: - The distinction between single duel and match format determines whether battlefields are random or chosen

Ruling: In 1v1 formats, all players draw a card during the draw phase of their turn, including the first turn. Only in multiplayer formats does the first player skip their first draw phase. Nuances: - The multiplayer rule (first player skips first draw) does not apply to 1v1 formats - This is a format-specific rule difference between 1v1 and multiplayer

Ruling: No, you do not earn a point. A battlefield becomes ineligible for any scoring that turn from your team if you start your turn and your teammate holds that battlefield. Nuances: - You can still win by conquering the remaining battlefields not held by your teammate (e.g., conquering the other two battlefields, or one if your teammate is holding two)

Ruling: Yes, teammates can play untagged (base speed) spells during their teammate's turn, but not permanents or activated abilities. Sequence: - When both the turn player and their teammate want to play something at the same time, the turn player takes precedence - The turn player's action happens first - The teammate can play their spell afterwards once everything resolves and timing allows, provided the turn player doesn't want to do anything further first Nuances: - This applies to spells only, not activated abilities - Normal timing restrictions still apply - Permanents cannot be played during a teammate's turn

Ruling: To win in 2v2, you need to conquer every battlefield ignoring those your ally controls. Nuances: - Players in 2v2 are friendly but do not share battlefields or resources - Players cannot share battlefields with their ally - Your ally's controlled battlefields do not count against your conquest victory condition

Ruling: No, it is illegal to move a unit to a teammate's battlefield for any reason. Teammates can never have units at the same battlefield. Nuances: - A maximum of two players can have units at a battlefield, and those players must be opponents - This restriction makes a teammate's battlefield an illegal destination for movement effects like Charm or Dragon's Rage

Ruling: No, you cannot hide a card on a battlefield controlled by your partner. Hidden requires you to control the battlefield, and control is per player, not per team. Nuances: - Control is determined per player, not shared between teammates in 2v2 games

Ruling: Teammates can show their hands to each other at any time in 2v2 games. Players can show any card to any player at any time, and teammates can permanently show their private information to each other. Nuances: - Showing cards to another player is different from the "reveal" game mechanic - When you show a card, it does not count as a "reveal" for game effects that trigger on revealing cards - Players cannot choose to look at opponents' cards, but you can voluntarily show your cards to anyone

Ruling: Yes, you can show your hand to your teammate freely in 2v2 games. This is not considered "revealing" cards for the purposes of card effects that care about when cards get revealed. Nuances: - Hands are still considered private information under the rules - You can even show your hand to your opponents if you want to - Showing cards from your hand is different from "Revealing" cards (which is a specific game term for card effects)

Ruling: No, bases are not shared between teammates in 2v2. Each player has their own base and cannot move into another player's base regardless of whether they are teammates or opponents. Nuances: - Some cards received errata specifically because of this rule (e.g., The Syren)

Ruling: Yes, the 'When you play me' effect will trigger. The owner (your teammate) is the one playing it, and it is getting played. Nuances: - Portal Rescue was errata'd to include 'owner' text, clarifying that the owner of the card is the one playing it even when another player uses Portal Rescue on it

Ruling: No, during a combat, a player cannot move a unit to that location unless they already have a unit there. The combat is locked to only the two original combatants until it finishes. Sequence: - When combat begins, only the two players with units at that location can participate - If one player moves all their units out during the combat, other players still cannot move units in - The combat remains locked between the original two combatants Nuances: - This rule also prevents a player from moving back into a combat they originally participated in (in multiplayer games) if they've moved all their units out - If a combat is pending due to an ongoing combat at another battlefield, once the defender leaves, it becomes a contested location (not a pending showdown), and then other players could move in - When the game returns to neutral/open, a showdown will automatically begin at the contested location

Ruling: No, your friend's base is not your base. You cannot play cards that reference "your base" to your teammate's base. Nuances: - If you attempt to move a unit controlled by another player into your base, it just doesn't move (though this may be changed in the future so it goes to their base instead) - Yasuo will receive errata to clarify that he moves friendly units to their controller's base

Ruling: In 2v2, when scoring the final point from Conquer, a player must score each battlefield in the same turn, except for any battlefields that were occupied by their ally during that turn's Beginning Phase. Battlefields held by your teammate count as "phantom points" - you don't need to score them yourself. Sequence: - At 10 points, if your ally is holding one or more battlefields, you only need to score the remaining battlefields (those not held by your ally) in a single turn to win via Conquer - Alternatively, either player can win by holding a battlefield when their turn comes back around - You cannot score a battlefield your teammate is occupying Nuances: - If your ally holds 1 battlefield, you only need to score the other 2 to win - If your ally holds 2 battlefields, you only need to conquer 1 to win - For a hold victory at 10 points, it must come back to that specific player's turn

Ruling: Yes, you can cast base speed spells (cards without action or reaction cost) on your teammate's turn at legal timing. Nuances: - Rule 312.1 (as of version 1.2) appears to contradict this, but this is likely a misalignment between rule iterations - The intent is clear that base speed spells grant limited priority to cast on your teammate's turn - The exact comprehensive rules mechanism may be refined in future versions

Ruling: In 2v2, every player is always relevant, so a third player can activate a reaction during any showdown. Nuances: - In FFA (3 or 4 players), outside parties need to be invited into a Combat Showdown to participate - In open showdowns in FFA, outside players can participate without invitation - The 2v2 rule differs from FFA rules regarding player relevance