Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

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

Ruling: The unit gets played to its owner's (your teammate's) base, and the teammate counts as playing the card, not you. Nuances: - This card will receive errata to clarify that the unit's owner plays it to their base - Ownership does not switch (unlike Possession)

Ruling: When you win the dice roll in 2v2, you choose whether your team goes first or second overall. Player A always goes before Player B within each team, so the turn order is either 1a-1b-2a-2b (your team first) or 2a-2b-1a-1b (your team second). Sequence: - Teams designate Player A and Player B during signup - Use a random method (dice roll) to determine which team chooses turn order - Winning team chooses to go first or second as a team - Player A from each team always goes before Player B from that same team Nuances: - "First or last" in the rules means first or last team-wise, not individual player position - You cannot make Player B go last if you want your team to go first, since Player A always precedes Player B within a team - To get Player B in the last position overall, your team must choose to go second

Ruling: Yes, you immediately win. You gain 1 point for holding each battlefield (going from 9 to 10 to 11), and the restrictions on scoring the final point only apply to conquering, not holding. Sequence: - Hold first battlefield, gain 1 point (9 → 10) - Hold second battlefield, gain 1 point (10 → 11) - Game ends immediately at 11 points Nuances: - The restriction for the final point only applies to conquering battlefields - When conquering for your 11th point in 2v2, you cannot conquer battlefields that your teammate controlled at the start of your turn

Ruling: Yes, you score a point. The rule preventing scoring on teammate-controlled battlefields only applies during your own turn, not during opponent turns. Nuances: - Rule 446.1.a (442.1.a in v1.1) appears to be missing the word "your" before "Beginning Phase" which creates ambiguity - Rule 466.8.b (462.8.b in v1.1) clarifies this only applies to the turn player's own turn - The intent is to prevent teammates from passing control between themselves on their own turns to double-score, not to prevent scoring during opponent turns - This has been added to the Official Rules Document (ORD) feedback for clarification

Ruling: If your ally controls a battlefield, you do not have to score it yourself to get the final point needed to win. You only need to conquer the remaining battlefields not controlled by your teammate. Nuances: - You cannot move onto a battlefield controlled by your teammate, but their control counts toward the team's victory condition.

Ruling: There is currently no rule that dictates a player conceding equates to their team conceding. Only the conceding player loses and removes their cards from the game. Nuances: - This allows strategies where one teammate can concede to remove their battlefield effects (like Aspirants of the Arena) to help the team win - This is very likely an oversight and expected to change in future rules updates

Ruling: When you cast Time Warp on your teammate's turn, you get the extra turn immediately after the current turn ends, then the regular turn order resumes. Sequence: - Teammate's turn completes (the turn when Time Warp was cast) - You take your extra turn - Turn order returns to normal sequence (whoever would have gone next in the original order) Nuances: - The extra turn is temporarily inserted into the existing turn order rather than permanently shifting it

Ruling: No, you cannot play Charm to move an opponent's unit to a battlefield where their teammate has units. The FAQ clarifies that you can never have units at the same battlefield as a teammate, so this play would not be legal. Nuances: - Control of a battlefield is not shared between teammates in 2v2 - The restriction prevents the play entirely rather than triggering a showdown

Ruling: In BO1, battlefields are randomly selected. In BO3, battlefields are chosen by both players (each battlefield can only be used once per match). For the first game in both formats, first turn is chosen by the winner of any agreed upon random method (like rolling dice). In BO3, after the first game, the loser of the previous game decides who goes first. Sequence: - Game 1: Random method determines who chooses first turn - Game 2 and beyond (BO3 only): Loser of previous game decides who goes first Nuances: - In BO3, once a battlefield is used, it cannot be used again in the same match - Most players use "high roll" (rolling dice) as the random method - The random selection for first turn only applies to the first game

Ruling: You can flip Zhonyas in response to Tasty's Deathknell trigger. In CR 1.2, Deathknell happens before losing control and after cleanup, allowing you to flip Zhonyas to save it from cleanup (though it won't save Tasty from death). Sequence: - Combat cleanup occurs - Deathknell triggers - Priority is awarded (you can flip Zhonyas here) - Loss of control of battlefield happens Nuances: - Nothing functionally changed from CR 1.1 to 1.2 for this scenario - CR 1.2 simply clarified that loss of control is clearly not in combat cleanup, which allows priority between cleanup and loss of control - Flipping Zhonyas saves the equipment from being trashed when hidden during cleanup, but does not prevent Tasty from dying - Riot branded this as a "clarified rule" rather than a new rule or change

Ruling: No, you do not lose focus if an invited player declines. You only lose the ability to invite that same player again, but you keep focus. Nuances: - Focus is never something you "lose" - you can only willingly pass it - If the invited player accepts, they must play an action/reaction immediately - You can invite a player to act when you have priority - If they decline, you retain your priority

Ruling: Priority and focus are passed in turn order, starting with the player who has priority, regardless of which players are currently controlling units at the battlefield. Sequence: - Priority passes in turn order (regardless of game mode) - Focus passes to the "next player" when a chain resolves (next in turn order) - When players pass rather than start a new chain during a showdown open state, focus continues to pass in turn order Nuances: - The initial chain order for triggered effects at the start of a showdown may differ from turn order, but priority/focus passing during the showdown follows turn order - Going later in turn order can be advantageous for reactions since reactions played later resolve earlier on the chain

Ruling: In FFA4, only one Action speed card can normally be played per chain. Focus and priority shift between all 4 players in turn order starting from the attacker. Players can play as many Reactions as they want during their priority window, but only one Action card can start a chain. Sequence: - State is Open when chain is empty and Closed when chain is not empty - Initial chain forms with triggers: Attacker's triggers > Other players' triggers in turn order > Defender's triggers - Player with focus starts the chain with Action or Reaction - That player can play Reactions (as many as they want) - Priority passes to next player in turn order who can play Reactions (as many as they want) - This continues through all players in turn order - Priority cycles back to first player and continues in turn order - Showdown ends only after all players pass focus in succession Nuances: - The initial chain rule (attacker > others > defender) only applies to triggered abilities at the beginning of combat ("When I attack...", "When I defend...", etc.) - After the initial chain is formed, only turn order is used for priority - Defender's triggers activate last but resolve first on the initial chain

Ruling: Paying the fury power is part of the effect, not a cost. The "may" applies to the resolution choice - the ability goes on the chain when discarded regardless, and you choose whether to pay during resolution. Sequence: - When Flame Chompers is discarded, the triggered ability automatically goes on the chain - When the ability resolves, you may choose to pay {Red} - If you choose to pay and have the resources, Flame Chompers is played - If you choose not to pay, nothing else happens Nuances: - The word "to" denotes a requirement - you cannot summon Chompers without paying the fury power, even though paying is part of the effect - If you have no fury runes on resolution, you cannot summon Chompers because "to" creates a dependency - When multiple abilities trigger during resolution of another ability, nothing can enter the chain while something is resolving, but once resolution completes, all triggered abilities populate the chain simultaneously - Turn player's abilities go on chain first (resolving last), then next player in turn order

Ruling: After both players pass focus in a row during combat, the game goes straight to resolution. Players cannot take additional actions at that point. Nuances: - Reactions cannot be played "at any time" as the reminder text suggests - they can only be played when you have priority, which occurs in response to other things getting played or activated (specifically when there is a chain) - Reactions can be played as actions when you have focus - You cannot play a reaction in the middle of an opponent's turn unless it's in reaction to a triggered/activated effect or a spell they played - You cannot react to a plain unit being played or moved - There is no window in combat where reactions can be played but actions cannot

Ruling: Each player assigns their units' might as damage to enemy units. The attacker assigns damage first, then the defender assigns damage. No units die during assignment - after both players have assigned damage, all damage is dealt simultaneously and units with damage equal to or greater than their might are defeated. Sequence: - Attacker assigns their units' damage to defender's units - Defender assigns their units' damage to attacker's units - All damage is dealt simultaneously - Units with damage equal to or greater than their might are defeated simultaneously Nuances: - Damage assignment does not deal damage; damage is only dealt after both players complete assignment - Players cannot assign damage to their own units to protect other units

Ruling: You can respond after each item on a chain resolves, similar to MTG's stack. When an item fully resolves from a chain (e.g., a -> b -> c, and c resolves), you can add a new reaction to the chain. Nuances: - The 'back and forth' alternating play during showdowns with focus is specifically for starting chains, not for adding reactions to existing chains - Priority after resolution works differently than MTG: in Riftbound, the controller of the next item on the chain gets priority first (rather than the turn player always getting priority first like in MTG)

Ruling: You cannot change targets after they are chosen. Both targets must be chosen at effectively the same time when Falling Star resolves, and cannot be changed later even though there are windows to react between damage instances. Sequence: 1. Falling Star is played (opponents can react here before targets are chosen) 2. Falling Star resolves and both targets are chosen simultaneously 3. Two damage effects are created and go on the chain (opponents can react here before any damage) 4. First 3 damage resolves (opponents can react here) 5. Second 3 damage resolves Nuances: - There is a window to play Discipline (or other reactions) after Falling Star is played but before targets are chosen, allowing you to avoid targeting that unit - but this would be a bad play since the opponent can just wait until after targeting - Reactions can occur at three different points, but targets are locked in at step 2 - If units are removed before targets are chosen (e.g., via Retreat), the caster must target remaining legal units, including their own if necessary

Ruling: The winner of the die roll gets to choose whether to go first or second. Sequence: (for game setup) - Reveal legends, chosen champions, and battlefields - Roll to determine who picks turn order - Winner chooses to go first or second - Draw 4 cards and mulligan Nuances: - In best of 3 matches, the player who loses the previous game gets to choose if they go first or second in the next game

Ruling: Once a Showdown is initiated, you cannot use standard move anymore until the showdown concludes, so you cannot bring up additional units from your bench during the Showdown. Sequence: - Multiple units can be moved to the same destination using standard move - If you did not control the battlefield, a Showdown is initiated - From that point, standard move cannot be used until the Showdown concludes - When a player puts something on the chain (like a reaction), every player has a chance to react unless specified otherwise

Ruling: You win immediately upon reaching 9 points by conquering both battlefields, even if you don't control them simultaneously. You only need to successfully score at both battlefields, not hold them at the same time. Sequence: - Opponent gains 7th point for holding at start of their turn - Opponent moves to your battlefield, you respond by moving away and conquering their battlefield (8 points) - Opponent conquers the battlefield you left (opponent reaches 8 points) - Opponent readies and moves back to where your unit is, you respond by moving away again - This second move allows you to conquer the second battlefield during opponent's turn, reaching 9 points and winning Nuances: - You cannot score again from a battlefield you already held during that turn, even if you temporarily lose control of it - Conquering can occur on your opponent's turn if your unit moves onto a battlefield it wasn't on at the start of that turn - The winning condition only requires scoring at both battlefields, not simultaneous control

Ruling: Yes, you can use cards drawn from Consult the Past to respond to spells still on the chain. After each item on the chain resolves, priority is passed back to players, allowing them to add new reactions before the next item resolves. Sequence: - Opponent casts a spell (e.g., Void Seeker targeting your creature) - You respond with Consult the Past as a reaction - Both players pass priority - Consult the Past resolves first, you draw 2 cards - Turn player gains priority - Turn player passes - You gain priority and can now play a reaction (e.g., Defy) from the cards you just drew - If played, Defy is added to the chain and resolves before the opponent's original spell Nuances: - Priority resets after every link on the chain resolves - You cannot react to permanents entering play (they enter and exit the chain without players gaining priority) - This works similarly to Magic: The Gathering's stack system

Ruling: No, Player A cannot activate something after both players have passed. When the attacker passes priority and the defender passes back, both players have passed consecutively and combat resolves, moving to cleanup. Sequence: - Attacker has initial priority and focus - If attacker passes and opponent passes back, both have passed consecutively - Combat resolves and moves to cleanup Nuances: - Exception: If there are attacker/defender trigger abilities, priority goes to the person who did not own the triggered ability after the ability resolves - The defender can play an action when they have priority (after attacker passes focus) since there is no previous action to react to

Ruling: When combat begins at Reaver's Row, the defender must first decide whether to retreat or stay when the "When you defend" trigger resolves. After this decision, the attacker (who has Focus) gets priority to play actions/reactions first, then the defender gets priority. Sequence: - Combat begins when opponent moves into Reaver's Row - Initial Chain is created including Reaver's Row "When you defend" trigger - Defender must decide whether to move their unit to base or stay - After this decision, the attacker has Focus and gets priority to play actions/reactions - Then the defender gets priority Nuances: - The defender can "bluff" the attacker into staying even without having a buff spell, since the attacker gets priority to play cards after the defender's retreat decision

Ruling: Players can continue to play reactions (but not actions) during a chain until both players pass priority in succession. Only then does the game move to the combat damage step where units deal damage. Sequence: - When a chain is in progress, players can only play reactions (not actions) - Players alternate playing reactions or passing priority - Once both players pass priority in succession, the chain resolves - After the chain resolves, combat damage is dealt Nuances: - Reactions can be played in response to actions, but actions cannot be played in response to reactions - During combat on a battlefield, players can use reactions to modify might values before damage is dealt - Example: If opponent plays an action like Hextech Ray, you can respond with a reaction like Discipline. But if opponent plays Discipline first, you cannot respond with Hextech Ray since it's an action

Ruling: The entire Resolution Step completes before any triggers (like deathknells) that were put onto the chain resolve. Healing happens right after units with lethal damage are killed, before any deathknells or other triggered abilities resolve. Sequence: - Remove units with lethal damage - Heal damage from units - Then triggered abilities (like deathknells) go onto the chain and resolve Nuances: - This means you cannot use action spells like Cannon Barrage to finish off a damaged unit before it heals at the end of combat - Deathknell abilities do not create a window to play spells before healing occurs

Ruling: As the active player, you can play as many legally timed cards (such as reactions) as you want before passing priority. After playing each card, you remain the active player and can choose to play another card or pass priority. Sequence: - Active player plays a card (e.g., a reaction) - Active player remains active and can choose to play another card or pass priority - This continues until the active player chooses to pass priority Nuances: - The rule text "a card" refers to playing one card at a time, but the active player can immediately exercise their options again after playing each card - This works the same way as in Magic: The Gathering, where a player can hold priority and add multiple cards to the stack/chain

Ruling: If a player's deck doesn't include both a champion legend and a chosen champion, they draw one additional card at the start of the game. This means you draw the extra card if you have only a champion, only a legend, or neither - the only case where you don't draw the extra card is when you have both a champion AND a legend. Nuances: - Having neither a champion nor legend does NOT give you +2 cards total, just the standard +1 extra draw - The rule applies to four scenarios: (A) Champion and Legend = no extra draw, (B) Champion only = extra draw, (C) Legend only = extra draw, (D) Neither = extra draw

Ruling: The attacker gets focus/priority first in Showdown (usually the turn player but not always). Players can continue playing actions after a chain resolves until both players pass focus consecutively without playing anything. Sequence: - Attacker gets focus first and may play an action/reaction - Defender may respond with a reaction - Chain resolves - After chain resolves, if both players have not passed consecutively, either player can start a new chain - This continues until both players pass without playing anything - Only then do units fight Nuances: - After each chain resolves, the player who did not have priority last can start a new chain with an action/reaction - There can be multiple chains before units actually fight - Units only fight after no player starts a new chain

Ruling: Each player assigns their total might as damage to their opponent's units in whatever manner they choose. The attacker assigns first, then the defender assigns, then all damage is dealt simultaneously. Sequence: - Attacker assigns their total might to opponent's units at the battlefield - Defender assigns their total might to opponent's units at the battlefield - Damage is dealt simultaneously Nuances: - You cannot choose which of your own units die; your opponent chooses where to assign damage to your units - Even if you want a specific unit (like one with Temporary) to die, your opponent controls that decision

Ruling: When multiple units die simultaneously and you control a replacement effect like Zhonya's, you get to choose which death is replaced. Sequence: - All units die at the same time - The controller of the replacement effect (Zhonya's) chooses which death event to replace Nuances: - This applies specifically when units die to combat - When a replacement effect would replace two events at the same moment, the controller of the replacement effect chooses which is replaced

Ruling: Yes, both players are allowed to reveal the same battlefield in a match. Nuances: - You cannot have duplicate battlefields within your own set of three battlefields - If you and your opponent happen to select matching battlefields, this is legal

Ruling: You keep the same battlefields. There is no rule preventing both players from having the same battlefield in a 1v1 duel. Nuances: - The only restriction on battlefields is in 2v2 format, where both teammates cannot bring the same battlefield.

Ruling: You can win the game by holding just one battlefield to score the final point. The restriction requiring all battlefields only applies to conquering for the final point. Nuances: - If you are at 6 points and hold both battlefields, you also win the game - The special restriction (needing to score on all battlefields) only applies when conquering for the final point - Other win conditions like specific champion abilities can also score the final point without the all-battlefield requirement

Ruling: Yes, in 1v1 the starting player draws a card on their first turn. The rule that the starting player does NOT draw only applies to specific formats: FFA 3, FFA 4, and 2v2 Magma Chamber, which explicitly call out no card draw on the first turn. Nuances: - By default, every player draws during the draw phase of their turn, including the first turn - The no-draw rule for the starting player only exists in the First Turn Process sections for 3-player, 4-player, and 2v2 Magma Chamber formats - 1v1 does not have this restriction since it's not mentioned in those specific format rules

Ruling: Yes, in 1v1 matches, the first player draws a card on their first turn as normal. Sequence: - The core rules define variables that each game mode must specify, including adjustments to the first turn - The 1v1 mode only specifies one adjustment: the second player channels an extra Rune during their first Channel Phase - Since no adjustment is specified for the first player's draw, they draw normally Nuances: - In 3-4 player format, the rules explicitly state the first player does not draw, but this restriction only applies to that format - The absence of a "no draw" rule for 1v1 means the normal draw rules apply

Ruling: No, Tide Turner cannot be used on a teammate's unit. The card's errata explicitly specifies it can only target "your unit," not an ally's unit. Nuances: - An ally's units can never enter a battlefield controlled by you - Combat can never happen with more than 2 units from different players involved at the same battlefield

Ruling: No, you cannot reveal Tideturner from hidden and swap with a teammate's unit. This play is completely illegal because teammates cannot have units at the same battlefield in 2v2. Sequence: - When attempting to play Tideturner to swap with a teammate's unit, the game checks if the outcome would be legal - The swap would result in two teammates having units at the same battlefield - This is an illegal game state, so the card cannot be played this way Nuances: - Teammates having units at the same battlefield would allow them to lock out opponents from pushing to that battlefield (since there's a rule limiting battlefields to units controlled by at most two players) - The recall rule for units entering battlefields with 2 different controllers does not apply here, as the teammate's unit would only be entering a battlefield with 1 different controller - Tideturner will receive errata to address this and another issue

Ruling: No, you cannot have units on a battlefield that your ally controls. Nuances: - This also means you cannot use Sprite Summon to an ally's battlefield - Seals can only add Power, not Energy - Power symbols (fury, calm, body, mind, chaos, order, universal power) always mean Power - Energy symbols (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.) always mean Energy

Ruling: No, allied players' Units cannot share battlefields. Control is not shared between allies, and units are prohibited from moving to an ally's battlefield. Nuances: - The prohibition is explicitly stated in the FAQ but was not included in the main rules document at the time of this discussion - You also cannot hide a card at an allied player's battlefield

Ruling: Yes, you can win for your team using Time Warp. Victory Points have nothing to do with battlefield control, and Victory Point has no restrictions if it is a Hold. Sequence: - You conquer a battlefield on your turn - You play Time Warp to take an extra turn - During the extra turn, you hold your own battlefield - This allows you to accumulate Victory Points toward the winning total Nuances: - The opponent holding one battlefield does not prevent you from gaining Victory Points - Your teammate holding another battlefield is irrelevant to your Victory Point gain - You only hold your own battlefield during the Time Warp turn, not your teammate's

Ruling: The ally recycles the rune because the battlefield is conquered by the controller of the unit that conquered, not by whose turn it is. Nuances: - Even though the conquest happens during your turn, what matters is who controls the conquering unit - The new controller of the battlefield determines who recycles the rune

Ruling: No, you cannot score conquest on a battlefield that your teammate controlled during the beginning phase of your turn, even if you remove their unit and place yours during that turn. Sequence: - At beginning of turn, teammate's unit controls the battlefield - You flash away teammate's unit - You move your unit onto the battlefield - You do not score conquest because your teammate held it during beginning phase Nuances: - Control is not shared between teammates in 2v2 formats - The key factor is who controlled the battlefield during the beginning phase, not who controls it later in the turn

Ruling: Yes, you will win during that turn's beginning phase. Sequence: - Opponent kills your teammate's unit at Battlefield A - You conquer Battlefield C - During the beginning phase, you check win conditions and win the game

Ruling: No, you cannot use Yasuo's legend ability on your partner's units in a 2v2 match. Nuances: - The restriction is not about whether the units are "friendly" (they are), but rather that you cannot move your partner's units "to and from your base"

Ruling: In a combat showdown, the attacker and defender can invite another player when they have priority. The invited player must either decline or use an effect immediately when invited - they cannot accept to play something later. If they accept by playing an effect, they become relevant for the rest of the showdown. In an open showdown, all players are already relevant. Sequence: - Attacker or defender has priority during combat showdown - They can invite a non-relevant player - Invited player must immediately decline or play an effect - If they play an effect, they become relevant for the entire showdown - Relevant players can get focus and play actions throughout the showdown Nuances: - You can invite non-relevant players any number of times as long as you have priority - You cannot invite a player who is already relevant - In neutral state (outside showdowns), every player is already relevant - Inviting is classified as a Limited Action, which means you can only do it when game rules explicitly allow it (such as during showdowns)

Ruling: No, the rules prevent units from 3 players being in the same location at once. Sequence: - All players get priority during all showdowns, even if they're not involved - A third player can play cards like Ride the Wind during another showdown - However, a battlefield with two players already in a showdown is not a legal destination for the third player's unit Nuances: - If a player moves a unit to a different battlefield during another showdown, triggering a new showdown, the second showdown stages and waits for the first showdown to fully resolve before beginning

Ruling: Priority always passes in turn order following whoever got priority first. In a showdown between players 1 and 3, player 2 receives priority after player 1 (before player 3) because they are the next player in turn order. Sequence: - Player 1 initiates showdown with player 3 - Player 1 gets priority first - Player 2 receives Focus next as the next turn player - Priority continues in turn order

Ruling: During a combat showdown, only the attacker and defender are relevant players. Players C and D cannot play any cards unless player A or B (the relevant players) invite them by giving them their priority window. Sequence: - A combat showdown occurs when two players' units are on the same battlefield - Only the attacker and defender are relevant players - A relevant player with priority can "invite" another player by giving them their window - The invited player can then take a legally timed action Nuances: - In an open showdown (when a unit moves to an uncontrolled battlefield), every player is relevant - This invitation rule may be removed in future comprehensive rules updates, making all players relevant in all showdowns