Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: You can win off of holding a single battlefield for your last point. The last point rule only affects conquering when you haven't scored every other location that turn. Nuances: - You don't need to still be in control of the other battlefields, you just have to have scored them previously - Any point can be your last point except if you conquer and haven't scored every other battlefield that turn

Ruling: To win the 8th point by conquering when at 7 points, you must score on ALL battlefields in a single turn. Holding battlefields at the start of your turn always gives you the 8th point with no restrictions. Sequence: - If at 7 points and you control battlefields at start of turn (holding), you win the 8th point normally - If at 7 points and you want to win by conquering during your turn, you must conquer on all 3 battlefields in that single turn - Other methods of gaining points have no restrictions Nuances: - Conquering while at 7 points without conquering all battlefields gives you a draw instead of a point - The restriction only applies to conquering, not to holding

Ruling: You can activate Hidden Blade as a reaction to Anivia's "when I attack" ability and kill her before it resolves. If Anivia dies before her ability resolves, the ability will not affect your units. Sequence: - Anivia attacks the battlefield - Anivia's "when I attack" ability triggers - You can react by activating Hidden Blade to kill Anivia - If Anivia dies, her ability tries to find "here" and cannot, so it fails to resolve Nuances: - This works specifically because Anivia's ability references "here" (her location) - Riftbound has no concept of "last known information" - if a unit is gone, abilities referencing its location cannot find it - This differs from games like Magic where abilities can resolve even if the source is removed

Ruling: The player scores 2 points (one for each battlefield held) and wins immediately with 8 points. Nuances: - Holding always scores points at the start of your turn, regardless of how many battlefields exist in the game

Ruling: Yes, during a showdown between players A and B, player A can play an Action card targeting Player C's unit. Player C becomes Relevant and is able to React. Nuances: - Actions can be played during a combat showdown targeting units that are not part of the combat - Actions can only be played during your turn when there is no showdown going on

Ruling: You can win by either holding a single battlefield at the start of your turn or by scoring all 3 battlefields in the same turn. You can also go from 6 points to 8 points by holding 2 battlefields. Sequence: - If at 7 points and holding 1 battlefield: score the 8th point when your turn starts - If at 6 points and holding 2 battlefields: score both points to reach 8 - Alternative: score all 3 battlefields in the same turn regardless of current points Nuances: - The win condition works the same as in 1v1, just with 8 points instead of the 1v1 total - You do not need to conquer 2 battlefields when at 7 points; holding 1 is sufficient

Ruling: No, you do not win. To win via conquest, you must score all battlefields on the same turn. Moving to a battlefield on an opponent's turn means you're scoring battlefields across different turns. Sequence: - You scored all 3 battlefields on your previous turn (reaching 7 points) - On the next player's turn, you RTW to another battlefield - This scores one battlefield on a different turn than the others - Since you're at 7 points and can't score an 8th, you draw a card instead Nuances: - This ruling applies to both 1v1 and FFA formats - If you had performed all the RTW movements during the turn of the player before you (before your turn began) and held all battlefields, that would result in a win

Ruling: During a combat showdown between two opponents, you can only activate abilities if you are invited to the showdown by one of those players, or if an ability from one of your cards triggers (which causes you to automatically join as a relevant player). Sequence: - A player in the showdown must invite you by simply saying "I invite you" - You can accept or refuse the invitation - If you accept, you must immediately play a card or activate an ability - You then stay part of the showdown until it ends Nuances: - Inviting can happen when a player has priority in a closed state (things on the chain) - only reactions can be played at this point - Inviting can also happen when a player has focus and priority in an open state (empty chain) - the invited player can then play an action or reaction - Inviting happens instead of playing something or passing - If both showdown players pass priority, the opportunity to invite ends (unless abilities trigger during resolution, which starts a new chain and creates new opportunities to invite)

Ruling: Yes, player C can interact with a reaction during the showdown between players A and B. Sequence: - Priority goes around to all players, not just the attacker and defender - Every player gets a window of focus (the ability to start chains) - Each player gets a chance to add items to each chain, regardless of whether they are an attacker, defender, or neither Nuances: - The "inviting" system (where you had to use priority to invite a player to act) was removed from the core rules in the NA release version in October

Ruling: Under current rules, other players can only play spells when the attacker or defender invites them, or when they become relevant (such as when a spell targets their units). However, the invite mechanic is being removed in updated rules, after which all players can play spells during any showdown like any other player. Sequence: (Current rules with invites) - Attacker or defender must invite other players when they have priority - Invited player takes priority and must immediately play a card - From then on, invited players are part of the showdown and can play/react as usual - Players also become relevant automatically if a spell targets their units Sequence: (Updated rules without invites) - All players will always be relevant or the notion of relevant players will be removed entirely - Whenever something is played, all players get an opportunity to play reactions in turn order - During combat, all players get an opportunity to play actions in turn order Nuances: - The invite system had issues where it was possible to affect a third player from within combat without giving them a chance to react, which is why it's being removed - The FAQ document explains the new rules for free-for-all multiplayer

Ruling: Showdowns cannot change type mid-showdown. Attacker and defender designations are assigned when combat opens and persist until combat cleanup, even if units leave the battlefield during the showdown. Sequence: - Attacker and defender designations are assigned when combat opens - The showdown remains a Combat Showdown throughout all steps - Continue the showdown process until Focus has been passed sequentially - Designations are only removed during combat cleanup Nuances: - Even if defending units leave the battlefield, the Combat Showdown continues as a Combat Showdown - There is no rule that instructs you to stop or change a showdown type if units leave the battlefield mid-showdown - Related uncertainty exists about what counts as "conquering an open battlefield" for card effects (current consensus: conquer after a non-combat/open showdown)

Ruling: No, the opponent cannot score the winning point from conquering during your turn. Players only Hold battlegrounds on their own turns, not on opponent's turns, so conquering via Charm causes them to draw a card instead of scoring a point. Sequence: - The Charmed unit conquers a battleground on your turn (opponent draws 1 card instead of getting a point) - On the opponent's next turn, they lose and regain control of their battleground to conquer it again (draws 1 card instead of getting a point) - The opponent conquers a third battleground to finally score the winning point Nuances: - Even if an opponent was holding another battleground before your turn, they do not Hold it during your turn - Conquering battlegrounds on an opponent's turn results in drawing cards instead of scoring points

Ruling: Yes, your opponent can react with Gust before you score for holding. Jinx's legend ability enters the chain every turn, giving your opponent priority to play reactions before the hold scoring condition is checked. Sequence: - Jinx legend ability triggers at the beginning phase (315.2.a) - Jinx ability enters the chain - Opponent gets priority and can play Gust as a reaction - Hold scoring is checked afterward (315.2.b) Nuances: - This works regardless of how many cards are in hand (1 or 10) because Jinx's ability always enters the chain - With legends like Teemo that don't have "at the beginning" effects, opponents would not get priority to react before hold scoring unless another "at the beginning" effect (like Temporary) goes on the chain - Reactions can only be played when you have priority, which occurs at specific times defined by the rules

Ruling: The loser of the previous game chooses who plays first in the next game.

Ruling: Yes, the defender gets priority and focus back and can start another chain with an action. Both players must pass focus without starting a new chain in order for the showdown to resolve. Sequence: - When a chain resolves, focus automatically returns to the appropriate player (not a "pass") - That player can either start a new chain or intentionally pass focus - If they pass focus, the other player receives focus and priority - The showdown only ends when both players pass focus in succession without creating a chain Nuances: - There is a difference between the automatic focus transfer that happens when a chain resolves versus an intentional pass of focus by a player - After a reaction resolves on a chain, priority goes to the owner of the topmost remaining item on the chain (the "most recent effect" means top of chain, not the last thing that just resolved)

Ruling: Yes, when your opponent plays an action after you pass, you get action priority back and can play another action. The showdown only ends when both players pass in succession without playing anything. Sequence: - Attacker may play an action or pass priority - If attacker passes and defender plays an action, priority returns to attacker - If attacker plays an action and defender has no reactions, that action resolves before defender can play actions - Showdown only closes when both players pass focus without playing a spell or activating an ability Nuances: - Both players must pass consecutively without starting the chain for the showdown to end and damage to be assigned

Ruling: The opponent who initially moved to the uncontested battlefield is the attacker, and you (who used Ride the Wind) are the defender. If the attacker stuns your larger unit, the attacker's unit is recalled and you conquer the battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent moves unit to uncontested battlefield, applying Contested status - You Ride the Wind a unit there, triggering Showdown - Opponent is attacker (applied Contested status), you are defender - If attacker stuns your larger unit, attacker's unit recalls - You remain at battlefield post special cleanup and establish control - You conquer the battlefield Nuances: - You can conquer the battlefield even though you were not the player who initially applied the Contested state to the battlefield

Ruling: No, neither unit gets the bonus. Combat damage is dealt simultaneously, so there is no time frame for a unit to have been alone during the damage calculation. Nuances: - If a unit ended up alone before combat damage was dealt, it would receive the +2 bonus - Yi's ability applies during the entire process of combat, including damage assignment, but simultaneous death means no unit becomes alone during damage calculation

Ruling: The rule refers specifically to the Pass action (voluntarily passing focus), not to passing priority. Passing priority after playing an action/reaction is a separate mechanic and does not count toward the sequence of passes that ends a Showdown. Sequence: - Player plays an action card and passes priority to allow opponent to react - Opponent passes priority back, action resolves - Focus returns to the player who can now play another action - Only when a player takes the Pass action (with no chain) does it count toward ending the Showdown Nuances: - The Pass action can only be taken when there is no chain - Priority passing during chain resolution is automatic and separate from the Pass action - The distinction is semantic but important: "passing priority" ≠ "Passing" (the action)

Ruling: When you cast an Action in a Showdown, both players can pass priority for it to resolve, then focus passes to your opponent. Both players must pass focus (not just priority) for the Showdown Action Step to end. Sequence: - Attacker casts Action and has priority to react to their own spell - Attacker passes priority - Defender has priority to react - Defender passes priority - Action resolves - Defender receives focus - If defender passes focus, it returns to attacker - Both players must pass focus for the Showdown to end Nuances: - Focus and Priority are distinct mechanics - Focus is the ability to start a chain in the Showdown, while Priority is the ability to take discretionary actions - Simply passing priority on a single Action does not end the Showdown Action Step

Ruling: The player who owns the last item on the chain has priority first. In both scenarios (Attack and Defend triggers, or only Defend triggers), this is the defending player. Nuances: - Focus is the permission to start a chain during a showdown and passes automatically when chains empty - Priority is the permission to play something to a new or existing chain and passes back and forth frequently as players build and resolve the chain

Ruling: You reveal the battlefield first, then determine turn order. This applies to each game in the match. Sequence: - Step 1: Reveal the battlefield for the current game - Step 2: Determine turn order (choose first or second) - Step 3: Begin the game Nuances: - You only see the battlefield for the current game, not future games in the best-of-3 - In games two or three, the loser of the previous game gets to choose turn order with knowledge of the battlefield, which is an intentional advantage

Ruling: The loser of the previous game decides turn order for the next game, and this decision is made after choosing the battlefield. Sequence: - Battlefield is chosen - Loser decides turn order

Ruling: The match ends as a 1-1 tie (draw). Each game win counts separately, so if Player 1 wins Game 1 and Player 2 wins Game 2 on points after time, the match is a draw. Nuances: - Some local game stores use a house rule where Player 1 would win in this case, but this is not the official ruling.

Ruling: No, if two opponents flip up the same battlefield, play continues normally. There is no rule requiring a player to change their battlefield once it has been revealed. Nuances: - A player can only use one copy of a battlefield in their deck - In team formats, a team as a whole can only use one copy of a battlefield between all team members - This applies even in mirror matches where both players might have the same battlefield as their only option

Ruling: For games after the first game of a match, the loser of the previous game gets to choose if they play first or last. Nuances: - If the previous game was a draw, the starting play from the previous game is maintained.

Ruling: The chain ends once the last card resolves. A reaction card drawn during the resolution of the last card in the chain cannot be played within that same chain. Sequence: - The last card/ability in the chain resolves completely - If the chain is now empty, play proceeds in an open state - If there is currently a showdown, focus is passed to the opponent where they have the opportunity to start a new chain Nuances: - Even if a player draws a reaction card as part of the resolution of the last card in the chain (e.g., drawing 2 cards from Hidden Blade killing a unit), they cannot play that reaction within the same chain

Ruling: After a chain resolves during a showdown, focus automatically passes to the next player. The attacker does not retain focus to play another action speed spell without it passing first. Sequence: - Attacker has initial focus and plays an action speed spell (e.g., Voidseeker) - Players may respond with reaction speed spells (priority passes during chain building) - Chain resolves completely - Focus automatically passes to the next player in turn order - The attacker must wait to receive focus again before playing another action speed spell Nuances: - The "initial chain" (caused by "when attacking" and "when defending" effects) is an exception where focus does NOT automatically pass after resolution - the player with focus proceeds with play - Any other chain (including action speed spells played during the showdown) causes focus to pass automatically when the last item resolves - Reaction speed spells can be played whenever a player has priority, even without focus

Ruling: When combat ends in a tie with both players still having units at the battlefield, only the attacker's units are recalled back to their base. The defender's units remain at the battlefield. Nuances: - This applies regardless of the reason both players have units remaining (such as stun effects)

Ruling: Yes, during an "active defense" situation (when combat occurs after a non-combat showdown), if the combat ends in a tie, the defender stays and conquers the battlefield while the attacker recalls. Nuances: - This applies specifically to combats triggered after non-combat showdowns by cards like Zenith Blade or Ride the Wind - If Zenith Blade is played second, Leona would be the defender in this situation - Conquering means taking control of a battlefield, so a defender on a battlefield they don't control who wins (or ties) the combat will conquer it

Ruling: Yes, you draw a card. Nuances: - This ruling applies specifically to duel format

Ruling: Deals between players are not binding according to the rules. There is nothing in the rulebook that compels players to keep their word; it relies on social contract and trust. Nuances: - Breaking deals can build a bad reputation and discourage others from playing with you - Backstabbing has been explicitly mentioned as an option in free-for-all games - Tournament rules and player etiquette guidelines may be added in the future

Ruling: Yes, during an open showdown triggered by a player's move, other players can play actions that target any player at any battlefield. Combat/showdowns do not limit what can or can't be targeted. Sequence: - A player moves to an open battlefield with a unit, triggering an open showdown - Focus passes between players in turn order, starting with the attacker - When a player receives focus, they can play actions targeting units at any battlefield

Ruling: You only need to announce the might change when it affects the board state such as damage or combat, not for every spell. Nuances: - You can propose a shortcut with your opponent to skip announcing triggers and assume they happen if they agree - The announcement itself typically only takes a couple seconds when needed

Ruling: Player C cannot move onto the battlefield while the initial showdown is still ongoing. The first showdown (started when A contested the open battlefield) does not end until all players pass in sequence, which has not happened yet. Sequence: - Player A moves to open battlefield, applying Contested status and starting an open showdown - Player B plays Ride the Wind, A responds with Flash - A's unit leaves, B's unit enters the still-contested battlefield - The original showdown is still ongoing because players have not all passed in sequence - Player C cannot use Ride the Wind to enter because moving onto a battlefield with an ongoing showdown would create a combat between more than two players, which is an invalid choice Nuances: - Contesting an open battlefield does not assign attacker/defender roles - those are only assigned in combat showdowns - The Contested status persists throughout the scenario and cannot be reapplied while active - Player A remains designated as "the player who applied Contested" even after their unit leaves, making C's move invalid per the rules preventing 3+ player combats

Ruling: Player C can cast the movement spell when priority passes to them, but the spell will fail to move the unit because a battlefield cannot have units from more than 2 players at it at any point. Sequence: - Player B moves their unit to start a showdown at Player A's battlefield - Priority passes around the table, including to Player C - Player C can cast movement spells like Ride The Wind - The movement effect fails because the battlefield already has units from 2 players Nuances: - Priority still goes around the table to all players during a showdown, even if they cannot successfully move units to that battlefield

Ruling: A player who moves into an uncontested battlefield is not an attacker until combat actually starts. The "attacker" status only exists once combat begins. If an opponent responds with Zenith Blade to move a unit into the battlefield, the original player who applied contested becomes the attacker and the Zenith Blade player becomes the defender once combat starts. Sequence: - Player moves unit(s) into uncontested battlefield, applying contested status - The game remembers who applied contested to the battlefield - If opponent responds with an action card like Zenith Blade to move a unit there, combat is staged - Once combat starts, the player who originally applied contested becomes the attacker, and the responding player becomes the defender - If combat results in a tie, attackers recall and the defender gains control of the battlefield and scores it (if not already scored this turn) Nuances: - When moving multiple units to initiate a showdown, all units must be moved simultaneously as part of one standard move - you cannot move units in stages or add more units after the showdown starts - You can only perform standard moves during a neutral open state in your action phase, not during an ongoing showdown or combat - Spells or abilities with appropriate timing (action speed or reaction speed) can move units to a battlefield during showdown resolution

Ruling: Ravenbloom Student does not gain might from Assault or Cleave because there is no combat occurring (the battlefield is empty). The student remains at 3 might and dies to Hextech Ray's 3 damage before the showdown resolves. Sequence: - Player A pushes Ravenbloom Student onto empty battlefield (non-combat showdown) - Player A gets focus first as the player moving into the battlefield - Player A casts Cleave, but it grants no might because there is no combat - Player B casts Hextech Ray, dealing 3 damage to the 3 might student - Student dies before showdown resolves Nuances: - If a different unit with 6 base might were used instead, it would take 3 damage, successfully conquer the battlefield, but would not heal because no combat occurred - The player moving into the battlefield gets focus first, but this does not make them "the attacker" in a non-combat showdown

Ruling: After your Hextech Ray resolves, focus automatically passes to your opponent. You will get another chance to play an Action spell, but only after your opponent gets a chance to act at action speed and passes focus back to you. Sequence: - Opponent moves unit into empty BF, showdown starts, opponent has focus - Opponent passes focus to you - You play Hextech Ray (Action spell), pass priority - Opponent passes priority, chain resolves - Focus automatically passes to opponent - Opponent passes focus back to you - You can now play another Action spell Nuances: - The "initial chain" (triggered by "When I Attack/Defend" abilities in combat showdowns) is an exception where focus does NOT automatically pass after resolution - the attacker retains focus - For all other chains during showdown, focus automatically passes to the opponent when the last item resolves - When you control the next item on the chain, you get priority first as each item resolves

Ruling: Once you reach the combat damage resolution step, the showdown is over. If units from both players remain on the battlefield after damage is dealt, the attackers are recalled to base. Sequence: - Leona stuns Deadbloom - Opponent has only Miss Fortune's 5 might to distribute (Deadbloom is stunned) - The 5 damage must be assigned to Sett (who has Tank) - Attacker has 12 might total to distribute - Attacker can assign lethal to either Deadbloom or Miss Fortune, but not both - After damage resolution, units remain on both sides - Attackers are repelled back to base Nuances: - You don't "attack units" - you assign total might as damage - When a unit with Tank is present, damage must be assigned to it

Ruling: The attacker recalls back to base. As long as any defending units remain at the battlefield after damage cleanup, the attacker does not conquer and must recall. Sequence: - Showdown occurs with Player B attacking Player A's battlefield - Player B stuns one of Player A's units with Rune Prison - Damage is dealt and resolved - Player B kills 2 of Player A's 3 units - Player A's remaining unit (the stunned one) survives - Since a defender is still present, Player B's attacker recalls back to base - Player A's remaining unit stays at the battlefield

Ruling: Focus automatically passes to the opponent after a chain resolves completely. You cannot cast multiple spells in sequence while maintaining focus. Sequence: - Player with focus starts a chain by casting a spell - Chain resolves completely - Focus automatically passes to opponent - Opponent can start a new chain or pass focus back - If opponent passes without starting a chain, focus returns to original player - Original player can then start a new chain or pass - Showdown ends only after both players pass focus sequentially without starting a chain Nuances: - Priority is retained when putting something on the chain, but focus is not - If you start a showdown and immediately pass on an empty chain, then opponent passes, the showdown ends immediately - You can cast multiple spells in the same showdown, but only by regaining focus after opponent passes, not by retaining it after your chain resolves

Ruling: Actions can only be played when there is nothing waiting to resolve. Showdowns consist of multiple chains, where each chain must fully resolve before new actions can be played. Sequence: - Showdown begins with a chain of attack/defend triggers (if any) - Attacker gets focus first and may play an action/reaction to start a chain - Players add reactions to build the chain while they have priority - When both players pass priority, the next chain link resolves - When the whole chain resolves, focus passes to the next player - That player can optionally start a new chain with an action or reaction - When both players pass focus without starting a chain, the showdown ends Nuances: - Showdowns can contain multiple separate chains - Each chain must completely resolve before a new chain can begin - Focus and priority are different: focus is the opportunity to start a new chain, priority is the opportunity to add to an existing chain

Ruling: When there is anything on the chain, only reactions can be played. Actions can only be played when the chain is empty. Sequence: - First action (En Garde) is played and chain resolves - Unit gets +1 from En Garde - After chain is empty, opponent can open a new chain with an action (Ride The Wind) - Unit goes back - All players pass priority - Damage occurs Nuances: - An action can be played after another action resolves, but not while it's on the chain - The opponent must wait for the chain to fully resolve before playing their action

Ruling: The attacker always gains focus first in a showdown. When a player passes focus without playing a card, the opponent can then start a chain with either action or reaction cards, but the passing player can only respond with reaction cards. Sequence: - Attacker declares showdown and gains focus first - Attacker can play action or reaction speed cards - If attacker plays a card, defender can only respond with reaction cards - If attacker passes focus, defender can then play action or reaction cards - When defender starts a chain after attacker passes, attacker can only respond with reaction cards Nuances: - The ability to play action speed cards is only available to the player who currently has focus and hasn't passed it yet - Once you pass focus, you can only respond with reaction speed cards to any chains your opponent starts

Ruling: No. Fox Fire played from hand is an Action and can only be played when nothing else is on the stack. Actions must be the first item on the stack, while Reactions can be added anytime during resolution. Sequence: - Retreat resolves first (removing Darius) - Smokescreen fizzles because Darius is gone - Player B must pass focus (because Player A started the chain) - Only then can Player A play Fox Fire as an Action Nuances: - After each spell resolves in a chain, there's a window for players to add Reactions to the stack before the next item resolves - Players pass priority after each resolution, allowing opportunities to play additional Reactions - "When you play" triggers occur when spells resolve, not when they're added to the stack (there are no "on cast" triggers in Riftbound)

Ruling: After a chain resolves in a showdown, focus automatically passes to the opponent in turn order. The player who started the chain cannot start another chain consecutively unless the opponent chooses not to act. Sequence: - Player with focus starts a chain with an action - Chain resolves and closes - Focus automatically moves to the opponent - Opponent now has permission to start a new chain Nuances: - Focus can be thought of as "the permission to start a chain during a showdown" - A player does not choose whether to pass focus after their chain resolves - it passes automatically - Neither player can start two chains consecutively unless the opponent agrees by not doing anything

Ruling: The player who cast Hexray retains priority after casting it and can immediately react with Smokescreen on the same chain. Then both players pass priority, Smokescreen resolves first, then Hexray resolves. Sequence: - Player A plays Hexray - Player A retains priority and plays Smokescreen (reacting to Hexray) - Player A passes - Player B passes - Smokescreen resolves - Player A passes - Player B passes - Hexray resolves Nuances: - It would also work if they played Smokescreen after Hexray resolved as a separate chain, though this would allow the opponent to play an action in between - When a chain fully resolves, focus and priority automatically pass to the player who did NOT play the last action

Ruling: When a reaction resolves in a showdown, priority returns to the attacker. Damage only occurs after both players pass priority consecutively without playing anything. Sequence: - Attacker has priority first and may play actions or pass - If attacker passes, defender gets priority - If defender plays a reaction (like Shen), after it resolves priority returns to the attacker - Priority alternates between attacker and defender until both pass consecutively - Only when both players pass in a row without playing anything does damage occur Nuances: - A single pass does not lock a player out of future actions in that showdown - Priority alternates back and forth (attacker, defender, attacker, defender) until both pass consecutively

Ruling: Yes, if the defender kills your unit triggering Phoenix, and you then kill their unit on the battlefield before Phoenix resolves, Phoenix must be played to their base or another battlefield they control. Sequence: - Defender kills attacker's unit, triggering Phoenix - With Phoenix trigger on the stack, attacker kills defender's last unit on the battlefield - When Phoenix resolves, the defender no longer controls that battlefield - Phoenix must be played to defender's base or another battlefield they control