Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: Yes, you can use dice to track your opponent's hand size. Cards in hand are public information, so you can check or ask at any point, and using dice or keeping notes to track this information is allowed. Nuances: - This is useful for saving time rather than asking repeatedly during the game - You can also keep written notes if preferred

Ruling: Yes, it is legal to write down cards that get recycled into your deck. Sequence: - Cards recycled one-by-one do not require shuffling, allowing you to track their exact order - Cards recycled multiple at once require shuffling and allowing your opponent to cut/shuffle, making tracking less useful - You must write down information in a timely manner without slowing down the game Nuances: - You cannot take excessive time (e.g., 3 minutes) writing down every card revealed by effects like Aurora - It's recommended to write down only important cards and perhaps the count of cards flipped rather than everything - Aurora counts as recycling multiple cards at once, so it triggers the shuffle requirement

Ruling: Yes, it is possible for a unit to reach 0 might or even negative might (which is treated as 0 for all purposes). A unit at 0 might still needs to take at least 1 damage to be destroyed. Sequence: (Example with Master Yi and Smokescreen) - Unit starts at 4 might - Master Yi's ability gives +2 might (now 6 might) - Smokescreen applies -4 might to minimum of 1 (now 2 might) - Pakaa Cub enters, removing Yi's +2 bonus - Unit is now at 0 might (4 base - 4 from Smokescreen) Nuances: - Effects like Smokescreen that say "to a minimum of 1M" are one-time adjustments, not persistent auras - If a unit later loses a passive might bonus that was keeping it above 0, it can drop to 0 or below - Units with 0 might still require non-zero damage to be destroyed by damage - A unit at 0 might with 0 damage remains alive

Ruling: Yes, if you only play permanents without "when played" triggers and only move units to bases or battlefields you already control without initiating showdowns, there is no window for your opponent to play reactions. Sequence: - Play only permanents that lack "when played" triggers - Move units only to bases or battlefields you already control - Avoid initiating any showdowns - This prevents your opponent from gaining priority during your turn Nuances: - Permanents with "when played" triggers will open a chain, offering a chance for reactions - "When" is generally the keyword that indicates a triggered ability that opens a chain - "As you play" effects (like Clockwork Keeper's draw) are conditional passive abilities, not triggered abilities, and do not open a reaction window

Ruling: No, you cannot put runes in the rune deck with a color that does not match your legend. Nuances: - TF (Twisted Fate) could work in sealed/limited formats that permit 3 color decks - In constructed, TF will have more play options in future sets with new legends - Since TF is purple himself, he can currently only use 1 of his 3 abilities unless 3-colored legends are printed in the future - Future legend options may allow building around which 2 of 3 of TF's abilities you can use

Ruling: Yes, there are two possible points to react to Targon's Peak. You can respond to the initial "When you conquer" trigger right after someone conquers it, and you can respond to the delayed ability when it gets added to the chain at the appropriate end of turn time. However, neither reaction point will prevent the conquering player from readying 2 runes. Sequence: - First reaction window: When the "When you conquer" trigger occurs (this only adds the delayed ability) - Second reaction window: At end of turn when the delayed ability is added to the chain Nuances: - End of turn is normally not a phase where players can play spells or activate abilities, but the delayed trigger creates a window for reaction-keyworded spells - The trigger happens even if there are no runes to ready or if runes are already ready - Ready runes are valid targets, and "up to" means 0 runes is also valid

Ruling: Recall is a specific action that only occurs when a card effect explicitly states "recall." It is not a standard action available at any time. Recall does not count as moving. Nuances: - Using a standard move action to bring a unit from the battlefield to base is not a recall - Recalls are limited actions that happen during specific moments - Units can only move via card effects or by using the standard move action (exhausting to move)

Ruling: Scoring at a battlefield is automatic during the beginning phase. You maintain control of the battlefield but cannot choose to delay scoring. Nuances: - Even though you maintain control, the scoring happens automatically and is not optional - This means you cannot intentionally avoid scoring to repeatedly trigger conquering effects

Ruling: No, the champion zone is not the same as your hand. They are different zones. Nuances: - Cards that reference "hand" do not apply to your Chosen Champion in the champion zone

Ruling: 1. The Zaun Warrens conquer effect is mandatory. 2. Yes, you can decide the order of your "when I defend" triggers relative to Reaver's Row. Sequence: - Attacker's triggers go on the chain first, ordered by the attacker - Defender's triggers go on the chain second, ordered by the defender - This allows the defender to choose whether other "when I defend" triggers happen before or after Reaver's Row Nuances: - When assigning combat damage, the attacker assigns damage first - When assigning damage to units, you must assign lethal damage to a unit before assigning damage to another unit (unless special abilities like Tank or its opposite apply) - Units with damage immunity (like Kayn) have special rules allowing you to skip assigning damage to them even if they have Tank

1) the friendly unit is a target, not a cost; 2) it is chosen along with the other friendly unit and killed as the spell resolves; 3) if you don’t actually kill it for any reason, either because it’s no longer a legal target or because you replaced its death with an effect like Zhonya’s Hourglass, you do not give the second friendly unit any Might. (You do still draw 1; we’ve introduced a paragraph break to make that clear.)

Ruling: It's a single-use trigger when the unit is played, not a passive effect. Sequence: - The first part of the effect resolves first - Then the second part resolves only if legal (if the unit is at a battlefield) Nuances: - This is a standard WYPM (When You Play Me) trigger that resolves as normal

Ruling: There are official patch notes that cover major changes and intent, available at the Riftbound website. These explain what changed and why, though they are more like footnotes rather than a comprehensive side-by-side comparison. Nuances: - For detailed rule number changes, some community members have used AI tools to compare PDFs and identify which specific rule numbers had updated text - The patch notes focus on explaining the changes and their intent rather than providing exhaustive technical details

Ruling: Yes, there is a contradiction in the rulebook between these two statements about when gear is recalled from the battlefield. Nuances: - The term "corrective action" only appears once in the rules and its meaning is unclear - The likely intended rule (RAI) is that the gear should be recalled during Cleanup, not immediately - This contradiction creates an unintended interaction with cards like Zhonya's Hidden, where playing it as a React would immediately recall it to base, potentially allowing it to save a unit on a different battlefield than where it was initially played

Ruling: There is currently no designated place for the chain in the TTS mod. Players handle it through communication and mental tracking. Nuances: - Some players place chain cards next to the token generator as a workaround - Some players place chain cards on the battlefield on top of the relevant unit so both players can see it

Ruling: There is no limit to the number of different champion units you can include in a deck. You can have as many different champion types as you want, as long as each champion unit has one of the two runes associated with your Legend and you don't exceed 3 copies of each specific champion. Nuances: - This differs from Legends of Runeterra which has champion limits - Champions must still match one of the two runes associated with the Legend in your deck

Ruling: There is no limit to the number of gear cards you can have on your board.

Ruling: No, there is no priority window to play reactions before the showdown begins if there are no triggers. As soon as the move is complete, cleanup happens and combat/showdown begins immediately. Sequence: - Move completes - Cleanup happens - Combat and showdown begin - When attacking/defending triggers happen at the beginning of the showdown - After the initial chain of when attacking/defending triggers resolves and your opponent passes focus, you can play actions (like Rune Prison) Nuances: - Move triggers are an exception - they activate and resolve before the showdown begins, creating a window to use reactions and potentially prevent the showdown - Actions (like Rune Prison) can only be played after you have focus, which is after when attacking/defending triggers resolve - Stunning a unit after when attacking triggers have resolved will prevent combat damage but not ability damage from when attacking triggers

Ruling: Yes, there is an official dev tracker available at https://riftrules.net/riotrules that compiles rulings made by official sources outside of official documents. Nuances: - Some rulings on the tracker may be older and have already been incorporated into newer versions of the core rules

Ruling: There is no turn order restriction. You can play units before or after showdowns, and it remains your turn after a showdown completes. You end your turn when you decide to end it. Sequence: - ABCD phases occur at beginning of turn - During showdown, focus/priority passes from attacker to defender to play actions/reactions - Outside of these structures, you can do whatever you can/want Nuances: - You can perform multiple showdowns during your turn as long as you have resources - Showdowns start automatically when units end up at a battlefield they don't control (combat showdown if opponent-controlled, open showdown if uncontrolled)

Ruling: There is no window after combat to cast spells before the conquer point is automatically awarded. Nuances: - If there are deathknell/death triggers put on the chain as a result of combat damage, these happen before conquering (but after damage is healed), providing a window for responses to those triggers.

Ruling: There is a window to react after each item on the chain resolves. After each resolution, the player who controls the most recent item on the chain becomes the active player, and all relevant players must pass again to proceed. Sequence: - Reaction level abilities and triggers are added to the chain one by one - Effects resolve in stack order after both players pass in succession - After each item resolves, a new window opens where players can add more items to the chain - All relevant players must pass again before the next item resolves

Ruling: Yes, riftrules.net provides an interactive rules resource for Riftbound. Additionally, Riot has stated they will provide an online resource for errata text. Nuances: - riftrules.net is a community resource that attempts to provide interactive rules information - An official Riot resource for errata is planned but separate

Ruling: Yes, there is an overtime procedure for best of 3 matches when the series is tied 1-1. The player with the most points at the end of 5 turns wins the overtime game. Sequence: - When the overtime round is called, whoever's turn it is becomes turn 0 - Play continues for 5 turns total - At the end of 5 turns, the player with the most points wins

Ruling: No, there is no additional priority round at the end of a turn. You cannot cast a meditation after your opponent ends their turn but before your turn begins.

Ruling: You cannot react to a unit moving into the battlefield before the showdown starts. Assault and Shield are passive abilities that don't go onto the chain, but 'When I attack/defend' triggers do go onto an initial chain once the showdown has already begun. Sequence: - Unit moves to battlefield with another unit present - If the moving unit has 'when you move me' triggers, those must be fully resolved before the showdown begins - Showdown begins - 'When I attack/defend' triggers go onto the initial chain (already within combat steps) Nuances: - The only exception for pre-showdown timing is 'when you move me' triggers (like Travelling Merchant), which must be fully resolved before the staged combat/showdown begins - If moving to the battlefield triggers no abilities or printed text, there are no pre-combat chain opportunities to react

Ruling: If you Ride the Wind off and back onto a battlefield during a showdown, you will trigger a new showdown after the current one resolves. If you still control the battlefield at the end of that second showdown and haven't scored it yet this turn, you will score a point. Sequence: - Current showdown begins when opponent moves to battlefield - You Ride the Wind off the battlefield during the showdown - You Ride the Wind back onto the battlefield during the same showdown - Current showdown resolves first - New showdown opens after current one completes - If you control the battlefield at the end of the new showdown, you score (if not already scored this turn) Nuances: - You can only score on the same battlefield once per turn - If you are kicked off during a showdown and Ride the Wind back during that same showdown, you do not get a point - If you are kicked off before a showdown or Ride the Wind back during a later showdown, you can score a point if you gain control - Timing of when you leave and return to the battlefield is critical for determining if you score

Oh, sharp catch. Weaponmaster as a keyword is always meant to be optional. While the rules utilize a language structure that imply a mandatory target, the reminder text is more accurate here. It is always a choice on whether or not to use this play ability. We will clean up that language in the future.

Ruling: (1) Yes, Ezreal draws a card even if Frigid Touch is countered, because you only need to target enemy units to trigger the ability. (2) Yes, Ezreal Prodigy reduces optional additional costs incurred (but NOT the base power costs of the spell). (3) You complete all of Arcane Shift's instructions first (select Fizz, banish Fizz, play Fizz from banished zone), then Fizz's on-play ability goes on the stack, then the 3 damage from Arcane Shift resolves. Sequence: (for Arcane Shift on Fizz) - Select Fizz as target - Banish Fizz - Play Fizz from banished zone - Fizz's on-play ability triggers and goes on stack - Arcane Shift's 3 damage resolves Nuances: - Ezreal Prodigy only reduces optional additional costs, not the base power cost of spells - Using Arcane Shift on Fizz can enable multiple spell triggers and synergies, especially when combined with purple Ezreal's discard ability

Yes, you must have both a friendly unit and an enemy unit at the same battlefield to play Facebreaker. The 'do as much as you can' rule does NOT apply here. Facebreaker requires you to 'Stun a friendly unit and an enemy unit at the same battlefield.' This is a group targeting requirement that must be met when you play the spell. You must make valid choices for all targets to put a spell on the chain. If valid targets don't exist, the play action is illegal and gets cancelled—Facebreaker stays in your hand. You CAN choose stunned units as targets, though the stun instruction won't execute on them. If you legally play Facebreaker with valid targets, but then Flash (or another effect) moves one unit away before resolution, neither unit gets stunned. The group targeting requirement is no longer met, so the instruction cannot execute. However, Facebreaker was legally played and goes to trash—it doesn't return to your hand. The card only stays in hand if the play action was illegal from the start (targets didn't exist when you tried to play it).

Ruling: To win via your 8th point by conquering, you must conquer all battlefields on the same turn. However, you can also win by holding a battlefield at the start of your turn, which counts as scoring on your turn and has no restriction. Sequence: - If you have 7 points when your opponent passes turn and you're holding a battlefield, you'll score your 8th point and win immediately - If you have 6 points when your opponent passes turn and you're holding a battlefield, you'll go to 7 points, then can conquer the second battlefield to score your 8th and win - If you have 7 points when your opponent passes turn and have no units at battlefields, you must conquer both battlefields in the same turn to win Nuances: - The restriction on scoring the 8th point only applies to conquering (must take all battlefields in one turn); holding has no such restriction

Ruling: You can move units from one point to another and still win. You just need to score on both battlefields on the same turn. Nuances: - Moving units between battlefields requires special abilities like ganking or other ways of getting units ready - In normal situations without such abilities, you cannot move units from battlefield to battlefield - Holding one point and conquering the other does count for the win condition

Ruling: You do not need to keep a unit at each battlefield. You simply need to score all battlefields in the same turn to win the final point via conquering. Sequence: - You can conquer one battlefield, then move that same unit to conquer the other battlefield - Alternatively, you can hold one battlefield and conquer the other - Either method works as long as both battlefields are scored in the same turn Nuances: - Winning the final point via holding has no restriction (you can hold from 7 to 8 points to win)

**Initial Setup (with Trifarian War Camp battlefield bonus):** Player A (Attacker): Leona 5 Might (4+1 battlefield), 3 Recruits 6 Might (3×2). Total: 11 Might Player B (Defender): Cithria 3 Might (1+1 buff+1 battlefield), Sett Kingpin 9 Might (5+1 buff+1 battlefield+2 for each buffed friendly unit including himself), Fiora 5 Might (4+1 battlefield), 1 Recruit 2 Might (1+1 battlefield). Total: 19 Might **After Leona stuns Sett and Siphon Power resolves:** Player A: Leona 6 Might, 3 Recruits 9 Might (3×3). Total: 15 Might Player B: Cithria 2 Might, Sett 8 Might (stunned, deals 0 damage), Fiora 4 Might, Recruit 1 Might. Total: 15 Might (only 7 deals damage due to stun) **Combat Result:** Player A assigns 15 damage, killing all of Player B's units. Player B assigns 7 damage, killing Leona and 1 Recruit. Player A wins with 2 Recruits surviving. **With Challenge:** Sett should play Challenge before Siphon Power resolves. Sett (9 Might) kills Leona (5 Might) but takes 5 damage, leaving him at 4 Might. After Siphon Power, Player A has 9 Might (3 Recruits at 3 each), Player B has 8 Might (only 5 deals damage due to stunned Sett at 3 Might). Player A assigns 9 damage killing all Player B units. Player B assigns 5 damage killing 1 Recruit and damaging another. Player A still wins with 2 Recruits surviving, but Challenge removes Leona's combat contribution entirely, making it a closer fight.

Ruling: Yes, the rule about playing a unit to a battlefield you control was accidentally omitted from the updated Comprehensive Rules. A developer (Kelly) confirmed this omission. Nuances: - This was a reconfirmation, as someone else had previously noted the omission - The confirmation occurred within the same week as the question

Ruling: There is no change to Teemo and Nocturne interaction. The errata hasn't changed all that much about how Teemo and Nocturne interact. Nuances: - The only change from the errata is banishing Nocturne first before playing it, but that's not a huge change

Ruling: No update has been provided regarding this Tideturner scoring interaction.

Ruling: Gust doesn't stop triggers from resolving, but abilities that reference "here" (the unit's location) or the unit's might will resolve to no effect because that information cannot be found after the unit is removed. Abilities that don't reference the unit's location or stats will still work normally. Sequence: - When you play me trigger goes on the chain - Gust removes the unit from the battlefield - Trigger resolves, but any reference to "here" or the unit's properties fails to find the information - Effects that don't need location information still resolve normally Nuances: - "Here" references the location of an object, not a target set when the ability enters the chain - These same rules apply when a unit is killed or removed by any means, not just Gust - Example: Lecturing Yordle still draws a card after being Gusted because it doesn't reference location - Example: Sprite Mother's sprite spawning fails after Gust because it needs to know where to spawn the sprite

Ruling: Opponents can only react when a chain is started. Playing units or gear alone does not start a chain and does not allow opponent reactions. Sequence: - Playing a unit/gear without a trigger: opponent cannot react - Playing a spell: opponent can react - Permanent trigger ability goes on chain: opponent can react - Unit moves to unoccupied or enemy-controlled battlefield (showdown): opponent can react Nuances: - If a unit has "when you play me" text, this creates a trigger ability that starts a chain, allowing opponent reactions - Unlike some other card games, not every action in open gamestate gives the opponent an opportunity to respond

Ruling: Chains begin when a card is played or an ability is activated. However, permanents (units and gear) immediately fall off the chain and cannot be reacted to. Nuances: - When play effects (on summon effects) use the chain, they can be responded to - Legion effects depend on the specific effect - some use the chain (like Vanguard Captain) and some don't (like Noxus Hopeful) - Legion itself doesn't change how an effect works, it just applies if you've played another main deck card that turn - Passive abilities and some replacement effects do not use the chain - "Add" abilities go onto the chain but resolve immediately and cannot be reacted to

Ruling: You can play reaction spells in response to anything that stays on the chain. Units and gear do not stay on the chain, so you cannot react to them being played. However, you can react to effects that resolve when a character joins the field. Nuances: - Units and gear cannot be reacted to because they don't stay on the chain - Effects triggered by units (such as when a character joins the field) can be reacted to because those effects go on the chain

Ruling: In 2v2, teammates may not use the same Champion Legend or the same Battlefields. There are no other deck construction restrictions. Nuances: - This rule is found in the Core Rules under mode of play - Teammates cannot share battlefields during gameplay (separate from deck construction)

Ruling: The December 4th rules update made Deathknell work as written (RAW) and clarified that a Deathknell unit can die to combat damage and Zhonya's Hourglass can be flipped in response to the Deathknell trigger. Nuances: - Kog'Maw's damage still occurs after healing - The rules update fixed a technical issue where Kog'Maw previously did nothing because there was no "my battlefield" when he was in the trash

Ruling: When time is called in a Best of 3 Nexus game, finish the current turn, then play 5 overtime turns. The winner is the player with the most points at the end of overtime. Sequence: - Finish the current turn when time is called - Play 5 overtime turns - Determine winner based on who has the most points

Ruling: Each player distributes their own combat damage to opposing units (both attacker and defender assign their own damage). If might is equal on both sides, all units typically die unless effects like Stun or Kayn prevent damage. Sequence: - Each player sums total might of their units in combat - Each player assigns that much damage to opponent's units as they wish - Must assign lethal damage to one unit before moving to the next - If both attackers and defenders survive (due to Stun, Kayn, etc), attackers are recalled to base Nuances: - Moving to an unoccupied battlefield starts a noncombat showdown where the controller of the moving unit gets Focus and Priority first, then it passes around the table - Activated abilities and cards without Action or Reaction can only be used on your turn outside of showdowns - Actions can be used during Showdowns when you have Focus and there is no chain; Actions CANNOT be played in response to another effect - Reactions can be played in response to any other ability or trigger on the chain and go on top of the chain - Units do not stay on the chain and cannot be reacted to (though "when I'm played" effects can be reacted to) - When something is on the chain and both players pass, the next item resolves, then players get the chance to react again before the next item resolves

Ruling: You must communicate accurately. When an opponent moves to a battlefield and asks if you respond (with no triggers on the chain), they have passed you focus. If you say no, combat immediately resolves and you cannot then play an action spell. Sequence: - When a unit moves to battlefield, check if there are any attack/defend/move triggers - If there's a move trigger, it must be checked for reactions and resolved first - After the trigger resolves (or if there are no triggers), the attacker gains focus and must pass it - Once focus is passed to you, you can play actions or pass back - If you pass, combat resolves Nuances: - You can only respond when there's a chain or focus - moving itself creates neither - To avoid confusion, explicitly state game state changes like "move trigger resolves" instead of just saying "pass" - When playing against less technical players, verbally clarify the game state (e.g., "move trigger resolves. You have Focus.")

Ruling: Players must announce their triggers when they have an observable impact on the game (e.g., drawing a card, buffing a unit, exhausting a rune). If a trigger like Jinx Legend is missed, it follows missed trigger rules, not missed draw rules. Missed draw rules only apply when a player had an obligation to draw cards and didn't (e.g., forgetting to draw after Voidseeker resolves). Sequence: - Triggers that don't create visible changes (like stat modifications or delayed triggers) don't need to be announced until they become relevant - Once a trigger has an observable impact, it must be announced at that time - If a trigger is completely missed and never announced, the opponent decides whether to allow it to resolve Nuances: - Stat changes (might/health buffs) are not directly visible by default, so they don't need to be announced until they matter (e.g., during combat) - Creating a delayed trigger doesn't need immediate announcement (e.g., Targon's Peak on conquer only needs announcement at end of turn) - Gaining points or channeling runes are observable impacts that must be announced immediately - This policy went into effect for RQ Houston and applies to all tournaments, though the official Tournament Rules document won't be updated until January

Ruling: You may mix cards of any official language (Chinese, English, etc.) within your deck, including the Main Deck, as long as all cards are in identical opaque sleeves and are not physically distinguishable from one another when sleeved. Nuances: - Different language printings may have slight variations in card stock thickness, weight, or texture that could make them distinguishable even when sleeved - If a judge determines that mixed-language cards are physically distinguishable (by feel, visible deck profile differences, etc.), they may rule the deck as having "marked cards" and require changes - Players are responsible for ensuring their mixed-language cards are not distinguishable through sleeves - At high-level competitive play, keeping each shuffled zone (Main Deck, Rune Deck) in a single language is recommended to avoid potential marked card issues - Non-shuffled zones (Legend, Battlefields) can be any language without concern since they are never randomized - Players may call a judge at any time to receive official English card text if there are translation questions or disputes

Ruling: You can save your unit from Harnessed Dragon with Zhonya's Hourglass (hidden or active), Gust (if your unit is on the battlefield with 3 or less Might), or Sett Legend (if your unit is buffed). Nuances: - Zhonya's Hourglass works whether it's hidden or already active - Gust only works if the targeted unit is on the battlefield and has 3 or less Might - Sett Legend only works if your unit is buffed

Ruling: Token units are units created by effects that do not count as cards. They can be represented by anything players agree on (official token cards, dice, etc.), exist outside the game when not in use, and are kept off to the side (not in your deck). Sequence: - Tokens are created by effects as specified - They enter the board with stats (might, etc.) as specified by the creating effect - When tokens leave the board for any reason (killed, sent to hand, etc.), they are destroyed and vanish back to ether rather than going to trash Nuances: - Different token types exist (sprites have 3 might, recruits have 1 might) - The effect creating the token specifies its might - Tournament rules require tokens to be able to represent card state (exhausted, might, etc.)