Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: When a loop has a maintaining player (someone who must take actions to continue the loop), that player chooses a finite number of iterations. Other players can choose to agree to that number, choose a lower number and commit to breaking the loop at that point, or choose not to break the loop. If there is a maintaining player, the loop does not automatically result in a draw - the maintaining player can execute their chosen number of iterations and then stop, potentially creating a winning board state. Sequence: - The maintaining player declares how many times they will perform the loop - Other players, in turn order, either agree to that number, choose a lower number of iterations (and must commit to breaking the loop at that point if able), or choose not to break the loop - The loop executes for the agreed/lowest number of iterations - If no maintaining player exists AND no player breaks the loop, the game ends in a draw Nuances: - A player who chooses to break the loop at a certain iteration must actually have the cards/effects available to do so - they cannot arbitrarily stop the loop without game actions - The draw condition only applies when there are NO maintaining players; if someone must take actions to continue the loop, they control how many times it happens - Loops that create winning board states through arbitrary iterations are allowed under the rules

Ruling: Bye rounds from Skirmish wins are tracked digitally by UVS/carde.io, not given as physical items. The tournament organizer has access to this information on their end. Sequence: - Win a Skirmish event to earn a bye round - The bye is recorded in the UVS/carde.io system - When attending the Regional Qualifier, confirm with the TO that they have your bye recorded - The TO accesses the bye information through their system during registration Nuances: - Unlike promos and mats which are physical items distributed at Skirmishes, byes are handled entirely through the digital tournament system - Players should proactively verify their bye is recorded when registering for the RQ

Ruling: Control is checked constantly through the cleanup mechanism. When a battlefield stops being Contested (444.2.a), control is immediately lost if a player has no units there (184.4.c), triggering a cleanup that removes hidden cards before any new actions can be taken. Sequence: - Contested status is cleared (444.2.a) - Control is immediately lost if no units remain (184.4.c) - Status change triggers cleanup (319.6) - Hidden cards are removed during cleanup - Control is established by remaining player (444.2) Nuances: - The word "immediately" in 184.4.c and the cleanup step in 322.6 create apparent tension, but cleanup is the mechanism by which "constant" control checking occurs - In edge cases where units from both players remain (e.g., deathknell unit dies and reaction speed unit is played), 444.2/444.2.a don't execute because units are controlled by different players - The current rules text could be clearer about the ordering, particularly moving "clear Contested" before "establish control" in the resolution sequence

Ruling: Blood Money does not require killing the unit to generate gold tokens, but it does require being able to determine the controller of the target unit. If the target becomes invalid or illegal (leaves the battlefield, is no longer 2 or less might, etc.) before Blood Money resolves, the controller lookup returns "null" and no gold tokens are created. Sequence: - Blood Money is cast targeting a unit with 2 or less might at a battlefield - If the unit is saved by Zhonyas (recalled but stays on board), controller can still be determined and appropriate gold tokens are created - If the unit leaves the battlefield entirely (Retreat to hand, Fight or Flight to base, killed by another effect), controller cannot be determined and no gold tokens are created - If the unit's might is increased above 2 in response, the target becomes illegal and no gold tokens are created Nuances: - Works the same way as Hidden Blade regarding controller determination - Zhonyas is an exception because the unit stays on the board (just recalled), so controller information is still available - Fight or Flight sending a unit back to base makes the target invalid, even though it's a board zone, because the spell targets "a unit at a battlefield"

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Ruling: When Sett Legend saves a unit from death that was being killed by Deathgrip's cost, the unit receiving the Might bonus gets the unbuffed (current) Might value of the saved unit, not the buffed Might it had before being saved. Sequence: - You finalize Deathgrip by targeting the unit that will receive the Might bonus - On resolution, you choose which friendly unit to kill (this is a cost within an instruction, not a target) - If you save that unit with Sett Legend, the death is replaced - The game evaluates the killed unit's current Might (which is now unbuffed after being saved) - The targeted unit receives Might equal to that current value Nuances: - The unit you kill is NOT a target because it's part of a cost ("kill a unit TO give..."), only the unit receiving Might is targeted - You must kill a friendly unit (no "may" or "up to"), so if your opponent removes the target, you still have to kill a unit - You cannot cast Deathgrip with only one unit because you need "another" unit to receive the Might - If the unit actually dies (not saved), you would look back at its buffed Might value using rule 356.3.e.13 - The logic is similar to Zhonyas + Hidden Blade: if the unit stays on board, reference its current information

Ruling: When Divine Judgment resolves, players choose permanents in turn order (starting with the player whose turn it is), and each player can choose any units, gear, or runes regardless of who controls them. The second player can see and respond to the first player's choices. For cards in hand, players can only choose cards from their own hand. Sequence: - Divine Judgment is cast and goes on the stack (reactions can be made before it resolves) - When it resolves, the player whose turn it is chooses first - Then the other player chooses second (seeing what the first player chose) - All chosen permanents are recycled simultaneously Nuances: - If Divine Judgment is played on your opponent's turn (e.g., via Promising Future), your opponent chooses first since it's their turn - The second player has an advantage because they see the first player's choices and can adjust accordingly - Cards in hand specifically say "cards in their hands" so players can only choose from their own hand for that part - Divine Judgment does not target (it chooses at resolution) - It only affects cards in board zones, not the trash

Ruling: Eager Apprentice reduces the total cost of a spell only once, even when that spell is repeated. The cost reduction applies to the combined cost (base + repeat additional cost). Sequence: - Declare you are using Repeat when putting the spell on the chain - Calculate total cost: base cost + Repeat's additional cost - Apply cost reductions (like Eager Apprentice) to the total - Pay the final cost - The spell executes its instructions, then executes them again (Repeat doesn't create a copy on the chain) Nuances: - Repeat is declared when casting, similar to Accelerate - you choose which version to play before putting it on the chain - If a repeated spell is Defied, none of its instructions execute (not even the first set) - With multiple cost reduction effects (e.g., two Apprentices), discounts are applied after additional costs are added

Ruling: Heimerdinger can use all exhaust abilities from other sources by exhausting himself. The original units/legends/gear do not get exhausted - only Heimerdinger exhausts to activate their abilities. Sequence: - Treat all exhaust abilities as if they are printed directly on Heimerdinger - Exhaust Heimerdinger to activate any of those abilities - The original source of the ability remains unexhausted Nuances: - Heimerdinger copies the speed of each ability (e.g., Lux's ability would be a Reaction when used by Heimerdinger, while Baited Hook would be base speed) - This includes exhaust abilities from legends, units, and gear

Ruling: Hextech Anomaly allows you to convert power into energy at a 1:1 ratio. Power and energy are distinct resources that go into a common pool and can be spent later in the turn. Sequence: - Exhaust runes to float the energy - Recycle the runes to gain power (which goes into your resource pool) - Exhaust Hextech Anomaly and pay the power to gain energy - You now have double the energy available to spend Nuances: - Resources stay in your pool until end of turn and can be spent on any cards, not just the next one - Hextech Anomaly can be used as a reaction while paying for another card, not just floated for later - Multiple Hextech Anomalies don't stack - each creates its own chain and converts power to energy at 1:1 ratio - When the ability resolves, you pay the power (it goes away) and gain energy equal to the power paid

Ruling: When a unit takes damage, that damage is marked on the unit without reducing its Might. If the unit's Might is then reduced (such as by Stupefy), the marked damage can exceed the new lower Might value, killing the unit. Sequence: - Hextech Ray deals 3 damage, marking 3 damage on the unit (Might unchanged) - Stupefy reduces the unit's Might by 1 - If the unit was 4 Might, it becomes 3 Might with 3 damage marked, causing it to die Nuances: - This works similarly to Magic: The Gathering where damage marked on a creature persists when its toughness is reduced - The order matters: Stupefy must be played after the damage is marked for this interaction to work

Ruling: When Icathian Rain resolves, you immediately put 6 triggers on the stack and select all targets at that time. Each trigger deals damage to its selected target regardless of where that unit is on the board (battlefield or base), and you cannot retarget mid-resolution. Sequence: - Icathian Rain resolves and creates 6 triggered abilities on the stack - You select a target for each of the 6 triggers at this time - Each trigger resolves in order, dealing damage to its selected target - If a unit dies and is saved by Zhonya's Hourglass, it is recalled to base but remains the same unit - Remaining triggers still affect that unit even though it's now at base Nuances: - Situation 1 was played incorrectly - the opponent should have paid Deflect for only some triggers and let the rest whiff, rather than recycling 6 runes for each effect - Icathian Rain can target units anywhere on the board (battlefield or base), unlike some spells that only target units at specific locations - A unit saved by Zhonya's Hourglass never dies and is considered the same unit object, so it retains modifiers and can still be targeted by previously-assigned triggers - If a unit were banished and replayed, it would be a new object and could not be targeted by the original triggers

Ruling: In King's Edict, "each other" refers to each other player besides the caster. Each opponent chooses one of their own units to kill; the caster does not choose targets. Sequence: - The player casting King's Edict does not choose any targets - Each other player (opponent) chooses one unit they control - Those chosen units are killed Nuances: - In 1v1: Functions as an edict effect where your single opponent must choose and kill one of their own units - In 2v2: Actively bad for the caster because opponents can choose your teammate's units (not just their own), giving the opposing team two choices while your team only gets one - In 4-player FFA: This is the intended format where the card is most useful

Ruling: King's Edict does not target. Each opponent (starting with the next player in turn order) chooses a unit you don't control, then all chosen units are killed. The caster makes no choices. Sequence: - Starting with the next player in turn order, each opponent chooses one unit you don't control that hasn't been chosen yet - Continue until all opponents have chosen a unit - Kill all chosen units Nuances: - In 1v1, this is equivalent to "your opponent chooses one of their units. Kill that unit" - In multiplayer, multiple units will be killed (one per opponent) - The phrase "each other player" means all players except the caster

Ruling: When playing a unit with Portal Rescue, you ignore the unit's base Energy and Power costs, but you must still pay the Accelerate cost if you want to use the Accelerate ability. Nuances: - Accelerate is treated as an Additional Cost that is not ignored by Portal Rescue - Only the base Energy and Power costs are ignored when playing the unit via Portal Rescue

When you cast Possession on an opponent's unit that has Gear equipped: **Initial State:** 1. You take control of the unit and it's recalled to your base 2. The Gear stays attached to the unit 3. Your opponent still controls the Gear (even though it's attached to your unit) 4. Your opponent can still equip the Gear to their own units using Weaponmaster or similar effects **If the Possessed Unit Dies:** - The unit goes to its owner's trash (the opponent's trash), not yours - , a card owned by a player can never be put into another player's trash - The Gear detaches to the last battlefield location where the unit was - The Gear is then Recalled to the opponent's base during the next Cleanup **If the Possessed Unit is Bounced to Hand:** - The unit goes to its owner's hand (the opponent's hand), not yours - , a card owned by a player can never be put into another player's hand - The Gear detaches to the last battlefield location where the unit was - The Gear is then Recalled to the opponent's base during the next Cleanup **Key Principle:** Ownership is permanent and cannot change. Cards owned by a player cannot be put into another player's trash, banishment, or hand zones. Both the possessed unit and the opponent's Gear return to the opponent when the unit leaves the battlefield.

Ruling: Promising Future places all chosen cards on the chain as pending items. When PF resolves, these items finalize in First-In-First-Out (FIFO) order during cleanup. Units and gears finalize and enter the battlefield immediately (mid-cleanup), while spells finalize and then resolve normally through the chain. Sequence: - Opponent's chosen card is placed on chain first (bottom of stack) - Your chosen card is placed on chain second (top of stack) - When PF resolves, all pending items finalize in FIFO order (opponent's first, yours second) - Units/gears finalize and immediately enter the battlefield during the same cleanup - Spells finalize (choose targets at this point) and then resolve through normal chain resolution - You can play reactions/actions on top of the stack after cards are played but before they resolve Nuances: - Location choices for units are made during finalization (step 6), not when first placed as pending - Units that finalize earlier in the sequence become valid targets for spells that finalize later in the same cleanup - If opponent chooses a spell and you choose a unit, their spell finalizes first and cannot target your unit (it doesn't exist yet as a valid target) - Multiple units can finalize and enter the same battlefield during one cleanup, as contested status is applied immediately when units enter (not during cleanup steps) - Cleanups triggered during a cleanup (like units entering) happen after the current cleanup completes, not mid-cleanup

Ruling: You can conquer and score a battlefield on your opponent's turn using Ride the Wind, as long as you haven't already scored that battlefield during the current turn. At the end of showdown, if you don't control the battlefield but your units are present, you conquer it and score if you haven't scored it this turn. Sequence: - Opponent's turn begins (your scoring resets for this turn) - Opponent moves into or contests a battlefield - During showdown, you use Ride the Wind to move a unit into that battlefield - At end of showdown, if you don't control the battlefield and your units are present, you conquer it - You score the point if you haven't scored that battlefield this turn Nuances: - Even if your opponent initiated the conquest attempt but you Gust them out during showdown, you can still Ride the Wind in and score - If you need to score both battlefields to win, you cannot win on your opponent's turn by scoring only one battlefield via Ride the Wind - you would draw instead of earning the final point - You can move out of and back into a battlefield on your opponent's turn to score it again

Ruling: Royal Entourage can legally exhaust enemy legends, but the practical impact varies by legend. Tapping legends prevents them from using abilities that require tapping as a cost. Sequence: - Daughter of the Void: You can exhaust it, but opponent can respond by tapping it to add power before it becomes exhausted - The Boss (Sett): Exhausting it prevents its use since the legend requires tapping to activate - Blind Monk: Exhausting it has no practical effect unless done on their turn before they use it - Lux: Exhausting it doesn't affect its passive ability, but it remains tapped until opponent's next awakening Nuances: - Opponent can respond to exhaustion effects by using tap abilities before the exhaust resolves - Some legends have passive abilities unaffected by exhaustion - Timing matters - exhausting on opponent's turn can prevent tap abilities from being used that turn

Ruling: Stand United makes buffs give +2 Might instead of +1 Might for the rest of the turn. When calculating Lee Sin's Might, count all buffs at their current value (+2 each while Stand United is active), then apply any fixed reductions like Smoke Screen. Sequence: - Step 3 (after Stand United): Lee Sin has 5 base Might + (4 buffs × 2) - 4 from Smoke Screen = 9 Might - Step 5 (after spending a buff with Wallop): Lee Sin has 5 base Might + (3 buffs × 2) - 4 from Smoke Screen = 7 Might Nuances: - Smoke Screen's reduction is fixed/snapshotted when it resolves and remains that value for its duration, even if the unit gains more Might later - Lee Sin, Ascetic can receive buffs from any source; the "if it doesn't have a buff" reminder text on other cards is just default behavior that his ability overrides - When calculating with "minimum" effects, use the snapshotted values from when those effects resolved

Ruling: Unyielding Spirit prevents damage from spells and abilities for the rest of the turn when played. It does not prevent effects that don't deal damage (like might reduction, banish effects, or units dealing damage to each other). Sequence: - Can be played as a reaction (chain 2) to prevent damage from a spell like Singularity - Prevents the damage portion only; spells/abilities can still be played and resolve their non-damage effects - Lasts for the remainder of the turn Nuances: - Blocks damage from spells (like Singularity) and unit abilities (like Tibbers, Anivia, Yasuo) - Does NOT block damage from units fighting each other (Challenge, Gentlemen Duel) - Does NOT prevent non-damage effects like Imperial Decree (which creates a trigger on damage), Watcher (banish effect), Smoke Screen or Stupify (might reduction) - Spells like Void Seeker can still be played and draw cards, but won't deal damage - If played after Deflect costs are paid (like with Icathian Rain triggers), those costs have already been paid and cannot be refunded

Ruling: As currently printed, Void Rush reveals the top 2 cards of your deck (they remain in the deck), you may play one with cost reduced by 2 energy, then draw any cards you didn't play. However, this card is expected to receive errata to first banish the card you intend to play before playing it, similar to other effects that play cards from deck. Sequence: - Reveal top 2 cards of your Main Deck - Choose whether to play one of them (cost reduced by 2 energy) or neither - Draw all cards you didn't play - If you chose to play a card, it finalizes after the spell resolves Nuances: - You are not required to play either card even if you could legally do so - If both revealed cards are spells without legal targets, you cannot play either and must draw both - The card is expected to receive errata to banish the chosen card first, to handle situations where a card cannot be finalized (e.g., a unit with mandatory costs that can't be paid). Without this errata, there is no clear zone to return an unplayable card to, since it was played from deck but drawing has already occurred - Void Rush does trigger Legion effects, as it plays a card - Noxus Hopeful would be free when playing Void Rush (as it counts as playing a card after another)

Ruling: Weaponmaster is a triggered ability that activates when you play the unit, allowing you to equip one gear to it by reducing the equip cost by 1 power at that moment only. Sequence: - When you play a unit with Weaponmaster, the triggered ability activates - You may equip one gear to that unit with the equip cost reduced by 1 power - The cost reduction applies only during this trigger resolution - You can equip gear on the same turn the unit and equipment are played Nuances: - Weaponmaster reduces the cost but does not replace it - equipment with non-power costs (like BOTRK requiring a unit kill) still require those conditions to be met - An equip cost of 1 power becomes 0 power (free) - Weaponmaster only equips 1 gear per trigger, but nothing prevents attaching additional gear through other means in the same turn - The cost reduction only applies when the Weaponmaster trigger resolves, not on subsequent turns

Ruling: Players can now submit decklists online through the UVS site/carde.io, but the TO must enable this feature through carde.io first. If online submission is not enabled, physical paper decklists must be used and managed by the judge. Sequence: - TO enables decklist submission through carde.io - Players submit their decklists through the UVS site (tools like Piltover Archive support exporting to the required format) - Alternatively, if online submission is not available, judges must provide paper decklist sheets, collect them from players, and input them manually Nuances: - For paper decklists, judges should coordinate with the TO/store to print decklist sheets - Distribute decklist sheets at check-in (split between store staff and judge) - Collect and verify decklists before Round 1 starts when possible, or during Round 1 at the latest - Online decklist submission is a relatively recent feature as of the time of this discussion

Ruling: The TO (Tournament Organizer) can invite you as staff for their store through carde.io and then assign you as a judge for the event. Nuances: - carde.io is the website for the TO backend, not where judges directly sign themselves up - The distribution method for Heimerdinger judge promos is unclear; judges at Houston received theirs directly but the general distribution process is not confirmed

Ruling: Damage does not reduce Might. Instead, damage is "marked" on a unit, and if the total marked damage equals or exceeds the unit's Might, the unit dies. Sequence: - When a unit takes damage, that damage is marked/tracked on the unit - The unit's Might value remains unchanged - If total marked damage >= Might, the unit dies - Think of it as damage counting up from 0 toward the Might threshold, rather than HP counting down from Might to 0 Nuances: - If a unit's Might is reduced by an effect (e.g., -1 Might spell), the marked damage stays the same but the threshold changes, which can cause a unit to die if marked damage now equals or exceeds the new lower Might value - Multiple sources of damage accumulate as marked damage on the same unit

Ruling: You must exhaust a rune to float 1 energy before recycling runes to pay for the seal's power cost. After playing the seal and using it to play Vanguard Captain, you end with 2 exhausted runes, an exhausted seal, and Vanguard Captain in play. Sequence: - Start with 3 ready runes - Exhaust 1 rune to float 1 energy (2 ready runes, 1 exhausted rune, 1 floating energy) - Recycle 2 ready runes to pay Yellow Seal's power cost (2 ready runes, 1 exhausted rune, Yellow Seal in play, 1 floating energy) - Exhaust the seal to generate 1 order energy (2 ready runes, 1 exhausted rune, exhausted seal, 1 floating energy, 1 order energy) - Exhaust both ready runes for 2 energy and combine with floating energy to pay Vanguard Captain's 3 energy + order cost - End result: 2 exhausted runes, exhausted seal, Vanguard Captain in play Nuances: - Legion only triggers when playing main deck cards from hand, not from channeling, playing tokens, or using abilities - Tapping a seal alone does not trigger Legion

Ruling: When you attack and play an action to start a chain, you are the first who can use a reaction on that chain. Focus automatically passes every time a chain fully resolves. After the attacker plays an action and the chain resolves, the defender has focus and can play an action to start a new chain before the attacker can play a second action. Sequence: - Attacker plays an action and starts a chain (attacker can add reactions first) - Chain resolves completely - Focus automatically passes to defender - Defender can now play an action to start a new chain - That chain resolves, focus passes back to attacker - Process continues Nuances: - Focus automatically passing when a chain resolves is NOT the same as "passing focus" for the purpose of ending a showdown - A showdown requires both players to actively pass focus (not just chains resolving) in order to end - The automatic focus pass from chain resolution also does not count as passing at the end of the initial chain

Ruling: During a showdown, the active player has focus and can play actions or reactions without automatically passing priority - they can cast multiple spells before passing to their opponent. The showdown ends when both players consecutively pass focus without starting a new chain. Sequence: - Player with focus can play an action spell - That same player can immediately play reaction spells (or more actions if they have focus) without passing priority - When they choose to pass, opponent gets priority to react - If opponent passes without reacting, the top spell on the chain resolves - After a chain resolves, the player who started that chain gets focus again - Focus passes back and forth with each player able to start new chains - Combat ends only when both players pass focus consecutively without starting a chain Nuances: - You don't automatically lose priority when playing a card - you must explicitly pass - You can react to your own spells as many times as you want before passing - Each resolved chain "resets the clock" on the combat, giving the initiating player focus again

Ruling: When a card effect banishes cards (like Baited Hook's errata), those cards are temporarily placed in a banished zone. If the banished card can be played, it gets played normally. If it cannot be played (e.g., Cruel Patron without other friendly units to sacrifice), it stays banished for the rest of the game and cannot be recycled or returned to deck. Sequence: - Card effect banishes the card(s) from deck - Attempt to play the banished card - If playable: card enters play normally - If unplayable: card remains banished permanently Nuances: - Ignoring costs (like Baited Hook does) only ignores base costs, not additional costs like sacrificing units - The banish errata exists to prevent confusion about where unplayable cards should return to after other cards have already been recycled - Once cards are recycled to bottom of deck, the choice is locked in and cannot be rewound, even at low OPL - A card staying banished due to being unplayable should be treated as a learning experience, not rewound

Ruling: When Promising Future resolves, it creates pending permanents that finalize after resolution. The Lady of Luminosity trigger from Promising Future goes on the chain as pending before anything finalizes, placing it on top of the chain. Singularity can target the opponent's unit because the unit resolves immediately when finalized, before Singularity finalizes. Sequence: - Promising Future resolves, banishing cards - Lady of Luminosity trigger from Promising Future becomes pending on the chain (top) - Opponent's unit and Singularity are pending permanents below the trigger - Opponent finalizes their unit, which resolves immediately - Singularity finalizes (can now target the opponent's unit since it already resolved) - Chain resolves from top: LoL trigger → Singularity → (Singularity triggers LoL again when it resolves) Nuances: - The exact timing of when the LoL trigger becomes pending (before vs after finalization) is technically relevant only if something happens during finalization of the permanents (like play effects or additional costs) - Permanents resolve immediately upon finalization, not when they become pending

Ruling: You can spend 1 power per combat when Draven attacks or defends. You may choose to spend the power or not. Nuances: - If Draven is moved to a contested battlefield mid-combat (e.g., via Ride the Wind), his "when I attack/defend" trigger activates when he is first assigned his role in that combat. - If moved to an open Showdown (not yet in Combat), Draven waits until the Showdown concludes and Combat is initiated, then his trigger occurs on the Initial Chain when assigned as Attacker or Defender.

Ruling: You can use the repeat effect of a spell once unless the spell has more than one repeat keyword. Nuances: - Each instance of the repeat keyword on a spell allows one additional use of the effect - A spell with multiple repeat keywords can be repeated multiple times accordingly

Ruling: Not So Fast counters an enemy spell or ability that chooses a friendly unit or gear. Both "spell" and "ability" must be enemy, and both must choose a friendly unit or gear to be valid targets. Sequence: - The card reads as: "Counter an [enemy spell or enemy ability] that chooses [a friendly unit or friendly gear]" - The "or" collapses within each bracketed group - it does not split the clause into separate effects - Both the spell/ability must be enemy AND must target your friendly unit/gear Nuances: - If the card were meant to counter any enemy spell OR counter abilities that target friendly units/gear separately, it would use the "choose one:" template - The absence of a second "an" before "ability" indicates the modifiers apply to both nouns - This reading is confirmed by the existence of Wind Wall (which costs more and counters any enemy spell) - Can counter spells like Singularity that target your own units - Cannot counter Time Warp (doesn't target anything) - Can only counter one trigger from multi-trigger abilities like Falling Star

Ruling: At competitive level (skirmish), all four players should receive a match loss for improperly determining a winner. If table numbers are clearly assigned, only the two players who sat at the wrong table receive match losses, while the players who sat at their correct assigned table but played the wrong opponent would also receive match losses since their assigned opponents never arrived. Sequence: - Determine if table numbers were clearly assigned and unambiguous - If table numbers were clear: issue match loss to the pair who sat at the wrong table under the rule for not arriving at assigned match - If table numbers were unclear or not used: issue match loss to all four players since none arrived at their correctly assigned match - Players are responsible for confirming their opponent's identity before playing Nuances: - At lower organized play levels, the judge might enter game wins for each player and allow draws if applicable - Allowing an intentional draw to resolve the situation is not appropriate at competitive level - Players should always verify their opponent's name or table number before beginning play - Ambiguous table markings don't excuse the error, as players are responsible for confirming matchups

Ruling: Players can report intentional draws with any valid game count (0-0-1, 0-0-2, or 0-0-3), and the choice significantly affects game win percentage tiebreakers. Reporting 1-1-0 (two games played, one win each) is most favorable for tiebreakers, while 0-0-3 is worst. Sequence: - Players may agree to an intentional draw at any point during a match (after any game) - Players can choose to report the draw as 0-0-1, 0-0-2, 0-0-3, or even 1-1-0 (if they played games first) - The reporting choice directly impacts game win percentage calculations Nuances: - Carde.io defaults to 0-0-3 for intentional draws from the TO side, but players can manually report different game counts - At Houston Regional, most round 8 intentional draws were reported as 1-1-0, which is optimal for tiebreakers - There is currently no official standardized guideline for how intentional draws should be reported - Players cannot agree to concede individual games in exchange for their opponent conceding other games, as this would constitute bribery (out-of-game consideration) - Games can legitimately end in draws through unmaintained loops or potentially future card effects

Ruling: The penalty tracking system in the UVS admin panel is currently not functional for Riftbound - the infraction dropdown cannot be selected. Judges should track penalties manually using paper and a separate spreadsheet (similar to Pokemon TCG), with notes kept in a notepad until the system is fixed. Nuances: - There is a hammer icon in the "pairings" tab intended for penalties, but it is currently broken - No infractions and penalties appear to be configured for Riftbound yet in the system - No clear method exists for reporting DQs to Riot at this time - It's unclear if carde.io/UVS is supposed to maintain historical penalty records

Ruling: Yes, Ahri legend triggers again when Rengar enters play attacking. Ahri's legend triggers the first time each unit is assigned as an attacker that combat. Sequence: - Enemy unit attacks, triggering Ahri legend (gives -1/-0) - Rengar is played and enters attacking - Ahri legend triggers again for Rengar (gives -1/-0) Nuances: - Ahri triggers per unit that attacks, not once per combat - The trigger occurs the first time each unit is assigned as an attacker in that combat - Units that enter play already attacking count as being assigned as attackers

Ruling: Annie wins the game. Her non-combat showdown at the second battlefield resolves first, she scores to 8 points and wins during cleanup. Sequence: - Annie's non-combat showdown at the second battlefield resolves first - Annie scores the second battlefield, reaching 8 points - Annie wins during cleanup - Opponent's Ride of the Wind showdown would start after, but the game is already over Nuances: - Even if timing were different, capturing Annie's first battlefield wouldn't prevent her win because the Conquer victory condition only requires *scoring* both battlefields, not maintaining control of them

Ruling: Annie can win immediately if they score both battlefields on the opponent's turn. If they only score one battlefield (via Ride the Wind), they just draw a card, as standard draws cannot provide the 8th point. Nuances: - The player must control both battlefields simultaneously to win on the opponent's turn - If only one battlefield is scored via Ride the Wind, it triggers a standard draw which cannot be the winning point

Ruling: Arcane Shift cannot be recycled from the banished zone by Fizz. When Arcane Shift is banished, Fizz loses track of "this spell" and cannot execute the recycle portion of its ability. Nuances: - Cards that interact with the banished zone must specifically state they do so; Fizz does not have such text - Once a card changes zones to banished, effects referring to "this spell" or "this card" lose track of it

Ruling: Yes, Azir, Sovereign becomes an attacker when swapped into the attacking battlefield and triggers its 'When I attack' ability, allowing it to move sand soldier tokens. Sequence: - Azir, Ascendant attacks and is designated as an attacker - On attack and on defend timings occur - Azir, Ascendant uses its ability to swap with Azir, Sovereign - Azir, Sovereign arrives and becomes an attacker on cleanup - Azir, Sovereign's 'When I attack' triggers, allowing it to move all sand soldier tokens - Combat proceeds to showdown Nuances: - 'When I attack' triggers the first time a unit is designated as an attacker in that combat, which doesn't have to be when combat starts - If you are defending, swapping a unit into the battlefield does NOT make it an attacker - you remain the defender until that combat ends - All of this occurs during the showdown phase since the swap ability is used when the controller has Focus

Ruling: The original unit that was equipped with Eye of the Herald when it moved creates the Recruit token at its current location, even though it no longer has the equipment when the trigger resolves. Sequence: - Azir moves (not equipped, no trigger) - Chosen unit moves while equipped with Eye of the Herald (trigger is generated and goes on the chain) - Azir steals Eye of the Herald and equips it to himself - The Eye of the Herald trigger resolves, checking the location of the original unit that generated it - A 1/1 Might Recruit is created at the original unit's location Nuances: - The original unit remains the source of the ability even after losing the equipment that granted it - "Here" in the ability text refers to the location of the unit that generated the trigger, not the unit currently equipped - This follows the general principle that abilities still resolve even if the source unit dies or loses the ability before resolution

Ruling: Yes, the ability whiffs. When Azir, Sovereign is moved back to base by Fate of the Fallen before his ability resolves, the ability fails to resolve because "this battlefield" no longer refers to a valid location. Nuances: - Fate of the Fallen must be played from arsenal (hidden) to be used as a reaction in response to Azir's ability - FoF from hand is not a reaction and cannot be used in this timing window

Ruling: When the original group of targets no longer collectively fulfills the targeting restriction (same location), the controller chooses a subset of the original targets that does fulfill the requirement. You can deal 1 damage each to either the 2 units now at base OR 1 damage to the remaining unit at the battlefield. Sequence: - Bellows Breath is cast targeting 3 units at the same location - Flash moves 2 units to base before Bellows Breath resolves - The original group no longer fulfills the "same location" requirement - Controller chooses a valid subset: either the 2 units at base, or the 1 unit at battlefield - Damage is dealt to the chosen subset Nuances: - Unlike Foxfire, Bellows Breath has no restriction preventing it from targeting units at base - The spell requires all affected targets to be at the same location, but that location can change between casting and resolution - Only one subset can be chosen - you cannot split damage between different locations

Ruling: Blue Ahri's ability does not trigger on the newly moved unit. Reaver's Row and Ahri trigger simultaneously, but the attacker's triggers go on the chain first, so Ahri targets before the retreat happens. When Reaver's Row resolves and the unit retreats, Ahri's ability whiffs because its target is no longer present. Sequence: - Blue Ahri moves to battlefront, triggering her ability - Reaver's Row and Ahri trigger simultaneously, but attacker's triggers go on chain first - Ahri announces a target - Reaver's Row resolves, retreating the targeted unit - Ahri's ability tries to resolve but whiffs (no valid target) - Opponent can cast Ride the Wind during the same combat - New unit arrives and gains defender designation - Combat continues, but Ahri's ability does not re-trigger Nuances: - Combat does not end when the opponent moves a unit with Ride the Wind; it continues within the same combat phase - Ahri's legend ability also would not work in this scenario because the battlefront is contested, not controlled

Ruling: Yes, you can replay Blue Ezreal to the same battlefield during combat if you are the defender (since you control the battlefield), and he will trigger his 'When I defend' ability again because he is a new game object that hasn't received the defender designation yet this turn. Sequence: - Blue Ezreal defends and triggers his ability (shoots once) - You play Arcane Shift on priority, returning him to hand - You replay Blue Ezreal to the same battlefield - He triggers his 'When I defend' ability again (shoots a second time) - The showdown continues (it hasn't ended yet) Nuances: - This only works if you are defending in combat, because defenders control the battlefield - If it's a non-combat showdown or you are attacking, you don't control the battlefield and cannot replay him to the same battlefield - Any attached gear detaches and goes to base when Ezreal leaves play - Every cleanup step now ensures units have designations appropriate to the current board state - The showdown doesn't restart; it's still the same showdown that only ends when both players consecutively pass with an empty chain

Ruling: Yes, Dr. Mundo will die. Leona's passive applies immediately when she is located at the battlefield, and Dr. Mundo dies during the cleanup after her movement, before combat is staged or opened. Sequence: - Leona moves to the battlefield - Leona's passive applies immediately (Dr. Mundo now has 3 might and 3 damage) - During cleanup step 2b, Dr. Mundo dies as a state-based action - Combat is staged in step 7 and opened in step 10 Nuances: - The passive applies without using the chain or cleanup - Players cannot respond before Dr. Mundo dies - it happens before anyone has a chance to play cards or respond - This all occurs before combat has even opened

Ruling: If Caitlyn has Tank, the opponent chooses whether to apply her Tank keyword or her "damage last" ability. If they choose Tank, they can assign damage to her first along with other Tank units. If they choose her ability, they ignore Tank on her and assign damage to her last. Sequence: - If Caitlyn has Tank and there are other Tank units, the opponent decides which effect to apply - If they choose Tank: Caitlyn is treated as a Tank unit and can be assigned damage first (in any order with other Tanks) - If they choose her ability: Tank is ignored on Caitlyn and she takes damage last Nuances: - Giving Caitlyn Tank actually benefits the opponent by giving them more flexibility in damage assignment - If there are multiple Tank units (including Caitlyn), the opponent can assign damage to Caitlyn first by choosing to treat her as having Tank - The opponent's choice between conflicting effects allows them to bypass either restriction

Ruling: Counter Strike prevents all combat damage dealt to First Mate in a single combat, regardless of how many units are attacking. Since all combat damage is assigned and dealt simultaneously as one instance, Counter Strike will prevent the total combined damage from all attackers. Sequence: - All attacking units assign their damage to First Mate - All damage is dealt simultaneously as one instance - Counter Strike prevents that entire instance of damage Nuances: - Combat damage is dealt simultaneously, not separately per attacker, so it counts as a single instance of damage even when coming from multiple sources