Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

The stunned defender remains on the battlefield and doesn't deal combat damage that turn, while Leona (the attacker) is automatically recalled back to your base. Here's the sequence: (1) Leona attacks and her ability stuns an enemy unit at the battlefield, (2) Combat occurs where the stunned unit deals 0 damage to Leona while Leona deals her damage normally, (3) If the defender survives, Leona is automatically recalled to your base during Combat Cleanup (attackers are recalled if defenders are still present), and the stunned defender stays at the battlefield. The stun effect only prevents the unit from dealing combat damage that turn - it doesn't kill the unit. Any damage marked on the defender heals during Combat Cleanup. If Leona had killed all defenders, she would stay and conquer the battlefield instead of being recalled.

Ruling: The defending unit does not get stunned. When Leona is moved back to base by Fight or Flight, her "here" reference changes to her current location (base), not the battlefield where the attack was triggered. Sequence: - Leona attacks and her trigger goes on the chain, targeting an enemy unit at the battlefield - Opponent reacts with Fight or Flight, moving Leona back to base - Fight or Flight resolves, Leona is now at base - When Leona's stun effect tries to resolve, "here" now refers to base (where Leona currently is), not the battlefield - The stun fails because there is no valid target at Leona's current location Nuances: - "Here" always refers to the current location of the unit/card speaking in first person, not the location where an effect was triggered - Card text speaks from the perspective of the unit itself, so "here" dynamically updates based on where the unit currently is - There is no explicit comprehensive rule covering this interaction, though it follows from the general principle that cards refer to themselves in first person and "here" means the card's current position

Ruling: When a hidden unit (like Teemo) is at a battlefield where Mageseeker prevents unit play, you cannot play that hidden unit at all - you cannot flip it. For Sprite Call played from hidden at that battlefield, you can play the spell itself, but you cannot play the sprite token, so the spell does nothing. Nuances: - The Tideturner ruling about targeting outside the battlefield only applies to hidden spells with play effects, not to permanents being played - Sprite Call itself doesn't restrict location, but the hidden rules require the sprite to be played at the battlefield where it was hidden - You cannot redirect the sprite to base as an alternative

Ruling: When combat ends and Master Yi stops giving the +2 might bonus, the unit goes to 0 might (base 4 - 4 from Smoke Screen = 0). When combat begins again and Yi's passive triggers, the unit becomes 2 might (4 + 2 - 4 = 2). Sequence: - Combat ends, Yi's +2 bonus stops applying - Unit calculates to 0 might (4 base - 4 from Smoke Screen) - New combat begins, Yi's +2 bonus applies again - Unit calculates to 2 might (4 base + 2 from Yi - 4 from Smoke Screen) Nuances: - The minimum of 1 might rule does not apply here because Smoke Screen applied its -4 modifier on resolution (snapshotting) - This interaction falls under the Arithmetic Layer rules

Ruling: The Stalwart Poro gets the +2 might from Master Yi's passive while it is the only defending unit. When you reveal the Pakaa Cub, the Poro immediately loses the +2 might because Master Yi's passive requires you to control only one defending unit. Nuances: - Master Yi's ability is a passive (not a trigger), so it only applies while the condition is met - This differs from triggered abilities like Mask of Foresight, which would grant a buff that persists until end of turn even after the condition changes

Ruling: When you move Merchant, its ability triggers and can be reacted to with Gust, but Gust will not prevent Merchant's ability from resolving. Gust resolves first (checking might), then Merchant's trigger resolves. Sequence: - Move Merchant - Merchant's ability triggers and goes on the chain - Gust can be played as a reaction and goes on the chain - Gust resolves (checks might and resolves) - Merchant's trigger resolves Nuances: - You cannot use Merchant's discard/draw effect to pick up a buff card to increase Merchant's might above 3 to negate Gust, because Gust resolves before Merchant's ability

Ruling: No, you cannot move the unit readied by Miss Fortune's ability to the battlefield during the showdown triggered by her movement. The unit readied by Miss Fortune can only be moved after the showdown resolves, during a standard move action outside of the showdown. Sequence: - Miss Fortune moves to the occupied battlefield - Miss Fortune's ability triggers, opening a chain where both players can react - The showdown occurs (non-combat or combat if battlefield not yet controlled) - After the showdown resolves and the chain is empty, you can move the readied unit during a standard move action Nuances: - Units that were already ready before Miss Fortune moved can participate in the showdown - Standard move actions are based on speed and occur outside of showdowns - Moving units with abilities (like Yasuo) to a battlefield means you cannot move additional units unless it's a standard action

Ruling: Yes, Miss Fortune's move trigger can untap another unit that moved with her, even though that unit was exhausted as part of the cost to move. Nuances: - Miss Fortune cannot ready herself with her own trigger (she specifies "something else")

Ruling: You cannot move the newly readied unit to contest a battlefield. Showdown starts immediately when Miss Fortune and other units move to contest, so the newly readied unit cannot make another move. Sequence: - Move Miss Fortune and other units to a battlefield to contest it - The unit readied by Miss Fortune's ability becomes ready - Showdown starts immediately - The newly readied unit cannot move because Showdown has already begun Nuances: - You can move Miss Fortune along with other already-ready units to contest - The readying effect happens, but timing prevents the readied unit from joining the contest

Ruling: You cannot move the readied unit at the same time as Miss Fortune. Miss Fortune's trigger happens when she arrives at her destination, and any pending combat or showdown happens right after her trigger resolves, leaving no time to move the other unit during Miss Fortune's movement. Sequence: - Move Miss Fortune - Miss Fortune arrives at destination and her trigger resolves (readying another unit) - Any pending combat or showdown from Miss Fortune's movement occurs - After all of this resolves, you can then move the newly readied unit Nuances: - Miss Fortune can ready a Legend even if the Legend is tapped when Miss Fortune moves

Ruling: You choose which cards are recycled from your trash. The chosen cards are then returned to the memory deck in a random order. Nuances: - This is a standard rule for recycling from trash - you choose the cards, but they go back in random order

Ruling: Yes, NAP scores a point for conquering the battlefield (subject to normal conquer limitations) and will score another point at the start of their next turn for holding it. Sequence: - AP moves to an open battlefield and applies contested status - AP passes priority without starting a chain - NAP plays Zenith Blade, applying stunned status to the attacker and moving a unit to become the defender - If the stunned attacker cannot kill the defender, it is moved back to base during cleanup - NAP scores a point for conquering (if eligible) - At the start of NAP's next turn, they score for holding the battlefield Nuances: - NAP does not score if they already controlled the battlefield before combat started - NAP does not score if they already scored that battlefield this turn - Scoring this way counts as a conquer, so it has all conquer limitations and triggers - NAP cannot win the final point this way unless they've scored all battlefields - There is no final point limitation on holding, only on conquering

Ruling: Nine-Tailed Fox's -1 Might effect applies once when it resolves. If the unit could have its Might reduced at that moment, the reduction is applied permanently. The restriction only applies at the initial determination of whether to apply the -1 Might, not continuously afterward. Units can survive at 0 Might as they require nonzero damage to be defeated. Sequence: - Nine-Tailed Fox trigger evaluates whether the unit has more than 1 Might - If yes, -1 Might is applied to the unit - The reduction persists even if the unit later loses static buffs - If the unit drops to 0 Might from losing buffs, it survives unless it takes damage Nuances: - Units don't die from reaching 0 Might; they must receive nonzero damage to be defeated - The restriction on Nine-Tailed Fox (and similar effects like Stupefy) only checks at the moment of resolution, not continuously

Ruling: The units end up with 2 might. Minus might effects "snapshot" at the time of their resolution, so when Nine-Tailed Fox's trigger resolves against 1 might units, it gives them -0 might due to the "minimum of 1 might" condition. The effect doesn't retroactively update when Siphon Power later increases their might. Sequence: - Nine-Tailed Fox's trigger resolves first, attempting to give the 1 might units -1 might - Due to the "minimum of 1 might" clause, the effect snapshots and gives them -0 might (they stay at 1 might) - Siphon Power then gives them +1 might - Final result: 2 might units Nuances: - The "minimum of 1 might" clause causes the effect to snapshot at resolution time and does not retroactively update if the unit's might changes later in the turn

Ruling: The trigger still activates, but the Recruit token spawns at the location where Noxian Drummer ends up after being moved, not necessarily at the battlefield. Sequence: - Noxian Drummer is moved to battlefield, triggering her ability - Opponent responds with Fight or Flight or Gust - The trigger resolves based on where Noxian Drummer is now located Nuances: - If Noxian Drummer is returned to hand (Gust), no token spawns - If Noxian Drummer is returned to base (Fight or Flight), the token spawns in base - This works because the ability says "here", meaning the token spawns at the unit's current location when the trigger resolves

Ruling: When Noxian Drummer's ability resolves, the token is created at the location where Drummer currently is ("here"), not where it was when the ability triggered. If Drummer is flashed back to base before the ability resolves, the token is created at base. Sequence: - Noxian Drummer moves to battlefield (ability triggers) - Flash returns Drummer to base (before ability resolves) - Drummer's ability resolves, creating token at base (where "here" currently is) Nuances: - If Drummer is killed before the ability resolves, no token is created because there is no "here" if the unit is no longer on the board - The reminder text in italics "(It is also at the battlefield)" is not rules text and only describes the typical resolution when Drummer stays at the battlefield - "Here" is always determined at resolution time, not when the ability triggers

Ruling: No, the recruit token is not created. When the ability resolves, it checks the location of Noxian Drummer to determine where "here" refers to. If the Drummer is no longer in play (destroyed, in hand, or moved elsewhere), "here" cannot be referenced and the token cannot be placed. Sequence: - Noxian Drummer moves to battlefield (ability triggers and goes onto the chain) - Opponent reacts by playing removal (e.g., Gust, Hidden Blade, Fight or Flight) - Removal spell resolves, moving/destroying the Drummer - Drummer's triggered ability resolves without effect because "here" can no longer be referenced Nuances: - If moved to base via Fight or Flight, the recruit would be created at the base (where the Drummer now is) - If destroyed or returned to hand, no recruit is created at all - The ability does not "fizzle" - it resolves but has no effect because the location cannot be determined

Ruling: Yes, the token created by Noxian Drummer will be affected by Ahri Nine-Tailed Fox's -1 strength debuff. Sequence: - Noxian Drummer moves to the battlefield - Noxian Drummer's ability goes on the chain - The ability resolves (token is created) - Showdown begins - Ahri triggers, giving -1 strength to all attacking units including the token

Ruling: Yes, opponents can react to Noxian Drummer's triggered ability before it resolves and creates the token. The triggered ability goes on the chain first, and only when it resolves does the token get placed on the chain (where it then resolves immediately as a permanent). Sequence: - Noxian Drummer moves to a battlefield - The triggered ability "when I move to a battlefield, play a 1 might token here" is placed on the chain - Players can react to this triggered ability (e.g., with Gust to remove Noxian Drummer) - If the ability resolves, it then places the token on the chain - The token resolves immediately as a permanent with no opportunity to react Nuances: - If Noxian Drummer is removed in response to the trigger (e.g., with Gust), no token will spawn because there is no "here" anymore - The ability itself is not a permanent on the chain, it's a triggered ability that will play a permanent when it resolves - All triggered abilities ("when A, do B") go on the chain and can be reacted to, regardless of what effect they produce

Ruling: No, the opponent cannot play Hextech Ray before the Recruit trigger resolves. Hextech Ray has the action keyword, so it can only be played in a neutral open state (nothing on the chain and the other player has passed focus), not while a trigger is on the chain. Sequence: - Noxian Runner moves to the battlefield - The 'When I move, Recruit a unit here' trigger goes on the chain - The trigger must resolve before Hextech Ray can be played - After the trigger resolves and the showdown starts, the active player gets focus first - Only after the active player passes or their action/reaction fully resolves can the opponent play Hextech Ray Nuances: - Actions can only be played in neutral open state (outside showdowns with nothing on chain) - Even after the trigger resolves, the active player receives focus first before the opponent can act

Ruling: Yes, you can spend Orange Sett's buff to draw a card from the battlefield effect and then regain a buff from his conquer trigger. Sequence: - Orange Sett conquers the battlefield - Both triggers occur (battlefield's draw effect and Orange Sett's buff gain) - You order the triggers as you choose - You can resolve the battlefield trigger first, spending the buff to draw - Then resolve Orange Sett's trigger to regain a buff

Ruling: When Overzealous Fan's Defend ability triggers, it goes on the chain immediately. The defending player must choose the target (which attacking unit to potentially return) when placing it on the chain, but the decision of whether to actually kill the Fan and execute the effect is made upon resolution, not when the ability is placed on the chain. Sequence: - Attacking unit moves into the battlefield - Overzealous Fan's Defend ability triggers and goes on the chain - Defending player must select which attacking unit would be targeted - Either player can respond with reactions/spells on top of this ability - When both players pass priority, the ability resolves - At resolution, the defending player decides whether to kill Overzealous Fan and return the targeted unit - Once declined, the ability is gone and cannot be used again that showdown Nuances: - The defending player can respond to their own triggered ability (e.g., playing En Garde) before it resolves - The target must be chosen when the ability goes on the chain, but the 'may kill me' choice happens at resolution - This works identically to Vayne's ability - A Defend trigger only triggers once per showdown when a unit gets the Defender designation

Ruling: It's Outcome 1. Each player who chose Runes channels 1 rune, not 2. Sequence: - Player 1 and Player 2 draw a card - Player 1 and Player 3 each channel 1 rune - Player 1 and Player 4 each channel 1 rune Nuances: - The "for each player that" clause counts how many players chose an option and applies the effect to the controller and each individual player who chose that option separately, not multiplying the benefit for those other players - The wording "you and that player" (singular) rather than "you and those players" (plural) indicates each player is resolved individually with the controller

Ruling: No, Phoenix remains at 5 Might and retains attacker status even after the defending unit is moved away by Reavers. The Phoenix does not modulate back down until combat ends. Sequence: - Phoenix attacks and modulates to 5 Might - Reavers triggers and moves the defending unit away - The moved unit loses defender status because it's no longer at the battlefield - Phoenix retains attacker status because attacker status lasts until combat ends - Combat doesn't instantly end just because there are no opposing units - Phoenix remains at 5 Might throughout Nuances: - Only the defender loses their status when moved away, not the attacker - Gust can be played in response to Reavers trigger, but Phoenix is already at 5 Might as an attacker at that point

Ruling: Yes, Phoenix is still at 5 might when Targon's trigger resolves. Sequence: - Phoenix moves in as attacker during combat showdown - Phoenix conquers Targon's Battlefield - Targon's "when you conquer here" trigger goes on the stack - Opponent can respond with Gust targeting Phoenix - When Targon's trigger resolves, Phoenix still has the attacker buff and is at 5 might - The attacker buff is lost later in the combat steps Nuances: - The trigger happens before Phoenix loses the attacker buff according to the combat steps

Ruling: Yes, this interaction is legal. You can stack both triggers (Pit Rookie and Cithria), resolve one trigger to place a buff, then play Call to Glory in response to the second trigger before it resolves, allowing Cithria to keep one buff and gain the +3 Might for turn. Sequence: - Play Pit Rookie with Cithria on board - Both Pit Rookie and Cithria triggers go on the chain - Resolve one trigger (placing a buff on Cithria) - Before the second trigger resolves, play Call to Glory to consume the buff - Resolve the second trigger (placing another buff on Cithria) - Result: Cithria has one buff remaining and +3 Might for turn Nuances: - The order you stack the two triggers doesn't matter; you can always resolve one, respond with Call to Glory, then resolve the second - The chain doesn't fully resolve in one go - you resolve the top item then get priority to respond again

Ruling: A non-combat Showdown occurs first. Once both players pass focus, Combat begins with a new Showdown. The player who contested the Battlefield (Ahri player) is the Attacker and the Vi player is the Defender. Only Blue Ahri triggers; Legend Ahri does not. Sequence: - First Showdown closes (non-combat, no triggers or combat damage) - Both players pass focus - Combat begins, opening a new Showdown - Blue Ahri triggers, Legend Ahri does not trigger - Combat concludes and control is established - Winner scores a point (assuming no prior scoring on that battlefield this turn) Nuances: - Nobody controls the battlefield during the Showdowns; control is only established after Combat concludes - Scoring does not happen until control is established - Only the winner of the combat will score a point

Ruling: Player 1 is the attacker because they applied contested status to the battlefield. Player 2 is the defender and benefits from Shield and defender triggers (known as a "surprise defence"). Sequence: - Player 1 moves a unit into an uncontrolled battlefield, creating a neutral showdown - Player 2 casts Ride the Wind during Player 1's pass window, moving their unit into the same battlefield - The current showdown continues until both players pass on an empty chain with focus (staged combat) - Once the first showdown is over, the staged combat becomes a regular combat - Player 1 is attacker, Player 2 is defender Nuances: - The first showdown is not a combat because only one player's units were present when it was initiated - There will be no "combat" from the first showdown, only from the second showdown after both players have units present

Ruling: Player 1 is the attacker and Player 2 is the defender. The player who applied contested status to the battlefield first (by moving a unit there) is the attacker, regardless of when the other player's units arrive at the battlefield. Sequence: - P1 moves to conquer empty battlefield (applies contested status first) - P1 passes priority - P2 plays Rides the Wind to bring in a unit - Current non-combat showdown continues until both players pass without starting a chain - If units from both players are still present, a new showdown starts with P1 as attacker and P2 as defender Nuances: - The attacker/defender designation is based on who applied contested status first, not who arrived at the battlefield last or whose turn it is

Ruling: Player A controls both Temporary triggers (since they control the permanents) and can choose the order they resolve. Player A can save their Unit with Zhonya's Hourglass by ordering the triggers appropriately. Sequence: - Both Temporary triggers occur at the beginning of Player A's turn - Player A chooses the order for their triggered abilities - Player A can choose to resolve the Hourglass's Temporary trigger first - The Hourglass is killed/removed - Player A can then resolve the Unit's Temporary trigger - The Unit is recalled to base exhausted (saved by Hourglass replacement effect) Nuances: - The Unit will still have Temporary after being saved, so it will trigger again next turn and die then (unless another replacement effect saves it) - Fading Memories grants Temporary permanently, not just for one turn - Temporary triggers every turn until the unit dies; it doesn't go away after triggering

Ruling: Player B is the attacker and Player A (who controls the battlefield) is the defender. The attacking player becomes the active player and gets focus first. Sequence: - Player A plays Charm while holding the battlefield - Player B's unit is moved to the battlefield Player A holds - Showdown is triggered - Player B becomes the attacker (and active player) - Player A is the defender (whoever controls the battlefield is always the defender) - Player B gets focus first as the attacker/active player Nuances: - Even though it is Player A's turn when Charm is cast, Player B becomes the active player once the showdown begins because the attacking player always becomes the active player

Ruling: Player B is the defending player. Sequence: - Player A moves a unit to an open battlefield - The open showdown finishes - Player B becomes the defender when using Ride the Wind to move a unit onto the battlefield

Ruling: The attacker is the player who applies the contested status to the battlefield. In this scenario, Player A (who moved first) is the attacker, not Player B who used Ride the Wind. Sequence: - Player A moves to an open battlefield - Player B activates Ride the Wind and moves to the same battlefield - After Ride the Wind resolves and both players pass (no further chains), a new combat showdown is created - Player A is remembered as the one who applied the contested status and is therefore the attacker Nuances: - When Ride the Wind resolves, it is still a non-combat showdown - Only after that non-combat showdown ends will the new combat showdown be created - The game remembers who applied the contested status even after the initial non-combat showdown resolves

Ruling: Lux's ability triggers and goes on the chain first (when Recruit the Vanguard finishes resolving), but the four Recruits' Vision abilities resolve before Lux's ability. The Vision triggers are added to the chain after Lux's trigger because the Recruits are played (finalized) during cleanup, which happens after Lux triggers. Sequence: - Recruit the Vanguard is put on the chain and starts resolving - The 4 Recruits are put on the chain as pending items - Recruit the Vanguard finishes resolving (is considered played) - Lux's ability triggers and is added as pending on the chain - Cleanup begins - pending items finalize in FIFO (first in, first out) order - Each Recruit finalizes and immediately resolves (permanents resolve immediately upon finalization) - As each Recruit is played, Vision triggers and is added to the chain - Final resolution order: Vision, Vision, Vision, Vision, then Lux's ability Nuances: - Effects that play other units should be evaluated case by case - Lux triggers when the spell is played (finishes resolving), while Vision triggers when units are played (which happens after the spell fully resolves) - Pending items finalize FIFO, but the chain resolves LIFO (last in, first out) - Permanents resolve immediately upon finalization with no priority windows - There is only ever one chain; pending items are unfinalized items on top of the chain

Ruling: When a spell played from hidden is controlled by another player via Mystic Reversal, it retains the targeting restriction to the battlefield it was played from. The new controller cannot make new choices for targets, and if the original target is no longer friendly to them, the buff portion fails but other effects (like "buffs grant +1 Might this turn") still apply. Sequence: - Stand United is played from hidden at battlefield A with targeting restriction "here" - Player B gains control via Mystic Reversal - The spell keeps its original target (cannot be changed) - On resolution, the buff fails because the target is not friendly to Player B - Player B still gets the "buffs grant +1 Might this turn" effect Nuances: - Gaining control of a spell does not allow replaying it or changing its state - it was already finalized to the chain - The original target becomes illegal for the new controller because it's not a friendly unit to them - Secondary effects of the spell that don't depend on the illegal target still resolve for the new controller

Ruling: You can choose any spell on the chain to Defy, not just the most recent one. Sequence: - Option 1: Defy any spell currently on the chain (including the first spell) - Option 2: Let En Garde resolve, then use the reaction window to respond to the first spell Nuances: - Counter spells like Defy do not have to target the most recently played spell on the chain

Ruling: The Assault 3 from Cleave still applies. Showdowns do not change from combat to non-combat mid-combat. Nuances: - A showdown cannot change from non-combat to combat either once it has begun - In the case of Ride the Wind creating a surprise defense, the initial non-combat showdown (from moving to an empty battlefield) continues and resolves normally, then a separate new combat showdown begins afterward

Ruling: Player A is the attacker and Player B is the defender. The unit that originally applied the contested status to the battlefield determines who is the attacker. Sequence: - Player A moves a unit to an open battlefield, making it contested and starting a non-combat showdown - During the non-combat showdown, Player B uses Ride the Wind to move a unit to the same battlefield - The non-combat showdown completes (no point is awarded because both players still have units present) - After the chain is empty and the game returns to neutral state, a combat showdown begins - Player A's unit is the attacker, Player B's unit is the defender - Control is determined at the end of the combat showdown Nuances: - A combat showdown cannot begin until the chain is empty and the game is in neutral state - The non-combat showdown must complete first, but no point is awarded because the battlefield remains contested - The contested status is only removed when combat resolves or when only one player's units remain at the battlefield

Ruling: Player B is the attacker in the Showdown between Player B and Player C, since Player B's unit contested the battlefield. Sequence: - Player A uses Charm on Player B's unit - Player B's unit moves from base to a battlefield containing Player C's units - A Showdown begins between Player B and Player C - Player B is treated as the attacker

Ruling: Darius will see Possession as the second card played and trigger his ability. Darius is under your control when Possession becomes fully resolved/played, which is when it counts as "your second card played this turn." Sequence: - Possession targets Darius while he's under opponent's control - Possession resolves and recalls Darius to your base - Possession becomes fully resolved/played (enters trash) - Darius is now on your board and sees Possession as your second card played - Darius's ability triggers Nuances: - Darius has "super vision" - he retroactively tracks all cards his current controller has played this turn, even cards played before he entered the board - Darius tracks his controller's cards specifically (the "you" in his text) - If you play Darius as your 3rd card, the next card won't ready him because it's the 4th card that turn - The count of cards played is a constant state that Darius checks, not dependent on when he entered play

Ruling: You must wait for everything to resolve before you can start a showdown and potentially score the conquest point. Moving to an empty battlefield applies contested status, but scoring only happens after a showdown completes, which can only begin when the chain is empty. Sequence: - Both players search and choose/banish cards from Promising Future - Active player plays their card first (puts it on the chain) - Non-active player plays their card - All effects resolve - Once the chain is empty, if contested status was applied, a showdown begins - After the showdown completes, if you're still on the battlefield alone, you score the conquest point Nuances: - If the opponent moves a unit to the same battlefield with their Promising Future card or a reaction, combat will be pending instead of an open showdown - If a reaction is played in response that moves a unit to the same battlefield, it resolves first, and the opponent becomes the attacker - The player whose turn it is chooses their Promising Future card first but plays it last

Ruling: When units with 'when you play me' triggers are played via Promising Future, their triggers enter the chain as pending items immediately after each unit resolves. These triggers are then finalized after all other Promising Future cards are finalized, and they resolve before the other Promising Future cards. Sequence: - Promising Future fully resolves - Players finalize their banished cards in order (A, B, C, D) - When a unit with a trigger is finalized, it resolves immediately and its trigger enters the chain as pending - After all Promising Future cards are finalized, the unit triggers are finalized - The unit triggers resolve first (in reverse order of when they were added), then the remaining Promising Future cards resolve Nuances: - The player who played Promising Future finalizes their card last, not first - Unit triggers enter the chain pending when the unit resolves, not when it's finalized - In the example, final chain order from top to bottom is: Pit Rookie trigger (full), Riptide Rex trigger (full), Meditation (full), Charm (full)

Ruling: Both units enter play and their ETB triggers go on the chain, with the last trigger (Rex) resolving first. Rex can kill Snapvine before Snapvine's trigger resolves, but Snapvine's trigger will still resolve even if Snapvine is dead. Sequence: - Both players choose cards for Promising Future (opponent chooses first, then you) - All chosen cards become pending items - Your card (Snapvine) goes from pending onto the chain first and resolves immediately as a permanent - Snapvine's play trigger is added as a pending item - Opponent's card (Rex) goes onto the chain next and resolves immediately as a permanent - Rex's trigger is added as a pending item - Snapvine's trigger is added to the chain and targets are chosen - Rex's trigger is added to the chain and targets are chosen - Rex's trigger resolves first, then Snapvine's trigger resolves Nuances: - If Rex targets Snapvine, Snapvine will be dead but its trigger still resolves and can kill Rex - If Rex targets something else, both triggers resolve and the units trade

Ruling: Promising Future must fully resolve before any showdown starts. You cannot play units to battlefields you don't control (and you don't control a battlefield you're attacking). Sequence: - Opponent's Blitzcrank resolves - Your Promising Future unit resolves - Blitzcrank's triggered ability goes from pending to confirmed on the chain and its target is selected - Blitzcrank's ability resolves - Combat/showdown starts Nuances: - Showdowns only start when there's no chain - while Promising Future is resolving and cards are being played, the showdown doesn't start - You can react after pending abilities become confirmed, but not while they're still pending - Nothing on the chain will ever be pending while a player has priority to react

Ruling: A showdown only happens when the chain is empty. Promising Future must fully resolve first, then all revealed cards resolve in order, and only after everything resolves does the showdown occur. Sequence: - Promising Future resolves and puts both players' revealed cards onto the chain as pending - Discipline resolves - Charm resolves (moving the unit) - After the chain is empty, the showdown occurs Nuances: - The cards are placed on the chain in order but only start resolving after Promising Future itself is resolved - Player B's card and Player A's card are put onto the chain as pending by Promising Future

Ruling: The equipment stays on the board. Riftbound does not have fizzling. Sequence: - Quickdraw allows equipment to be played at reaction speed - The attach part of Quickdraw is a triggered ability - If the target is no longer valid when that trigger resolves, the ability whiffs (resolves to 0 effect) - The gear simply stays in base Nuances: - The distinction between "fizzling" and "whiffing" matters for cards like Student triggers or any card dependent on a spell's resolution - Whiffing means the ability resolves to 0 effect, while fizzling implies 0 resolution

Ruling: Yes, Ravenbloom Student ends up +1 memory higher than the amount copied by Convergent Mutation. Sequence: - Convergent Mutation resolves first - Ravenbloom Student's ability triggers after the spell fully resolves - Student gains the additional +1 memory

Ruling: Ravenbloom Student gets its +1/+1 counter after each spell resolves. Each spell fully resolves before the triggered ability goes on the chain and resolves. Sequence: - First spell resolves - Ravenbloom Student trigger resolves (gets +1/+1 counter) - Second spell resolves - Ravenbloom Student trigger resolves (gets +1/+1 counter) - Third spell resolves - Ravenbloom Student trigger resolves (gets +1/+1 counter) Nuances: - Each triggered ability that gives the +1/+1 counter is itself a triggered ability that goes on the chain and can be responded to - Opponents can respond to the trigger while it's on the chain (e.g., removing the Student with a Gust before the counter resolves)

Ruling: No, the attacker cannot lock the defender this way. When the action spell resolves, the Student's trigger becomes a pending item on the chain before cleanup completes, so the chain never closes and focus does not pass to the defender. Sequence: - Player A plays Hextech Ray as an action spell - Both players pass priority and the spell resolves - Student's trigger condition is fulfilled and immediately becomes a pending item on the chain - During cleanup, the pending trigger gets finalized - Since the chain is not empty (the pending trigger is already on it), focus does not pass - The chain continues without closing Nuances: - Pending items are placed on the chain as soon as their conditions are fulfilled, which happens before the cleanup checks if the chain is empty - The rule about triggers resulting from playing a spell includes them as part of that spell's resolution sequence

Ruling: You must choose the target when Reaver's Row triggers and goes on the stack, before reactions can be declared. Sequence: - When I attack triggers go on the stack - When I defend triggers go on the stack (including Reaver's Row, with target declared at this time) - Then reactions can be declared