Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

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

Ruling: You declare the target when the trigger goes on the chain. Everything needs a target to go on the chain. Sequence: - Reaver's Row triggers and goes on the chain - You declare the target at this time - When the trigger resolves, you decide whether to fulfill the "may" clause and move the unit back or not

Ruling: You always finish the current showdown first, then process the showdown that was staged at the other battlefield. Sequence: - Complete the entire combat at the battlefield where the current showdown is happening - Then start combat at the battlefield where the new showdown was staged Nuances: - If the first showdown results in a player getting their 8th point, the staged showdown will never occur - Even if the moved champion would trigger a conquest at the new battlefield, if it's the first score that turn for that player, they wouldn't win off that conquest

Ruling: Ride the Wind resolves legally. The unit is readied, but does not move because Vilemaw's Lair prevents movement to base. The opponent is not forced to choose a different destination. Sequence: - Opponent plays Ride the Wind, selecting their unit at Vilemaw's Lair and base as the destination - The spell resolves doing as much as possible - The unit readies - The unit does not move (prevented by Vilemaw's Lair) Nuances: - Choosing base as a destination is not an illegal target choice, even though Vilemaw prevents the actual movement - Targeting restrictions (352.8.b) only look at what is written on the card itself, not at passive abilities that would prevent the action from completing - This is a "do as much as you can" (DAMAYC) situation - the ready happens, the move does not - The opponent cannot be forced to select a different destination after the fact - Rule 355.3 prevents rule-sharking by rewinding illegal plays entirely, but this situation doesn't involve an illegal play

Ruling: The Watcher is not healed before the showdown occurs. Units are healed at the end of combat (after combat damage is dealt) and at the end of the turn, but a combat doesn't begin until a unit moves to an occupied enemy battlefield, there is nothing on the chain, and no showdown is in progress. Sequence: - Riptide Rex deals 6 damage to the 7 might Watcher - Opponent moves a unit to the battlefield - Combat begins (no healing has occurred yet) - The Watcher enters combat with 6 damage already on it

Ruling: Yes, Karma triggers when Rumble recycles Ferrous Forerunner because Ferrous Forerunner is a card being recycled to the main deck. Nuances: - Karma does NOT trigger when Rumble recycles mech tokens, because tokens are not cards (similar to how runes are not cards, as noted on Karma's text) - Rumble CAN recycle token units as part of his ability cost, but this won't trigger Karma - The distinction is that Karma specifically requires "a card" to be recycled, not just "a unit"

Ruling: Yes, you can order the triggers so that Sett buffs himself first, then spend that buff with Monastery to draw a card. Both "When I/you Conquer" effects trigger simultaneously, allowing you to choose their order on the chain. Sequence: - Place Monastery on Chain Link 1 - Place Sett on Chain Link 2 - Sett resolves first, giving himself a buff - Monastery resolves second, allowing you to spend the buff to draw a card Nuances: - Monastery does not need a buff already on the field to be placed on the chain, since it is a "may" effect that pays its cost at resolution - Monastery doesn't require a target and doesn't have a mandatory cost, which allows this interaction to work

Ruling: You can immediately spend the buff when Sett Brawler is played. Nuances: - You do not need to wait for Sett Brawler to be in the ready state before spending the buff

Ruling: Yes, Vanguard Helmet can transfer a buff to Sett when he is recalled via his legend ability. The other unit dying and Sett being recalled happen simultaneously, triggering Helmet's ability which can then target the recalled Sett. Sequence: - Both units receive lethal combat damage and cleanup would kill both units - The Legend ability allows you to replace Sett's death with a recall by recycling a rune and exhausting the Legend - If you elect to replace the death, the other unit dies and Sett gets recalled simultaneously - Helmet's ability triggers and is put onto the chain since it saw the other buffed unit die, and you announce Sett as the target - If it resolves, Sett gets the buff

Ruling: No, the saved unit does not maintain its buff. Nuances: - Sett's ability specifically states "spend its buff" - Spending a buff removes that buff from the unit

Ruling: No, you cannot respond. Sett The Boss's ability is a replacement effect that does not use the chain. Once the cost is paid, the unit is immediately recalled exhausted with its buff spent, with no window for response. Sequence: - Buffed unit would die during cleanup - Sett The Boss's replacement effect applies - Owner pays the cost (exhaust Sett and pay power) - The unit is immediately recalled exhausted with buff spent - No opportunity to respond between paying the cost and the recall happening Nuances: - Despite the "when" wording on the printed card, the errata makes this a pure replacement effect, not a triggered ability - Replacement effects do not go on the chain like triggered abilities would

Ruling: Sett will lose Mighty status when you pay the cost to activate his ability, then regain Mighty status when the ability resolves. Sequence: - Sett enters the field with one buff, making him Mighty - You pay the cost (spending the buff) to activate his ability - Sett ceases being Mighty at this point - The ability resolves, granting +4/+4 - Sett becomes Mighty again Nuances: - Because Sett loses and regains Mighty status during this process, yellow Fiora can ready him when he becomes Mighty again

Ruling: Healing only removes damage from a unit. Temporary effects like might alterations remain on the unit after healing. Nuances: - If Smokescreen reduces a unit's might, that reduction persists even after the unit is healed - Healing specifically clears damage, not other effects applied to the unit

Ruling: Shield is a passive ability, not a triggered ability, so Shen gains the additional might immediately when he becomes a defender. There is no window to react before he has the bonus. Nuances: - "While" and "if" indicate passive abilities that apply immediately - "When" and "at" indicate triggered abilities that use the chain - Shield is a keyword with reminder text explaining it means "While I am a defender, I have +X [S]"

Ruling: Shen is a unit with reaction speed, not a spell. When played as a reaction, he resolves immediately and enters the battlefield as soon as he is finalized. He cannot be targeted by Wind Wall or countered by other reaction spells because units are not reactable. Sequence: - Player 1 plays a unit to start showdown - Player 2 reacts with Shen - Shen immediately enters the battlefield upon finalization - Priority is held by the player who had it (does not reset) - Player 1 can then play Cannon Barrage - Cannon Barrage resolves, dealing 2 damage to Shen and everything else Nuances: - Units cannot be reacted to and resolve immediately, regardless of being played at reaction speed - Priority does not reset when a unit is played; the player with priority retains it until they pass - A player can play multiple reactions during one priority window before passing priority back

Ruling: Shen enters the board with 3 might and then becomes mighty (gaining 2 might from Shield) during the cleanup phase after he resolves. This does trigger effects that care about units becoming mighty. Sequence: - Shen is played and resolves, entering the board with 3 might - During the cleanup phase after he resolves, he gains the defender designation - Once he has the defender designation, his Shield passive ability activates, increasing his might to 5 - This transition from 3 to 5 might counts as "becoming mighty" for trigger purposes Nuances: - There is no window to respond between Shen entering at 3 might and him gaining the defender designation during cleanup, as cleanups do not use the chain and cannot be reacted to - Players cannot cast damage spells to kill Shen while he is at 3 might because the cleanup happens before any player can react - This interaction is relevant for cards like Fiora Legend that care about units becoming mighty

Ruling: The person who controls Zhonya's gets to choose which unit uses the ability. Nuances: - Singularity deals damage to all targets at the same time, which is different from cards like Falling Star

Ruling: You do not choose a new target. You choose your target when casting Sky Splitter. If that target is no longer valid when resolving, you skip that part of the effect and Sky Splitter does nothing and goes to your trash. Nuances: - You still count as having played a card for effects like Legion or Ravenbloom Student, even though Sky Splitter did nothing.

Jinx survives with 0 Might and 0 marked damage. Smoke Screen reduces Jinx from 6 Might (4 base + 2 Assault) to 2 Might. The 1 damage taken is cleared during cleanup. When Jinx loses Attacker designation at the end of combat, the Assault bonus is removed (2 - 2 = 0 Might). Since the kill condition requires nonzero marked damage equaling or exceeding Might, and Jinx has 0 marked damage after cleanup, it survives.

Ruling: Smoke Screen locks in the magnitude of its might penalty when it resolves and never changes thereafter. So it reduces might to 1, then Call to Glory brings it up to 4, resulting in a final might of 4. Nuances: - The opponent could instead let Call to Glory resolve first, then play Smoke Screen to reduce the unit down to 3 might - The "minimum of 1" clause on Smoke Screen applies when it resolves, not after all modifiers are calculated

Ruling: Ravenbloom Student stays at 1M. Smoke Screen snapshots the unit's momentum when it resolves and applies a fixed -1M reduction for the rest of the turn, regardless of other momentum changes. Sequence: - Smoke Screen resolves on Ravenbloom Student (2M base) - Smoke Screen snapshots the momentum and applies -1M for the rest of the turn - Ravenbloom Student is now at 1M - Hextech Ray kills one Recruit, triggering Ravenbloom Student's ability - Ravenbloom Student would gain +1M (going to 2M base), but Smoke Screen's -1M still applies - Final result: 1M Nuances: - Smoke Screen does not continuously reapply or recalculate; it takes a snapshot at resolution and maintains that fixed modifier

Ruling: When Smoke Screen is played, it snapshots the current Might value and sets it to half (minimum 1). Any buffs that happen after Smoke Screen resolves apply normally starting from that new value. Sequence: - Smoke Screen reduces Daring Poro from 2 Might to 1 Might (half of 2, minimum 1) - Any subsequent buffs (like Assault when attacking) apply starting from that 1 Might base

Ruling: Smoke Screen applies its -4 might reduction (to a minimum of 1) at the moment it resolves, then the effect ceases to exist. It does not create a lingering -4 modifier that continues to track the unit's might after resolution. Sequence: - Opponent's Smoke Screen resolves first, reducing Student from 2 might to 1 might (minimum of 1) - Student's trigger activates, increasing might from 1 to 2 - Player's Smoke Screen resolves, reducing the Yordle's might Nuances: - This is due to the "Snapshot" property - once an effect resolves and is applied, it does not continue to track or influence the unit afterward - The "to a minimum of 1" clause on Smoke Screen means it cannot reduce a unit below 1 might at the moment of resolution - Any might changes that occur after Smoke Screen resolves are not affected by the previously resolved -4 modifier

Ruling: The unit gets +1 might from Ravenbloom Student's ability. The minimum of 1 might only applies when the Smoke Screen debuff is applied, not afterwards. Sequence: - Smoke Screen reduces Ravenbloom Student to 1 might (minimum) - When opponent plays a spell, Ravenbloom Student's ability triggers - The unit gains +1 might, going above the 1 might minimum

Ruling: Jinx will be at 0 Might in base after Smoke Screen is applied. Smoke Screen snapshots the reduction amount when it resolves (seeing 6 Might from base 4 + Assault 2, reducing to 2), then applies that -4 Might reduction for the entire turn. When Jinx loses attacker status and the Assault bonus, she becomes 0 Might (4 base - 4 from Smoke Screen). Sequence: - Smoke Screen resolves while Jinx is attacking with 6 Might (4 base + 2 Assault) - In the arithmetic layer, increases are applied before reductions, so Smoke Screen sees 6 Might and snapshots a -4 Might reduction - The -4 Might reduction applies for the entire turn - When Jinx returns to base and loses attacker status, she loses the +2 Assault bonus - Jinx's final Might is: 4 (base) + 0 (no longer attacking) - 4 (Smoke Screen) = 0 Might Nuances: - Units only die when they have non-zero damage marked on them that is greater than or equal to their Might - Smoke Screen's snapshotted reduction doesn't care about further additions or reductions after it's applied - In the arithmetic layer, additions are performed before subtractions - When a unit's Might would be negative, it's treated as 0 for interaction purposes, but the arithmetic layer still tracks the actual negative value for further calculations - Snapshot only applies to effects that alter Might with restrictions (like Smoke Screen's "reduce to at least 1") - it locks in the actual amount of change that occurred

Ruling: Smokescreen reduces the total might of the unit including any battlefield bonuses. The battlefield effect is not calculated separately - all positive modifiers are calculated first, then negative modifiers are applied to that total. Sequence: - Calculate all positive might modifiers (base might + battlefield bonuses + other buffs) - Apply Smokescreen's reduction to that total (reduce by half, minimum 1) - The reduction amount stays fixed for the rest of the turn, even if the unit moves and loses the battlefield bonus - If the unit leaves the battlefield that turn, it can drop below 1 might (even to 0 or negative) Nuances: - Smokescreen calculates its reduction once based on current might, then applies that fixed reduction for the rest of the turn - If a unit moves after being Smokescreened, the reduction stays but the battlefield bonus is lost, potentially resulting in 0 or negative might - Units at 0 might stay alive unless damaged - Might reduction is not the same as damage - Negative might is treated as 0 for interactions, but still counts from the negative value for subsequent might alterations

Ruling: Smokescreen's effect is "snapshotted" when it resolves, meaning the might reduction is determined by the unit's might at the time Smokescreen resolves and that reduction amount applies for the rest of the turn. Sequence: - If Smokescreen is played before Cleaver resolves, it checks the unit's might at that moment and applies the corresponding reduction for the rest of the turn - If Smokescreen is played after Cleaver has completely resolved, it checks the unit's might (including the Cleaver bonus) and applies the corresponding reduction for the rest of the turn Nuances: - In the example given, if the Noxus Hopeful has 4 might when Smokescreen resolves, Smokescreen only applies -3 might for the rest of the turn (not -4) - Waiting for Cleaver to fully resolve before playing Smokescreen allows the full -4 might reduction to apply, since the unit would be at 7 might when Smokescreen resolves

Ruling: Smokescreen and similar debuff effects only affect the unit's Might at the moment they are played, not permanently. Subsequent buffs will increase the unit's Might normally from whatever value it currently has. Sequence: - Poro starts at 2 Might - Smokescreen reduces Might by 4, but minimum is 1, so Poro is at 1 Might - Shield triggers when defending, adding +1 Might (now at 2) - Mask of Foresight triggers when defending, adding +1 Might (now at 3) - Final result: Poro has 3 Might

Ruling: Volibear remains at 10 might with 6 marked damage. The damage is marked on the unit rather than reducing its might value. Nuances: - This interaction is specific to units with damage prevention effects like Volibear at a Bastion Fortress

Ruling: No, Accelerate is an additional cost, so it is not included in effects that ignore costs (which implicitly means base costs only). Nuances: - The same principle applies to other additional costs like Cruel Patron's requirement to kill a unit

Ruling: No, these effects look at printed cost, so you cannot use Kraken Hunter's Power discount when playing it from Trash via Spectral Matron.

Ruling: When cards say "ignoring costs" they refer to the base costs in the top left only. Additional costs still need to be paid. Sequence: - You play Matron, resolve it, and put it on board - Matron's "when played" ability triggers, targeting a unit from trash, and goes on the chain - You don't pay for the targeted unit yet at this point - Opponent can respond to the trigger - When the ability resolves, you play the targeted unit and must pay any additional costs - If you cannot pay the additional costs (e.g., no unit to sacrifice), the ability fails Nuances: - "When you play" is the same as enters the battlefield; there is no separate "cast" concept in this game - The unit from trash is not "pending" when the trigger goes on the chain - it only gets played during resolution

Ruling: When a hidden spell causes you to play a unit, you must play that unit at the battlefield where the hidden card was located. Nuances: - If Sprite Call were played from hand instead of as a hidden card, the Sprite could be played to any battlefield you control or to the base - The restriction applies specifically because the card is hidden, not because of the showdown timing

Ruling: No, the Sprite does not come out if Sprite Mother is killed before the triggered effect resolves, because the effect specifies "here" which requires Sprite Mother to still be on the field. Sequence: - Sprite Mother is played and its triggered effect goes on the chain - There is a window to react before the effect resolves - If Sprite Mother is removed from the field during this window, the "here" clause fails and no Sprite is created Nuances: - The triggered effect can be responded to with Reaction timing - The "here" text on the card is location-dependent and requires Sprite Mother to remain on the field for the effect to fully resolve

Ruling: Stand United gives a unit a Buff (if it didn't already have one) and makes all your Buffs give +2 Might instead of +1 Might for the turn. When the turn ends, all Buffs return to their normal +1 Might. Sequence: - Stand United is played - Target unit receives a Buff if it didn't have one - All Buffs you control become +2 Might for the turn - Turn ends and all Buffs return to +1 Might Nuances: - Each existing Buff on a unit (such as 7 Buffs on Lee Sin champion) gets the +1 bonus, effectively doubling the Might contribution from Buffs for that turn

Ruling: When Stand United is revealed from hidden, the targeting portion (giving a buff to a unit) is restricted to the current battlefield only. However, the passive effect that gives all your buffs +1 this turn is a global effect that affects buffs everywhere on all battlefields. Sequence: - Stand United is revealed from hidden on a specific battlefield - Choose a target unit on that battlefield to receive the buff - The +1 bonus to all buffs applies globally to all your buffs on every battlefield Nuances: - The restriction to the current battlefield only applies to the targeting portion of the card - Effects that do not specify targeting or location can affect units globally

Ruling: Stormbringer causes two cleanups in this situation. The first cleanup occurs after the move effect (killing units with lethal damage and reducing Sett Kingpin's might), and the second cleanup occurs after chain resolution (killing Sett Kingpin as a "zombie unit"). Sequence: - Stormbringer resolves, moving Volibear Furious and marking 9 damage to everything - First cleanup occurs, removing the 3 buffed units and reducing Sett Kingpin to 7 might with 9 damage marked - Sett Kingpin temporarily survives as a "zombie unit" and combat is marked as pending - Combat starts with Volibear Furious attacking - Volibear's When Attacking ability triggers, creating an opportunity for Player 2 to use Hidden Blade - Second cleanup would occur after chain resolution Nuances: - A cleanup that impacts the board will trigger another cleanup - The "zombie unit" interaction (units that should be dead but temporarily survive) will be addressed in the next Comprehensive Rules Document

Ruling: Yes, the unit moves to the battlefield first via Stormbringer, then Kog'maw's Deathknell trigger resolves and deals damage to the moved unit. Sequence: - Stormbringer resolves completely, moving the unit to Kog'maw's battlefield - Kog'maw dies and its Deathknell trigger goes into a pending state - After the initial chain completes, Kog'maw's trigger goes on the chain - The Deathknell damage resolves, affecting the unit that was moved there Nuances: - Deathknell triggers go into a pending state when the unit dies and trigger after the initial chain that caused the death completes - Stormbringer is not broken up into separate effects like Falling Star

Ruling: Stormbringer deals damage to all enemy units at the chosen battlefield, then moves the friendly unit (Sand Wurm) to that battlefield. When the unit moves, contested is applied immediately (before cleanup), which locks control of the battlefield. During the subsequent cleanup, Kai'Sa dies from damage, but the hidden Fae card is NOT discarded because the battlefield remains controlled (contested prevents control change). A combat is then staged, and during the showdown for this combat, the player can play the hidden Fae card. Sequence: - Stormbringer resolves: deals damage to enemy units at the battlefield, then moves the friendly unit - Contested is applied immediately when the enemy unit arrives - Cleanup occurs: Kai'Sa dies from marked damage - Control cannot change because the battlefield is contested - Hidden card remains (not discarded) because the player still controls the battlefield - Combat is staged - During the showdown, the player has priority to play the hidden Fae card Nuances: - You cannot react with the hidden card during cleanup itself - you must wait until the showdown - If the moved unit has Assault, it will trigger during the combat because it becomes designated as an attacker when combat is staged - Contested is applied as a state-based effect when the unit moves, not during cleanup steps - The hidden card would only be discarded if control was lost, which cannot happen while contested

Ruling: Smoke Screen reduces the unit to minimum 1 might (not -4). Cleave's +3 might bonus is then applied along with the snapshotted -1 modifier from Smoke Screen. Sequence: - Student starts at 1 might (base) + 1 (trigger) - Smoke Screen applies -1 (bringing it to minimum, not below) - Cleave resolves: 2 (current) + 3 (assault bonus) - 1 (snapshotted Smoke Screen modifier) = 4 total - If Student trigger resolves after: 2 + 1 (trigger) + 3 (assault) - 1 (Smoke Screen) = 5 total Nuances: - Smoke Screen's modifier is snapshotted, so the -1 continues to apply even after other modifiers are added - Assault from Cleave only applies if moving to an opponent-controlled battlefield

Ruling: Yes, when Svellsongur is attached to Aphelios-Exalted, Aphelios has two instances of his ability (one printed, one copied). Each instance has its own set of mode choices, effectively allowing you to use each mode twice per turn. Sequence: - Svellsongur copies Aphelios's printed text as it attaches - This creates two separate abilities on Aphelios - Each ability triggers independently when Svellsongur attaches - Each ability has its own restriction on choosing modes once - You can select the same mode from each ability instance Nuances: - The copied text becomes active during the attachment process because it's a triggered ability that triggers off of attaching - You're not bypassing the "once per turn" restriction; rather, you have two separate abilities each with their own restriction - This allows effects like channeling 2 or readying 4 runes

Ruling: Swap creates +/- power modifiers in the arithmetic layer that persist for the turn. When Mundo swaps power with a weaker unit, he receives a negative modifier that lasts the entire turn, preventing his passive from immediately restoring his previous power level. Sequence: - Mundo at 16 power (10 cards in grave) and Purple Poro at 2 power - Swap is cast - Swap applies -14 power to Mundo and +14 power to Poro - These modifiers persist for the turn - Mundo's passive continues to add power as more cards enter the grave during the turn Nuances: - Mundo's passive ability still functions and will continue to increase his power as additional cards are added to the grave during the turn, building on top of the negative modifier from Swap - The "base might" interpretation was discussed before Swap was officially defined but is not correct

Ruling: Switcharoo looks at the current might of the unit including any equipment or other modifiers, and then applies either a +/- might change for the remainder of the turn. Nuances: - The effect considers all modifiers (equipment and others) already on the unit, not just base might

Ruling: Switcheroo's effect resolves in full first, swapping the units. Then Embermonk's trigger goes on the chain and resolves, giving it +2 Might. Sequence: - Switcheroo is played from hidden and its effect begins resolving - The swap effect completes fully - Embermonk's trigger goes on the chain - Embermonk's trigger resolves and it gains +2 Might Nuances: - This same principle applies to Ravenbloom Student (swaps first, then gains +1) - For Mundo, swap applies a snapshotted Might reduction equal to the difference between his Might and the other unit's Might. His passive still applies, but the snapshotted reduction cancels it out. Cards going to trash after the swap will still increase his Might because the swap reduction stays fixed for the rest of the turn. - A helpful way to track swap effects is to imagine setting the unit's current Might to the new value at the moment Switcheroo resolves, then apply any further changes on top of that number.

Ruling: Exchange effects apply modifiers equal to the stat difference, not base stat swaps. Ornn receives a negative modifier equal to the gear bonus being transferred, while the other unit receives a positive modifier of the same amount. Sequence: - Calculate the stat difference between the two units (including Ornn's gear bonuses) - Apply a negative modifier to Ornn equal to that difference - Apply a positive modifier to the other unit equal to that difference - Any new gear created after the exchange adds to Ornn on top of the existing modifier Nuances: - Ornn does not reset to base stats and reapply gear; the gear bonuses remain but are offset by the negative modifier from the exchange - Future gear bonuses stack normally on top of the exchange modifier

Ruling: Assault and Shield are passive effects that continuously apply during combat, not triggers. When Switcheroo resolves, it snapshots the current might values (including passive bonuses) and swaps them by applying +10 to one unit and -10 to the other. The passive effects themselves remain on their original units and continue to apply. Sequence: - Combat opens, units gain attacker/defender designations - Assault and Shield passives immediately apply (Poro becomes 3 might, Volibear becomes 13 might) - Switcheroo is played when a player has priority - Switcheroo resolves: Volibear gets -10 penalty (becomes 3 might), Poro gets +10 bonus (becomes 13 might) - During combat: Poro has 13 might, Volibear has 3 might - After combat ends: Poro loses Assault bonus (becomes 12 might), Volibear loses Shield bonus (becomes 0 might) Nuances: - Assault and Shield are passive effects (not triggers), so they don't use the chain - The passives don't transfer or reapply after the swap - they continue applying to their original units - Keywords like "While/If" or statements of fact indicate passive effects; "When/At" indicate triggers

Ruling: Assault and shield are situational increases to might that are included in the calculation when Switcheroo resolves. When Switcheroo targets an attacking Kai'sa with 4 base might + 3 assault and a 1 might Teemo, Kai'sa becomes 1 might and Teemo becomes 7 might. Sequence: - Calculate each unit's current might including situational modifiers (Kai'sa has 7 might from 4 base + 3 assault, Teemo has 1 might) - Switcheroo swaps these values (Kai'sa becomes 1 might, Teemo becomes 7 might) - When combat ends, Kai'sa loses the assault bonus and becomes -2 might Nuances: - Negative might values can occur in calculations, but units treat negative might as 0 for most purposes - Units only die if they have nonzero marked damage at least equal to their might - After healing at end of combat, a unit with 0 marked damage cannot die even with 0 or negative might - When calculating Switcheroo on a unit with negative might, the negative value is used in the math (e.g., -2 might swapped with 7 might results in +7 and -7 adjustments)

Ruling: When Switcheroo switches might values, the Assault bonus is not reapplied. The attacking unit keeps its Assault bonus but now applies it to the switched (lower) might value. Sequence: - Assault bonus is applied when a unit enters combat as an attacker - Switcheroo switches the current might values of both units - The Assault bonus remains active but is now calculated from the new (switched) might value - The unit that was originally attacking maintains the Attacker designation with Assault, but at reduced effectiveness Nuances: - If a unit with Assault 2 has 4 total might (2 base + 2 Assault) and switches with a 1 might unit, the result is: the attacking unit has 1 might with Assault 2 (still 1 might total), and the other unit has 4 might - If the attacking unit then loses the Attacker designation (e.g., via Flash), it would lose the Assault bonus entirely