Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: If both players have units left after combat damage, the attacking unit always retreats. Nuances: - This is the default rule behavior - Specific cards (like Symbol of the Solari) can override this rule to make both units retreat

Ruling: The unit keeps any actual buff (game object) it received, but still gets -1 might from Ahri's effect. If the might was boosted through other means like Discipline, Ahri's -1 might reduction applies to the total. Nuances: - There is a distinction between "actual buffs" (game objects) and might boosts from other sources - Ahri's -1 might effect applies during combat regardless of when other might modifications occurred - A unit is considered an attacker/defender during the entire combat (showdown, combat damage, and combat resolution)

Ruling: When a unit dies and is saved by Hourglass, it is fully healed and recalled to base. Damage is cleared because otherwise the unit would still be dead. Nuances: - There is no difference between combat damage and ability damage in how Hourglass works - Damage normally only clears after combat and at the end of turn, but Hourglass is special and clears damage immediately - Stat modifications that are not damage (like -X might from cards such as Smoke Screen) remain applied after Hourglass triggers - Damage effects (like damage from Void Seeker) are cleared by Hourglass - As of the FAQ, all replacement effects like Hourglass were updated to specifically call out that they heal

Ruling: Cleanup happens every time an item on the chain resolves. If cleanup causes a deathknell trigger, that trigger is added as the most recent item on the chain. Sequence: - An item on the chain resolves - Cleanup happens immediately - If a unit died, its deathknell trigger is added to the chain as the most recent item - The chain continues resolving with the deathknell now on top

Ruling: You can use Accelerate on a unit that enters play via Portal, and you must pay the Accelerate cost. Nuances: - Portal does not bypass or reduce the Accelerate cost

Ruling: No, Skyfall does not trigger the battlefield's effects. Skyfall only modifies the equipped unit's own abilities, not the battlefield's abilities. Nuances: - Skyfall changes the equipped unit's "When I hold..." effects to trigger on both conquer and hold - Skyfall changes the equipped unit's "When I conquer..." effects to trigger on both conquer and hold - The battlefield's own effects remain separate and are not affected by Skyfall

Ruling: When a unit equipped with Zero Drive dies, only the unit gets banished (not the equipment). Later, when Zero Drive is unattached, you can pay the cost and banish Zero Drive itself to play all units that died while wearing it this game for free. Sequence: - Unit equipped with Zero Drive dies - Only the unit gets banished (Zero Drive becomes unattached) - Later, when Zero Drive is unattached, you can announce you are playing its ability - Pay the power, energy, and banish Zero Drive itself as costs (all at the same time) - You can use add/reaction abilities (like exhausting for energy or recycling for power) to help pay these costs - Play all units that died while wearing Zero Drive this game for free Nuances: - You cannot use Zero Drive's ability while it is attached to a unit - This applies to all equipment - their additional abilities cannot be used while attached to a unit

Ruling: Units that fail to conquer Vilemaw's Lair are recalled to base, not moved. Since "recalled" and "move" are different game terms, Vilemaw's Lair's restriction does not prevent the recall. Nuances: - Units cannot use move effects (like Charm, Ride the Wind, or Tideturner) to move from Vilemaw's Lair to base - Units CAN move from Vilemaw's Lair to another battlefield using move effects like Charm or Ganking - Tideturner specifically uses the word "move" so it cannot move units from Vilemaw's Lair to base, only to other battlefields

Ruling: As the controlling player, you choose which replacement effect to apply. If you choose Guardian Angel, it is killed instead and the unit is healed, exhausted, and recalled (Zhonya's doesn't trigger). If you choose Zhonya's, the unit is recalled exhausted (Guardian Angel doesn't trigger). Sequence: If Guardian Angel is chosen: - The unit takes lethal damage and would die during Cleanup - Guardian Angel's replacement effect applies: Guardian Angel is killed instead - Guardian Angel goes to trash - The unit is healed, exhausted, and recalled to base - Zhonya's Hourglass does not trigger since the unit never died If Zhonya's is chosen: - The unit takes lethal damage and would die during Cleanup - Zhonya's replacement effect applies: the unit is recalled exhausted - Guardian Angel does not trigger since the unit never died - Guardian Angel remains equipped to the recalled unit Nuances: - When multiple replacement effects have the same trigger condition, the controlling player chooses which one to apply first - Once one replacement effect resolves and prevents the death, the other replacement effect no longer has a valid trigger condition - Guardian Angel's effect kills the gear itself, redirecting the death to the equipment rather than preventing it entirely

Ruling: When Smoke Screen or similar effects that reduce might to a minimum resolve, they snapshot the current might of the unit at that moment and calculate the reduction amount. That calculated reduction then applies as a passive modifier for the rest of the turn, regardless of any subsequent might increases or decreases. Sequence: - Determine the unit's current might when Smoke Screen resolves (including all passive bonuses currently active) - Calculate the reduction amount based on that might (reducing to minimum 1) - Apply that calculated reduction as a fixed passive modifier for the rest of the turn - Any subsequent might modifications add to or subtract from the total, but the Smoke Screen reduction amount remains constant Nuances: - Passive abilities (using "while") apply at all times their conditions are true, so they are included when calculating the snapshot - A 3 might unit reduced by Smoke Screen becomes 1 might (reduction of -2); if you then add +2 might, it becomes 3 might total - A 4 might unit (2 base + 2 from passives) reduced by Smoke Screen becomes 1 might (reduction of -3); the -3 continues to apply even if other modifiers change

Ruling: When a unit is banished and replayed, it triggers its on-play effect again and is healed from damage, but buffs do not stay on it. Sequence: - Unit is banished - Unit is replayed as a new object - On-play effect triggers - Unit enters play with full health and no previous buffs Nuances: - The banished and replayed unit becomes a 'new object', which means it is no longer the same game entity - Because it's a new object, effects targeting the original unit (like multiple instances of Icathian Rain) will no longer target it after it's banished and replayed

Ruling: The defending unit has 8 might and survives the 6 damage from Riptide Rex. Sequence: - Charm resolves, moving the enemy unit to your battlefield - Your unit gains +2 might immediately (now at 8 might) because it is defending against the charmed unit - Portal Rescue resolves and Rex is played, triggering 6 damage - The game is still in the same combat showdown, so your unit remains at 8 might - Your unit survives with 2 might remaining Nuances: - The defending unit maintains its +2 might bonus even though the rescued unit is not played onto the same battlefield

Ruling: The unit dies. Noxian Guillotine's delayed trigger is placed on the chain when combat damage is dealt, then resolves after combat cleanup completes. Zhonya's Hourglass replaces the death from lethal damage during combat cleanup (healing and recalling the unit), but Guillotine's 'kill' effect still resolves afterward and kills the unit regardless of whether it was healed. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt (step 443.1.e) - Noxian Guillotine's delayed trigger is placed on the chain as a pending item - Combat cleanup occurs (step 444), including checking for lethal damage - If the unit would die from lethal damage, Zhonya's Hourglass replaces that death, healing and recalling the unit - After combat cleanup completes, Noxian Guillotine's 'kill' trigger resolves - The unit is killed by Guillotine's effect Nuances: - Guillotine's trigger condition ("when it takes damage") is evaluated when the trigger is placed on the chain, not when it resolves. Healing the unit afterward doesn't prevent the kill effect. - The same interaction applies to Imperial Decree. - No standard cleanup occurs between combat damage (443.1.e) and combat cleanup (444) - combat cleanup is the only cleanup that happens at this point. - This means units targeted by Guillotine/Decree are killed after the recall check on ties, which can affect battlefield control outcomes.

Ruling: Both are passive effects that apply simultaneously in the arithmetic layer. You add all bonuses first, then subtract all penalties, with a minimum of 1 might. Sequence: - Start with base might - Add all bonuses (including Yi's +2) - Subtract all penalties (including Leona's -8) - Apply minimum of 1 might Nuances: - Yi's ability is a "While" effect, not a "When" effect, so it applies continuously - In the arithmetic layer, addition comes before subtraction - You need the base might plus additions to total more than 8 to avoid being reduced to 1 might by Leona's effect

Ruling: The exhausted/ready state of a unit does not affect the state of its attachments and vice versa. When a unit is exhausted, its attachments remain ready unless separately exhausted. Nuances: - Currently this distinction has no gameplay impact, so while players should be reminded of the correct procedure, it should not significantly impact their game at tournaments - If a player exhausts both unit and attachment together when only the unit should be exhausted, this would technically be a general gameplay error that could be rewound, but enforcement should be lenient given the rule's current irrelevance

Ruling: Dragon Rage fully resolves before any triggers (like Showdown from Might or Ahri Legend's effect) resolve. Sequence: - Dragon Rage effect completes entirely - Triggers that were created during Dragon Rage (Showdown, Ahri Legend's effect, etc.) then resolve Nuances: - The Showdown trigger from Might and Ahri Legend's trigger are both pending until Dragon Rage finishes resolving

Ruling: Units only exhaust to move when using the standard move limited action. When moved by abilities or effects outside of the standard move action, units do not exhaust themselves from the movement. Nuances: - A unit moved by an ability while readied can then be exhausted to use the standard move action to move again - Yasuo's ability can be used on an exhausted card

Ruling: Both scenarios work as described. When a unit is moved into a controlled battlefield, a Combat showdown begins with the controller of the moved unit being the attacker. Sequence: - When a unit moves into a controlled battlefield, it becomes contested - A Combat showdown begins - The controller of the unit that moved into the battlefield is the attacker - The controller of the battlefield is the defender - Combat abilities trigger based on attacker/defender status Nuances: - Damage on units only clears after the end of a Combat showdown or at the end of the turn, so damage dealt before combat (like from Stormbringer) persists during the combat - Moving a unit into an already contested battlefield is possible but would almost always result in you being the defender instead

Ruling: Yes, Ahri Legend triggers for each unit the first time that unit gains attacker status during each combat, regardless of whether it enters during the initial chain or later via effects like Ride the Wind. Sequence: - When units initially attack a battlefield defended by Ahri Legend, each attacking unit triggers Ahri's ability once and gets -1 might - If additional units are moved into the same combat later (e.g., via Ride the Wind), each of those units also triggers Ahri's ability once when they first gain attacker status - Each unit can only trigger Ahri's ability once per combat, even if that unit somehow leaves and re-enters the same combat Nuances: - Attack triggers occur "when a unit gains the Attacker designation for the first time during a combat" - The "once per combat" restriction applies per unit, not per ability - Ahri Legend can trigger multiple times in one combat for different units - If a unit somehow loses and regains attacker status in the same combat, it will not trigger attack triggers again

Ruling: The unit stays ready when recalled. Recall purely relocates the unit to base and does not affect it in any other way. Nuances: - Units only exhaust as payment to do a standard move, not as a result of being recalled

Ruling: The original player who played the unit remains the controller of the triggered ability. Taking control of the unit does not change the controller of the trigger. Sequence: - Player plays a unit with a 'when you play me' trigger - The trigger is created and its controller is established as the player who played the unit - Opponent takes control of the unit with Hostile Takeover - The trigger remains controlled by the original player Nuances: - Triggered abilities behave like activated abilities once on the chain - The controller of a trigger is established when it goes on the chain and does not update in real time - If controller updated in real time, removing a unit in reaction to its trigger would make the trigger uncontrolled and cause issues with target definitions (like 'enemy') - Reflexive triggers generated by spells would have no defined controller by the time they finalize if controller updated in real time, since the spell would already be in the trash

Ruling: When a unit is recalled, it keeps everything except assigned damage. The card does not actually leave the board when recalled, so recall does not change anything on the card. Nuances: - Recall is not a move - The unit maintains its ready/exhausted state - Buffs and counters are retained - Movement tracking (like Yasuo's move count) is retained

Ruling: Recall always sends units to the base, not to their previous battlefield location. Nuances: - This clarification is present in the updated 1.1 version of the core rules, but was unclear in earlier versions

Ruling: Recalls do not change the state of a permanent unless specified, so the unit maintains its current ready/exhausted state. Nuances: - If a unit was readied by an effect like Ride the Wind before attacking, it will still be ready after being recalled - The recall itself does not exhaust the unit

Ruling: When a unit is returned to a battlefield during an ongoing showdown, it does not trigger the unit's showdown ability because it is still the same showdown with the same attacker and defender roles. The original controller never loses control of the battlefield. Sequence: - Player B attempts to conquer Battlefield A, triggering a showdown - Player B activates Fight or Flight, returning Yasuo to base - Player A activates Ride the Wind, moving Yasuo back to Battlefield A - The showdown continues with the same attacker/defender roles - Yasuo's showdown ability does not trigger Nuances: - Even though the defending player momentarily didn't have units at the battlefield, they never lose control of it - No new showdown is triggered when the unit returns - The returning player does not get to surprise defense

Ruling: When a unit is saved by Zhonya's or Guardian Angel (the death is replaced and prevented), the unit doesn't die, so equipment remains attached. Nuances: - When multiple replacement effects (like both Zhonya's and GA) would prevent the same death, you choose which applies first; the second replacement effect won't trigger since the death has already been prevented by the first one.

Ruling: Yes, all equipment stays attached because the unit never died - it was just recalled to base and healed. Nuances: - All buffs and might changes from spells also remain on the unit - This applies to both Zhonya's and Guardian Angel save effects

Ruling: If both players have units remaining at a battlefield at the end of combat, the attacker's units are recalled to base. Sequence: - Combat resolves with stunned unit(s) not dealing damage - If units from both players remain alive at the battlefield - The attacker's units are recalled to base - The defender retains the battlefield

Ruling: When a unit moves out of the battlefield during a showdown, it loses its attacker status at the next regular cleanup. Once it loses attacker status and returns to its base might, if it has damage equal to or greater than its might, it dies. Sequence: - Unit moves into battlefield and gains attacker status - During showdown, unit gains might (e.g., from Cleave) and takes damage - Unit uses ability to move back to base - At next regular cleanup, unit loses attacker status - Unit reverts to base might - If damage equals or exceeds current might, unit dies Nuances: - Combat cleanup only occurs after the showdown completely ends, not during it - Regular cleanup handles the loss of attacker/defender status when a unit leaves the battlefield during a showdown

Ruling: The battlefield bonus applies first because it is a passive ability that activates immediately when a unit moves there and does not use the chain. Ahri's Legend ability then triggers afterward, reducing the unit's stats by -1/-1. Sequence: - Unit moves to the battlefield - Battlefield passive ability grants +1/+1 immediately (does not use the chain) - Ahri's Legend ability triggers and applies -1/-1 Nuances: - Battlefield bonuses are passive abilities, not triggers, so they don't interact with the trigger chain system

Ruling: The player whose unit applied the contested status to the battlefield (the first unit to arrive) becomes the attacker. The opposing player's unit becomes the defender. Attacker and defender status are not assigned during the initial open showdown, but only when the combat showdown begins after the open showdown resolves. Sequence: - First unit moves to empty battlefield, applying contested status and starting an open showdown - Second unit arrives at the battlefield during the open showdown, staging a combat - The open showdown completes (no attacker/defender status exists yet) - Combat begins with a new showdown - At the start of combat, attacker and defender status are assigned based on who applied contested status - The player who applied contested status becomes the attacker; the opposing player becomes the defender - Assault and Shield bonuses only apply during combat, not during the open showdown Nuances: - Assault and Shield are passives that only apply while a combat is ongoing, not during the open showdown phase - During the open showdown (before combat begins), neither unit has attacker or defender status - Actions taken during the open showdown happen before Assault/Shield bonuses are active - The contested status remains throughout both the open showdown and the subsequent combat

Ruling: The player who originally moved to the empty battlefield is the attacker, and the opponent who moved their unit there afterward is the defender. Sequence: - First player moves unit to empty battlefield, applying Contested status - During showdown, opponent uses Ride the Wind to move a unit to that battlefield - First player becomes the attacker (they applied Contested status) - Opponent becomes the defender Nuances: - Contested status is applied when moving to any battlefield not under your control, including empty battlefields - Combat only happens when both players have presence at a battlefield - If the opponent's unit survives the combat, they will conquer the battlefield and score a point during the first player's turn

Ruling: The player who first moved their unit to the empty battlefield is the attacker. The contested status is applied when the first unit moves to the empty battlefield and remains throughout both showdowns. Sequence: - Player 1 moves a unit to an empty battlefield - A non-combat showdown begins; Player 1 applies contested status - Player 2 plays Ride the Wind, moving a unit to the battlefield - A combat showdown is staged - Both players pass on the non-combat showdown - The combat showdown begins with Player 1 as the attacker Nuances: - Contested status is applied when any unit moves to a battlefield not already controlled by its controller (neutral to controlled counts as a change) - Contested status is not cleared between the non-combat showdown and combat showdown because control cannot be established while a showdown is ongoing - Showdowns do not end just because one or both players leave the battlefield - No points are scored from the non-combat showdown because control is not established when both players remain present

Ruling: When moving to an empty battlefield, units are not designated as attackers or defenders. A unit with Assault will gain the Assault ability for the turn, but will not gain the bonus might because it is not an attacker. Sequence: - Unit moves to empty battlefield - A non-combat showdown occurs (no combat happens on empty battlefields) - Unit gains Assault ability but no might bonus - If an opposing unit later moves to that battlefield during the same turn, a combat showdown begins and the unit becomes an attacker with the might bonus Nuances: - Attacker and defender designations only exist during combat showdowns - Combat only occurs when units controlled by opposing players are present at the same battlefield - The unit still gains the Assault ability itself, just not the might bonus until it becomes an attacker in actual combat

Ruling: The attacker is the player who first applied contested status to the battlefield (the player who moved first), and the defender is the player whose unit was moved there second, even though neither player controlled the battlefield initially. Sequence: - Player A moves their unit to uncontrolled battlefield B, starting a non-combat showdown - Player B plays an effect (like Zenith Blade) to move their unit to battlefield B during the non-combat showdown - The non-combat showdown ends without Player A conquering (battlefield remains contested) - Combat showdown begins with Player A as attacker and Player B as defender - If Player A wins, they conquer and score on attack; if Player B wins, they conquer and score on defense Nuances: - This is called "active defense" - the only way to defend a battlefield you don't control and the only way to conquer on defense - The combat cannot start during the existing non-combat showdown; it must wait until that showdown ends - Who applied contested status determines attacker/defender, not who controls the battlefield

Ruling: When an attacking unit fails to remove all defending units from a battlefield (even if they stun them), the attacking unit returns to base via a recall, not a move. Sequence: - Attacker moves to battlefield with defending unit - Combat occurs, attacker stuns defender but doesn't remove them - Attacker has failed to conquer (defenders remain) - Attacker recalls back to base Nuances: - The distinction between "move" and "recall" matters for card effects that trigger on one action but not the other - Stunned units don't kill the attacker, but their presence still means the attacker failed to conquer - Only the attacker recalls; the defender remains (stunned) on the battlefield

Ruling: Yes, the unit can be saved. When triggers happen simultaneously, they are placed on the stack based on turn order - the active player's triggers go on the stack first, then the non-active player's triggers. Since it's the opponent's turn (they're attacking with Anivia), Anivia's trigger goes on the stack first, then Reaver's Row. The stack resolves in reverse order (last in, first out), so Reaver's Row resolves before Anivia, allowing the unit to be saved. Sequence: - Anivia's trigger goes on the stack first (active player's trigger) - Reaver's Row trigger goes on the stack second (non-active player's trigger) - Players can add reactions to the stack (attacker passes priority, then defender passes) - Stack resolves in reverse order: Reaver's Row resolves first - Players can add reactions again after each resolution - Anivia's trigger resolves last Nuances: - In multiplayer, turn order determines the order triggers are placed on the stack when they occur simultaneously - After each trigger resolves from the stack, players can still use reactions before the next item resolves

Ruling: When you target a unit on The Dreaming Tree with a spell, the draw trigger goes on the chain immediately when you make the choice to target. Both players can then play reactions before the draw resolves. Sequence: - Play the spell (e.g., Cleave) targeting a unit on The Dreaming Tree - The Dreaming Tree's draw trigger goes on the chain - Both players can now play reactions and other spells - The chain resolves in reverse order (reactions first, then the draw, then the original spell) Nuances: - If the original spell gets countered (e.g., by Defy), the draw trigger still resolves because it's already on the chain as a separate effect

Ruling: The unit goes to the discard pile (trash). Once the unit is played onto the board, it becomes a normal unit with no memory of how it was put into play. Sequence: - Dazzling Aurora banishes the card as part of the playing process - The card is played onto the board as a normal unit - When the unit dies, it goes to the discard pile like any other unit Nuances: - The banish effect is only relevant for rare cases where you can't legally play the card - in those cases it stays in the banish zone - The banish mechanic during play is purely mechanical and not related to balance or preventing combos

Ruling: Recall always goes to base, regardless of which battlefield the unit moved from. Nuances: - This applies even if the unit moved from a different battlefield in the same turn before recalling

Ruling: Effects that apply a minus or plus might modifier (like Watcher or Stupify) snapshot the might at its current value when applied. They do not persist as ongoing modifiers. Sequence: - Clockworker Keeper starts at 2 might - Thousands-Tailed Watcher applies -3, setting it to -1 (snapshots current value) - During attack phase, Yi gives +2 to Clockworker Keeper - Clockworker Keeper is now at 1 might (base 2 + Yi's +2 = 4, not -1 + 2 = 1) Nuances: - The negative effect does not "linger" - it modifies the unit's might once at the time of application, then that becomes the new base value for future modifications

Ruling: When you use a buff like Discipline after -might effects resolve, the unit calculates from its current might value. It does not remember what the total -might "should have been" - only what was actually applied at resolution based on the restrictions at that time. Sequence: - Player A attacks with 3 might unit - Ahri triggers giving -1 might (unit now at 2 might) - Nine-Tailed Fox triggers giving -2 might (unit now at 1 might, since it can only see current 2 might) - If Discipline is used, unit goes to 3 might (1 + 2 from Discipline) Nuances: - Units can have 0 or negative might and will not die from this alone - they only die if they have nonzero damage marked on them - Whatever minus the card gave at its resolution, because of its restrictions, is what is applied for the rest of the turn

Ruling: No, when a unit refers to itself using "me" or similar self-reference, it is not considered choosing or targeting that unit. Nuances: - The unit is programmatically selected based on its characteristics (being itself) rather than by the controller actively choosing it - Effects that only see one possible "me" do not involve targeting or choosing

Ruling: Inflicting damage to a unit does NOT reduce its Might. A unit with damage marked on it still deals its full Might value in combat. Sequence: - Damage can be dealt to a unit before a showdown begins (using appropriate spell speeds) - The unit retains its full Might value regardless of damage marked - During the showdown, the damaged unit still deals its original Might as damage - The unit is destroyed if total marked damage equals or exceeds its health Nuances: - Base speed spells cannot be used during showdowns; only Action and Reaction abilities can be used during showdowns - Units track "marked damage" rather than losing HP or reducing stats

Ruling: When a unit moves from one battlefield to another using Ride the Wind during combat, the combat in the first battlefield ends and the unit fully heals before entering the new battlefield. Sequence: - Unit takes damage during combat in Battlefield A - Unit uses Ride the Wind to move to Battlefield B - Combat ends in Battlefield A - Unit fully heals - Unit enters combat in Battlefield B at full health

Ruling: 'When I move' triggers resolve completely before the showdown begins. Once resolved, the showdown starts with attacker triggers going on the chain first, then defender triggers, creating the initial chain. Sequence: - 'When I move' trigger activates and resolves completely before showdown - Showdown begins and attacker 'When I attack' triggers go on the chain first (targets must be declared) - Defender 'When I defend' triggers go on the chain next (defender picks order if multiple, targets declared) - Attacker gets priority to play spells - If pass, defender gets priority to play spells - Chain resolves LIFO (last in, first out) - After initial chain resolves, attacker gets focus and priority Nuances: - Each item on the chain can be reacted to before resolving - If defender has multiple triggers, they choose the order those triggers go on the chain

Ruling: When a unit moves to an uncontrolled battlefield, a non-combat showdown begins and 'when I attack' does not trigger. If an opponent's unit then moves to that battlefield during the non-combat showdown, it stages a combat showdown that occurs after the non-combat showdown resolves. When the combat showdown begins, the first player's unit is designated as the attacker and their 'when I attack' ability triggers. Sequence: - First unit moves to uncontrolled battlefield, starting a non-combat showdown - Second player's unit moves to the same battlefield during the non-combat showdown - Non-combat showdown continues until both players pass - After non-combat showdown resolves, a combat showdown begins - The player whose unit moved in first becomes the attacker - 'When I attack' abilities trigger at the start of this combat Nuances: - If a battlefield is uncontrolled, there is no 'you' for it to reference, so abilities that reference the battlefield's controller (like Fortified Position) will not trigger

Ruling: Yes, the draw and discard ability still resolves. Once the Merchant moves and triggers its ability, the discard-draw effect goes on the chain and will resolve regardless of whether the Merchant is removed from the board. Sequence: - Merchant moves to battlefield and triggers "discard 1, draw 1" ability - Ability goes on the chain - Opponent can respond with Gust to remove the Merchant - Gust resolves, removing the Merchant - The discard/draw ability still resolves because it already triggered Nuances: - The Merchant is not considered an attacker until its trigger resolves, because showdown (and therefore combat) cannot start while items are on the chain - This means you can use Gust with Cleave to remove the Merchant when it triggers its move ability, before it becomes an attacker

Ruling: When Smoke Screen reduces a unit's Might to 1, removing the first +1 Might source reduces the unit to 0 Might, and removing the second source reduces it to -1 Might (which has no real effect and is treated as 0 for gameplay purposes, but the math still tracks the negative value). Sequence: - Unit starts with 3 Might (1 base + 2 from sources) - Smoke Screen reduces it to 1 Might - First +1 source removed: unit goes to 0 Might - Second +1 source removed: unit goes to -1 Might (treated as 0 but tracked as -1) - If buffed again with +1: unit goes from -1 to 0 Might Nuances: - Might can mathematically go below 0, but this has no real gameplay effect - The unit doesn't die when at 0 or negative Might - Math continues to work normally even with negative values (e.g., -1 + 1 = 0) - "Treated as 0" does not mean "becomes 0" - the actual value is still tracked for calculation purposes

Ruling: Yes, a 4 Might unit played at Trifarian War Camp will trigger Voli Legend's ability because "when I'm played" triggers check after the unit is already on the board, at which point the War Camp's continuous buff has already applied. Sequence: - The unit enters the board at Trifarian War Camp - War Camp's continuous passive effect immediately applies, giving +1 Might - "When played" triggers (like Voli Legend) check at this point and see the unit as 5 Might - The trigger goes on the chain Nuances: - War Camp's passive effect is continuous and never goes on the chain - it always applies to units present at that battlefield - Voli Legend only triggers when you play a unit that is Mighty at the time of checking (when it hits the board), not on all units with a check on resolution - You cannot play a non-Mighty unit, then boost it in response to make Voli trigger - the trigger condition is checked when the unit enters play