Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: The unit remains at 4 Might with 3 damage marked on it. Damage does not reduce Might. Sequence: - The 4 Might unit takes 3 damage from Hextech Ray - The unit is still at 4 Might, but has 3 damage marked - The unit would deal 4 damage in combat - The unit would be killed if it takes 1 more damage - Marked damage is cleared at the end of each combat and at the end of turn Nuances: - Damage marked on a unit does not reduce its Might value - A unit's combat damage output is based on its Might, not Might minus damage

Ruling: Move abilities must resolve first before combat can start. The unit does not gain Assault bonuses until after the move ability has resolved and combat begins. Sequence: - Move ability goes on the chain - Move ability must resolve (opponents can react with abilities like Gust) - Chain becomes empty - Combat starts and attacker/defender status is assigned - Assault and other combat effects apply Nuances: - Combat cannot start while the chain is not empty - Opponents can react to the move ability before Assault bonuses take effect

Ruling: Assault and Shield only apply during the second (combat) showdown, not during the initial non-combat showdown. Units are assigned as attacker/defender at the start of the combat showdown when there are opposing units. Sequence: - Player 1 moves unit to empty battlefield, triggering a non-combat showdown - Player 2 plays Zenith Blade, stunning the enemy unit and moving their own unit to that battlefield - Non-combat showdown ends; Player 1 does not conquer because the battlefield is now contested - Combat showdown begins; Player 1 is the attacker (applied contested first), Player 2 is the defender - Assault and Shield modifiers now apply during this combat showdown Nuances: - You cannot have Assault or Shield in a non-combat showdown because there are no opposing units - Units only become attackers or defenders when there is opposition - "When I attack/defend" abilities trigger when a unit becomes an attacker/defender, even if played after the showdown starts - Attacker/defender roles are assigned at the start of combat showdown and don't change during it

Ruling: When Hourglass recalls a unit with Buffs attached, the unit keeps all Buffs. Buffs simply add Might to the unit and are not removed by damage unless a card specifically tells you to remove them. Sequence: - Hourglass removes all damage from the unit - Recalls the unit to base exhausted - Changes nothing else about the unit (Buffs remain attached) Nuances: - Buffs do not act as damage shields or buffers that absorb individual instances of damage - Buffs only add Might to the unit's total Might value - A unit with base 5 Might and three Buffs attached is simply an 8 Might unit

Ruling: Assault and Shield are passive abilities, not triggers. When a unit with Cleave moves to a battlefield, it instantly gains the Assault might bonus without creating a reaction window. Sequence: - If the unit has no move triggers: The unit moves to the battlefield and instantly gains the Assault bonus with no opportunity to respond - If the unit has move triggers: The unit arrives at the battlefield, the move trigger goes on the chain (allowing responses), and the Assault bonus applies only after that chain fully resolves Nuances: - Units with move triggers are considered at the battlefield when their move trigger is on the chain, but combat has not yet begun - If a unit with Cleave and a move trigger initiates combat, opponents can respond to the move trigger (e.g., with Gust) before the Assault bonus applies and combat begins - If combat is already ongoing at the battlefield and the unit joins as the attacker, it gets the Assault bonus before the move trigger chain fully resolves - There is no "move limbo" - permanents are either at their Origin before moving or their Destination after moving

Ruling: If both triggers are from the same event (the unit with Deathknell dying), you can choose to order them in either sequence. Sequence: - Both triggers occur from the same death event - The controlling player chooses which trigger to resolve first - Then resolve the second trigger

Ruling: The owner of the unit controls the Deathknell trigger, not the player who possessed it. The trigger is created from the trash.

Ruling: When a unit with Deathknell is stolen via Possession and dies, the controller (the player who stole it) gets the Deathknell trigger, but the card goes to the owner's trash (the original owner). Sequence: - The stolen unit dies - The card goes to the owner's trash - The controller (who stole it) gets the Deathknell effect Nuances: - This ruling is based on designer intent (red text) rather than being explicitly supported in the current rules text - Cards always move to the owner's zones (hand, deck, or trash), never the controller's zones when owner and controller differ - This prevents logistical issues with card sleeves and ownership tracking

Ruling: No, Deathnell does not trigger when Zhonya revives a unit. Zhonya replaces the kill effect, so the unit never dies or goes to the trash. Nuances: - For effects like Baited Hook that trigger on kill, the effect still happens when Zhonya protects the unit, but there is no "killed unit" to reference for stats like might - You would look at the top cards and recycle them all because there's no unit with Null might to reference - This interaction also applies to Sett's Legend ability

Ruling: When a unit with Guardian Angel dies, all gears remain attached to the unit and return with it to the top of the deck. Nuances: - The unit never technically "died" due to Guardian Angel's effect, so the normal rule of gears returning to base does not apply - All equipment stays equipped to the unit as it returns

Ruling: When a card is played from Hidden, it must be played to the same location where it was hidden. An additional restriction of "Here" is added to the card when played from Hidden. Nuances: - The battlefield itself is not a target, but the play location is restricted to where the card was hidden - This restriction applies whether the hidden card is a unit or has other targeting requirements

Ruling: Yes, the Mask effect triggers during the initial chain of the combat showdown. You can reveal the Hidden after the Mask trigger is added to the chain, even before it resolves, and the +1/+1 bonus remains. Sequence: - Mask effect triggers with the initial chain of combat showdown - The trigger is added to the chain - Hidden can be revealed at this point (even before the trigger resolves) - The +1/+1 bonus still applies Nuances: - If a defending unit is destroyed by a spell and you then play a Hidden unit (like Teemo) to the battlefield, Teemo becomes a defender but won't trigger Mask because he's not alone at that point - You need to play the Hidden before the other unit dies to get the Mask bonus - Once you lose control of the battlefield, any Hiddens get trashed immediately - Usually you reveal the Hidden as a reaction to the spell that would kill the other unit

Ruling: Yes, the unit retains the Primal Strength buff. Because of Zhonya's replacement effect, the unit never leaves the board/battlefield, so it keeps all modifications including until end of turn effects like buffs. Nuances: - The unit does get recalled, but the replacement effect means it never actually leaves the battlefield - This same principle is why Zhonya's errata specifies heal - otherwise damage would persist through the recall and potentially kill the unit during the next cleanup

Ruling: When a unit equipped with both Skyfall of Areion and Trinity Force holds at Reckoner's Arena, you gain 3 points total and draw 2 cards. The hold trigger, Trinity Force's hold trigger (which becomes a conquer effect via Skyfall), and Reckoner's Arena's trigger all go on the chain simultaneously. Sequence: - Unit holds, gaining 1 point - Three triggers go on the chain at the same time: the unit's hold effect, Trinity Force's hold effect, and Reckoner's Arena's trigger - When Reckoner's Arena's trigger resolves, it activates the unit's conquer effects: Trinity Force's conquer effect (scoring 1 point) and the unit's conquer effect (drawing 1 card) - Final result: 3 points gained (1 from hold, 2 from triggers) and 2 cards drawn Nuances: - Skyfall of Areion makes hold effects also count as conquer effects for the equipped unit - Reckoner's Arena itself does not become a conquer effect due to Skyfall - Both the Trinity Force hold trigger and the unit's own hold trigger become conquer effects that Reckoner's Arena can activate again

Ruling: The unit dies on the next turn, not the same turn. The Temporary trigger occurs only once at the start of the beginning phase. Sequence: - Temporary triggers at the start of the beginning phase - If death is prevented (e.g., by Zhonya), the trigger does not occur again that turn - The unit will die at the start of the next beginning phase when Temporary triggers again Nuances: - Start of phase triggers only happen once per phase and will not trigger again unless specifically instructed to do so - Multiple death prevention effects (Zhonya, Guardian Angel) do not cause the unit to die repeatedly in the same turn

Ruling: No, the game is not in a showdown state while the move trigger is on the chain. The move trigger must fully resolve before the Combat Showdown can begin. Sequence: - Unit with "When I move" trigger moves to a battlefield with an enemy unit - Move trigger goes on the chain - Move trigger must resolve completely - After chain is empty and game reaches neutral open state, showdown begins Nuances: - A showdown cannot start if there are items on the chain - The cleanup process that begins a showdown requires a "neutral open state" (no chain active)

Ruling: When you play a unit, it enters immediately and its triggered ability goes on the chain. If the unit dies in response, the triggered ability still resolves, but effects that reference the unit's location (like 'here') will fail to do anything because the unit is no longer present. Sequence: - Play the unit (it finalizes immediately and enters) - The 'When you play me' triggered ability goes on the chain - Opponent can respond (e.g., by killing the unit) - Response resolves first - Original triggered ability resolves (but may whiff if it references the unit's location) Nuances: - Effects like 'draw 1' will still resolve even if the unit dies - Effects that reference 'here' (the unit's location) will fail to do anything if the unit has died - Units and gear finalize immediately and do not cause a priority pass - Triggered abilities are identified by 'when' followed by a condition, 'at' followed by a time, or 'the [n]'th time you...'

Ruling: When a unit is recalled by Sett's legend ability, it heals from damage but keeps all other effects acting on it, including 'this turn' might increases. Nuances: - The unit would die immediately after being recalled by Sett if damage wasn't cleared, so damage is specifically cleared as a necessary correction to Rules as Written - Other conditions like might buffs follow Rules as Written and stay on the unit because it didn't leave the board - Stun and other non-damage conditions are treated the same as might increases (they remain)

Ruling: When multiple Conquer abilities trigger simultaneously (from both the conquering unit and the conquered site), you can choose the order in which they resolve. Nuances: - This applies to scenarios like Sett conquering Monastery of Hirana (you can choose whether to use Sett's buff for the Monastery's draw effect first, or trigger Sett's ability first to get the buff) - This also applies to scenarios like Qiyana conquering Sigil of the Storm (you can choose whether Sigil's effect or Qiyana's channeling happens first) - This ruling resolves potential contradictions between multiple conquer triggers

Ruling: Hidden cards have the Reaction keyword, so the opponent can flip and cast the hidden card in response to Charm being cast. If they miss that window, the hidden card is trashed during the cleanup step after Charm resolves and before any move triggers go on a new chain. Sequence: - Charm is cast and target is declared - Opponent can respond by casting the hidden card (using its Reaction keyword) - If not cast, Charm resolves - Chain closes and cleanup step occurs - Hidden card is trashed during cleanup - Move triggers (if any) go on a new chain Nuances: - The opponent must cast the hidden card in response to Charm or lose it, as there is no window after Charm resolves - Move triggers happen too late - the hidden card is already trashed in the cleanup step before move triggers can be responded to

Ruling: When a unit is being returned from a battlefield to base, you can flip the hidden gear as a response. Gear cards are not allowed to stay at a battlefield and will be recalled to your base during the next cleanup. Sequence: - Player plays effect to return unit from battlefield to base (e.g., Fight or Flight) - In response, the controlling player can flip the hidden gear (e.g., Zhonya's) - The gear recalls to base - The unit returns to base Nuances: - The opponent could technically respond to the gear being played, but players often shortcut through this - Recall is distinct from "move" in game terminology - Hidden cards at battlefields you no longer control are trashed, but this doesn't apply when you flip the gear as a response before losing control

Ruling: The move trigger is put onto the chain and resolves first, before the showdown happens. Then, when the showdown begins, the defend trigger resolves before the attack. Sequence: - Move trigger goes on the chain and resolves - Showdown begins - Defend trigger resolves - Attack happens

Ruling: No, there is no opportunity to play a spell drawn from the move trigger before showdown begins and the defender gets their shield. Once the move trigger resolves and the chain is empty (with no additional triggers), showdown begins immediately without priority passing. Sequence: - Move trigger (like Wandering Merchant) activates and resolves - If no additional triggers are created, the game transitions from closed to open state - Showdown begins immediately without players passing priority on an empty chain - Defender's abilities (like Stalwart Poro's shield) activate during showdown Nuances: - If the move trigger causes additional triggers (like discarding Scrap Heap which has its own trigger), you could play a spell as a reaction to that secondary trigger before showdown begins - However, if you draw the spell from the secondary trigger itself, you're back in the same situation with no opportunity to play it before showdown - Some spells (like Cannon Barrage) require combat to have already started, so they couldn't be played before showdown anyway

Ruling: When calculating might modifications, apply all increases before all decreases. Smoke Screen's effect is calculated ("snapshotted") when the spell is played, not continuously recalculated. Sequence: - Start with base might (2 for the poro) - Apply all increases: +1 from Trifarian War Camp, +1 from shield, +2 from Discipline = 6 total from increases - Apply all decreases: -3 from Smoke Screen (snapshotted when played) - Final might: 2 + 6 - 3 = 5 might Nuances: - If a second Smoke Screen is played after Discipline, it would only give -2 (not -3) because Discipline's +2 is already applied when the second Smoke Screen snapshots - Aura effects like Trifarian War Camp don't use the chain to resolve and apply continuously - The "increases before decreases" rule ensures aura increases like Trifarian War Camp apply before aura decreases like Green Leona

Ruling: The boosted unit will not die. Damage is healed at the same time as the stat boost is removed during end of combat cleanup. Sequence: - Lee Sin goes to trash and units heal simultaneously - All parts of the special cleanup happen at the same time - The damage removal and power reduction occur together, so the unit survives Nuances: - This same principle applies to other temporary stat boosts like Yi's defender bonus - a 2 power unit that receives +2 power as defender and takes 2 damage will survive because the damage heals as the boost ends

Ruling: When a unit with a triggered ability enters play, the ability goes on the chain and both players can respond with Reaction speed cards before it resolves. Triggered abilities always resolve regardless of whether the unit is killed, bounced, or banished. Sequence: - Unit enters play immediately - Triggered ability goes on the chain - Active player can play Reactions or pass - When active player passes, non-active player can play Reactions - Once both players pass, the chain resolves - Triggered ability resolves last (as it was first on the chain) - Once the ability resolves, its effect applies for the rest of the turn Nuances: - Only Reaction speed cards can be added to the chain; Action speed cards are too slow - Players hold priority and can play multiple Reactions before passing - Players can continue adding Reactions as the chain resolves (after each item resolves, the owner of the next item gains priority first) - Triggers always resolve even if the unit is removed, though effects referencing "here" or similar may not execute if the referent is undefined - Triggers without referential information (like "here", "me", "my") will fully execute even if the unit is gone

Ruling: Yes, both triggered abilities go on the stack at the same time, and since you control both, you can choose their order. You can resolve the battlefield effect first to draw and remove Sett's buff, then resolve Sett's trigger to rebuff him. Sequence: - Both triggers go on the stack simultaneously when Sett conquers the battlefield - You choose to order them so Monastery of Hirana resolves first - Monastery effect resolves: you draw a card and remove a buff from a unit (Sett) - Sett's trigger resolves: Sett gains a buff (he no longer has one, so this succeeds) Nuances: - Sett's trigger is always added to the stack when he conquers, regardless of whether he already has a buff - the game doesn't check legality of the effect when adding triggers to the stack - Units that already have a buff are valid targets for abilities that buff units; the buff simply fails to apply if they already have one - This is different from Kinkou Monk, which specifically requires buffing two units to resolve at all

Ruling: Once a triggered ability is added to the chain, it always resolves regardless of whether the unit is killed or moved. However, if the ability references the unit's location (like "here") or stats (like "my might"), it may resolve to do nothing if the unit is no longer in the referenced location or no longer exists. Sequence: - Targets for the ability must be chosen when the ability is added to the chain - If the unit is moved or killed after targets are chosen, the ability still resolves - The ability checks its conditions upon resolution Nuances: - For Yasuo's ability specifically: if he is moved to a different battlefield or base, the chosen target is no longer valid for "here" so no damage is dealt - If Yasuo is killed, he has no might to deal damage with, so the ability does nothing - If an ability doesn't reference the unit's location or stats (e.g. "deal 5 damage to a unit"), it would still work even if the unit is moved or killed - There is no "fizzling" like in Magic - abilities always resolve, they just potentially do nothing - Any other effects on the ability would still resolve as much as possible - Spells still count as played for effects like Ravenbloom Student even if they do nothing

Ruling: When a unit with attached gear is recycled, the gear detaches and stays in the base. Sequence: - When the unit moves from a board zone to a non-board zone (like the deck via recycling), any attached cards are detached - The detached gear remains at the last location the unit was at before it moved - If the gear was left at a battlefield (because the unit was recycled from there), it is immediately Recalled to the controller's base as a corrective action Nuances: - This behavior is consistent with other zone changes: gear does not follow the unit when it dies, is banished, or is returned to hand

Ruling: Yes, when a unit is returned to hand, the gear falls off and stays in the base, just like when a unit dies or is banished. Nuances: - This rule applies consistently whether the unit dies, is returned to hand, or is banished

Ruling: Units keep their boosts when returned to base by Zonia or revived by Sett's passive. Only buffs are removed by Sett's effect, not boosts. Nuances: - Modifications to game objects are only removed when they change zones to/from non-board zones - Zonia and Sett effects keep units on the board, so boosts persist - Debuffs (negative stat modifications) also persist through these effects - When Sett revives a unit, only the buff itself is removed, not any boosts that were applied

Ruling: Yes, both effects stay on the unit when it returns to base from Zhonyas. Nuances: - The Orb of Regret debuff only lasts until end of turn as usual (it doesn't become permanent just because the unit was saved by Zhonyas)

Ruling: When Thousand-Tailed Watcher is played, its -3 Might reduction occurs once in that moment and is not a continuous ability. Subsequent modifiers like Master Yi's +2 when defending apply normally after the Watcher's effect has resolved. Sequence: - Unit starts at 2 Might with +1 buff (3 total) - Thousand-Tailed Watcher applies -3 Might, reducing unit to minimum 1 Might - When the unit defends, Master Yi's +2 Might applies - Unit ends at 3 Might Nuances: - Buffs do not constantly reapply; they can be reduced by abilities like Watcher just like base Might

Ruling: The unit survives. During combat cleanup, lethal damage is checked simultaneously in step 2, then all damage is healed in step 2a. Even though the might buff is lost when the buffing unit dies in step 2, the damaged unit heals before a new cleanup can check for lethal damage again. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt and assessed simultaneously - Combat cleanup step 2: Units with damage equal to or exceeding their might are killed simultaneously (this is when the buffing unit dies) - Combat cleanup step 2a: All damage is cleared from all units (the previously-buffed unit heals) - Only after this cleanup completes would a new cleanup check if units should die from the lost buff - Since damage was already cleared, the unit survives Nuances: - This only applies during combat cleanup, which is the only time units heal (other than end of turn) - If the might-buffing unit dies to something other than combat damage (like a spell before the combat damage step), the buffed unit would die normally - Riftbound does not have constantly-checked state checks; cleanups only happen at specific times and complete fully before triggering new cleanups

Ruling: Units can have negative Might values for calculation purposes. However, whenever the game checks "what Might are you" (such as during combat), any negative Might is treated as 0. Sequence: - Apply all Might modifiers using normal layering (base + buffs - debuffs) - The unit's calculated Might can be negative - When Might is referenced for any game effect, treat negative values as 0 Nuances: - Example: A 1 Might unit with -4 applied has -3 Might. Adding +2 makes it -1 Might (not +2) - In combat or any effect checking Might, negative values are treated as 0 (the unit won't heal opponents)

Ruling: Might changes happen once at the time the spell or ability resolves. They have no implication later in the turn. A unit decreased to 1 might that later receives a +1 might buff will become 2 might. Sequence: - First effect decreases unit to 1 might - Later effect increases might by +1 - Unit ends at 2 might (the increase applies to the current state, not the original base) Nuances: - This ruling is not clearly stated in the current written rules and will be addressed in a future rules update - The interaction was confirmed by Riot directly

Ruling: A unit dies when marked damage equals or exceeds its current might. This applies regardless of whether damage was dealt first and then might was reduced, or if might was reduced and then damage was dealt. Sequence: - Player 1 plays Watcher, giving all units -3 might (7→4, 5→2) - Player 1 plays Falling Star on both units, dealing damage (first unit: 4 might, 1 marked damage; second unit: 2 might, 2 marked damage - dies) - After Falling Star resolves, Player 1 plays Stupify on the surviving unit, reducing it to 3 might with 1 marked damage still on it (survives) Nuances: - The timing of when might reduction and damage occur doesn't matter - a unit dies whenever marked damage equals or exceeds current might

Ruling: The excess reduction does not carry over. When an effect would reduce more might than allowed, the decrease is "snapshotted" to the amount it was actually able to apply. Sequence: - A -3 might reduction applied to a 2 might unit reduces it to 1 (minimum) - The -3 is snapshotted as -1 (the actual amount reduced) - If the unit later gains +3 might that turn, the calculation becomes: 2 (base) + 3 (buff) - 1 (snapshotted reduction) = 4 might Nuances: - The same snapshotting principle applies to increases in might as well

Ruling: You must declare the target unit when activating Baited Hook as part of finalizing the ability. The opponent can then respond with reactions to remove the targeted unit before Baited Hook resolves. Sequence: - Pay the costs to activate Baited Hook (exhaust, one energy, one power) - Declare the target friendly unit (required to finalize the ability) - Baited Hook finalizes onto the chain - Opponent can now respond with reactions - If the target is removed (e.g., by Gust), Baited Hook still resolves but you look at the top 5 cards and recycle everything since there is no valid target Nuances: - This is one single moment the opponent can react to (Baited Hook finalizing onto the chain), not two separate steps - Baited Hook specifically needs to know the killed unit's might, which is why the target must be declared before resolution - All valid choices for an effect must be declared in order to finalize an ability - "A friendly unit" in the effect text is an explicit target that must be declared during finalization

Ruling: Unlicensed Armory goes on the chain first, then Jinx, Rebel's trigger goes on top of it. Sequence: - Activate Unlicensed Armory (it goes on chain) - Pay costs including discarding a card - Jinx, Rebel's trigger goes on the chain on top of Armory Nuances: - The discard being a cost does not change the sequencing - triggers do not interpose between paying costs and putting the ability on chain - Armory is an activated ability that can only be used at base speed - The ability goes on chain before costs are finalized and paid

Ruling: When you activate a rune ability with [Add] that triggers Sivir, the trigger goes pending on the chain and is finalized during cleanup without passing priority. You maintain priority throughout. Sequence: - You have priority and activate the rune ability (maintain priority) - The Sivir trigger goes pending on the chain - During cleanup following the rune ability, the Sivir trigger is finalized (priority does not pass when finalizing items) - You still have priority Nuances: - If you activate the rune ability while paying a cost during resolution of another spell or ability (e.g., Flame Chompers), the pending Sivir trigger will be finalized in the cleanup that follows that spell/ability resolving, and then whoever controls the most recent item on the chain gets priority - All [Add] abilities use the chain - they finalize and resolve immediately without passing focus or priority, but they still go through cleanup

Ruling: You only need to allocate enough damage to reach lethal. If a unit already has damage on it, you only need to assign the remaining damage needed to kill it. Sequence: - Calculate how much damage the defending unit already has - Assign only enough additional damage to reach lethal (equal to its might) - Remaining damage can be allocated to other units Nuances: - Even with effects that make any damage lethal (like Imperial Decree), you still must assign lethal damage to each unit - you cannot simply assign 1 damage to everything

Ruling: Yes, the attacker returns to base during cleanup. Attackers who are stalled in combat recall to base, which is not considered a move, so Vilemaw's Lair's restriction does not prevent it. Sequence: - Attacker moves to Vilemaw's Lair to initiate conquest - Defender plays Facebreaker, stunning both units - Units remain at the battlefield - During cleanup, the attacker recalls to base (not a move) Nuances: - Recall is mechanically distinct from moving - it places units in base but does not count as a move - Vilemaw's Lair only prevents moving from the battlefield to base, not recalling

Ruling: All When Attacking abilities go on the chain first and choose their targets, then all When Defending abilities go on the chain and choose their targets, then players get priority to react. The chain resolves in LIFO order (last in, first out). Sequence: - All attacking units with When Attacking abilities go on the chain and choose their targets - All defending units with When Defending abilities go on the chain and choose their targets - All targets are now locked - Players get priority to play reactions - Chain resolves in LIFO order (defenders' abilities resolve first, then attackers') Nuances: - You do not get reaction windows as each individual trigger goes onto the chain - only after all triggers are on the chain and targets are chosen - When an ability uses "may" (like Reaver's Row retreat option), that choice happens at resolution, not when choosing targets - This same principle applies to other simultaneous triggers (e.g., multiple "When I move" abilities)

Ruling: The showdown does not end immediately. The defender gets passed focus and can play actions before the showdown ends. Sequence: - Attacker flashes units back from battlefield - Focus passes to defender - Defender can play actions - Showdown only ends when both players pass focus in a row without starting a chain Nuances: - Even if the attacker has no units remaining in the battlefield, the showdown continues until both players pass consecutively

Ruling: When combat ends, if there are still defenders present on the battlefield, all attacking units are recalled to base. No one scores a conquest point immediately - the defender retains control of the battlefield and will score a point for holding it at the beginning of their next turn. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt and units heal - If defenders still remain, all attackers are recalled to base - The defender retains control of the battlefield - At the beginning of the defender's next turn (during their beginning step), they score one point for holding the battlefield Nuances: - Units cannot coexist with opposing units on a battlefield outside of combat - Conquering (and scoring immediately) only happens if all defenders are eliminated - Defending successfully does not score a point by itself - the point is scored during the beginning step of the controlling player's turn - "Hold" abilities and scoring both trigger during the turn player's beginning step, not on the opponent's turn - Units with "when I hold" abilities must be actively holding battlefields (not at base) to trigger

Ruling: The defender retains control of the battlefield. The attacking unit is recalled to base because defenders are still present after combat. Sequence: - Stunned defender takes 3 damage but survives (5 might unit survives 3 damage) - Stunned defender deals no damage back (stunned units don't deal damage) - During Combat Cleanup, attackers are recalled to base if defenders are still present - Defender keeps control of the battlefield Nuances: - This ruling applies specifically when the defending unit survives the combat damage while stunned

Ruling: Different instructions inside the same effect happen sequentially for the purpose of adding pending items to the chain. The Deathknell trigger becomes pending before the WYPM unit becomes pending, even though they're part of the same effect. Sequence: - Baited Hook resolves, killing the Deathknell unit first, then revealing the WYPM unit - The Deathknell trigger becomes pending first, then the unit becomes pending - During cleanup, they finalize in that order: Deathknell becomes chain item 1, unit becomes chain item 2 - The unit auto-resolves, triggering WYPM which becomes chain item 3 - Final chain order is: Deathknell > WYPM - These resolve in reverse order (WYPM first, then Deathknell)

Ruling: Ahri's trigger resolves first, reducing Yasuo's might before his damage trigger resolves, so Yasuo deals 6 damage instead of 7. Sequence: - Enemy Yasuo attacks, triggering both his "When I Attack" ability and Ahri's "When an enemy unit attacks" ability on the Initial Chain - The attacking player (turn player with focus) adds their triggers first (Yasuo's damage trigger) - The defending player adds their triggers second (Ahri's -1/-1 trigger) - Triggers resolve in reverse order (last in, first out), so Ahri's trigger resolves first - Yasuo is reduced to 6 might, then his damage trigger resolves dealing 6 damage Nuances: - Ahri's Legend trigger is not a "When I defend" trigger, but it still follows defender timing because it's controlled by the non-turn player - All Initial Chain triggers controlled by the defender can be ordered together, regardless of whether they say "when I defend" or "when an enemy attacks" - The ordering is based on who controls the abilities, not the specific wording of the trigger condition

Ruling: Yes, you can play Gust as a reaction before deciding whether to retreat. Reaver's Row puts a trigger on the chain that requires you to target a friendly unit, but the decision to move that unit back or not is made during resolution. Sequence: - Enemy unit moves into Reaver's Row - Reaver's Row trigger goes on the chain (you must choose a friendly unit target at this point) - While the trigger is on the chain, you can play reactions like Gust - When Reaver's Row trigger resolves, you decide whether to move the targeted unit back to base or not Nuances: - Targeting a unit is the only relevant choice needed when putting the trigger on the chain - The "you may" portion of effects is decided during resolution, not when placing the trigger on the chain - This follows the same templating logic as other "When X, you may Y" cards like Bullet Time