Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

Ruling: The player who first moved a unit to the open battlefield (applying contested status) is the attacker. Any other player controlling units at that battlefield is the defender. Sequence: - Enemy unit moves to open battlefield, starting a non-combat showdown (no attacker/defender designations yet) - During the non-combat showdown, you gain focus and can play Zenith Blade to move your unit there - The first non-combat showdown must fully resolve and complete cleanup before the combat showdown can begin - After the first showdown ends, if both players still have units there, a combat showdown begins - At the start of the combat showdown, attacker and defender designations are assigned based on who applied contested status - The original player who moved first becomes the attacker; you become the defender Nuances: - The first player will not conquer during the non-combat showdown because they are not the only player controlling a unit on the battlefield (the check happens at resolution) - Attacker and defender designations only exist during combat showdowns, not during non-combat (open) showdowns - You cannot play units directly to a battlefield you don't control, only move them there with effects like Zenith Blade

Ruling: When an item on the chain resolves, priority is given to the controller of the next item on the chain (if the chain isn't empty). This allows players to play reactions between chain resolutions. Sequence: - Item 3 resolves (A's reaction) - Priority goes to the controller of item 2 (B) - A also has a chance to play a reaction before item 2 resolves - If A plays a reaction, it's added to the chain and A has priority first - B can then react to A's new reaction - This continues until both players pass - Item 2 then resolves Nuances: - The controller of the next item on the chain gets priority first after an item resolves - When a new item is added to the chain, the player who added it gets priority first

Ruling: You can choose which spell you want to target with Defy, even when multiple spells are on the stack. Nuances: - This principle applies both during showdowns and outside of showdowns

Ruling: Reavers Row and Overzealous Fan triggers are placed on the chain after Lucian's when attacking trigger. You as the controller decide the order they are placed. Once triggers are on the chain, they resolve normally even if the trigger condition is no longer met. Sequence: - Lucian's when attacking trigger goes on the chain - Reavers Row and Fan triggers are placed on the chain after (in controller's chosen order) - Triggers resolve in reverse order (last in, first out) - You can choose whether to use "you may" effects on resolution Nuances: - Overzealous Fan always places a trigger on the chain, but you decide whether to kill him on resolution - You can retreat Fan or bounce Lucian before Fan's kill effect - You can even retreat Fan AND THEN kill him to bounce Lucian - Once a trigger is on the chain, losing the trigger condition (like Fan losing defender) doesn't prevent the trigger from resolving normally

Ruling: You cannot play Shen on the battlefield during the showdown because no one controls it yet. If your opponent stuns your unit during the showdown, only the opponent's unit retreats (as the attacker), while your stunned unit can still take the spot and establish control at the end of the showdown. Sequence: - Opponent initiates showdown to conquer uncontrolled battlefield (becoming the attacker) - You play Zenith Blade to move your unit to the battlefield - During showdown, you cannot play Shen because you don't control the battlefield yet - If opponent stuns your unit, showdown resolves with opponent's unit retreating as the attacker - Your stunned unit remains and establishes control over the battlefield Nuances: - A stunned unit can still take a battlefield spot and establish control at the end of a showdown - The opponent is designated as the attacker because they contested the uncontrolled battlefield on their turn, which is why their unit retreats when combat ends

Ruling: The unit moves to its controller's base. When determining which base a unit moves to, only the controller matters, not the owner. Nuances: - Owner is important for non-board areas, but for base location, controller is what matters - It's impossible for a unit controlled by one player to end up at the base of another player

Ruling: No, the opponent does not gain control of the equipped gears. The gears remain attached to the unit and their effects continue to apply, but the original owner retains control of the equipment. Sequence: - When Possession resolves on a unit with equipped gears, only the unit (top-most card) changes control - The equipped gears remain attached to the unit until detached by a card effect or game effect - The gear's effect text remains active on the possessed unit as long as it stays attached - If the gear detaches (such as when the unit dies, is banished, or otherwise leaves the board), it is recalled to the original owner's base during cleanup Nuances: - The opponent cannot use effects like Jax or Weaponmaster to move the gear away from the unit because they don't control the gear - The opponent does benefit from the gear's effect text while it remains attached to the possessed unit - Control of the gear never changes, only the unit's control changes

Ruling: The casting player must declare where the unit is traveling to before the opponent can play a reaction spell. Sequence: - Showstopper is cast - The casting player declares the travel destination - The opponent can then play a reaction spell with that knowledge

Ruling: Once Charm resolves and the Merchant moves, you lose control of Battlefield B and must trash any hidden cards there. You must use Fight or Flight before Charm resolves to save the Merchant. Sequence: - If you use Fight or Flight in response to Charm (before it resolves), Merchant moves to base but Charm's destination is already locked to Battlefield A, so Merchant still ends up at Battlefield A after Charm resolves - If you let Charm resolve first, Merchant moves to Battlefield A, you lose control of Battlefield B, and the hidden Fight or Flight gets trashed Nuances: - Using Fight or Flight before Charm resolves still results in the Merchant ending up at the Charm destination, but does provide an extra discard/draw trigger

Ruling: You cannot play units to a battlefield you don't control. If your opponent kills your only unit at a battlefield, you immediately lose control and cannot play units there. Nuances: - If you still have other units at the battlefield when your opponent kills one unit, you can play the sprite there during the showdown since you still control it - If you activate Hidden Sprite Call as a reaction to Hextech Ray (before your unit is killed), you can play the token to that battlefield since your unit has not been killed yet

Ruling: The opponent who created the contested status on the battlefield is the attacker. You are the defender even though you had no units initially. Sequence: - Opponent starts Open Showdown on Empty Battlefield - You use Zenith Blade to move a unit to that battlefield - The Open Showdown ends - A Combat Showdown starts immediately afterwards - Your opponent is the attacker in the Combat Showdown Nuances: - Even though you are the defender, you do not control the battlefield until the end of combat - You cannot play units directly to a battlefield you don't control, even if you're defending it - You can play a unit to your base and then move it with Zenith Blade to the contested battlefield - If using Zenith Blade, you must declare targets when you put it in the chain (before other reactions)

Ruling: The opponent who initially moved in and applied contested first becomes the attacker in the combat showdown that follows. Sequence: - Opponent moves in and starts a non-combat showdown, applying contested to the battlefield - You play Zenith Blade and move your unit in, staging combat - The non-combat showdown ends (opponent does not get a point because they are not the only one controlling units there) - Combat showdown starts immediately - The opponent who applied contested first is the attacker Nuances: - Shield and Assault are not passively active during the non-combat showdown, which can affect might values and damage required to kill units - A player cannot conquer if they're not the only one controlling units at the battlefield at the end of a showdown

Ruling: When you Flash away in response to an opponent entering your battlefield, a non-combat showdown starts. Both players get focus during this showdown regardless of battlefield presence. If you Ride the Wind back during the non-combat showdown, neither side is attacking or defending yet. When both players pass focus and the non-combat showdown resolves, if both units remain, a combat showdown starts with the original mover as attacker and you as defender. Sequence: - Opponent moves to contest/enter battlefield - Showdown starts, attacker has focus and priority - You Flash your unit away when you have priority - You get focus again and can Ride the Wind back - Both players continue passing focus - Non-combat showdown resolves (no combat damage occurs) - If both units still present, combat showdown starts with original mover as attacker Nuances: - "When I move" triggers happen before showdown starts, "when I attack/defend" triggers happen during showdown - Showdowns can only start during a "neutral open state" (no chain and no showdown ongoing) - In the Traveling Merchant case, Flashing before the ability resolves creates a non-combat showdown; Flashing after creates a normal combat showdown - With Warwick's "when I attack" trigger, the combat showdown has already started, so there's only one combat showdown throughout - After you Flash, priority auto-passes (you don't manually pass)

Ruling: The tokens will end up at 3 Might. Sequence: - Ahri's trigger snapshots to the minimum of 1 Might when the tokens enter (giving them -0 Might, assuming they're 1-Might recruit tokens) - When Back to Back gives them +2 Might, they go up to 3 Might total

Ruling: The damage will happen regardless. Rebuke is an action and cannot happen before something else on the chain. Nuances: - If Yasuo were removed by a reaction (hypothetically), the damage would not happen because the information needed for his ability (such as "where is here?") cannot be accessed anymore.

Ruling: You are the defender. The opponent applies contested status to the battlefield when they move their unit there, which happens before you can respond with reactions. Sequence: - Opponent moves unit into empty battlefield - Contested status is applied to the battlefield - You respond with Zenith Blade/Ride the Wind to move your unit there - You are the defender since the battlefield was already contested before your unit arrived Nuances: - This interaction nullifies legends like Ahri/Yi that require you to be the attacker

Ruling: The opponent who initially moved to the empty battlefield is the attacker, and you are the defender in the subsequent combat. Sequence: - Opponent moves unit to empty battlefield, applying contested status - A showdown begins during cleanup (no combat yet, since only one player has units) - During that showdown, you play Ride the Wind to move your unit to the same battlefield - Combat becomes pending, but the current showdown continues - After the showdown completes, if both players still have units at the battlefield, combat begins during the post-showdown cleanup - The opponent is the attacker (they applied the contested status), you are the defender - Attack and defend triggers occur as normal in this combat - If you win and have units remaining, you gain control and conquer the battlefield Nuances: - The combat waits until after the initial showdown completes because combat requires a Neutral Open state - Even though you moved your unit second (triggering the actual combat), the opponent is still the attacker because they originally applied the contested status to the battlefield - If you win as the defender, you still conquer the battlefield and score a point (if you haven't scored there this turn)

Ruling: When Zenith Blade moves your unit to a battlefield during an open showdown, the unit contests the battlefield and a pending combat is created. The open showdown does not result in a conquer (control cannot be established while contested), and once the open showdown ends, combat begins with the original player as the attacker and the Zenith Blade player as the defender. Sequence: - Opponent moves unit to open battlefield, starting showdown - Zenith Blade resolves, moving your unit to that battlefield - Your unit contests the battlefield and creates a pending combat - Open showdown resolves without conquer (control cannot be established) - Combat begins with opponent as attacker, you as defender Nuances: - If the unit that was moved in via Zenith Blade is removed from the battlefield before the pending combat starts (e.g., via another spell like Rebuke), the pending combat no longer occurs per rule 622.2, and the opponent would then conquer the battlefield - The player who originally applied contested status to the battlefield becomes the attacker in the resulting combat - If both units remain after combat due to stun and the attacker's unit is recalled, the defender gains control and scores on defense

Ruling: Moving to an empty battlefield starts a showdown. The attacking player gets first chance to play an action or reaction to start a chain, and if they pass, focus passes to the defender who can then play an action or reaction. Sequence: - Opponent moves to empty battlefield, showdown opens - Attacking player gets first chance to play action or reaction to start a chain - If they pass, focus passes to defender who can play action or reaction - Focus goes back and forth until both players pass consecutively - If attacker plays an action or reaction, defender can only react - Once that chain resolves, focus passes to defender regardless of who was last on the chain Nuances: - The defender doesn't "pass" on a reaction to get to their action - if the attacker passes initially, the defender can play either an action or reaction - In showdown state, after a chain resolves, focus passes to the other player regardless of who finalized the last thing on the chain

Ruling: The player who originally moved to the empty battlefield (Player 1) is the attacker, and the player who used Zenith Blade to move their unit there (Player 2) is the defender. Player 1 applied contested status to the battlefield first, making them the attacker even though Player 2 moved their unit there during the showdown. Sequence: - Player 1 moves to empty battlefield, triggering non-combat showdown - Player 2 plays Zenith Blade during non-combat showdown, moving their unit to that battlefield - Non-combat showdown ends (battlefield remains contested, Player 1 cannot conquer) - Combat showdown begins with Player 1 as attacker and Player 2 as defender - If Player 1 wins, they conquer and score on attack; if Player 2 wins, they conquer and score on defense Nuances: - This is the only way to defend a battlefield you don't control and the only way to conquer on defense - If Player 2's unit survives and Player 1's does not, Player 2's unit stays and conquers the battlefield - Only attackers return to base if both sides have surviving units after combat; defenders remain

Ruling: The open showdown does not convert to a combat showdown. The open showdown will eventually end when all players pass focus in order, and if there are still two players' units there, a combat showdown will start. Sequence: - The open showdown continues (nothing forcibly ends a showdown) - All players pass focus in order to end the open showdown - If two players' units are still present, a combat showdown begins - The attacker is the player whose unit first applied contested to the open battlefield (the person who moved first) - The winner of the combat showdown gets a point (assuming neither player has scored that battlefield that turn)

Ruling: The opponent does not gain control or score a point when first moving to the open battlefield. Control and scoring only occur after the showdown ends, and only if their units remain alone on the battlefield. If you move Leona there during the showdown, the battlefield remains contested and no point is awarded for that first showdown. Sequence: - Opponent moves units to open battlefield - Showdown starts (battlefield becomes contested) - You play Zenith Blade during the showdown - Leona moves to that battlefield - First showdown ends with no point awarded (battlefield still contested with units from both players) - New combat showdown immediately starts - Opponent is the attacker (they applied contested status), you are the defender - Regular combat occurs with Leona defending (she applies Shield but doesn't trigger her ability) - If opponent's attackers survive, they are recalled and you score a point while defending - If opponent's attackers defeat your units, opponent scores while attacking Nuances: - The battlefield remains contested throughout the entire process - You cannot gain control of a contested battlefield - Control is checked after the showdown ends, not during it - Similar ruling applies to other responses like Gust - removing the moving unit during the showdown prevents the opponent from scoring

Ruling: When the opponent in Neutral Open State decides they are done, the turn moves to the "end of turn" stage. The non-turn player does not receive priority in the Action Phase when the turn player passes. Nuances: - If there is a triggered ability at the end of the opponent's turn, you can respond to it - Without triggered abilities in the End of Turn Phase, you cannot do anything

Ruling: You cannot play Action spells like Fight or Flight in response to Bullet Time unless you are playing it from Hidden (which gives it the Reaction keyword). You can only play Reactions in response to Bullet Time. Sequence: - Opponent plays Bullet Time, declaring and paying the cost on resolution - The chain becomes Closed State - When focus passes back to you, you can only play appropriately timed actions (Reactions) - After Bullet Time resolves, you regain priority and can play Action spells - The showdown remains open even if your units are wiped, allowing you to play actions like Fight or Flight after resolution Nuances: - If Fight or Flight is played from Hidden, it gains the Reaction keyword and can be played in response to Bullet Time - The showdown doesn't close just because one side's units are wiped; you can still open new chains and potentially bring new units to the battlefield - You skip the combat damage step if one or both players' units are gone when both players pass and the showdown closes

Ruling: Red Darius enters the opponent's base exhausted because he sees Possession as the second card played on the turn. Sequence: - Opponent plays Gust (first card) - Opponent plays Possession on Red Darius (second card) - During Possession's resolution, Darius becomes the opponent's unit - After Possession resolves and counts as played, Darius sees it as the second card played - Darius enters exhausted Nuances: - A card only counts as played and triggers corresponding play effects after it resolves - Darius becomes the opponent's unit during resolution, which happens before Possession counts as played - This works the same way as Darius seeing himself if played as the second card

Ruling: The opponent pays the Deflect cost when Hidden Blade goes on the chain, before Defy can be played to counter it. Sequence: - Opponent plays Hidden Blade targeting Qiyana - Deflect cost must be paid when Hidden Blade goes on the chain - After that, Defy can be played to counter Hidden Blade Nuances: - The Deflect cost is paid regardless of whether the spell is later countered by Defy

Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust all your unexhausted Gold to generate power and play Reaction speed spells with that power while retaining priority before Thermo resolves. Sequence: - Opponent plays Thermo - While you have priority, exhaust your unexhausted Gold to generate power - Use that power to play Reaction speed spells - Your unspent power won't disappear until the next draw step or end of turn Nuances: - Only unexhausted (ready) Gold can be used to generate power, not exhausted Gold - This works similarly to recycling a rune, except runes don't need to exhaust to be recycled for power

Ruling: When your opponent plays a spell and passes priority, you can cast a reaction spell which will resolve before their spell resolves. Focus is only used during showdowns to start chains; priority is what passes around during an active chain. Sequence: - Opponent plays a spell (like Charm) and passes priority - You receive priority and can play a reaction spell - Your reaction resolves first - Then the original spell resolves Nuances: - Focus and priority are different mechanics: focus is only for showdowns and is the ability to start a chain, while priority passes around during an existing chain - You don't get focus to play actions outside showdowns, but you do get priority to play reactions when spells are on the chain

Ruling: Smokescreen resolves first and creates a fixed reduction (up to -4, but cannot reduce below 1 at resolution). Then the +7 resolves and is added to the current might. The final result depends on the unit's starting might. Sequence: - Smokescreen resolves first, reducing might by up to 4 (minimum 1), creating a fixed reduction amount - The +7 might increase then resolves - Final might = starting might - (fixed reduction from Smokescreen) + 7 Nuances: - If the unit starts with 5+ might, Smokescreen reduces by 4, then +7 applies for net +3 - If the unit starts with 2 might, Smokescreen only reduces by 1 (can't go below 1), then +7 applies for net +6 - If the unit starts at 1 might, Smokescreen does nothing, then +7 applies for net +7 - The reduction from Smokescreen becomes fixed after resolution; it's not the resulting might that gets fixed - If other might increases are removed later, the fixed reduction still applies and can reduce below 1 at that point - Generally better to play Smokescreen after the +7 resolves if the unit has less than 5 might

Ruling: For targeted spells like Hidden Blade, targets must be chosen when the spell is played (finalized) and cannot change. If the target becomes illegal when the spell resolves, it mistargets and has no effect. For units with 'When you play me' triggered abilities like Harnessed Dragon, the unit resolves first with no priority window, then the triggered ability goes on the chain and targets are chosen at that point. Sequence: - Hidden Blade: Choose target when cast → opponent can respond to move unit → spell rechecks legality on resolution → mistargets if unit is no longer at battlefield - Harnessed Dragon: Play unit → unit auto-resolves and enters play (no priority window) → triggered ability goes on chain → choose target for trigger → priority window opens where opponent can respond Nuances: - Hidden Blade still technically resolves even when it mistargets, it just has no effect (matters for cards like Ravenbloom Student) - For Harnessed Dragon's trigger, since it has no targeting restriction beyond 'enemy unit', retreating to hand is one of the few ways to save the targeted unit - The unit permanent and its triggered ability are separate items on the chain

Ruling: Abilities that add resources finalize immediately and cannot be reacted to. After a seal resolves, you can play an action speed spell, but you cannot respond with a reaction speed spell because there is no chain to continue. Nuances: - While technically the question of "does tapping a seal start a chain" could be answered "yes," practically speaking you cannot react to it because it finalizes immediately.

Ruling: The opponent must pay the Deflect cost to finalize targeting the unit with their spell. If the spell is then countered by Defy, the Deflect cost has already been paid and the opponent does not get the rune back. Sequence: - Opponent pays the spell's cost and recycles to play the spell - Opponent declares target (the unit with Deflect) - Opponent pays the Deflect cost to finalize the targeting - The spell can now be responded to (e.g., with Defy) - If countered, the Deflect cost is not refunded

Ruling: When a possessed unit is returned to hand (whether by Rebuke or Retreat), it returns to the owner's hand, not the controller's hand. If the controller uses Retreat on a possessed unit, the owner gets the unit back and also receives 1 rune exhausted. Nuances: - This applies regardless of whether the owner or controller triggers the return-to-hand effect - The Retreat benefit (1 rune exhausted) goes to the owner, not the player who cast Retreat

Ruling: The player who owns the unit that was moved gains focus. The moved unit applies contested status and becomes the attacker, giving its owner focus (assuming the unit has no "when I attack" abilities). Sequence: - Opponent moves your unit to their occupied battlefield - Your unit applies contested status to the battlefield - You gain focus as the attacker - Showdown proceeds with you having focus Nuances: - This works the same whether you move your own unit or your opponent moves it - what matters is who owns the unit applying contested - If the unit has "when I attack" abilities, those would trigger and affect focus - If moved to an open (unoccupied) battlefield, focus and priority work the same way, but the unit is not considered an attacker unless there is actual combat

Ruling: The Nocturne's owner can choose to banish it from the top of their deck when revealed by Blind Fury. Both the Nocturne and the card chosen by Blind Fury become pending, with Nocturne resolving first, then the chosen card. Sequence: - During Blind Fury's resolution, the opponent has the option to banish Nocturne from the top of their deck - If banished, Nocturne becomes pending until Blind Fury finishes resolving - The Blind Fury player cannot pick the banished Nocturne as one of their card choices - Whatever card the Blind Fury player picks also becomes pending - Nocturne goes on the Chain and resolves first (with no priority window since it's a permanent) - Then the card picked by Blind Fury goes on the chain Nuances: - Even though Blind Fury is the opponent's action doing the revealing (not the Nocturne owner's reveal action), the owner still gets to use Nocturne's ability - Nocturne is neither an activated effect nor a triggered ability

Ruling: The player whose unit was forced to move becomes the attacker and gets focus first, because their unit is the one that applied contested status. Sequence: - The unit is forced to move to the opponent's controlled battlefield - This causes the moved unit to apply contested status - The owner of the moved unit becomes the attacker - The attacker gets focus and can play the first action spell

He triggers at the end of a noncombat showdown in which he conquers. It also means that he now triggers in “surprise defense” scenarios, caused when units move around during showdowns and you wind up defending a battlefield you don’t control.

Ruling: Trigger conditions are checked when abilities would be added to the chain. Targeting and movement destinations are chosen when a card is finalized (added to chain). Other choices not listed as "necessary choices" are made on resolution. Sequence: - Trigger conditions (like "defending alone") are checked during the initial trigger window; if conditions aren't met, the ability never goes on the chain - When playing a spell or ability, necessary choices (targets, movement destinations, additional costs) are made when the card is finalized/added to the chain - Triggers that occur from targeting (like Dreaming Tree) go on the chain immediately after targeting occurs - Non-necessary choices (like Qiyana's mode selection) are made during resolution - Chain resolves last-in-first-out Nuances: - A unit that doesn't trigger "when defending alone" initially won't trigger later even if other defenders leave, unless it moves to a different occupied battlefield alone - Dreaming Tree's draw trigger resolves before the targeting spell, and still triggers even if the spell is countered (since targeting already occurred) - Movement abilities require both the unit target and destination to be chosen when added to chain

Ruling: Currently, cleanup (when death is checked) happens anytime something resolves, a unit moves, the turn ends, and showdown ends. This means in the Yasuo/Volibear example, Volibear would die during the showdown after Last Breath resolves, before Yasuo would die. Sequence: - Yasuo deals 6 damage to 9 might Volibear during showdown - Last Breath is played, dealing another 6 damage to Volibear - Cleanup happens when Last Breath resolves - Volibear dies (12 total damage) - Yasuo survives Nuances: - This rule is changing in the new Comprehensive Rules, where cleanup will happen any time the game state changes - Healing happens at the end of Combat and end of Turn, not during cleanup - All combats are showdowns

Ruling: An attacker can choose how to distribute damage among defending units and is not required to assign lethal damage to each unit before assigning damage to others. Damage assigned to units that survive will be healed after combat resolves. Nuances: - This allows attackers to avoid triggering death triggers on units they don't want to kill - Non-lethal damage typically has no lasting effect since it heals after combat

Ruling: You must assign damage to the Tank unit first, but once damage equal to its Might has been assigned (lethal damage), you can and must assign remaining damage to other units. Sequence: - Assign damage to the Tank unit first (mandatory due to Tank tag) - Once lethal damage (equal to Tank's Might) is assigned to the Tank, assign remaining damage to other units - After all damage is assigned, all damage is dealt simultaneously Nuances: - If Kayn's ability is active, Tank is ignored for mandatory assignment purposes, though you can still choose to assign damage to the Tank unit if desired - Damage assignment happens one unit at a time with lethal amounts required before moving to the next unit; Tank only forces the order, not the total amount

Ruling: You must assign lethal damage to the tank unit in full before you can assign damage to any other units. In the example given, all 4 damage would need to be assigned to the 4 might tank unit before any damage could be assigned to the 3 might unit. Sequence: - Assign damage to the tank unit until lethal damage is reached - Only after lethal damage is assigned to the tank can you assign remaining damage to other units

Ruling: When assigning lethal damage to a unit that already has marked damage, you only need to assign enough damage to reach its Might value (the remaining amount needed to destroy it), not its full Might value. Any excess damage must be assigned to other units if they exist. Sequence: - Marked damage on a unit persists until the end of combat or end of turn - When assigning lethal damage, calculate how much additional damage is needed to equal or exceed the unit's Might - Assign only that amount to achieve lethal damage - Remaining damage must go to other eligible units Nuances: - Marked damage does not reduce a unit's actual Might value, but it does count toward the lethal damage threshold

Ruling: Attackers stay in the same state they were in before being moved back to base. They are Recalled back to base, which is not considered a 'Move'. Nuances: - Being Recalled back to base is mechanically distinct from a Move action

Ruling: Solari Shrine's trigger resolves completely (drawing a card) before Candlelit Sanctum's conquer trigger is added to the chain. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt - Special Cleanup kills damaged units - Solari Shrine trigger is added as pending - Special Cleanup finalizes Solari Shrine trigger - Cleanup finishes, chain interrupts game process - Solari Shrine trigger resolves (after possible reaction), draw 1 card - Rest of combat resolution completes, ending with conquer point - Candlelit Sanctum trigger is added to chain

Ruling: The defender's triggers (Reaver's Row) resolve before the attacker's triggers (Yasuo's ability), so the opponent can pull a unit back to base before Yasuo's damage is dealt. Sequence: - Defender's triggers (Reaver's Row ability) enter the chain first - Attacker's triggers (Yasuo's ability) enter the chain second - Chain resolves in reverse order, so Reaver's Row pulls a unit first - Then Yasuo's damage is dealt

Ruling: No, Assault bonus might goes away along with the attacker designation just before conquering happens. If you don't have any units who are mighty without their Assault bonus might, Sunken Temple won't trigger. Sequence: - Unit attacks with Assault bonus might - Attacker designation is removed - Assault bonus might is lost (since it requires attacker designation) - Conquering happens and conquer abilities check for mighty units - Sunken Temple only triggers if units are mighty at this point

Ruling: The defending player must pay Deflect when the defend ability is put on the stack, before any reactions can be played. All targets must be chosen and Deflect costs paid for abilities to finalize before reactions are possible. Sequence: - The defend ability attempts to add itself to the stack - Targets are chosen and Deflect must be paid (or declined) for the ability to finalize - Only after abilities finalize can players play reaction spells

Ruling: The attacker's triggers go on the chain first, then the defender's triggers, which means the defender's effects resolve first. After the initial chain resolves, the attacker will have focus and priority. Sequence: - Yasuo's "when I attack" trigger enters chain as C1 - Nine-Tailed Fox's trigger enters chain as C2 - Nine-Tailed Fox's effect resolves first - Yasuo's effect resolves second - Attacker regains focus and priority Nuances: - Nine-Tailed Fox is worded differently but functions as "When I defend" since legends can't have that text while working globally - Each attacking unit triggers Nine-Tailed Fox separately, so all defending units get -1/-0

Ruling: Yes, the attacker can play reaction cards when they have priority during a showdown. You can play any appropriately timed card (action or reaction) or activate any appropriately timed ability when you have priority. Sequence: - Attacker moves into occupied battlefield, starting a showdown - Attacker has first priority during the showdown - Attacker can play reaction spells (like Smoke Screen) before passing priority - Opponent can respond before each spell resolves Nuances: - The attacker can play as many reaction spells as they like before passing to the opponent - The opponent can respond before each spell resolves