Riftbound Frequently Asked Questions

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

Ruling: After the initial chain (when I attack, defend, actions/reactions) resolves, the attacker receives Focus and Priority and can play actions/reactions. There is no defined number of chains that can happen during a showdown. Sequence: - When I attack triggers go on the initial chain to start the showdown - Initial chain resolves - Attacker gets Focus and Priority - Players can play actions/reactions until both pass - This can create multiple chains before combat damage

Ruling: You can move units to the same battlefield in multiple batches during your turn. When you conquer a battlefield by moving in additional units after a trade, you do score. Sequence: - Move your first unit (e.g., 3 might) to trade with the defending unit - Move additional units (e.g., a token) to the same battlefield afterward - Conquer the battlefield if you now control it - Score when you conquer Nuances: - Trading alone does not conquer a battlefield or trigger scoring, since you don't become the new controller just by having a unit trade - You only score when you actually conquer (become the controller of) the battlefield

Ruling: When you move to a battlefield you don't control, 'contested status' is applied which prevents control from changing until the end of the showdown and locks you in as the attacker. When Kayn uses Ride the Wind to leave and return, he has moved twice and cannot take damage, so if he lacks enough might to kill the attacker, attackers are recalled at combat resolution. Sequence: - Mega-Mech moves to battlefield with Kayn, starting a showdown and applying contested status - Kayn gains focus and uses Ride the Wind to move out - Focus passes back to opponent - Kayn uses Ride the Wind to move back into the ongoing combat - Kayn has now moved twice and cannot take damage - Combat proceeds to resolution; if Kayn cannot kill Mega-Mech with might, attackers are recalled - Battlefield control never changes due to contested status Nuances: - Hidden cards on the battlefield remain even when no units are present, as long as contested status prevents the controller from losing control of the battlefield

Ruling: The attackers bounce back to base when stunned. Nuances: - This applies even when the attacker has higher might than the defender

Ruling: When you pass focus and your opponent plays an Action spell, you can only respond with Reaction spells while that Action is on the chain. After that chain resolves, focus passes back to you and you can then play an Action spell. Sequence: - You have focus and pass without playing an Action - Opponent plays an Action spell - You can respond with Reactions (not Actions) to that Action - When that chain closes, focus passes back to you - You can now play an Action spell - Both players can play Reactions to any Actions played - Once both players pass focus, combat resolves Nuances: - Until an Action card is resolved, you cannot play another Action

Ruling: The attacker has first focus/priority. If there is an initial chain of "when I attack/defend" triggers, the attacker will have priority for first reaction, and they retain first focus after that initial automated chain completes (focus does not pass after the initial chain). From there, focus passes normally between players. Sequence: - Attacker moves unit and starts showdown - Initial chain of attack/defend triggers resolves (attacker has priority for first reaction) - Attacker retains first focus after initial chain completes - Focus then passes normally between players Nuances: - "Initial chain" is a specific term meaning the chain created automatically by attack/defend triggers - You cannot use multiple action cards in the same chain, but once you gain focus again you can use another action - This priority rule was changed in CR 1.1

Ruling: You do not declare where your damage is going until the end of the showdown, after both players have finished using actions and reactions. Sequence: - Declare attack on battlefield - Both players use actions/reactions - After all actions/reactions are resolved, assign/split damage to targets

Ruling: The defending player can wait until after both Anivia triggers resolve to flip the hidden Teemo Strategist. During a showdown, you maintain control of a contested battlefield even if you have no units remaining on it. Sequence: - Both Anivia triggers resolve, killing both Nocturnes - Focus passes back and forth during the showdown as normal - Defending player receives focus after the attacker uses or passes it - Defending player can flip the hidden Teemo Strategist while still controlling the battlefield Nuances: - This rule changed in version 1.2 - previously cleanup would cause loss of battlefield control immediately - As long as a battlefield is contested (during showdown), you don't lose control even with no units present - You would only need a Deathknell trigger if you wanted to flip after the showdown completely resolves

Ruling: Yasuo's ability targets the original enemy unit and cannot be changed once on the chain. Shen's Tank ability does not affect Yasuo's "When I attack" effect because it is not combat damage, but Shen will require damage assignment during the Combat Damage Step. Sequence: - Yasuo moves to an enemy-controlled battlefield and a Showdown starts - Yasuo's "When I attack" effect triggers and goes on the chain, targeting the enemy unit at the battlefield - The opponent reacts by flipping Shen - Yasuo's effect resolves with the original target (targets cannot change once on the chain) - The original target dies to Yasuo's effect - Both players pass, Showdown ends, Combat Damage Step starts - Yasuo deals 6 combat damage, some must be assigned to Shen due to Tank (Shen also deals damage to Yasuo) Nuances: - Yasuo's "When I attack" effect is not considered combat damage, so Tank does not redirect it - Tank only applies during the Combat Damage Step

Ruling: Yes, when abilities you control simultaneously trigger, you get to choose the order they resolve. Sequence: - Both "when I attack" triggers happen simultaneously - You choose which trigger resolves first - You can choose to have Crackshot Corsair deal 1 damage first, then Warwick kills all damaged units

Ruling: If Darius arrives at the battlefield with the recruits as Ahri's trigger resolves, the recruits will be 1 Might. If Darius somehow arrives after Ahri's triggers resolve, they'll wind up at 2 Might. Sequence: - Darius's passive effect applies immediately when recruits arrive at the battlefield, giving them +1 Might (making them 1 Might) - Ahri's legend trigger goes on the chain when enemies attack - When Ahri's trigger resolves, it reduces Might by 1 to a minimum of 1 - One-time effects like Ahri's perform their calculation ("to a minimum of 1") as they resolve, then apply that result continuously - Since the recruits are already at 1 Might when Ahri's effect resolves, they stay at 1 Might Nuances: - This interaction works the same way with War Camp instead of Darius - Continuous effects apply continuously, while one-time effects with calculations perform that calculation at resolution - The timing of when Darius arrives at the battlefield matters for the final result

Ruling: Draven's power cost is paid ON RESOLUTION, not when the ability goes on the chain. The "may pay" cost appears in the ability's effect text (after the comma), making it a "cost within instructions" that is decided when the ability resolves. Sequence: - Draven attacks, triggering his "When I attack" ability - The triggered ability automatically goes on the chain (no cost paid yet) - Defender's "When you defend" triggers are added to the chain - Reaction window opens for both players - Chain resolves in LIFO order (last in, first out) - When Draven's ability resolves, the controller decides whether to pay the 1 Fury Power - If paid, Draven gains +2 Might for the turn Nuances: - This differs from Deflect costs, which must be paid when the ability goes on the chain - Because the cost is paid on resolution, you can wait to see if the opponent uses defensive abilities (like Reaver's Row moving a unit away) before deciding whether to spend the power - The "may" in Draven's ability is part of the effect instructions, not a separate cost-payment trigger

Ruling: Playing Cleave after the showdown starts results in higher Might (4) compared to playing it before entering the battlefield (2), because the timing of when Ahri's Might reduction effects apply differs. Sequence: - If Cleave is played before Yordle enters: Yordle starts at 2 Might + 3 from Cleave - 1 from Ahri Legend - 2 from Ahri Champion = 2 Might total - If Cleave is played after entering (during showdown): Yordle starts at 2 Might - 1 from Ahri Legend - 0 from Ahri Champion (doesn't apply yet) + 3 from Cleave = 4 Might total Nuances: - Cleave activates in both timing scenarios (before or after entering battlefield) - The key difference is when Ahri Champion's Might reduction applies relative to when Cleave's bonus is added

Ruling: You only pay 1 power to target the unit with Deflect. Volibear Furious deals 5 damage as a single instance, not five separate instances. Nuances: - Icathian Rain would require paying power multiple times (6 times) because it explicitly creates six separate instances of damage with "do this 6 times" - The key distinction is whether the effect creates multiple instances of damage or one instance of multiple damage

Ruling: Yes, when multiple triggers happen at the same time, the controller of the triggers chooses the order in which they are placed onto the Chain. Sequence: - Both Volibear and Warwick's "When I attack" abilities trigger simultaneously - Place Warwick onto the Chain first - Place Volibear onto the Chain second - Volibear's ability resolves first (damaging up to 5 units) - Warwick's ability resolves second (killing the damaged units) - Combat begins after both abilities resolve

Ruling: You must choose the target when Yasuo's attack trigger goes on the chain. If the opponent moves that targeted unit in response, the ability resolves with no effect and you cannot choose a different target. Sequence: - Move Yasuo to a battlefield - His attack trigger goes on the chain and you choose your target at this time - Pass priority; opponent can cast reaction spells - If opponent moves the targeted unit, it resolves - Yasuo's ability resolves with no effect since the original target is no longer at that battlefield

Ruling: Shield becomes active as soon as combat showdown starts, not as a triggered ability. The defending unit will have 6 Might (4 base + 2 shield) when the attack ability resolves. Sequence: - Combat showdown begins - Shield becomes active immediately (passive ability) - When attack abilities trigger - Damage is calculated with shield already applied Nuances: - This same principle applies to other passive abilities like Yi's buff effect - they are active before triggered abilities resolve

Ruling: No, you cannot split the damage to kill both units. You must assign damage equal to a unit's Might before assigning damage to other units, and Imperial Decree does not modify the concept of Lethal Damage. Sequence: - Assign damage normally (must assign damage equal to the unit's Might before moving to next unit) - Imperial Decree triggers after damage is assigned and when damage is actually dealt Nuances: - Even though Imperial Decree reduces enemy Might to 1, this does not change the damage assignment rules - Lethal damage is defined as damage greater than or equal to the unit's Might

Ruling: When you attack and pass focus, your opponent can play actions like Hextech Ray which must resolve before you can respond, potentially killing your unit before you can use Cleave. After an opponent's action resolves and the chain closes, you regain focus and can play your own actions. Sequence: - When attacking, you can use Cleave before passing focus - If you pass focus, opponent can play actions (like Hextech Ray or Discipline) - Opponent's action resolves first - After the chain closes, you regain focus and can respond (e.g., with Cleave after Discipline) - Fight or Flight can be used at action speed to move units back Nuances: - If moving into an empty battlefield, Fight or Flight can move you back at action speed - If you use Hextech Ray to kill a defending unit, the opponent can still use Fight or Flight at action speed to push your unit back (even though their unit is dead) - The difference between Cleave and Hextech Ray in combat is that with Hextech Ray the defending unit dies before Fight or Flight resolves, while with Cleave it doesn't

Ruling: Yes, Yasuo's "when I attack" effect triggers even when moved into the battlefield with Ride The Wind after an attack has already been declared. Sequence: - Declare attack with a unit - Play Ride The Wind as an action to move Yasuo into the same battlefield - Ride The Wind resolves and Yasuo moves - After the move, Yasuo's "when I attack" ability triggers and goes on the chain Nuances: - Yasuo's ability does not go on the chain at the same time as Ride The Wind; it only triggers after Ride The Wind fully resolves

Ruling: The attacker must destroy all defending units if they have enough power. Damage cannot be overassigned to a unit unless it is the last unit being assigned damage. Sequence: - Add up the attacker's total might - Distribute damage to defending units - Each defending unit must be assigned exactly its power value in damage (no overassigning) - Only the last unit in the damage assignment order can receive excess damage Nuances: - With 7+ power attacking a 3-power and 4-power defender, there are only two valid damage distributions: (1) assign 3 to the 3-power unit and 4+ to the 4-power unit, or (2) assign 4 to the 4-power unit and 3+ to the 3-power unit - The attacker cannot choose to destroy only one unit when they have enough power to destroy both

Ruling: The order of attack triggers matters. To kill all enemies before combat, you must put Warwick's trigger on chain 1 and Anivia's trigger on chain 2. Sequence: - Chain 1: Warwick's attack trigger resolves (but sees no damaged enemies yet, so no effect) - Chain 2: Anivia's attack trigger resolves, damaging all enemies - If ordered correctly (Warwick chain 1, Anivia chain 2): Anivia damages enemies first (chain resolves backwards), then Warwick sees damaged enemies and kills them Nuances: - If you reverse the order (Anivia chain 1, Warwick chain 2), Warwick will resolve first and see no damaged enemies, then Anivia will damage after Warwick has already resolved, so enemies won't die before combat

Ruling: The ability's damage can be modified after the attack trigger but before damage calculation. You can use reactions to buff Yasuo's might, which will increase the ability's damage. Nuances: - When both attacking and defending triggers exist, they go on the initial chain first in that order, and the player controlling the next item on the chain gains priority (which would be the opponent due to the defending trigger) - In cases with no defending trigger, there is a rules oversight regarding priority that should be fixed in future rules updates - If Yasuo attacks into a defending trigger like blue Ahri that reduces might, the damage would be reduced accordingly (e.g., to 4 damage assuming no other reactions)

Ruling: All combat damage is dealt simultaneously, so both defending units die at the same time and Yi's legend ability does not trigger to boost the second unit during this combat. Sequence: - Combat damage is assigned in a specific order - All assigned combat damage is dealt simultaneously - Units that would be destroyed by combat damage are destroyed at the same time Nuances: - If one of the defending units were to leave combat before combat damage is dealt (through some other effect), then Yi's ability would trigger and the remaining unit would gain +2 might before combat damage

Ruling: Yes, when you attack with multiple units that have attack abilities, you choose the order in which those abilities enter the chain. Sequence: - Attack abilities activate first - Defend abilities activate second - Defend abilities resolve before attack abilities - Attack abilities resolve last

Ruling: When assigning combat damage to multiple defending units, you must assign damage to one unit at a time until it receives lethal damage before you can assign any damage to the next unit. The exception is if a unit has Tank, which must be assigned damage first. Sequence: - Choose a defending unit to assign damage to (unless a unit has Tank, which must be chosen first) - Assign damage to that unit until it has received lethal damage - Only after assigning lethal damage can you move to the next unit - Any excess damage after all units have lethal damage is assigned to the last unit Nuances: - Units heal after combat and won't have health markers remaining, which affects interactions with cards like Warwick that care about damaged units

Ruling: No, you cannot choose to kill only the 8 health unit. You must assign damage equal to your total might (10), and you cannot overassign damage to a unit unless it is the last unit. Sequence: - Assign lethal damage (8) to the first unit - Assign remaining damage (2) to the second unit - You cannot overassign the remaining 2 damage to the 8 health unit because it is not the last unit Nuances: - You must assign damage equal to your might, not less than or equal to it - Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned to a different unit - You cannot overassign damage until you reach the last unit

Ruling: At the end of combat, if both players still have units on the battlefield, the attacking units are recalled to base. The remaining 1 might unit does not automatically enter a new showdown. Nuances: - Combat damage should be calculated by summing the total might of all attacking units and all defending units (excluding stunned units), then assigning that total damage pool to opponent's units, rather than thinking of individual unit-to-unit combat - In this example: attacker has 14 total damage (6+8), defender has 9 total damage (3+6+5+1, minus the stunned 6)

Ruling: All units must be moved together when attacking. Moving units does not create a chain unless there's a trigger from that move, and once you move a unit into an enemy-controlled battlefield, you've started Combat. Nuances: - You can immediately undo and redo the move with additional units if you haven't gained any new information in between and a judge allows it (e.g., "I move this unit... ah no, I move these two") - You cannot undo the move if you only realized the mistake after your opponent revealed new information (such as pointing out an Ahri trigger) - At lower organized play levels, the opponent may allow takebacks even in situations where they wouldn't normally be permitted

Ruling: Yes, you can play Retreat as a Reaction to Yasuo's ability on the Chain to avoid the damage. Sequence: - Yasuo enters the battlefield and his ability triggers - The ability goes on the Chain - You can play Retreat as a Reaction - Your unit leaves the battlefield - Yasuo's ability misses because the targeted unit is no longer there Nuances: - Even if Yasuo's ability targets your unit, "here" refers to the battlefield Yasuo is at, so if your unit isn't there anymore when the ability resolves, it misses

Ruling: The player attempting to conquer the open battlefield remains the attacker, and the player who moved their unit to the battlefield with Ride the Wind becomes the defender. The attacker is whoever applied the contested status first. Sequence: - The non-combat showdown must close first (all players pass in a row instead of starting a chain with their focus) - Players still have the opportunity to play appropriately timed spells and effects that could prevent combat from opening - Combat then opens with the original conqueror as attacker Nuances: - If the defender wins the combat, they can conquer and score the battlefield, as long as they haven't scored that battlefield this turn (which in the vast majority of cases they will not have) - This same interaction applies to other effects like Zenith Blade that move units to the battlefield during the showdown

Ruling: The player who played Invert Timelines discards and draws first and loses. Sequence: - Invert Timelines forces players to take Limited Actions simultaneously - Turn order is referenced to resolve simultaneous actions - The player who played Invert Timelines resolves their discard and draw first - That player attempts to draw 4 cards with an empty deck and loses before the opponent resolves their actions

Ruling: The player who first moved a unit to the unoccupied battlefield becomes the attacker at that battlefield, because they applied the Contested status first. Sequence: - Combat begins at battlefield A with original attacker and defender - Attacker casts Ride the Wind, moving their unit to unoccupied battlefield B - When Ride the Wind resolves, battlefield B becomes Contested (attacker applied this status) - Defender casts Ride the Wind, moving their unit to battlefield B - When this resolves, combat is staged at battlefield B but the current showdown continues - Combat resolves normally at battlefield A - Any remaining abilities on the chain resolve with normal response opportunities - When the game reaches an Open state, combat showdown opens at battlefield B - The player who first moved to battlefield B is the attacker there Nuances: - Combat at the new battlefield doesn't interrupt the current showdown; it's staged but waits until the first combat fully resolves - The chain must be empty (Open state) before the new combat begins

Ruling: The attacker is recalled to base after the combat damage step. Sequence: - Combat proceeds to the combat damage step - Both units are stunned and deal no damage to each other - Combat cleanup occurs - All attacking units still alive are recalled to base Nuances: - This allows a low-might unit to defend against a high-might attacker without either unit taking damage

Ruling: You can activate hidden cards whenever you would normally be able to activate a card with the reaction tag, except during the turn you hid them. Nuances: - You cannot react to a permanent being played, only to abilities activated when a card is played - If the hidden card targets, it can only target something at that battlefield - Hidden cards can be played at base speed on your turn outside a showdown

Ruling: You can play a Hidden card immediately after playing Discipline while still holding priority, without waiting for Discipline to resolve. Sequence: - You have priority and play Discipline, which is added to the chain as a Pending Item - While still holding priority, you can play another legally timed card (like a Hidden card with the Reaction tag) - You play your Hidden card, which is added to the chain on top of Discipline - You then pass priority to your opponent - During resolution (LIFO), the Hidden card resolves first, then Discipline resolves (granting +2 might and drawing a card) Nuances: - Hidden cards gain the Reaction tag, allowing them to be played during reaction windows - You can only play a card from the Hidden state if it was placed there on a previous turn, not the card you just drew - If the Hidden card is a permanent (Unit or Gear), it bypasses the resolution step and finalizes immediately, but the priority window still applies

Ruling: You cannot play a hidden card on the same turn that you hide it. When playing cards from hidden on a later turn, they function exactly like playing from hand - spells and abilities go on the chain and grant reaction windows, but permanents (units/gear) resolve immediately without a reaction window. Sequence: - Hide a card on one turn - On a subsequent turn (not the same turn), you may play it from hidden - If it's a spell or ability, it goes on the chain and opponents can react - If it's a permanent, it resolves immediately with no reaction window (unless it has a triggered ability) Nuances: - Playing any card (from hand or hidden) opens a chain, but permanents leave the chain immediately during the Finalize step, giving no opportunity for reactions - You can only react to spells, triggered abilities, and activated abilities (with small exceptions for 'add' abilities) - Permanents may have "When You Play Me" (WYPM) triggers that do grant reaction windows, but you're reacting to the triggered ability, not the permanent itself - During showdowns, there are additional focus/priority rules that allow playing cards

Ruling: Reaver's Row is a 'When defending' trigger that activates during the initial chain inside a combat showdown. Players can respond to this trigger with reactions (but not actions until the initial chain resolves). Sequence: - Player moves a unit to attack Reaver's Row, initiating showdown - Initial chain is created containing Reaver's Row's trigger and any other attack/defend triggers - Players can respond with reactions to these triggers - Reactions resolve before the battlefield effect - Both players must pass priority with an empty chain in succession to move to combat damage - After the initial chain resolves, the attacking player can play actions Nuances: - Opponent can use a reaction spell (e.g., killing a unit) before Reaver's Row resolves - Actions cannot be played until the initial chain resolves, so action spells cannot interrupt Reaver's Row's effect - The attacker can use reactions like Gust to bounce their own unit back to hand before the defender can move a unit with Reaver's Row

Ruling: Sett Brawler's ability can only be used during your turn when there is no chain present and outside of a Showdown. Counterspells cannot counter unit abilities unless the counterspell specifically states it can counter abilities. Sequence: - Must be your turn - No chain can be present - Must be outside of a Showdown Nuances: - The ability is base speed - While the ability behaves like a spell once activated, counterspells need to specifically state they can counter abilities to target them

Ruling: The ability is standard speed, meaning it can only be used on your turn outside of chains or showdowns. All effects without ACTION or REACTION keywords are standard speed, and there are no effects that can be used "whenever".

Ruling: Spirit Wheel is a triggered ability that automatically triggers when you target a friendly unit with cards like Discipline or En Garde. The trigger goes on the chain immediately before opponents can respond with reactions or Defy. Sequence: - Play a card that targets a friendly unit (like Discipline, En Garde, or an equip ability) - Spirit Wheel's triggered ability automatically triggers and goes on the chain - You decide whether to pay the cost ("may pay 1") when the trigger is on the chain - Only after Spirit Wheel's trigger is on the chain can opponents respond with their own reactions - The chain resolves with Spirit Wheel resolving before the original targeting card Nuances: - Even if the opponent plays Defy after Spirit Wheel triggers, the Spirit Wheel trigger has already been added to the chain - Multiple triggered abilities (like Spirit Wheel, Dreaming Tree, and champion abilities) all trigger simultaneously from the same targeting event - Equip abilities also trigger Spirit Wheel because activating an equip ability targets the unit being equipped

Ruling: Hidden cards gain "Reaction" starting the turn after they were hidden, allowing you to play them any time you have priority during the opponent's turn. Sequence: - Hide the card - Wait until the turn after it was hidden - Play it as a Reaction when you have priority Nuances: - You can react to spells, activated abilities, triggers, and during showdowns - You cannot react to units or gear entering play (unless they have "When You Play Me" effects that create a chain) - Battlefield effects that trigger (like drawing when holding) can be reacted to

Ruling: Action cards can only be played during showdowns when you have focus and nothing is on the chain. You cannot respond to an opponent's action card with your own action card because once something is on the chain, you can no longer play action cards. Nuances: - On your turn when nothing is happening, you can play actions, reactions, or other card types freely - Outside your turn or when things are happening, actions are restricted to showdowns with focus and an empty chain

Ruling: Both attacker and defender can play action cards during a showdown, but only when they have focus and no chain is currently open. Actions cannot be played while any chain is resolving. Sequence: - When a unit moves to an occupied battlefield, a showdown begins - Attack/defend triggers go on a chain first (only reactions can be played on this chain) - After that chain resolves, the attacker gains focus and can play an action (defender can only play reactions on this chain) - After that chain resolves, the defender gains focus and can play an action (attacker can only play reactions on this chain) - This alternates back and forth until both players pass focus without playing anything Nuances: - Actions can be played in an open neutral state on your turn, or when you have focus during a showdown on either player's turn - Reactions can be played any time you have priority - Once any chain is open (from a card being played or ability activated), actions cannot be played until that chain fully resolves - Focus stays with one player during a chain, but priority passes around - Actions played during a showdown can target anything legal for that card, not just units in the current showdown

Ruling: The opponent must activate Stopwatch before damage assignment. Once activated, Stopwatch will save whichever unit would die from the assigned combat damage. There is no reaction window between damage assignment and units dying. Sequence: - Showdown happens - Opponent must activate Stopwatch before damage assignment (if they want to use it) - Attacker assigns damage - Stopwatch saves the unit that would die from the assigned damage Nuances: - If Stopwatch is activated before damage assignment, the attacker can then choose to assign damage to a different unit, and Stopwatch will save that unit instead - The opponent cannot wait to see which unit receives damage before deciding to activate Stopwatch - If Stopwatch is activated and damage is assigned to one unit, the other unit that received no damage will survive anyway

Ruling: Action cards and effects cannot be played while there is a chain open. Opponents must wait until the chain closes (the game reaches an open state) before they can play action cards, meaning Yasuo and Mask always trigger first. Sequence: - Yasuo and Mask trigger at the start of combat - These triggers go on the chain - The chain must fully resolve - Only after the chain closes and the game reaches an open state can the opponent play action cards Nuances: - This applies even when Ride the Wind is used on the opponent's turn with Yasuo - the opponent still cannot respond with an action card until the chain resolves and closes

Ruling: Equipment (Gear) enters play readied and can be equipped immediately if you have the resources. When a unit wearing gear dies, the gear stays at the base and can be re-equipped following normal timing restrictions. Sequence: - Play the equipment card by paying its cost - Equipment enters readied at the base - Use the Equip ability (if you have resources) to attach it to a unit - If the equipped unit dies, the equipment remains at the base - Re-equip following timing restrictions Nuances: - Equip ability can only be used on your turn, outside of a showdown, while the chain is empty - Abilities like Weaponmaster or Quick-Draw can circumvent these timing restrictions - The Equip ability is neither an Action nor a Reaction

Ruling: Hidden cards can be revealed (flipped) at reaction speed, which means any time you could play a reaction. They are also automatically revealed when all other units you control at that battlefield are removed or when the game ends. You cannot reveal a hidden card on the same turn you hide it. Sequence: - Hide a card by recycling one rune (of any color) at a battlefield you control - The card stays hidden at that battlefield across turns as long as you control it - Reveal it at reaction speed for free (no energy cost) on a future turn - If you lose control of the battlefield, hidden cards are sent to trash during Cleanup phase Nuances: - Reaction speed means: (1) Neutral Open state in Action Phase on your turn, (2) Showdown Open state when you have Priority, or (3) Closed state when you have Priority - Cards with Hidden can alternatively be played normally for their energy cost instead of being hidden - Hidden cards are revealed (not played) if they change zones to areas with private/secret information privacy - You must have Priority during a showdown to reveal hidden cards; if both players pass, you miss the timing