Does Ravenbloom Student get its trigger buff when the spell that would trigger it is countered by Defy?

Ruling: No, Ravenbloom Student does not get the buff when a spell is countered. A spell is only considered "played" when it resolves, not when it enters the chain.

Sequence:

• A spell enters the chain
• If the spell is countered (e.g., by Defy), it does not resolve
• Since it did not resolve, it is not considered "played"
• Ravenbloom Student's trigger does not activate because no spell was "played"

Nuances:

• "Played" in Riftbound means the spell resolved, which differs from other card games like MTG where "played" can refer to casting