Does Ahri, Inquisitive's effect target (requiring Deflect payment), and why doesn't it use 'choose' wording like Noxian Guillotine does?

verified
FAQ #4392·asked by 172430101122777088·January 4, 2026·Rules v1.4·Asked before Vendetta
Answer

Ruling: Ahri, Inquisitive's effect does target and requires paying Deflect cost. When a card uses 'give' and requires the player to make an active decision on what is affected, it is targeting, even without explicit 'choose' wording.

Nuances:

  • The wording is acknowledged as inconsistent and confusing between cards like Ahri, Inquisitive (which targets) and Ahri Legend/Nine Tails (which does not target despite similar 'give' wording)
  • Ahri Legend is a static effect that doesn't require choosing targets, it just happens when relevant
  • Updated targeting rules are confirmed to be coming in future sets to clear up these confusions
  • The current rule is that if a card/ability is affecting a specific card, it's targeting it, but the wording for what targets is more vague than other card games

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