Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 1 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
If I target my own Ravenbloom Student (2 might) at a battlefield with Piercing Light (deals 2 damage), does the Student die or survive?
Ruling: Ravenbloom Student dies. The cleanup that checks for lethal damage occurs immediately after Piercing Light is removed from the chain, before Ravenbloom Student's "When you play a spell" triggered ability can trigger and give it +1 might.
Does Darius Trifarian's +2 Might buff work on opponent's turn?
Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian CAN trigger his ability during your opponent's turn if you play 2 cards during that turn.
Does Vex affect opponent's Repeat spell costs?
Ruling: No, Vex does not affect Repeat costs. Vex's ability increases the base cost of enemy spells, but Repeat is an optional additional cost that is separate from the base spell cost and is not affected by Vex.
What happens in combat when a stunned unit has more might than its opponent?
Ruling: A stunned unit does not contribute its might to deal damage in combat, but still requires damage equal to its full might value to be killed. In both scenarios where one unit is stunned, if the non-stunned unit cannot deal enough damage to eliminate the stunned unit, the attacker is recalled.
Can Defy counter Piercing Light if I pay to repeat it multiple times, and how do repeat costs work with counter spells?
Ruling: Yes, Defy can counter Piercing Light even if you pay repeat costs. Defy and similar counter effects only check the printed cost on the card (2 energy, 1 power), not the total cost including repeat. If countered, you lose all costs paid with no refund.
When units move to a battlefield with Ahri (who debuffs attacking units), can the attacker play Giant Strength after the defender passes priority on the defend triggers but before combat resolves?
Ruling: Yes, the attacker can play Giant Strength after defend triggers resolve but before combat. When units move to the battlefield, attack/defend triggers (including Ahri's debuff) go on the chain first, then the attacker gets focus to play actions before combat resolves.
If a defending unit kills the attacker with a combat ability before the Combat Damage Step, does the defending unit heal all its marked damage during the Resolution Step?
Ruling: Yes, the defending unit heals all marked damage. When the attacker is killed before the Combat Damage Step, the combat still completes and proceeds to the Resolution Step where all units heal.
Is a unit considered defending if a showdown isn't happening, specifically for abilities that trigger when defending?
Ruling: A unit is only considered defending when there is a showdown involving units from 2 players (a combat). If there is no showdown, or if the showdown is not a combat between two players (like an open showdown), units are not considered attackers or defenders.
Does reducing the cost of a 5-cost spell with Eager Apprentice prevent Lux's Legend ability from triggering, or does the ability only look at printed cost?
Ruling: Lux's Legend ability only looks at the printed cost in the top left corner of the card. Cost reductions from cards like Eager Apprentice do not affect whether the ability triggers.
If I attack a 9 Might unit twice with Kayn (6 Might), does the damage from the first combat carry over to kill the unit in the second combat?
Ruling: No, damage does not carry over between combats. Damage heals after every combat, even if nothing dies. Sequence: - First combat occurs between Kayn and the 9 Might unit - Neither unit dies (Kayn deals 6 damage, opponent deals 9 damage) - Damage heals on all survivors - Second combat occurs with both units at full health again -...
If you have Cithria (with a buff) on board and play Wildclaw Shaman, spending Cithria's buff to ready him and give him a buff, does Cithria get a buff from the Shaman being played?
Ruling: Yes, Cithria gets a buff from Wildclaw Shaman being played. You can choose the order in which "when you play" effects are added and resolved.
Can you play Zenith Blade on a unit that is already stunned, and if so, can you still move a friendly unit?
Ruling: You can target a stunned unit with Zenith Blade. The stun effect does nothing (and doesn't trigger "when you stun" effects), but you can still move a friendly unit because the card doesn't require the stun to succeed.
Can you play Salvage when there are no gear in play?
Ruling: No, you cannot play Salvage when there are no gear in play. A gear must be targeted when playing Salvage, though you may choose not to kill it during resolution.
If Phoenix is on board and you play Hidden Blade on it, killing the Phoenix and drawing 2 cards, can Phoenix's triggered ability activate to summon itself from the discard when Hidden Blade fully resolves?
Ruling: Yes, Phoenix can trigger its ability to summon itself from the discard after Hidden Blade fully resolves. Sequence: - Hidden Blade is played targeting Phoenix - Phoenix is killed and sent to the discard - Draw 2 cards - Hidden Blade fully resolves - Phoenix is now in the discard and its triggered ability can be put into the...
Can Cull of the Weak be cast when you have no units on board, and can you then create a unit with another effect (like Viktor's token) to avoid sacrificing an existing unit?
Ruling: Yes, Cull of the Weak can be cast when you have no units on board. You can then use another effect to create a unit token after casting, and you would not have to sacrifice a unit since you do as much as you can.
When Spectral Matron is played, can you spend a buff to use Kraken Hunter's Power discount and play Kraken Hunter from Trash?
Ruling: No, these effects look at printed cost, so you cannot use Kraken Hunter's Power discount when playing it from Trash via Spectral Matron.
When a temporary unit causes loss of battlefield control (trashing a hidden Mushroom Pouch) at the beginning phase, which triggers first: Mushroom Pouch's draw effect or the Temporary keyword killing the unit?
Ruling: Both Mushroom Pouch and Temporary are triggered abilities that trigger at the start of your Beginning Phase, so you choose the order in which to put them on the chain.
Does Darius Trifarian get +2 MIGHT if two spells are played on the opponent's turn (e.g., stacking two reacts on one chain)?
Ruling: Yes, Darius Trifarian gets +2 MIGHT when two spells are played on the opponent's turn. Spells count as "played" when they resolve on the chain, not when they are cast.
In combat, can you assign more damage than a unit's Might (overkill) to avoid assigning damage to other units?
Ruling: You cannot assign more damage to a unit than its Might in combat. You must assign lethal damage (damage equal to the unit's Might) to units before moving to the next target.
Does Wildclaw Shaman buff itself to 4 power if you don't spend a buff to ready it?
Ruling: No, Wildclaw Shaman does not buff itself if you don't spend a buff. The parenthetical text is just clarification that a unit can generally only get buffed once, and if it already has a buff, nothing happens.
When do 'when attacking' effects happen, and can the opponent respond to protect a unit being attacked?
Ruling: 'When attacking' effects are the first thing that enters the chain when you start a showdown. The opponent can only respond with reaction spells, and the attacker has priority to cast their own additional reaction spells first.
In 2v2, if I win the dice roll to determine turn order, can I choose which position my team goes in, and can I make my teammate (Player B) go last instead of myself (Player A)?
Ruling: When you win the dice roll in 2v2, you choose whether your team goes first or second overall. Player A always goes before Player B within each team, so the turn order is either 1a-1b-2a-2b (your team first) or 2a-2b-1a-1b (your team second).
Does Sett Kingpin count himself when calculating his +1 might bonus for each buffed friendly unit?
Ruling: Yes, Sett counts himself as a buffed friendly unit for his own ability. If Sett is buffed alone on a battlefield, he gains +1 might from the buff token and an additional +1 might from his passive ability (totaling 7 might with his 5 base might).
Does Fox Fire target units when cast, or does it target the battlefield and choose units on resolution?
Ruling: Fox Fire targets the units when put on the chain, not the battlefield. You must choose a legal set of targets (units with total Might 4 or less) when casting.
Can a player at 7 points win the game by conquering both battlefields when no one controls them?
Ruling: Yes, a player at 7 points can win by conquering both battlefields. Drawing a card instead of gaining a point still counts as scoring.
When Ava attacks and you use her ability to play a card from hand, when do you pay the Mind cost and when do you reveal the card?
Ruling: When Ava attacks and triggers her ability, you do not pay the Mind cost until the ability resolves. You keep the card hidden in your hand until resolution, then pay the Mind cost (if you choose to) and play the card. The Mind cost is part of the effect, not a cost to activate the ability.
Can I reveal and play a Reaction card (like Consult the Past) during my opponent's turn if they just played a unit and passed without creating any closed states?
Ruling: No, you cannot play a Reaction during your opponent's turn unless you get priority. Priority is only given during triggered abilities, other abilities, showdowns, or end-of-turn effects (like those from Annie or Sona legends).
If a token is reduced to 1 Might by Blue Ahri's ability, and then receives +5 Might from Grand Strategem, does it go to 6 Might or does it remember the -2 reduction and only go to 4 Might?
Ruling: Once Ahri's triggered ability resolves and sets the token's Might, all subsequent Might changes work normally from that new value. The token would go to 6 Might (1 + 5) after Grand Strategem resolves.
Can I conquer an open battlefield twice in the same round and still win the points?
Ruling: You can only score a battlefield once per turn. If you conquer a battlefield, lose control, then gain control again in the same turn, you don't conquer it again.
Can Kaisa's ability be used to pay the power requirement of spells, and can tapped runes be used to pay recycle costs?
Ruling: Kaisa's ability generates power (not energy) which can be used to pay for a spell's power requirement. You still need to recycle the required number of runes for the spell's recycle cost. Tapped runes can be used to pay recycle costs.
When Get Excited is countered by Windwall, does the discard still happen?
Ruling: When Get Excited is countered by Windwall, the discard does not happen because the discard is part of the spell's resolution, not a cost.
Can you play Pit Rookie if there's no valid target?
Ruling: You can play Pit Rookie even if there's no valid target, but its ability won't go on the chain.
Is it possible for a unit to have 0 might in Riftbound?
Ruling: Yes, it is possible for a unit to reach 0 might or even negative might (which is treated as 0 for all purposes). A unit at 0 might still needs to take at least 1 damage to be destroyed.
How exactly does the chain resolve in Riftbound? After the last spell is cast, does it resolve immediately, or does priority pass to allow reaction spells?
Ruling: After an effect resolves, the player who controls the topmost effect gets priority and can play another reaction. Once they pass, the opponent can also play a reaction. This continues until both players pass consecutively.
For Dazzling Aurora, what is the correct order for recycled cards, and can the opponent see the revealed cards before they are recycled?
Ruling: When Dazzling Aurora activates, you reveal cards until you find a unit, banish and play that unit, then recycle the other revealed cards to the bottom of your deck in random order. Your opponent can see all revealed cards for a reasonable amount of time as they are public information.
Can unit abilities (like Miss Fortune's ability that activates when she moves) be countered with cards like Defy, and do they open a chain?
Ruling: Unit abilities do open a chain, but they are not spells and therefore cannot be countered by current counter cards like Defy or Wind Wall, which specifically counter spells not abilities.
Can you use Gust on Vayne as she moves to the battlefield before she becomes an attacker?
Ruling: You cannot Gust Vayne when she moves alone to an enemy-occupied battlefield because moving does not create a reaction opportunity and she instantly becomes an attacker with 5 might when combat begins. However, you can Gust her if she moves to an open battlefield (no combat occurs, so she's not an attacker) or if another unit with a move...
Can you play Tideturner to swap a unit into the defender position and still trigger that unit's 'when I defend' ability?
Ruling: A unit will trigger its "when I defend/attack" abilities whenever it becomes a defender or attacker, so you don't need to worry about missing the initial chain.
Can you respond to a Base Speed card with an Action card?
Ruling: No, only cards and effects with the 'Reaction' tag can be placed on the chain as a response to other cards or effects.
Can you activate Vi in response to something like "Challenge" to make her bigger?
Ruling: No, Vi cannot be activated in response to Challenge or other effects. The card would need the Reaction tag to be used in response to something.
For Garen's Legend ability, do you need to conquer with 4 units at the same time, or can you conquer with one unit and then play 3 more during the conquer point to trigger it?
Ruling: You must have 4 units on the battlefield when you conquer. After showdown, you need 4 surviving units on the battlefield to trigger Garen's ability.
Can activated abilities from Yasuo Legend and Vi be played at action speed, and can Vi's ability be used multiple times per turn?
Ruling: Activated abilities are base speed (your turn, no showdown) unless otherwise specified. Vi's ability can be used as many times as you can pay the cost of recycling during one turn.
If multiple Heimerdingers are in play, do they grant abilities to each other, and can this create an infinite loop?
Ruling: Multiple Heimerdingers would each gain copies of the same abilities from other sources (like each other and other cards), but this doesn't affect gameplay because when you exhaust a Heimerdinger, you can only activate one ability at a time, not all of them simultaneously.
If Teemo Strategist reveals Nocturne from the top of the deck, can Nocturne be played with his ability, or does Teemo's effect override it and recycle Nocturne?
Ruling: When Teemo Strategist reveals Nocturne from the top of your deck, you can play Nocturne with his ability instead of recycling him.
Can you summon another unit directly into a battlefield where you just initiated a showdown, or must you wait until after the showdown is finished and you've conquered that battlefield?
Ruling: You cannot use standard moves to move units to a battlefield once a showdown has started. You must move multiple units at once before the showdown begins if you want them both there.
In 2v2, if one player concedes, does their team lose, or does only that player lose?
Ruling: There is currently no rule that dictates a player conceding equates to their team conceding. Only the conceding player loses and removes their cards from the game.
If I conquer 2 battlefields on my turn, then my opponent charms my unit to conquer a 3rd battlefield on their turn, do I win the game?
Ruling: You cannot win this way. To win by conquering all 3 battlefields, you must score all of them during the same turn. Since you passed your turn, it is no longer the same turn where you scored the other 2 battlefields.
Can Dazzling Aurora summon Champion Units?
Ruling: Yes, Dazzling Aurora can summon Champion Units since the card text says "unit" without restriction.
Can you move a ganking unit from one battlefield to another battlefield while simultaneously moving units from base to that same battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, as long as all of the units are moving to the same location, they can be moved from anywhere.
Is there a priority window to play reaction spells before the showdown if there are no when attacking/defending triggers?
Ruling: No, there is no priority window to play reactions before the showdown begins if there are no triggers. As soon as the move is complete, cleanup happens and combat/showdown begins immediately.