Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 10 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
When a unit is moved by an ability (like Charm or Yasuo's legend ability) rather than by the standard move action, does it exhaust itself from moving?
Ruling: Units only exhaust to move when using the standard move limited action. When moved by abilities or effects outside of the standard move action, units do not exhaust themselves from the movement.
If I have 2 Gemcraft Seers in play, do my units get Vision twice?
Ruling: Yes, with two Gemcraft Seers in play, every friendly unit has Vision Vision. Multiple instances of Vision trigger separately, so you perform Vision twice in a row when a unit enters play.
Can you play cards (react) between each link of a chain as it resolves, including playing a card drawn from a chain reaction?
Ruling: Yes, you can play cards between each link as a chain resolves. Each time an item on the chain resolves, the controller of the next item gets priority, and both players have a chance to react in between each chain item.
Does playing Yasuo Windrider from hand count as a movement?
Ruling: Playing a unit from hand does not count as a move. Nuances: - Moving specifically refers to relocating a unit between two locations on the board
Does moving a unit to an empty battlefield count as an attack for triggering effects like Mask's +1 buff?
Ruling: Moving to an unoccupied battlefield is not attacking and does not trigger attack-related effects. However, if an opponent later moves a unit to that battlefield during the Showdown (such as with a spell), you will be designated the attacker since you were the first player to make that battlefield contested.
Can you use Gust to return Teemo-Scout to hand before his ability resolves and he gains +3 might?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Gust to return Teemo-Scout to hand before he gains the +3 might boost. Sequence: - Teemo-Scout is played (from hand or after being hidden) - Teemo's ability triggers and goes on the chain - You can react with Gust to return him to hand - Teemo returns to hand before the might boost resolves
Does Defiant Dance require 2 or more units on the board to play?
Ruling: Yes, Defiant Dance requires 2 units on the board to play. Nuances: - The key word is "another" in the card text, which indicates you need at least one unit plus another unit (totaling 2 units minimum).
If you have no runes to draw (having all 12 runes), do you draw an extra card instead?
Ruling: No. If you can't channel a rune because your rune deck is empty, you don't do anything at all. You do not draw an extra card as a replacement.
Do 'When I Defend' triggers resolve first because they are placed on the chain last?
Ruling: Yes, all 'When I Defend' triggers will be last on the chain, therefore they resolve first. Sequence: - The Attacking player (who has Focus) places Triggered Abilities on the Chain first - All non-Defender players place triggers in Turn Order - The Defending Player places triggers last - Chain resolves in reverse order (last in, first out)
When a unit with attached gear is returned to hand, does the gear fall off and stay in the base?
Ruling: Yes, when a unit is returned to hand, the gear falls off and stays in the base, just like when a unit dies or is banished.
Can a player play an exhausted unit directly to a battlefield they control (as opposed to their base)?
Ruling: Yes, a player can play an exhausted unit directly to any battlefield they control, as any location you control is a valid target.
Does Switcheroo trigger Deflect, requiring the caster to pay the Deflect cost?
Ruling: Yes, you must pay for Deflect when casting Switcheroo on a unit with Deflect, because Switcheroo is a spell and you are choosing (targeting) the unit with Deflect.
If Incinerate targets a unit at a battlefield and the opponent reacts by moving it with Flash, does the damage still get dealt?
Ruling: No, the damage is not dealt. When the unit is moved in response, it is no longer a legal target when Incinerate resolves.
When attacking the battlefield with a unit, can you change your attack target after the opponent uses a reaction that increases the originally targeted unit's might?
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.
Who assigns combat damage in Riftbound, and how does damage assignment work?
Ruling: Each player assigns the damage that their units do to the enemy units. Both players assign damage to each other, with the attacker assigning first.
Can you react to units being played, and if so, does the unit hit the field before you can react?
Ruling: Playing a unit opens a chain, but it resolves immediately and nobody gains priority, so you cannot react to units being played.
Does Targon's Peak battlefield effect trigger when you hold a site, or only when you conquer it?
Ruling: The Targon's Peak battlefield effect only triggers when you conquer a site, not when you hold it. Nuances: - Hold and Conquer are distinct game actions as described in the rulebook - If Hold triggered Conquer effects, it would also trigger negative Conquer effects like paying costs (e.g., Sigil of the Storm)
When playing Ride the Wind, do you have to announce which unit and which battlefield location you intend to move it to when adding the card to the chain?
Ruling: Yes, you must announce both the unit and the battlefield location when finalizing Ride the Wind, and these choices are locked in once made.
In multiplayer, do you need to conquer all 3 battlefields to win at 7 points, or just one additional battlefield?
Ruling: To win via conquest, you must have scored all the battlefields, not just one additional battlefield when you reach 7 points.
How does Blind Fury work? Do you reveal and play the opponent's card, and who controls it?
Ruling: You reveal cards from your opponent's deck, choose one, banish it, then play that card from banishment. You become the Controller of any unit played this way, while your opponent remains its Owner.
When does Ekko's Deathknell trigger during combat, and does it happen before or after special cleanup?
Ruling: Deathknell triggers after combat and after units have healed, which means it occurs after cleanup. Sequence: - Combat occurs - Units heal during cleanup - Deathknell triggers
When using Mystic Reversal on Singularity that targets 2 of my units, can I choose 0 targets (since my opponent has no units) to effectively counter it, or must I choose at least one valid target?
Ruling: When using Mystic Reversal on Singularity, you can choose 0 targets because Singularity says "up to 2 targets" and 0 is a valid choice for "up to" targeting. This effectively counters the spell without destroying any units.
Can a gear be at a battlefield alone, and specifically can a hidden Zhonya's Hourglass be used to save itself when the only unit at that battlefield is targeted by Charm?
Ruling: A gear cannot be at a battlefield alone. If a gear is at a battlefield without a unit, it is immediately recalled to base. You can reveal a hidden Zhonya's Hourglass before the unit is moved by Charm to save it from being trashed.
If Hidden Blade kills Crackshot Corsair in response to Crackshot's attack trigger, does the 1 damage still happen?
Ruling: No, the damage will not happen. When Crackshot Corsair dies before its trigger resolves, the trigger still resolves but cannot define "here" and does nothing.
Do you have to declare both targets for Convergent Mutation when it enters the chain, or can you choose the second unit during resolution?
Ruling: You must choose both targets when casting Convergent Mutation. You cannot add a spell or ability into the chain without providing all choices, and both units comply with the target requirements.
Can a unit with Weaponmaster equip multiple gears at reduced cost (e.g., 2-3 equipments that cost 1 power for free)?
Ruling: No. Weaponmaster allows you to choose one equipment and use its equip ability with a cost reduction of 1 power. A single instance of Weaponmaster does not allow you to choose multiple equipment.
If I use Charm to move an opponent's unit (Kai'sa) to a battlefield with my unit (Sprite), and then the opponent kills my unit with a spell on my turn (like Ray or Void Seeker), does the opponent score a conquering point?
Ruling: If you charm an enemy unit to a battlefield and they end up in control of it, even on your turn, they score it.
Can hidden cards be played in response to units being played if those units don't have WYPM (When You Play Me) effects?
Ruling: Hidden cards follow the same rules as regular reaction speed cards. They cannot be played in response to permanents without a trigger (such as units without WYPM effects).
Does Quick-Draw create two triggers to respond to (one for playing it and one for the attach)?
Ruling: Quick-Draw creates only one trigger that you can respond to. When you play a Quick-Draw equipment, it enters as a permanent (no response window), then its "When you play this, attach it to a Unit you control" triggered ability goes on the chain, which can be responded to. The attach itself is not a separate trigger.
If Cleave is played on a unit after it has already moved to a battlefield and been declared an attacker, does the unit still get the +3 Might from Assault?
Ruling: Yes, the unit gets +3 Might from Assault. Assault is a passive ability that applies as long as the unit has the attacker designation, regardless of when the unit gained the Assault ability.
Does recalling a unit due to a showdown tie exhaust the unit?
Ruling: Recall does not exhaust a unit by default. A unit only recalls exhausted if the effect specifically states to recall exhausted.
What opens a chain in Riftbound, and can opponents react to units being played?
Ruling: Units and gear (permanents) do create a chain but immediately resolve without lingering on it, essentially closing it right away. Opponents cannot react to the unit itself being played, but can react to triggered abilities (like "When you play me" text) that go on the chain after the unit has entered play.
Does damage reduce or manipulate Might values during a showdown?
Ruling: No, damage does not change Might values. Damage and Might are two completely separate mechanics. Nuances: - Might is the combat statistic of a Unit used to determine contribution to Combat and when it is Killed by damaging effects - Damage is a marked value applied to Units that tracks how close a Unit is to being Killed -...
When a unit with 4 Might takes 3 damage from Hextech Ray, does it stay at 1 Might for the turn, or does it remain at 4 Might?
Ruling: The unit remains at 4 Might with 3 damage marked on it. Damage does not reduce Might. Sequence: - The 4 Might unit takes 3 damage from Hextech Ray - The unit is still at 4 Might, but has 3 damage marked - The unit would deal 4 damage in combat - The unit would be killed if it...
Does 'winning combat' trigger abilities even if combat damage doesn't happen (e.g., if a unit is bounced or sent back to base before damage)?
Ruling: Yes, winning combat triggers abilities even if the Combat Damage Step is skipped. Combat is still resolved in the Resolution Step, and as long as your unit remains on the battlefield after combat (or you score the conqueror point if attacking), you win combat.
Can Rumble's effect recycle token units?
Ruling: Yes, you can recycle a Token Unit with Rumble's effect, since the card does not specify "Non-Token Unit." Nuances: - While recycle rules explicitly state recycling is for cards and tokens are not cards, token rules instruct you to treat tokens as the type of card they are for all rules purposes - This ruling was confirmed by the...
Can you fizzle an opponent's targeting damage spell by moving the targeted unit to your base or to another battlefield as a reaction?
Ruling: Spells cannot fizzle and always resolve on the chain (unless countered). If the targeted unit is moved in response, the spell still resolves but cannot find the target anymore, so the targeting effect does not happen. However, any other effects on the spell (like "Draw 1") still occur.
Do conquer effects on units trigger if the unit with the conquer ability dies at the end of the showdown?
Ruling: No, conquer effects do not trigger if the unit dies during the showdown. You don't conquer until you establish control, which happens after the showdown or combat ends, so if the unit dies before that point it is no longer on the board to see the conquer.
Does might reduction stay on a unit for the entire turn even if it is saved by Sett Legend, or does Sett Legend heal debuffs like Smokescreen when saving the unit?
Ruling: Might reduction and other temporary status effects (buffs and debuffs) remain on the unit when saved by Sett Legend. Debuffs cannot be healed.
When Leona Determined attacks into a fortified position, does the attacker declare their stun target first or does the defender declare who gets the +2 might first, and in what order do these effects resolve?
Ruling: The attacker's trigger (Leona's stun) is added to the chain first with a target declared, then the defender's trigger (fortified position's +2 might) is added to the chain. Effects resolve in reverse order, so the defender's trigger resolves first, then the attacker's trigger resolves.
If Vi would kill both Teemo and Lee Sin simultaneously in combat, and Zhonya's Hourglass triggers, does the controller choose which unit to save?
Ruling: Combat damage happens simultaneously. If both units would die at the same time, the Zhonya's Hourglass controller chooses which unit to save.
When a unit is stunned during a showdown and neither player's units die, what happens at the end of combat?
Ruling: If both players have units remaining at a battlefield at the end of combat, the attacker's units are recalled to base.
Can Baited Hook be used to kill a recruit token or sprite token and still resolve playing a unit even though tokens don't go to the trash?
Ruling: Yes, you can kill a token with Baited Hook and still resolve playing a unit. Baited Hook looks back at the unit's characteristics before it changed zones and does not care that the token isn't in the trash.
When Viktor attacks and plays Siphon Power at his first opportunity, which is then Denied, who has the next opportunity to play an Action? Does it matter if a triggered ability triggered when attacking?
Ruling: After Viktor's Siphon Power is Denied and resolves, priority passes to Ahri since Viktor had priority on the previous chain.
Does moving count as choosing for Irelia's legend ability?
Ruling: No, the standard ability of units to exhaust themselves to move does not count as choosing for Irelia's legend ability.
When a showdown on Vilemaw's Lair (which prevents moving back to base) ends with both players still having units on that battlefield, what happens to the attacker's units that would normally have to return to base?
Ruling: The attackers return to base normally because recall is not a move, so Vilemaw's Lair's "can't move" restriction does not prevent the recall.
If defending Kayn retreats using Reavers and then uses Ride the Wind to return to the battlefield during the same combat, does the Kayn player score from this combat?
Ruling: Yes, the Kayn player scores from this combat. Kayn remains the defender throughout the showdown because attacker/defender roles are determined at the beginning of the showdown and don't change until it resolves. If the attacking player cannot kill Kayn through non-damage sources, their units will retreat and the Kayn player scores for conquering. The Kayn player can also score...
Do triggered abilities with 'here' in their text (like Anivia, Warwick, or Volibear) remain legal if the unit is removed from the battlefield before the ability resolves?
Ruling: If a triggered ability contains "here" and the unit is removed from the battlefield before resolution, the ability cannot resolve because "here" refers to the unit's location, which no longer exists. However, "here" does not inherently target—whether an ability targets depends on its specific wording.
Can you play Flash in response to Traveling Merchant's move trigger, and how do multiple move triggers resolve?
Ruling: Yes, you can play Flash in response to Traveling Merchant's move trigger. When Flash resolves and moves the Merchant again, there will be two move triggers on the chain.
If I play Flash and my opponent plays Wind Wall to counter it, can I use Mystic Reversal to either target my own Flash to make it resolve first, or target Wind Wall to redirect it?
Ruling: When you play Mystic Reversal in response to Wind Wall countering your Flash, you gain control of the targeted spell but do not reorder the chain. The only end result will be your Flash being countered.