Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 120 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
If I use Viktor's ability to create a token and my opponent reacts with Gust to make me lose control of the battlefield, can I still play the token on that battlefield since I chose the location first?
Ruling: No, you do not choose the location when Viktor's ability is activated. The location is chosen when the token is played after Viktor's ability resolves, so Gust can legally be played in response and you will not control the battlefield when you need to choose where to play the token.
If you portal rescue a unit you control but do not own (e.g., via Possession), whose base does it go to and who controls it?
Ruling: The unit goes to its owner's base, and the owner plays it and gets the "when played" effect. Sequence: - When Portal Rescue targets a unit you control but don't own, the unit goes to its owner's base (not yours) - The owner of the unit plays it - The owner gets the "when played" trigger
Can you target the chosen champion in the champion zone with cards like Vengeance?
Ruling: No, you cannot target the champion in the champion zone because the champion zone is not on the board; it is specifically a non-board zone.
When conquering with Qiyana in Candlelit Sanctum and wanting to start a chain, how do you order the triggers so Sanctum resolves first, and when do you decide whether Qiyana draws or channels?
Ruling: You declare Qiyana as Chain 1 and Sanctum as Chain 2, so Sanctum resolves first (last in, first out). You decide whether Qiyana draws or channels when her trigger resolves, not when it triggers, so you can see the Sanctum result before deciding.
When playing a spell like Stupefy that lets you draw a card, do you draw when you play it or when it resolves from the pile?
Ruling: You draw the card when Stupefy resolves from the chain, not when you initially play it. Sequence: - Play Stupefy and add it to the pile/chain - Wait for opponent to react if they choose to - When Stupefy resolves, follow the card text and draw the card
Does Viktor's leader effect trigger when Sprite Mother's tokens die (when they kill themselves)?
Ruling: Yes, Viktor's leader effect triggers when Sprite Mother's tokens die. The tokens are units that are not Recruits, so when they die, they trigger Viktor's effect.
When Kayn is recalled to base after failing to conquer a battlefield, does he return exhausted or in the same ready/exhausted state he was in when combat resolved?
Ruling: When a unit is recalled to base after failing to conquer, it returns in whatever ready/exhausted state it was in at the time of recall. Being recalled does not inherently exhaust a unit.
When a player scoops/loses in Riftbound, does their opponent get to see the hidden cards that were on the field?
Ruling: Yes, when a player scoops or loses, all facedown cards must be revealed to all players because the game is ending.
Can reactions be played right after the last card on the stack resolves?
Ruling: No, you cannot play reactions after the last card on the stack resolves. If the last item on the chain resolving doesn't cause an item to go on the chain, the chain closes immediately afterward.
If Fiora, Peerless attacks a single unit but the defender reveals a hidden Teemo in reaction to the attack trigger, does Fiora's might still double when the trigger resolves?
Ruling: Yes, Fiora's might still doubles. The trigger condition is only checked when determining whether the trigger should go onto the chain, not when it resolves.
Can a player play Rebuke (an action speed spell) on an attacking unit during a showdown after all their own units have been removed from that battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, a player can play Rebuke on an attacking unit even if they have no units remaining at that battlefield. Showdowns, once started, continue as normal until both players pass focus in succession.
Does Magma Wurm see itself (does its ability trigger when it enters the board)?
Ruling: No, Magma Wurm does not see itself because the card text specifies "other" friendly units. Nuances: - If the card said "friendly units enter ready" without "other," it would see itself because passive abilities become active before a unit enters the board exhausted - The timing works this way: card text becomes active first, then the unit enters the...
If a unit is mighty only because of Assault, does it lose mighty status before Sunken Temple's effect can be used after conquering?
Ruling: Yes, the unit would no longer be mighty at that point. Attacker and defender tags are removed in the cleanup before you conquer, which means Assault's mighty bonus is lost before Sunken Temple's effect can trigger.
Can Chosen Champion be changed between games in a match?
Ruling: Yes, Chosen Champion can be changed between games during sideboarding. Nuances: - You can remove the Chosen Champion entirely from your deck during sideboarding and replace it with a different color champion - You can play both champions in your main deck and switch which one starts in the champion zone in games 2/3 without needing to sideboard -...
Does Siphoned Power affect only units currently at the chosen battlefield when it resolves, or does it create a continuous effect that affects units that move there later in the turn?
Ruling: Siphoned Power only affects units that are at the chosen battlefield when the spell resolves. It does not create a continuous effect on the battlefield that would affect units arriving later.
Do you need to control 2 units to activate Back to Back, or can you activate it with only 1 unit under the 'do as much as you can' rule?
Ruling: You must control 2 units to activate Back to Back. The card requires exactly two targets ("give two friendly units"), and you cannot activate it with only 1 unit.
If you use Hextech Ray to deal 3 damage to an enemy unit outside of combat, does the unit heal before you can attack it, or does it still have the damage when you attack?
Ruling: When you deal damage to a unit with a spell outside of combat, the unit does not heal immediately. If you then attack that unit with one of your units, it will still have the damage marked on it when combat damage is dealt.
When time is called during a Riftbound match, when do you play 5 additional rounds and how are winners determined?
Ruling: When time is called during a game, you always play 5 additional rounds (unless time is called between games). After those 5 rounds, the player with more points wins that game. The match winner is determined by who has more game wins.
Can a defender lose control of a battlefield during a showdown (by moving their unit away with Fate of the Fallen), then move back with Ride the Wind before the showdown ends to score a point as a defender attempting to gain control?
Ruling: No, this specific sequence no longer works due to the updated rule that prevents control of a battlefield from changing while it remains Contested.
If I attack an occupied battlefield with a unit that has Assault +1 and my opponent plays Challenge against my unit during the combat, does my unit still have +1?
Ruling: Yes, if the battlefield is occupied, your unit will still have the +1 from Assault during the Challenge combat because your unit is considered attacking.
When playing a card that has had an errata, do I need to tell my opponent and explain what has been changed?
Ruling: Yes, you should tell your opponent and explain what has been changed when you play a card that has had an errata.
During a showdown at one battlefield, can you play an action card to target units on the other battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, during a showdown you can play action cards and target units on either battlefield. There are no restrictions about where you target during a showdown.
Do you need to control Dreaming Tree battlefield to get the draw trigger, or can you attack into that battlefield, Cleave your attacking unit, and draw a card?
Ruling: You do not need to control the Dreaming Tree battlefield to get the draw trigger. As long as you have a unit at the battlefield and select it as a target for a spell or ability for the first time in a turn, you will draw a card.
Does Lux's ability trigger when a spell is countered or when its target becomes invalid?
Ruling: Lux's ability triggers when you play a spell, regardless of whether the target becomes invalid. However, if the spell is countered, Lux will not trigger.
If Player A initiates a showdown at battlefield 1, Player B plays Ride the Wind to go to battlefield 2, then Player B plays another Ride the Wind to return to battlefield 1 and wins, does Player B score one point or two points that turn?
Ruling: Player B scores only one point. When Player B plays Ride the Wind to battlefield 2 while the first showdown at battlefield 1 has not yet resolved, the showdown at battlefield 2 never happens because the existing showdown must fully resolve first.
Does recalling a unit exhaust it?
Ruling: Recalls do not inherently exhaust units. A unit only exhausts if the specific effect text says to exhaust it.
If Orange Lee Sin dies from combat damage and was buffing a Clockwork Keeper that also took damage, does the Clockwork Keeper die when it loses Lee Sin's buff?
Ruling: The Clockwork Keeper does not die. After combat damage is assigned and units are killed, they are immediately healed before any other game state checks and before any abilities are able to enter the chain.
Does the Vision keyword stack, and if so, how does it work?
Ruling: If something has multiple instances of Vision, they trigger separately. Sequence: - First Vision triggers: look at 1 card, choose to keep on top or put on bottom - Second Vision triggers: look at 1 card, choose to keep on top or put on bottom - Third Vision triggers: look at 1 card, choose to keep on top or...
Do two Leona Zealot -8 effects stack?
Ruling: Yes, two Leona Zealot -8 effects stack.
When a card effect ignores energy cost (like Harrowing), does it also ignore the additional cost from Accelerate?
Ruling: No, ignoring energy cost only applies to base costs. Any additional costs, including the extra cost from Accelerate, must be paid as normal.
Can you play a spell (like Gust) without any valid targets on the battlefield?
Ruling: You cannot play any spell that doesn't have a legal target to begin with. Nuances: - This applies to all spells requiring targets, not just Gust specifically
When Baited Hook recycles multiple cards, can you choose which order to recycle them, or is it random?
Ruling: When you recycle more than one card at once, it must be done in a random order. Nuances: - This applies to Baited Hook and any other effect that recycles multiple cards simultaneously - You cannot choose the order yourself
How does scoring work in Riftbound, particularly regarding holding and conquering battlefields?
Ruling: You gain points in two ways: (1) beginning your turn with control of a battlefield gives you a "Hold" point for each battlefield controlled, or (2) ending a showdown with a unit present at a battlefield you do not control (and haven't scored at this turn) gives you a "Conquer" point. Each battlefield can only be scored once per...
If an attacking unit with Assault moves into a battlefield and the defending unit is moved out before combat resolves, does the attacking unit still get the Assault buff and survive damage marked on it?
Ruling: Yes, combat resolves regardless of the defender leaving the battlefield. The attacking unit retains its Assault buff and will survive any damage marked on it during combat.
Does the blue seal (Sapphire Seal) provide energy or just power, and how can a player use it to pay for Teemo after channeling runes?
Ruling: The Sapphire Seal only provides power, not energy. The player was able to pay for Teemo by floating energy from a rune they recycled earlier to pay for the Seal, then using that floated energy along with the Seal's power.
Does Ravenbloom Student get +1 when you play a spell from hidden?
Ruling: Yes, Ravenbloom Student gets +1 when you play a spell from hidden. Playing a card from hidden still counts as playing it.
Can opponent burn out give you the winning point at 7 points?
Ruling: Yes, burn out can give you the winning point. Only points earned from Conquer or Hold have restrictions on the final point.
Is there timing before a Showdown starts where reactions can be played, and do abilities like Assault, Shield, or 'When I attack/defend' triggers open chains that can be reacted to?
Ruling: You cannot react to a unit moving into the battlefield before the showdown starts. Assault and Shield are passive abilities that don't go onto the chain, but 'When I attack/defend' triggers do go onto an initial chain once the showdown has already begun.
If I steal control of a repeat spell with Mystic Reversal, do I get both instances of the repeat effect if my opponent paid for both?
Ruling: Yes, you get all instances of the repeat effect that were paid for. When you gain control of a repeat spell, the repeated spell effects are part of the original spell which has been finalized and paid for, so gaining control doesn't change the fact that the repeat cost has been paid.
When using Bellows Breath with Repeat, can you target a separate battlefield/location for the repeated effect?
Ruling: Yes, when you pay the Repeat cost for Bellows Breath, you can target a different battlefield for each instance of the effect. The two sets of damage are chosen separately.
Do Miss Fortune's Legend ability (giving Ganking to a unit) and Captain ability (choosing to ready a unit) trigger Spirit Wheel?
Ruling: Both Miss Fortune abilities trigger Spirit Wheel because they target/choose a unit. Sequence: - Miss Fortune Legend ability targets a unit to give Ganking, so Spirit Wheel triggers as chain link 2 - Miss Fortune Captain ability chooses a unit to ready, which also counts as targeting for Spirit Wheel
If you conquer a battlefield, then retreat and return to conquer that same battlefield again on the same turn, do you get the point again and do field abilities (like Candlelit Sanctum) trigger?
Ruling: You cannot score a battlefield more than once per turn. When you close the second showdown after moving back to a previously scored battlefield, you will not score a point and thus will not conquer. No conquer effects will trigger.
How does priority work when reactions are stacked in a showdown, and who can react as the chain resolves?
Ruling: As each item on the chain resolves, there is another round of priority for players to react. The player who controls the next item on the chain after an item resolves gets priority first, then they can play a reaction or pass priority to the next player in turn order. When all players pass in succession, the topmost item...
In a 4-player game, if players A and B are in showdown on a battlefield, can player C use a reaction to assign additional damage to one of the units?
Ruling: Yes, player C can interact with a reaction during the showdown between players A and B. Sequence: - Priority goes around to all players, not just the attacker and defender - Every player gets a window of focus (the ability to start chains) - Each player gets a chance to add items to each chain, regardless of whether they...
What does "choose" a friendly unit mean in Riftbound? Does it mean the same as targeting?
Ruling: "Choose" means "Target" in Riftbound. Nuances: - This clarification applies when evaluating whether cards are "choosing" units
In a closed state, can a reaction be played after the last card/ability in the chain resolves?
Ruling: The chain ends once the last card resolves. A reaction card drawn during the resolution of the last card in the chain cannot be played within that same chain.
Can Zaun Warrens trigger if you have no cards in hand?
Ruling: Yes, Zaun Warrens can trigger even if you have no cards in hand. You do as much as you can, following the instructions in order.
For Jinx (red), is the 'discard two' effect a cost that must be paid, or a normal 'when you play' triggered effect?
Ruling: The discard two is a triggered ability, not a cost. It triggers after Jinx has been played, and you do as much of it as you can based on your hand size.
Can you conquer and score a battlefield on your opponent's turn if you controlled it at the start of their turn but lost control during their turn?
Ruling: Yes, you can conquer and score a battlefield on your opponent's turn if you lost control of it during that turn, as long as you haven't already scored it that turn. You must lose control before you can conquer again.
Does Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox (Legend) give -1 might to every unit attacking a battlefield or just one? Does Ahri, Inquisitive work the same way?
Ruling: Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox (Legend) gives -1 might to all units attacking her battlefield. Ahri, Inquisitive only targets one unit.