Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 122 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Do you get the defender bonus if you are not in a showdown, but occupy the battlefield?
Ruling: No, you do not get the defender bonus if you are not in a showdown. Attacker and defender are only relevant in combat.
If my 3 might creature receives -3 might from Thousand Watcher, reducing it to 0, and I then play Discipline giving it +2 might, what is the final might value?
Ruling: Might modifications are applied once and do not persist as ongoing effects. After playing Discipline, your creature will be at 3 might.
If Warwick moves to a battlefield and starts a showdown, then in response to his 'When I am attacking' trigger the attacker plays Cannon Barrage and the opponent removes Warwick from the battlefield, does Warwick's effect still resolve?
Ruling: If Warwick is removed from the battlefield before his effect resolves, his effect will not work and will resolve to no effect.
For abilities with 'may' in their text (like Startipped Peak), is the choice made when the ability is activated or when it resolves?
Ruling: May choices are made on resolution. The trigger always goes onto the chain, and as it resolves, the controller may choose to do the effect.
If a unit dies from Fading Memories, does that trigger Immortal Phoenix's ability?
Ruling: No, Fading Memories does not trigger Immortal Phoenix. Fading Memories only grants the Temporary keyword to the target unit; the Temporary keyword itself (not the spell) is what kills the unit.
When Stand United is revealed from hidden, does the initial buff target have to be on the current battlefield, and does the passive effect (+1 to all buffs) apply to units on other battlefields?
Ruling: When Stand United is revealed from hidden, the targeting portion (giving a buff to a unit) is restricted to the current battlefield only. However, the passive effect that gives all your buffs +1 this turn is a global effect that affects buffs everywhere on all battlefields.
When Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden, does it only protect units at the battlefield where it was hidden, or can it protect units anywhere?
Ruling: When Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden, it protects the next unit that would die anywhere, not just at the battlefield where it was hidden.
When Blind Fury reveals Nocturne, who has priority to banish and play their card first?
Ruling: The player who reveals Nocturne can choose to banish it immediately upon reveal, before the Blind Fury controller selects their card. However, Nocturne doesn't actually enter play until after Blind Fury fully resolves.
When multiple hidden cards are controlled at the same battlefield and triggered by an opponent's unit moving there, can the controller activate both hidden cards consecutively before the opponent can react, or does the opponent get priority to react between each hidden card activation?
Ruling: You can play multiple reactions consecutively as long as you hold priority and do not pass. However, in the specific example given, the opponent has first priority in the showdown, so you can only react after they pass priority to you.
Does Back to Back require two valid targets to be played, or can it be cast with only one friendly unit?
Ruling: Back to Back requires two valid targets to be played. You cannot cast it if you only control one friendly unit.
If Falling Star is played on a 3 might unit and the opponent uses Flash to move the unit to base in reaction, does the unit die or does the target become invalid and the unit survive?
Ruling: The unit dies. Moving the unit to base doesn't make it an illegal target, so Falling Star will still deal the damage when the trigger resolves.
When playing Showstopper on Sett, can you immediately spend the buff given before Sett moves to the battleground?
Ruling: No, you cannot immediately spend the buff from Showstopper before Sett moves to the battleground. Sett's ability is base speed, and once Sett moves to the battlefield the game is in showdown state.
When Switcheroo (played from hidden) swaps Embermonk with another unit, does Embermonk gain +2 Might before or after the swap?
Ruling: Switcheroo's effect resolves in full first, swapping the units. Then Embermonk's trigger goes on the chain and resolves, giving it +2 Might.
Can I re-add a Death Rocket I discarded with Zaun Warrens using the same conquer trigger?
Ruling: No, you cannot re-add Death Rocket with Zaun Warrens from the same conquer that triggered Death Rocket. Sequence: - Both Death Rocket and Zaun Warrens trigger simultaneously when you conquer - You choose the order to place them on the stack - By the time Zaun Warrens resolves to re-add Death Rocket, the conquer event has already passed -...
Can you react to a unit being played into a battlefield with a reaction spell, and if so, would removing the controlling unit with Gust prevent the new unit from being played there?
Ruling: You cannot react to units being played. Permanents do not give priority windows to respond to. Nuances: - Units with triggered effects (like Draw 1 or Deal damage) do create a reaction window when their trigger goes on the chain, but the unit is already played at that point - There is no way to block a unit from...
When a card's text supersedes a rule (via the Golden Rule), does it also override all subsections of that rule? Specifically, does Green Lee Sin's text overriding rule 702.3 also override 702.3.a, allowing him to receive additional buffs from other sources?
Ruling: Yes, when card text overrules a comprehensive rule via the Golden Rule, it overrules all subsections of that rule as well. Green Lee Sin can receive additional buffs from any source even while already buffed.
Can Sett - Brawler's ability be used multiple times in one turn to stack buffs (e.g., +4, +8, +12)?
Ruling: Yes, Sett - Brawler's ability can be activated multiple times in one turn to stack buffs, as long as you can give him a buff to spend between each activation.
Does Qiyana die when Stupefy resolves if she has 4 damage marked on her?
Ruling: Yes, Qiyana dies when Stupefy resolves. After Stupefy resolves, she becomes a 4 Might unit with 4 damage marked on her, and she dies during the cleanup that occurs after each card is played.
When a unit moves to an empty battlefield and then an opponent uses Ride the Wind to move a unit there during the showdown, who is the attacker and defender?
Ruling: The player who originally moved to the empty battlefield is the attacker, and the opponent who moved their unit there afterward is the defender.
Can Player A play an Action (Cleave) after Player B plays a Reaction (Smoke Screen) in response to Player A's attack during a showdown?
Ruling: No, Player A cannot play Cleave immediately after Player B plays Smoke Screen. Player A can only play Reactions while Player B still has Focus and the chain exists.
Does the Discipline keyword count as a buff that can be spent for Monastery of Hirana's effect, and how does it interact with permanent buffs?
Ruling: Discipline is not a buff. Only permanent +1 might counters are considered "buffs" for game mechanics purposes. Discipline provides temporary +2 might that is removed at end of turn.
If I control Candlelit Sanctum, move off of it, and move a different unit onto it, do I get its effect?
Ruling: No, you do not get Candlelit Sanctum's effect when moving a different unit onto it after moving off, because it is not a conquer.
Does the attacking player get another action after the defender plays an action card, if the attacker had already passed their initial action?
Ruling: Yes, the attacking player gets another action after the defender's action resolves. Focus passes back and forth between players, and passing focus automatically when a chain resolves is different from voluntarily choosing to pass focus.
When does mana (energy and power) in your rune pool expire?
Ruling: Energy and power in your rune pool are removed at the end of turn and in the draw phase, not during cleanup steps.
After using Portal Rescue, can I reactivate Accelerate to ready it?
Ruling: Yes, you can reactivate Accelerate to ready it after Portal Rescue. Nuances: - You must pay the Accelerate cost to reactivate it
If Kog'Maw dies to a spell during a showdown, does Deathknell trigger immediately?
Ruling: Yes, Deathknell triggers immediately when Kog'Maw dies to a spell during a showdown.
Can a player conquer and score the same battlefield multiple times in a single turn by moving units in and out of it?
Ruling: Each player may only score a battlefield once per turn, though both players may each score the same battlefield in a single turn.
For Candlelit Sanctum, can you choose to recycle zero cards after looking at the top two cards of your deck, or must you recycle at least one?
Ruling: You can choose to recycle zero cards. The "may" in "you may recycle one or both of them" means recycling is optional, so you can look at the cards and choose not to recycle any.
When does Mask of Foresight's effect trigger, and what happens if you play a unit (like Teemo) from hidden after the trigger but before it resolves?
Ruling: Mask of Foresight triggers when a unit is designated as attacker/defender and is alone on a battlefield. Once triggered, the effect does not fizzle if another unit is played afterward - the original unit still gets the +1 buff.
In a showdown, after starting a chain with a spell and it resolves, does the attacker retain focus to immediately cast another spell, or does focus automatically pass to the opponent?
Ruling: Focus automatically passes to the opponent after a chain resolves completely. You cannot cast multiple spells in sequence while maintaining focus.
If I play Challenge and designate my damage source, can my opponent play a card to reduce might, and does it affect the damage dealt by Challenge?
Ruling: Yes, opponents can play reactions to reduce might before Challenge resolves, and this will affect the damage dealt. The damage dealt by Challenge is determined when it resolves, not when it is played.
When Ekko dies and triggers Deathknell with Karthus on the field (which doubles triggers), can you ready your runes twice, or does the recycle cost prevent this?
Ruling: You cannot ready your runes twice from a single Ekko dying with Karthus on the field because Ekko's "recycle me" is a mandatory cost paid at resolution, and you cannot recycle Ekko twice. However, if you have two Ekkos on the field, you can ready runes between each Deathknell trigger resolving.
If I cast Challenge targeting my buffed creature and an enemy creature, and my opponent responds with a removal spell targeting my buffed creature, but I use Sett's ability to save my creature, will Challenge still resolve?
Ruling: Yes, Challenge will still resolve even after the creature is saved by Sett's ability. Nuances: - This interaction assumes the removal spell has Reaction speed - The scenario may involve a Showdown context where Hidden Blade could be used
Can Akshan steal attached equipment?
Ruling: Yes, Akshan can steal attached equipment. His trigger makes you gain control of the equipment (you can gain control of attached equipment), then attempts to move it to base (which fails while attached).
Can both players reveal the same battlefield when starting game 3 in a best of 3 match?
Ruling: Yes, both players can reveal and use the same battlefield in a given game in 1v1 play. There is no rule preventing this.
If Dragon's Rage is played to move a unit from the battlefield to base, but Flash is used as a reaction to return that unit to base before Dragon's Rage resolves, does Dragon's Rage still kill a unit?
Ruling: No, Flash blocks Dragon's Rage in this scenario. If the unit is already in base when Dragon's Rage resolves and no movement happens, there is no destination, so the reflexive trigger will not have a valid target and won't finalize.
When moving a unit to an enemy battlefield, can you play actions after your opponent responds with a spell, and what happens when that unit then moves to a second battlefield via Ride the Wind?
Ruling: You can play actions after your opponent's spell resolves because both players must pass focus in sequence before a showdown can end, so you always get an opportunity to play actions. When Darius moves to the second battlefield, a combat becomes staged there, but the first battlefield's showdown must finish before the second combat can start.
When can a Hidden card that draws 2 be played during the opponent's turn?
Ruling: Hidden cards gain "Reaction" starting the turn after they were hidden, allowing you to play them any time you have priority during the opponent's turn.
Can you play hidden cards from a battlefield that isn't currently being attacked as a priority reaction?
Ruling: Yes, you can reveal hidden cards from any battlefield at any time you could play a reaction, not just from the battlefield currently being attacked.
If Yasuo enters an opponent's battlefield and triggers a showdown, can the owner use Ride the Wind to move Yasuo to a third player's battlefield, then move out of that battlefield before starting the showdown?
Ruling: When Yasuo enters and triggers a showdown, you can use a spell like Ride the Wind to move him during that showdown, which removes him from it and queues up another showdown. However, you must still resolve the original showdown first (with no attackers since Yasuo was removed).
When does 'until the end of this turn' expire - when you pass turn or after both players have played?
Ruling: Effects that last "until the end of this turn" expire when you pass to another player. Sequence: - You pass turn to the other player - Any "at the end of turn" triggers resolve (like Dazzling Aurora) - Then the turn ends and the effect expires
Can yellow Azir move exhausted tokens from one battlefield to the battlefield Azir is moving to, even if those tokens do not have ganking?
Ruling: Yes, Azir can move exhausted tokens between battlefields even if they don't have ganking. Battlefield-to-battlefield restrictions only apply to standard moves that require ganking, not to abilities like Azir's.
Can a stunned Sett use Vilemaw's Layer to recall?
Ruling: Yes, a stunned Sett can use Vilemaw's Layer to recall because a recall is not a move. Nuances: - Stun effects (like Facebreaker) prevent moves, but do not prevent recalls
Where do you hide Zhonya's - at a battlefield you occupy or in base?
Ruling: You must hide Zhonya's to a battlefield you control, not to base. When you play Zhonya's from hidden, you play it to base.
If Sett, Brawler is buffed on the battlefield, gets targeted by Smokescreen (giving it -4 until end of turn), then is recalled to base using The Boss legend ability (spending the buff), does it die in base due to having 0 or negative Might?
Ruling: Units do not die from having 0 Might. Units only die if they are damaged and the amount of damage equals or exceeds their Might.
Can you interrupt a chain after each item resolves (like Magic) or must the entire chain resolve once started (like Yu-Gi-Oh)? Also, when must Zhonya's be revealed - before or after damage assignment?
Ruling: After each item on a chain resolves, there is a window for players to react. Zhonya's must be revealed before damage is assigned, as there is no reaction opportunity during or after damage assignment.
Do the Beginning Step and Scoring Step happen at the same time, and would triggers from both steps (like Jinx-Loose Cannon and Grove of the God-Willow) go on the same chain?
Ruling: The Beginning Step and Scoring Step happen in order, not at the same time. Effects from these steps go on different chains since they happen separately.
Can you cast Consult the Past even if a showdown never occurs on the opponent's turn?
Ruling: No, you cannot cast Consult the Past if a showdown never occurs on your opponent's turn. You need priority to play reactions, and on your opponent's turn you only get priority during showdowns or when there's a chain with an item on it.
If Yasuo Remorseful moves to a battlefield with an enemy unit and uses his attack trigger targeting that enemy unit, but the opponent responds with Hidden Blade to kill Yasuo, does the attack trigger still deal damage to the enemy unit?
Ruling: No, the attack trigger does not deal damage to the enemy unit. When the ability resolves and Yasuo is no longer on the battlefield, "here" cannot be evaluated, so the ability has no effect.
Can you activate card effects when you can't fully complete all parts of the effect, such as discarding fewer cards than specified?
Ruling: You do as much as you can when activating card effects. You can activate an effect even if you cannot fully complete all parts of it.