Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 127 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
When attacking with two 5 might units (10 total might) against an 8 health unit and a 2 health unit, can you choose to kill only the 8 health unit?
Ruling: No, you cannot choose to kill only the 8 health unit. You must assign damage equal to your total might (10), and you cannot overassign damage to a unit unless it is the last unit.
When a card like Ride the Wind initiates a new combat while already in combat, does the old combat have to end first or does the new combat trigger immediately?
Ruling: New combats are staged until the current combat ends. Once the current combat concludes, the staged combat is then initiated.
In best-of-3, do you reveal the location/battlefield before you choose who goes first?
Ruling: Yes, you reveal the battlefields first, then roll to determine who goes first. Sequence: - Step 1: Reveal the battlefields - Step 2: Roll to see who goes first
Does Master Yi's +2 Might apply before Yasuo's attack ability kills him when both are at 7 Might?
Ruling: Master Yi's +2 Might applies before Yasuo's ability resolves, making Master Yi 8 Might and surviving the combat. The passive kicks in as long as Master Yi has the defender designation and is alone.
Can Divine Judgment be cast even if the opponent doesn't have 2 cards in hand or any gear?
Ruling: Yes, Divine Judgment can be cast regardless of whether your opponent has 2 cards in hand or any gear. The choices are made on resolution and it doesn't target anything, so there are no requirements for what players must have when casting it.
Can a Yasuo player unhide Zhonya's Hourglass from a battlefield to return it to their base, or is it stuck at the battlefield once hidden there?
Ruling: Gear cannot exist at battlefields, so when Zhonya's Hourglass is played/unhidden from a battlefield, it immediately gets recalled to base. You can play a card from hidden any time you can use a reaction, so you don't need a friendly unit to die to unhide Zhonya's.
Can my Legend be in a different language than the rest of my deck?
Ruling: Yes, your Legend can be in a different language than the rest of your deck. Nuances: - The Legend is not the same as the Chosen Champion. The Chosen Champion is the unit you place next to your Legend that you can play.
If Leona, Determined dies before her attack trigger resolves, does the trigger still resolve and stun a unit?
Ruling: If Leona dies before her attack trigger resolves, the trigger resolves but does nothing because her location is 'null' and the term 'here' cannot find a legal target.
What is the difference between priority and focus in Riftbound?
Ruling: Focus is who can start a chain (during a showdown with properly timed cards/abilities), while priority is who can add items to the chain. Focus is passed automatically once the item that started the chain resolves, while priority is passed manually.
When Miss Fortune Champion and another unit move together (exhausting both as a cost), can Miss Fortune's move trigger untap the other unit that is currently exhausted from the move cost?
Ruling: Yes, Miss Fortune's move trigger can untap another unit that moved with her, even though that unit was exhausted as part of the cost to move.
In Showdown, when two of your units die and you have a Zhonya's, do you get to choose which unit dies first, or does your opponent choose?
Ruling: When multiple units die simultaneously and you control a replacement effect like Zhonya's, you get to choose which death is replaced.
Do you still pay the equip cost to attach a gear weapon to a unit when it has the Quick Draw keyword?
Ruling: When you play a gear with Quick Draw from your hand, you pay only the play cost (energy and recycle). The gear attaches for free via Quick Draw's triggered ability. You do not pay the equip cost for this initial attachment.
When a unit played by Dazzling Aurora dies, does it go to the discard pile or the banish zone?
Ruling: The unit goes to the discard pile (trash). Once the unit is played onto the board, it becomes a normal unit with no memory of how it was put into play.
Does the Volibear legend trigger when you play a 4 Might unit directly on Trifarian Warcamp?
Ruling: Yes, Volibear's legend ability will trigger when you play a 4 Might unit on Trifarian Warcamp. The unit resolves to the battlefield and Trifarian Warcamp's passive ability applies the +1 Might instantly, so Volibear only ever sees it as 5 Might.
When an opponent plays a spell (action or non-action), does focus/priority pass to me so I can respond with a reaction?
Ruling: When your opponent plays a spell and passes priority, you can cast a reaction spell which will resolve before their spell resolves. Focus is only used during showdowns to start chains; priority is what passes around during an active chain.
Can seals be used to pay for deflect costs?
Ruling: Yes, seals can pay for deflect costs. Deflect adds onto the power cost, which seals can pay for. Nuances: - Seals can pay for any power cost that corresponds with the domain of the seal - For Hidden powers specifically, a power of any domain can pay the cost
Can Kai'Sa legend ability be used to pay deflect costs?
Ruling: Yes, Kai'Sa legend ability can be used to pay deflect costs. Deflect cost is a mandatory additional cost that becomes part of the spell's total cost, and Kai'Sa can pay any part of a spell's cost whether it's the printed cost or an additional cost.
If an opponent uses Gust in response to Traveling Merchant's move trigger, can they discard the Merchant, and does the Merchant's effect still activate?
Ruling: Yes, an opponent can use Gust in reaction to the Merchant's move trigger to discard it. The Merchant's effect (discard 1, draw 1) still activates and resolves even if the Merchant is removed from play, because the effect is already on the chain once the move trigger occurs.
For the purposes of layers, is doubling a unit's might counted as assignment or arithmetic?
Ruling: Doubling a unit's might is counted as arithmetic, not assignment. Nuances: - Assignment would require language like "a unit's might becomes double its current might" using words like "becomes" or "is" - Without "becomes" or "is", doubling should be treated as arithmetic (essentially "give a unit +X Might where X is its current might") - When both a doubling...
When an opponent plays Hidden Blade targeting Qiyana who has Deflect, and the defender plays Defy to counter it, does the opponent still need to pay the Deflect cost?
Ruling: The opponent pays the Deflect cost when Hidden Blade goes on the chain, before Defy can be played to counter it.
Can a player cast Defiant Dance when their opponent has Ruin Runner (which prevents targeting), if they have two of their own units to target?
Ruling: You must select valid targets for Defiant Dance. If you cannot select an opposing unit due to Ruin Runner and have no other valid targets, you cannot play Defiant Dance. However, if you have two of your own units, you can target both of them instead.
Can you use Arena Bar to put a buff token on a unit that conquered Monastery of Hirana in order to trigger the draw effect?
Ruling: No, you cannot use Arena Bar during a Showdown to put a buff token on a unit conquering Monastery of Hirana because Arena Bar does not have the Reaction or Action keyword, so it cannot be played during a Showdown.
Does Assault trigger go on the chain, allowing the opponent to respond with Gust before the might is added, or does the might apply immediately when the unit becomes an attacker?
Ruling: Assault is a passive ability that applies immediately and continuously while a unit is an attacker. The opponent cannot respond with Gust to remove the Assault bonus if the unit is already attacking.
Can you loop Super Mega Death Rocket's triggered ability by discarding additional copies after the first one resolves when you conquer?
Ruling: You cannot loop Super Mega Death Rocket because you only conquered once, so the trigger only happens once. If you do not put all your SMDRs on the chain when the trigger initially happens, you cannot trigger them again until another conquer occurs.
Does equipment being attached to a unit transfer its effect text to that unit? (Specifically, does Trinity Force attached to a unit with Skyfall of Areion trigger on both conquer and hold?)
Ruling: Yes, equipment transfers its effect text to the unit it's attached to. Therefore, Trinity Force attached to a unit with Skyfall of Areion would trigger on both conquer and hold.
Can you tap a rune to add energy to your pool at the start of turn, recycle that same tapped rune for power cost, and still use the floated energy from that rune later in the turn?
Ruling: Yes, you can exert a rune to add energy to your pool, then recycle that same tapped rune to generate power for another card, and still use the floated energy later in the turn. The rune pool persists throughout your turn and only empties after you draw for turn and at end of turn.
Can I use a reaction during my opponent's phase change (specifically during their End phase)?
Ruling: You cannot use a reaction during a phase change on your opponent's turn. Phase changes do not give priority and are not valid triggers for reactions.
In 2v2, if my team is at 9 points and I control 2 battlefields at the start of my turn, do I immediately win by holding both to reach 11 points?
Ruling: Yes, you immediately win. You gain 1 point for holding each battlefield (going from 9 to 10 to 11), and the restrictions on scoring the final point only apply to conquering, not holding.
When Imperial Decree is in play and a 3 might unit attacks three 1 might token units at a battlefield, does the attacking unit die before killing all three defenders?
Ruling: All units die simultaneously. The 3 might attacker kills all three 1 might defenders, and the attacker also dies because Imperial Decree triggers three times (once for each point of battle damage taken).
How does immediate resolution work for Units and Gear, and what happens when a Unit is played as a reaction in a chain?
Ruling: Units and Gear resolve immediately when played - they cannot linger on the chain. As soon as all choices are made and costs are paid, they immediately resolve and enter play. After a permanent resolves, the player who controls the next item on the chain gains priority.
In a combat that ends in a tie, what happens to the units and who controls the battlefield?
Ruling: When combat ends in a tie with both players still having units at the battlefield, only the attacker's units are recalled back to their base. The defender's units remain at the battlefield.
Can Retreat (a reaction card) be played in response to an opponent ending their turn, before End of Turn effects resolve?
Ruling: No, Retreat cannot be played when an opponent ends their turn. Priority does not pass as phases and turns end unless something creates a chain.
Can you generate power during the resolution of Bullet Time (after it has been cast and priority has passed), or do you need to generate power before passing priority?
Ruling: You can generate power during the resolution of Bullet Time using Reaction: Add abilities, even though you don't have priority during resolution. This is explicitly allowed by the rules for any spell or ability resolution that requires resources to be paid.
Can you discard cards directly from hand to empty your hand, or does discarding have to be from an ability or spell?
Ruling: You cannot voluntarily discard cards from your hand. Discarding must be done through an ability or as a cost for something.
Why would Teemo's Legend ability move a unit from champion zone to hand, and can champions be targeted/hidden while in the champion zone?
Ruling: As of version 1.1, you can hide directly from the champion zone. Teemo's ability to move from champion zone to hand exists primarily to obscure whether you're hiding Teemo specifically, making it less obvious which card you're hiding from your hand.
If both battlefields are empty and my opponent moves into battlefield A, can I play Ride the Wind to move one of my characters from base to battlefield B (instead of targeting the showdown battlefield)? What happens next?
Ruling: You can play Ride the Wind to move a character to a different battlefield than the showdown battlefield. The first showdown will resolve, then the second showdown will begin.
Can you kill Sona or Renata after they use their abilities to prevent the abilities from resolving?
Ruling: No, you cannot prevent their abilities from resolving by killing them after activation. Once Sona's triggered ability or Renata's activated abilities are on the chain/stack, removing the unit from the battlefield does not stop them from resolving.
Can an opponent play a reaction during my turn when I play a unit with no triggers (Wizened Elder) and then buff it with Lee Sin's legend ability?
Ruling: The opponent can react to Lee Sin's activated ability, but cannot react to playing Wizened Elder since it has no triggers.
If a legend has two tap abilities (e.g., Ornn with Forge of the Fluft), can both abilities be used when tapping the legend once, or must you choose one?
Ruling: You cannot use both abilities with a single tap. Each tap ability requires its own separate exhaust cost, so you must choose which one to use.
Can Hidden Blade target a unit on another battlefield?
Ruling: Hidden Blade can target a unit on another battlefield if played from hand, but if played from hidden, it must target a unit on that battlefield.
When is the correct time to activate Fortified Position during a showdown?
Ruling: Fortified Position activates during the Initial Chain, which happens before the main showdown phase. "When you Defend" is an Initial Chain trigger that resolves before players can use Actions.
During a showdown, after playing an action card to boost might, opponent plays a reaction to reduce might, can I play another action card to boost might again, and what state am I in?
Ruling: Yes, you can play another action card after the opponent's reaction resolves. You remain in showdown open state. Sequence: - Player with focus and priority starts a chain with an action or reaction card - Players can play reactions on top of this - When the chain fully resolves, focus and priority passes to the other player - That...
If I conquer one battlefield and move to another to win, but my opponent uses Ride the Wind during my showdown to move to the battlefield I just conquered, do they win before I do?
Ruling: No, your opponent does not win before you. When you move to a battlefield and start a showdown, if your opponent uses Ride the Wind to move to another battlefield during that showdown, their showdown is "staged" and cannot begin until your current showdown ends. Since you win the game when your showdown resolves (assuming you win it), their...
If Watcher dies and then a hidden unit is revealed later in the same turn at the same battlefield, is the hidden unit debuffed by Watcher's effect?
Ruling: Watcher only reduces the might of units currently on the board when it is played. The debuff does not persist after Watcher dies, and does not apply to units that enter or are revealed after Watcher is gone.
Does the owner of a unit getting Hidden Bladed still draw 2 if they recall the unit to hand (not using Sett's legend ability)?
Ruling: You do not draw 2 cards if the unit is recalled to hand before Hidden Blade resolves. When Hidden Blade resolves, it looks at the battlefield but cannot find the target anymore, so it is unable to determine who was its controller and therefore you do not draw.
If Yasuo Remorseful enters the battlefield for a showdown and activates its effect, but is killed in reaction, does he still deal the ability damage?
Ruling: Yasuo Remorseful will not deal any damage if killed in reaction to his ability triggering, because he is no longer on the battlefield when the ability resolves.
Can a hidden Foxfire on Battlefield A be played as a reaction to target units moving to Battlefield B?
Ruling: You cannot play Foxfire as a reaction to a move, and even if you could play it, hidden cards can only target units at the battlefield they are hidden at.
How does Ekko Recurrent's death trigger interact with The Zero Drive and Karthus Eternal? Can you recycle Ekko then banish him, or banish then recycle? Can you get runes back twice with Karthus?
Ruling: When Ekko dies with Zero Drive, you get multiple Deathknell triggers on the chain (two from Ekko, one from Zero Drive), but you can only successfully resolve one that affects Ekko. You must choose to either banish him OR recycle him and ready your runes - you cannot do both. You cannot recycle Ekko from banishment, and you cannot...
If I play Stand United during a showdown with units that are already buffed (e.g., from Lee Sin's legend ability), do they get additional might from Stand United's effect?
Ruling: Stand United grants a buff to one friendly unit and creates a board-wide passive effect that makes all buffs (including existing ones) give +1 additional might this turn. A unit that already has a buff cannot receive a second buff, but it will benefit from the passive effect.
Does Darius's trigger work if he is played as the 3rd card in a turn, or does he have to be the 1st or 2nd card played?
Ruling: Darius only triggers when your second card of the turn is played. He must either be that second card himself, or already be on the board when the second card is played. Playing him as the 3rd, 4th, or later card will not trigger his ability.