Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 130 of 146 · 7,275 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Does 'Chosen Champion' refer only to the specific card separated at the start of the game, or does it refer to all copies of that card played throughout the game?
Ruling: 'Chosen Champion' refers to all cards with the same name as your chosen champion, not just the specific card separated at the start of the game.
Does Hidden Blade's "draw 2" effect still resolve if the targeted unit is moved away from the battlefield (e.g., by Flash) before Hidden Blade resolves?
Ruling: No, the draw 2 does not happen if the unit is moved away from the battlefield before Hidden Blade resolves, because the spell cannot identify the controller of a unit that is no longer at the battlefield.
Can an opponent play a reaction card (like Stupefy) in response to a 'when you play me' triggered ability on a unit (like Faithful Manufactor)?
Ruling: Yes, triggered abilities use the chain and each player gets an opportunity to react before the ability resolves, starting with the controller of the next ability.
Can the same battlefield be scored twice in one turn by different players (once by holding, once by conquering)?
Ruling: Yes, the same battlefield can be scored twice in one turn by different players. The restriction that "a player may only score once per battlefield per turn" applies to each individual player, not to both players collectively.
When Possession is played as the second card of the turn targeting Darius Trifarian, does Darius see it as the second card played and trigger his ability, or does he fail to see it because he was under opponent's control when Possession started resolving?
Ruling: Darius will see Possession as the second card played and trigger his ability. Darius is under your control when Possession becomes fully resolved/played, which is when it counts as "your second card played this turn."
What happens when attacking with lower Might than a stunned defender, and how does target selection work with multiple defenders when one is stunned?
Ruling: You still need enough Might to get over stunned units even though they can't kill your units. With multiple defenders where one is stunned, you can choose to kill other unstunned units if your Might is sufficient.
When using Baited Hook to look at the top 5 cards and choose one to play, can you reveal an Undertitan to get the +2 energy?
Ruling: No, Baited Hook does not trigger Undertitan's reveal ability. Reveal is a specific limited game action that only occurs when an effect explicitly uses the word "reveal" - you cannot reveal cards from a secret zone like your deck without permission from an effect.
If Azir, Sovereign moves into a battlefield and his ability goes on the chain, but the opponent uses Fate of the Fallen (FoF) in response to move him back to base, does his ability fail because 'this battlefield' is now NULL?
Ruling: Yes, the ability whiffs. When Azir, Sovereign is moved back to base by Fate of the Fallen before his ability resolves, the ability fails to resolve because "this battlefield" no longer refers to a valid location.
Can a unit with Weaponmaster equip an equipment when played during a reaction/action window?
Ruling: Yes, you can equip an equipment when playing a creature with Weaponmaster during a reaction/action window. Nuances: - Weaponmaster functions as a trigger on play ability, which can be activated even when the unit is played during a reaction/action window.
If I play a spell card with Repeat and my opponent Defies it, can I use Repeat to play it again, or does Defy prevent me from playing it entirely?
Ruling: When you cast a spell with Repeat, you must choose whether to use Repeat at the time of casting, before your opponent can respond. If you choose to Repeat and your opponent Defies the spell, the entire spell (including the repeated portion) is countered. You cannot choose to Repeat after a Defy.
When Yasuo Remorseful's attack trigger targets an enemy unit, and you respond by playing a discipline to increase his might before the trigger resolves, does the ability deal damage based on his might when triggered or when resolved?
Ruling: The ability deals damage equal to Yasuo's might at the time the ability resolves, not when it triggers. If you increase his might with a discipline in response to the trigger, the ability will deal the increased damage.
In 2v2 Team Format, can an opponent use Charm or Dragon's Rage to move my unit to my teammate's battlefield, and what happens if they try?
Ruling: No, it is illegal to move a unit to a teammate's battlefield for any reason. Teammates can never have units at the same battlefield.
How does Portal Rescue work with units that have Accelerate, specifically regarding power costs and accelerate costs?
Ruling: When playing a unit with Portal Rescue, you ignore the unit's base Energy and Power costs, but you must still pay the Accelerate cost if you want to use the Accelerate ability.
If a unit with 4 Might takes 3 damage from Hextech Ray, then has its Might reduced by 1 from Stupefy, does it die?
Ruling: Yes, the unit dies. Units die when they have damage marked on them greater than or equal to their Might.
Why is Manufactor run more than Drummer in Viktor decks, given Drummer has the same cost but higher might?
Ruling: Manufactor (Faithful) is better because it generates a token immediately when played anywhere, while Drummer (Noxian) must be played at your base, wait to ready, then move to a battlefield to trigger its effect.
Can you respond to Sona's end of turn effect, and does moving, killing, or bouncing her stop the effect?
Ruling: Yes, you can respond to Sona's end of turn effect. Yes, moving, killing, or bouncing her will stop the effect from resolving.
When Overzealous Fan's 'When I defend, you may kill me to move an attacking unit to its base' ability triggers, can the defending player wait to decide whether to use it after seeing the attacking player's reactions?
Ruling: When Overzealous Fan's Defend ability triggers, it goes on the chain immediately. The defending player must choose the target (which attacking unit to potentially return) when placing it on the chain, but the decision of whether to actually kill the Fan and execute the effect is made upon resolution, not when the ability is placed on the chain.
Is it legal to write down the cards that get recycled into your deck?
Ruling: Yes, it is legal to write down cards that get recycled into your deck. Sequence: - Cards recycled one-by-one do not require shuffling, allowing you to track their exact order - Cards recycled multiple at once require shuffling and allowing your opponent to cut/shuffle, making tracking less useful - You must write down information in a timely manner without...
Can you use Master Yi Honed's charm ability to pull an enemy unit into your battlefield, kill it, and then gank to another battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, you can charm an enemy unit into your battlefield with Master Yi Honed, kill it, and then gank to another battlefield.
For Rek'Sai's legend ability, do you have to pay the full cost of the unit? Also, if Candlelit Sanctum's battlefield effect triggers at the same time as Rek'Sai's legend ability, which resolves first?
Ruling: Yes, you must pay the full cost of the unit (or non-unit card) when using Rek'Sai's legend ability. Only effects that explicitly say "ignoring [their/its] cost" allow you to play cards for free, and even then only the base cost is ignored.
When attacking a Nine-Tailed Fox player's unit with Yasuo, Remorseful, what is the order that their triggered effects enter the chain?
Ruling: The attacker's triggers go on the chain first, then the defender's triggers, which means the defender's effects resolve first. After the initial chain resolves, the attacker will have focus and priority.
Does Ezreal Prodigy's optional additional cost discount apply to Draven Vanquisher's activated ability that allows paying Fury for +2 power?
Ruling: No, Ezreal Prodigy's discount does not apply to Draven Vanquisher's activated ability. Optional additional costs only apply to costs paid when playing a card, such as Accelerate, Repeat, or abilities that specify "when you play me, you may pay an additional cost."
When a unit equipped with Skyfall conquers a battlefield, does it trigger the battlefield's 'When I hold' effect?
Ruling: No, Skyfall does not trigger the battlefield's effects. Skyfall only modifies the equipped unit's own abilities, not the battlefield's abilities.
If I play Sabotage and my opponent responds with Defy or Wind Wall, do they have to wait until I choose which card to recycle, or can they counter it immediately? Will I see their hand if they counter it?
Ruling: If your opponent counters Sabotage with Defy or Wind Wall, the counter resolves first and Sabotage goes to discard without resolving. You will not see your opponent's hand.
Does Brutalizer's text work correctly when it uses 'this' to refer to itself, given that the text is granted to the attached creature?
Ruling: Brutalizer's wording is correct and functions as intended. When the text refers to "this," it means "this gear" (Brutalizer itself), not the attached creature. There is no functional difference between Brutalizer's wording and Guardian Angel's more explicit wording.
If a unit with Temporary is saved by Zhonyas during an opponent's turn, does it still die at the start of my next turn?
Ruling: Yes, the unit still dies. Temporary is a status that remains on the unit even after being saved by Zhonyas, and will trigger again at the start of the next turn.
What is the order of resolution when you conquer a site: do you draw a card first or trigger 'when you conquer' abilities first?
Ruling: When you conquer a site, you first resolve the draw-or-score effect, then trigger any 'when you conquer' abilities. Sequence: - Step 1: Draw a card or score a victory point from conquering - Step 2: Trigger 'when you conquer' abilities
If I use Here to Help to play Akshan in reaction to Dazzling Aurora's End of Round trigger and steal Aurora, does the trigger still resolve?
Ruling: Yes, the Aurora trigger will still resolve normally. Once a triggered ability is on the chain/stack, removing or stealing the source unit does not prevent the trigger from resolving.
Can you move a unit (specifically with Charm) even if it's exhausted, including between battlefields?
Ruling: Yes, you can move an exhausted unit with effects like Charm. Being exhausted only prevents regular moves, not moves caused by spells or abilities.
Can I activate Super Mega Death Rocket's ability to add it to my hand if I have no cards to discard?
Ruling: No, you cannot activate Super Mega Death Rocket's ability if you have no cards to discard. The "discard to" wording indicates that discarding is a cost that must be paid when the ability resolves.
Can you score your 8th point by using Ride the Wind to move to a second battlefield on your opponent's turn if you already control one battlefield and have 7 points?
Ruling: No, you cannot score the 8th point this way. You must score both battlefields within the same turn to reach the 8th point.
How does King's Edict work in 1v1 and 2v2 formats? Who chooses which units to kill?
Ruling: In King's Edict, "each other" refers to each other player besides the caster. Each opponent chooses one of their own units to kill; the caster does not choose targets.
When Switcheroo exchanges stats between Ornn (who has high stats from gear) and a low-stat unit like Noxus Hopeful, does Ornn drop to base stats and then reapply gear bonuses, or does the exchange work differently?
Ruling: Exchange effects apply modifiers equal to the stat difference, not base stat swaps. Ornn receives a negative modifier equal to the gear bonus being transferred, while the other unit receives a positive modifier of the same amount.
Can you recycle runes during the resolution of Bullet Time to pay for its power cost, or can runes only be recycled when you can use a reaction?
Ruling: You can both exhaust and recycle runes during Bullet Time's resolution to pay for its power cost. You do not need to float the power beforehand.
Can Zhonya's Hourglass be reacted at any moment to choose which unit to save, including letting one unit die first or choosing between multiple units dying simultaneously?
No, you cannot react with Zhonya's Hourglass at "any moment" to choose which unit to save. Its timing depends on whether the deaths are simultaneous or sequential.
Does the cost reduction text on Find Your Center apply twice when the spell is Repeated with Temporal Portal?
Ruling: The cost reduction only applies once. When you pay the Repeat cost, you pay the base cost (3) plus the Repeat cost (3) minus the single reduction (2) for a total of 4 energy, then execute Find Your Center's effect twice upon resolution.
When a unit moves to attack but stuns the defender without removing them (e.g., 4 Might attacking 5 Might), does the attacking unit return to base via a 'recall' or a 'move'?
Ruling: When an attacking unit fails to remove all defending units from a battlefield (even if they stun them), the attacking unit returns to base via a recall, not a move.
If you only have 1 creature with a buff and it gets killed, does The Boss ability work?
Ruling: Yes, The Boss ability works even if you only have one buffed creature. As long as the unit that dies has a buff and The Boss is readied, you can pay the cost and apply the replacement effect.
Can you react to a Temporary unit dying at the start of the beginning phase by playing another Temporary unit (like Sprite Call), and will the new unit survive?
Ruling: Yes, you can react to a Temporary unit's death trigger by playing another Temporary unit, and the newly played unit will survive because it enters after the beginning phase trigger check has already occurred.
When Switcheroo is cast during combat on units with Assault and Shield, do those passive effects transfer with the might swap, and what are the final might values?
Ruling: Assault and Shield are passive effects that continuously apply during combat, not triggers. When Switcheroo resolves, it snapshots the current might values (including passive bonuses) and swaps them by applying +10 to one unit and -10 to the other. The passive effects themselves remain on their original units and continue to apply.
When you take control of a unit with Deflect using Hostile Takeover, do you still have to pay the Deflect cost when targeting it with your own abilities (like Deathgrip)?
Ruling: No, you do not have to pay the Deflect cost. Once you take control of a unit with Deflect, it becomes your friendly unit, and Deflect only applies to enemy abilities.
Can a hidden unit (like Teemo) be played from a battlefield when Mageseeker Warden is preventing units from being played to battlefields?
Ruling: A hidden unit cannot be played at all when Mageseeker Warden is preventing units from being played to that battlefield. The hidden unit remains hidden and cannot be revealed/played.
If Sett Brawler spends his buff (decreasing his Might from 5 to 4) to increase his Might to 8, does this trigger Fiora's Legend ability which triggers when a unit becomes Mighty?
Ruling: Yes, this triggers Fiora's Legend ability. Sequence: - Sett pays the cost of his ability, reducing his Might from 5 to 4 (ceasing to be Mighty) - The ability resolves, increasing his Might to 8 (becoming Mighty again) - Fiora's Legend ability triggers when Sett becomes Mighty
Do recall effects target or choose units?
Ruling: Recall effects do not inherently target. An effect targets only if it requires the controller to make a choice of who, what, or where during the casting/activation process (not during resolution), and that choice is not part of a replacement effect.
Can a unit's might be reduced to 0 or negative values, and when does a unit with 0 or negative might die?
Ruling: A unit's might can be reduced to 0 or negative values. Units with negative might are treated as 0 might for interactive purposes (like dealing damage), but remain negative for calculation purposes. A unit with 0 or negative might only dies when it takes damage (non-zero lethal damage), not from having 0 might alone.
Does Sett Kingpin count himself as a buffed friendly unit for his own passive ability when he has a buff?
Ruling: Yes, Sett counts himself as a buffed friendly unit for his passive ability when he is buffed and at a battlefield location.
If Hidden Blade is used to kill a buffed unit before Blitzcrank can grab it, and Sett's legend effect saves the unit, does the unit still count as a legal target for Blitzcrank?
Ruling: The unit remains a valid target for Blitzcrank. You will save the unit and draw 2 cards from Hidden Blade, but the unit still gets pulled to fight Blitzcrank.
Do you pay recycle/power costs when using Quickdraw and/or Weapon Master to attach gear?
Ruling: Equip, Weapon Master, and Quickdraw are three distinct ways to attach gear with different costs. Quickdraw has no equip cost (you only pay the gear's cost), Weapon Master costs equip cost minus 1 power, and Equip costs the full equip cost.
Can Unlicensed Armory be activated without a valid target, just to discard a card?
Ruling: No, Unlicensed Armory cannot be activated without a valid target unit. Cards that require targeting cannot be used without a legal target.
Can I reveal a hidden Teemo Scout at BF1 when my opponent attacks, then reveal Tideturner at BF2 and use its ability to swap positions with Teemo to save it?
Ruling: Yes, when you receive focus, you can reveal Teemo first (triggering its "When you play me" effect), then while still having priority, reveal Tideturner and target Teemo with its swap ability. Both effects go on the chain and resolve in reverse order.