Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 134 of 150 · 7,462 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
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.
Can you equip a Gear card during your opponent's turn?
Ruling: Equip has default timing restrictions and can only be done during your own turn, outside of showdown, and with nothing on the chain.
Can Yasuo - Unforgiven move a teammate's unit in 2v2, including from their base to the battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, Yasuo - Unforgiven can move a teammate's unit because "friendly" includes your teammate. The card has errata that specifies when moving a teammate's unit to a base, it goes to the owner's base, and the errata also covers moving units from a teammate's base to the battlefield.
If Mundo is at 12 power on a battlefield and Unchecked Power deals 12 damage to all units at that battlefield, does Mundo survive due to gaining +1 power when Unchecked Power goes to the graveyard?
Ruling: Yes, Mundo survives. Unchecked Power marks 12 damage on Mundo and moves to trash (triggering Mundo's passive +1 power) before the cleanup occurs that would check for lethal damage.
Does Lonely Poro's 'died alone' trigger work correctly with its current wording, and does it trigger if Poro dies while other friendly units are present at the battlefield?
Ruling: Lonely Poro only triggers if there were no other friendly units at the battlefield when it died. The past tense wording "died alone" checks whether the condition was true at the moment of death.
Can you kill units and save them with Soraka to pay the equip cost for Blade of the Ruined King?
Ruling: Yes, you can save the unit with Soraka and it is still considered that you've paid the cost to equip Blade of the Ruined King.
Can you exhaust runes at the end of your opponent's turn to float energy into your draw step, and if so, can you use that energy to play action speed cards before your draw step ends?
Ruling: No, you cannot float energy from your opponent's turn into your draw step. Every player's rune pool empties at the end of each player's draw phase and at the end of each player's turn.
Does Commander Ledros's cost reduction effect trigger if a unit survives being killed (e.g., through Soraka's effect)?
Ruling: Commander Ledros only reduces cost for units that actually die. If a unit survives through an effect like Soraka, it does not count toward the cost reduction.
Does Arcane Shift require a valid enemy unit target to deal 3 damage to in order to be played, or can it be played just to blink a friendly unit when no enemy units are at a battlefield?
Ruling: Arcane Shift requires valid targets for both parts of the effect (a friendly unit to blink AND an enemy unit to deal 3 damage to) in order to be played on the chain. You cannot play it if there is no enemy unit at a battlefield.
If I control a battlefield on my turn but then move all my units off of it, do I retain control until end of turn and can I still play units there?
Ruling: No, you lose control of the battlefield immediately after moving your units off of it during the cleanup step, and you cannot play units there without control.
In a 2v2 game, if my partner's unit controls a battlefield at the start of my turn, and I flash their unit away and move my unit onto the battlefield, do I score conquest?
Ruling: No, you cannot score conquest on a battlefield that your teammate controlled during the beginning phase of your turn, even if you remove their unit and place yours during that turn.
When you control multiple Dazzling Aurora permanents, do both triggers resolve before any creatures enter, or does the first creature enter before the second trigger resolves?
Ruling: Both Dazzling Aurora triggers go on the chain at end of turn, then resolve one at a time. Each creature enters and fully resolves (including any when-you-play-me abilities) before the next Aurora trigger resolves.
If Yasuo deals damage to a unit when attacking, then is moved back to base before combat resolves, does the damaged unit heal or does the damage persist?
Ruling: Once Yasuo attacks and triggers combat, a combat cleanup will occur at the end of the showdown. During cleanup, units heal all damage unless they were killed.
If Caitlyn has Tank, or if there are multiple units with Tank including Caitlyn, how do the damage assignment rules work?
Ruling: If Caitlyn has Tank, the opponent chooses whether to apply her Tank keyword or her "damage last" ability. If they choose Tank, they can assign damage to her first along with other Tank units. If they choose her ability, they ignore Tank on her and assign damage to her last.