Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 14 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Can you win the game by moving a single unit to Battlefield A (gaining the 7th point) and then using Ride The Wind on that same unit to move it to Battlefield B (gaining the 8th point), even though both battlefields start empty and you leave Battlefield A?
Ruling: Yes, you can win this way. As long as you've scored/controlled Battlefield A that turn, you can then move to Battlefield B and score the game-winning point. Both empty battlefields will trigger showdowns you must win.
Can you use a card like Gust to remove a unit from battlefield B when reacting during a showdown happening on battlefield A?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Gust or any other spell at Battlefield A during a showdown at Battlefield B. Targeting restrictions only apply to Hidden cards.
Do units with death-triggered effects (like Karthus) see themselves die and trigger their own effects when they die?
Ruling: Units never see themselves die. A unit with a death-triggered effect cannot trigger that effect from its own death.
If you control Targon's Peak at the start of your turn, lose control of it during your turn (e.g., by losing a showdown), and then conquer it again in the same turn, can you ready 2 runes at end of turn?
Ruling: No, you cannot ready 2 runes at the end of turn. You cannot score on the same battlefield twice in one turn, and conquering is a form of scoring.
When an opponent contests my battlefield and kills my only unit there with Hextech Ray, can I play Sprite Call to that battlefield during the contest showdown?
Ruling: You cannot play units to a battlefield you don't control. If your opponent kills your only unit at a battlefield, you immediately lose control and cannot play units there.
If Gust targets a Stalwart Poro, can you respond with a reaction to increase the Poro's might above 3 to prevent Gust's effect?
Ruling: Yes, you can play a reaction spell to raise the might above 3. Gust will still resolve but won't do anything because it checks the target's might at resolution, not just at activation.
If I move a unit with Stealthy Pursuer to a battlefield my opponent controls, do both Mask of Foresight and Stealthy Pursuer trigger?
Ruling: Stealthy Pursuer triggers but Mask of Foresight does not. The move trigger from Stealthy Pursuer is added to the chain during cleanup, which prevents combat from beginning until it resolves. When the trigger resolves and moves the second unit to the battlefield, neither unit is attacking alone, so Mask of Foresight's condition is not met.
When can you use REACT spells in response to opponent's abilities, spells, or gear outside of showdown phase?
Ruling: You cannot react to gear or units as they are played. When spells, triggered abilities, or activated abilities are played, they create a chain which allows you to play reaction spells even outside of showdown. Reaction spells can be played in all game states (Neutral/Showdown and Open/Closed).
If a player scores a point at a battlefield on their opponent's turn (e.g., by being charmed there), can the active player still score at that same battlefield later in the same turn?
Ruling: Yes, both players can score at the same battlefield during a single turn. Each player may only score once per battlefield per turn, but this limit applies separately to each player.
Can Viktor's signature spell be activated to buff units when an opponent plays Volibear's signature spell targeting units at a battlefield?
Ruling: Action cards can only be played on an opponent's turn during a showdown when no chain exists. Since the opponent has played a spell, a chain exists and only reaction spells can be played at that moment.
If I play Find your Center and don't have runes available to channel, do I draw 2 cards (one for the card draw effect and one for failing to channel)?
Ruling: No, you only draw 1 card. If you can't channel a rune because you don't have any more runes in your rune deck, you simply do not channel them and do not get an additional card draw for that.
Can I play Shen as a reaction during showdown, then play Call to Glory to buff Shen (by removing a buff counter from Sona) to kill the attacking Jinx and save Sona?
Ruling: No, this sequence will not save Sona. When you play Call to Glory and remove the buff counter from Sona, her Might will drop to 6, matching her 6 marked damage, causing her to die during cleanup before combat damage is dealt.
After playing reactions to buff a card during Showdown, can an opponent play an action when priority passes back to them?
Ruling: Yes, if there is a Showdown active, your opponent can play an action when priority passes back to them.
How does Ride the Wind (RTW) work with Yasuo in two scenarios: (1) when opponent uses RTW on Yasuo as a defender during battlefield contest, and (2) when using RTW to move Yasuo in after initial chain as an attacker?
Ruling: In the first scenario, when the opponent uses Ride the Wind on Yasuo during a battlefield contest, Yasuo becomes a defender. In the second scenario, when using Ride the Wind to move Yasuo in after the initial chain during combat, Yasuo becomes an attacker and damage is dealt.
Can an opponent play Get Excited in response to Last Breath being played?
Ruling: Get Excited cannot be played in response to Last Breath because Get Excited is an Action spell, not a Reaction spell. Only Reaction spells can be played in response to other spells.
If a Sprite from Sprite Mother dies, will it trigger Viktor's passive (create a recruit unit)?
Ruling: Yes, when a Sprite dies it will trigger Viktor's passive to create a recruit unit because the Sprite is killed and is not itself a Recruit.
Can Retreat target an opponent's unit, or does the 'friendly' keyword restrict it to only targeting units you control?
Ruling: The 'friendly' keyword means Retreat cannot target an opponent's unit. It can only target units controlled by you or your teammate in 2v2.
How do you pay the power cost for Flame Chomper - by paying mana or by recycling/exhausting?
Ruling: You pay power costs by recycling cards or exhausting a Seal. Seals do not add mana; they are used for the exhausting cost.
If an opponent casts Singularity on a buffed unit, then the owner reveals Hidden Blade targeting that same unit, then uses Sett's legend ability to save the unit from Hidden Blade, does Singularity still kill the unit?
Ruling: Yes, Singularity still kills the unit. Sett's legend ability only saves the unit from Hidden Blade's effect, but Singularity has not yet resolved and the unit is still in a targetable zone.
Does Dazzling Aura stack if you have multiple copies?
Ruling: Yes, Dazzling Aura stacks. If you have two Dazzling Auras, both triggered abilities trigger separately at the end of your turn and resolve independently.
If I move my unit away from a battlefield I'm holding and then move it back to that same battlefield on the same turn, does that count as conquering that battlefield?
Ruling: No, you cannot conquer a battlefield that you scored from (via holding) during the same turn. Sequence: - At the beginning of your turn, you score a point for holding the battlefield - During your turn, you can move your unit away and back to the battlefield - However, this does not count as a conquest because you already...
Can you gank the same battlefield multiple times in one turn, and can you score more than 1 point per battlefield per turn?
Ruling: You can gank the same battlefield multiple times in one turn if you have the ability to move multiple times outside of the normal move. However, you can only score 1 point per battlefield per turn.
Do we reveal battlefields before or after deciding turn order?
Ruling: Battlefields are revealed before determining turn order. Sequence: - Reveal Legends - Select and Reveal Chosen Champs - Select and Reveal Battlefields - Determine 1st/2nd - Resolve Mulligans
If an effect makes you draw 4 cards while you have 3 cards left in your deck, do you perform a burn out after drawing the third card, or do you draw all 3 and continue without burn out?
Ruling: You do not perform a burn out. You draw 3 cards, shuffle your Trash into your deck, and then draw the fourth card to complete the effect.
Do you have to pay one power to choose a unit with Deflect when using Blitzcrank?
Ruling: Yes, you must pay one power to choose a unit with Deflect when using Blitzcrank because Blitzcrank targets.
If I use Ride The Wind on my opponent's turn to move to an open battlefield, do I score a point immediately and then another point on my turn for holding it, or does the one point per battlefield per turn rule prevent this?
Ruling: You can score a point by using Ride The Wind to move to an open battlefield on your opponent's turn, and this does cause a showdown. Since it's an action, you need a showdown window to cast it.
If an opponent plays Cleave or Whiteflame Protector targeting a 2 might unit, and you react with Gust targeting the same unit, does Gust return the unit to hand and nullify the Cleave/Whiteflame Protector effect?
Ruling: Yes, Gust resolves first on the chain, returns the unit to hand, and causes Cleave/Whiteflame Protector to whiff and resolve to no effect.
Can Udyr spend his buff whenever or only on his turn?
Ruling: Udyr's ability to spend his buff is an activated ability without the reaction or action keyword, so it can only be activated at base speed during your turn while there's no chain or showdown.
When Embermonk's trigger occurs with Switcheroo, does the power swap happen before or after Embermonk gets +2 might?
Ruling: Switcheroo fully resolves first (swapping the powers), then Embermonk's trigger goes on the chain and gives it +2 might.
Between games in a match, what order do you choose play/draw and select battlefields?
Ruling: Between games in a match, battlefields are selected first, then the player who lost the previous round chooses whether to go first or second.
For move effect cards like Charm and Ride the Wind, when must the destination of the move be chosen - when playing the card or when it resolves in the chain?
Ruling: The destination of the move must be chosen when the spell enters the chain (i.e., when playing the card), not when it resolves.
If my opponent Charms my unit to their battlefield, then I use Ride the Wind to move it back to my original battlefield, do I score a point?
Ruling: Yes, you will score a point for conquering the original battlefield, assuming you didn't control it when the showdown begins and haven't scored it yet this turn.
When Altar to Unity allows you to play a 1 Might Recruit unit token, is it played exhausted or ready?
Ruling: The unit token is played exhausted, following all the regular rules of playing a unit.
When playing a card with Accelerate (like Miss Fortune Captain), do you pay the base energy cost plus recycle additional runes, or do you pay both energy and power as separate costs?
Ruling: To play Miss Fortune Captain with Accelerate, you pay 6 energy and 2 body power. Energy and power are separate resources that you pay as costs.
When playing Gust in response to a chain of spells, can it target Ravenbloom Student before her ability triggers resolve to give her bonus might, and are spell targets locked when added to the chain?
Ruling: Targets are determined before putting a spell on the chain and cannot be changed. If you play Gust without letting any Ravenbloom Student triggers resolve, she will be at 2 might and can be targeted.
If Vayne attacks with Assault, takes 4 damage from Void Seeker (leaving her at 1 health with Assault's +3 might), then Ride the Wind moves her to an empty battlefield, does she die from losing Assault?
Ruling: Yes, Vayne dies. When moved to an empty battlefield, she loses her attacker status because only one combat can be active at a time, and the second combat remains pending until the first resolves. Without attacker status, she loses Assault and dies from the marked damage.
Does Dazzling Aurora cause a burnout if they reveal their whole deck and there is no unit to play?
Ruling: Dazzling Aurora does not cause burnout if you reveal your whole deck with no unit to play. Burnout only happens if the deck is actually empty when the effect tries to resolve.
When a unit attacks and both units survive combat (e.g., the defender is stunned), which unit retreats?
Ruling: If both players have units left after combat damage, the attacking unit always retreats. Nuances: - This is the default rule behavior - Specific cards (like Symbol of the Solari) can override this rule to make both units retreat
Can I tap Baited Hook without friendly units on board to recycle 5 cards from my deck?
Ruling: No, you cannot activate Baited Hook without a friendly unit on board. To put an ability on the chain, you must have all valid targets available, and Baited Hook's activated ability requires targeting a friendly unit.
In 1v1 Riftbound, do you randomly pick your battlefield or can you choose what you want?
Ruling: In a best-of-1 (single duel), the battlefield is random. In a best-of-3 match, you pick your battlefield. Sequence: - Battlefields are revealed before drawing cards and mulligans - In best-of-3, the battlefield is discarded going into game 2 and cannot be reused in the current match
If a unit with damage marked on it has its might reduced to equal or below the marked damage, does it die?
Ruling: Yes, the unit will die. When non-zero damage marked on a unit is equal to or above its might, the unit dies.
Can you use Defy on Sky Splitter if its cost is reduced to 4 or less?
Ruling: No, you cannot use Defy on Sky Splitter even if its cost is reduced to 4 or less. Defy looks at the printed energy cost, not the modified cost.
How does Warwick's ability work with damage timing, and does damage persist between combats?
Ruling: Damage persists on units between combats and is only removed at end of combat and end of turn, not during cleanup. Warwick's ability triggers when he moves to a battlefield and kills all damaged units "here" (at that battlefield) when his ability resolves.
Does a showdown continue after all units are removed from the battlefield, and can actions still be played?
Ruling: Once a showdown starts, it continues until both players pass priority consecutively, even if all units are removed from the battlefield before damage calculation.
When Player A plays a spell and chains En Garde to it before passing focus, can an opponent use Defy on the first spell or only on En Garde?
Ruling: You can choose any spell on the chain to Defy, not just the most recent one. Sequence: - Option 1: Defy any spell currently on the chain (including the first spell) - Option 2: Let En Garde resolve, then use the reaction window to respond to the first spell
Where can Charm move a unit? Is it limited to the unit's possible standard moves (e.g., does the unit need flanking to move between battlefields)?
Ruling: Charm can move a unit to either battlefield or the unit's own base, regardless of the unit's normal movement restrictions like flanking. Standard move restrictions only apply when exhausting units to move them.
In a Free For All game, if I use Charm to move an opponent's unit into another opponent's battleground during my turn, can the Charmed unit's owner score the winning point from that conquer if they were already holding another battleground?
Ruling: No, the opponent cannot score the winning point from conquering during your turn. Players only Hold battlegrounds on their own turns, not on opponent's turns, so conquering via Charm causes them to draw a card instead of scoring a point.
If a unit is stunned while conquering an empty battlefield, does it successfully conquer or get recalled?
Ruling: A stunned unit conquers an empty battlefield. Stun only prevents dealing combat damage, but does not affect conquest of empty battlefields.
If Kinkou Monk is the only friendly unit on the board (or only one other friendly unit exists), can its triggered ability activate to buff that single unit, or does it require two valid targets to activate at all?
Ruling: Kinkou Monk's triggered ability requires two valid targets (two other friendly units) to be placed on the chain. If only one or zero other friendly units are available when the ability would trigger, the ability cannot be activated at all and fails to enter the chain.
When playing an Equipment with quickdraw, do you pay both the cost to play the card and the equip cost?
Ruling: No, you only pay the cost to play the card. Quickdraw allows you to attach the equipment as a triggered ability after playing it, without paying the equip cost.