Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 18 of 133 · 6,620 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
If you reduce a card's might to 0 (or below) without damaging it, is the unit dead?
Ruling: No, a unit is only dead if it has non-zero damage at least equal to its might. Reducing might to 0 or even negative values without dealing damage does not kill the unit.
Do battlefield effects like Void Gate work even if you don't control it?
Ruling: Battlefield effects are symmetric and affect both players equally at all times, regardless of who controls the battlefield. The controller of the battlefield controls its abilities, but the abilities still trigger for non-controlling players.
Does Gust target a unit based on its printed might or current might, and does damage affect might?
Ruling: Gust targets based on the unit's current might, not the printed might on the card. Damage does not lower might, but effects that reduce might do affect targeting eligibility.
Does Jinx, Loose Cannon's ability trigger and open a chain that can be reacted to?
Ruling: Yes, Jinx's ability is a trigger that opens a chain and can be reacted to. You can recognize triggers from the words "when" or "at".
How long does Stun last? Does it wear off at the beginning of the stunned unit's controller's Ending Step, or at the beginning of the very next Ending Step (which would be the active player's Ending Step)?
Ruling: Stun lasts until the beginning of the next Ending Step that occurs in the game, which is the active player's (the player who applied the stun) Ending Step. This means a stunned unit becomes unstunned during the same turn it was stunned.
How do seals work in Riftbound, particularly regarding their cost, resource generation, and reaction timing?
Ruling: To play a gear (seal) from hand, you recycle 1 rune of the matching color one time. Once on board, using the gear each turn is free and it produces 1 power of that color, which can pay for power costs on cards without needing to recycle additional runes.
What is the difference between Focus and Priority in Riftbound?
Ruling: Focus determines who can play an Action during a Showdown when there is no chain. Priority determines who can play a Reaction during a chain.
Can Weaponmaster equip an equipment that is already equipped to another unit, and is the effect voluntary?
Ruling: Yes to both. Weaponmaster may equip an equipment even if it's already attached to another unit, and the effect is voluntary.
In combat between Ahri and Wielder of Water, who wins and does turn order matter?
Ruling: Ahri wins the combat regardless of who is the attacker. Wielder of Water starts at 4 might but Ahri reduces it to 2, making Ahri the winner.
If I have Zhonyas Hourglass and all units die at a battlefield due to combat, who decides what unit is 'revived'?
Ruling: When a replacement effect would replace multiple events at once (multiple units dying), the controller of the replacement effect decides which event it will replace.
Can you react to a creature being played at base?
Ruling: You cannot react to a permanent being played. However, you can react to any triggered abilities that the permanent causes when it enters play.
If a unit is targeted by a spell (like Singularity) and then moved to a different zone (like base) before the spell resolves, does the unit survive?
Ruling: Whether the unit survives depends on whether the spell specifies a location restriction. If the spell does not mention a location (like Singularity), the unit remains a legal target even after moving and will be affected. If the spell specifies a location like "at a battlefield" (like Void Seeker), moving the unit makes it no longer a legal target...
If Angle Shot targets Eye of the Herald on the chain of its trigger, does the trigger fizzle or still resolve, and where does the might token go?
Ruling: The triggered ability remains on the chain and will resolve even after Eye of the Herald is removed. The token will be placed at the location of the unit that had Eye of the Herald attached (the battlefield in this case), because the equipment grants the ability text to the unit itself, not the equipment.
If someone plays Prison Rune on Green Yasuo, will his activated ability still trigger?
Ruling: Yasuo will still do ability damage when Prison Rune is played on him, just not combat damage. Nuances: - Prison Rune cannot be played in response to Yasuo moving to conquer because Yasuo starts the chain and no action can be played during that - If Prison Rune is played during the Focus step, Yasuo's ability would have already...
Can you respond with Reactions to ETB (enters-the-battlefield) triggers?
Ruling: Yes, you can respond with Reactions to ETB triggers. While you cannot respond to units being played, you can respond to their ETB triggers when they go on the stack.
Does Mistfall trigger when you attempt to buff a unit that already has a buff counter?
Ruling: Mistfall does not trigger when you attempt to buff a unit that already has a buff counter. You are only considered to be "buffing" a unit if you effectively put a buff token on it.
When you charm an opponent's unit into an empty battlefield on your turn, does the opponent score a point? If you then move your own unit there and win the showdown, do both players score a point on the same turn?
Ruling: Yes to both. When you charm an opponent's unit into an empty battlefield on your turn, they score a point. If you then move your own unit there and win the showdown (their unit dies, yours survives), both players score a point on the same turn.
Do revealed hidden units stay on the chain or get resolved instantly like other units?
Ruling: Hidden permanents are still permanents that resolve immediately upon finalizing. They do use the chain but completely skip the step that passes priority and instantly resolve.
Can you tap and recycle runes during the beginning phase, then channel those same recycled runes to effectively gain extra mana that turn?
Ruling: No, you cannot recycle runes and then channel them for extra mana in the same turn because the mana pool empties after the draw step.
If Blitzcrank empties a battlefield you control, and you use Ride the Wind to move a unit back to that now-empty battlefield during your opponent's turn, do you score a point for conquering it?
Ruling: Yes, you score a point. Scoring is based on whether you've scored on that battlefield this turn, not whether you controlled it at the start of the turn.
How does damage allocation work when a single 10 might unit attacks three defending units that total 10 might, and does it work the same way in reverse?
Ruling: Combat damage adds up the total might of units on each side, then you allocate it, and then it's all dealt to both sides simultaneously. In this scenario, all units on both sides will die regardless of which side is attacking.
When playing a Reaction in Riftbound, what decisions must be finalized before the next Reaction can be played, and can those decisions be changed later?
Ruling: When a Reaction is added to the Chain, only targets and move destinations must be finalized before the next Reaction can be played. These decisions cannot be changed later.
Is Master Yi's ability a trigger effect?
Ruling: Master Yi's ability is not a trigger effect; it is a passive ability that is active whenever the condition (defending alone) is met.
When Phoenix attacks Reavers and modulates to 5, then Reavers triggers to move the defending unit away, does Phoenix modulate back down to 3 before the showdown and become vulnerable to Gust?
Ruling: No, Phoenix remains at 5 Might and retains attacker status even after the defending unit is moved away by Reavers. The Phoenix does not modulate back down until combat ends.
How does Warwick's ability work, specifically when does it trigger and resolve?
Ruling: When Warwick becomes an attacker for the first time (typically when moved to an occupied battlefield with a standard move), his triggered ability goes on the chain as part of the initial chain of combat. When his ability resolves, it kills all enemy units at the battlefield that have damage marked on them.
If Pit Rookie is played and its buff ability targets a unit, does bouncing the Pit Rookie with Gust prevent the buff from being applied?
Ruling: No, bouncing Pit Rookie with Gust does not prevent the buff. The buff still applies to the targeted unit because once the ability becomes a chain item, its source doesn't matter anymore.
Can you play Action cards (like Block) during a Showdown on your opponent's turn?
Ruling: Yes, Action cards can be played during Showdowns on anyone's turn if you have focus. Action cards explicitly grant permission to be played during Showdowns even when it is not your turn.
Does Mask of Foresight trigger each time the unit attacks or defends in a chain, and can it stack multiple times in one turn?
Ruling: Mask of Foresight triggers when the unit attacks or defends in a chain (not while), and it can trigger multiple times if the unit is involved in multiple showdowns in a turn.
During a showdown, what types of cards can be played, in what order does priority work, and is there a window to play cards after damage is dealt?
Ruling: During a showdown, players can play actions and reactions, but not normal spells. After both players pass priority back-to-back, damage happens and the showdown ends with no further window to play cards.
Can you float runes (exhaust runes to add energy) after playing Bullet Time but before it resolves?
Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust runes to add energy after playing Bullet Time but before it resolves. Runes may be used any time a card asks costs to be paid, and all Reaction speed ADD abilities can be used before or during resolution.
If G Yasuo attacks and triggers his ability to strike a unit, but is killed or removed by Hidden Blade in response, does his damage ability still resolve and kill the targeted unit?
Ruling: No, Yasuo's ability will not deal damage if he is killed or removed before it resolves. The ability fizzles because it deals damage to a unit "here" (at Yasuo's location), and if Yasuo is no longer on the battlefield, the effect cannot resolve.
When you have a hidden Zhonya's Hourglass at a battlefield with multiple units and one is about to die, are you forced to activate the hidden Zhonya's, or can you choose not to use it?
Ruling: You are not forced to activate a hidden Zhonya's Hourglass. Hidden cards are private information and not in play yet - they may be played for 0 as a reaction, but this is optional.
Can players cast action spells multiple times throughout a showdown, or only at the start before any reactions are played?
Ruling: Players can cast action spells multiple times throughout a showdown, not just at the start. Using a reaction does not prevent you from casting action spells later in the same showdown.
If I challenge a non-mighty Fiora, and the opponent then plays a card giving her +3 (making her mighty), do I need to pay the deflect cost?
Ruling: No, you do not need to pay the deflect cost. Fiora was already targeted when the challenge was declared.
If a defending player plays Shen during combat, can they target Shen with Fortified Position's 'when you defend' battlefield effect?
Ruling: No, Fortified Position's "when you defend" effect only triggers once when the player is designated as the Defender at the start of combat. Playing Shen mid-combat does not cause the battlefield effect to trigger again.
Can you use Ride the Wind to move a non-ganking unit (e.g., Rhasa) from one Battlefield to another Battlefield, since this is not a Standard Move?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Ride the Wind to move a non-ganking unit from one Battlefield to another Battlefield because this is not a Standard Move.
Can you win on your opponent's turn by scoring the last battlefield point, and can you use Repeat Cast after the initial cast when the card is still on the stack?
Ruling: Yes, you can win on your opponent's turn by scoring the last battlefield point. When you cast a card with Repeat, you must decide immediately whether to pay the Repeat cost when putting it on the stack - you cannot pay it later in response to other actions.
Can Defy counter Hidden Blade when the opponent has to pay 2 power due to Deadbloom's deflect cost, or does Defy only look at the printed cost?
Ruling: Defy can counter Hidden Blade regardless of any additional costs like Deadbloom's deflect. Cards only refer to printed costs, not modified costs from additional payments or discounts.
Can a player activate Ride the Wind to move in a new unit after combat damage has been dealt in a showdown?
Ruling: No, after combat damage is dealt in a showdown, there is no priority or focus window to play actions like Ride the Wind.
When a Merchant moves to a Battlefield with an enemy unit, does combat start before or after the Merchant's movement trigger resolves?
Ruling: Combat does not start until after the movement trigger resolves. The Battlefield is marked as contested, but combat (showdown) is staged until the chain is empty.
If Seth plays his legend ability to return a unit to base (instead of killing it), does Seth still draw two cards from Hidden Blade's effect?
Ruling: Yes, Seth would still draw 2 cards even if the unit doesn't die. The unit is still on the board when Hidden Blade resolves, so information about its controller is still available.
How many times does Leona's leader skill trigger when stunning units, and does it matter if multiple stuns happen on the same chain or from the same effect?
Ruling: Leona's leader skill triggers once per effect that stuns one or more units. Multiple stuns caused by a single resolving effect only trigger Leona once, but separate effects that each stun (even on the same chain) trigger Leona separately.
If I have a Sprite token at a Battlefield with a Hidden card there, can I play the Hidden card when my turn begins before the token is removed, or is the token removed automatically discarding the Hidden card?
Ruling: You can react to the Temporary trigger by flipping the Hidden card before the token is removed. Sequence: - Temporary trigger occurs at the beginning of your turn - You can flip the Hidden card in response to this trigger - If it's a unit, you can even score by holding this way since the Temporary trigger happens before...
In 2v2 Magma Chamber, does your team earn a point when it becomes your turn and your teammate is holding a battlefield?
Ruling: No, you do not earn a point. A battlefield becomes ineligible for any scoring that turn from your team if you start your turn and your teammate holds that battlefield.
Can you add a reaction to a chain that's already resolving? Specifically, if you draw a card from a resolving reaction spell (like Consult the Past), can you immediately play that card to respond to something earlier in the chain?
Ruling: Yes, you can add reactions to a chain that is resolving. After each spell or ability resolves from the chain, both players get priority again to add more items to the chain before the next item resolves.
When playing Charm in 4 player format, can you move one opponent's unit into another battlefield where another opponent's unit is occupying, causing a showdown? Also, what happens to hidden cards on a battlefield when a unit is moved away?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Charm to move one opponent's unit into another battlefield where another opponent's unit is occupying, causing a showdown. If a player no longer has a unit on a battlefield, any hidden card they have on that battlefield is discarded.
Do you attack an empty battlefield?
Ruling: You do not attack an empty battlefield. Sequence: N/A
When Wielder of Water is defending alone and gets hit by Smoke Screen (reducing might to 1), then loses combat and the +2 might boost, what is its might? And if attacked again while still alone, what happens?
Ruling: After the first combat, Wielder of Water is at -1 might (treated as 0). In the next combat while defending alone, Wielder's might is 1 (base 2 + 2 from passive - 3 from snapshotted Smoke Screen).
Can you react to a basic rune activated ability?
Ruling: No, you cannot react to abilities with the "Add" tag/wording because they finalize immediately. Nuances: - Basic rune abilities have the Reaction timing, but the "Add" tag causes them to finalize immediately, preventing reactions from opponents.
When Watcher reduces a 1 might unit's might, does the snapshot prevent future buffs from increasing it above 1?
Ruling: When Watcher's effect is applied to a 1 might unit, it snapshots at -0 (not -2) because the effect has a restriction that might cannot be reduced below 1. Future buffs like Discipline will add to the base might normally, so a 1 might unit would become 3 might (1 + 2 - 0 = 3).