Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 21 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
When a match goes to extra turns and a player casts Time Warp, does the extra turn count toward the 5-turn limit?
Ruling: Yes, Time Warp counts as one of the turns in the extra turn procedure. Nuances: - This ruling differs from how similar effects are handled in other card games like One Piece
Can you have 2 Dazzling Aurora on the field at the same time and get both effects?
Ruling: Yes, you can have 2 Dazzling Aurora on the field at the same time and get both effects.
Can an exhausted unit retreat from Reaver's Row when an opponent moves there to start a showdown?
Ruling: Yes, an exhausted unit can retreat from Reaver's Row. Effects and abilities that move a unit do not require the unit to be ready and will not change its orientation (exhausted/ready status).
In Riftbound, if you cast 'Consult the Past' in response to an opponent's spell on the chain, can you use cards drawn from it (like Defy) to respond to spells still on the chain before they resolve?
Ruling: Yes, you can use cards drawn from Consult the Past to respond to spells still on the chain. After each item on the chain resolves, priority is passed back to players, allowing them to add new reactions before the next item resolves.
Can Viktor's ability to make tokens put them at any battlefield they control, or do they always spawn in base?
Ruling: Viktor Legend's token-creating ability can place tokens at any location you control (your base or a battlefield under your control). Viktor Leader specifically requires tokens to be played to base as stated in its rules text.
Can you play a unit directly to a battlefield you control, or does it have to go to your base first?
Ruling: You can play a unit directly to a battlefield you control. You do not need to play it to your base first and then move it.
When Zhonya's Hourglass saves a unit from death, does the unit keep its buffs?
Ruling: When Zhonya's Hourglass saves a unit from death, the unit keeps its buffs because the unit never actually dies.
Can a non-turn player use a Reaction removal spell to kill an opponent's unit during the opponent's turn before they move to a Battlefield (outside of a Chain or Showdown)?
Ruling: As the non-turn player, you can only use Reactions when a Chain is open or during Showdown. You cannot use Reactions freely during the opponent's turn outside of these windows.
Can Moonlit Fae ready a unit that moved with her using her ready trigger effect?
Ruling: Yes, Moonlit Fae can ready a unit that moved with her. Exhausting units is a cost paid before the move happens, so when MF's ability triggers after moving, the unit that moved with her is already exhausted and can be targeted by her ready effect.
Does a 5 might unit die if it takes 4 damage from Void Seeker and then is reduced by 1 might from Stupefy?
Ruling: Yes, the unit dies. After Stupefy resolves, there is a cleanup step where the unit is at 4 might with 4 damage marked on it, which triggers lethal damage removal.
If a unit takes damage during combat on one battlefield, then moves to another battlefield to start a new showdown, does it heal from the first combat before the second showdown starts?
Ruling: Yes, the unit heals from damage taken in the first combat before the second showdown begins. Sequence: - The combat showdown on battlefield 2 must fully resolve first, even if you no longer control units there - After battlefield 2's combat ends, damage on your unit heals - Then the new combat showdown on battlefield 1 begins with the...
Do spells/actions trigger 'when defending' effects, or do those effects only apply when units are moved to a battlefield to start a showdown?
Ruling: 'When defending' or 'when I defend' effects are only active during showdowns where that card is the defender. Spells and actions do not trigger these effects.
If Blastcone Fae is revealed to give a unit -2 Might, but the opponent reacts with Gust to return Blastcone Fae to hand, does the -2 Might effect still apply?
Ruling: Yes, the -2 Might effect still applies. Because Blastcone Fae's ability does not specify a location restriction (such as "here"), the ability will still resolve even after Fae returns to hand.
How do you choose a battlefield in a best-of-one scenario?
Ruling: In a best-of-one scenario, the battlefield must be chosen randomly. Nuances: - In best-of-three, for games 2 and 3, both players select their battlefields in private (from the 2 they have not used) and reveal them simultaneously
Does Showstopper exhaust a unit when it moves it, and can another unit follow a unit that was moved by Showstopper?
Ruling: Moving a unit with Showstopper (or any spell) does not exhaust it, and Showstopper can be used on an already exhausted unit. A unit moved by Showstopper cannot be followed by another unit because it is a spell moving it, not the unit performing a move action.
If Yasuo dies before his attack trigger resolves, how much damage does he do?
Ruling: Yasuo does no damage if he dies before the attack trigger resolves, because his ability specifies "here" which requires him to be in play.
In 2v2 games, if I use Portal Rescue on my teammate's Mindsplitter, will the 'When you play me' effect trigger?
Ruling: Yes, the 'When you play me' effect will trigger. The owner (your teammate) is the one playing it, and it is getting played.
Does Stormbringer move a unit to the battlefield in its original state (active/exhausted) or does it change the unit's state?
Ruling: The unit maintains whatever state it was in before being moved. Card effects that cause units to move do not exhaust the unit.
When I cast Hard Bargain with repeat and my opponent casts Hard Bargain in response, does it counter both instances or only one?
Ruling: Hard Bargain counters both instances because repeat is still a single spell even when the repeat cost is paid, so the whole thing gets countered unless you pay (2).
For Get Excited, when do you declare the target and when do opponents know how much damage will be dealt?
Ruling: You must declare the target when Get Excited is put on the chain, but you don't discard until it resolves, so opponents won't know how much damage will be dealt until resolution.
Can Blitzcrank move enemy units from any location, including units on battlefields without ganking?
Ruling: Blitzcrank can move any enemy unit to his battlefield regardless of ganking restrictions. Movement restrictions (like ganking requirements) only apply to Standard Moves, not to moves caused by card effects.
What costs do you pay when hiding a card facedown, and do you pay anything when revealing/playing it from hidden?
Ruling: When you hide a card, you pay 1 Power of any domain (not the card's energy cost). When you play the card from hidden later, you pay no additional costs.
Can Gust be used on an attacking Immortal Phoenix to remove it before it gains its +2 might from Assault?
Ruling: You cannot Gust an Immortal Phoenix that is attacking, because it gains its +2 might from Assault passively and immediately, making it 5 might before any window to respond. Gust can only target units with 3 or less might.
In a 4-player FFA game, if I'm at 7 points and use RTW to move a unit to another battlefield during an opponent's turn, do I win?
Ruling: No, you do not win. To win via conquest, you must score all battlefields on the same turn. Moving to a battlefield on an opponent's turn means you're scoring battlefields across different turns.
Do hidden cards count as played cards for effects like Ravenbloom, or are only cards activated from hand considered played?
Ruling: Hidden cards do not count as played when you hide them on the battlefield. They count as played only when you later activate them from hidden.
If you score on a battlefield by holding, then leave with all units, and re-take it with Kai'sa in the same turn, does her conquer ability trigger?
Ruling: No, Kai'sa's conquer ability does not trigger. You cannot conquer a battlefield you've already scored on in the same turn by holding, because conquering requires scoring a point and you can only score once per battlefield per turn.
If Volibear, Relentless Storm triggers when a Mighty unit is played, but the opponent uses Stupefy to reduce the unit's power below 6 before Volibear's ability resolves, does Volibear still channel a rune?
Ruling: You still get the rune. The Mighty requirement is checked in the trigger condition when the unit is played, not upon resolution.
Can you use Flash to move units and prevent Dragon's Rage from causing units to strike each other?
Ruling: You can use Flash in response to Dragon's Rage, but the Dragon's Rage player doesn't choose which battlefield to move the targeted unit to until the spell resolves. If you Flash a unit to consolidate all your units in one location before Dragon's Rage resolves, the strike will be prevented because a unit cannot be moved to the same...
Can you recycle either active or exhausted runes?
Ruling: You can recycle runes in either state (active or exhausted). Nuances: - Exhausted runes can always be recycled - You generally shouldn't recycle a ready rune without first exhausting it
Can Kraken Hunter's ability (spending buffs to pay power costs) be used to pay for Accelerate costs?
Ruling: Yes, Kraken Hunter's ability to spend buffs can be used to pay for Accelerate costs because Accelerate is part of the total cost.
Does Tideturner ready the unit it swaps with if the other unit is already tapped?
Ruling: No, Tideturner does not ready the unit it swaps with. Abilities that move units forcibly don't ready or exhaust them unless otherwise specified.
When Smoke Screen reduces Ravenbloom Student to 1 might, does it stay at 1 might when the opponent plays a spell, or does it get +1 from the Student's ability?
Ruling: The unit gets +1 might from Ravenbloom Student's ability. The minimum of 1 might only applies when the Smoke Screen debuff is applied, not afterwards.
Can you cast spells without a valid target, such as Void Seeker or Acceptable Losses?
Ruling: If a spell needs a target, you must have a valid target to put it on the chain. However, spells that don't target anything (like Acceptable Losses) can be played without valid targets.
Can Pack of Wonders return a trashed gear or unit back into the player's hand?
Ruling: Pack of Wonders cannot target cards in the trash. It can only affect objects in play on the board.
How do the new Deathknell changes affect Kog'Maw's ability?
Ruling: The new Deathknell rules fix Kog'Maw so his ability now correctly resolves. Previously, "my battlefield" was invalid when Kog'Maw was in trash, but now the game remembers his original battlefield before he dies, allowing his damage effect to work properly.
How does damage sourcing work in Riftbound, specifically why does Challenge damage not get blocked by Unyielding Spirit?
Ruling: Challenge damage is not blocked by Unyielding Spirit because Challenge specifies that the chosen units are the source of the damage, not the spell itself. When a spell or ability specifies a unit as the damage source, it replaces the spell/ability as the source rather than being in addition to it.
When a unit with a move trigger (like Traveling Merchant) and another unit (like Yasuo) move to a battlefield held by a unit with a defend trigger (like Teemo Strategist), what is the order of trigger resolution?
Ruling: The move trigger is put onto the chain and resolves first, before the showdown happens. Then, when the showdown begins, the defend trigger resolves before the attack.
Does Miss Fortune give you a point when you play it to an open battlefield?
Ruling: Miss Fortune does not immediately give you a point when played to an open battlefield. You only score a point after conquering the battlefield through the showdown that is triggered.
Can you have multiple copies of the same unit in play at the same time, including multiple copies of your chosen champion?
Ruling: There are no restrictions on the number of copies of a unit you can have in play at any time. This applies to all units, including your chosen champion.
If an opponent attacks with a unit that has Deflect and you cast Face Breaker without paying the Deflect cost, are any units stunned?
Ruling: You cannot cast Face Breaker without paying the Deflect cost. Deflect increases the cost of your spell or ability, and you cannot put it on the chain unless you also pay the Deflect cost.
Can Darius - Trifarian ready himself and gain +2 might when he is played as the second card in a turn?
Ruling: Yes, Darius can ready himself and gain +2 might when played as the second card in a turn. His effect triggers on playing the second card "this turn," so he sees himself being played.
When a unit with 'when I move, draw 1 and discard 1' (like Traveling Merchant) moves to the battlefield, and you respond with Gust to remove it, does the draw/discard ability still resolve?
Ruling: Yes, the draw and discard ability still resolves. Once the Merchant moves and triggers its ability, the discard-draw effect goes on the chain and will resolve regardless of whether the Merchant is removed from the board.
Are token units considered units, and would a token unit generated by Viktor enter ready if Sun Disk is active?
Ruling: Token units are units. A token unit generated by Viktor would enter ready if Sun Disk is active. Sequence: - Play a 2-drop unit to enable Sun Disk - Tap Sun Disk - Tap Viktor Legend to generate a token - The token enters ready due to Sun Disk's effect
If a unit (Shen) is played to a location during an attack (after attackers are declared), does it get affected by Ahri's ability that affects attackers?
Ruling: Yes, units are considered attackers even if they arrive at the location after attackers are initially declared. All attack triggers related to them fire after the cleanup that assigns them as such.
When a chain resolves in Riftbound, does focus pass after the last item resolves, and can a player cast another Action before passing focus?
Ruling: Actions can only start a chain, never be cast while a chain is open. After a chain fully resolves (all items from last to first), focus automatically passes to the next player, who can then start a new chain with an Action.
If Sett is buffed to 8 Might with Call to Glory after taking 6 damage from Falling Stars, then gets hit by Smokescreen (which reduces Might by 4 to minimum 1), does Sett die?
Ruling: Yes, Sett dies. Damage and Might are tracked separately - damage counts up from 0, while Might can be increased or decreased. When a unit's Might falls below its accumulated damage, the unit dies.
If Fiora (Peerless Duelist) is defending at Reavers with a hidden Fog of War, and 2 cards attack her, can you play the hidden Fog of War on defend triggers to make it one-on-one and trigger Fiora's ability?
Ruling: Fiora's ability does not trigger. Her trigger condition requires her to be attacking or defending one-on-one at the time attack/defend triggers are evaluated. Since she is not one-on-one when triggers are initially checked, her ability does not go on the chain at all, and playing Fog of War afterward cannot retroactively create the trigger.
If I'm at 7 points with Grove and Mundo, can I Ride the Wind to the opponent's battlefield on their turn to reach 8 points and win?
Ruling: No, you cannot win by moving to the opponent's battlefield on their turn when at 7 points. To score the Final Point (8th point) on an opponent's turn, you must Score every Battlefield through Conquer that turn, which requires conquering both battlefields in a single turn.
When a card triggers during the process of playing a spell (such as targeting or paying costs), does the trigger resolve before or after the spell that triggered it?
Ruling: When a trigger condition is met during the process of playing a spell (whether from targeting, paying costs, or other activation procedures), the triggered ability is added on top of the chain immediately and resolves before the spell that triggered it.
Can you target a unit that is not at the active showdown (e.g., using an action card like Challenge to make a unit from a different battlefield fight a unit at the active showdown)?
Ruling: Yes, you can target units that are not at the active showdown with action cards. Nuances: - Cards played from hidden can only target units at the battlefield they were hidden at - Units from different battlefields can be made to fight each other using action cards