Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 40 of 151 · 7,508 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Does Ember Monk's +2 ability stack if multiple cards are played from hidden in the same turn, and does it work with hidden cards from any battlefield?
Ruling: The +2 boost lasts until end of turn and stacks for each card played from hidden. It doesn't matter which battlefield the hidden cards were on.
Does Wielder of Water get +2 might from its ability and +2 from Yi when targeted by Falling Star (a spell cast outside of combat)?
Ruling: No, Wielder of Water does not get the +2 might bonuses when targeted by Falling Star cast from hand. Since it's not a combat (not attacking, just casting a spell), the unit is not a defender and remains at base might.
When using Ride the Wind to move Yasuo to a different battlefield while already in a showdown on another battlefield, do both combats happen simultaneously, and can players react to both?
Ruling: The existing showdown must complete first before the new combat can begin. You cannot have two simultaneous combats - the active showdown continues until its combat damage step completes, then the new combat starts.
Does Dr. Mundo's ability that requires you to recycle three cards target, and if you have multiple Dr. Mundo, can you use both to target the same three cards to avoid recycling six?
Ruling: Dr. Mundo's ability does not target because you choose the cards to recycle as the ability resolves, not before. If you have two Dr. Mundo, you would have to recycle six cards total.
When Baited Hook kills a unit that has +1 buff or increased might from another card, does it allow you to play units considering the buffs or without them?
Ruling: Baited Hook uses the current might of the killed unit, including any boosts or buffs it had. Nuances: - This interaction is enabled by Last Known Information (LKI), which remembers the unit's state including buffs at the moment it was killed.
Does Unyielding Spirit block cards that give units minus might?
Ruling: No, Unyielding Spirit does not block cards that give units minus might. Only damage is damage. Nuances: - Minus might effects are mechanically distinct from damage
Can I play a reaction spell after both players have passed focus/priority?
Ruling: Once both players pass focus/priority, it is too late to play a reaction spell. You cannot go back to play cards after both players have passed.
What is the correct order of operations for setting up a game (picking battlefield, deciding turn order, choosing champion, etc.)?
Ruling: The setup order is: reveal legends, reveal chosen champions, choose and reveal battleground (method depends on game type), determine first player and turn order, then draw 4 cards and mulligan (up to two cards to bottom of deck, redraw that many).
Does hiding a card enable legion (i.e., can you hide a card then play a legion spell for its effect)?
Ruling: Hiding a card does not enable legion. Hiding is not the same as playing a card. Nuances: - Legion requires playing a card, not just hiding one
If I play Smokescreen on a unit and my opponent uses Retreat in response, does my student still get the might buff from playing a spell?
Ruling: Yes, the student still gets the might buff from playing the spell. Nuances: - Even if a spell resolves to no effect (because its target is no longer valid), it still counts as having been played for triggered abilities
Can a player use reaction spells in response to an opponent playing a unit from hand before it hits the board?
Ruling: No, you cannot react to an opponent playing a unit. When playing a permanent (including units), priority does not pass on the chain, so there is no response window.
Does playing Sett trigger Volibear's effect?
Ruling: No, playing Sett does not trigger Volibear's effect. Sett enters as a 4 Might unit, and by the time Sett's triggered ability resolves to make him 5 Might, Volibear's window of activation has already passed.
When attacking with Darius - Executioner and recruits against Ahri - Nine-Tailed Fox, what is the final Might of the recruits after both effects apply?
Ruling: If Darius arrives at the battlefield with the recruits as Ahri's trigger resolves, the recruits will be 1 Might. If Darius somehow arrives after Ahri's triggers resolve, they'll wind up at 2 Might.
When Yasuo attacks and triggers his ability, does he kill the defending Yasuo before combat damage, or do they deal damage to each other and both die?
Ruling: The attacking Yasuo's ability triggers and kills the defending Yasuo before they deal combat damage to each other. Sequence: - Yasuo attacks - Yasuo's ability triggers - The defending Yasuo is killed by the trigger - No combat damage is dealt between them
If a stunned card dies but recalls with Zhonya's, does it keep the stunned status?
Ruling: Yes, the card will still be stunned after recalling with Zhonya's.
What is the correct sequence for revealing battlefields and determining turn order at the start of a game?
Ruling: Battlefields are chosen secretly and revealed simultaneously before determining turn order. Turn order is then determined using any fair random method agreed upon by all players.
When conquering Hirana Monastery, does the buff that needs to be spent have to be from that battlefield, or can it be from a unit in base or on a different battlefield?
Ruling: Any buff on your board can be spent to conquer Hirana Monastery, regardless of whether it is on a unit in your base or on a different battlefield.
Can the new Irelia item reduce a character's might to 0, and if so, does the unit die immediately or does it require damage?
Ruling: The new Irelia item can reduce might to 0. Units with 0 might do not die immediately; they must take damage to be killed.
Can you use Dragon's Rage to move an enemy unit to a battlefield where their teammate is already present?
Ruling: No, you cannot use Dragon's Rage to move an enemy unit to a battlefield where their teammate is already present. Teammates cannot both occupy the same battlefield, and no more than two people can have units at a battlefield. The target would need to be rechosen because it would result in an illegal gamestate.
When an enemy Yasuo Champion (who deals his might as damage when attacking) attacks into Ahri Legend (who gives -1/-1 when an enemy unit attacks), does Ahri's trigger resolve first to reduce Yasuo to 6 damage, or does Yasuo deal 7 damage first?
Ruling: Ahri's trigger resolves first, reducing Yasuo's might before his damage trigger resolves, so Yasuo deals 6 damage instead of 7.
Can you exhaust Sun Disc during the sequence of playing a unit that discards, then playing Flame Chompers from discard, to give Flame Chompers ready instead of the first unit?
Ruling: No, you cannot exhaust Sun Disc in the middle of this sequence. The discard effect goes on the chain immediately after playing the unit, then the Flame Chompers effect immediately goes on a new chain, and Sun Disc doesn't have Reaction so there's no window to activate it between these events.
Does Adaptatron's ability trigger and buff itself if there is no gear to kill?
Ruling: Adaptatron only lets you kill a gear. If there's no gear to target, you can't fulfill the condition and the buff does not occur.
If Smoke Screen reduces a 4 Might unit to 1 Might (a -3 reduction), and later the opponent uses Discipline to gain 2 Might, does the unit end up at 2 Might (reduction still applies fully) or 3 Might (reduction was snapshotted)?
Ruling: The Might reduction from Smoke Screen is snapshotted at the time of application. If a 4 Might unit is reduced to 1 Might (a -3 reduction), and later gains 2 Might from Discipline, the unit will end up at 3 Might total.
Do self-referencing pronouns (I/me/my) in card text cause a unit to target itself?
Ruling: Self-referencing pronouns (I/me/my) do not cause a unit to target itself because there is no player choice involved. Sequence: - Check if the game object is mentioned in the spell or ability text - Determine if the object is "chosen by the spell or ability's controller" - If there is no potential for player choice (as with self-reference), it...
Can there be multiple chains in a showdown, and how do actions vs reactions work with chains?
Ruling: You can have infinite chains in a showdown, but only one chain at a time. Actions can only be used to start a chain (not in response to an existing chain), while reactions can be played whether or not there is a chain.
If my opponent attacks a battlefield where I have a unit and plays Rebuke (which resolves), can I then play Zenith Blade to move another unit from base into the showdown?
Ruling: Yes, you can play Zenith Blade after Rebuke resolves. You will stun one of their attackers, then move a unit into the showdown where it becomes a defender.
Can Kai'Sa's legend ability be used to pay for the Deflect cost when playing a spell targeting a unit with Deflect?
Ruling: Yes, Kai'Sa's legend ability can be used to pay for Deflect costs. Since Deflect is a mandatory additional cost, it becomes part of the spell's total cost.
Can you use Windwall to counter an opponent's spell that was played via Promising Future?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Windwall to counter an opponent's spell played via Promising Future when you control the Promising Future.
When playing Discipline in response to an opponent's attack, do you draw the card immediately or only after it resolves?
Ruling: Discipline must resolve before you draw the card. The opponent has a chance to react and counter Discipline before it resolves.
When playing a card hidden, do you need to pay the rune cost in addition to the power requirement?
Ruling: When playing a card hidden, you only pay 1 power in a battlefield you control. You do not pay the card's normal rune cost or energy cost. When revealed later as a reaction, you play it without paying its cost.
Can you tap a Fury Rune for Energy, recycle it for power, play Seal of Rage with that power, and then use the Energy from the Fury Rune plus a Chaos Rune to play Vi, Destructive?
Ruling: Yes, you can play both cards in this sequence. Energy and power exist in separate pools that persist during your turn.
Can Zhonya be played in base to save a unit on a battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, Zhonya can be played in base to save a unit on a battlefield, but not as a hidden spell.
When a unit with 4 Might is played at Trifarian War Camp (which gives +1 Might), does it trigger Voli Legend's ability (which requires playing a unit with 5+ Might)?
Ruling: Yes, a 4 Might unit played at Trifarian War Camp will trigger Voli Legend's ability because "when I'm played" triggers check after the unit is already on the board, at which point the War Camp's continuous buff has already applied.
During a showdown, after the initial chain resolves and a player plays an action spell that resolves, who gets priority next - does it depend on who played the spell?
Ruling: During a showdown after the initial chain has resolved, when the chain becomes empty again, the player who did NOT own the most recent effect on the chain gets focus and priority.
When playing a unit with Accelerate while Volibear's legend effect is active, can you choose the sequence - specifically, can you use Volibear's ramp effect before deciding whether to pay the Accelerate cost?
Ruling: You must decide whether to play the unit with Accelerate or not before using Volibear's ability. Once you finish resolving playing the unit and move on to Volibear's effect, you cannot go back to change the Accelerate decision.
Do passive cost reduction effects (like Rhasa's) and stat modification effects (like Draven's) apply when cards are in zones outside of play (graveyard/deck)?
Ruling: Cost reduction effects and continuous stat modification effects only apply while cards are on the board. When checking costs or stats from other zones like graveyard or deck, only the printed values are used.
Does Draven's legend ability work if you conquer an empty battlefield?
Ruling: No, conquering an empty battlefield does not trigger Draven's legend ability because it was a showdown, not a combat.
Does Singularity have to pick 2 different units or can it pick the same one twice?
Ruling: Singularity must target two different units and deals 6 damage to each target (not 6 total split between them).
If Darius is played as the second card, gets Rebuked, then replayed as the third card, does he enter play exhausted or ready?
Ruling: Darius will stay exhausted when replayed as the third card. He does not need to be on board to count himself as the third card played in a turn.
Does Firestorm deal damage to all enemy units at all battlefields, or do you choose a specific battlefield where all enemies take 3 damage?
Ruling: You choose one specific battlefield, and all enemy units at that battlefield take 3 damage. Nuances: - The phrase "at a battlefield" indicates you must choose a target battlefield, not that it affects all battlefields - Cards that affect all battlefields use different wording (see Unchecked Power and Flurry of Blades for comparison)
If Ahri reduces a unit to 1 might (minimum), and that unit is later pumped above 1 might during the same turn, does the -1 reduction still apply?
Ruling: No, the -1 does not apply retroactively. Ahri's triggered ability takes effect once when combat begins, reducing units' might by 1 (minimum 1). Any later increases to might are not influenced by Ahri's effect.
If all units at a battlefield die in combat and there is still a hidden unit on that battlefield, can the hidden unit be activated after showdown resolution, or does it trash?
Ruling: If combat has fully resolved with no deathknell or other triggers/abilities remaining, you cannot activate the hidden unit. The hidden unit will trash.
Can Ride the Wind move a unit from one Battle Field to another Battle Field without a ganking unit present?
Ruling: Yes, you can move a unit with Ride the Wind from one Battle Field to another Battle Field without a ganking unit. When a spell or ability tells you to move, you just do what the spell says - only the standard move has restrictions about ganking units.
Can actions and reactions be played before or after "when attack" and "when defend" effects resolve?
Ruling: Only reactions can be played in response to "when I attack/defend" triggers. After those effects resolve, both actions and reactions can be played (when no chain is present).
Does Divine Judgment force you to choose your opponent's units/gear if you don't have enough of your own to fulfill the requirement of choosing 2 of each type?
Ruling: Yes, Divine Judgment forces you to choose from any units/gear in play, including your opponent's, if you don't have enough of your own. Since the card does not say "up to" and does not restrict choices to things you control, you must choose 2 of each type from all available options.
Can Riposte be played in response to Cleave during a showdown after Cleave has already resolved?
Ruling: Riposte cannot be played after Cleave has resolved. Riposte requires both a friendly unit and a spell on the chain as targets to be played legally. Once Cleave resolves, there is no spell on the chain anymore, making it too late to play Riposte.
Does a showdown start if I move a unit to a battlefield I've already scored at?
Ruling: A showdown does not start if you move units to a battlefield you control, even if you've already scored at it. However, if you move all units out and lose control, then move back in later, a showdown will start (though you won't score another point or get conquering procs).
When Kai'Sa Survivor conquers at Zaun Warrens, can I choose the order of the triggers to draw from Kai'Sa before discarding and drawing from Zaun Warrens?
Ruling: Yes, both "when you conquer" triggers are simultaneous, so you can order them however you like. Sequence: - Both triggers go on the chain simultaneously - You choose the order (CL1 and CL2) - You can put Kai'Sa at CL2 to draw before Zaun Warrens resolves at CL1
If you defend with Teemo, Strategist while having Rabadon's Deathcrown equipped and reveal 0 cards with Hidden, will Teemo create a 'Deal 0' damage trigger that can be impacted by Rabadon's Bonus Damage?
Ruling: No. Teemo does not create a damage event if 0 cards with Hidden are revealed. You cannot deal 0 damage - 0 damage is not a valid damage event.
If you kill your own unit in a battlefield after scoring a hold point, can you conquer that same battlefield in the same turn?
Ruling: You can move to and conquer the battlefield in the same turn after scoring a hold point there, but you will not score an additional point or trigger any conquer abilities.