Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 41 of 133 · 6,620 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
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.
If a unit targeted by Void Seeker leaves the battlefield before Void Seeker resolves (e.g., returns to base), does it still take damage?
Ruling: The unit does not take damage. When Void Seeker resolves, target legality is checked again, and if the unit is not at a battlefield, the damage part won't resolve. You still draw 1 card due to the "do as much as you can" rule.
Does casting Primal Strength on Bilgewater Bully trigger its Ganking ability?
Ruling: No, Primal Strength does not trigger Ganking on Bilgewater Bully because Primal Strength does not use the "buff" mechanic.
If you use Baited Hook to play Cruel Patron, do you still have to kill a friendly unit? What happens if Cruel Patron is the only unit you control?
Ruling: When Baited Hook plays Cruel Patron, you must still pay the additional cost of killing a friendly unit because Baited Hook only ignores printed costs, not additional costs. If you cannot pay the additional cost (e.g., Cruel Patron is your only unit), the card is placed on the chain but then returned to banishment since the cost cannot be...
Does Sett trigger Volibear's ability when played, since Sett gains +1/+1 on play and could become Mighty?
Ruling: Sett does not trigger Volibear's ability when played. Volibear's trigger condition requires the unit to be Mighty at the time it is played, and Sett only becomes Mighty after his on-play effect resolves.
How does damage work during showdown?
Ruling: You add up all the might of living units you control to determine total damage available, then assign lethal damage to opponent units one at a time.
Does Bullet Time only damage at a single battlefield or any battlefield that opponent has a unit at?
Ruling: Bullet Time only damages at a single battlefield. Nuances: - If the card affected multiple battlefields, it would use plural wording ('at battlefields' instead of 'at a battlefield')
How to install Riftbound modules on Tabletop Simulator?
Ruling: Find the Riftbound workshop on the TTS community page, search for it, and subscribe to it to install everything needed.
What type of ability is the standard move?
Ruling: The Standard Move is a Discretionary Action, not one of the four main ability types (activated, triggered, passive, or replacement). The term "Inherent Ability" in the rules is using "ability" in the general sense to indicate all units can perform this action, not as a keyword or ability type.
If the attacking player's only unit dies during a showdown (killed by Hextech Ray with no reaction), does the showdown end immediately or can the attacking player still play action cards like Hidden Blade?
Ruling: Killing the attacking unit does not automatically end the showdown. The attacking player can still play action spells like Hidden Blade.
Does Zenith Blade target a friendly unit?
Ruling: Yes, Zenith Blade targets a friendly unit. Even though the card uses "you may" language, it still targets a friendly unit according to the targeting rules, meaning you cannot play Zenith Blade without a friendly unit on the board.
Does gusting a victor token count as killing the unit for the purpose of revival effects like Phoenix?
Ruling: No, gusting a token does not count as killing the unit. Sequence: - The unit returns to hand - The token ceases to exist - This happens off the board, so it is not counted as a kill
Does Sett's healing effect restore Might that was reduced by Thousand-Tailed Watcher?
Ruling: No, healing effects like The Boss only heal damage. Might gain and loss are retained and not restored by healing effects.
Does Jinx Legend's ability trigger and open a chain at the start of the Beginning Phase even when the player has more than 1 card in hand, allowing them to play cards and potentially draw if they meet the condition after resolving those cards?
Ruling: Jinx Legend's ability triggers at the start of your Beginning Phase regardless of how many cards are in your hand, opening a chain. The condition of having 1 or fewer cards is checked on resolution, not when triggering. This allows players to play reactions during the chain and potentially meet the draw condition before the ability resolves.
When an effect like Baited Hook kills a Deathknell unit and hits a unit with WYPM in the same effect, do the pending items get added in the order the instructions happened, or are they considered simultaneous?
Ruling: Different instructions inside the same effect happen sequentially for the purpose of adding pending items to the chain. The Deathknell trigger becomes pending before the WYPM unit becomes pending, even though they're part of the same effect.
When Adaptatron attacks and conquers a field where the defending player has Zhonyas in base and a 2m defender on battlefield, does Zhonyas or Adaptatron trigger first?
Ruling: Zhonyas applies before Adaptatron triggers because scoring happens after combat cleanup. Sequence: - Combat cleanup occurs - Zhonyas applies (as a replacement effect, not a triggered ability) - Scoring happens - Adaptatron triggers
Can a Hidden Zhonya's be used as a reaction when an opponent Charms your unit to their battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, you can react with Hidden Zhonya's to the Charm effect. Hidden cards gain the 'reaction' tag, and since Zhonya's doesn't target, its effect isn't restricted to the battlefield where it was hidden.
Can you conquer the same battlefield twice in one turn by moving a unit away and then moving another unit back to it?
Ruling: You can only score one point per battlefield per turn. If a battlefield is conquered or held, it cannot be re-conquered or re-held on the same turn.
Does Assault trigger when moving to an empty battlefield?
Ruling: Assault does not activate when moving to an empty battlefield. Nuances: - Assault is a passive ability (on or off), not a trigger
Do triggers on the chain still resolve if the permanent that put the trigger on the chain is removed from the board in response? Specifically, if Volibear attacks (placing a 5 damage trigger on the chain) and is then removed by Hidden Blade, does the 5 damage trigger still resolve?
Ruling: No, the 5 damage trigger does not resolve if Volibear is removed from the battlefield. Because Volibear's ability references "here" (the battlefield), when Volibear dies the targets become invalid since he is no longer at the battlefield the original targets were at.
If Voli is my legend and I play a unit with Weaponmaster that takes a weapon causing it to become mighty, does it trigger Voli's legend ability?
Ruling: No, it does not trigger Voli. Weaponmaster makes a unit mighty after it is played, so the unit is not mighty when played.
Does a Showdown still occur at a scored battlefield when a player moves a unit there after moving all their units out?
Ruling: Yes, a Showdown always happens if a unit applies contested to a battlefield. Sequence: - Player holds battlefield and scores a point - Player moves all units out (no one controls it) - Player moves another unit in - Showdown occurs (though no point is scored again)
Can you use Retreat on a recruit token and channel 1 rune from it?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Retreat on a recruit token and channel 1 rune from it. The token does go to your hand but ceases to exist immediately after moving there.
If Hidden Blade targets a unit that is then Retreated (returned to hand) before Hidden Blade resolves, does Hidden Blade retarget another unit or draw cards?
Ruling: Hidden Blade does not retarget another unit, nor does it cause the player to draw cards. Once targets have been chosen, they cannot be changed, and if the target is no longer visible when Hidden Blade resolves, it whiffs completely.
If a unit is killed in response to its ability triggering, does the ability still resolve?
Ruling: All triggered abilities still resolve as much as they can, even if the unit dies. However, if the ability requires valid targets or references the unit's location, those parts will fail if the target is no longer valid or the unit is no longer at the specified location.
Can gold/universal power tokens be used to pay for specific recycle costs that require a particular domain (like blue or red)?
Ruling: Universal power (gold tokens) can be used to pay any power cost of any domain, including specific recycle costs that require blue, red, or any other specific domain.
If Brynhir is played and resolves first, does it prevent opponents from playing their cards when Promising Future is played afterward?
Ruling: No, Brynhir does not prevent opponents from playing cards from Promising Future when played in this order. When Brynhir resolves before Promising Future is played, her ability is active and prevents opponents from playing cards.
If Aurora is readied by Ride of Wind after Deadbloom starts a showdown, will Aurora's ability trigger again at end of turn?
Ruling: No, Aurora will not trigger again. Aurora is not an exhaust ability, it is an end of turn trigger that only triggers once at the end of your turn.
What counts as 'playing a card' in Riftbound?
Ruling: A card counts as "played" regardless of whether it's played from hand or cheated out through other means. Tokens are not cards and therefore spawning a token does not count as playing a card.
When a unit equipped with Zero Drive dies, does the order of tap3/recycle then banish matter, and how does the banish cost work?
Ruling: When a unit equipped with Zero Drive dies, only the unit gets banished (not the equipment). Later, when Zero Drive is unattached, you can pay the cost and banish Zero Drive itself to play all units that died while wearing it this game for free.
Can Immortal Phoenix be played from the crypt if it is killed by your own Cull the Weak?
Ruling: Yes, you can play Immortal Phoenix from the crypt if you kill it with your own Cull the Weak.
Does Yasuo's Unforgiven ability (which moves him) cause attack triggers?
Ruling: Yes, if you use the ability to move Yasuo into a battlefield occupied by your opponent, it causes attack triggers.
Can Seal of Focus be played from hand and used to add a resource on the same turn it enters play?
Ruling: Yes, Seal of Focus can be used to add a resource on the same turn it is played because gear comes into play ready.
Can I use different colored sleeves for my Legend, main deck, Runes, and Tokens?
Ruling: Yes, you can use different colored sleeves for different deck types (Legend, main deck, Runes, Tokens), since these cards have different colored backings anyway.
Are battlefields chosen simultaneously during setup, and are the set aside battlefields public information?
Ruling: Battlefields are chosen simultaneously during setup. The set aside battlefields are not public information.
When Baited Hook kills a unit with buffs that increase its might, does it check the buffed might or the printed might to determine what unit you can play?
Ruling: Baited Hook checks the current might of the unit at the time of death, including all modifications from buffs or other effects.
Does Strike Down remove Guardian Angel before the damage can kill the unit, or does Guardian Angel prevent the death?
Ruling: Strike Down will kill the unit. The Guardian Angel is removed before the damage can kill during cleanup. Sequence: - Strike Down deals damage and removes Guardian Angel - Damage doesn't kill until the following cleanup phase - Guardian Angel is removed before that cleanup occurs - Unit dies in cleanup without Guardian Angel protection
Can you spend multiple buffs on Monastery of Hirana when you conquer to draw multiple cards?
Ruling: No, you can only spend one buff to draw one card when you conquer with Monastery of Hirana. Sequence: - The triggered ability triggers once when you conquer - You may spend a single buff as part of that one trigger - You draw one card
In a 3-player Skirmish, do you need to control all 3 battlefields to win on your last point?
Ruling: You can win off of holding a single battlefield for your last point. The last point rule only affects conquering when you haven't scored every other location that turn.
When Anivia moves to an occupied battlefield and her attack trigger kills the defending unit during the initial chain, do players get action windows during the showdown steps?
Ruling: The showdown still proceeds through all its normal steps with focus windows for both players, even though the defender was killed during the initial chain. Players cannot play action cards in response to Anivia's When I Attack trigger because it's on a chain (closed state).
For Blazing Scorcher, can you pay the 1 energy and 1 Fury cost by exhausting 1 rune and recycling 1 red (which can be exhausted)?
Ruling: The 1 energy and 1 Fury power is an additional cost you may choose to spend while casting Blazing Scorcher, not a cost reduction. You determine the base cost of 5 energy first, then optionally pay the additional cost of 1 energy and 1 Fury power to have the unit enter ready instead of exhausted.
Can Chemtech Enforcer be played if you have no cards in hand?
Ruling: Yes, you can play Chemtech Enforcer with no cards in hand. Sequence: - Chemtech Enforcer enters the board first - The "When You Play Me" (WYPM) trigger occurs after the unit is already on the board - Since the trigger happens after the unit is in play, having no cards in hand does not prevent playing the unit
Does Yasuo Remorseful's attack trigger occur before or after Master Yi's defense bonus applies?
Ruling: Master Yi's defense bonus applies before Yasuo's attack trigger resolves. Yi's effect is a passive that activates instantly when defender status is assigned, while Yasuo's trigger must go on the chain and resolve.
Can Seal of Unity pay for itself (can you activate its ability to generate power while finalizing it to pay for its own cost)?
Ruling: No, Seal of Unity cannot pay for itself. Abilities can only be activated when the game object is in the appropriate zone, and permanents like seals need to be on the board to activate their abilities. You have to pay their costs as you finalize them, which is before they are on the board and can be activated.
If a unit dies during a showdown on the opponent's turn, causing temporary loss of control, and another unit is moved into that battlefield during the same showdown to win it, does the player score a point?
Ruling: No, you do not score a point if you move a unit back into the battlefield during the same showdown. Control is not checked during active showdowns, so you never lost and regained control - you maintained control throughout the showdown.
Can you score on an opponent's turn, and does scoring on your turn prevent scoring the same battlefield again on the opponent's turn?
Ruling: You can score on an opponent's turn. The only restriction is you cannot score the same battlefield twice in one turn (your turn or opponent's turn are separate turns).
When a hidden card is revealed or a unit is played, does it enter the battlefield ready or exhausted?
Ruling: Units inherently enter the battlefield exhausted when played or revealed from hidden. However, specific card text can override this default rule.
Can you play Harnessed Dragon if the opponent doesn't have a unit out?
Ruling: Yes, you can play Harnessed Dragon even if the opponent has no units. The ability will fail to finalize (enter the chain) if there is no valid target.
Can Vi's ability be used when defending in a showdown declared by the opponent?
Ruling: No, Vi's ability cannot be used during a showdown. Vi's ability does not have the "Action" or "Reaction" keywords, so it can only be used during your own turn, outside of a showdown, and only while no chain currently exists.
If a unit with a 'when I attack/defend' effect enters the battlefield after the initial 'when I attack/defend' chain has already resolved during a showdown, does it still get that effect?
Ruling: Units that enter the battlefield during combat still get their 'when I attack/defend' effects as long as it is the first time they are gaining the attacker or defender designation during this combat.