Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 49 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
If I use Challenge in a showdown targeting my stunned 3 might unit against an attacking 6 might unit, does the stunned unit still deal damage via Challenge, allowing my other 3 might unit to finish off the damaged attacker?
Ruling: Yes, a stunned unit can deal damage through Challenge because Challenge damage is not combat damage, which is what Stun prevents. The stunned 3M unit deals 3 damage via Challenge to the 6M attacker, then the other 3M unit can finish it off in the showdown.
If a unit's might is reduced to 0, is it automatically sent to the trash, or does it need to have damage marked on it?
Ruling: A card with 0 might is not automatically sent to the trash. It still needs to have damage marked on it to be sent to the trash.
When defending a battlefield with 1 unit (5 might) against 2 attacking enemy units (2 might and 4 might), can the defender assign damage to kill both enemy units?
Ruling: Both players assign damage to units. The defender can split their damage across multiple attacking units, and the attacker chooses how their units' damage is distributed to defending units.
When a player possesses an opponent's unit with Deathknell and that unit dies, which player gets the Deathknell effect?
Ruling: The controller of the unit (the player who possessed it) gets the Deathknell effect, while the card goes to the owner's trash.
Can Kraken Hunter remove an enemy buff as a cost?
Ruling: No, you cannot spend an enemy unit's buff. A player can only spend buffs on units they control. Nuances: - Cards that say "spend a buff" do not explicitly state "spend a friendly unit's buff" in their text, but the rule still applies that you can only spend buffs from units you control
For abilities with 'you may' wording (like Tideturner), when do you decide whether to use the ability - when it triggers or when it resolves? Can the opponent react to it?
Ruling: When an ability with "you may" wording triggers, you must choose targets during activation (before opponent can react), but you decide whether to actually execute the "you may" effect during resolution.
If Darius is played as the second card in a turn, does he see himself as the second card and become ready?
Ruling: Yes, Darius sees himself as the second card and becomes ready when played as the second card of the turn.
When a permanent with an on-play triggered ability (like Tibbers) is played, can an opponent react to remove it before the triggered ability goes on the chain?
Ruling: When a permanent with a triggered ability is played, it enters the chain and immediately leaves to the board without giving priority to players. The triggered ability then activates and enters the chain. Opponents cannot react to remove the permanent before its triggered ability triggers.
Where in the rules does it state that moving into an empty battlefield causes a showdown?
Ruling: The rule stating that moving into an empty battlefield causes a showdown is found in section 425 of the rules (not in section 316.5.b.1, which only describes the consequences of such showdowns).
Does a defending player get a conquer point if they successfully defend a battlefield they already control by swapping in a stronger unit during the showdown?
Ruling: No, the defending player does not get a conquer point. A player who begins the showdown with control of the battlefield and successfully defends it does not conquer because they already control it.
Can you play Stupefy when there are no units on board just to pay 1 energy and draw 1 card?
Ruling: No, you cannot play Stupefy when there are no units on board. A valid target for the spell is required to play the card.
In Riftbound, when you create a chain as the active player, can you play multiple reaction cards before passing priority, or must you pass priority after each card?
Ruling: As the active player, you can play as many legally timed cards (such as reactions) as you want before passing priority. After playing each card, you remain the active player and can choose to play another card or pass priority.
Can you activate Unlicensed Armory without discarding any cards in your hand (if you have 0 cards)?
Ruling: You cannot activate Unlicensed Armory without discarding cards. Discarding is a required cost. Nuances: - You also cannot activate it without a legal friendly unit target, even if you just want to discard a card.
When moving Travelling Merchant from base to battlefield without cards in hand to discard, what is the correct sequence?
Ruling: You move the Travelling Merchant to the battlefield, skip the discard (since you have no cards in hand), draw 1 card, then initiate the showdown.
Is Yi's Legend Ability (which uses 'while' language) a trigger or a passive ability?
Ruling: Yi's Legend Ability is a passive ability, not a trigger. Abilities using "while" language are passive and the bonus is active whenever the condition is true.
If you move a unit off a battlefield you already scored this turn and move a unit back in, does it count as a conquer for 'when you conquer' effects?
Ruling: No, it does not count as a conquer for triggering 'when you conquer' effects. You can only score a battlefield once per turn, so moving back onto it does not count as conquering it again.
Does Brynhir prevent Machine Evangel's deathknell from creating tokens when it dies?
Ruling: No, Brynhir does not prevent Machine Evangel's deathknell from creating tokens because tokens are not cards. Nuances: - Brynhir only affects cards, not tokens
When a unit's might is decreased to 1 and then increased later, does the increase apply to the base might or the decreased value?
Ruling: Might changes happen once at the time the spell or ability resolves. They have no implication later in the turn. A unit decreased to 1 might that later receives a +1 might buff will become 2 might.
When you play Possession and move a unit to your base, is the unit tapped/exhausted, or can you move it to a battlefield the same turn?
Ruling: You take the unit in whatever state it is currently in. If it's exhausted it stays exhausted, but if it's ready it stays ready and can be moved.
How does Thousand-Tailed Watcher's "minimum of 1" Might reduction work with units that have buffs?
Ruling: When Thousand-Tailed Watcher reduces a unit's Might, buffs are factored into the reduction. The reduction is "snapshotted" at the minimum value (1), and that snapshot value persists even when new buffs are added later.
Does Sett's passive work with Baited Hook when the unit is not actually killed?
Ruling: Sett's passive does not work with Baited Hook if the unit is not actually killed. The unit must be actually killed through Baited Hook's ability for the interaction to work.
Does Carnivorous Snapvine trigger a showdown that would allow playing action cards?
Ruling: No, Carnivorous Snapvine is a triggered ability that opens a chain where you can only play Reactions, not action cards. Showdowns only occur when a unit moves to a battlefield.
To win by conquering 2 points, do you need units at both points simultaneously, or can you move a unit from one conquered point to conquer the second?
Ruling: You can move units from one point to another and still win. You just need to score on both battlefields on the same turn.
Does Fiora gain keywords when she attacks or defends alone with Mask of Foresight?
Ruling: Yes, if Fiora attacks or defends alone, after Mask of Foresight resolves she becomes 5 Might and gains the keywords associated with that Might level. She remains 5 Might for the rest of the turn.
If I choose a target and my opponent reacts by moving that target from the battlefield to base, can I change my target?
Ruling: You cannot change your target if your opponent reacts and moves the original target from the battlefield to base.
If someone plays a spell with Ravenbloom on the field and the spell is countered, does Ravenbloom gain +1?
Ruling: No, Ravenbloom does not gain +1 if the spell is countered. A spell only counts as being "played" when it resolves, not when it is cast. If a spell is countered, it does not resolve and therefore does not trigger "when played" abilities.
If I have 2 Viktor Leaders and one dies, does it generate a token?
Ruling: Yes, when one Viktor dies while another Viktor is on the board, the surviving Viktor will generate 1 token because Champion Units are still units and each separate card counts as an "other" unit.
If Traveling Merchant is moved to a battlefield and the opponent responds with Gust, does the Traveling Merchant's effect still trigger?
Ruling: Yes, the effect still triggers. All triggers resolve in this game, sometimes to no effect. Nuances: - If a card stipulates "here" but was returned to hand, the game can no longer determine where "here" is, so the effect resolves but does nothing
Does Pack of Wonders return opponent's units to hand or only your own units?
Ruling: Pack of Wonders only returns friendly units (your own units) to hand, not opponent's units. Nuances: - The card text specifies "friendly" which limits the effect to your own units only
Can you play a reaction spell during your opponent's turn if they don't trigger any chains, and how does Focus work after moving to a battlefield and your opponent responds?
Ruling: You do not get priority during your opponent's turn unless triggers occur or a showdown happens. Focus passes between relevant players until both pass without doing something; after your opponent plays something and the chain resolves, Focus automatically goes back to you.
Can you use Retreat on a recruit token?
Ruling: You can use Retreat on a recruit token, but the recruit will dissolve and go to the recruit pile.
If my opponent plays Hextech Ray targeting my Lecturing Yordle, and I respond with Stupefy to draw a card (drawing Retreat), can I play the Retreat I just drew before Hextech Ray resolves to save my Yordle?
Ruling: Yes, you can play the Retreat you drew from Stupefy before Hextech Ray resolves, returning the Yordle to hand and causing Hextech Ray to resolve with a null target.
For Baited Hook, if I kill a unit with 4 might, can I pick a 2 might unit, or does it have to be 4 might or higher?
Ruling: You can pick any unit with might equal to or below 1 plus the might of the killed unit. So killing a 4 might unit allows you to pick units with 5 might or less, including a 2 might unit.
When defending in combat, do you divide your total might among attackers, or do equal might units kill each other?
Ruling: Both attackers and defenders total up their might and distribute it as damage to opponent units in any way they choose.
For a card like Get Excited, do you only declare your target on cast, and when do you discard?
Ruling: You declare the targeted unit when you put Get Excited on the chain, but you don't discard until the spell resolves. This applies when the discard is part of the resolution of the spell and isn't an additional cost.
Does Ahri Legend's ability target attacking units?
Ruling: Ahri Legend does not target because you never choose which units are affected - it automatically applies to all attacking units. You do not need to pay deflect costs for Ahri Legend's ability.
Can you move an enemy unit to the other battlefield if the card doesn't mention ganking and the unit doesn't have ganking?
Ruling: Yes, you can move an enemy unit from battlefield to battlefield if the card effect has no restrictions in its text, regardless of whether the unit has ganking.
Does playing a damage spell like Disintegrate at an opponent's unit at Fortified Position start a showdown and trigger Fortified Position's 'when you defend here' ability?
Ruling: Playing a spell does not start a showdown or trigger "when you defend here" effects. Showdowns are only started by a unit of a player that does not currently control a battlefield moving into that battlefield.
Does Unyielding Spirit stop effects that kill a unit?
Ruling: No, Unyielding Spirit only stops damage from spells, not effects that directly kill a unit.
Can players continue to play reactions and start new chains during a showdown after the initial chain resolves, and how does priority work with when I attack/defend triggers?
Ruling: Yes, players can start multiple chains during a showdown. After any chain resolves (including the initial when I attack/defend triggers), the attacker gets focus and can play an action to start a new chain. After that chain resolves, the defender gets focus. This continues back and forth until both players pass focus consecutively, at which point combat damage occurs.
Can you score the 8th point by holding a battlefield, or do you need to conquer it?
Ruling: You can score the 8th point by holding a battlefield. The restriction on gaining the 8th point only applies when conquering; all other methods including holding will always give the 8th point.
Does Blitzcrank's ability (pulling an enemy unit to a battlefield) cause Legend Ahri's passive to trigger, and is the pulled enemy unit considered the attacker?
Ruling: Yes, when Blitzcrank pulls an enemy unit to a battlefield you control, that enemy unit becomes the attacker and triggers Ahri's passive. A unit moving onto an enemy-controlled battlefield is always the attacker, regardless of how they got there.
Does a unit's 'when this unit dies' effect trigger when returned to hand by Zhonia?
Ruling: The effect does not work because the unit does not actually die when returned to hand by Zhonia. Deathknell effects only trigger when their trigger condition (the unit dying) is met.
When Switcharoo targets a unit with equipment, does it affect the unit's base might or its current might including equipment bonuses?
Ruling: Switcharoo looks at the current might of the unit including any equipment or other modifiers, and then applies either a +/- might change for the remainder of the turn.
If I play a Reaction Spell (Gust) that returns a unit (Noxian Drummer) to hand, can I negate its triggered effect that plays a token on the battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, you can negate the effect. When Gust returns Noxian Drummer to hand before its triggered ability resolves, the ability cannot determine where "here" refers to since the Drummer is no longer at the battlefield location, causing the ability to resolve with no effect and no token is created.
Can you target 2 units at the same location with Dragon's Rage and make them hit each other?
Ruling: No, you cannot target 2 units at the same location with Dragon's Rage and make them hit each other.
Can you move a readied unit from one controlled battlefield to another controlled battlefield, potentially leaving the first battlefield uncontrolled?
Ruling: You cannot move a readied unit between battlefields without a source of ganking. The ability to move units between battlefields requires ganking.
When Dragon's Rage is played in multiplayer to move a unit onto a battlefield with another unit, does combat start before or after the reflexive trigger resolves, and does this affect whether Ahri Legend's trigger reduces might before the units potentially die?
Ruling: Combat cannot start until the chain is empty. Dragon's Rage's reflexive trigger must resolve before combat can begin, meaning units are not yet attackers or defenders when the reflexive trigger resolves. Therefore, Ahri Legend's trigger (which requires combat to have begun) does not reduce might before Dragon's Rage's reflexive trigger resolves, and shield/assault are not active during the second...
Who gains priority after a spell resolves from the chain?
Ruling: After an effect resolves from the chain, the owner of the next item on the chain gets priority. If the chain is empty, priority depends on the game state.
Can you flash a unit from Vilemaw Lair to base?
Ruling: No, Vilemaw Lair prevents any units from moving from it to base, whether through card effects or standard moves.