Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 5 of 133 · 6,628 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Does Ravenbloom Student get its trigger buff when the spell that would trigger it is countered by Defy?
Ruling: No, Ravenbloom Student does not get the buff when a spell is countered. A spell is only considered "played" when it resolves, not when it enters the chain.
How does Volibear's Imposing ability work? Does it trigger when opponents move units to battlefields?
Ruling: Volibear must be at a battlefield for his ability to trigger. When an opponent moves one or more units with a Standard Move or spell to a different battlefield (not the one Volibear is at), you draw a card.
If a 5 might unit battles another 5 might unit, and one receives -1 might from Stupify, do they still trade?
Ruling: No, they do not trade. The unit with Stupify applied (now 4 might) dies, while the 5 might unit survives.
When playing Teemo, can you hide a Teemo unit directly from your champion zone, or do you need to first pay 1 energy to put it into your hand?
Ruling: You cannot hide a unit directly from your champion zone. You must first pay 1 energy to put the champion into your hand, then hide it from hand.
When a card with discard cost is discarded, does it cost its full printed cost or the alternative discard cost to play?
Ruling: When you discard a card with a discard cost, you pay the alternative discard cost (one red power), not the full printed cost.
Does 'when I attack' trigger if no enemy units exist but I'm still moving into a battlefield?
Ruling: No, "when I attack" only triggers during Combat, which doesn't happen when you move to an empty battlefield or a battlefield you already control.
Does a unit buffed by two Spirit Refuges have Deflect 3 (stacking Deflect values)?
Ruling: No, Spirit's Refuge does not stack Deflect because it says "they have Deflect if they didn't already." This prevents multiple instances from the same source from stacking.
If you hold a battlefield with Yasuo to reach 7 points, then gank the opposing battlefield but lose control of the first battlefield, do you still win since you scored from both battlefields in that round?
Ruling: Yes, you still win. You do not need to maintain control of the battlefield you held at the start of your turn in order to score the winning point from ganking/conquering the second battlefield.
Does Shield protect a unit when it is targeted by a spell that deals damage outside of combat?
Ruling: Shield is only active during combat. If a unit is targeted by a spell outside of combat, it does not benefit from Shield.
If Leona (Determined) moves to an occupied battlefield and stuns a unit, can you give her +1 buff from Leona Radiant Dawn before might values are resolved?
Ruling: Yes, Leona Radiant Dawn's buff trigger resolves before the damage step when Leona (Determined) stuns a unit by moving to an occupied battlefield.
How does the hidden mechanic work in Riftbound, specifically regarding where hidden cards can be placed and what they can target?
Ruling: Hidden cards are placed at a battlefield (only one per battlefield). You pay any color power to hide a card, then pay 0 to play it at that battlefield for its hidden cost. You cannot activate a card the same turn you hide it.
When Ahri's legend effect gives -1 power to attackers until end of turn, and a 1-power token is later buffed by +3 power that same turn, does the token have 3 or 4 total power?
Ruling: The token would have 4 power. Ahri's -1 power reduction is applied once at the specific timing when the trigger resolves, not continuously throughout the turn.
Can Defy counter a Hidden card when it's initially hidden, when it's cast normally, or when it's played from Hidden as a reaction?
Ruling: You cannot Defy a card when it is being hidden (it's not a spell being played at that point). You can Defy a hidden spell when it's played from Hidden as a reaction, as long as the printed costs meet Defy's requirements (4 energy or less and 1 rune or less). You cannot Defy non-spell hidden cards or hidden...
Can Adaptatron kill an opponent's gear?
Ruling: Yes, Adaptatron can kill an opponent's gear.
When there are 2 tanks on board defending, who chooses which tank takes damage first?
Ruling: The opponent (the attacking player) chooses which tank unit takes damage first when there are multiple tanks defending.
Does damage clear during cleanup after each item resolves on the Chain, specifically between playing a damage spell and attacking with a unit?
Ruling: Damage does not clear during cleanup after items resolve on the Chain. Damage only clears at the end of combat and at the end of turn.
Does Peak Guardian's buff effect work as an aura while it's on the battlefield, or does it only trigger once when played?
Ruling: Peak Guardian only buffs other allied units once when it is played directly to a battlefield. It does not provide an ongoing aura effect.
What is the difference between the add rune symbol and the generic rune (circled number) symbol?
Ruling: Numbers are energy symbols, while other symbols are power. An ability showing a circled number and a rune symbol means you exhaust a rune and recycle a rune of the specified color (these can be the same rune).
When a player contests a battlefield in a showdown, who has priority to play spells/actions first?
Ruling: The player who is attacking/contesting the battlefield gains both focus and priority first at the start of the showdown.
Does Siphon Power target, and can you skip the -1 might to enemies part of the effect?
Ruling: Siphon Power does not target units (it targets the battleground). You cannot skip parts of the effect, so you must give opponents -1 might.
If I play a Hidden card the same turn I play Time Warp, can I cast the Hidden card during my next turn (the extra turn from Time Warp)?
Ruling: Yes, you can cast the Hidden card during your extra turn from Time Warp. The extra turn counts as a new turn, which satisfies the Hidden timing requirement.
Are there tokens that are not considered as 'played'? What does it mean that the card type is not played (referring to 'if their card type is played')?
Ruling: Tokens are not considered "played" when their card type is not a type that gets played. Currently, this applies to token battlefields created when a player concedes in multiplayer games, since battlefields are not played.
Can I react to Mushroom Pouch with revealing a Hidden card so it doesn't disappear when Sprite dies?
Ruling: Yes, this works. When Sprite's Temporary trigger and Mushroom Pouch trigger at the start of turn, you can order them so Sprite's Temporary goes on the chain first, then Mushroom Pouch. After Pouch resolves and you draw, you can react with your Hidden card before Sprite dies.
If Lux Crownguard dies, do you keep the +2 energy she generates?
Ruling: Yes, you keep the +2 energy even if Lux dies. The effect cannot be reacted to, and the energy goes into a conceptual "Rune Pool" as floating energy.
Does Brynhir's ability go on the chain, and can reactions be played in response before it resolves?
Ruling: Yes, Brynhir's ability creates a chain from the "When you play me" trigger that you may react to. Once that chain resolves, you are no longer able to play cards.
When a hidden Permanent is played as a reaction card in a chain, can other players play reaction cards before it resolves?
Ruling: Permanents do not linger on the chain and cannot be reacted to. When a hidden Permanent is played in a chain, it is immediately played and removed from the chain, then priority passes for players to react to other cards in the chain.
Does Unyielding Spirit prevent Kill spells/effects?
Ruling: No, Unyielding Spirit does not prevent Kill or Banish effects. It only prevents damage from spells and abilities. Nuances: - Effects like Snapvine that directly set stats or trigger deaths are not considered ability damage and are not prevented by Unyielding Spirit
Can you float energy (or power) while resolving an effect that requires you to pay a cost, specifically when the resource you're floating is different from the resource being paid (e.g., floating energy while paying power for Nocturne or Bullet Time)?
Ruling: Yes, you can float energy or power while resolving an effect that requires you to pay a cost, even if the resource you're floating is different from the resource being paid. Activated abilities that Add resources with the Reaction tag can be activated any time resources are being paid during resolution.
Can you respond to non-reaction activated abilities (like Vi Destructive, Sett Brawler, Udyr Wildman) with removal spells to kill the unit before the ability resolves?
Ruling: You can only respond to activated abilities with reaction-speed cards. Most removal spells are actions and cannot be used in response to abilities.
If you control a battlefield at the start of your turn, then move your unit away so it becomes empty, can you move another unit there and gain another Conquer Point during the same turn?
Ruling: No, you cannot conquer the same battlefield twice in one turn. You can score each battlefield only once per turn, and conquering counts as scoring.
Does damage dealt to a unit reduce its might for combat damage purposes?
Ruling: Damage does not reduce might. A unit deals combat damage equal to its printed might value regardless of how much damage it has accumulated.
If a unit is targeted by a kill effect like Harnessed Dragon, and the controller responds with Portal Rescue, does the kill effect still resolve since the unit was on the board when Portal Rescue resolved?
Ruling: No, the kill effect does not resolve. Units that leave the board stop being legal targets, so the kill effect fizzles when the unit is no longer present.
If Lee Sin has X buffs, does Stand United give Lee an additional X might?
Ruling: Yes, if Lee Sin has X buffs, Stand United gives Lee an additional X might. Sequence: N/A
Does placing a card as hidden count as 'playing' that card? Does flipping that card count as playing it?
Ruling: Placing a card as hidden does not count as playing it. Flipping over hidden cards does count as them being played.
Can you include champion units in your main deck that are different from your chosen legend, and can you also include copies of your legend champion in the main deck?
Ruling: Yes, you can include champion units in your main deck even if they are different from your chosen legend. You can also include copies of your legend champion in the main deck.
When a player at 7 victory points triggers a showdown at one battlefield, and the opponent uses Ride the Wind to move their unit to a second battlefield (creating a potential second showdown), what is the order of resolution? Can the opponent win on the active player's turn by conquering one battlefield?
Ruling: The first showdown at battlefield 1 completes fully before the second showdown at battlefield 2 begins. If the active player conquers both battlefields during this sequence, they win by reaching 8 points. An opponent cannot win on another player's turn by conquering only one battlefield.
Is there a limit to the number of gear cards allowed on the board?
Ruling: There is no limit to the number of gear cards you can have on your board.
Can Discipline target Shen when both are played as reactions in the same chain, given that Shen is a unit that can be played as a reaction?
Ruling: Yes, Discipline can target Shen. When Shen is played as a reaction, he immediately exits the chain and enters play as a unit, making him a valid target for Discipline played in the same chain.
Does Volibear's draw effect trigger when he is on the base, or does he need to be at a battlefield?
Ruling: Volibear must be at a battlefield for his draw effect to trigger. When Volibear is on the base, his effect does not trigger because "other than mine" requires "mine" to be defined as a battlefield.
When a card says 'abilities that add resources can't be reacted to' (like Seal of Rage or Kai'Sa Legend), does this mean you cannot react to spells paid for using those abilities?
Ruling: You can react to the spell itself (like Falling Star), but you cannot react to the ability that adds resources to pay for it (like tapping Seal of Rage). The "can't be reacted to" restriction only applies to the resource-adding ability itself, which goes on the chain and instantly resolves without allowing reactions.
If Cithria of Cloudfield (with a buff counter) dies during combat, and Sett Kingpin loses the might buff from Cithria while having lethal damage marked on him, does Sett die?
Ruling: Sett survives. During the Resolution Step, all lethally damaged units are moved to trash simultaneously, then damage is healed. Since Cithria is still present when lethal damage is checked, Sett still has the extra might at that moment. After units are trashed, damage heals before cleanup would check again.
Can Sett, The Boss use his replacement effect to protect a unit that is already in base (e.g., when targeted by Harnessed Dragon)?
Ruling: Yes, Sett can use the replacement effect to protect a unit already in base. You do as much of the effect as possible, and being recalled is not a requirement to use the protection.
For Catalyst of Aeons, if I channel just 1 rune (not 2), do I also draw 1 card?
Ruling: If you channel 1 rune, you also draw 1 card. Nuances: - This ruling may differ from answers given in older rule question threads
Does using Pack of Wonders to return Treasure Trove to hand trigger its 'Leaves the board' effect?
Ruling: Yes, returning a unit to hand with Pack of Wonders triggers "Leaves the board" effects like Treasure Trove's draw and rune channel.
Is a draw possible in Riftbound when both players run out of cards and are stuck with units on different battlefields?
Ruling: No, a draw cannot happen in Riftbound. When you run out of cards (burnout), you shuffle your trash into your Main Deck, choose an opponent to gain 1 point, and then perform the action that caused the burnout.
Does Sett's ability to pay a power of any color and save a unit go into the chain?
Ruling: Sett's ability does not go on the chain. It is a replacement effect and is a known issue. Nuances: - Legend abilities as a general category may go on the chain, but Sett's specific ability is an exception as a replacement effect
Can Shen be played as a Reaction to a Showdown triggered by an opponent entering an Open Battlefield that the player does not control?
Ruling: No, you cannot play Shen as a Reaction to a Showdown on a Battlefield you don't control. Nuances: - Shen's card text specifies that you can only play him to a Battlefield that you control - Even without that specific text, the general rule prohibits playing units to Battlefields you don't control
When Promising Future reveals Charm (which moves a unit and triggers a showdown) and Discipline, does the showdown happen immediately when Charm resolves, or after all Promising Future cards have resolved?
Ruling: A showdown only happens when the chain is empty. Promising Future must fully resolve first, then all revealed cards resolve in order, and only after everything resolves does the showdown occur.
If a unit with Deathknell gets killed but is saved by Zhonyas, does the Deathknell effect still trigger?
Ruling: No, Deathknell does not trigger. Since Zhonyas prevents the unit from dying by replacing the death with a recall, the unit does not die and therefore Deathknell does not activate.
Does Snapvine's Carnivorous ability deal combat damage or ability damage, and can Unyielding Spirit prevent it?
Ruling: Snapvine's Carnivorous ability instructs Snapvine and the target unit to deal damage to each other. This damage is neither ability damage nor combat damage, so Unyielding Spirit cannot prevent it and stun does not stop it.