Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 6 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
When Yasuo (Champion) attacks a battlefield controlled by Ahri (Legend), whose 'when attacking/when attacked' ability triggers first on the chain?
Ruling: The attacker's triggers go on the chain first (on the bottom), followed by the defender's triggers. This means the defender's triggers resolve first, then the attacker's triggers resolve second.
Is "When you play me" considered a trigger ability, and can its order be determined by the player when it triggers alongside "When you play another unit" abilities?
Ruling: Yes, "When you play me" is a trigger ability, and when it triggers simultaneously with "When you play another unit" abilities, the player can determine the order of resolution.
Does Pirate's Haven give +1 Might to units readied during the Awaken Phase, and does it apply to units readied by Accelerate or units that enter play ready?
Ruling: Pirate's Haven gives +1 Might to units readied during the Awaken Phase and by card effects, but not to units that enter play already ready or units readied by Accelerate.
Is damage removed at the end of combat, even when no units die?
Ruling: Yes, damage is always removed at the end of combat, even if no units die. Sequence: - Combat damage is dealt - Any units with lethal damage are killed - Units are healed of all damage (this happens once per combat, immediately after units have died from lethal damage) - After healing, any triggers resolve
Can you respond to Jinx - Loose Cannon's Beginning phase ability trigger with a reaction card to prevent them from drawing cards and scoring?
Ruling: Yes, this scenario is valid. When Jinx's ability triggers at the beginning of the turn, it creates a window where either player can respond with reactions before the ability resolves. If you respond with a reaction that changes the game state so Jinx no longer qualifies for the ability (e.g., by removing a unit or causing them to draw...
When using Dazzling Aurora to play a card, are additional costs (like Cruel Patron's requirement to kill a friendly unit) also ignored, or must they still be paid?
Ruling: When Dazzling Aurora says to ignore costs, it only ignores the base cost of the card. Additional costs (such as Cruel Patron's requirement to kill a friendly unit) must still be paid.
If Smoke Screen reduces a unit's Might to 1, and that unit has Assault 2, does their Might become 3 when they attack, or does Smoke Screen's effect prevent Assault from working?
Ruling: Assault 2 still works after Smoke Screen. The unit's Might would be 3 when attacking (1 from Smoke Screen + 2 from Assault 2).
Can Sett's hero ability be used to recall a Sett that was killed in base and is already in base?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Sett's hero ability to recall a Sett even if it is already in base. Nuances: - The recall ability can be activated on units that are already at the recall destination
When playing Temmo from hidden (which costs 0), do you still need to recycle 1 blue rune?
Ruling: When you play cards from hidden, they cost 0 and you follow the text after "hidden" on the card's description instead of the original card's cost. You do not need to recycle the blue rune.
After passing initially in a showdown, if the opponent plays a reaction (En Garde) that resolves, is there another open state where the first player can play an action/reaction?
Ruling: Yes, there is another open state after En Garde resolves where you can activate a card like Cleave. Passing does not lock you out of future actions in the showdown.
Can you activate a rune for energy before recycling it to pay for a seal, and does that energy persist through the turn?
Ruling: Yes, you can activate a rune to generate energy before recycling it to pay for a seal's cost, and that energy remains available for the rest of the turn.
What does it mean that Battlefields are subject to Domain Identity?
Ruling: Battlefields can have a domain identity (rune colors), though current cards don't utilize this feature yet. Nuances: - No existing battlefield cards currently have domain identity - This is a rule for potential future cards
In which scenarios can Immortal Phoenix (OGN-037) be played from trash after being destroyed?
Ruling: Immortal Phoenix can be played from trash when destroyed by a spell (including your own spells), but not when destroyed by unit damage (Challenge, Combat) or by stat reduction effects.
How do focus and priority work in Riftbound, particularly during showdowns?
Ruling: Focus is a showdown-specific mechanic that determines who can play action-speed spells. The player with focus can play action or reaction spells to start a chain, while the player without focus can only play reaction spells in response to an existing chain.
Can Units and Champions be countered by cards that counter spells?
Ruling: No, Units and Champions cannot be countered by cards that counter spells. Spells are specifically labeled as spells, while units and champions are separate card types.
If you exhaust a card in the battlefield, does it participate in combat?
Ruling: An exhausted card on a battlefield can still defend in combat. Nuances: - This is similar to how moving a unit to an open battlefield exhausts it, but it can still defend
If Darius Trifarian is the first card of the turn and you play Challenge to fight a 5 might enemy, does Darius get his +2 might before or after the spell resolves?
Ruling: Darius gets the +2 might after Challenge resolves. Both units will be 5 might when they fight, so they both die.
Does Grand Stratagem apply to all units including token units?
Ruling: Yes, Grand Stratagem boosts all friendly units including token units. Tokens are units and receive the +5 boost. Nuances: - In most cases, Grand Stratagem is used specifically to boost token units
Can runes being recycled to pay for Bullet Time's power cost during its resolution also be tapped for energy at the same time?
Ruling: Yes, you can tap runes for energy at the same time you recycle them to pay for Bullet Time's power cost during resolution. Any Add ability with Reaction speed can be used during the resolution of a spell when paying costs.
How does Kai'Sa's ability work - does she commit to create energy or power, and how does that power function?
Ruling: Kai'Sa commits to create 1 power (not energy) that can only be used to pay power costs of spells.
In Flame Chompers' triggered ability 'When you discard me, you may pay {Red} to play me', is paying {Red} a cost or part of the effect? Can you activate the ability and choose not to pay on resolution?
Ruling: Paying the fury power is part of the effect, not a cost. The "may" applies to the resolution choice - the ability goes on the chain when discarded regardless, and you choose whether to pay during resolution.
Can Lux Crownguard's ability (gain 2 energy, use to play spells only) be used for 2 different spells, and can it be used for one spell first and then another spell later?
Ruling: Yes, you can use Lux's 2 energy for multiple different spells. You can "float" energy in your rune pool, meaning you generate the energy and use it later in the turn, even splitting it across multiple spells.
Can you exhaust all 12 runes to create a pool of 12 floating energy, then cast Divine Judgment and have 5 floating energy remaining to use during that turn?
Ruling: Yes, you can exhaust runes at any time to generate energy and create a floating pool of resources. Both players can exhaust and recycle their runes in response to Divine Judgment, and you can float both energy and power.
Can you react with a spell when Dazzling Aurora (Orange Gear) is played and used with a card?
Ruling: You can react to Dazzling Aurora with reactions when it triggers, but not when it is played. Nuances: - It is a triggered ability, so reactions can be used in response to the trigger - You cannot react to the gear being played itself, only to its triggered ability
Does reducing a unit's Might (like with Ahri's effect or Stupefy) reduce both the damage needed to kill it and the damage it deals?
Ruling: Reducing a unit's Might reduces both the damage needed to kill the unit and the damage that unit deals.
What is considered a damaged unit in Riftbound - is it a unit with lower might than original, or a unit that has received damage marked on it?
Ruling: A damaged unit is a unit that has damage marked on it (damage counters), not a unit that has had its might reduced. Might represents both attack power and maximum damage capacity, and dealing damage does not reduce might.
How can a player react to bring a unit back to the battlefield after an opponent moves it to base, when the chain closes after both players pass priority?
Ruling: When both players pass in sequence, the chain doesn't fully end - it stops accepting new items and resolves the top item. After that top item resolves, all players regain priority and can react again.
Can you score the game-winning point (8th point) using an ability like Ahri's hold ability or Tryndamere's conquer ability?
Ruling: Yes, you can score your 8th point (the game-winning point) using abilities such as Ahri's hold ability or Tryndamere's conquer ability.
Can action spells be played when an enemy moves a unit into an open battlefield to prevent them from taking the point?
Ruling: Yes, you can play action spells during an open showdown when an enemy moves a unit into an open battlefield.
What is the correct order for game setup actions (determining first player, drawing starting hand, mulligan, selecting battlefield), and how does this change in rounds 2 and 3 of a best-of-3?
Ruling: The setup order is: show Legend and Champion, pick battlefield, determine turn order, draw 4 cards, then mulligan if desired. In subsequent rounds of a best-of-3, skip the Legend/Champion reveal step.
Does the first player draw a card on their first turn in Riftbound?
Ruling: The first player draws a card on their first turn in a 2-player game, but does not draw a card on their first turn in games with more than 2 players.
Does reducing a unit's Might with Stupefy (causing existing damage to become lethal) count as killing with a spell?
Ruling: Reducing a unit's Might with Stupefy does not count as killing with a spell. When Stupefy reduces Might below the damage already marked on the unit, the game rules kill the unit due to damage equaling or exceeding Might, not the spell itself.
If you are instructed to reveal 5 cards but only have 1 card in deck (Nocturne), does this cause a Burn Out?
Ruling: Revealing cards does not cause a Burn Out. You reveal as many cards as possible (in this case, 1 card) and do not Burn Out, even if your deck becomes empty during the reveal process.
If a unit is reduced to 0 might through a combination of a spell effect and removing a buff, does it die if it has no damage on it?
Ruling: A unit at 0 might does not die unless it has non-zero damage on it. Reducing might to 0 alone is not sufficient to kill a unit.
Does Pirate Haven give +1/+1 to a unit that is already ready when it gains ready from another card effect?
Ruling: No, Pirate Haven does not give +1/+1 to a unit that is already ready when it gains ready. The unit must go from exhausted to ready to trigger Pirate Haven's effect.
Can you tap Legend: Viktor as a defensive action during a showdown on a battlefield you control?
Ruling: No, Viktor's ability cannot be used as a defensive action during a showdown because it does not have the 'Action' tag.
Does Viktor's leader effect trigger once for each unit killed, or once per kill instance when multiple units die simultaneously?
Ruling: Viktor triggers once for each unit killed individually, not once per kill instance. Nuances: - This applies whether multiple units die from a single spell or from a single combat showdown - If 4 units are killed simultaneously, Viktor triggers 4 times
How do Game State Checks work in Riftbound, when are they checked, and how are they applied?
Ruling: Cleanups are Riftbound's game state checks. The updated rules will substantially expand on when they happen, what they check, and what order things happen in during them.
If a unit takes damage, then has its Might reduced to equal or below the damage already assigned to it, does it die?
Ruling: Yes, if a unit has non-zero damage assigned that is equal to or greater than its current Might, it dies.
What happens to a hidden card on a battlefield when the only unit on that battlefield is moved away by an opponent's spell (Charm)?
Ruling: If the hidden card is not revealed as a reaction and it becomes the only card remaining on the battlefield, it gets removed during cleanup.
In Riftbound, during a Showdown phase, if my opponent uses a reaction to reduce my attacking unit's might, can I bring up a ready unit from my bench at that point, or must I maintain the number of attacking units?
Ruling: Once a Showdown is initiated, you cannot use standard move anymore until the showdown concludes, so you cannot bring up additional units from your bench during the Showdown.
If Foxfire targets a unit with 4 or less total might, but the opponent responds by giving that unit +2 might (making it 6 total), does Foxfire still kill the unit or does the target become invalid?
Ruling: The target becomes invalid and Foxfire will not resolve. The kill should not happen. Nuances: - This interaction is bugged on Pixelborn, where Foxfire incorrectly still kills the unit even after it exceeds the might threshold
Can you play a unit directly to a battlefield if you don't control any battlefields?
Ruling: You can only play units directly to battlefields you control. If you don't control any battlefields, you must play the unit to your base.
How do simultaneous might increases and decreases interact, particularly with 'to a minimum of 1' effects?
Ruling: When calculating might modifications that have already been applied, increases are calculated first, then decreases. This ensures that "to a minimum of 1" effects are checked after increases have been applied.
If Sett dies and is saved by the legend ability (which spends Sett's buff), does orange Sett get the +4 Might from its ability?
Ruling: No. Orange Sett's ability is an activated ability that requires you to actively declare and pay the cost to gain the +4 Might. It is not a triggered ability that automatically happens when the buff is spent.
Does Wraith of Echoes trigger itself on death, or trigger when dying simultaneously with other units?
Ruling: Units do not see themselves die. Wraith of Echoes will not trigger its own death effect, even if it dies simultaneously with other units during combat.
When Dazzling Aurora (Warmother's Call) is played with no units in deck, does it fail to find and shuffle the deck, or does it cause burnout?
Ruling: Dazzling Aurora will fail to find and you shuffle your entire deck back. No burnout is triggered. Nuances: - Revealed cards are still considered in Main Deck, which is why burnout does not occur - This ruling is consistent with similar effects like Promising Future
Can you conquer the same battlefield more than once in a turn?
Ruling: You cannot conquer a battlefield twice in a turn. You can take control of the same battlefield multiple times, but "conquer" only happens when you score a point from taking control, and you can only score once per battlefield per turn.
When a chain that started with an action spell ends, does priority automatically pass to the next player, or can the active player hold priority and play more action spells?
Ruling: When a chain that started with an action spell ends, priority automatically passes to the next player. The active player cannot hold priority to play additional action spells after the chain resolves.
When Leona attacks a unit on Reavers Row, does the Reavers effect need to be declared before Leona declares who she stuns?
Ruling: Leona chooses her stun target first, then the defending player chooses the Reavers Row effect, then both "when defending" and "when attacking" effects resolve.