Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 64 of 133 · 6,628 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Can you score points from the same battlefield multiple times in one turn, and what counts as 'conquering' a battlefield?
Ruling: You can only score a battlefield once per turn, even if you take control of it multiple times during that turn. However, you can score once per battlefield per turn, meaning you can hold your own battlefield for 1 point and conquer your opponent's battlefield for another point in the same turn.
Can a player play a Reaction speed card (like Shen) during a Showdown to defend against an attack, even though the Reaction isn't responding to a specific spell or ability?
Ruling: Yes, Reaction speed cards can be played during a Showdown. Whenever you can play an Action speed card, you can also play a Reaction speed card.
If I kill my own Phoenix with a spell, can I return it with its ability?
Ruling: Yes, Phoenix can return itself with its ability even if you kill it with your own spell. Nuances: - This interaction was explicitly covered in the FAQ
If Lucian is moved to a battlefield with Relentless Pursuit (already ready), can he use his ready ability when he conquers a second battlefield later that turn?
Ruling: Lucian's printed ready ability can only be used the first time he conquers each turn. You must use it when it triggers and cannot save it for a later conquest.
If the opponent has a 4 Might unit on Reavers Row and I attack with a 4 Might unit, I have priority first. If I pass priority and my opponent chooses to retreat instead of using Reavers, can I still use Cleave after they retreat, or is it too late?
Ruling: Reavers Row goes onto the initial chain in combat. When it resolves, the defender decides whether to retreat. After they decide (whether they retreat or not), the rest of the showdown continues and you can use Cleave then.
When a unit with Cleave moves to a battlefield, is the Assault bonus a passive effect or a trigger ability that the opponent can react to? Similarly, can an opponent react to Shield when a unit with Shield moves to their battlefield?
Ruling: Assault and Shield are passive abilities, not triggers. When a unit with Cleave moves to a battlefield, it instantly gains the Assault might bonus without creating a reaction window.
Can you Gust your own 3 might Ravenbloom Student?
Ruling: Yes, you can successfully Gust your own 3 might Ravenbloom Student. The spell will return it to your hand before the Student's "when you play a spell" trigger can activate and increase its might to 4.
If I use Possession on a Watcher that was played this turn, whose units get -3 Might?
Ruling: When you take control of a Watcher with Possession, your units (the new controller's units) will get -3 Might to a minimum of 1 Might.
If someone plays Time Warp, does the player whose turn would have been next still get holding points?
Ruling: No, you do not get holding points. Time Warp inserts an extra turn for the caster after their current turn, so you never enter your Beginning Phase to score holding points.
When a unit with a Conquer ability conquers a site that also has a Conquer trigger, what order do the abilities resolve in?
Ruling: When multiple Conquer abilities trigger simultaneously (from both the conquering unit and the conquered site), you can choose the order in which they resolve.
If Soulgorger's on-play effect brings out a Magma Wurm, does Soulgorger enter the battlefield ready or exhausted?
Ruling: Soulgorger enters exhausted. The "when I'm played" effect triggers after Soulgorger is already on the battlefield exhausted, so Magma Wurm enters after Soulgorger is already in play.
What does rule 538 mean - specifically, when can players not respond with reactions before a chain resolves?
Ruling: Rule 538 means you cannot play Reactions when a permanent card is played (usually from hand, but also from hidden). You skip priority and go straight to resolving the chain. However, activated and triggered abilities of permanents CAN still be reacted to, because abilities are not themselves cards.
If you play Surprise Defense at Fortified Position, do you get the battlefield trigger the first time you become a defender there?
Ruling: No, you do not get the trigger. The battlefield needs a player to control it to have a valid understanding of "you" in its text, so Surprise Defense does not trigger battlefield abilities that reference "you."
Does Yasuo's ability trigger when attacking only, or when defending too?
Ruling: Yasuo's ability only triggers when he attacks, not when defending.
Can Caitlyn's ability only be used during your turn when she is ready at a battlefield and the opponent has a unit on the other battlefield, with no showdown or chain happening?
Ruling: Caitlyn's ability can only be used on your turn when she is ready at a battlefield, the opponent has a unit on the other battlefield, and no showdown or chain is happening.
Does Heimerdinger trigger all exhaust abilities of your cards simultaneously when exhausted, or does he gain those abilities and you choose which one to activate?
Ruling: Heimerdinger does not trigger all exhaust abilities at once. He gains all exhaust abilities from your cards, and you must choose which one to activate when you exhaust him.
If a unit has damage marked on it from a spell, and then Watcher reduces its Might, does the unit die?
Ruling: Yes, the unit dies. When damage marked on a unit is greater than or equal to its Might, it dies. Might values can change, and if they decrease while damage is marked, it can kill the unit.
When Leona Zealot is in play and reduces a stunned unit's might by 8, does her effect snapshot when the stun occurs, or does it continuously apply as buffs are added to the stunned unit?
Ruling: Leona Zealot's might reduction is a passive ability that continuously applies, not a snapshot effect. Stunned units always have -8 might while Leona's conditions are met, and this reduction is recalculated whenever the unit's might changes.
If my opponent reveals Tideturner and I use Gust on it in response, does the swap effect fizzle?
Ruling: Yes, using Gust on Tideturner (or the unit it targets) in response will cause the swap effect to fail. The ability will resolve but do nothing.
If an opponent attacks a battlefield I control, do I still have control of it, and can I use abilities like Ornn's Forge when defending?
Ruling: When an opponent attacks a battlefield you control, you retain control of it while it is simultaneously in a contested state. You can use abilities that require control of the battlefield (like Ornn's Forge) when defending.
If I tap 3 runes but don't use them, does the floating energy pass on to my enemy's turn or does it disappear after my turn ends?
Ruling: Unspent Energy/Power disappears after each Draw Step and at the End of each turn (including your opponent's turn and draw phase).
If I use Charm to move an enemy unit to a battlefield I control, am I the attacker or defender?
Ruling: You are the defender. The attacker is determined by which player controls the units that applied the contested status to the battlefield, not by who played the spell that moved the units.
Is there another round of priority at the end of a turn, allowing a player to cast a meditation before the turn passes?
Ruling: No, there is no additional priority round at the end of a turn. You cannot cast a meditation after your opponent ends their turn but before your turn begins.
When Blitzcrank pulls an opponent's unit to my battlefield, who is the attacker and who is the defender?
Ruling: When Blitzcrank pulls an opponent's unit to your battlefield, the pulled unit's controller becomes the attacker and you become the defender.
When multiple units die at the same time while Zhonya's Hourglass is in play, who chooses which unit is recalled?
Ruling: The controller of the Hourglass chooses which unit is recalled when multiple units die simultaneously.
When Tideturner's effect is on the chain and Tideturner is bounced to hand by Gust before the effect resolves, does Tideturner's movement effect still work?
Ruling: Tideturner will stay in hand and the other friendly unit won't move either. Nothing will happen when the effect resolves.
Can you play multiple non-Action/non-Reaction spell cards during your turn outside of showdowns to deal enough damage to kill a single unit (e.g., two 3-damage spells to kill a 5-might unit)?
Ruling: Yes, you can play multiple spell cards during your turn outside of showdowns. Damage remains marked on units until the end of any combat or the end of turn, so you can play consecutive spells to accumulate enough damage to kill a unit.
Does Traveling Merchant draw a card if you have no cards in hand to discard?
Ruling: Yes, Traveling Merchant draws a card even if you have no cards in hand to discard. Nuances: - If the card said "discard 1 to draw 1" (with "to") or "Discard 1. If you do..." then you would NOT be able to draw with an empty hand - The current wording allows each part to resolve as much as...
Do hidden units get played exhausted when you react with them from hidden?
Ruling: Yes, hidden units enter play exhausted when you react with them from hidden. Nuances: - All units enter play exhausted, including tokens, unless otherwise stated
Can activated abilities be used during combat/showdown if the state is open and it's your turn?
Ruling: During a showdown, only Action and Reaction abilities can be activated. Regular activated abilities (without Action or Reaction keywords) cannot be used during combat/showdown, regardless of whether the state is open or it's your turn.
Can you target units with 5 or more Might with Fox Fire?
Ruling: No, you cannot target units with 5 or more Might with Fox Fire. All targeted units must be valid targets (total Might ≤4) at the time of activation, and you need at least one valid target to play the spell.
When revealing a unit from hidden (like Teemo Strategist), does it open up a chain that can be reacted to before the unit resolves?
Ruling: Units played from hidden do enter the chain but immediately resolve without passing priority to opponents. Opponents cannot react to the unit itself being played, but can react to any triggered abilities the unit creates when it enters play.
Does Blitzcrank remember his location when his effect activates, or is 'here' re-evaluated at resolution?
Ruling: 'Here' is always evaluated at resolution, not when the effect is created or put on the chain. Sequence: - Blitzcrank's ability triggers and goes on the chain - When the ability resolves, 'here' refers to Blitzcrank's current location at that moment - If Blitzcrank has been moved or killed, the location reference changes accordingly
Does Fiora become Mighty when she receives a buff that brings her to 5 might, or does she need to be played with a card like En Garde to reach 5 might?
Ruling: A buff that brings Fiora to 5 might makes her Mighty. Nuances: - The question arose due to concerns about layers, but buffs applied to Fiora count toward making her Mighty when they bring her to the 5 might threshold.
Does the Aurora trigger resolve before end-of-turn damage cleanup/healing?
Ruling: Yes, Aurora triggers before units heal at end of turn. This means you can use a spell to damage a unit at a field, then potentially find a Deadbloom via Aurora to finish it off before it heals.
If I play a gold token as my first card, will Darius Trifarian's ability trigger as a +2 if he is played then?
Ruling: No, Darius Trifarian's ability will not trigger if he is played after a gold token. Tokens are not cards, so playing a token does not count toward the "second card this turn" condition.
What happens when an attacker attacks a stunned unit with more power than the attacker's power?
Ruling: If the attacker cannot kill the stunned defender and the attacker is still alive after combat, the attacker returns to base. The defender remains in place.
Can reactions be played during a showdown, and what is the difference between when you can play actions versus reactions?
Ruling: Reactions can be played anytime you have priority during a showdown, whether the chain is empty or not. Actions can only be played during a showdown when the chain is empty.
If I am turn player and I Charm an enemy unit onto a battlefield I control, who is designated attacker and defender? If I Charm them and I lose, do they gain a point for conquering?
Ruling: The unit that contests the battlefield becomes the attacker, regardless of how they got there. If you lose the showdown and their unit remains, the opponent scores a point for conquering.
Can a player activate a hidden Tideturner from Battlefield A to swap units when combat is happening on Battlefield B?
Ruling: Yes, you can activate hidden cards regardless of where the showdown is happening. Tideturner specifically can target units on another battlefield because the card explicitly says it can.
When a unit is saved from death by Zhonya's or Guardian Angel, do other attached equipment remain attached to the unit?
Ruling: Yes, all equipment stays attached because the unit never died - it was just recalled to base and healed.
If Player 1 plays Dragon's Rage, Player 2 plays Defy targeting Dragon's Rage, and Player 1 plays Mystic Reversal on Defy, what happens?
Ruling: The player who plays Mystic Reversal gains control of Defy, but since there is only one legal target on the chain (Dragon's Rage) and Defy says "a spell" not "an enemy spell", they must still target Dragon's Rage with Defy.
When Zhonya's Hourglass is destroyed to prevent a unit from dying, does the unit retain damage marked on it when it is recalled and exhausted?
Ruling: No, the unit does not retain the damage. Zhonya's Hourglass was errata'd to explicitly heal the unit when it is recalled and exhausted.
Does Mask of Foresight trigger if you have two units on Reavers Row and use Reavers Row's ability to recall one unit first, leaving the other defending alone?
Ruling: No, this does not work. When defender triggers happen, they all trigger at the same time based on the game state at that moment. Since both units are defending when triggers are checked, Mask of Foresight never triggers because the unit is not defending alone at that point.
Can you win the game by gaining the final point through holding a location?
Ruling: Yes, you can win the game by gaining the final point through holding a location. The special final point rules only apply to conquering; all other methods of gaining points (holding, card effects, burnout) work normally for the final point.
Do triggered abilities from 'on play' effects (like Darius or Ravenbloom Student) trigger when you cast a spell or when it resolves, and what happens if the spell is countered?
Ruling: Cards are "played" when they resolve, not when they are cast. Triggered abilities from "on play" effects trigger after the spell fully resolves. If a spell is countered (e.g., by Defy), it does not resolve and is not considered played, so it will not trigger any "on play" abilities.
If P1 is at 7 points with a readied Stalwart Poro in an empty battlefield, and plays Watcher with Accelerate to try to score from both battlefields for the win, can P2 play Gust to bounce the Poro and prevent the loss?
Ruling: No, P2 cannot prevent the loss at this point. The opponent wins because they don't need to be in control of both battlefields to win - they just need to score a point from both battlefields on the same turn.
If you use Charm on your turn to move an opponent's unit to an empty battlefield, does the opponent score a point?
Ruling: Yes, the opponent can score a point. When a unit moves to a battlefield not already controlled by that player, a showdown occurs, and if they win the showdown and are able to score on that battlefield, they will score a point.
Does Teemo Strategist trigger when revealed after an opponent moves a unit to his battlefield, or has the window for defend triggered abilities already passed?
Ruling: Teemo Strategist will still trigger when revealed after an opponent moves a unit to his battlefield. Sequence: - Opponent moves a unit to Teemo's battlefield - Teemo is revealed from hidden - Teemo gets defender designation during the first cleanup (which happens essentially right away) - Teemo's defend trigger activates
When Ahri, Nine Tailed Fox's ability triggers against units attacking from Trifarian War Camp, does Ahri reduce their Might before or after War Camp's buff applies?
Ruling: Trifarian War Camp's passive applies first, giving attacking units +1 Might before Ahri's ability triggers. Ahri then reduces the buffed units' Might by 1.