Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 7 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Does conquering an empty battlefield create a showdown where action spells can be activated?
Ruling: Moving to an empty battlefield creates an open showdown where all players can play actions. Nuances: - This allows action spells to be activated on an opponent's turn when they attempt to conquer an empty battlefield, since action spells can be activated during showdowns on any turn.
When does Relentless Storm check its trigger condition, and can an opponent prevent the trigger by killing or weakening Carnivorous Snapvine after it's played but before the trigger resolves?
Ruling: When you play Carnivorous Snapvine, it enters the battlefield and both Snapvine's trigger and Relentless Storm's trigger are added to the chain simultaneously. The opponent cannot prevent Relentless Storm from triggering because the condition is checked when the unit enters, not when the trigger resolves.
In Sealed format, if a player has no chosen champion AND no legend, do they draw 2 cards at the beginning of their first turn? Or do they draw an extra card if they have one or the other?
Ruling: If a player's deck doesn't include both a champion legend and a chosen champion, they draw one additional card at the start of the game. This means you draw the extra card if you have only a champion, only a legend, or neither - the only case where you don't draw the extra card is when you have both...
When a hidden Teemo, Strategist is revealed as a defender and its ability activates, does it deal damage and potentially kill an attacking unit before that unit deals combat damage?
Ruling: Yes, Teemo's ability resolves and deals damage before combat damage is calculated or applied, which can kill the attacking unit before it deals its combat damage.
Does damage remain on units after Snapvine's effect resolves, or does it heal?
Ruling: Damage remains on units after Snapvine's effect resolves. Units only heal at end of turn and end of combat (when multiple players are at 1 location). Snapvine's effect is not combat.
When does the losing player choose who goes first for the next game in a match?
Ruling: The losing player chooses who goes first after sideboarding, after command centers are revealed, and after battlefields are revealed, but before the initial draw of 4 cards.
When does Blue Teemo pick targets for his effect and when does he need to pay Deflect costs?
Ruling: Teemo chooses a single target when his ability enters the chain (when Deflect costs must be paid), then reveals Hidden cards to determine how much damage that target takes.
If a hidden Blastcone Fae is killed by Cannon Barrage in response to being played, does its ability still resolve?
Ruling: When a hidden Blastcone Fae is played and then killed by Cannon Barrage in response, its ability still goes on the chain but resolves without effect because it cannot get information about "here" (the battlefield) since the permanent is no longer on the board.
Can Seal be used to pay a cost of a card (not the power cost)?
Ruling: No, a seal can only generate power and cannot generate energy. Nuances: - Seals specifically generate power, not energy - Seals cannot be used to pay non-power costs
Can you cast Counterspell (with no other spell to target, potentially targeting itself) to trigger Ravenbloom's ability that cares about spells being played?
Ruling: No, you cannot use Counterspell to boost Ravenbloom. A countered spell does not count as being played. Nuances: - While you can technically cast Counterspell on itself (since the spell is already on the chain when you choose targets), this interaction won't trigger Ravenbloom because countered spells are treated as not having been played - This targeting rule may...
For Kaisai's signature spell, do you choose targets when casting the spell or when it resolves?
Ruling: You choose the target when you play the spell and it goes on the chain, not when it resolves.
Can I counter my opponent's hidden card when they reveal it?
Ruling: You can only counter spells. Units and gear cannot be countered because they enter and immediately exit the chain without lingering on it.
At the beginning of the game, do both players draw and channel runes simultaneously on the first turn, or does only the first player draw and channel, with the second player doing so on their own turn?
Ruling: The first player (Player A) channels two runes and draws a card on their turn. When their turn ends, the second player (Player B) channels three runes (only on their first turn as the second player) and draws a card on their own turn. Players do not draw and channel simultaneously.
Can you play Recruit the Vanguard during a showdown in a battlefield you're attacking (that you don't control) to trigger Garen's legend ability?
Ruling: No, you cannot play Recruit the Vanguard in a battlefield you are attacking. The card specifies "in your base or in a BF you control," so you can only place recruits in locations you already control, not in a battlefield you're contesting.
Can an opponent play reactions when you play a creature or permanent without an on-play ability, and can you react to spells being played?
Ruling: Players cannot react to a permanent (like a creature) being played unless that permanent triggers an ability. Players can always react to a spell being played, which goes on the chain and only resolves when all relevant players consecutively pass.
If you are at 6 points and holding both battlefields at the start of your turn, do you immediately win with 8 points, or does scoring stop at 7 requiring another turn to win?
Ruling: You win immediately. When you are at 6 points and holding both battlefields at the start of your turn, you score 2 points and win with 8 points.
If Viktor's tokens have their might reduced by Ahri Legend (instance effect) and Ahri Inquisitive (continuous effect for rest of turn), then Siphon Power is played, does the Ahri Inquisitive effect recalculate after cleanup to reduce the token back to 1 might?
Ruling: All three effects (Ahri Legend, Ahri Inquisitive, and Siphon Power) are instance effects that apply once based on their duration, not continuous effects. After both Ahri effects resolve and then Siphon Power is played, all tokens will have 2 Might.
Can Singularity deal 6 damage to the same unit twice (12 total), or can it deal 6 damage to just one unit?
Ruling: "Up to two" means you can choose zero, one, or two units. Singularity deals 6 damage to each chosen unit. You can deal 6 to just one unit, but you cannot deal 12 damage to the same unit.
Do seals generate energy or power?
Ruling: Seals generate power, not energy. When you tap a seal, you generate power without having to recycle a rune.
If Lee Sin (orange buff) is buffing a 2 Might unit with a buff (making it 5 Might total), and the opponent uses Watcher to kill Lee Sin, what happens to the buffed unit's Might?
Ruling: When Watcher resolves and removes Lee Sin from the battlefield, the buffed unit drops from 5 Might to 2 Might (losing the orange buff), then to 0 Might (losing Lee Sin's passive). If the unit then loses its remaining buff, it would drop to -1 Might, which is treated as 0 Might.
Does Sett spend his buff as a cost to activate his effect, or is the buff removed when the effect resolves?
Ruling: Spending the buff is the cost to use the ability, so it is spent first to immediately get the bonus Might.
If a unit with a hidden Zhonya's is the only thing I control on a battlefield and I move it back to base, what happens to the Zhonya's?
Ruling: You must reveal Zhonya's before moving the unit back to base. If you move the unit first, you immediately lose control of the battlefield and the hidden card goes to the trash without an opportunity to activate it.
Can you move a unit with Yasuo's legend ability and another unit with normal movement at the same time to start a showdown with both?
Ruling: No, you cannot move units together using Yasuo's legend ability and normal movement simultaneously. Moving units together is only possible with the standard move action.
If my opponent uses Charm on my unit at a battlefield and I respond with Flash to move that unit to base, does Charm still resolve?
Ruling: Yes, Charm still resolves even if the targeted unit has moved to a different location (including base) before Charm resolves.
For 'Get Excited!', is the discard a cost, and what happens when you target something and it gets removed before the spell resolves?
Ruling: The discard is not a cost—it happens during resolution. You declare the target when casting, give opponents a chance to react, then discard and deal damage during resolution. You must always discard a card when Get Excited resolves, even if the target is no longer valid.
In 2v2 mode, can a defending player flash their unit out and have a teammate ride the wind in to defend during the same combat?
Ruling: No, during a combat, a player cannot move a unit to that location unless they already have a unit there. The combat is locked to only the two original combatants until it finishes.
Are cards mulliganed public information?
Ruling: No, mulliganed cards are not public information. They are considered privately derived information. Nuances: - This prevents opponents from gaining significant information advantage from seeing which cards were mulliganed
Can you play Cull of the Weak if you don't control any units?
Ruling: Yes, you can play Cull of the Weak even if no one controls any units, or if only one player has units.
Can you react to your own Jinx, Loose Cannon legend trigger, and do you get priority first?
Ruling: Yes, you can react to your own Jinx trigger. As the controller of the trigger, you have the first priority to play reactions to the chain.
Can you play a reaction between two reflexive triggers from the same card when they are resolving from the chain?
Ruling: Yes, you can play a reaction after one reflexive trigger resolves but before the second one resolves. Sequence: - First reflexive trigger resolves - Players can play reactions - Second reflexive trigger resolves
When an opponent's card effect forces my unit from one battlefield to a battlefield they control, who gets priority/focus to cast the first action/reaction in the resulting showdown?
Ruling: The player whose unit was forced to move becomes the attacker and gets focus first, because their unit is the one that applied contested status.
If Yellow Darius is buffing a recruit, and both take damage in combat where Darius takes lethal damage and the recruit takes 1 damage (which would be lethal without Darius's buff), does the recruit survive?
Ruling: The recruit survives when damage is dealt during combat. Darius dies first, then combat healing occurs before the recruit would be checked for death again.
Can Foxfire be played with zero targets (e.g., when hidden in a battlefield with no valid targets, just to pump a Ravenbloom in a showdown)?
Ruling: Yes, Foxfire can be played with zero targets. Any effect that contains "any number" or "up to" can select zero targets, and if zero targets are chosen, the spell or ability can be played without any targets.
Can you play a reaction to Arena's Greatest trigger when it occurs during another player's beginning phase?
Ruling: Yes, you can play a reaction to Arena's Greatest trigger during any player's beginning phase, not just the first player's.
What happens when a player decks out in Riftbound? Do they lose, or does the game continue?
Ruling: When you deck out (burn out), you do not lose. Instead, you shuffle your trash into a new deck and choose an opponent to gain 1 point.
Can both aspects of Treasure Trove be reacted to - the 'Kill this' ability and the 'When this leaves the board' trigger?
Ruling: Yes, both aspects of Treasure Trove can be reacted to. Sequence: - The activated ability (Kill this) creates a chain to which Reactions can be played - Once that ability resolves, the trigger from it leaving the board creates a new chain - Reactions can be played to this second chain as well
If I charm an opponent's merchant, does their merchant trigger? What is considered a move vs not a move?
Ruling: If a unit moves, it moves and triggers "When I move" effects. Recall is not considered a move (cards specify "this is not a move" for recall). Charming an opponent's merchant causes it to move and trigger.
Does Dazzling Aurora trigger Deadbloom's play effect?
Ruling: Yes, Dazzling Aurora can trigger Deadbloom's play effect that allows you to move directly onto an enemy controlled battlefield.
When Icathian Rain deals lethal damage to a unit with Sett Legend protection, does the protection trigger immediately, and can the remaining Icathian Rain triggers still target and kill the unit after it recalls and heals?
Ruling: You choose all 6 Icathian Rain targets at once before any resolve. When the 3rd trigger deals lethal damage, Sett Legend triggers to recall and heal the unit, but the remaining 3 triggers still resolve and can kill the unit again if the damage is sufficient.
After damage is dealt in combat, can I retreat my unit to save it while still having killed some of the opponent's units?
Ruling: No, you cannot retreat after damage is dealt. Retreat must happen before damage is dealt, so you would not get to deal your unit's damage if you retreat.
Can you play a reaction when a temporary unit (like a Sprite Mother recruit) dies from the temporary effect?
Ruling: Yes, you can play reactions when temporary triggers at the start of the beginning phase. Both you and your opponent can react to the temporary trigger on the chain.
When Deadbloom Predator is played with Confront to an occupied battlefield, does it enter exhausted, and can it move to a base after combat ends?
Ruling: When you play Confront, the Deadbloom Predator enters ready even when played to an occupied battlefield. After combat ends, it can move to a base if it survived the combat.
When does a player gain control of a battlefield when moving a unit to an uncontrolled battlefield - immediately upon arrival outside of combat, or after the showdown resolves?
Ruling: A player cannot gain control of a contested battlefield immediately upon moving a unit there. Moving a unit to a battlefield you don't control makes it contested, and you must go through the showdown process until the end and still be the only player who controls a unit there in order to gain control of it.
When an opponent plays Gust then Possession on my Red Darius, does Darius enter their base exhausted or ready, and does he see Possession as the second card played?
Ruling: Red Darius enters the opponent's base exhausted because he sees Possession as the second card played on the turn.
If someone has two Zhonya's on the field and a unit dies, do both Zhonya's trigger and get sent to trash?
Ruling: No, only one Zhonya's is sent to trash. The first Zhonya's replaces the death with a recall and goes to trash, while the second Zhonya's stays on the board because there is no longer a death to replace.
In a showdown, if the defender kills the attacker's unit triggering Phoenix, and then the attacker kills the defender's last unit before Phoenix resolves, can Phoenix only be played to the defender's base (assuming they don't control another battlefield)?
Ruling: Yes, if the defender kills your unit triggering Phoenix, and you then kill their unit on the battlefield before Phoenix resolves, Phoenix must be played to their base or another battlefield they control.
Can you play a reaction in response to Brynhir Thundersong being played?
Ruling: You cannot play a reaction to Brynhir herself being played (she resolves immediately as a unit), but you can play a reaction to her play effect when it's on the chain.
When Kayn is moved to a contested battlefield by Ride the Wind (arriving readied), fights but cannot conquer, and is pushed back to base, does he remain readied so he can move back to a battlefield?
Ruling: Yes, Kayn remains readied and can move back to a battlefield. Sequence: - Kayn moves to empty battlefield and conquers - Ride the Wind moves Kayn to contested battlefield (he arrives readied) - Kayn fights but cannot conquer and is pushed back to base - Kayn is still readied and can move again
Can the attacker activate an action card after passing priority, if the defender activates cards and then the chain resolves?
Ruling: Yes, the attacker can activate an action card after the chain resolves. When you pass focus and your opponent activates cards, focus returns to you after the chain resolves, allowing you to play actions.
When can you play action spells like Challenge, and can they target units on the opponent's base?
Ruling: Action cards can be played on your turn or during a showdown when there isn't a chain. Unless a spell explicitly restricts where it can target, it can target anywhere (base or battlefield).