Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 94 of 128 · 6,389 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Can I play Hard Bargain even with nothing on the stack?
No, you cannot play *Hard Bargain* if there is nothing on the chain. According to the rules of the game:
Can I play Rengar Pouncing to a battlefield I'm defending?
Yes, you can play **Rengar, Pouncing** to a battlefield you are defending. According to his card text, Rengar has the **[Reaction]** keyword, which allows him to be played at reaction speed (during a Closed State, such as a combat showdown). While his card text specifically highlights an exception for playing him to a battlefield you are *attacking*, he also follows...
A Cull the Weak is played by my opponent. I choose my Scuttle Crab, and they choose a Watchful Sentry to die. Does Scuttle Crab's deathknell reveal what they currently have or does it also include what they draw from Watchful Sentry's deathknell too?
When *Cull the Weak* resolves, your *Scuttle Crab* and your opponent's *Watchful Sentry* are destroyed simultaneously. Both units have *Deathknell* triggered abilities that are placed on the chain together.
When I attack a BF with 2 hidden cards, if they don't activate them both right away can they activate it later?
Yes, the defender can activate their hidden cards later in the same showdown, provided they have not already passed their turn to conclude the showdown.
Can a battlefield have more than 1 hidden?
No, you generally cannot have more than one hidden card on the same battlefield. According to **FAQ #5464** and **FAQ #7688**, each battlefield is limited to one hidden card at a time. There are exceptions, such as the card "the Bandle Tree," which may modify this limit and allow for more than one, but otherwise, the restriction holds.
What happens if I attack a BF, my opponent uses Zenith Blade on my unit, and I stun his unit, so we both are stunned?
To answer your question accurately, let's break down the timing and combat rules. Based on your description, you are the **Attacker** (you moved into the battlefield first, establishing the *Contested* status).
If you play a hidden card and same turn your unit at the battlefield dies, can you react to save the hidden card?
No, you cannot react to save a hidden card if you hide it and your last unit at that battlefield dies on the same turn.
Can you move two ganking units from one field to another at the same time?
Yes, you can move multiple units with **Ganking** from one battlefield to another simultaneously. According to **Rule 144.3** (and supported by **RiftJudge FAQ 8465**), players may perform multiple units' Standard Moves at the same time. While **Ganking** (Rule 810.1.b) provides the specific permission to move between battlefields, it is still a **Standard Move**.
If a unit is mighty at a might of 5 and plays sacrifice as a reaction, if I stupefy would his sacrifice fizzle?
To answer your question, we must look at how costs are paid in *Riftbound*. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9515** and **Rule 357**, the process for playing a card (including costs) happens before the spell is even added to the chain, and therefore before any player has the opportunity to play a [Reaction] to it:
Does Falling Star have to pay Deflect twice on a unit with Deflect?
Yes, you must pay the **Deflect** cost twice if both instances of damage from **Falling Star** target the same unit with **Deflect**.
Does Singularity kill a unit with a Guardian Angel?
To answer your question: **No, Singularity does not kill a unit equipped with Guardian Angel.** Here is the breakdown of why this interaction occurs, addressing the rules and mechanics correctly:
Can you defy Mindsplitter ability?
No, you cannot use **Defy** on **Mindsplitter's** "When you play me" ability. According to the rules and FAQs:
If I move my Irresistable Faefolk to a battlefield and use its ability to pull an enemy unit to that battlefield, how...
When you move your **Irresistible Faefolk** to an unoccupied (uncontrolled) battlefield and use its ability to move an enemy unit to that same battlefield, you become the **attacker** and the enemy unit becomes the **defender**.
What happens when you conquer Aspirant’s Climb with Green Father and Brush the battlefield when both players are at 8 points?
If this is the first battlefield that player has scored, they'll draw 1 and the game will continue with both players at 8 points.
What happens if you Brush a Brush? Can you swap back the original battlefield you Brushed?
The Brush token will cease to exist. When swapping back, a player can choose to swap back to any object that was replaced, including the original battlefield.
If I play Turn to Dust on an attached Equipment, will the Equipment die in the Beginning Phase?
Yes. The granted Temporary keyword will be active. It will trigger and kill the equipment in its controller’s next Beginning Phase.
If Temporary is granted to an attached Spinning Axe, will it die at the start of my Beginning Phase?
Yes. The Spinning Axe will have two instances of the Temporary keyword - one that is active and one that is inactive. The inactive keyword will not trigger, but the active one will. Alas, Spinning Axe will die.
You mentioned rule 187.4.c. earlier and it says “open state”, I don’t remember that in the old rules. What gives?
Control of battlefields cannot be lost while there are items on the chain, per rule 187.4.c. in the Unleashed rules update. This means that spells and abilities that banish and play units, or that kill units as a cost or effect in order to play another unit, will be able to kill or banish units at battlefields and then play...
Can a cleanup happen while I’m finalizing a card or ability?
No. A cleanup cannot occur during the process of finalizing a card or ability. Finalizing is part of the FEPR process—Finalize, Execute, Pass, Resolve—which is the process that handles items on the chain. Finalizing is the step where you make choices, pay costs, and check legality. Cleanups will occur after adding an item to the chain, after finalizing that item,...
If I conquer a battlefield with Zilean, Time Mage, can I copy him with my Deceiver legend? Will I make infinite Zileans?
Yes, you can copy Zilean, but you will not make an infinite number. The Deceiver reflexive trigger effect for turning the tokens into copies of Zilean takes place after they are already resolved.
If I play Counter Strike in response to my opponent’s Elder Dragon’s play effect, will the chosen unit still die?
No, the unit protected by Counter Strike will not die. Elder Dragon’s passive ability changes the definition for what is considered lethal damage for a unit, as long as that unit has damage marked by Elder Dragon’s controller on it. However, this doesn’t change the actual amount of damage being dealt. Elder Dragon deals 1 damage to up to one...
My opponent plays Elder Dragon and targets my two units at the two battlefields, as well as one of my units in base. If I play Flash in reaction, moving the two units at battlefields to base, will they be dealt damage?
They will not. Elder Dragon’s play effect has a number of targeting restrictions equal to the number of locations on the board. Its controller chooses up to one enemy unit at each of those locations to target with the ability and each of those units must follow their respective targeting restriction. It is the equivalent to saying “Deal 1 to...
If I play Singularity and my opponent counters it, can I still play Jhin, Meticulous Killer for [C] this turn?
You can. Jhin checks the energy spent to play a spell, not whether that spell resolved. If the energy was spent and the spell became a Finalized Chain Item (and was not undone, for example as part of step 5 of the process of play) then it doesn’t matter if the spell is later countered. The energy wasn’t unspent, even...
I play Alpha Strike targeting my Master Yi, Unstoppable and splitting 12 damage among three of the four enemy units at battlefields. If my opponent plays Flash in reaction to my Alpha Strike, moving two of the targeted units to base, can they then play Repulse and counter my Alpha Strike?
No, they cannot play Repulse targeting your Alpha Strike. (Except if both of the other chosen units have changed to a non-board zone, such as via the effect of something like Grim Apothecary’s play effect, Heedless Resurrection’s additional cost, or the instructions of Thrill of the Hunt.)
If I hold Reckoner’s Arena with Yone, Blademaster, will I place his triggered ability on the chain when the hold effect of Reckoner’s Arena resolves?
No, you will not. The main thing you need to know is that activating a conquer effect such as the Reckoner’s Arena effect is the equivalent of checking the condition of all of the specified conquer effects, as if a conquer had occurred at Reckoner’s Arena. Any triggered abilities of units at Reckoner’s Arena that trigger on conquering will see...
What happens if I play Atakhan from my deck with Rek’Sai, Breacher on the board? Can I pay the Accelerate cost and kill Rek’Sai for the Atakhan additional cost? Will it enter ready?
Yes, as long as you pay the Accelerate cost, Atakhan will enter ready, even if he kills Rek’Sai for his additional cost. This is because Accelerate creates a delayed replacement effect that causes Atakhan to enter ready. Although he lacks the Accelerate keyword when he resolves, he still has the delayed replacement effect that Accelerate generates.
If I Flurry of Blades on a battlefield during a showdown, and a 2 might unit lives with 1 damage taken, can I assign only one damage from my unit to kill it or do I need to assign the 2?
Yes, you can assign only 1 damage to kill that unit. According to **Rule 460.2.c.2** and the clarification provided by **RiftJudge FAQ #871**, damage that is already marked on a unit persists and counts towards determining if a unit has received lethal damage.
What if I cull the weak and both mine and enemy unit have deathknells? What is the order on the stack?
When you play *Cull the Weak* and both your unit and your opponent's unit have *Deathknell* abilities, they will die simultaneously when the spell resolves. Their *Deathknell* abilities will then trigger and be placed on the chain together.
If I use Bellows Breath and damage a unit, then use Imperial Decree after, does that unit die?
No, the unit will not die from *Imperial Decree*. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #8633** and **#9561**, *Imperial Decree* only kills units that take damage **after** the card has resolved and its effect has become active. It does not look back in time to kill units that were already damaged before *Imperial Decree* was played.
Can I play Meditation in reaction to a Temporary unit's death trigger and exhaust that unit to draw 2 cards?
Ruling: Yes. When your turn begins, the Awaken Phase occurs first, readying all your exhausted units. Then during the Beginning Phase, the Temporary trigger goes on the chain, creating a closed state. You can react with Meditation and exhaust the now-ready unit to pay the additional cost and draw 2 cards.
Can I mark damage first and then reduce a unit's might to kill it?
Yes, you can. A unit will be killed if it has non-zero damage marked on it that is equal to or exceeds its current might.
Can you target a unit in a base with a kill spell?
Yes, you can target a unit in a base with a "kill" spell, provided the spell does not specifically restrict its target to a "battlefield."
To win by conquering how many battlefields do you need to control?
To win the game via conquering when you are at your final point (1 point away from the Victory Score), the number of battlefields you must score in a single turn depends on the game mode:
If I use Sacrifice on my Ruined Rex, then Tactical Retreat, how would it resolve, would I get the effects of everything?
To resolve the interaction between **Sacrifice** and **Tactical Retreat** targeting your **Ruined Rex**, you will successfully resolve the effects of the **Sacrifice** spell, but you will **not** trigger the Deathknell ability of **Ruined Rex**.
If I Moonlight Affliction my opponent's Voracious Gromp, does it die?
Whether a *Voracious Gromp* dies when targeted by *Moonlight Affliction* depends on whether the unit has any existing damage marked on it at the time the spell resolves.
Can I activate Voidreaver Kha'Zix legend abilities during Showdown if I have Focus?
No, you cannot activate the legend abilities of **Voidreaver** during a showdown. **Ruling:** Activated abilities that do not have the **Action** or **Reaction** keyword can only be activated during your turn when the game state is Open (the chain is empty). Because the legend abilities of Voidreaver lack these speed keywords, they cannot be used during a showdown, regardless of...
If a unit has 1 HP left because a spell inflicted me damage and my opponent gives me -4 might to that unit, does the unit die?
Yes, your unit will die. In *Riftbound*, there is no "HP" stat; units have a **Might** value, and damage is tracked separately as **marked damage**. A unit is killed when it has non-zero damage marked on it that is equal to or greater than its current Might.
Can Moonlight Affliction cause a card to have negative Might? What happens if I attempt to give that unit Might afterwards?
Yes, **Moonlight Affliction** can cause a unit to have negative Might. ### How it works: When Moonlight Affliction resolves, it applies a modifier of -10 Might to the target. If the unit's current Might is less than 10, the result of the calculation will be a negative number. For example, a unit with 3 Might would have -7 Might after...
If I have a 2 might unit attacking into an empty battlefield, opponent plays orange Rengar, I stun the orange Rengar with Back Off, how will the combat resolve and if Rengar will score a point?
### Sequence of Events 1. **Your Move:** You perform a Standard Move with your 2-Might unit to an open battlefield. This initiates a **non-combat showdown**. You are the **Attacker** (Rule 442.1.a.1). 2. **Opponent's Response:** Your opponent plays **Rengar, Trophy Hunter** as a **[Reaction]**. Because there is an enemy unit present, they may play *Rengar* to that battlefield. Upon playing *Rengar*,...
My Spectral Centaur and my friend's Master Yi were in a showdown at Forbidding Waste. I ambushed in Kha'Zix while he only had Master Yi there, so his unit was alone. Then he responded by ambushing in his own Kha'Zix. Does my Kha'Zix still get the +2 Might and 2 XP since his unit was alone when my Kha'Zix entered/defended? Or does it not happen because by the time the chain finishes, we both have 2 units there?
Your Kha'Zix, Mutating Horror **will still receive the +2 Might and 2 XP**. According to the rules and the way triggered abilities interact with the chain, here is how the sequence plays out:
Can you make a Reflection from a Reflection with LeBlanc?
Yes, you can create a Reflection unit token that is a copy of an existing Reflection unit token. According to **RiftJudge FAQ #9732**: * Token units are units and follow all rules for their type. * When a Reflection token enters play, it becomes a copy of a target unit already in play. * If you target an existing Reflection...
I played Rengar Pouncing as a reaction using Rengar's legend I made it a +1. The other player, running Annie, played Gust as a reaction to me playing Rengar in an attempt to bounce Rengar back to hand. How does this play out?
To determine how this interaction plays out, we must examine the timing of the chain, the targeting requirements of *Gust*, and the current Might of *Rengar, Pouncing*.
Can you use Alpha Strike on a battlefield with Baron Nashor?
Yes, you can use **Alpha Strike** on a battlefield where Baron Nashor is present, but **Baron Nashor cannot be chosen as a target** for the damage.
If I Frigid Touch repeated on mutated Mouser, then they pump it with Discipline after the action of Frigid Touch resolves, what power is mutated Mouser?
To determine the final Might of **Mutated Mouser**, we must follow the rules for calculating Might modifications, specifically the order in which these effects are applied according to the layers system.
If I play Falling Star and my opponent reacts with Not So Fast, then can I react with Abandon to counter my own Falling Star to get it back to my hand?
### Ruling **Yes, you can use Abandon to counter your own Falling Star in response to an opponent's Not So Fast.**
If a player plays a card that is Defied, will that count as a card played for activating Darius Trifarian?
No, a card that is defied (countered) does not count as a card played for the purposes of **Darius, Trifarian**'s ability.
Can Yordle Explorer draw for Akshan if you play the additional cost?
No, **Yordle Explorer** will not trigger when you play **Akshan, Mischievous**. ### Reasoning According to the official rules and FAQs (specifically RiftJudge FAQ 8453, 8812, and 18): * **Yordle Explorer** checks the printed Power cost of the card being played. * The printed Power cost is defined as the set of Power symbols ([A]) listed in the upper left corner...
Is experience per player or per unit?
XP (Experience) is a resource accrued by **players**, not by individual units. According to **Rule 729**, XP is a resource that is accrued, spent, or otherwise modified by **players** through the course of play, and the amount of XP a **player** has is public information.
Does Ravenbloom Student ability require the spell to resolve?
Yes, Ravenbloom Student's ability requires the spell to resolve. In *Riftbound*, a card is not considered "played" until it successfully resolves. Since Ravenbloom Student's ability triggers "When you play a spell," if a spell is countered or otherwise fails to resolve, it is not considered to have been played, and the ability will not trigger.
Can a Reflection token of Ekko trigger his Deathknell effect?
Yes, a **Reflection** token that has become a copy of **Ekko, Recurrent** will trigger its **Deathknell** effect upon death, but it will fail to ready your runes.