If my opponent plays Star-Crossed on my Glasc, but I react with Sacrifice on my Glasc, does he still bounce his unit back to hand or does it fizzle?
To determine the outcome of this interaction, we must look at how spells resolve in Riftbound when their targets become unavailable.
The Ruling
Yes, your opponent’s Star-Crossed will still resolve and return their own unit to their hand, even though your Glasc (the target you provided for Star-Crossed) was sacrificed.
In Riftbound, spells do not "fizzle" (fail entirely) simply because one of their targets becomes invalid. According to Rule 359.3.e.1 and Rule 359.3.e.5, a spell will resolve as much as possible, ignoring only the instruction or portion of the instruction that targeted the now-invalid entity.
Sequence of Events
- Opponent plays Star-Crossed: They target your Glasc and one of their own units. Star-Crossed is now pending on the chain.
- You play Sacrifice: You pay the cost by killing your Glasc (moving it to the trash). Sacrifice is now added to the chain on top of Star-Crossed.
- Chain State (Top to Bottom):
- [Top] Sacrifice
- [Bottom] Star-Crossed
- Resolution (LIFO - Last-In, First-Out):
- Sacrifice resolves first: You draw 2 cards and channel 1 rune.
- Star-Crossed resolves: It checks for its targets. Since your Glasc is now in the trash, that target is invalid and cannot be returned to your hand. However, the opponent's unit is still a legal target. The spell continues to execute its remaining instruction, returning the opponent's unit to their hand.
Note: This interpretation is based on Rule 359.3.e (Handling illegal and impossible instructions) and similar logic found in RiftJudge FAQ #10058 regarding Star-Crossed.