Do you need to target Irelia, Fervent in a showdown to activate Irelia legend?
No, you do not need to target Irelia, Fervent specifically to activate the Blade Dancer legend ability.
However, based on how the legend's ability is worded—"When you choose a friendly unit, you may exhaust me and pay [A] to ready it"—the legend ability only triggers if you perform the game action of "choosing" a friendly unit (such as Irelia) with an effect or spell that requires a choice.
Here is the breakdown of the interaction:
Key Mechanics
- "Choosing" is the trigger: Blade Dancer requires you to "choose a friendly unit." This is an action typically performed when playing a spell or ability that requires a target (e.g., an effect that says "Choose a friendly unit and give it +1 Might").
- Targeting vs. Choosing: In Riftbound, if a card uses the word "choose," it is a targeting action.
- Irelia's Interaction: Irelia, Fervent has a triggered ability that grants her +1 Might when you "choose or ready" her. Because the Blade Dancer legend ability requires you to "choose a friendly unit" to activate its effect, you can choose Irelia, Fervent to fulfill that requirement.
Does it have to be Irelia?
No. You can "choose" any friendly unit to trigger the Blade Dancer ability. If you choose a different friendly unit, the Blade Dancer ability will trigger, and you may pay the cost to ready that other unit.
If you specifically want to trigger Irelia, Fervent's +1 Might bonus, you must choose her as the unit for the legend ability (or any other effect that involves choosing or readying her).
Summary
- You don't need to target Irelia to activate the legend ability; you can choose any friendly unit.
- If you choose Irelia, Fervent as the target for the Blade Dancer legend ability, you satisfy the legend's trigger condition ("When you choose a friendly unit").
- Because you chose her, Irelia, Fervent will also trigger her own ability ("When you choose or ready me, give me +1 Might").
This is my interpretation based on the card text and RiftJudge FAQ #8876. No official FAQ exists for the specific phrasing of "targeting Irelia" vs "choosing a friendly unit."