How do you pay costs in Riftbound - specifically the difference between paying energy costs (numbers) versus power costs (colored symbols), and what exhausting versus recycling runes does?

Question

Accepted Answer

Ruling: Exhausting a rune generates energy, which is used to pay numerical costs on cards (color doesn't matter). Recycling a rune generates power (the colored symbol), which is used to pay symbol costs on cards (color dependent). Runes themselves do not directly pay for costs.

Sequence:
- To pay a numerical cost: Exhaust runes to generate energy
- To pay a symbol/power cost: Recycle runes to generate power (or tap a seal)
- You can exhaust a rune before recycling it
- Energy doesn't have to be used immediately

Nuances:
- Energy and power are not interchangeable
- Seals can also generate power when tapped
- The key principle: "Runes do not pay for costs, and costs on cards are not looking for runes"