Does Deathknell proc before or after damage cleanup in a combat showdown?

Question

Accepted Answer

According to the official rules governing combat and cleanup in Riftbound, the interaction between **Deathknell** and **healing** is as follows:

### The Definitive Sequence
When a unit with **Deathknell** sustains lethal damage in combat, the process follows this sequence:

1.  **Combat Damage Step:** Combat damage is dealt to units (Rule 460.2.d).
2.  **Combat Cleanup (Outstanding Tasks):**
    *   **Triggering Deathknell:** Units with lethal damage trigger their **Deathknell** abilities. These are added to the chain as **Pending Items** (Rule 323.4, Rule 808.1.d.2).
    *   **Killing Units:** Units with lethal damage are killed and placed in the trash (Rule 323.5).
    *   **Healing:** Surviving units are healed (Rule 461.1.a.1, Rule 323.5 sequence).
3.  **Resolution:** After all Combat Cleanup tasks are complete, the game returns to the FEPR (Finalize, Execute, Pass, Resolve) process, and the **Deathknell** triggers on the chain are resolved (Rule 808.1.d.3).

### Addressing the FAQ Contradictions
There has been historical ambiguity in community FAQs regarding this timing. Please note the following for your games:

*   **Why the confusion:** Some older FAQs (like #9244) suggested Deathknell resolved while damage was still marked. However, this has been officially clarified by subsequent rules updates (specifically regarding the FEPR process and the "Pending Items" system).
*   **Healing vs. Resolution:** While the *trigger* for the Deathknell is identified and placed on the chain *during* the cleanup (before healing), the **resolution** of the effect—where the card text actually executes—happens **after** the healing step is completed. 
*   **The "Post-Heal" Reality:** As stated in FAQ #9514 and FAQ #9786 (which represent the current authoritative interpretation), **healing occurs before Deathknell abilities resolve.** Consequently, a Deathknell effect cannot "finish off" an enemy unit that survived the combat damage, because the healing step clears that damage before the Deathknell resolves.

**In summary:** Deathknell abilities **trigger** during the cleanup (alongside the kill action), but they **resolve** only after all units have been healed.