Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 129 of 158 · 7,873 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Does Shady Spectacle copy empowered status of a unit?
**No**, Shady Spectacles does **not** copy the empowered status. Copy effects copy only "copyable traits" — a card's printed (or previously copied) traits, including its rules text. Per the official copy effects rule: *"Nothing appended or granted will be seen by the copy effect."* The empowered status is a **granted/appended state** applied by activating the Empower keyword, not a printed...
Does Mystic Vortex only include cards that have the Reaction keyword on it and not include cards that play on Reaction speed like Ambush and Quickdraw cards?
**No**, Mystic Vortex doesn't only apply to cards with the printed Reaction keyword — it applies to any card that **has** Reaction as a characteristic at the time of play, regardless of how it got it.
If I have Svellsonger on a Unit, and I use Blood Rush twice on it, how much assault would the unit have?
The total depends on whether the unit has printed Assault of its own, but the **Svellsongur does not copy the Assault from Blood Rush** — it only copies printed text (FAQ #7904, #8410).
When a card is played from a non-hand zone (like trash) via an ability, does a 'when you play a card from anywhere other than your hand' trigger happen before or after that card resolves?
Ruling: The trigger happens after the played card fully resolves. Triggered abilities that trigger when cards are played trigger when the act of playing the card has been completed by the resolution of the card.
If I have an Ezreal, Prodigy in play and I rebuttal (Mel's signature) something, can I use Ezreal to pay the additional cost on rebuttal? So it would be 1 and a power for stealing a spell?
**No, Ezreal, Prodigy does not reduce the [A] cost on Rebuttal.** Ezreal specifically reduces **optional additional costs** — costs that use both the phrase **"as an additional cost"** and the word **"may,"** like Repeat (Rule 356.2.b.1, FAQ #8415). Rebuttal's "You may pay [A]" does not say "as an additional cost." Instead, it's a **cost within an instruction** — it's paid...
If a spell played from the trash with Flow is countered, does it go to the trash or get banished?
Ruling: The spell is banished. Flow's banishment is a delayed replacement effect that applies whenever the spell would leave the chain after becoming a finalized chain item, unless leaving the chain was instructed by its own execution. A countered spell still leaves the chain as a finalized chain item, so Flow's replacement effect applies and banishes it instead of sending...
When you tap Heimerdinger, do you activate the tapped abilities of all other cards you have, or only one?
**You only activate one ability, not all of them.** Heimerdinger, Inventor gains copies of all exhaust abilities from friendly legends, units, and gear simultaneously — but when you exhaust him, you choose exactly one of those copied abilities to activate. You pay that one ability's cost (including any additional costs like energy), and it resolves. Since exhausting Heimerdinger is itself...
If an opponent plays Charm to my unit and I react with Discipline, then as the chain is working from Discipline and I draw a Defy, can I use that Defy as a reaction before the Charm resolves?
Yes. You can play the **Defy** you drew from **Discipline** before **Charm** resolves. This is directly covered by FAQ #7449 (and several supporting FAQs like #718, #9292, and #9861).
Can shadowclone get assault +8 if I attack one battlefield, conquer then ride the wind to the other battlefield?
Yes, this works. Here's how. **First combat at Battlefield A**: The Shadow Clone attacks (gains Attacker designation), triggering "When I attack" — you banish a unit from your trash to give it **Assault 4** this turn. Combat resolves, you conquer Battlefield A. Combat ends, designations clear, but the Assault 4 effect persists until end of turn.
I use Heedless Resurrection on my Kog'Maw, Caustic. Do I first resolve the spell by playing a unit from trash, or do I first resolve Kog'Maw's Deathknell?
**Kog'Maw's Deathknell resolves first**, then Heedless Resurrection plays the unit from trash. Here's the sequence:
Does Jinx Rebel Stack Riftbound?
**Yes, Jinx Rebel's ability stacks — but only per discard event, not per card.** Each time you discard **one or more cards** as a single event (e.g. paying a cost, resolving a spell), she triggers once: ready her and give her +1 Might for the turn. If you trigger her three separate times in the same turn (e.g. via three...
Can you pay with a gold token for Sigil of the storm?
**No.** A Gold token cannot pay for Sigil of the Storm's requirement. Sigil of the Storm requires you to **recycle one of your runes** — that's a specific game action, not a generic "pay Power" cost. A Gold token's ability adds Power to your Rune Pool when you kill and exhaust it, but that's adding Power, not recycling a rune.
Can I trigger Sunken Temple on Rengar pouncing if there are no enemy units on the battlefield?
No, you cannot trigger Sunken Temple's ability on Rengar, Pouncing when moving to an empty battlefield. Sunken Temple's conquer trigger checks for "one or more Mighty units" at the **exact moment** the conquer is established (FAQ #9815). Rengar's base Might is 3, and his Assault 2 (+2 while an attacker) only applies when he has the **Attacker designation**. But when...
If I have 2 units on the battlefield, and the enemy uses Bellow's Breath, and I react with Flash to move those 2 units back to my base, do they still get damage dealt to them?
**Yes, both units still take damage.** Bellows Breath targets the units themselves, not the location — and when both units move to your base via Flash, they are still **at the same location** (the base). Since the base is a valid location for Bellows Breath to affect units, all targeted units there take 1 damage each. The "same location" requirement...
Can Heimerdinger empower himself if there's a Hextech Disc on the board, or not because of how empowering is ruled in general?
**Yes, Heimerdinger can empower himself using Hextech Disc's Empower ability.** Heimerdinger gains every exhaust ability from friendly gear — including Hextech Disc's **Empower [T]** ability. When he copies it, "this" in "Empower this" refers to *him* (the new source of the ability), just like how he copies Renata's exhaust ability without inheriting her passive restrictions (FAQ #9851). So he pays...
Does Last Rites target when you put it on the chain or on resolution?
You choose the target **when you put the ability on the chain** (during finalization), not on resolution. **For the [Equip] ability** — "Attach this to a unit you control" targets. Per **Rule 355.14.b**, targets are chosen when the spell or ability is finalized on the chain, and per **FAQ #4550**, equipping specifically counts as targeting. So at the moment you...
I have Jax unmatched on board, my enemy is targeting it with Stars Crossed, I play Shady Spectacles with quickdraw due to Jax effect on him and make him a copy of other unit. Does Stars Crossed still bounce him or is he a new target?
**Yes, Star-Crossed still bounces Jax.** The copy effect from Shady Spectacles doesn't break the targeting relationship. Here's why: Targeting is established when Star-Crossed is finalized on the chain (Rule 355.14.b). Jax was a legal target at that point — he was an enemy unit on the board. When Shady Spectacles later resolves (via Quick-Draw's attach trigger) and makes Jax a...
If I empowered a Steel Paws, and I play a new Steel Paws, does the other Steel Paws get empowered too?
**No**, playing a new Steel Paws does *not* empower an existing Steel Paws. Each Steel Paws must be empowered individually by paying its **Empower [7]** cost. The **Empowered** keyword just grants a continuous +7 Might while the unit is already empowered — it doesn't trigger off other units being played. There's no text on Steel Paws that says anything like...
If I play an Ambush unit to Mystic Vortex, does it count as a reaction card and I have to pay more cost for that?
Yes. If you play an Ambush unit to a battlefield where you control Units during a showdown at **Mystic Vortex**, the card has **Reaction** as a characteristic (granted conditionally by Ambush), and the cost increase of **[A]** applies.
When are the energy and power pool cleanup? Like, can I tap a seal at the beginning of a turn before it readies to have it 2 times?
**Your Rune Pool empties at exactly two times:** after the Draw Phase (Rule 166, 315.4.d) and at the end of each turn (Expiration Step, Rule 317.2.d). Any unspent Energy or Power is lost at both points.
Do I still get hold effect from Ahri equipped with Skyfall Arerion?
**Yes, you still get Ahri's hold effect when you Hold.** Skyfall of Areion says the equipped unit's hold effects are also conquer effects, and vice versa. It **adds** triggers — it doesn't replace or remove the original one (FAQ #5622). So when you Hold, Ahri's normal "When I hold, you score 1 point" still fires as usual. When you Conquer,...
Can you conquer multiple times if enemy gain control of Battlefield?
**No.** Once you've conquered (scored) a battlefield this turn, you cannot conquer it again — even if the opponent takes control of it and you take it back.
Can I accelerate Shadow Tokens with Rek'Sai Breacher?
**Yes, you can accelerate Shadow Clone tokens with Rek'Sai, Breacher.** When Zed, From the Shadows resolves his "play a 0 [S] Shadow Clone unit token" ability, the token is considered "played" from a zone other than your hand, so Rek'Sai grants it Accelerate. You may pay the optional cost — **1 Energy and 1 Shadow Power** — during the Pay...
Does Temporal Breach reset all modifiers and empowered status of the unit?
**Yes, Temporal Breach resets both.** The unit is banished (leaves the board for a Non-Board Zone), then replayed as a new object — it enters play with none of its previous baggage.
If you have a Hwei at a battlefield and the play Tide Turner to swap their locations, does it count as a move for Hwei so his ability activates?
**Yes, it counts as a move and triggers Hwei's ability** — as long as Tideturner is at a *different* location from Hwei when you play it.
If I switcheroo my recruit with an elder dragon and the elder dragon becomes 1 might, kills my recruit from its ability, the dragon is now 1 might on my turn and I play conscription which chooses a 3 might unit and I steal it. Does it work?
**Yes, it works.** Here's why, step by step:
I play Void Assault, my opponent Gusts his minion, does Void Assault still resolve with me moving, i.e., is it "do as much as you can" like Starcrossed?
**Yes, your friendly unit still moves.** Here's the sequence: 1. You play **Void Assault** targeting your friendly unit and an enemy unit. 2. Opponent plays **Gust** (Reaction), targeting the enemy unit and returning it to hand. 3. **Gust resolves first** (LIFO) — enemy unit returns to hand. 4. **Void Assault resolves:** Instruction 1 ("Move a friendly unit") — your unit...
I play Tide Turner to choose Irelia to swap places. Irelia gets +1 for being chosen and then I pay a power with Irelia legend to ready her. Does she get an additional +1 might from being chosen from the Irelia legend?
No, she does **not** get an additional +1 Might for being "chosen" by the Irelia Legend (Blade Dancer). She gets a total of **+2 Might** from the full sequence — +1 from Tideturner choosing her, and +1 from being readied by the Legend ability.
Can I react with Tideturner on one battlefield, if another Showdown is happening on another battlefield?
**Yes.** You can play a hidden Tideturner from one battlefield as a Reaction to events during a showdown at another battlefield.
If I'm holding Abandoned Hall and I play Discipline but my opponent plays Defy, and then I play Defy, does my opponent still get +1 for playing Defy on that battlefield even if I defy it?
**No.** Your opponent does not get +1 Might from Abandoned Hall — their Defy was countered, so it is not considered "played" for Abandoned Hall's trigger.
Say I'm attempting to conquer an open battlefield with Rek'Sai, while he is going to the battlefield does he still get the plus might as an "attacker" even if there's no units there to attack?
No, **Rek'Sai, Breacher does not get the +1 Might from Assault** when moving to a battlefield with no enemy units present.
I attack with an 8 might creature at a BF with 8 creatures. I have an Elder Dragon and their creatures have Tank. Do I need to kill 1 the Tank or does the lethal from Elder Dragon make me select each one, just choosing 1 the Tank?
Yes, you can assign just 1 damage to each of the 8 units, including the Tanks, and kill them all.
Can you react to win condition of Gutter Palace? If not, why?
**Yes, you can react to the Gutter Palace trigger — but your reaction cannot stop the win from happening.** Here's how it works:
What is Burnout?
**Burn Out** is what happens when you try to take cards from your Main Deck but there aren't enough left (Rule 431). It's a replacement effect — you recycle your trash into your deck, give an opponent 1 point, and then finish the action.
If Mel Legend targets a mutated Mouser, sending the Mouser to -1 Might after the Mouser becomes a Defender, would he have 1 Might?
**Yes, the Mutated Mouser would have 1 Might while it is a defender.** Here's why: Shield 2 is a passive ability (Rule 814.1) — it continuously applies "+2 Might" as an increase for as long as the unit has the Defender designation. It doesn't need to be "active" before Mel's effect.
If Irresistible Faefolk move to BF and targeting opp unit in base, and opp react with Gust targeting Faefolk in BF, does the unit in base still move to BF?
Yes, the enemy unit in base still moves to the battlefield. Gust removes Irresistible Faefolk, but its triggered ability is already on the chain. Per **Rule 359.3.f.3**, the ability's reference to "that battlefield" (where the Faefolk arrived) was locked in when the trigger condition was fulfilled. The trigger doesn't need the Faefolk to still be on the board to resolve...
Can you select a different battlefield with Bellows Breath if you repeat?
**Yes.** When you pay the Repeat cost for **Bellows Breath**, you can choose a different battlefield for the second instance. The two sets of targets are chosen independently (FAQ #1306, Rule 820.2.a).
If I conquer Zaun Warrens with Kennen, Storm of Shuriken, can I order the conquer triggers to discard a spell, draw from Zaun and then use Kennen, Storm of Shuriken to play the spell I discarded?
No, you cannot do this. Kennen's target is chosen at **finalization** (when the trigger is placed on the Chain), not at resolution — and at that moment, the spell you want to discard with Zaun Warrens isn't in your trash yet.
Does Sigil of the Storm force you to use runes, or does power like seals/Jhin work?
No. You must recycle an actual rune card from your rune deck or board. Seals, Jhin's cost reduction, or any other way of generating Power does not satisfy it.
Does Mournful Witness still empower if it flashes out of combat?
**Yes, Mournful Witness will still empower when the combat ends.** "When a combat that I was in ends" uses past tense — it's a **historical check**. If Mournful Witness had an Attacker or Defender designation at the combat battlefield at any point during that combat (even briefly), then when that particular combat ends, the trigger fires. Moving it to Base...
If I equip Jhin with Svellsongur, does the deflect also get copied?
Yes, equipping **Svellsongur** to **Jhin, Murderous Artist** gives Jhin **Deflect 2** — increased from his printed Deflect 1. Here's why: Svellsongur copies the unit's **printed text** to its own effect text. Jhin, Murderous Artist has `[Deflect]` printed on him (Deflect 1 per Rule 809.1.b.3). Svellsongur's effect text gains that same `[Deflect]`, which grants the unit an additional Deflect 1. Per...
How does Helm of Suppression work against Fizz? Do they need to add 1 energy after or no?
**Yes, Helm of Suppression makes the spell cost [1] more Energy, even when played through Fizz.** Here's how it works step by step via the cost-determination process (Rule 356):
Does Reckoners arena satisfy the blighted battle axe conquer requirements?
**No, Reckoner's Arena does not satisfy Blighted Battleaxe's conquer requirement.** Per FAQ 9662, Blighted Battleaxe checks whether the equipped unit *specifically* conquered a battlefield that turn. Reckoner's Arena activates the unit's conquer effects during a Hold — but the Rules FAQ Clarification (2026-04-29) is explicit that **no actual conquer occurs**. The game merely treats it as if a conquer happened...
If I am holding to 7, this is my turn. If I conquer the other battlefield I will score to 8 or draw.
**Yes, you win the game.** You held one battlefield at the start of your turn (scoring to 7), then conquered the other battlefield in the same turn. Since you have scored **both** battlefields this turn — one via Hold, one via Conquer — you satisfy the requirement under Rule 466.1.b.2 to gain the winning point and win. A card draw...
Does Riptide Rex bypass Deflect?
**No, Riptide Rex does not bypass Deflect.** Riptide Rex's triggered ability ("When you play me, deal 6 to an enemy unit at a battlefield") **chooses a target** — it selects an enemy unit. Because it chooses, Deflect applies normally, adding a mandatory Power cost to the ability (Rule 809.1.c).
If I have a unit on Abandoned Hall, I then cast Challenge on my unit and one of my opponents' units. Will my unit get the buff from Abandoned Hall before Challenge damage resolves?
**No.** The unit will not receive the +1 Might from Abandoned Hall before Challenge resolves. Here's the sequence:
Does Irresistible Fae Folk moving an enemy to a battlefield make the controller of the Irresistible Fae Folk the attacker or defender?
**You are the attacker.** The enemy unit becomes the defender. When you move Irresistible Faefolk to an uncontrolled (empty) battlefield, you're the one who applies the **Contested** status to that battlefield. That makes you the attacker per Rule 459.2.b.1. When Faefolk's triggered ability later moves an enemy unit to that same battlefield, that unit arrives as the defender — moving...
How many equipment can I equip to 1 unit?
**Yes, you can equip as many equipment cards as you want to a single unit.** There is no limit. Per **FAQ 9165** (and confirmed by Rule 818.3.b), a unit is "Equipped" as long as one or more of its attached cards are Equipment — and no rule restricts the number. As long as you can pay each Equip cost and...
If I'm at 7 points, and I conquer only one BF with Skyfall of Areion and Trinity Force equipped on my unit, do I win?
**Yes, you win.** When you conquer that battlefield at 7 points, the standard point from conquering is replaced by drawing 2 cards (Rule 466.1.b.2 — you're one point from winning). But **Skyfall of Areion** makes Trinity Force's "When I hold" effect also trigger on conquer. That trigger goes on the Chain, resolves, and grants you the 8th point — and...
I understand that when Akshan steals Shady Spectacles to his opponent, he can copy another unit and when it dies, the gear still goes back to his opponent since the "I" in "until I leave the board" refers to the game object. What happens when a unit with Deathknell with Shady Spectacles copies a unit without Deathknell and dies?
**No**, the Deathknell will **not** trigger. When Shady Spectacles makes the equipped unit "become a copy" of the chosen unit, it replaces **all copyable traits** — name, type, Might, **rules text, and keywords** (Rule 472.1.b.3, patch notes 2026-03-30). Since the chosen unit has no Deathknell, the equipped unit loses whatever Deathknell it may have originally had. Deathknell is a characteristic...