Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 129 of 152 · 7,585 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
Can I use Accurate to ready a unit that is always on the playing field? Say I moved it from a battlefield to base. Can I pay the Accelerate cost?
**No.** Accelerate only works "as you play" a unit — it's an optional additional cost paid during the steps of playing that unit as a card (Rule 805.1.a, 805.2). A unit already on the board cannot pay Accelerate; it has no function there (Rule 805.2.a, 805.3).
Does Rek'Sai Breacher work with Shadow Clone?
**Yes — Rek'Sai, Breacher lets your Shadow Clone tokens enter ready, but only if you pay the Accelerate cost.** Shadow Clones (e.g., from Death Mark or Zed, From the Shadows) are played from a zone other than a player's hand, so Rek'Sai grants them Accelerate as they're being played. Accelerate is an optional additional cost — 1 Energy and 1...
Can I play a unit in banish from Cursed Sarcophagus with shadow clone?
**No.** Cursed Sarcophagus can only play units banished by its own play trigger ("When you play this, banish all units from your trash"). A unit banished by the Shadow Clone token's attack trigger was banished by the token's effect, so Cursed Sarcophagus's "[T]: Play a unit banished with this" cannot access it.
Can you use Zed legend ability to draw 1 even if you have no cards to discard?
Yes. **Master of Shadows** (Zed's legend) says "Disempower me, [T]: Discard 1, **then** draw 1." The discard is part of the effect, not a cost — the costs are only disempowering and exhausting. So with an empty hand you discard 0 and still draw 1 (Rule 422.4: discard as many as possible, then continue with the rest of the effect).
Can you react to a unit dying?
Yes — with an important distinction. You can't react to the death event itself, but you can react to whatever is on the Chain that leads to it.
Can you banish a unit from your trash with a shadow clone if the battlefield is empty?
**No.** "When I attack" only triggers when a unit gains the Attacker designation during **Combat** — moving a Shadow Clone to an empty battlefield stages a **Non-Combat Showdown**, and no Attacker designation is ever granted there, so the trigger never fires and you can't banish.
If I move out of a battlefield I conquered and played a hidden card there, does the hidden card disappear?
Yes — if you move your last unit out of that battlefield, the hidden card goes to your trash. A Move triggers a Cleanup when it completes (Rule 453). If you have no units left at a battlefield in an Open State, you lose control of it in that cleanup (Rule 323.6), and any hidden cards at battlefields you no...
Can I react to Baited Hook with Smokescreen to change the target's might and alter what he can use?
**Yes, you can.** Smoke Screen has [Reaction], so it resolves first (LIFO) and reduces the targeted unit's Might — to a minimum of 1 — before Baited Hook kills it.
If my target of Discipline gets Gusted, do I get the draw?
Yes — you still draw. Gust resolves first and returns the unit, but Discipline's "Draw 1" is a separate, non-conditional instruction: it executes even when the +2 Might can't be applied because the target left play (Rule 359.3.e.5). Spells always resolve as much as possible — only the instructions tied to the vanished target are ignored.
While Minotaur Reckoner is on the board, can a unit move to a base through any other effect apart from its own move effect, e.g. with a Ride the Wind spell?
No — while **Minotaur Reckoner** is on the board, **no unit can Move to base by any means**, including spells like **Ride the Wind**. Its ability "Units can't move to base" is a blanket restriction on the Move action, not just the Standard Move.
Does the wordkey when I attack trigger on an empty battlefield?
No. "When I attack" triggers only fire when a unit gains the **Attacker** designation, which happens only during a **Combat** Showdown — moving to an empty battlefield is a Non-Combat Showdown (Rule 383.4.e, 459.2.b).
When is Overzealous Fan activated? After or before actions is passed, do you need to pay the deflect cost? Can I counter the effect with Not So Fast?
**Overzealous Fan's ability triggers the first time it gains the Defender designation during a combat showdown** — that's its Defend Trigger (Rule 383.4.f).
If I move into a battlefield that's open, will I be designated as an attacking unit for the spell that can stun an attacking unit?
No. Moving into an open battlefield doesn't give your unit the attacker designation — that move creates a **Non-Combat Showdown**, not Combat, and attacker/defender designations only exist during Combat (Rule 437; FAQ #5513). So spells like **Existential Dread** ("Stun an attacking enemy unit") or **Shadow**'s ability couldn't target your unit at that point.
If you Temporal Breach a copied token, does it still have temporary?
**No — and it doesn't matter, because the token is gone permanently.** Temporal Breach banishes the target, and a token that enters Banishment (a Non-Board Zone) ceases to exist immediately (Rule 186.1). The "its owner plays it to the same location" part has nothing to act on and is ignored. So whether the token still has Temporary (granted by Mirror...
Does Aeron count as first card for the effect?
There's no card named "Aeron" in the database — I'm assuming you mean **Astral Heron**. Yes: it counts as your first card. Its trigger checks after it finalizes on the battlefield, so it sees itself as the first card played, and the discount applies to your *next* card — the second card you play that turn (Rule 419.4.a). It never...
Can you defy Public Execution if it is played with Flow?
**Yes — Defy can counter Public Execution even when it's played via Flow.** Defy checks the **printed** cost of the target spell (2 Energy, 1 Power for Public Execution), not what was actually paid. That printed cost is within Defy's range (≤4 energy, ≤1 power), so playing it from your trash for its Flow cost doesn't change anything — the...
My opponent has Hwei on base and plays a Tide Turner on base. Declines to move anything. Does a trigger still occur that creates a chain I can react to?
**No.** Tideturner's "you may" is decided during finalization — if its controller declines, the ability is removed from the chain and never becomes a Finalized Chain Item, so no chain exists and you get no reaction window.
Token copy of a Watchful Sentry, but Dragon Form was played on Watchful Sentry. Does the token get the 1 might or its new base 5 might?
**The token gets 1 Might** — it copies Watchful Sentry's printed traits, not the temporary effect Dragon Form is applying to the original.
Can you react to an Empower?
**Yes.** Activating an Empower ability is an activated ability, so it goes on the chain as a Pending item and creates a Closed State — giving you priority to play **Reaction** spells/abilities before it resolves (Rule 377.3, FAQ #11877).
I play Rampage with the additional cost, to get my unit +2, but opponent cast Gust on the enemy unit I targeted. Does my spell still resolve and I get the +2 on my unit?
Yes — Rampage still resolves and your friendly unit still gets the +2 this turn. The +2 instruction only needs your friendly unit, which is still a legal target; the additional cost was already paid, so that part executes normally (Rule 359.3.e.5/e.8). The damage exchange, however, does nothing: the enemy unit is back in its owner's hand, so it can't...
When can my opponent play Flash in response to Brynhir Thundersong being played?
Ruling: Your opponent can play Flash after all other triggered abilities have resolved, while Brynhir's "When you play me" lockdown trigger is still on the chain. Brynhir enters play immediately as a unit (it does not linger on the chain), but its lockdown trigger goes on the chain as a separate Pending Item that can be responded to.
If a unit is being targeted by alpha strike and would die, but then you reveal a temporal breach saving the unit that would have died to alpha strike, do you get to re-choose who alpha strike is targeting?
**No — you don't get to re-choose Alpha Strike's targets.** Temporal Breach banishes the unit, and Banishment is a non-board zone (Rule 56.1). Per the Flash/Repulse ruling, when a target moves to a non-board zone the targeting relationship is severed — Alpha Strike stops targeting that unit, and when Temporal Breach replays it, it's a brand-new game object (Rule 124)...
If Kennen is played from hidden, I can stun units where I want, right?
**No.** Kennen's "When you play me... stun a unit" is a play effect, and Rule 811.1.d.2 requires play effects of hidden cards to target only units at the battlefield where Kennen was hidden. So if you play him from Hidden, your stun target must be at that same battlefield.
If I have a Kaisa at a bf with a Back Off hidden, on the next turn my opponent plays a spell to increase the might of the Jayce in the base. Can I react now with Back Off on the Jayce in base?
**No.** A hidden **Back Off** can only choose a target at the battlefield where it was hidden — Jayce is in base, so he isn't a legal target (Rule 811.1.d.2).
If I play Shadowcloaked Lurker with Last Rites, is it reduced by 2 energy?
Yes — but only for the copies that stay in the trash. The Lurker you're playing has already left the trash before its cost is determined, so it can't count itself (FAQ #8430). Each remaining Shadowblade Lurker in your trash still gives [2] off, so with one other copy in trash the cost drops from 5 to 3; with two...
Can I still create a sand soldier token using my Azir Legend even though the text says "played" a gear, if I play a gear and my opponent banishes it with Ravenbloom Prefect?
**Yes.** The gear was fully played and resolved — Ravenbloom Prefect's "When an opponent plays a gear" trigger only fires after the act of playing has completed (Rule 419.4.a), and then it banishes the gear *from the board*. Banishing it afterwards doesn't retroactively undo that it was played.
If I have a unit on a battlefield that states "At the start of your beginning phase, Draw 1," and a unit with the ability that states "When I hold Draw 1," what is the sequence the abilities resolve at the start of turn in relation to gaining a point?
**The "start of Beginning Phase" draw resolves first — before you gain the point. The "when I hold" draw resolves after the point is gained.**
If I have only one unit, and my opponent bellows breath. If I flash to the base does my unit still die?
**Yes — your unit still takes the damage and dies (if it has 1 Might).** Bellows Breath targets the units themselves, not their location. The "same location" is a targeting restriction checked when the spell is cast — and with a single target, that condition is always satisfied. Flash moving the unit to base doesn't undo the target; the spell...
Can you use Akali rouge assasin during an open battlefield and not conquering?
**Yes.** Rogue Assassin's **[Action]** ability can be activated during the open (non‑combat) showdown at the contested battlefield, and moving your unit back to base prevents the Conquer.
Does Master Yi's Legend ability remain applied to the defending unit post combat?
No — the +2 falls off the moment combat ends. *Wuju Bladesman, Starter*'s ability is a continuous passive ("While a friendly unit defends alone, it gets +2 might"), not a one-time buff or a lasting trigger. It's rechecked constantly, so the instant the unit stops defending — which happens at the end of the Showdown when Attacker/Defender designations are removed...
If I have Baron out and someone tries to Switcheroo one of my units, after the Switcheroo does my unit get the new might plus the +2 from Baron?
Yes — your unit keeps Baron's +2 after the swap, but it's already baked into the swapped number, so you don't get it a second time.
If I play Heedless Resurrection on my Baron, and resurrect Soul Gorger, can I play back the same Baron with the onplay from Soul Gorger?
Yes — this works. The FAQ #9523 restriction only stops Heedless from resurrecting the very unit it killed, because targets are locked in before costs are paid. Here Heedless targets Soulgorger, so that's fine.
There's a board of Hwei on player 1 side and an Ashe on player 2 side. Player 2 activates Cull the Weak. Player 1 responds with Flash. Does player 1 get Hwei movement trigger?
**Yes — Flash counts as a move, so Hwei's "When I move" trigger fires and resolves before Cull the Weak.**
If I Baited Hook a unit and Soraka keeps it from dying, do I still get to grab a unit off of the Baited Hook?
No. Because Soraka's replacement effect means the unit is never actually killed, Baited Hook has no "killed unit" to reference — so you look at the top 5 cards but can't play any of them, and you recycle all 5 (RiftJudge FAQ #10387; Rule 359.3.e.12). Your original unit stays in base (exhausted and recalled), so you keep it but get...
If the enemy unit is left with 2 might, can I play the Glist and tap to kill?
**No — not by itself.** The List gives the unit −2 Might, which just drops a 2-Might unit to 0 Might. A unit at 0 Might doesn't automatically die; it only dies in cleanup if it has damage marked on it (Rule 142.4.b — lethal damage is non-zero damage ≥ Might, so a 0-Might unit needs at least 1 damage...
If I play Star Crossed from my trash with Fizz, but my opponent defies it, will my Kennen Legend still get empowered?
**No — Kennen's legend will not empower.** Heart of the Tempest's "When you play a card from anywhere other than your hand, empower me" is a *triggered* ability that fires only when the act of playing the card is completed by its resolution (Rule 419.4.a). If Defy counters your Star-Crossed, the card never resolves, so per Rule 419.4.a.1 it isn't...
Is empower considered an activated ability?
**Yes.** Empower is explicitly an Activated Ability keyword (Rule 827.1) — functionally short for "[Cost]: Empower this. Play only if not Empowered" (Rule 827.1.c.1).
How does Unyielding Spirit interact with Glowstone triggered ability?
**Yes — Unyielding Spirit prevents the 5 damage from Glowstone's end-of-turn trigger. Glowstone itself still dies.** Glowstone's trigger ("At the end of your turn, kill this and deal 5 to all units you control") deals damage directly from the ability — the ability is the source of that damage (Rule 417.6.b.2). That's "ability damage," so the global prevention from Unyielding...
Regarding Zed Legend, can I freely banish cards on my own to empower without needing another card with a banish effect, similar to how destructive can Recycle to gain +1 Might?
No — you can't banish "for free" to empower Zed. Banishing is a **Limited Action**: you may only banish cards when a game effect directs you to (Rule 427.4). There's no standalone "banish" cost or action like Vi's Recycle cost, and Master of Shadows itself doesn't have one — its activated ability is "Disempower me, [T]: Discard 1, then draw...
In a Showdown, I cast a Reaction spell targeting an enemy unit. Since Ezreal, Prodigal Explorer has the REACTION tag, can I chain Ezreal's ability if the targeting condition is met? Can I also chain Vi, Destructive's ability on top of them?
**Yes for Ezreal, no for Vi.** **Prodigal Explorer (Ezreal's Legend):** Yes — its ability has the [Reaction] tag, so it can be activated during the Closed State while your spell is on the chain. The "chosen twice this turn" condition still gates it: your Reaction spell targeting an enemy unit counts as one of those choices (targeting = choosing), so...
Do "when I attack" triggers create a chain, such as yellow Ambessa's champion empowered ability?
**Yes.** "When I attack" is a Triggered Ability, and all triggered abilities use the Chain (Rule 383.3, 383.4.e). For empowered Ambessa, Respected and Feared, here's the sequence: the moment she gains the Attacker designation, her empowered "When I attack" ability goes on the Chain as a pending item and the game enters a **Closed State** (FAQ #11742). While the Chain...
If my enemy Bellows Breath my Rengar at a battlefield, does using Flash to change the location of Rengar cancel out Bellows Breath?
No — Flash does not cancel Bellows Breath. Bellows Breath targets the **units themselves**, not the location they're at. "Same location" is a targeting restriction checked when the spell is cast, not on resolution. When Rengar moves to base via Flash, the spell tracks him there, and base is a valid location — so he still takes the 1 damage...
Can I play Cannon Barrage on an enemy trying to conquer an open Battlefield?
Yes, you can **play** Cannon Barrage — but it won't do anything to the conquering unit. Moving a unit to an open battlefield creates a **Non-Combat Showdown** (no opposing unit present), and during that showdown you're in an Open State where Reaction cards like Cannon Barrage are legal to play. However, Cannon Barrage only deals damage to "enemy units **in...
When a seal is given temporary, can you tap it in response to the temporary trigger and keep the power during your turn?
**You can tap it in response — but the power won't survive to your Main Phase, so you can't keep it.**
Question about Swain Visionary, I play unit, then I conquer and get point, then I play gear and spell, will I plus 1 point?
**No.** Swain's "if you've played a non-token unit, a non-token gear, and a spell this turn" is part of his trigger *condition*, checked at the moment he conquers — so the gear and spell must already be played when the conquer happens. Playing them afterward doesn't satisfy it, and the trigger never fires (Rule 383.2.a.1).
If I cannot play additional cost to play something like sacrifice, my card go to hand again?
Yes — if you can't pay the additional cost, the play is cancelled and Sacrifice returns to your hand. When you start playing a card it moves from hand to the Chain, but you have to pay all costs in step 4 of the play process (killing a friendly Mighty unit here, Rule 357.2). If you can't or won't pay...
If I have resonating strike hidden in a battlefield that I control with 2 units, then another combat showdown starts at the other battlefield I also control. Can I reveal hidden strike and bring a unit from there to the other battlefield where the combat showdown is happening?
**No.** When you play Resonating Strike from hidden, the destination battlefield must be the battlefield where the card was hidden — you can't use it to move a unit to the other battlefield where the showdown is happening.
Can I use action spell cards on opponent such as Wages of Pain/Bellow's Breath even though I have no units (it's a non-combat showdown right)?
**Yes.** A Non-Combat Showdown still counts as a Showdown with an Open State, and you can play Action spells during it even with zero units on board.
If I have Applied Researchers empower and play Shock blast is it free?
**It depends on Shock Blast's printed cost — you pay its cost minus 3 (Shock Blast's own −2 plus Applied Researchers' −1), to a minimum of 0.** So it's free if the printed cost is 3 or less; if it costs more, you pay the difference.
If my unit dies in Showdown during opponent's turn, can I return it if I hold Altar of Blood?
Yes — if your unit is at **Altar of Blood** and it would die during combat (including lethal combat damage during the Combat Cleanup), you can pay [A][A][A] to heal it, exhaust it, and recall it to your base instead. This works on your opponent's turn; you just need the power available in your rune pool.