Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 132 of 152 · 7,585 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
If I move a unit into a contested battlefield and activate a move trigger, can I reaction speed a spell to move out of the battlefield before combat starts?
**Yes — if the move trigger opens a chain, you can play a Reaction-speed spell to move the unit out before the showdown starts, and the combat won't happen.**
If I have a Ahri Nine Tailed Fox Legend and the enemy attacks a battlefield with Assault, does the effect from Ahri apply before or after the Assault effect?
Yes — Assault applies first, then Ahri's -1 Might. Assault is a passive ability that takes effect the moment the unit gains the Attacker designation, before any triggers go on the chain. Ahri's Nine-Tailed Fox ability then triggers on that designation and resolves afterward, reducing the already-buffed Might. So a 3-Might unit with Assault 3 attacks at 6 Might, then...
What is considered as win a combat?
**You win a combat if you are the Attacker or Defender and you are the only player with units still at that battlefield when combat result is determined (Rule 466.3.a).**
If the opponent enters my battlefield with a unit that says "when I attack" but in the same battlefield I have a unit that says "when I defend", which one procs first?
**The "When I defend" trigger resolves first — even though the "When I attack" trigger goes on the chain first.**
Can Kennen give Flow for a spell got discarded by Minefield when conquering with Kennen?
**No.** Kennen's target is locked when his conquer trigger is placed on the Chain, and at that moment Minefield hasn't resolved yet — so the cards it mills into your trash aren't there to choose.
Does defying or playing a rebuttal on a spell played from flow still banish the spell?
Yes — a countered Flow spell is still banished, but only when it's actually countered. Flow's banishment is a delayed replacement effect (Rule 829.1.b.1): any time the spell leaves the chain as a finalized chain item — except by resolving on its own — it's banished instead of trashed. A counter (Defy, or Rebuttal's "otherwise, counter it" branch) sends it...
At Battlefield A, my opponent controls 2 units (Mystic Poro and Sinister Poro) and I control 1 unit (Lonely Poro) along with a face-down Hidden Lotus Trap. If combat happens and I activate Hidden Lotus Trap targeting the opponent's Mystic Poro, how does the combat resolve and what is the exact outcome?
**All three units die — it's a full trade — and you draw 1 from Lonely Poro's Deathknell. No one scores; Battlefield A becomes Uncontrolled.**
Does Applied Researchers reduce repeat costs?
**Yes — once Applied Researchers is Empowered, her "your spells cost [1] [A] less" discount applies to Repeat costs too.**
When Lucian Gunslinger attacks and there is only 1 deflect unit there, can he pass his ability or does he have to do it?
**He can't skip it outright, but he can get out of it by declining the Deflect cost.** Lucian's "When I attack" trigger is mandatory (no "may"), so it goes on the Chain as a Pending Item. If the Deflect unit is the only enemy unit there, he must choose it as the target (Rule 402.4) — that's not optional. However,...
If my Forerunner dies and I am playing Rengar Pridestalker, do the tokens summoned from Forerunner give plus 1 to other units?
**Yes.** Each Mech token is "played" when Forerunner's Deathknell resolves, so Pridestalker triggers once per token — two triggers, each giving a unit +1 Might (not one +2).
Does Ravenbloom Conservatory make you reveal to opponent?
**Yes — "reveal" means the card is shown to all players, including your opponent.** Ravenbloom Conservatory's ability uses the game action **Reveal**, which per Rule 424.1 is "presenting a card to all players" — so the top card of your Main Deck becomes public information during the resolution, then either goes to your hand or gets recycled. The effect is...
If I have 2 or more units with Tank on a battlefield and the opponent is trying to conquer it, can I decide which of my units gets the damage first, then second, etc.?
**No — the attacker decides, not you.** During the Combat Damage step, the attacking player assigns their damage and chooses which of your Tank units takes lethal damage first when you have multiple Tanks at the battlefield. Since your Tanks share the same damage-assignment priority, the attacker may assign to them in any order (Rules 815.1.c.2, 465.2.c.7). All your Tanks...
If I swap Zed with a shadow clone, does a targeted spell still hit Zed or hit the clone?
**The spell still hits Zed — the Shadow Clone is never the target.** Targeting locks onto the game object (Zed), not his location. When he swaps places with the clone, the targeting relationship follows Zed across the board (same principle as the Alpha Strike clarification: the "arrow" stays on the unit as long as it remains on the board). The...
Can Baron Nashor be targeted by an enemy Battlefield effect, i.e. Amateur Recital that's controlled by an enemy?
**No — an enemy-controlled Amateur Recital cannot target Baron Nashor.** Baron's ability says he can't be chosen by enemy spells *and abilities*, and a battlefield's ability is controlled by its controller (Rule 190.6.a). Since the enemy controls Amateur Recital, its hold trigger is an enemy ability, and choosing which unit to move to its base counts as "choosing" that unit...
Does the effect of Mask Mother count as an additional cost and is reduced by Ezreal?
**No.** Mask Mother's ability is a triggered ability with a cost *within instructions* ("you may pay [1] to give +2 [S]"), not an optional additional cost, so Ezreal, Prodigy's discount does not apply.
Does Overzealous Fan stop "when I attack" units effects from resolving when he uses his ability?
**No — the attack trigger still resolves; Overzealous Fan doesn't cancel it.** The "When I attack" ability was already placed on the chain when the unit gained the Attacker designation (Rule 383.4.e), and the Fan's defend trigger resolves *before* it (defender triggers go on top, LIFO). Moving the attacker to its base does not stop its trigger from resolving.
When you reveal a unit with Paaka Protector, does it have to go to hand or can you trash it for +2?
No — if the revealed card is a unit, you must draw it. The +2 Shield only happens when the revealed card is **not** a unit.
Can I move a unit with shuriken flip if the enemy unit is retreat?
Yes — the move still happens. Shuriken Flip's damage and move are separate instructions. If the enemy unit "Retreats" (returns to hand) before the spell resolves, the damage part fizzles — the unit left the board, so the targeting relationship is severed — but the move part resolves normally as long as you have a friendly unit to move (that...
Can you play Existential Dread on 2 units if you repeat it?
Yes. **Existential Dread**'s [Repeat] [2] lets you execute its effect a second time, and each execution can target a different attacking enemy unit — so you can stun two units (or return one already-stunned unit to hand and stun another).
If we use Rebuttal on an enemy Star-Crossed, can we choose a new target of that Star-Crossed on Ruin Runner?
**It depends on whose Ruin Runner it is.** **Your own Ruin Runner: Yes.** When you take control of Star-Crossed via Rebuttal's [A], "friendly" and "enemy" re-anchor to you. Since you now control the spell, it's no longer an "enemy spell" to your Ruin Runner, so you can legally pick it as the mandatory "friendly unit" target (it would bounce to...
Does the threshold of the gray reward you of on energy if you conquer without an opponent?
**No.** Threshold of the Gray only triggers "when combat starts here," and conquering an empty battlefield is a **Non-Combat Showdown** — no Combat is ever staged, so the trigger never fires and you get no energy.
Can you react to Sunken Temple trigger if the person who conquers doesn't choose to pay 1 and draw 1?
**No — if the conqueror declines the "may," there's nothing to react to. You only get a reaction window if they choose to pay and draw.**
Is Atakhan's "kill a defender" considered an ability for purposes of Ruin Runner?
**Yes, but it doesn't help Ruin Runner — Atakhan's kill effect is an ability, yet it doesn't "choose" or target Ruin Runner, so the protection never applies.**
What happens when you play Abandon on a spell that was played for its Flow cost?
It will be banished when it attempts to leave the chain. “[T]hen banish it” in Flow’s text is short for “if it would leave the chain after becoming a finalized chain item, and leaving the chain wasn’t instructed by its own execution, banish it instead.” Abandon returns the countered card to hand after countering it, but for the purposes of...
What is the difference between Iascylla and Azir, Sovereign’s uses of “this battlefield”?
Iascylla’s delayed trigger refers to the battlefield that she held. Azir, Sovereign’s attack trigger refers to the battlefield where he is located.
What happens when I play Moonfall choosing an enemy unit while I control an empowered Mel, Newly Awakened?
The chosen unit will be given -3 [M]. All other enemy units at the chosen battlefield will be given -2 [M].
What about casting Stupefy while I have an empowered Mel, Newly Awakened?
The chosen unit will be given -2 [M], to a minimum of 1 [M]. If it was 2 [M], it will become 1 [M].
Speaking of Mel, can my opponent play Abandon on my spell while I control an empowered Mel, Newly Awakened? What happens?
They can play Abandon targeting your spell. On resolution, they will Predict, but nothing else will happen. Mel, Newly Awakened says “your spells and abilities can’t be countered.” If the spell can’t be countered, Abandon will attempt to counter it and fail, and then it will replace the event of it being put in the Trash with it being returned...
How does it work if I cast Abandon while having an empowered Mel, Newly Awakened but they Rebuttal my spell?
In the case of Rebuttal, gaining control of a spell is not the same thing as countering that spell. Effects that prevent spells being countered don’t prevent their controller from changing. If Rebuttal is played choosing your spell, and they pay [A] during resolution of Rebuttal, they will gain control of it. However, them not paying [A] does not mean...
What new choices can I make when I play Rebuttal and pay [A]?
You can choose any number of targets or modes to make new choices for. The rest remain the same. If you are remaking choices in this way, any choices you choose not to remake must be legal choices. You can’t choose to have some but not all choices be legal choices. Of course, you can always choose not to make...
What happens if I choose to copy an empowered unit when I equip an unempowered unit with Shady Spectacles?
Being empowered is a status and is not copyable, thus the equipped unit will remain unempowered. Shady Spectacles applies a copy effect to the equipped unit. Copy effects copy the printed (or copied, if another copy effect has already been applied) traits of the unit being copied. Empowered is a status, a temporary modification, and not part of the printed...
What happens when my opponent’s Akshan, Mischievous steals my equipped Shady Spectacles? What happens if they want to copy Aphelios?
If it was attached to a unit, the equipped unit loses its copy effect. Akshan will then become a copy of a friendly unit of his controller’s choice. If he becomes a copy of Aphelios, his ability will not trigger.
My Sand Soldier has Shady Spectacles equipped and is a copy of Azir, Ascendent. What happens if I activate the copied Azir’s activated ability before detaching the Shady Spectacles and then attach them to the same Sand Soldier as a copy of the same Azir, Ascendent? Can I use the activated ability again?
You can. Each instance of the copied ability is a different ability. The game object remains the same throughout this whole process, so any temporary modifications will remain on the Sand Soldier as it transforms, but the copied rules text is an entirely new instance of the ability. It is the same idea as Svellsongur’s copy of an ability being...
What happens during combat damage assignment if my 4 [M] unit has both Ki Barrier and Lotus Trap played on it this turn and my opponent has a 4 [M] defender?
You can order the replacement effects on your unit. If Ki Barrier is first, your unit will take no damage and you will have 3 damage prevention remaining on your unit. If Lotus Trap is first, your unit will take 1 damage and will have no damage prevention remaining on your unit.
What happens when I discard a Patched Porobot with Hwei, Brooding Painter’s move trigger?
Two triggers will go on the chain, in the order of your choosing. One says “Give me +3 [M] this turn.” while the other says “Ready up to 2 runes.”
If my opponent plays two spells in succession, can I counter the first one with Crumbling Sands?
Yes. Crumbling Sands uses the “finalize” meaning of play, because it checks whether cards have been “played” and isn’t a triggered ability. As long as an opponent (not even necessarily the one who played this spell) has chosen targets, paid costs, checked legality, and completed the process of finalizing another spell, even if that spell was countered, Crumbling Sands can...
When can I react to my opponent playing Fallen Feline to a battlefield? And how does naming a card work?
You can react to the play effect of Fallen Feline, before they’ve named a spell. Fallen Feline’s play effect instructs its controller to name a spell. This occurs on resolution of the triggered ability. If Fallen Feline is played to a battlefield, as soon as the ability resolves, opponents cannot play spells with that name. Meaning spells by that name...
If I disempower a Kayle, Justified who has been empowered 3 times, does she lose all of her empowered statuses?
No. She will lose one of her empowered statuses. For every Riftbound card other than Kayle, empowered is a binary status. They are either empowered or not. Kayle utilizes the golden rule “Card text supersedes rules text” to overcome this and be able to escape the normal bounds of what the empowered status means. On Kayle, empowered isn’t a binary...
Can I activate Kayle’s empower ability even if she’s already empowered?
Yes. Kayle’s empower ability can be activated any number of times. If she has less than 3 empowered statuses, she will become empowered. If she has 3 empowered statuses, the ability can still be activated but nothing will happen when the ability resolves.
What happens if my opponent plays Flash on their Akali, Silent that’s currently in combat after I play Star-Crossed targeting her?
Akali will be unaffected by Star-Crossed as it resolves. Akali, Silent is what the rules refer to as “untargetable” for enemy spells and abilities when she isn’t in combat; meaning she is not a legal target for them. Enemy spells and abilities being played when she’s untargetable can’t choose her. If she becomes untargetable after she’s already been chosen by...
I have a Ravenbloom Student on the board and I haven’t played any spells this turn. What happens when I play Rebuttal targeting my opponent’s Stupefy and pay [A] on resolution? After everything resolves, how much will Battering Ram cost? Will my opponent’s Legion abilities be active?
Ravenbloom Student will trigger twice, Battering Ram will cost [4], and your opponent’s Legion abilities will be active. Ravenbloom Student’s triggered ability checks whether a spell that you control resolves. You gained control of the Stupefy, and it resolved, so you will have triggered Ravenbloom Student’s ability. Battering Ram and Legion, on the other hand, check whether cards were finalized.
What happens when I conquer with Swain, Visionary, if I’ve only played a Patched Porobot and Stupefy this turn?
You will score 2 points total. 1 from conquering, 1 from Swain. Swain only checks whether you’ve played a non-token unit, a non-token gear, and a spell. Checks like that do not care whether they were satisfied by multiple cards or a single card relevant to the trigger conditions.
What happens when my opponent plays Switcheroo on their 2 [M] unit and my empowered Gangplank, Naval?
Gangplank, Naval will replace his Might being lowered with him being given +3 [M] this turn. Swap calculates the difference in Might and generates two effects: an increase, and a decrease. When a swap effect is applied to two units’ Mights, it gives those units +[M] and -[M] respective to who has the higher Might.
What happens when my empowered Gangplank, Naval is moved by my opponent’s Blast Cone’s play effect and they exhaust Blast Cone to stun Gangplank? Will he be stunned? What happens if I then play Back Off choosing my Gangplank? Will he get +3 [M] this turn?
Blast Cone will stun Gangplank. If you play Back Off choosing your stunned Gangplank, he will not receive +3 [M] this turn.
What happens if I play Stupefy on my 1 [M] empowered Gangplank, Naval? Will he get +3 [M] this turn?
He will not. In order for his replacement effect to apply, the event of him being given -[M] must occur. In the case of Stupefy played on a 1 [M] unit, no -[M] is given; it is snapshot to -0 [M]. Thus, there is no suitable event for Gangplank’s replacement effect to replace.
What happens when my opponent plays Hidden Blade targeting my Akali, Deadly Weapon in reaction to her move trigger? Will it still deal damage to the chosen unit?
It will. Akali is another case where her ability refers to information implicit to its own trigger condition, similar to Iascylla. Akali’s “battlefield I moved to or from” doesn’t require her to be on the board in order for us to be able to identify it, nor does it reference information about her current state. Even if she leaves the...
Can I activate an empowered Heimerdinger, Inventor to ready 2 gear if my Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow legend isn’t empowered? What about if my Heimerdinger isn’t empowered?
You can activate Heimerdinger’s ability if he is empowered, regardless of the empowered status of Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow. There are two important details relating to dependent keywords:
What card does Astral Heron’s triggered ability discount?
It discounts the next card played (added to the chain and queued for finalization) this turn after the ability resolves.
What happens when I play Temporal Breach targeting my Elder Dragon in base and pay [A][A] for Dragon Roost while playing Elder Dragon? Will it be played to base or to Dragon Roost?
You can choose which of those two locations you want to play it to. In general, there are not many cases with competing instructions: one effect that tells you to play a unit to one location, and one that tells you to play it to another. When they arise with contradictory requirements, the precedent from other areas of the rules...
What happens when I play Perched Grimwyrm while I haven’t conquered Dragon Roost this turn? Can I pay [A][A] and play it to Dragon Roost? What if I’ve conquered another battlefield this turn?
You cannot. In Riftbound, “can’t” beats “can.” Perched Grimwyrm’s effect is a “can’t,” as in it can’t be played to any location but to a battlefield you’ve conquered this turn. Dragon Roost’s ability tries to give the Grimwyrm permission to be played to the Roost, but that can’t overcome Perched Grimwyrm’s own restriction. If you have no ability to play...