Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 135 of 158 · 7,873 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
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.
I have Astral Heron on the battlefield. My opponent pushes my battlefield and I react, playing Retreat on my Heron. Does my next card gain the discount?
**No.** Heron's "if I'm at a battlefield" is part of its trigger condition, and that condition is checked *after* your first card of the turn fully resolves — by which point Retreat has already recalled Heron to hand, so the ability never triggers.
If I play Abandon in response to a card being played from discard through the flow mechanic, does it go back to trash or does it become banished?
**It becomes banished — it will not go to the trash, and it will not even go back to hand despite Abandon's text.**
For best of 1, when can you sideboard?
**By default, you can't sideboard at all in a standard Best-of-1** — sideboarding is only allowed between games of a match (Rule 403.4), and Rule 403.5 forbids using sideboard cards in the first game, which is the only game in a BO1.
Does Volibear channel a rune exhausted when playing a Mighty card or also when he makes a card Mighty?
**No — Volibear only triggers when you play a unit that is already Mighty at the moment it's played.** Relentless Storm reads "When you play a Mighty unit, you may exhaust me to channel 1 rune exhausted." The Mighty check happens in the trigger condition at the time of play — the unit must have 5+ Might when it resolves...
Can Mirror Image be discarded using Decree of Strength?
Yes — **Mirror Image can be chosen by Decree of Strength**, but it isn't *discarded*; it's **recycled**. Decree of Strength lets you pick a Mind (`[C]`) card from your opponent's revealed hand. Mirror Image is a Mind–Order spell, so it qualifies. However, the card doesn't go to the trash — Recycle puts it on the bottom of its owner's Main...
If my opponent has 2 gear in base and plays his Porobot, does he count as the 3rd gear to draw 1, or will there already be 3 gear?
No. Porobot needs **3 other gear** — he doesn't count himself. His ability reads "if you control 3 or more **other** gear, draw 1." With only 2 gears already on your Base, playing him gives you 3 gear total, but only 2 *other* gear — the condition fails and you draw nothing. You'd need a 3rd gear already in play...
If a Champion conquers a location with no monsters, would it be considered dealing excess damage in respect to something like the effect of "Vi, Piltover Enforcer"?
**No.** Conquering a battlefield with no enemy units doesn't assign any damage, so there's no excess damage for Piltover Enforcer.
If you move a unit to a combat showdown and have Mask of Foresight, can Akali Rogue Assassin move a unit from combat and then when moved back in that unit trigger Mask of Foresight a second time?
Yes — in this exact line, Mask of Foresight can trigger a second time, because the unit left the combat entirely and its re-entry starts a **new** Combat Showdown.
If my opponent attacks and puts a 'When I attack' trigger on the chain, when I reveal Mischievous Marai from Hidden as a Reaction, does it stack directly on top of the opponent's existing chain or start a new separate chain?
**Yes — it stacks directly on top of the existing chain.** Riftbound allows only one Chain at a time, and any card or ability played while a Chain exists is placed on that same Chain (Rule 330.1–330.2).
If my opponent plays Ride the Wind, can I chain a Temporal Breach on a Fizz at the battlefield to play a Hard Bargain from my trash, or would Fizz's play effect be on a separate chain?
**Yes — it all happens on the same chain.** Fizz's play effect doesn't start a new chain; it's added as a pending item on the existing chain, and you can use it to play Hard Bargain to counter Ride the Wind.
Does Dazzling Aurora enter the field first before the When You Play Me effect of Soul Gorger resolves? Basically, does Prefect exile Aurora?
**Yes — Aurora enters the field before Soulgorger's "When you play me" effect resolves, so Prefect cannot exile her.** Chain items finalize in the order they were appended, and a Gear resolves immediately upon finalizing (Rule 337.1.b, 337.2). So the order is: Soulgorger enters → **Aurora resolves and enters as a Gear** → then Soulgorger's WYPM trigger resolves and plays...
If my opponent attacks and puts a "When I attack" trigger on the chain, when I reveal Mischievous Marai from Hidden as a Reaction, it has "when you play...", does it stack directly on top of the opponent's existing chain or start a new separate chain?
**Same chain — it stacks directly on top.** There's only ever one Chain at a time (Rule 330.1), and anything played or triggered while a Chain exists is added to that Chain as the top item.
Does Diana Lunari trigger resolve if she gets gusted to hand in response?
Yes. Once Diana's "When a showdown begins here" trigger is on the chain, Gust only removes her — it doesn't counter her ability, and triggered abilities resolve independently of their source (FAQ #10222; Rule 392).