Browse Riftbound Rules Questions
Page 136 of 158 · 7,873 verified questions. Each links to the full ruling.
When I play Rebuttal, do I have to decide to pay 1 more power to take control of the spell, or will I wait until it resolves?
**You decide when Rebuttal resolves, not when you play it.** When you finalize Rebuttal, you only choose the target spell. The "You may pay [A]" isn't an additional cost of playing Rebuttal — it's a cost within an instruction, paid on resolution (Rule 204.3.b). So you play Rebuttal for its printed [1][P], and only when it resolves do you choose...
When I play Sacrifice to kill my Glasc Mixologist to play Vanguard Captain - will it enable its Legion to play 2 recruit tokens?
Yes — Sacrifice enables Vanguard Captain's Legion, so you get the two 1[M] Recruit tokens. Legion checks whether a different card has been **finalized** by you this turn (Rule 812.1.c), and Sacrifice was finalized when you played it — before Glasc Mixologist's Deathknell even resolves. So when the Deathknell plays Vanguard Captain from your trash, Legion is already active and...
I play Temporal Breach to a unit at a battlefield a hidden card. If they don't react it now, will the hidden card get discarded or can they play it later after the unit is played again and will they score this turn? This is my turn.
**No — the hidden card stays, and the Breach replay doesn't score.** Your control of that battlefield is never lost during the sequence. While Temporal Breach is on the chain (Closed State), no loss-of-control check happens, and after it resolves your unit is pending on the chain being played back — a pending unit prevents the cleanup from stripping your...
How does Switcheroo work with Orrn Forge God with a Sterakos and GA equipped and 7 gears in total against a tentacle token?
**Ornn ends at the Tentacle's Might (1), and the Tentacle ends at Ornn's full current Might** — Switcheroo counts every bonus, including Ornn's +1 per friendly gear and each gear's own Might bonus (Rule 433).
If I play Rumble, if opponent asks me how many might I have on a battlefield, do I have to tell him with or without apply of shield?
**You must give them the unit's current Might — which, outside of combat, is *without* Shield.** Shield is "While I am a defender, I have +X Might" (Rule 814.1.c), so it only adds to Might when the unit actually has the Defender designation. A unit sitting on a battlefield isn't a defender, so its current Might is its printed Might...
If I use Stupefy on an opponent's unit that has 2 might while I control an empowered Mel, Newly Awakened, does the opponent's unit get reduced to 1 might or 0 might?
**The unit ends at 1 Might, not 0.** Empowered Mel's ability modifies spells you control that "give −[S]" — so Stupefy's −1 becomes −2 Might. But the "to a minimum of 1 might" clause is part of Stupefy's own effect, so the floor still applies: 2 Might − 2 clamps to 1. This is the same snapshotting principle as Rule...
Can you use a quick draw gear after both passing focus and before assigning combat damage?
**No.** Once both players pass focus in sequence, the Showdown closes and combat proceeds directly to the damage step — there is no priority window to play anything, including a Quick-Draw gear at Reaction speed.
Emperor's Divide can be used to pull back units from multiple battlefields or just one?
**No — only one battlefield.** Emperor's Divide reads "any number of friendly units **at a battlefield**" (singular), so you pick a single battlefield and move any number of your units from that one location to base. It can't grab units from multiple battlefields (FAQ #10641). Units moved keep their current Ready/Exhausted state when they arrive.
Does Vi, Destructive ability I can use it as often as I want?
Yes — Vi, Destructive's ability can be used as many times per turn as you can pay for it, since nothing on the card limits the number of activations.
Can Frigid Jewel trigger more than once per turn, for example drawing 6 cards?
**No — Frigid Jewel triggers at most once per turn.** Its condition is "when you draw your **second** card each turn" — there's only one second card per turn. If you draw 6 cards, the ability fires on the 2nd draw and that's it; the 3rd–6th draws don't satisfy the condition. Even if you draw multiple cards at once (e.g.,...
If I play Kennen from Hidden, can I stun a unit in a different location?
**No.** Kennen's "When you play me... stun a unit" is a **play effect**, and Hidden restricts play-effect targets to units at the battlefield where Kennen was hidden (Rule 811.1.d.2) — so the stun target must be at that same battlefield.
If Blue Nasus and another unit trade on a Showdown, does the Blue Nasus trigger and channel 1 Rune Exhausted?
**No — Nasus's ability does not trigger.** Nasus, Guardian of Knowledge's trigger is "once each turn, when an enemy unit **here** dies." When he and the enemy unit both take lethal damage, they're killed together in the same combat cleanup step (Rule 323.5). Since Nasus leaves the board at the exact same instant the enemy unit dies, he can't evaluate...
If my opponent plays Fizz to use Hidden Blade targeting my Kayle, can I play Disposable Orders to remove the Hidden Blade from trash before Fizz uses it?
**Yes.** You can respond to Fizz's "When you play me" trigger with **Disposal Order** and recycle the targeted **Hidden Blade** — once it leaves the trash, Fizz's ability has no valid target and its instruction to play the spell is ignored (Rule 359.3.e.7; FAQ #10771).
When Lightning Rush looks at the top 3 cards and I see Undertitan, does that add 2 energy?
**No.** Lightning Rush says "Look at the top 3 cards," and looking is not revealing — Undertitan's energy ability only fires when an effect explicitly uses the word "reveal" (RiftJudge FAQ #4282/#251).
If I have a Stellacorn and Zhonya's Hidden on one battlefield, and I have Irelia and a Tideturner Hidden on another, if an opponent starts a showdown on the first battlefield, can I Ride the Wind my Irelia into the other battlefield while activating Tideturner to move my Stellacorn while keeping my Zhonya's Hidden?
**Yes — the whole line is legal, assuming Stellacorn and Irelia are actually in play (not hidden).** During the showdown at BF A, Ride the Wind is an Action, so it's playable in the Showdown Open State — it moves Irelia from B to A and readies her (joining the ongoing showdown is fine; the "no moving into combat" restriction...
Does Divine Judgment recycle trash and banish cards?
No — Divine Judgment only touches the card types it names: units, gear, and runes on the board, plus cards in hand. Cards in the trash or in banishment are not among the "rest" and stay exactly where they are.
Can you just exhaust Irelia without moving her?
No — you can't just exhaust Irelia without moving her. Exhausting is a Limited Action that only happens as a cost for an action/ability or when a card effect tells you to (Rule 414.3). The Standard Move is the only generic exhaust you have, and there "exhaust" is the cost while actually moving is the effect — per Rule 414.4,...
Does Red Akali deal marked damage when combined with Akali's Champion ability?
Yes — when the Akali legend (Rogue Assassin) moves Akali, Deadly Weapon out of a showdown, her "When I move" trigger fires and deals real damage: 1 (or 2 if she's Empowered) to a unit at the battlefield she moved from. That damage is marked on the unit as damage counters and counts as damage marked by you (Rules 142,...
Does Shuriken Flip cause the unit to exhaust?
No — Shuriken Flip moves the unit without exhausting it. Exhaustion is only the cost for a unit's **Standard Move** (Rule 144.2). Moving via a spell effect is not a Standard Move, and Shuriken Flip's text doesn't instruct you to exhaust the unit, so it keeps its current ready/exhausted state (see also FAQ #3678 for the same principle). The moved...
If I move to an enemy battlefield with Twilight Reveler and use Akali Champion ability to bring it back, is the card still considered an attacker?
**No** — once Twilight Reveler is moved back to base, it is no longer an attacker. Twilight Reveler gained the Attacker designation when combat opened at the enemy battlefield (Rule 464.2.c.3), but the designation is tied to that combat. When Akali's ability moves it to base, it no longer occupies the battlefield where combat is ongoing, and the designation is...
Can I use Akali champion to trigger Mournfull Witnesses?
**Yes.** On your turn you can activate the Akali legend (Rogue Assassin) ability to move Mournful Witness out of an ongoing combat to your base, and that ends the combat — Mournful Witness's "when a combat that I was in ends" trigger fires and it becomes Empowered.
If I counter a spell with Defile and my opponent counters my Defile with Abandoned and sends it to my hand, can I let Abandoned resolve and recast my Defile on the original target?
Yes — assuming you mean **Defy** (there's no card named "Defile"), you can let **Abandon** resolve and then recast **Defy** on the original spell.
If I play Draven Glorious Executioner, do I win a combat and draw a card if an enemy unit is pushed back by the ability of Overzealous Fan?
**No.** When Overzealous Fan kills itself to push your attacking unit back to Base, both players end up with zero units at the battlefield, so the combat result is **"No Result"** — not a win for you — and Glorious Executioner's "When you win a combat, draw 1" does not trigger.
Can I use Whirlwind or King's Edict to target Baron?
**Yes — both can hit Baron Nashor.** Neither spell targets or "chooses" units itself. Whirlwind and King's Edict both instruct players to make choices during resolution, and per Rule 355.10.e those player-made choices are not targeting. Since Baron's protection only blocks being chosen *by* enemy spells and abilities (not by players resolving them), he's a legal choice for both (FAQ...
If combat is resolving, I have a 5 might unit, and the enemy has a 7 might unit and a 4 might unit, can I assign my damage to the 7 might unit or do I have to assign lethal damage to the 4 might unit?
Yes — you can put all 5 damage on the 7 Might unit. Nothing forces you to kill the 4 Might unit first.
Does Mel and Ambessa Legends trigger on the same chain you empower a unit? For example, I empower a unit, it goes on the stack, and then Mel Legend triggers, that goes on the stack and will resolve first before the unit's empower trigger?
**No — it's the opposite order.** The unit's Empower resolves *first*; Mel (Soul's Reflection) and Ambessa (Matriarch of War) only trigger *after* that, on a fresh chain.
I have tapped legend LeBlanc and then conquer Hall of Legend battlefield, can I trigger Hall of Legend first to ready my legend and then use her ability?
**No — if LeBlanc is already exhausted when you conquer Hall of Legends, her Deceiver trigger never enters the Chain at all.**
When Bottled Constellation triggers and I have Patched Porobot on my board, is it possible that the Patched Porobot counts as 2 of these 3 needed to kill to trigger the Bottled Constellation?
**No.** Patched Porobot counts as **one** of the three kills, not two. Bottled Constellation requires you to kill **3 game objects** that are friendly units and/or gear. Patched Porobot is a single game object with both card types (Rule 178), so it's a valid choice for the kill — but it still satisfies only one of the three kills. This...
For rebuttal, to take control of it, do I pay the power on resolution or to put it on the chain?
**On resolution — not when you put it on the chain.** You play Rebuttal for its printed [1][P]. The "You may pay [A]" is a cost within an instruction paid when Rebuttal resolves, not an additional cost of playing it (FAQ #12038). When it resolves you choose: pay [A] and take control (making new choices), or decline and counter the...
For Ravenbloom Conservatory, opponent moves into that open bf. I play Ride the Wind to move my unit into Ravenbloom where he is attacking. Do I get the "when you defend" trigger?
**No — you don't get the trigger.** The battlefield has no Controller during the Showdown, so "you" in "When you defend here" refers to no one, and the ability stays dormant.
When my opponent plays Promising Future and reveals dazzling aurora, can I reveal thermobeam to destroy it, or will it resolve in such order that aurora will be played after thermobeam resolves?
**Yes — a Thermo Beam played through Promising Future will kill Dazzling Aurora, but Aurora still enters play first.** There is no response window to a permanent being played: gears and units finalize immediately and leave the chain (Rule 359.2), so you can't destroy it "before it's played."
Can Rebuttal counter or take control of Starfall?
**Yes — Rebuttal can target Falling Star** (there's no card named "Starfall" in the database; if you mean the Fury spell **Falling Star**, it has Energy cost 2, which is within Rebuttal's "no more than [4]" limit).
Gangplank Naval, if I use Starcrossed, can they use their ability? Will they get +3 and do they need to pull back to hand? Or can they stay at the same battlefield? It says "or put to hand," so you don't need to, right?
**Yes — if Gangplank is already Empowered, he stays on the board and gets +3 Shield this turn instead of being bounced.**
Does Ki Barrier stack with each other?
Yes — two Ki Barriers stack, giving the unit a combined 14 damage prevented this turn. Each Ki Barrier creates its own separate Prevent pool (Prevent 7) tracked on the unit (Rule 437.1.b.1). When damage would be dealt, both replacement effects apply in the order you choose (Rule 372), so the first pool absorbs up to 7 damage and the...
Can I destroy a non Chaos Gear with decree of unity?
No — Decree of Unity can only kill a **Chaos** gear. Its text reads "Kill an enemy Chaos ([C]) unit or gear," so a non-Chaos gear (e.g., a Calm or Order gear) doesn't meet the targeting requirement and can't be chosen (Rule 355.6). Chaos gear, on the other hand, is a perfectly legal target — Gear are Killable per Rule...
If I have Rengar Trophy Hunter with a buff (7 might) does he die when targeted by Singularity followed by a Stupify?
Yes — Rengar dies. With the buff he's at 7 Might. Singularity marks 6 damage on him (6 < 7, so he survives that alone), but when Stupefy resolves afterward it reduces his Might to 6 while the 6 damage is still marked. Lethal damage is checked whenever a chain item resolves: 6 damage ≥ 6 Might, so he's killed...
If a move into an open battlefield with Irresistible Faefolk and use her ability to pull in Fiora Peerless, does she get the bonus from her ability?
**Yes, Fiora, Peerless gets her bonus.** When Faefolk moves to the open battlefield, you applied Contested and are the attacker (FAQ #11891, Rule 459.2.b.1). Faefolk's trigger resolves, pulling Fiora in, and she gains the Defender designation when the Combat Showdown begins. At that exact moment the battlefield holds only Faefolk and Fiora — one on one — so her trigger...
Can I attach Spinning Axe to my unit after my unit dies even though it's not my turn?
No — you can't re-attach Spinning Axe on a turn that isn't yours. **[Equip]** is an activated ability, and activated abilities can only be used on your own turn, in an Open State (chain empty, no Showdown) — Spinning Axe's Equip doesn't have **Reaction**, so it doesn't get special timing. Also note the Axe doesn't return to your Base immediately...
About Temporal Breach, when I banish a friendly unit, must I play it immediately or can I wait to play it anytime?
**No — the play-back is immediate, part of Temporal Breach's resolution.** You can't bank the banished unit and play it at a later time.
If I control an empowered blue mel, can my opponent rebuttal a spell of mine?
**Yes — your opponent can Rebuttal your spell even with an Empowered Mel, Newly Awakened on your side.** Mel's protection ("Your spells and abilities can't be countered") only stops the *counter* part of Rebuttal — it doesn't make your spell unchoosable, and Rebuttal's targeting only checks Energy cost (≤[4]). So Rebuttal is legal.
If I play Timewarp, do I get a point for holding on my extra turn?
Yes — your Time Warp extra turn is a full turn, so you go through your Beginning Phase and score holding points for each battlefield you control that you haven't already scored this turn (Core 735, 315.2.b.2).
Can I use spells without the keyword Action and Reaction during my opponent's turn?
No. Spells without **Action** or **Reaction** can only be played during your own turn, in an open state with nothing on the chain — never on your opponent's turn.
Can I play spells with flow keywords like Perfect Execution during my opponent's turn?
No — Flow doesn't change when you can play a spell, only where from (your trash instead of your hand).
Does Akali Deadly Weapons move trigger create a window for me to play actions before the showdown?
**No — Akali's "When I move" trigger doesn't create an Action window before the showdown; only Reactions can be played while her trigger is on the chain.**
Do units heal after a non-combat showdown and what is a non-combat showdown?
**No — units do not heal after a non-combat showdown.** A **non-combat showdown** is a showdown opened at a Contested battlefield where units controlled by different players are *not* present (Rule 344.2) — e.g., you move a unit into a battlefield you don't control and there are no enemy units there. If units of opposing players are present, the showdown...
On my Hwei ability, can I draw a Porobot and float 2 energy before discarding a Porobot to get two free energy?
**Yes — with the right timing.** You can't interrupt Hwei's ability mid-resolution, but you can float before it resolves. Here's the line that works:
I have two units in base, and my opponent has two units in base. My opponent casts Star Crossed targeting one of my units and one of theirs. I cast Rebuttal, and take control of Star Crossed. Can I reselect only the "enemy unit" portion of Star Crossed to target my opponent's other unit? If so, do one or two units return to their hand?
**Yes — you can retarget just the enemy-unit portion, and two units total go to hand (one yours, one theirs).**
I have two units in base, and my opponent has two units in base. My opponent casts Star Crossed targeting one of my units and one of theirs. I cast Rebuttal and take control of Star Crossed. Can I essentially bounce two of their units back by only reselecting, switching the target on my friend unit to their other unit?
**No** — when you gain control of Star-Crossed, "friendly" and "enemy" re-anchor to you as the new controller, so you still must choose one of your own units and one of your opponent's.
Looking at these two key rulings, I can see the distinction: a spell that fizzles due to invalid targets is still considered played because it completed the full play process, which means "when you play" triggers will fire. But a countered spell never finishes that process, so it doesn't count as played and won't trigger those effects. This means I should increment the cards played counter at the moment of play, before any resolution happens. The regulations are clear, and they partially refute the obvious repair: 350.1 — "A card is played when it has finished this process in its entirety." 359.3.e.10 — a spell whose targets all become invalid "has no effect but is still considered played" — and the example is literally "When you play a spell, give me +1 [M]". So: countered = never played, but target removed = played anyway
Your conclusion is correct — countered = never played, fizzled-by-invalid-targets = still played — but the timing model is not. Riftbound does **not** count a card as played when it hits the chain; per Rule 350.1, a card is only "Played when it has finished this process in its entirety," and for a spell that means actually resolving. That's exactly...
Your Riftjudge ruling #11530 — is against core rule 419.4.b. What stands here?
**The Core Rule stands — ruling #11530 is overruled.** A countered spell *does* count toward Battering Ram's discount, so Ram costs [4] (5 base, −1).