Riftbound Core Rules

Riftbound Core Rules
Last Updated: 2025-10-01
000. Golden and Silver Rules
001. Golden Rule
002. Card text supersedes rules text. Whenever a card fundamentally contradicts the rules, the card's indication is
what is true.
050. Silver Rule
051. Card text uses different terminology than rules. Card text should be interpreted according to these rules, not as
though it were text within these rules.
052. Card, when written in card effects, is shorthand for "Main Deck card." Runes, legends, and battlefields are not
considered cards when executing the abilities and effects of game objects. They are considered cards for the
purposes of these rules.
053. Cards refer to themselves in the first person.
053.1. * Units and legends say "I," "me," etc.
053.2. * Gear and spells say "this."
053.3. * Battlefields say "here."
054. “Can’t beats Can”
054.1. Cards that forbid actions or effects, as a broad method of determination, supersede cards that allow or
permit that same action or effect.
055. When executing card text, do as much as you can, ignoring impossible instructions.
055.1. If all of a card’s instructions are impossible, it is still played and resolved, but nothing happens.
100. Game Concepts
101. Deck Construction
102. Riftbound is a Trading Card Game where a player must provide their own cards to play against other players.
103. To play Riftbound, a player must have two Decks, a Champion Legend, and a number of Battlefields
determined by the Mode of Play.
103.1. 1 Champion Legend
103.1.a. This is placed in the Legend Zone at the start of the game.
103.1.b. This will dictate the Domain Identity of the Main Deck.
103.1.b.1. Cards included in your Deck must abide by your Domain Identity.
103.1.b.2. Your deck’s Domain Identity is dictated by the domains of your Champion Legend.
In the default card frame, these domains appear as symbols in the legend’s upper
left corner.
103.1.b.3. If a card has a single Domain, then that card is permitted in the Domain Identity
that corresponds to the same Domain.
103.1.b.4. If a card has more than one Domain, then that card is permitted only in a Domain
Identity that contains all of the indicated Domains on that card.
103.2. A Main Deck of at least 40 cards 1 Chosen Champion Unit Units Gear Spells
103.2.a. Chosen Champion
103.2.a.1. This will be placed in the Champion Zone at the start of the game.
103.2.a.2. Must be a champion unit with a champion tag that matches the tag on your
Champion Legend. Example: Loose Cannon has the tag Jinx. Therefore, a player
could choose Jinx, Rebel or Jinx, Demolitionist as their Chosen Champion, because
they also have the tag Jinx. Example: Tibbers has the tag Annie, but it is a signature
unit, not a champion unit. It cannot be your Chosen Champion, even if your
Champion Legend has the tag Annie.
103.2.a.3. A player’s Chosen Champion is both the specific card chosen for this slot during
Deck Building and also any Champion Unit with the same name as the specific
card selected for this specific slot during the course of play. Example: A player
chose Jinx, Rebel as their Chosen Champion. One copy of Jinx, Rebel starts the
game in their Chosen Champion zone. Any additional copies of Jinx, Rebel in their
Main Deck, their hand, their trash, or on the board also count as their Chosen
Champion for any game rules and effects that care about Chosen Champion status
during the game.
103.2.b. Your Main Deck can include up to 3 copies of the same named card.
103.2.b.1. This includes your Chosen Champion. Example: A deck could include Volibear,
Furious as its Chosen Champion and still include 2 more copies of Volibear, Furious.
103.2.b.2. Cards have different names even if they represent the same character. Example: A
deck could include 3 copies of Yasuo, Remorseful and 3 copies of Yasuo, Windrider,
because they have different names.
103.2.c. Subject to Domain Identity.
103.2.d. Your deck may only contain 3 total Signature cards that have the same Champion tag as
your Champion Legend.
103.2.d.1. Regardless of name, a deck may only contain a sum total of 3 Signature cards.
103.2.d.2. All of the Signature cards must have the Champion tag that corresponds to the
Champion Legend of the deck.
103.2.d.3. Signature cards are not Champion units and cannot be placed in the Champion
Zone.
103.2.e. During Gameplay, the Main Deck is Secret Information.
103.2.e.1. It cannot be looked through or revealed unless instructed by a card effect.
103.3. Rune Deck
103.3.a. 12 Rune Cards
103.3.a.1. Cards in this deck must be of the Domain Identity of your Champion Legend.
103.3.b. Must be shuffled and kept separate from the Main Deck.
103.4. Battlefields
103.4.a. The number will be dictated by your Mode of Play.
103.4.b. Subject to Domain Identity if applicable.
103.4.c. Cannot include more than one of a Battlefield of the same name when there are more than
one required for the deck.
104. Setup
105. Spaces
106. The Play Area includes a space for Game Objects referred to as The Board.
106.1. The Board is divided into several Zones.
106.2. The Base
106.2.a. One per player.
106.2.b. The space each player always has access to play their Units and Gear to.
106.2.c. Each Base is a Location.
106.2.d. Other players cannot have Game Objects they control in another player's Base.
106.2.e. The Base also houses each player's Runes that are on The Board.
106.3. The Battlefield Zone
106.3.a. Multiple Battlefields will be here, typically one per player, but occasionally less.
106.3.b. The space where Battlefields are located during gameplay.
106.3.c. Each Battlefield is individually a Location.
106.4. The Facedown Zones
106.4.a. Each Battlefield is associated with a sub-zone called a Facedown Zone, a single logical
space that a card can be put facedown in through various Game Effects.
106.4.b. Each Facedown Zone has a maximum occupancy of one card.
106.4.c. Cards can only be placed in or occupy the Facedown Zone if the controller of the card also
controls the associated Battlefield.
106.4.d. If the Hidden card's controller loses Control of the Battlefield, the card in the Facedown
Zone is removed during the next Cleanup.
See rule 318. Cleanups for more information.
See rule 408. Hide for more information.
106.4.e. Facedown Zones are not locations.
106.5. The Legend Zone
106.5.a. The space for each player's Champion Legend.
106.5.b. This is not a location.
106.5.c. The Champion Legend here is a Game Object.
See rule 119. Game Objects for more information.
106.5.d. The Champion Legend cannot be removed, moved, or displaced from this zone.
107. The Play Area also includes Non-Board Zones.
107.1. The Trash
107.1.a. This space is where cards are placed when they are killed or discarded, when they finish
being executed as spells, when they are moved to the trash as an effect, etc.
107.1.b. Represents cards that have been used or spent.
107.1.c. Each player has a separate trash.
107.1.d. A card owned by a player can never, for any reason, be put into a trash of another player. If it
would be, it's put into its owner's trash instead.
107.1.e. The cards in the Trash are unordered. Their sequence does not matter, and they may be
reorganized.
107.1.f. The cards in any player's Trash are Public Information.
See rule 127. Privacy for more information.
107.2. The Champion Zone
107.2.a. The space each player puts their Chosen Champion at the start of the game.
107.2.b. The Chosen Champion here cannot be returned to this zone by normal means.
107.2.b.1. If a Chosen Champion is instructed to be returned to this zone, it can only do so if
there is not a card already in this zone.
107.2.c. The Chosen Champion can be played from here as normal, following the rules of Playing a
Card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
107.3. The Main Deck Zone
107.3.a. The space for the player's Main Deck.
107.3.b. Primarily houses the face-down deck during gameplay.
107.3.c. The order of cards in the deck is Secret Information during the course of play.
See rule 127. Privacy for more information.
107.4. The Rune Deck Zone
107.4.a. The space for the player's Rune Deck.
107.4.b. Primarily houses the face-down runes during gameplay.
107.4.c. The order of runes in the deck is Secret Information during the course of play.
See rule 127. Privacy for more information.
107.5. Banishment
107.5.a. This space is where cards are placed when they are banished by a spell or effect.
107.5.b. Represents cards that have been removed from play in a more difficult-to-recover way, or a
temporary space to hold cards while effects are being processed.
107.5.c. Each player has a separate banishment.
107.5.d. A card owned by a player can never, for any reason, be put into the banishment of another
player. If it would be, it's put into its owner's banishment instead.
107.5.e. The cards in the banishment are unordered. Their sequence does not matter, and they may
be reorganized.
107.5.f. The cards in any player's Banishment are Public Information.
See rule 127. Privacy for more information.
107.5.g. Some spells or effects may reference cards placed into banishment directly.
107.5.h. Effects that reference cards in banishment only do so by means of also putting the cards
there.
107.5.i. The effects or references to cards in banishment do not count as Choosing.
107.5.j. The effects or references to cards in banishment do not count as Attachment.
107.6. The Hand
107.6.a. Each player has a collection of cards they may Play cards from.
107.6.b. This is the location cards go when Drawn.
107.6.c. The cards in a player's hand are Private Information.
107.6.d. The number of cards in a player's hand is Public Information.
107.6.e. The hand can be targeted as a zone, and cards there can be affected by spells and effects
when specified.
107.6.f. A card owned by a player can never, for any reason, be put into the hand of another player. If
it would be, it's put into its owner's hand instead.
108. All Game Objects in the collective Play Areas are Public Information.
108.1. Any player may view, or be provided with the details of the face-up information printed on the cards
in the Play Area.
108.2. The State of all Game Objects in the Play Area is also Public Information.
Examples:
If a Unit is Buffed
If a Gear is Exhausted
Etc.
109. Whenever a Game Object changes zones to or from a Non-Board Zone, all Temporary Modifications of all
kinds cease to be tracked on it in all capacities.
Examples:
Damage is cleared.
Buffs are removed.
Temporarily granted Keywords are no longer granted.
110. Setup Process
111. Each player separates their Champion Legend and places it in the Legend Zone.
112. Each player separates their Chosen Champion and places it in the Champion Zone.
113. Each player sets aside their Battlefields.
113.1. Your Mode of Play will dictate how these are used and placed into the Battlefield Zone.
See rule 454. Modes of Play for more information.
114. Each player shuffles their decks, separately, then places them into their respective Zones.
114.1. The Main Deck is placed in the Main Deck Zone.
114.2. The Rune Deck is placed in the Rune Deck Zone.
115. Determine Turn Order using any fair random method agreed on by all players.
115.1. Turn Order is established as a repeating set of the players.
115.1.a. The Mode of Play will specify how to determine a First Player.
115.1.b. If not otherwise specified, Seating then determines the sequence, play proceeding
clockwise from the First Player.
115.1.b.1. The First Player is the player who becomes the Turn Player first.
115.1.c. Turn Order repeats until the game ends.
115.2. See the selected Mode of Play for any adjustments to each player's first turn.
See rule 454. Modes of Play for more information.
116. Players each draw 4.
117. In turn order, players perform their Mulligan.
117.1. A player may choose up to two cards in their hand. They set those cards aside.
117.2. Then, that player draws as many cards as they set aside.
117.3. Finally, that player Recycles the cards that were set aside.
See rule 403. Recycle for more information.
118. Begin play with the First Player taking their turn.
119. Game Objects
120. A Game Object is any game piece that can produce one or more Game Effects or grant prerequisites for
players to take Game Actions.
121. A Game Object does not include nor preclude any inherent properties beyond the ability to produce, or act as
the prerequisite for, Game Effects and Game Actions.
122. A Game Object can be a literal object or a logical object.
123. Game Objects include, but are not limited to, the following:
Main Deck cards in any zone
Runes in any zone
Legends
Battlefields
Tokens
Abilities of any type on the chain
Buffs and other status markers
124. Cards
125. Riftbound games are composed of players playing the cards in their respective decks.
126. Ownership
126.1. For gameplay purposes, a card's Owner is the player who brought it into the game, either as their
Champion Legend, one of their Battlefields, or part of their Main Deck or Rune Deck. The legal
owner of a card doesn't matter during gameplay.
Example: Bo didn't bring a deck, so Alice loans him a deck. During the game, Bo is
considered the owner of those cards, even though legally they belong to Alice.
127. Privacy
127.1. A card will always exist in one of the many Zones described during Setup.
127.2. A card will have a different level of Privacy based on where it resides at a given time
127.3. Secret: This level of Privacy indicates that neither player may read or look at the face of the card.
127.4. Private: This level of Privacy indicates that only the controller of a card on the board or the owner of a
card in any other zone may read or look at the face of the card.
Example: Cards in a player's hand are owned by that player. Only that player may read or
look at their faces.
Example: If a player controls a facedown card at a battlefield, that player and only that player
may read or look at that card's face, regardless of who owns that card.
127.5. Public: This level of Privacy indicates that any player may read or look at the face of the card.
128. Back Side
128.1. The back side of a card is the side with the Riftbound logo.
128.2. There is a unique pattern of back side for each of the three categories of card: Main Deck cards, Rune
Deck cards, and Battlefields and Champion Legends.
128.3. The back side of a card is presented to conceal information for Private and Secret information cards.
For example, cards in the Main Deck and cards in hand have their back side presented.
128.4. The term facedown is used to describe the state during regular play of having a card's back side
presented on the Board. A facedown card’s front side is considered Private Information.
129. Front Side
129.1. The front side of a card is the opposite of its back.
129.2. This is also referred to as a front face.
129.3. This can be identified in situations where the back is not easily discernible by the presence of the Play
Cost in the upper left corner of the card.
129.4. Cards, when played, are played with their front face presented.
129.5. The term face up is used to describe the state during regular play of having a card's front face
presented
129.6. Cards are considered to be Public Information while in this state, even if obscured by other cards in a
pile. Example: The Trash is Public Information because all cards there have their front face presented
even while stacked.
130. Cost
130.1. Main Deck cards have a Cost, listed in the upper left corner of the front face of the card.
See rule 158. Rune Pools for more information.
130.2. Energy Cost
130.2.a. The numeral listed in the Cost element in the upper left corner of the card.
130.3. Power cost
130.3.a. The symbols, listed vertically, in the Cost element in the upper left corner of the card.
130.3.b. This section may not be present on every card.
130.4 Effects that need to determine a card’s cost for any purpose always use its base cost, even if that cost
is altered or ignored as the card is played.
Example: Sky Splitter is a spell that costs 8 Energy and says in part “This spell's Energy cost is
reduced by the highest Might among units you control.” Lux, Illuminated is a unit that says
“When you play a spell that costs 5 or more, give me +3 [M] this turn.” If a player who controls
Lux plays Sky Splitter, Lux’s ability will trigger, regardless of how much was actually paid for
Sky Splitter.
131. Name
131.1. Each card has a name that identifies it uniquely.
131.2. This is usually located in the middle of the card.
131.3. Cards that are printed in different languages but represent the same card are considered to have the
same name for the purposes of deckbuilding and gameplay.
Example: Chemtech Enforcer in English and its counterpart in Chinese are considered the
same card, despite the Name element on the card reading differently.
131.4 Some cards have both a short name and a subtitle. For all purposes, including rules and deckbuilding,
such a card’s name is “[Short Name], [Subtitle]”. Example: Kai’Sa, Evolutionary and Kai’Sa, Survivor
both have the short name Kai’Sa, but they have different names. You can include 3 of each in your
deck under normal deckbuilding rules. If one of them is your Chosen Champion, the other is not.
132. Category
132.1. A card can have one or more Categories and Sub-Categories based on the properties of its front and
back sides.
132.2. These Categories and Sub-Categories dictate the behaviors of the card during play.
132.3. Spells and other effects can refer to categories, sub-categories, supertypes, card types, tags, and other
characteristics inclusively or exclusively.
Example: A "non-unit card" is any card that is not a unit.
Example: A "unit" is any game object that is a unit, regardless of any other categories it
belongs to.
132.4. Main Deck Cards begin the game in the Main Deck or (in the case of a Chosen Champion) the
Champion Zone.
132.4.a. Permanents
132.4.a.1. An umbrella sub-category encompassing Main Deck Game Objects that remain on
the board after being played.
132.4.a.2. Unit and Gear are permanent types.
132.4.b. Spells
132.4.b.1. A sub-category encompassing Main Deck cards with the spell type, which do not
remain on the board after being played.
132.5. Rune Deck Cards begin the game in the Rune Deck.
132.5.a. Runes
132.5.a.1. A sub-category encompassing cards with the rune type. These are channeled
rather than played. They remain on the board after being channeled, but they are
not permanents, as they are not Main Deck cards.
132.6. Non-Deck Cards are not part of any deck and begin the game in a zone determined by their type.
132.6.a. Battlefields
132.6.a.1. A sub-category encompassing cards with the battlefield type. They are not played
or channeled. They start the game on the board.
132.6.b. Legends
132.6.b.1. A sub-category encompassing cards with the legend type. They are not played or
channeled. They start the game in the Legend Zone and cannot leave it during play.
132.7. Supertypes are Categories that may apply to game objects of multiple types. They are listed before a
card’s type.
132.7.a. Champion is a supertype that applies exclusively to units. It impacts the rules for
deckbuilding.
See rule 103.2.a. Chosen Champion for more information.
132.7.b. Signature is a supertype that may apply to game objects of any card type. It impacts the
rules for deckbuilding.
See rule 103.2.d. for more information about Signature cards.
132.7.c. Token is a supertype applied to temporary game objects of any card type.
See rule 170. Tokens for more information.
132.8. Tags are Categories that may apply to game objects of multiple types. They are listed after a card’s
type.
132.8.a. Tags have no innate rules meaning, but may be referenced by game rules and card effects.
132.8.b. Tags used to link Legends, Champion Units, and Signature cards are known as Champion
Tags.
133. Domain
133.1. Most cards belong to one or more of six Domains, identified by one or more symbols in the lower
right corner.
133.2. Each Domain has an associated color, a unique symbol, and a shorthand used to represent that
symbol in written text.
133.2.a. Fury is associated with the color red and represented by a circular symbol with three
projecting points. Its shorthand is [R].
133.2.b. Calm is associated with the color green and represented by a symbol resembling a leaf. Its
shorthand is [G].
133.2.c. Mind is associated with the color blue and represented by a symbol resembling a sun and
moon. Its shorthand is [B].
133.2.d. Body is associated with the color orange and represented by a blocky diamond-shaped
symbol. Its shorthand is [O].
133.2.e. Chaos is associated with the color purple and represented by a hexagonal symbol with swirls
emanating from its center. Its shorthand is [P].
133.2.f. Order is associated with the color yellow and represented by an angular winged symbol. Its
shorthand is [Y].
134. Rules Text
134.1. All cards have a section that describes how they affect the game. This section is known as the Rules
Text of the card.
134.2. This section may contain:
134.2.a. Abilities
134.2.a.1. Abilities are discrete pieces of text that describe what a card may or must do.
See rule 357. Abilities for more information.
134.2.a.2. They may appear on any card.
134.2.b. Instructions
134.2.b.1. Instructions are a type of text that appears on spells and within abilities.
134.2.b.2. They describe the actions to be taken as the spell or ability resolves.
134.2.c. Keywords
134.2.c.1. Keywords are short words or phrases that represent longer abilities or instructions.
See rule 716. Keywords for more information.
134.2.c.2. Keywords may or may not have reminder text.
134.2.d. Reminder Text
134.2.d.1. Reminder text appears in italics and parentheses.
134.2.d.2. Its purpose is to summarize relevant rules, including keywords and other rules.
134.2.d.3. The presence, absence, or exact wording of reminder text has no effect on game
function.
134.2.e. Symbols
134.2.e.1. Rules text sometimes contains symbols that express game concepts. Each symbol
also has a shorthand used to represent it in written text.
134.2.e.2. The cost of Exhausting a Permanent is represented by the “exhaust symbol,” which
resembles a card turning sideways. Its shorthand is [E]. (Some previous rules
information has given its shorthand as [T].)
134.2.e.3. Might is represented by the “Might symbol,” which resembles a sword and shield.
Its shorthand is [M]. (Some previous rules information has given its shorthand as
[S].)
134.2.e.4. Power of a specific Domain is represented by its domain symbol and the
corresponding shorthand.
See rule 133. Domain for more information.
134.2.e.5. Power of any Domain is represented by a swirling rainbow symbol. Its shorthand is
[A].
134.2.e.5.a. When required as a cost, [A] can be paid by Power of any Domain.
134.2.e.5.b. When Added to a player’s Rune Pool, [A] can be spent to pay a Power cost
of any Domain.
134.2.e.6. Power of a domain corresponding to a card’s own Domain is not represented by a
symbol, but appears in these rules similarly to other symbols. Its shorthand is [C].
134.2.e.6.a. When a [C] shorthand is printed on a card as reminder text, it assumes
that card’s usual Domain, but it still means “one Power of this card’s
Domain.”
134.2.e.6.b. A [C] shorthand on a card with no Domain or with multiple Domains is
processed as [A] instead.
134.3. Rules text can be blank.
135. Flavor Text
135.1. Flavor text is text that appears at the bottom of some cards to provide aesthetic enjoyment. It conveys
no gameplay information.
Example: The card Void Seeker features a quote from the character Kai'Sa. It does not have
the Kai'Sa tag and has no gameplay connection to the Champion unit Kai'Sa.
135.2. Flavor text is located at the bottom of the section provided for rules text, usually in a shaded bar. It
appears in italics.
136. Illustration
136.1. Each card has an illustration. It conveys no gameplay information.
137. Units
138. Unit is:
138.1. A Game Object
138.1.a. While on the Board:
138.1.a.1. Units are at one of several Locations while on the Board: a Battlefield or their
Base.
138.1.a.2. Units and their details are Public Information while on the Board.
138.1.a.3. Units can be chosen, affected, or manipulated by spells, affects, or game actions
that specify Units.
138.1.a.4. Units can be Killed.
See rule 415. Kill for more information.
138.1.b. While in the Trash:
138.1.b.1. Units are treated as Cards, similar to when in the Hand.
138.1.b.2. They retain the properties of being a Unit, but are not on the Board and thus
cannot take actions or be affected by spells, abilities, or game actions that target
Units on the Board.
138.1.b.3. Units can be affected by spells and game effects that target Units in the Trash.
138.2. A Card Type
138.2.a. This is a unique identifier that some spells or abilities will use to restrict what they can
choose or affect.
138.2.b. The card type is relevant in all zones.
139. Damage is a marked value that is applied to Units.
139.1. Damage is not a Game Object.
139.2. Damage is a value tracked per-Unit.
139.3. Damage tracks how close a Unit is to being Killed.
See rule 415. Kill for more information.
139.4. Damage can be Healed.
See rule 405. Heal for more information.
140. Units have multiple Intrinsic Properties unique to them:
140.1. Tag: A Unit has zero or more Tags representing one or more champions, regions, factions, or species
it belongs to.
140.1.a. These have no intrinsic rules or behaviors by themselves.
140.1.b. Spells, abilities, and game actions can reference these types as part of their execution.
140.2. Might: The combat statistic of a Unit. Used to determine a Unit's contribution to Combat, as well as
when it is Killed by damaging effects.
140.2.a. If a Unit ever has nonzero damage marked on it equalling or exceeding its Might, it is Killed.
140.2.b. If a unit's Might is ever less than 0, it is treated as 0 for all purposes.
140.3. Units can have damage marked on them.
140.3.a. When spells, abilities, or other game effects deal damage, Units mark that damage on them
temporarily. This can be tracked with coins, dice, or other markers, or by memory.
140.3.b. Damage is Healed from Units at two specific times:
140.3.b.1. At the end of each player's turn.
140.3.b.2. During a Combat Cleanup.
See rule 440.1. for more information about Combat Cleanups.
140.4. Units enter the Board exhausted.
140.4.a. This can be altered by Accelerate or similar game effects.
See rule 721. Accelerate for more information.
141. Units have the Inherent Ability to perform a Standard Move.
141.1. This action is limited in when it can be performed.
141.1.a. This action can be done any time during a player's Action Phase.
141.1.b. This action cannot be performed during a Closed State.
141.1.c. This action cannot be performed during a Showdown.
141.2. Exhausting the Unit is the Cost for this action.
141.3. Players may perform multiple Units' standard move simultaneously.
141.3.a. When a Move like this is declared by a player, the units' Destination must be the same.
141.3.b. When a Move like this is declared by a player, the Origins do not need to be the same.
141.3.c. The Costs of Exhausting the Units are also paid Simultaneously.
141.4. The Destinations where Units can Move to with their Standard Move are restricted:
141.4.a. Units may move from their Base to a Battlefield.
141.4.a.1. Units cannot Move to a Battlefield that already has units from 2 other players
present.
141.4.b. Units may move from a Battlefield to their Base.
141.4.c. Ganking is a unique ability that affects a Unit's Standard Move
141.4.c.1. Units with Ganking may use their Standard Move to Move from Battlefield to
Battlefield.
See rule 726. Ganking for more information.
142. Units may have Activated Abilities.
142.1. Activated Abilities are Game Effects that are written as Costs followed by a ":", and then succeeded
by an effect.
See rule 369. Activated Abilities for more information.
142.2. The Activated Ability of Units may be executed at any time during the controlling player's Action
Phase during an Open State, and not during a Showdown.
142.2.a. This follows the same process as playing a card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
142.2.a.1. This behaves, once activated, like a spell without an associated card.
143. Gear
143. Gear are:
143.1. A Game Object
143.1.a. While on the Board.
143.1.a.1. Gear can only be played to a player's Base.
143.1.a.2. Gear and their details are Public Information while on the Board.
143.1.a.3. Gear can be chosen, affected, or manipulated by spells, effects, or game actions
that specify Gear.
143.1.a.4. Gear can be Killed.
See rule 415. Kill for more information.
143.1.b. While in the Trash
143.1.b.1. Gear are treated as Cards before Game Objects, similar to the Hand.
143.1.b.2. They retain the properties of being Gear, but are not on the Board and thus cannot
take actions or be affected by spells, abilities, or game actions that affect Gear on
the Board.
143.1.b.3. Gear can be affected by spells and game effects that affect Gear in the Trash.
143.2. A Card Type
143.2.a. This is a unique identifier that some spells or abilities will use to restrict what they can
choose or affect.
143.2.b. The card type is relevant in all zones.
144. Gear have several Intrinsic Properties unique to them.
144.1. Gear enters play Ready.
144.2. Gear can only be played to a player's Base.
144.3. If a Gear is at a Battlefield for any reason, then it is immediately recalled to its controller's Base as a
corrective action.
See rule 428. Recalls for more information.
145. Gear may have Activated Abilities.
145.1. Activated Abilities are Game Effects that are written as Costs followed by a ":", and then succeeded
by an effect.
See rule 369. Activated Abilities for more information.
145.2. The Activated Ability of Gear may be executed at any time during the controlling player's Action
Phase during an Open State, and not during a Showdown.
145.2.a. This follows the same process as playing a card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
145.2.a.1. This behaves, once activated, like a spell without an associated card.
146. Spells
147. Spell is a card type.
148. A spell can be played during an Open State Outside of Showdowns on its controller's turn.
149. A spell is controlled by the player who played it.
150. A spell creates a game effect according to its instructions and is then placed in the Trash of the player who
owns it.
151. When a spell is successfully played, a player executes the rules text of the spell. This is called Resolving the
spell.
151.1. Spells have their rules text executed from top to bottom when they are Resolved.
151.2. If a later part of a spell applies a Replacement Effect that alters earlier parts of the spell, apply those
replacement effects as appropriate. Example: A spell says "Choose a unit. Kill it the next time it takes
damage this turn." and "[Legion] — Kill it now instead. (Get the effect if you've played another card
this turn.)" If the Legion condition is satisfied, the unit is killed immediately and the instruction to kill
it the next time it takes damage is ignored, even if the unit remains on the board somehow.
151.3. While a spell or ability on the chain is Resolving, no other spells or abilities can be finalized on the
chain or resolved, including triggered abilities or game effects that would occur as a result of the
execution of the spell.
151.3.a. Finish resolving all effects of a spell before addressing anything the spell may have triggered
or caused through execution.
152. Certain Keywords on spells are not executable rules text, but instead intrinsic properties of the spell.
152.1. These determine inherent properties and behaviors of the spell before being played or while on the
chain.
152.2. These keywords are:
152.2.a. Action
152.2.a.1. This indicates that, in addition to being able to be played during an Open State,
this spell may also be played during Open States during Showdowns.
152.2.b. Reaction
152.2.b.1. Grants all cases and rules of Action.
152.2.b.2. In addition to all prior cases, may also be played during all forms of Closed State.
152.2.b.3. This will result in this spell resolving before spells and abilities that are already on
the chain.
153. Runes
154. Rune is a Card Type.
154.1. A Rune is not a Main Deck card.
154.1.a. This means, despite remaining on the Board until Recycled or otherwise removed from the
board, it is not a Permanent.
154.2. Runes are kept in the Rune Deck.
154.2.a. Exactly 12 Rune cards chosen during Deck Construction.
See rule 103.3. Rune Deck for more information.
154.2.b. When a Rune is Recycled it is returned to the Rune Deck, not the Main Deck.
See rule 403. Recycle for more information.
155. Runes produce the resources needed to pay costs.
156. Runes produce Energy and Power.
156.1. Energy is used to pay numeric Energy costs.
156.1.a. Energy has no Domain.
156.1.b. Energy has no type.
156.2. Power is used to pay Domain-associated Power Costs.
156.2.a. Power has a Domain.
156.2.a.1. Power's Domain usually corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that produced it.
156.2.b. Some Power is Universal and can be used to pay for costs of any Domain.
157. Basic Runes
157.1. There are six Basic Runes, each with a Domain corresponding to its name:
Fury Rune
Calm Rune
Mind Rune
Body Rune
Chaos Rune
Order Rune
157.2. A Basic Rune always has the following two Abilities:
157.2.a. [E]: [Reaction] — Add [1].
157.2.b. Recycle this: [Reaction] — Add [C].
157.2.b.1. The Power added this way corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that is being
Recycled.
158. Rune Pools
159. The Rune Pool is a conceptual collection of a player's available Energy and Power available to pay Costs.
159.1. When a card adds Energy or Power, it is added to the controlling player's Rune Pool.
159.2. Players must first add Energy and Power to their Rune Pool in order to be able to spend it to play
cards or pay for Abilities with costs.
159.3. Energy and Power do not have a physical marker or tracker, although players may wish to use a
physical tracker if they are retaining unspent Energy and Power over the course of their turn.
160. Every player's Rune Pool empties at the end of each player's draw phase and the end of each player's turn.
160.1. Any unspent Energy or Power are lost.
161. All Abilities that include the action "Add" are abilities that are adding Energy or Power to the Rune Pool.
See rule 416. Add for more information.
162. Battlefields
163. Battlefields are Game Objects.
163.1. Battlefields are Owned by a player.
163.2. Battlefields are not shuffled into Decks at the start of a game.
163.2.a. Battlefields are not played during the course of regular play.
163.2.b. Battlefields are established at the start of a game and remain in place for the duration of
regular play.
163.3. Battlefields cannot be Killed during the course of regular play.
163.4. Battlefields cannot be Moved.
163.5. Battlefields are Locations.
163.5.a. Battlefields can be Origins of moves.
163.5.b. Battlefields can be Destinations of moves.
163.6. Any number of Units can be present at a Battlefield.
163.7. Battlefields can be targeted by spells or game effects.
163.8. Battlefields can have Passive Abilities.
See rule 360. Passive Abilities for more information.
163.9. Battlefields can have Triggered Abilities.
See rule 375. Triggered Abilities for more information.
164. Battlefields are not Permanents.
165. The number of Battlefields on the Board is determined by the Mode of Play.
166. Legends
167. Legends are Game Objects.
167.1. Legends are Owned by a player.
167.2. Legends are not shuffled into Decks at the start of a game.
167.2.a. Legends are not played during the course of regular play.
167.2.b. Legends are established at the start of a game, and remain in place for the duration of
regular play.
167.3. Legends cannot be Killed during the course of regular play.
167.4. Legends cannot be Moved.
167.5. Legends can be targeted by spells or game effects.
167.6. Legends can have Passive Abilities.
See rule 360. Passive Abilities for more information.
167.7. Legends can have Triggered Abilities.
See rule 375. Triggered Abilities for more information.
167.8. Legends can have Activated Abilities.
See rule 369. Activated Abilities for more information.
168. Legends are not Permanents.
169. Legends may have one or more Domains.
169.1. The Legend determines the Domain Identity of cards its owner can include.
See rule 101. Deck Construction for more information.
170. Tokens
171. Tokens are Game Objects created by spells and abilities during play.
172. Tokens can be represented by anything. Printed tokens are included in Riftbound booster packs, but they are
not required to play a token.
173. A token's controller is the controller of the spell or ability that created it, unless the token's type innately
determines control or that spell or ability specifies that a different player is the token's controller.
174. A token's owner is the player who controlled the effect that created it.
175. The effect that creates a token may specify the conditions or circumstances under which it enters the board.
These stipulations may alter the usual steps for playing a card.
175.1. The effect may state that the token enters ready or exhausted, if that state is contrary to the default
for the token's type.
175.2. The effect may restrict the location to which the token may be played.
175.3. The effect may grant temporary abilities or modifications to the token.
176. Tokens are not cards.
176.1. Tokens have some properties in common with cards.
176.1.a. Tokens are played by their owner if their card type is played, following all the applicable
steps for playing a card plus any restrictions or modifications from the effect that created the
token.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
176.1.b. Token units have a Might.
176.1.c. Tokens may have one or more tags.
176.1.d. Tokens have a type. They follow all rules for their type unless otherwise specified. Example: A
token unit is a unit. It enters exhausted, can take the standard move action, deals damage
equal to its Might in combat, is destroyed if it takes damage equal to or greater than its
might, can be chosen or otherwise affected by spells or abilities that choose or affect units,
etc.
176.2. Tokens differ from cards in some ways.
176.2.a. Tokens do not have costs.
176.2.b. Tokens do not have domains.
177. Tokens are created on the board and cannot exist elsewhere.
177.1. If a token is put into any Non-Board Zone, it ceases to exist immediately after moving to its new zone.
178. The spell or ability that creates a token specifies some of its characteristics. It may have other characteristics, as
listed below.
178.1. A 1[M] Recruit token is a domainless unit token with 1 Might and the Recruit tag.
178.2. A 3[M] Sprite token with Temporary is a domainless unit token with 3 Might, the Fae tag, and the
Temporary keyword.
See rule 732. Temporary for more information.
179. Control
180. Control is the concept of a player having influence of a Game Object and applies differently to different card
types.
181. Battlefields
181.1. Control is established over Battlefields through the course of play.
181.2. Control is a binary state for Battlefields and an Identifier for players.
181.2.a. A Battlefield is Controlled or Uncontrolled.
181.2.b. A Battlefield is Controlled by a specific player or Controlled by no one.
181.3. Control can be Contested through the course of play.
181.3.a. Contested is a temporary status applied to the battlefield when a Unit controlled by a Player
who does not currently Control that Battlefield Moves or otherwise becomes present there.
181.3.a.1. Units moving to or being played to a battlefield apply Contested status if that
battlefield is not already contested and that Unit’s controller does not already
control that battlefield.
181.3.b. A Battlefield remains Contested until Control is established or re-established.
181.3.c. While a Battlefield remains Contested, Control of a Battlefield cannot change.
181.3.d. The state of a Battlefield being Contested is used to determine when Combat should occur,
when a Showdown without a Combat should occur, and when Control will change.
181.3.e. At this time Game Effects cannot reference this status.
181.4. Control is established by having Units at a Battlefield at the end of a Showdown or Combat after
applying the contested status.
181.4.a. If a player controls Units at a Battlefield, outside of Combat, they maintain Control of that
Battlefield for as long as they have Units at that Battlefield.
181.4.b. A player maintains control of a Battlefield while it is being Contested by an opponent.
181.4.c. If a player has no Units at a Battlefield, they lose Control of that Battlefield immediately,
unless it is Contested.
181.5. Control is a constant state.
181.6. Control of a Battlefield determines Control of its Abilities.
181.6.a. While a Battlefield is Controlled, its Controller controls its Abilities. That player takes
responsibility for adding them to the Chain if applicable, and makes all choices required by
them unless otherwise specified.
181.6.b. While a Battlefield is Uncontrolled, its Abilities are also Uncontrolled. The Turn Player
takes responsibility for adding them to the Chain if applicable, makes all choices required by
them unless otherwise specified, and is treated as their Controller if any game rule or effect
requires one. Example: The Arena’s Greatest is a battlefield that reads “At the start of each
player's first Beginning Phase, that player gains 1 point.” This ability will usually trigger while
the battlefield has no controller. If it does, the Turn Player goes through the steps of adding
the ability to the chain and receives priority after doing so, exactly as if they controlled the
ability.
181.6.c. “You” in a battlefield’s abilities refers to the battlefield’s Controller, as does the implied “you”
in instructions like “draw 1.” If the battlefield has no Controller, “you” refers to no one, and all
such instructions are ignored.
182. Everything Else
182.1. When a player Plays a Card, they are established as that Game Object's Controller.
182.2. For Spells, they are the Spell's Controller.
182.2.a. That player chooses targets.
182.2.b. That player chooses modes.
182.2.c. That player pays costs.
182.3. For Permanents and Runes, when they Enter the Board, that player is assigned as that Game
Object's Controller.
182.3.a. That player may make decisions about the Game Object's Inherent Abilities.
182.3.b. That player may make decisions about the Game Object's Unique Abilities.
182.3.c. That player may make decisions about any game effects or decisions necessary while the
card is being played.
182.3.d. That player may make decisions about any game effects created from "When you play me"
effects of Permanents.
183. When a game effect or rules text refers to the Controller of a specific object, it can be referring to either
context interchangeably.
183.1. The method of assignment of control is different, but the status of Control is the same across all
Game Objects.
300. Playing the Game
301. The Turn
302. Play continues cyclically until one player wins.
303. The phases of a turn are rigid, but the actions taken during those steps can be done in any order, unless
otherwise specified.
303.1. Game Actions of any nature are performed one at a time and are executed completely.
303.2. Game Actions cannot be performed simultaneously for any reason.
303.2.a. If one or more actions, game effects, or Triggered Abilities are activated simultaneously,
then Turn Order is referenced to organize the sequence of actions.
See rule 375. Triggered Abilities for more information.
304. The Turn Player is the player taking the current turn.
305. When there are no items on the Chain and the Turn Player cannot or chooses not to perform any
Discretionary Actions, the current phase or step of the turn ends and the next phase, step, or turn begins.
306. The Turn Player changes when the current Turn Player reaches the End of all of the Phases of their Turn.
307. States of the Turn
308. At any given time, the turn is in either a Neutral State or a Showdown State.
308.1. If a Showdown is in progress, the turn is in a Showdown State.
308.1.a. Only cards and abilities with the Action or Reaction keywords can be played or activated in
a Showdown State.
308.2. If no Showdown is in progress, the turn is in a Neutral State.
309. At any given time, the turn is in either an Open State or a Closed State.
309.1. If a Chain exists, the turn is in a Closed State.
309.1.a. Only cards and abilities with the Reaction keyword can be played or activated in a Closed
State.
309.2. If no Chain exists, the turn is in an Open State.
310. These descriptions can be combined, such that the turn is always in one of these four states:
310.1. Neutral Open: There is no Showdown in progress and no Chain exists.
310.1.a. By default, cards can be played and abilities activated only when a player has priority on their
turn in a Neutral Open state.
310.2. Neutral Closed: There is no Showdown in progress and a Chain exists.
310.3. Showdown Open: A Showdown is in progress and no Chain exists.
310.4. Showdown Closed: A Showdown is in progress and a Chain exists.
311. Priority and Focus
312. At any given time, up to one player has Priority.
312.1. Priority is the permission to take Discretionary Actions.
See rule 398.1. Discretionary Actions for more information.
312.1.a. The player with Priority can take appropriately timed Discretionary Actions.
312.1.b. If no player has Priority, no player can take Discretionary Actions.
312.1.b.1. Players can always take and make choices for Limited Actions when instructed,
regardless of Priority.
312.2. A player receives Priority at the following times:
312.2.a. When the turn is in a Neutral Open State during their Action Phase.
312.2.b. When the turn is in a Showdown State and they gain Focus.
312.2.c. When the turn is in a Closed State and they control the next item on the Chain.
312.2.d. When the turn is in a Closed State, they are the next Player in Turn Order, and the player
with Priority passes.
313. At any given time, up to one player has Focus.
313.1. Focus is the permission to take appropriately timed Discretionary Actions when the turn is in a
Showdown Open State.
See rule 307. States of the Turn for more information.
313.1.a. The player with Focus must obey any additional restrictions on which Discretionary Actions
may be performed.
Example: A player with Focus may not play spells or activate abilities that don't
have the Action or Reaction keywords.
313.2. A player who gains Focus also gains Priority.
313.3. A player who passes Priority retains Focus.
313.4. If the turn is in a Neutral State, no player has Focus.
314. Phases of the Turn
315. Start of Turn
315.1. Awaken Phase
315.1.a. The Turn Player readies all Game Objects they control that are able to be readied.
See rule 402. Ready for more information.
315.2. Beginning Phase
315.2.a. Beginning Step
315.2.a.1. At the start of Beginning Phase game effects take place.
315.2.b. Scoring Step
315.2.b.1. Holding occurs at this time.
See rule 441. Scoring for more information.
315.2.b.2. Reminder: In Modes of Play with Teams, Battlefields held by a Teammate of the
Turn Player during this phase are disqualified from being scored this turn by the
Turn Player.
315.2.c. Specific game effects or abilities will reference this timing and phase as necessary.
315.3. Channel Phase
315.3.a. The Turn Player gains their additional runes for the turn.
315.3.b. The Turn Player channels 2 runes from their Rune Deck.
See rule 417. Channel for more information.
315.3.b.1. If there are fewer than 2 runes in the Rune Deck, they channel as many as possible.
315.3.c. Perform any actions as instructed by game objects during this time.
315.4. Draw Phase
315.4.a. The Turn Player gains their additional card for the turn.
315.4.b. The Turn Player draws 1.
315.4.b.1. If there are no cards remaining in their Main Deck to draw, the Turn Player has
been Burned Out.
See rule 418. Burn Out for more information.
315.4.b.2. After completing the Burn Out the Turn Player still Draws 1.
315.4.c. Perform any actions as instructed by game objects during this time.
315.4.d. As the Draw Phase ends, each player's Rune Pool empties.
See rule 158. Rune Pools for more information.
316. Action Phase
316.1. When all steps of the Start of Turn have been completed, the Action Phase begins.
316.2. The Action Phase has no defined structure.
316.2.a. A player may take any number of Discretionary Actions they are able to perform during this
phase.
See rule 398.1. Discretionary Actions for more information.
316.2.b. This is denoted as a Neutral Open State, and only the Turn Player has the ability to play
spells or activate abilities.
See rule 307. States of the Turn for more information.
316.2.b.1. In Modes of Play with teammates, the Turn Player's teammates may play spells
and activate abilities, including ones without Action or Reaction.
316.2.c. In Modes of Play with Teammates, spells may be played by Teammates of the Turn Player
during this time, but the actions of the Turn Player take precedence.
316.3. As a result of a player taking Discretionary Actions, one or more structured phases may occur.
316.4. Combat
316.4.a. A Combat phase occurs as a result of Units controlled by opposing players being present at
the same Battlefield.
316.4.b. This could be the result of a Standard Move Standard Action, a Spell, or other Game Effect.
316.4.c. The source effect does not change the structure or flow of Combat once initiated.
316.4.d. A Combat can only occur between two players.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
316.4.e. Play proceeds following the steps of combat.
See rule 437. Steps of Combat for more information.
316.4.f. Combat will also include a Showdown.
316.5. Showdowns
316.5.a. A Showdown occurs when a Combat occurs.
316.5.a.1. Showdowns that occur as a result of Combat are a Sub-Phase of Combat.
316.5.b. A Showdown is marked as Staged at a Battlefield when the Contested status is applied to a
Battlefield with no current controller.
316.5.b.1. Showdowns that occur as a result of a player moving to an empty Battlefield are a
stand-alone Phase and do not create a Combat.
316.5.c. A Showdown is a structured Window of Opportunity where Players may play cards and
activate abilities with Action or Reaction.
See rule 337. Showdowns for more information.
316.6. When a player has no more Discretionary Actions they wish to execute, they must indicate they are
ending their turn.
316.6.a. This ends the Action Phase.
316.6.b. Play proceeds to the End of Turn.
317. End of Turn Phase
317.1. Ending Step
317.1.a. At the end of the turn Game Effects take place.
317.1.b. Specific game effects and abilities will reference this timing and phase as necessary.
317.2. End of Turn Cleanup
317.2.a. Invoke a Special Cleanup.
See rule 318. Cleanups for more information.
317.2.b. Insert “2a. Heal all Units.”
317.3. Expiration Step
317.3.a. All "this turn" effects expire simultaneously.
317.3.b. As the Expiration Step ends, all players' Rune Pools empty. Any unspent Energy and Power
are lost.
317.4. The Turn Player then becomes the next player in Turn Order.
318. Cleanups
319. A Cleanup occurs at the following times:
319.1. After the game transitions to or from an Open or Closed state
319.2. After the game transitions between Phases
319.3. After a Pending Item becomes a Legal Item on the Chain
319.4. After a Chain Item is removed from the Chain for any reason
319.5. After any number of Game Objects enter or leave the Board
319.6. After the status of any number of Game Objects changes for any reason
319.7. After a Move is completed
320. While a Cleanup is occurring, Chain Items cannot be Resolved.
320.1. New Pending Items can be added, but Legal Items cannot be executed and Priority and Focus are
not passed or awarded.
321. If an event occurs during a Cleanup that qualifies for a Cleanup, another Cleanup will occur immediately after
the first completes, repeating until a Cleanup occurs with no new change in the game’s state.
322. When a Cleanup occurs, the following steps occur in order:
322.1. 1. If a player has as many points as the Victory Score, that player wins.
322.2. 2. All Units that have non-zero Damage marked on them equalling or exceeding their Might are
killed and placed in their owners' Trash.
322.3. 3. Assign or Remove the Attacker or Defender designation from Units as needed if there is a Combat
in progress
322.3.a. If there are Units present at the Battlefield the Combat is taking place at, but do not have a
designation, they gain the same designation as their Controller now
322.3.b. If there are Units present at the Battlefield the Combat is taking place at, but have the
opposite designation of their controller, they lose that designation, and gain the same
designation as their controller now
322.3.c. If there are Units at locations other than the Battlefield that the Combat is taking place at,
but have either Attacker or Defender designations, they lose those designations now
322.4. 4. Battlefields with no Units occupying them and no Contested status become Uncontrolled.
322.5. 5. Recall all Gear at Battlefields. Remove all Hidden cards from all Battlefields that are not controlled
by the same player and place them in their owner's Trash.
322.6. 6. Mark a Showdown as Staged at each Battlefield that Contested was applied to that is
Uncontrolled.
322.7. 7. Mark a Combat as Staged at each Battlefield that Contested was applied to that is controlled by a
different player than the one who applied the Contested Status.
322.7.a. The Combat remains Staged at that Battlefield as long as there are Units present from two
opposing players there.
322.8. 8. Finalize any Pending Items on the Chain
322.9. 9. If the current state is a Neutral Open State and one or more Showdowns are Staged, the Turn
Player chooses one of those Battlefields. A Showdown begins there.
322.10. 10. If the current state is a Neutral Open State and Combat is Staged at one or more Battlefields, the
Turn Player chooses one of those Battlefields. Combat begins there.
323. Special Cleanups are Cleanup steps invoked at specific times that have additional steps not present in a
normal Cleanup.
323.1. When a Special Cleanup is invoked, the unique steps added will be inserted and defined by the
sub-section that invokes it.
Example: When a Combat Cleanup is invoked, the Combat section defines what steps are
added to the Cleanup.
323.2. If events during a Special Cleanup require another Cleanup, a normal Cleanup is invoked, not
another iteration of the Special Cleanup.
324. Chains and Showdowns
325. Players can act during the following Windows of Opportunity that occur during the course of regular play:
325.1. During a Chain
325.2. During a Showdown
326. Chains
327. The Chain is a Non-Board Zone that temporarily exists whenever a card is played or an ability is activated.
327.1. Cards are placed here as part of the process of being played.
327.2. Abilities are queued here as part of the process of resolving.
See rule 357. Abilities for more information.
328. Cards and abilities added to the chain are added as Pending Chain Items that become Finalized Chain Items.
328.1. Pending Items are on the Chain.
328.2. Chain Items are Pending until the “Check Legality” step of playing a card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
328.3. When a Pending Chain Item is no longer Pending it is finalized and becomes a Finalized Chain Item.
329. The Chain exists as long as a Chain Item is on it.
329.1. Only one Chain can exist at a time.
329.2. If a card would begin to be played while a Chain already exists, it is placed on the existing Chain.
330. The State of the Turn is partially determined by whether or not the Chain currently exists.
330.1. The turn is said to be in a Closed State if a Chain exists.
330.1.a. Cards of all Categories, by default, cannot be played during a Closed State.
330.1.b. Card abilities, by default, cannot be played during a Closed State.
330.2. The turn is said to be in an Open State if no Chain exists.
331. Steps of Resolving Chain Items
332. Whenever a card or token is played or an ability is activated or triggered, a Chain is created.
332.1. The player that created the chain becomes the first Active Player.
332.2. The Active Player is a designator similar to, but distinct from, Turn Player.
332.3. Similar to the Turn Player, this designation will pass between players over the course of play.
333. Step 1: Finalize
333.1. If one or more Items are Pending, their controllers must complete the steps of Playing those
Pending Items until they are Finalized Items or leave the Chain.
333.1.a. This process does not pass Priority.
333.1.b. Each Item is Finalized in the order it was appended to the Chain.
333.1.c. Abilities that Add resources, Units, and Gear resolve immediately when Finalized and do not
progress to Step 2: Execute.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
333.1.c.1. If the Chain is empty, play proceeds in an Open State.
333.1.c.2. If the Chain is not empty and there are one or more Pending Items, repeat Step 1.
333.1.c.3. If the Chain is not empty and there are no Pending Items, the controller of the
newest item on the chain gains Priority and becomes the Active Player. Proceed
to Step 2: Execute.
334. Step 2: Execute
334.1. The Active Player may do any the following:
334.1.a. Play a Card that is legally timed.
334.1.a.1. Cards, by default, cannot be played during a Closed State.
334.1.a.2. A Legally Timed Card would be a Card with Reaction.
334.1.a.3. Other exceptions may be created during regular play.
334.1.a.4. The card will be added to the chain as a Pending Item, following the steps of
playing a card.
334.1.a.5. This can be an additional card to the item that Started the Chain in the case of the
first Active Player after creating the Chain.
334.1.a.6. Whether a Card is legally timed is evaluated during the “Check Legality” step of
Playing a Card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
334.1.a.7. Playing a card will create one or more Pending Items. Return to Step 1: Finalize.
334.1.b. Activate Abilities of Game Objects that are legally timed.
See rule 386. Playing or Activating Abilities for more information.
334.1.b.1. All rules for legally timed cards apply to legally timed abilities.
334.1.b.2. Activating abilities will create one or more Pending Items. Return to Step 1: Finalize.
334.1.c. Pass Priority
334.1.c.1. The Active Player passes Priority to the next Player in Turn Order. Proceed to Step
3: Pass.
335. Step 3: Pass
335.1. If all players have passed Priority without adding any items to the Chain, proceed to Step 4: Resolve.
335.2. Otherwise, the Active Player passes Priority to the next Player in Turn Order. Return to Step 3:
Execute.
336. Step 4: Resolve
336.1. The newest item on the Chain resolves. Execute its game effects in their entirety.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information on resolving spells.
See rule 386. Playing or Activating Abilities for more information on resolving abilities.
336.2. If the Chain is empty, play proceeds in an Open State.
336.3. If the Chain is not empty and there are one or more Pending Items, return to Step 1: Finalize.
336.4. If the Chain is not empty and there are no Pending Items, the controller of the newest item on the
chain gains Priority and becomes the Active Player. Return to Step 2: Execute.
337. Showdowns
338. A Showdown is a Window of Opportunity in which Players have an Open State in which they may play
Spells in an alternating fashion.
338.1. Each spell played this way creates a Chain as normal.
339. The State of the turn is partially determined by whether or not a Showdown is in progress.
339.1. The turn is said to be in a Showdown State if a Showdown is in progress.
339.1.a. Cards of all Categories, by default, cannot be played during a Showdown State.
339.1.b. Card abilities, by default, cannot be played during a Showdown State.
339.2. The turn is said to be in a Neutral State if no Showdown is in progress.
340. A Showdown begins when Control of a Battlefield is Contested and the turn is in a Neutral Open State.
340.1. If Control of a Battlefield is Contested between two players, then a Showdown will be opened as the
first step of Combat.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
340.2. If Control of a Battlefield is Contested and the Battlefield in question is uncontrolled when it
becomes Contested, a Showdown is opened during the Cleanup at the end of the action that
caused the Battlefield to become Contested.
341. As a Showdown begins, the player who applied Contested status to the Battlefield gains Focus.
342. When a Showdown begins, it may or may not begin with an Initial Chain.
342.1. Showdowns that open as a result of Combat may have an Initial Chain of Triggered Abilities.
342.1.a. These Triggered Abilities should be put on the chain first by the player with Focus, then
proceeding with players without the Defender designation in Turn Order. Finally, the player
with the Defender designation will add their Triggered Abilities, if any, to the Chain.
342.1.b. If there are no such Triggered Abilities present during a Combat-initiated Showdown then
no Initial Chain is created, but the Showdown will still proceed.
343. When the last item on the chain resolves during a Showdown, Focus passes, and the next Player gains both
Focus and Priority.
343.1. Focus does not pass when the last item on the Initial Chain resolves, if there was one. Instead the
player with Focus proceeds with play.
344. During a Showdown, the player with Focus may do one of the following:
344.1. Play a spell that is legally timed.
344.1.a. The spell will start a Chain as normal.
344.2. Activate Abilities of Game Objects that are legally timed.
See rule 357. Abilities for more information.
344.3. Pass.
344.3.a. If all Players have passed once in sequence, the Showdown ends.
344.3.a.1. Perform a Cleanup.
344.4. Otherwise, Focus passes to the next Player in Turn Order.
345. If all players pass Focus without playing a spell or activating an ability, then the Showdown Closes.
345.1. If this Showdown opened as a result of Combat, proceed with the remaining steps of Combat to
resolve the phase.
See rule 437. The Steps of Combat for more information.
345.2. If this Showdown opened as a result of Contested being applied to a Battlefield without a controller,
do one of the following:
345.2.a. If only one player’s Units remain at the Battlefield, and if that player does not already Control
the Battlefield, that player establishes Control over the Battlefield.
See rule 179. Control for more information on Control.
See rule 442.1. for more information on Conquering.
345.2.a.1. This results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored that Battlefield this turn.
345.2.b. If two players’ Units remain at the Battlefield, Control cannot be established and the
Battlefield remains Contested. This results in a Staged Combat.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
345.2.b.1. The player who applied Contested to the Battlefield will be the Attacker in the
subsequent Combat.
346. Playing Cards
347. Playing a card is the act of a player utilizing their cards.
347.1. A card is Played when it has finished this process in its entirety.
347.2. Tokens are not cards, but can still be Played.
See rule 170. Tokens for more information.
348. Cards have different behaviors when played.
348.1. Permanents become Game Objects when Played.
348.2. Spells create game effects that are executed, then the card is placed in the trash when Played.
349. Cards have different states during the process of being played.
349.1. When initially being played cards are Pending, as Pending Chain Items.
349.2. Near the end of the process cards will cease being Pending and become Finalized Chain Items.
350. The Process of Play
351. 1. Remove the card from the zone you are playing it from and put it onto the Chain.
351.1. This Closes the State.
See rule 307. States of the Turn for more information.
351.2. This item becomes Pending.
351.3. If another Card Effect or ability is currently resolving, continue resolving it before proceeding with any
further steps of this process.
352. 2. Make necessary choices.
352.1. If the card is a spell, or has an effect that specifies a choice "As I am played," those choices are made
now.
352.2. For Units, choose a valid Location where that Unit will be placed upon being Played.
352.3. For Spells and Abilities that Move one or more Units, choose a valid Location as the Move
Destination for each Move that will be performed.
352.4. If a card requires you to specifically choose one or more Game Objects, that choice is made now.
352.4.a. This does not include cards that affect one or more Game Objects based on criteria.
Example: "Stun a unit at a battlefield" is a Choice.
Example: "Kill all gear" is not a Choice.
352.4.b. This does not include making choices for Triggered Abilities of permanents, even if those
abilities trigger when the permanent is played.
Example: A unit with a triggered ability that says "When I'm played, kill a unit" does
not require you to choose a target as it's played. The target will be chosen when the
ability triggers.
See rule 375. Triggered Abilities for more information.
352.5. Targeting
352.6. When a card Chooses one or more specific Game Objects to affect, it is Targeted.
352.7. In order to put a spell or ability on the chain, valid choices must be made for all targets.
352.8. A target is a valid choice if it meets all of the following requirements:
352.8.a. It is a permanent or rune on the board, a spell or ability on the chain, a player or zone, or
specified explicitly or implicitly as being in some other zone.
e.g., “Kill a unit” targets a unit on the board.
e.g., “Recycle a unit from your trash” targets a unit card in your trash.
352.8.a.1. “Unit,” “gear,” and “rune” refer to objects on the Board unless specified otherwise.
352.8.a.2. “Spell” and “ability” refer to objects on the Chain unless specified otherwise.
352.8.a.3. “Facedown card” refers to a card in a Facedown Zone unless specified otherwise.
352.8.a.4. “Legend” refers to a legend in the Legend Zone.
352.8.a.5. “Chosen Champion” and “unit in the Champion Zone” refer to a unit in the
Champion Zone unless specified otherwise.
352.8.b. It meets all targeting restrictions.
e.g., A unit is a valid target for a spell that refers to a “unit at a battlefield,” “enemy
unit,” “unit you control,” or “unit with Might 4 or greater” only if it meets the
appropriate criteria.
352.8.c. It is not the spell or ability itself.
e.g., A spell that says “Counter a spell” cannot target itself.
e.g., An ability of a permanent can target that permanent, because abilities and
their sources are separate objects.
352.9. If a spell or ability requires one or more players to choose objects, players, or zones that are not
targets, those choices are made on resolution.
352.9.a. Passive abilities never have targets.
352.9.b. Replacement effects never have targets.
352.9.c. Units and gear never have targets, although their abilities may.
352.10. A game object, player, or zone mentioned in the text of a spell, activated ability, or triggered ability is a
target UNLESS any of the following are true:
352.10.a. It is in a zone whose information status is not Public.
e.g., “Ready a legend” targets a legend, because the Legend Zone is Public.
e.g., “Return a unit from your trash to your hand” targets a unit card in your trash,
because your trash is Public.
e.g., “You may play a unit from your hand, ignoring its costs” does not target a unit
card in your hand, because your hand is not a public zone.
352.10.a.1. Public zones are Battlefield Zones, Bases, Trashes, Legend Zones, Champion Zones,
and Facedown Zones.
352.10.b. It is included only as part of a targeting restriction for another choice.
e.g., “Kill a unit at a battlefield” targets a unit, but not a battlefield, because the
units are targets and “at a battlefield” is a restriction.
e.g., “Kill all units at a battlefield” targets a battlefield, but not any units.
e.g., “Move a unit to a battlefield” targets both a unit and a battlefield.
352.10.c. It is included only as part of a cost, trigger condition, or replacement effect.
e.g., “As an additional cost to play me, kill a friendly unit” doesn’t target anything.
e.g., “When a friendly unit dies, kill a gear” targets a gear, but not a friendly unit.
e.g., “When you play me, the next time a friendly unit would die this turn, return it
to your hand instead” doesn’t target anything. The replacement effect applies
when any friendly unit dies.
e.g., “Choose a friendly unit. The next time it would die this turn, return it to your
hand instead” targets a friendly unit, because “choose a friendly unit” is not part of
the replacement effect.
352.10.c.1. This includes costs within instructions, identified by phrases like “[do X] to [do Y].”
The cost within that instruction is “[do X].”
e.g., “When I hold, you may kill another friendly unit here to draw 1” does
not target anything.
e.g., “When you play me, you may spend a buff to move a friendly unit”
targets the friendly unit, but not the buff.
352.10.d. It is programmatically selected based on its characteristics rather than chosen by the spell or
ability’s controller.
e.g., “Kill all units at a battlefield” targets a battlefield, but does not target any
units.
e.g., “Kill all units at battlefields” doesn’t target anything.
e.g., “Destroy a unit. Its controller draws 2 cards” targets the unit, but not its
controller.
e.g., “Ready your legend” doesn’t target anything, because you can only have one
legend.
e.g., “Ready a friendly legend” targets a legend, because in a 2v2 game there are
two friendly legends.
e.g., “Recycle all cards in your trash” doesn’t target anything, because it affects all
cards and you only have one trash.
352.10.d.1. This exception applies solely to objects for which no choice is ever possible.
352.10.d.2. This exception does not apply to objects that are the only valid choice at the
moment a spell or ability is placed on the chain, but which would require a choice
under other circumstances.
e.g., “Kill a unit at a battlefield” always targets a unit, even if that unit is
the only unit currently at a battlefield.
352.10.e. It is part of a set of objects chosen in whole or in part by other players.
e.g., “Each player kills a unit they control” does not target. Each player, including
the one who played the spell, chooses a unit to kill as the spell or ability resolves.
352.10.f. It is identified in an instruction that a player “must” complete.
e.g., “You must recycle one of your runes” doesn’t target anything. You choose from
among your runes as the spell or ability resolves.
e.g., “Recycle a rune you control” targets a rune. You choose a rune you control as
you put the spell or ability on the chain.
352.11. Some cards identify a group of Targets with Targeting Requirements that must be met by the
group as a whole.
352.11.a. As they’re finalized on the chain, such cards can choose any group of valid targets that
collectively fulfill the targeting restriction.
352.11.b. If the group of targets no longer collectively fulfill the targeting restriction as the spell or
ability resolves, that spell or ability’s controller can choose a subset of the original targets
that fulfills the targeting requirement for the spell or ability to affect.
Example: A player plays Fox-Fire, a spell that says in part “Kill any number of units at
a battlefield with total Might 4 or less.” That player chooses four 1 [M] Recruit tokens
at a single battlefield. As a Reaction, another player gives two of those Recruits +1
[M], so the Recruits’ Mights are 1, 1, 2, and 2. Then Fox-Fire resolves. The Recruits no
longer have total Might 4 or less, so Fox-Fire’s controller must choose a legal subset
of the original targets to affect. They could choose to kill the two 2 [M] Recruits, or
the two 1 [M] Recruits plus one 2 [M] Recruit. The units they choose are Fox-Fire’s
remaining legal targets. They can’t choose to affect units at the same battlefield
that weren’t initially chosen as targets, and they can’t affect any units that are no
longer at the chosen battlefield.
352.12. If a card specifies that a player may choose some number of Game Objects to be affected by a card,
then all choices are considered targeted and chosen independently.
352.13. If a card specifies that a player chooses “any number” or “up to” some number of Game Objects to be
affected, they may choose any number of available targets, including zero. If they choose zero, the
spell or ability can be played without any targets.
352.14. Splitting
352.14.a. If a card specifies that an amount of damage may be split among some number of Units,
then each Unit chosen is Targeted.
352.14.b. The Targets are chosen when the spell or ability is finalized on the chain.
352.14.c. A number of Targets can only be chosen up to, and not exceeding, the initial amount of
damage available when the spell is played. Example: A player playing a spell that instructs
them to "Split 5 damage" may only choose up to 5 units, but may choose fewer.
352.14.d. Each Target is valid, and contributes to Chosen triggers individually.
352.14.e. The choice of how much damage is divided across the split is not decided until the
resolution of the spell or ability.
352.14.f. Each Target must receive a valid amount of damage.
352.14.g. Valid damage is a positive integer amount, greater than or equal to 1 damage.
352.14.h. If, at resolution of the spell or effect, there are more Targets than available damage to divide,
then the player who controls the effect dealing damage determines which Targets cease
being Targets.
352.14.i. Any costs that were paid, or effects that were triggered as a result of those Game Objects
being chosen as Targets remain in effect, paid, or otherwise triggered.
352.15. These choices cannot be changed after this step.
352.16. A player may not make choices during this step that will deterministically result in illegal choices or
actions later in this process unless they have no choice.
Example: A player plays Cruel Patron, which says "As an additional cost to play me, kill a
friendly unit." They control exactly one unit, which is at a battlefield. They can't choose to play
Cruel Patron to that battlefield, because by the time they have finished paying costs, they
will no longer control that battlefield.
353. 3. Determine Total Cost.
353.1. If an ability or instruction allows you to "ignore" one or more of a card's costs, set the appropriate Base
Cost(s) of the card to zero.
353.1.a. If a card allows a player to play a card "ignoring its cost," its base Energy cost and base
Power cost are set to zero.
353.1.b. If a card instructs a player to play a card "ignoring its Energy cost" or "ignoring its Power
cost," only the appropriate cost is set to zero, and the remaining cost still applies.
353.1.c. Further additional costs and/or cost increases applied in subsequent steps may raise the
card's Total Cost above zero.
Example: Legion Rearguard is a Fury unit that costs 2 Energy and 0 Power and has
Accelerate. A player plays Legion Rearguard and is instructed to ignore its costs, but
chooses to pay the Accelerate cost. They ignore Legion Rearguard's Base Cost of 2
Energy, but the optional additional cost of 1 Energy and 1 Fury Power is added to its
Total Cost and must be paid.
353.2. Apply additional costs in any order.
353.2.a. Mandatory Additional Costs
353.2.a.1. Some Additional Costs specified by Passive Abilities on the card being played or
another card are Mandatory, and must be paid to complete playing the card. They
use the phrase "as an additional cost" and don't include the word "may."
Example: A unit has the passive ability "As an additional cost to play me,
kill a friendly unit." To play that unit, a player must kill a friendly unit.
See rule 360. Passive Abilities for more information.
353.2.a.2. The cost imposed by the Deflect keyword is a Mandatory Additional Cost.
See rule 725. Deflect for more information.
353.2.b. Optional Additional Costs
353.2.b.1. Some Optional Costs specified by Passive Abilities on the card being played or
another card are Non-Mandatory, and must be paid only if the player made the
choice to pay them in rule 352. They use the phrase "as an additional cost" and the
word "may."
Example: A unit has the ability "As you play me, you may discard 1 as an
additional cost. If you do, reduce my cost by [2]." While playing the unit, its
controller declares their intention to pay the additional cost in rule 352,
applies that additional cost in rule 353.2, applies the discount granted by
paying that cost in rule 353.4, and discards a card to pay that additional
cost in rule 354.2.
See rule 360. Passive Abilities for more information.
353.3. Apply cost increases.
353.4. Apply discounts in any order.
353.4.a. Discounts may be applied by the card being played or by any other card or effect.
353.4.b. Discounts may say that cards "cost [amount] less" or that one or more of their costs are
"reduced by [amount]."
353.4.c. If a discount applies a minimum cost, that minimum applies only to that discount.
Example: Eager Apprentice says "While I'm at a battlefield, the Energy costs for
spells you play is reduced by [1], to a minimum of [1]." A player who controls Eager
Apprentice and a unit with 7 Might plays Sky Splitter, a spell that costs 8 Energy
and says "This spell's Energy cost is reduced by the highest Might among units you
control." That player can choose to apply Eager Apprentice's discount first, reducing
Sky Splitter's Energy cost to 7, then apply Sky Splitter's discount, reducing its Energy
cost to 0. If they applied these discounts in the other order, Sky Splitter's Energy
cost would be 1.
353.4.d. Discounts can reduce additional costs, including to 0.
353.4.d.1. An optional additional cost was "paid" if the player made the decision in rule 352 to
pay it. It doesn't matter how much the player actually paid.
Example: Clockwork Keeper is a unit that costs 2 Energy and 0 Power and
says "As you play me, you may pay [C] as an additional cost. If you do, draw
" A player controls a card that says "Units you play cost [A] less." That player
plays Clockwork Keeper and chooses to pay the optional additional cost of
[C]. They will draw a card, even though the optional additional cost was
reduced to 0.
353.5. Energy and Power costs can't be reduced below 0.
353.6. Costs may be Energy costs, Power costs, or non-standard costs. Example: A card reads "As an
additional cost to play me, kill a friendly unit." Killing a friendly unit is an additional cost to play that
card.
354. 4. Pay the card's costs.
354.1. In total, pay the combined Energy cost (if any) and Power cost (if any).
354.1.a. During this step, the spell's controller can use activated abilities with the Reaction tag that
Add resources to add Energy and Power to pay the spell's costs.
See rule 158. Rune Pools and rule 416. Add for more information.
354.2. In addition, pay any non-standard Cost summed in rule 353.2 in any order.
354.2.a. Costs that are replaced with other events by replacement effects are still considered paid.
Example: A player plays Cruel Patron, which says "As an additional cost to play me,
kill a friendly unit." They also control Zhonya’s Hourglass, which says “If a friendly
unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it.” They choose
to kill a friendly unit during rule 353.2, but as they pay the cost in rule 354.2,
Zhonya’s Hourglass replaces that unit’s death. The cost is considered paid, and the
player can continue playing Cruel Patron.
354.3. A player may not pay costs during this step that will deterministically result in illegal choices or
actions later in this process unless they have no choice.
Example: A player plays Cruel Patron, which says "As an additional cost to play me, kill a
friendly unit." They control multiple units, one of which is alone at a battlefield. During rule
352.2., they chose to play Cruel Patron to that battlefield. While paying costs, they can't
choose to kill the unit at that battlefield, because then they will no longer control that
battlefield and Cruel Patron cannot legally be played there. If they controlled that battlefield
with multiple units, any of those units would be a legal choice, because they would still
control the battlefield after killing one.
355. 5. Check legality.
355.1. Check that all chosen targets are legal.
355.2. Ensure that the outcome of the effect of this card being played would not create an illegal state.
Example: Check that a spell's execution does not create a state where a Battlefield has Units
controlled by 3 different players.
355.3. If the card, if continued to be played, would create an illegal state, or if a choice or action at this state
is illegal, the actions taken in this process are undone and the action is cancelled.
356. 6. Finalize this card and proceed with the card's category of Play.
356.1. This card is no longer Pending.
356.2. A Permanent leaves the Chain and becomes a Game Object.
356.2.a. Any passive abilities become active.
356.2.b. Execute all rules text on the card, from top to bottom.
356.2.c. If it is a Unit, it enters the Board exhausted at the Location that was chosen.
356.2.d. If it is a Gear, it enters the Board Ready at the player's Base.
356.3. A Spell lingers on the Chain.
356.3.a. This card becomes a Finalized Chain Item.
356.3.b. If there are other Pending Items on the Chain, then the controller of those Pending Items
completes Steps 2 through 5 of Playing Cards for those items before continuing.
See rule 326. Chains for more information.
356.3.c. Other players have an opportunity to play Reactions before the resolution of spells.
See rule 326. Chains for more information.
356.3.d. Otherwise, execute the game effect of the spell, from top to bottom of the rules text of the
card and then place the card in the Trash of the owning player.
356.3.e. Handling illegal and impossible instructions
356.3.e.1. The spell resolves even if some or all of its targets are illegal.
356.3.e.2. A target is illegal as the spell resolves if it no longer meets the targeting
requirements of the spell, or if it has changed Zones to or from a Non-Board Zone.
356.3.e.3. If a target ceases to meet the targeting requirements while the spell is on the chain,
then meets them again, it's a legal target.
Example: A spell targets "a unit at a battlefield." A player reacts with a spell
that moves the unit to base, then another player reacts with a spell that
moves it back to that battlefield, then the original spell resolves. The unit is
a legal target.
356.3.e.4. If a target changes Zones to or from a Non-Board Zone and then returns to its
original zone, it is no longer a legal target, because it's not treated as the same
object.
Examples:
An enemy unit at a battlefield is no longer a legal target if it is no longer an
enemy, no longer a unit, or no longer at a battlefield.
A unit with 3 or less Might is no longer a legal target if it is no longer a unit
or if its Might is greater than 3.
Something that's exhausted is no longer a legal target if it is no longer
exhausted. (It can't stop being "something.")
A spell that's played from hidden has the additional targeting requirement
"here." A target for such a spell ceases to be a legal target if it moves from
the battlefield where that spell was played, even if the spell has no location
targeting requirement otherwise.
356.3.e.5. If any of the spell's targets are no longer legal, those targets are unaffected by the
spell as it resolves.
Example: A player plays Void Seeker, a spell that says "Deal 4 to a unit at a
battlefield. Draw 1." The unit's controller uses a Reaction to move the unit
to their base. Since the unit is no longer a legal target, it is not dealt any
damage. Void Seeker's controller still draws 1.
356.3.e.6. Instructions that can't be followed, either because of illegal targets or other
circumstances, are ignored.
356.3.e.7. If all of an instruction's Targets become Invalid or Unavailable by the time the
spell is finished being played, that instruction will not execute.
356.3.e.8. If an instruction has more than one Target and fewer than all of the Targets
become Invalid or Unavailable by the time the spell is finished being played, the
instruction will execute, with only the Targets available and valid being operated
on.
356.3.e.9. The process for a card's choice becoming Invalid or Unavailable is referred to as
mistargeting.
Example: A spell has the instruction "Deal 2 to a unit at a battlefield."
Before that instruction can execute, the chosen unit is moved to its base.
The instruction will not be executed, because it specifies that the unit it
chooses must be at a Battlefield, and by the time it attempted to execute,
the unit was no longer valid as a choice.
356.3.e.10. It is possible for none of a spell's instructions to be executed as it resolves, due to all
of them requiring targets to act on and all of those targets becoming Invalid or
Unavailable. In this case, the spell has no effect but is still considered played.
Example: A player plays a spell that reads "Deal 2 to a unit at a battlefield"
with no other instructions, and chooses an enemy unit at a battlefield.
They also control a unit with the ability "When you play a spell, give me +1
[M] this turn." Before the spell resolves, the chosen unit is moved to its
base. The spell resolves and its only instruction cannot be executed, but
the unit's ability still triggers as the spell resolves and gives it +1 [M].
356.3.e.11. Instructions that can be partially followed are followed as much as possible and
ignored otherwise.
Example: A player plays a spell that says "Discard 2, then draw 2" If their
hand is empty, the instruction to discard 2 will be ignored. They'll still draw
2. If they had 1 card in hand, they would discard it and draw 2.
356.3.e.12. If the spell checks information about a target that is no longer legal or a card or
permanent whose location, zone, or status has changed such that that information
is no longer available, that check returns "null" and all calculations based on it are
ignored.
Examples:
A unit that is no longer on the board is treated as having null Might, null
cost, etc.
A unit that is no longer on the board has no location, is neither exhausted
nor readied, etc.
Baited Hook says "[1][C], [E]: Kill a friendly unit. Look at the top 5 cards of
your Main Deck. You may banish a unit from among them that has Might
up to 1 more than the killed unit and play it, ignoring its cost. Then recycle
the rest." While Baited Hook’s ability is on the chain, an opponent reacts
with a spell that returns the friendly unit to its owner's hand. Because the
friendly unit is no longer a legal target, it can't be killed and its Might is
treated as null. Baited Hook’s controller reveals the top 5 cards of their
Main Deck, but can’t choose any unit from among them.
356.3.e.13. A spell or ability that moves something to a different zone as a cost or effect can
"look back" at its characteristics before it changes zones.
357. Abilities
358. An Ability is the structured rules and capabilities of Game Objects or Spells.
358.1. An Ability has multiple structures.
Passive Abilities
Replacement Effects
Activated Abilities
Triggered Abilities
Delayed Abilities
359. A card can have more than one Ability and more than one type of Ability.
360. Passive Abilities
361. Conditions, rules, constraints, or statements that affect the course of regular play.
361.1. These abilities have a wide variety of formats to recognize.
Example: "I get +1[M] while you have 2 or more cards in your hand."
Example: "Friendly Yordles at my battlefield have [Shield]."
361.2. They can be recognized by being statements of fact.
361.3. Passive Abilities can be conditional.
361.3.a. Conditional Passive Abilities can be recognized by the occurrence of "if" or "while" as part of
the statement of the ability.
Example: "While I'm attacking or defending alone, I have +2 [M]."
Example: "If an opponent controls a battlefield, I enter ready."
362. Presence on Permanents
362.1. Passive Abilities of Permanents are typically only active while on the Board.
363. Presence on Card outside of the Board
363.1. Passive Abilities of cards in zones that are outside of the Board will self-describe their context.
Example: The passive ability "Play me only during an opponent's turn." applies in any zone
from which that card can be played.
363.2. Passive Abilities can alter the costs of cards as they are played.
363.2.a. These apply at all times in any zone from which the card with the ability can be played.
364. Replacement Effects
365. An ability that alters the application of another game effect or game rule.
365.1. Passive Abilities can be Replacement Effects.
365.2. Triggered Abilities can be Replacement Effects.
366. Replacement Effects intercede during the execution of a Game Effect and alter its execution.
366.1. A Replacement Effect can be identified by the presence of the term "instead."
Example: Zhonya's Hourglass reads "The next time a friendly unit would die, kill this instead.
Recall that unit exhausted." This is a replacement effect that alters the execution of any
Game Effect that would kill a friendly unit.
367. A Replacement Effect can alter the typical flow of play, including other cards' executions.
368. If more than one Replacement Effect applies to the same event being executed, then the owner of the object
being acted on determines the order the Replacement Effects will apply.
368.1. If it is a player being acted on, that player decides the order the Replacement Effects will apply.
368.2. If the affected object is an Uncontrolled Battlefield then the Current Turn Player decides the order
the Replacement Effects will apply.
369. Activated Abilities
370. Activated Abilities are repeatable effects with a cost. They follow a process of going onto the chain and
resolving, similar to Playing a Card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
370.1. Activated Abilities are recognized by the presence of a ":" in the text of the card, preceded by a cost
and succeeded by an effect.
Example: "[2]: Draw 1" is an activated ability. The cost is 2 energy. The effect is to draw 1 card.
370.2. Activated Abilities use the chain.
370.2.a. Declare activation of the Ability.
370.2.a.1. The ability goes on the chain but has no card to represent it, so players need to take
note that it is now a Closed State.
370.2.b. Proceed with executing the Chain.
370.2.b.1. Follow the steps of “Playing or Activating Abilities” in rule 386. This ability will
become a Pending Chain Item.
370.2.b.2. Opponents have an opportunity to respond, as appropriate, as if a card was played
onto the chain.
370.2.b.3. If no further action is taken, execute the Activated Ability.
371. The controlling player chooses when and whether to activate an Activated Ability.
372. Activated abilities are present on Game Objects and some Spells.
373. Can primarily be activated while on the Board.
374. All Activated Abilities can only be activated on the Controlling Player's Turn and during an Open State.
375. Triggered Abilities
376. Triggered Abilities are repeatable effects that happen when a Condition is met.
376.1. Triggered Abilities can usually be recognized by the word "when" followed by a game action or
event; the word "at" followed by a point in time during the turn sequence; or the phrase “the [Nth]
time” followed by a game action or event.
Examples:
"When you conquer here, you may spend a buff to draw 1."
"At the end of your turn, ready 2 runes."
“The first time I move each turn, you may ready something else that's exhausted.”
376.1.a. The phrases that identify triggered abilities do not always appear at the beginning of
sentences or abilities.
Example: Sona, Harmonious says “While I'm at a battlefield, ready up to 4 friendly
runes at the end of your turn.” Although the ability starts with a conditional, “while,”
the phrase “at the end of your turn” identifies this as a triggered ability. It can only
trigger while that condition is met.
376.1.b. If an ability triggers “the [Nth] time” something happens and that trigger condition is met
multiple times simultaneously, the ability’s controller picks one of those instances to serve as
the trigger condition. The ability triggers only once, due to the chosen condition.
Example: Wraith of Echoes reads “The first time another friendly unit dies each turn,
draw 1.” That ability hasn’t triggered yet this turn. Two other friendly units die
simultaneously (say, due to combat damage). The Wraith’s controller chooses one
of those deaths to trigger Wraith’s ability.
376.2. Triggered Abilities have a Condition and an Effect.
376.2.a. The Condition follows the When.
376.2.b. The Effect is the Instruction that follows the comma after the Condition.
376.2.c. The Condition of a Trigger is evaluated after a potentially inciting event has been processed.
376.2.c.1. If a Game Object with a Triggered Ability that is active in a specific zone, it is
evaluated and subsequently triggered if it enters that zone at the same time that
its Trigger’s condition is met.
Example: Immortal Phoenix says “When you kill a unit with a spell, you
may pay [1][C] to play me from your trash.” This ability triggers if Immortal
Phoenix is in your trash immediately after you kill a unit with a spell, even if
the unit you killed with a spell was that Immortal Phoenix.
376.2.c.2. A Game Object will not be able to successfully be able to evaluate its Trigger
Condition, however, if it leaves the zone that its Trigger is active from at the same
time that its Trigger is satisfied.
Example: Viktor, Leader says “When another non-Recruit unit you control
dies, play a 1 [M] Recruit unit token into your base.” This ability triggers if
Viktor is on the board immediately after another non-Recruit unit you
control dies. It does not trigger if Viktor and another non-Recruit unit you
control die during the same game action (for instance, if they are both
killed in the same Cleanup due to the damage dealt by Unchecked
Power).
376.3. When a Condition is met, a Triggered Ability behaves like an Activated Ability and is placed on the
Chain.
376.3.a. Triggered Abilities can be put on the Chain during Closed States or Open States on any
player's turn.
376.3.b. If more than one Triggered Ability is Triggered simultaneously, then the player that controls
the Abilities selects the order to place them on the Chain.
376.3.b.1. If multiple players separately control Triggered Abilities that are Triggered
simultaneously, then starting with the Turn Player and proceeding in Turn Order,
each player orders their Triggered Abilities on the Chain.
376.4. Some Conditions are commonly used and structured in a way that explicitly defines their use and
other properties of the Effect that is associated with it.
376.4.a. Play Effects are Triggered Abilities with the Condition that the Permanent that has the
Play Effect being played to the board.
376.4.a.1. These are commonly structured as “When you play me…” for Units and “When you
play this…” for Gear.
376.4.a.2. These Triggered Abilities are put on the Chain as Pending Items after the
Permanent these effects correspond to is finalized and enters the board.
376.4.a.3. These Triggered Abilities can be referred to as Play Effects.
376.4.a.4. Abilities that trigger when another object is played are not considered Play Effects.
376.4.b. Conquer Effects are Triggered Abilities with a Condition of a Unit participating in, and
successfully Conquering a Battlefield.
376.4.b.1. These are commonly structured as “When I conquer…” and “When you conquer…”
376.4.b.2. This category of Triggered Abilities encompasses only those that are triggered
from Units that were present during the Conquer action, or Abilities that reference
the player that performed the Conquer action.
376.4.b.2.a. The Conquer Abilities of Units are put on the Chain as Pending Items
after the Unit(s) these effects correspond to are present at a Battlefield
when a player gains control of it and gains 1 Victory Point from
Conquering.
376.4.b.2.b. The Conquer Abilities of anything that references the player Conquering
is put on the Chain as a Pending Item when the Condition that the player
that controls the triggering source has performed a Conquer and gained 1
Victory Point.
376.4.b.2.c. If the act of gaining one point from Conquering is negated or replaced in
any way, the Conquer Effect will still trigger.
376.4.b.3. These Triggered Abilities can be referred to as Conquer Effects.
376.4.c. Hold Effects are Triggered Abilities with a Condition of a Unit being present at a
Battlefield during the Beginning phase when a player scores Victory Points from Holding.
376.4.c.1. These are commonly structured as “When I hold…” or “When you hold…”
376.4.c.2. This category of Triggered Abilities encompasses only those that are triggered
from Units that were present during the Hold action, or Abilities that reference the
player that performed the Hold action.
376.4.c.2.a. The Hold Abilities of Units are put on the Chain as Pending Items after
the Unit these effects correspond to are present at a Battlefield when a
player maintains control of it and Gains 1 Victory Point during their
Beginning Phase from Holding.
376.4.c.2.b. The Hold Abilities of anything that references the player Holding is put on
the Chain as a Pending Item when the Condition that the player that
controls the triggering source has performed a Hold and gained 1 Victory
Point.
376.4.c.2.c. If the act of gaining one point from Holding is negated or replaced in any
way, the Hold Effect will still trigger.
376.4.c.3. These Triggered Abilities can be referred to as Hold Effects.
376.4.d. Attack Triggers are Triggered Abilities that trigger when a Unit gains the Attacker
designation for the first time during a combat.
376.4.d.1. These are commonly structured as “When I attack…”
376.4.d.2. These Triggered Abilities are put on the Chain as Pending Items after the Unit
these effects correspond to gains the Attacker designation during Combat.
376.4.d.2.a. These triggers can only become fulfilled once per combat, despite a Unit
being able to gain and lose the Attacker designation multiple times in the
same combat.
376.4.d.3. These Triggered Abilities can be referred to as Attack Triggers.
376.4.e. Defend Triggers are Triggered Abilities that trigger when a Unit gains the Defender
designation for the first time during a combat.
376.4.e.1. These are commonly structured as “When I defend…”
376.4.e.2. These Triggered Abilities are put on the Chain as Pending Items after the Unit
these effects correspond to gains the Defender designation during Combat.
376.4.e.2.a. These triggers can only become fulfilled once per combat, despite a Unit
being able to gain and lose the Defender designation multiple times in
the same combat.
376.4.e.3. These Triggered Abilities can be referred to as Defend Triggers.
377. Presence on Permanents
377.1. Typically active while on the Board.
377.2. Triggered Abilities of Permanents are only able to have their Conditions evaluated while on the
Board.
378. Presence on Cards outside of the Board
378.1. Triggered Abilities on cards outside of the Board rely on the Information Level of the zone they are
in.
378.2. Triggered Abilities outside of the Board will self-describe their context.
Example: The triggered ability "When you conquer, you may discard 1 to return this from
your trash to your hand." triggers while the card it's on is in the trash, and not anywhere else.
379. Reflexive Triggers
380. Reflexive Triggers are a type of Triggered Ability that create one or more Chain Items when their condition is
met.
380.1. Reflexive Triggers can be recognized by the phrase “Do this:” or “Do one of the following:”.
380.1.a. “Do this” can be followed by “N times.” The Reflexive Trigger will thus be added to the chain
N times when its condition is met.
380.2. Reflexive Triggers will be preceded by their conditions, if any. If no condition is present in the ability
then the Reflexive Trigger will always be added to the Chain.
380.3. If present, the Condition of a Reflexive Trigger will follow the same format as a Triggered Ability.
381. Reflexive Triggers use the Chain.
381.1. A new ability is created and added to the chain as a Pending Item.
See rule 386. Playing or Activating Abilities for more information.
381.2. If a Reflexive Trigger creates more than one Pending Item it creates them all in order, but does not
go beyond the first step of adding them to the Chain.
See rule 386. Playing or Activating Abilities for more information.
382. Delayed Abilities
383. Delayed Abilities are a type of Ability whose trigger Condition identifies a specific time during a turn or a
specific event that can occur during a specific timeframe.
383.1. Delayed Abilities can be any other type of Ability, and contain all of the properties of that type in
addition to the properties of Delayed Abilities.
383.2. Delayed Triggers are Triggered Abilities that can be recognized by describing a specific time of the
turn, or by structuring a Triggered Ability with a specific frame of time as a restriction.
383.3. Delayed Replacements are Replacement Effects that can be recognized by specifying the effect
they are replacing at a specific time, or “the [Nth] time” in the description of the effect as it resolves.
383.4. Delayed Passive Abilities are Passive Abilities that are applicable only during a specified window of
time. The time that the Delayed Passive Ability applies will be recognized in the effect that initiates
it.
384. Delayed Abilities will resolve or be active just like the ability they augment, but only during the specified time
in the effect that created the Delayed Ability.
Example: Ravenborn Tome reads “The next spell you play this turn deals 1 Bonus Damage” is a
Delayed Passive Ability that passively adds 1 damage to just the next spell played. The next spell is a
specific time, and the 1 Bonus Damage is a passive ability.
Example: Noxian Guillotine reads “Choose a unit. Kill it the next time it takes damage this turn.” When
the chosen unit takes damage is the specified time, and killing it is the condition for a Delayed
Triggered Ability.
385. Delayed Abilities are not associated with Units or Gear; they are created by other Abilities or Spells. As such
they are executed when their condition and/or specified time occurs regardless of whether the source of the
Delayed Ability is still on the board or not.
386. Playing or Activating Abilities
387. Playing or activating Abilities follows the same steps of playing cards.
388. Abilities when added to the Chain become Pending Items until they complete the steps of Playing.
388.1. When an Ability finishes the steps of playing it becomes a Chain Item just like a Spell.
388.2. When an Ability with the [Add] action is finalized it resolves immediately instead of becoming a
Chain Item, like a Unit or Gear.
389. 1. Activate or trigger the Ability
389.1. Add a Pending Item to the chain representing the Ability that is either being Activated or Triggered.
Notably, although this Chain Item will not have a card representing it, this will create a Closed State.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
389.2. If there is currently a game effect being resolved, continue resolving the game effect instead of
continuing the following steps.
390. 2. Make relevant choices
390.1. Make all choices required for this ability, such as targets, options, or other relevant decisions.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information
390.2. If legal options are not available for an Activated Ability, it is not legal to activate it.
390.3. If there are not enough options to make legal choices for a Triggered Ability that has been put on
the chain, remove it from the Chain now. It ceases to be a Pending Item but never becomes a Chain
Item.
390.3.a. This is not an Ability being countered.
390.3.b. If there are legal options to choose, the ability’s controller must choose them. They may not
decline this stage of playing a Trigger.
391. 3. Determine Total Cost
391.1. Determine the base cost of the Ability.
391.1.a. Activated Abilities will have a cost listed before the “:” in their text.
391.1.b. Triggered Abilities will typically not have a base cost associated with them when placed on
the chain due to their conditions.
391.2. Apply cost increases and decreases as a result of choices made in the prior step.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
391.3. Apply any other cost increases or decreases as necessary.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
392. 4. Pay Costs
392.1. Pay costs as determined in the prior step.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
392.2. At this stage, players may decline to pay for Triggered Abilities that have incurred a cost. If they do,
the ability will cease being a Pending Item and be removed from the Chain. It never becomes a
Chain Item.
392.2.a. This is not an Ability being countered.
393. 5. Check Legality
393.1. Ensure that the Ability’s targets are still legal.
393.2. Ensure that the Ability’s effect would not create an illegal state. If it would, resolve in the same way
you would resolve a Card that creates an illegal state.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
394. 6. Proceed with Play
394.1. This Ability is no longer Pending.
394.2. This Ability becomes a Chain Item.
394.3. If there are other Pending Items on the Chain, their controllers perform the remaining steps of
playing now.
394.4. Other players have an opportunity to play Reactions before the resolution of spells.
See rule 326. Chains for more information.
394.5. Otherwise, execute the Ability just like a Spell, then clear the Chain Item from the Chain.
395. Game Actions
396. Game Actions are actions players may perform at any given time during the game.
397. A player, unless otherwise specified or prompted, may only perform actions on their turn.
398. There are two types of Game Actions:
398.1. Discretionary Actions
398.1.a. A Discretionary Action is a Game Action that may be performed at any time during a
player's turn during a Neutral Open State.
See rule 307. States of the Turn for more information.
398.1.b. A player may take any number of Discretionary Actions available to them during their turn.
398.1.b.1. As long as any conditions, if applicable, are met.
398.1.b.2. As long as any costs, if applicable, are paid.
398.1.b.3. As long as it does not result in any forbidden action being taken or game state
being created.
Example: A player can't use the Standard Move discretionary action to
move a unit to a Battlefield that's already occupied by Units controlled by
two other players.
398.2. Limited Actions
398.2.a. A Limited Action is a game action that a spell, ability, or circumstance of the turn's
progression causes the player to perform. A player cannot perform these actions at-will.
398.2.b. These actions can only be taken when a player is instructed to do so as the execution of an
effect or during their specified occasion during the turn.
Example: A player may Draw during the Draw Step of the Beginning Phase of
their turn or when instructed to do so by a spell or ability. They can't choose to
Draw at any other time.
399. Types of Actions
400. Draw
400.1. Drawing a card takes a single card from the top of the Main Deck and adds it to the player's Hand.
400.2. This is a Limited Action.
400.2.a. Each player draws 1 during the Draw Step of their Beginning Phase.
400.2.b. The player may draw cards when instructed to do so by other game effects.
400.3. This action, when instructed, is formatted as "Draw X."
400.4. If a player attempts to draw more cards than are available in their Main Deck, they do the following:
400.4.a. Draw as many as possible.
400.4.b. Perform a Burn Out.
See rule 418. Burn Out for more information.
400.4.c. Draw the remaining cards needed to complete the Draw action.
401. Exhaust
401.1. Exhausting is an action that marks a non-spell Game Object as "spent."
401.1.a. To mark it, rotate the card 90 degrees opposite of Readying, so that the orientation of the
card is lengthwise in front of you.
401.1.b. A Unit that is already Exhausted cannot be Exhausted again.
401.1.c. If a Unit is instructed to be Exhausted while it is already Exhausted, nothing additional
happens.
401.2. "Exhausted" is a state for Game Objects that other game effects and rules can reference.
401.3. This is a Limited Action.
401.3.a. Most Exhaust actions will be costs for Activated Abilities or Discretionary Actions. Example:
A unit's Standard Move exhausts the unit as a cost.
401.4. When Exhausting is listed as a Cost, then the Action must be able to be completed for the cost to be
paid.
Example: A spell says "As an additional cost to play this, you may exhaust a friendly unit." An
exhausted friendly unit may not be exhausted again as the additional cost for the spell, and
the additional cost has not been paid.
401.5. In abilities, the Exhaust symbol represents the cost "Exhaust this" or "Exhaust me." It resembles a
card turning sideways.
402. Ready
402.1. Readying is an action that marks a non-spell Game Object as available for action.
402.1.a. To mark it, rotate the card 90 degrees opposite of Exhausting, so that it is vertically oriented
in front of you.
402.1.b. A Unit that is already Ready cannot be Readied again.
402.1.c. If a Unit is instructed to be Readied while it is already Ready, nothing additional happens.
402.2. "Ready" is a state for Game Objects that other game effects and rules can reference.
402.3. This is a Limited Action.
402.3.a. A player Readies all non-spell Game Objects they Control during the Ready Step of the
Beginning Phase on their turn.
402.3.b. The player may also Ready their Game Objects when effects or spells instruct them to do so.
403. Recycle
403.1. Recycling cards is the action in which a player takes one or more cards from a specific zone and then
puts it on the bottom of the corresponding deck.
403.1.a. Main Deck cards are Recycled to the Main Deck.
403.1.b. Runes are Recycled to the Rune Deck.
403.1.c. Each player Recycles cards to their own Main Deck and Rune Deck, regardless of which
player is instructed to perform the Recycle action.
403.2. This is a Limited Action.
403.2.a. The player must Recycle cards from the specified zones when instructed to do so by game
effects or costs.
403.3. When Recycling is listed as a Cost, the action must be able to be completed for the cost to be paid.
Example: Vi, Destructive has the ability "Recycle 1 from your trash: Give me +1 [M] this turn."
Each time a player activates the ability, they must recycle 1 card from their trash to pay its
cost. If they have no cards in their trash, they can't activate the ability, because they can't pay
its cost.
403.4. When Recycling is part of an effect, a player must Recycle as many cards as possible from the
specified zone or zones.
403.5. If 2 or more cards are Recycled to the Main Deck simultaneously, they are placed on the bottom of
that deck in a random order.
Example: Garbage Grabber has the ability "Recycle 3 from your trash, [1], [E]: Draw " To pay
the cost of activating this ability, its controller chooses 3 cards from their trash and places
them on the bottom of their Main Deck in a random order.
403.5.a. If 2 or more cards are Recycled to the Rune Deck simultaneously, they are placed on the
bottom of that deck in the order of their owner's choosing.
403.6. This action, when instructed, is sometimes formatted as "Recycle X from [Zone]." That means to take
X cards of the instructed player's choice from the relevant zone and recycle them.
Example: Dr. Mundo, Expert has the ability "At the start of your Beginning Phase, recycle 3
from your trash." As that ability resolves, its controller recycles 3 cards from their trash. If
there are fewer than 3 cards in that player's trash, they recycle as many as they can.
404. Deal
404.1. Spells, Units, Abilities, and other game effects may Deal Damage to units.
404.1.a. Assigning Damage during Combat Resolution is not Dealing Damage, but will cause
Damage to be Dealt when assignment is complete.
404.1.b. To Deal Damage to Units, mark the specified amount of Damage on the Unit.
404.1.c. Damage is marked on each unit separately.
404.1.d. Damage can be Dealt to more than one Unit at the same time.
404.2. Only Damage can be Dealt.
404.3. Dealing Damage is a Limited Action.
404.3.a. Assigning Damage causes Damage to be dealt outside of being directed to Deal Damage.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
404.4. Dealing can have the intrinsic property of Bonus Damage.
404.5. Bonus Damage is a property granted to the action of Dealing and alters the amount of Damage
distributed by this action.
See rule 712. Bonus Damage for more information.
404.6. Deal actions can originate from one or more sources.
404.6.a. If a game effect does not specify a source, the game effect describing the Deal action is the
source.
Example: Void Seeker is a spell that reads “Deal 4 to a unit at a battlefield. Draw 1.”
The damage that Void Seeker instructs you to deal is dealt by Void Seeker.
404.6.b. If a game effect does specify a source, then that source is what is considered the origin of
the Damage for this Deal action.
404.6.b.1. Units and Spells can be the source of Damage for Deal actions.
404.6.b.2. Abilities can be the source of Damage for Deal actions.
404.6.b.2.a. When an Ability is the source of Damage for a Deal action, it is in addition
to the Spell or Unit that created that Ability.
Example: Iron Ballista is a gear that says “[E]: Deal 2 to a unit at a
battlefield.” This damage is dealt both by a gear and by an ability.
404.6.b.3. When a spell or ability specifies a Unit as the source of the Damage for the Deal
action, it is not in addition to the spell or ability that specified it.
Example: Challenge is a spell that reads “Choose a friendly unit and an
enemy unit. They deal damage equal to their Mights to each other.” The
damage that Challenge causes to be dealt is dealt by the chosen units, not
by Challenge.
404.6.c. Damage Dealt as a result of being assigned during Combat has the Units as its source.
404.6.c.1. The Damage assigned, and subsequently Dealt, to attackers has the defenders as
the source and vice versa.
404.7. Deal actions can distribute Damage as part of combat actions or non-combat actions.
405. Heal
405.1. Damage being cleared from Units is Healing.
405.1.a. If Damage is cleared for any reason it is considered Healing.
405.2. More than one Unit can be Healed at the same time.
405.3. Healing is a Limited Action.
405.3.a. Players may only Heal units when game effects instruct them to, or at specific points in the
turn.
406. Play
406.1. A player Plays cards by paying costs associated with that card.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
406.2. This is a Discretionary Action.
406.2.a. As long as a player has the resources to pay the costs associated with the card, they may
play cards.
406.3. Game effects may result in cards being played as part of their resolution.
406.3.a. This treats Play as a Limited Action.
406.3.b. Treat all steps of Play as normal, except as noted by the game effect creating this Limited
Play Effect.
406.3.c. If there are no eligible cards to Play when instructed to Play in this manner like this, then
nothing happens and resolution continues.
406.4. Some Abilities trigger when cards are played or otherwise check whether cards have been played.
406.4.a. These abilities trigger when the act of playing the card has been completed by the
resolution of the card.
406.4.b. If a game effect prevents the resolution of the card—for example, because the card was
countered—the card wasn't played and no abilities that trigger on playing cards trigger.
See rule 412. Counter for more information.
407. Move
407.1. Moving is the act of a Game Object moving between two Locations on The Board.
407.2. Moving is a Limited Action.
407.2.a. Players may only move Game Objects when instructed to do so by Game Effects or costs.
407.2.b. The Standard Move inherent to Units may also cause Movement.
See rule 140 for more information on the Standard Move.
407.3. The Standard Move inherent to Units is a Discretionary Action.
407.3.a. The Cost is Exhausting one or more Units.
407.3.b. The Effect is Moving those Unit.
408. Hide
408.1. Hiding a card is the act of placing a card facedown at a Battlefield you control.
408.2. Hiding is a Discretionary Action.
408.2.a. The Hidden keyword allows a player to pay a cost to Hide a card any time they have a
Hidden card in their hand or Champion Zone and meet the prerequisites.
See rule 727. Hidden for more information.
408.3. Cards that are facedown at Battlefields have their gameplay properties and permissions defined by
the effect that put them there.
Example: Cards that players Hide with the Hidden keyword can be Played for [0] on any
subsequent turn as a property of the Hidden keyword.
408.4. If a facedown card would be put into a zone whose Privacy is Private or Secret, or if the game ends,
its owner reveals it to all players.
See rule 127. Privacy for more information.
409. Discard
409.1. Discarding a card is moving it from a player's hand directly into their trash without activating or
executing its normal rules text.
409.1.a. The player who is performing the action chooses which cards to send to their Trash, and
may use Private Information to do so.
409.1.b. “When I am discarded” abilities or other Triggered Abilities that trigger on discarding are
executed after discarding has occurred.
409.2. Discarding is a Limited Action.
409.2.a. A player must Discard cards when instructed to do so by game effects or costs.
409.3. When Discarding is listed as a Cost, then the Action must be able to be completed for the cost to be
paid.
Example: A card has the ability "Discard 2: Deal 2 damage to a unit at a battlefield." To
activate the ability, the card's controller must have at least 2 cards in hand and must be able
to discard them.
409.4. When Discarding is part of an effect, then a player must Discard as many cards as possible from their
hand. If instructed to discard more cards than they have in their hand, further discard instructions are
ignored.
Example: Undercover Agent has the ability "[Deathknell] — Discard 2, then draw 2. (When I
die, get the effect.)" If Undercover Agent's controller has 2 or more cards in hand, they must
discard 2. If they have 1 card in hand, they discard 1, and the rest of the discard instruction is
ignored. If they have no cards in hand, the entire discard instruction is ignored. Regardless of
how many cards they discard, they then draw 2.
409.5. This action is formatted as "Discard X."
410. Stun
410.1. Stunning is the act of selecting one or more Units on the Board and rendering them Stunned.
410.1.a. Stunned is a binary state. A Unit is Stunned or it isn't.
410.1.a.1. A Stunned Unit can not be Stunned again.
Example: Eclipse Herald has the ability "When you stun an enemy unit,
ready me and give me +1 [M] this turn." Its controller plays a spell that
reads "Stun a unit." They may choose a unit that's already stunned, but if
they do, Eclipse Herald will not trigger.
410.1.a.2. Stunned Units lose the Stunned status at the beginning of the next Ending Step.
410.1.b. A Stunned Unit does not contribute its might to damage in combat.
410.1.c. A Stunned Unit must still have damage applied to it equal to, or greater than, its full might
value to be killed.
410.2. Stunning is a Limited Action.
410.2.a. Players may only Stun Units when directed to by Game Effects.
411. Reveal
411.1. Revealing is the act of presenting a card to all players from a zone that one or more players do not
have access to the information of.
411.1.a. Revealed is a temporary state and is not a zone.
411.1.a.1. Other cards, including the card being revealed, can reference the act of being
Revealed.
411.1.a.2. Cards remain in the zone they are being Revealed from. Example: If a card is being
Revealed from the top of a player's Main Deck, it is still the top card of that player's
Main Deck.
411.1.b. Unless otherwise described, Revealed cards do nothing else beyond become temporarily
known information to all players.
411.2. Revealing is a Limited Action.
411.2.a. Players may only Reveal cards from Private or Secret zones when instructed to do so by
Game Effects.
411.2.b. During the course of a game of Riftbound, a player may choose to show Private information
to one or more other players. This does not count as revealing and does not trigger any
effects that trigger when cards are revealed.
411.3. This action is formatted as "Reveal cards from [zone]."
Example: "Reveal 2 cards from the top of your Main Deck" would be executed by taking the
two cards from the top of your Main Deck, and then presenting them to all players to clearly
read and understand at the table. Then, when all players have had a chance to understand
the revealed information, return them to the top of the deck in the same order.
411.4. Game Effects can manipulate or modify the cards Revealed while they are Revealed
411.4.a. While cards are Revealed, those cards can be further manipulated, or accessed. They can
even have their destination modified for when the Reveal ends.
Example: "Reveal 2 cards from the top of your Main Deck. Put one into your hand
and Recycle the other" would be executed by taking the top two cards from your
Main Deck to the table, and once every player present has had a chance to
understand them you would make the selection of one of them to add to your
hand. The one you did not select would then be Recycled to the bottom of the
Main Deck.
412. Counter
412.1. Countering is the act of negating the execution, activation, or otherwise playing of a card by a player.
412.1.a. A card that is Countered does nothing and is then placed in the Trash.
412.1.b. A card that is Countered is not considered to have been played.
412.1.c. Countering does not refund any costs paid to play a card.
412.1.c.1. This includes additional costs.
412.2. Countering is a Limited Action.
412.2.a. Players may only Counter cards when directed to by Game Effects.
412.3. This action is formatted as "Counter [a card or ability on the chain]."
413. Buff
413.1. Buffing is the action of placing a Buff counter on a Unit.
See rule 701. Buffs for more information.
413.1.a. A Buff is also an object.
413.1.b. To Buff a unit, place a Buff Counter on it if it does not have one already
413.1.b.1. If the unit already has a Buff Counter on it, it does not get another one.
413.1.c. Units with Buff Counters can still be chosen for actions that Buff units, but will not be
Buffed as part of the execution.
Example: A spell reads "Buff a unit. Then, if it was buffed this way, draw a card." It
will place a buff counter on a unit that has no buff counter, and then its controller
will draw a card. However, if the player chooses a unit with a buff counter on it
already, then the card will not be drawn.
413.2. Buffing is a Limited Action.
413.2.a. Players may only Buff units when Game Effects direct them to do so.
413.3. This action is formatted as "Buff [one or more units]."
e.g., "Buff a unit."
e.g., "Buff a friendly unit."
e.g., "Buff two friendly units at the same battlefield."
414. Banish
414.1. Banishing is the action of placing a card from any zone to Banishment.
See 107.5. Banishment for more information.
414.2. When a card is Banished it is placed directly into the Banishment zone from its origin.
414.2.a. Banish is not a subset of Kill.
414.2.b. Banish is not a subset of Discard.
414.3. Cards and effects can refer to cards that were banished by the same object.
414.3.a. Separate instances of an object or effect banishing cards do not reference other banished
cards by objects of the same name or effects originating from cards of the same name.
Example: A spell reads "Banish the top card of your Main Deck. When you conquer
this turn, draw it." This card effect allows you to draw the banished card from
banishment if a condition is met. If more than one of these effects is played, each
one triggers separately. Each card will be drawn separately. If the turn player passes
the turn without playing the card, the card remains in banishment indefinitely. If
the same player plays another copy of the same spell, banishes another card, and
satisfies its condition, they could play the new banished card, but not the original
banished card.
414.4. Banishing is a Limited Action.
414.4.a. Players may only Banish cards or permanents when Game Effects direct them to do so.
414.5. This action is formatted as "Banish [one or more permanents or cards]."
e.g., "Banish a card from your hand."
e.g., "Banish 2 cards from your trash."
e.g., "Look at the top 2 cards of your Main Deck. Draw one of them and banish the other."
415. Kill
415.1. Killing is the action of a Permanent going to the trash from the board.
415.1.a. This can be Active or Passive.
415.1.a.1. Active Kill is when the action is taken when instructed by a game effect or as a cost
for a card or ability.
415.1.a.2. Passive Kill is when the action is taken as a result of Lethal Damage or as a
consequence for any other state.
415.2. When a permanent is killed it is placed directly in the trash from its place of origin.
415.2.a. It is only considered Killed if its origin was any zone on the board.
415.2.b. This is not a subset of Move.
415.3. Killing is a Limited Action.
415.3.a. Players may only Kill units when Game Effects direct them to do so.
415.4. Killing can also be the result of resolving a Cleanup.
415.5. Killing can be attributed to one or more Game Objects.
415.5.a. The Killed Unit or Gear is said to be Killed by that Game Object.
415.5.b. A spell or ability that contains a Kill instruction is responsible for Killing the Unit or Gear.
415.5.c. When one or more Units is killed due to a Cleanup, the spell or ability that resolved
immediately prior to that Cleanup that applied damage to the Unit or Units is responsible
for that Kill action.
415.5.d. Abilities originating from Game Objects that are responsible for Kill Actions are responsible
in addition to the Game Object that created them.
Example: Falling Star is a spell that says “Do this twice: Deal 3 to a unit.” Immortal
Phoenix is a unit that says “When you kill a unit with a spell, you may pay [1][C] to
play me from your trash.” A player plays Falling Star while Immortal Phoenix is in
their trash. The “do this” phrasing on Falling Star means that it has a reflexive
triggered ability, which places two triggered abilities on the chain. As each of those
triggered abilities resolve, it deals damage to the unit chosen for that ability. If one
of these abilities deals lethal damage to a unit, both Falling Star and its ability are
considered sources of the damage, and so both Falling Star and its ability are
responsible for killing the unit. This means that Falling Star’s controller killed a unit
with a spell, so Immortal Phoenix’s ability will trigger.
415.6. This action is formatted as "Kill [one or more permanents]."
e.g., "Kill an enemy unit."
e.g., "Kill this, [2]: Draw 1."
e.g., "Kill all gear."
416. Add
416.1. Adding is the action of putting resources into a player's Rune Pool.
416.2. Spells, triggered abilities, and activated abilities that Add resources finalize immediately.
416.2.a. Priority and Focus will not pass from Add abilities being finalized, and will resolve before any
other outstanding items on the chain are finalized.
416.3. Activated abilities that Add resources and have the Reaction tag can be activated during the playing
or resolution of other spells and abilities, any time that those spells or abilities require that resources
be paid.
Example: A player can add Energy and Power through any means before initiating the
process of playing a spell. After initiating that process, in the Pay Costs step, they may
activate Add Reactions to add Energy or Power to pay costs.
416.4. Adding is a Limited Action.
416.4.a. Players may only Add resources when Game Effects direct them to do so.
416.5. This action is formatted as "Add [one or more resources]."
e.g., "Add [2]." means "Add 2 Energy."
e.g., "[E]: Add [Y]." means "Add 1 Power of the Order domain."
e.g., "Add [1][G]." means "Add 1 Energy and 1 Power of the Calm domain."
417. Channel
417.1. Channeling is the action of taking one or more Runes from the top of a player's Rune Deck and
putting them on the board.
417.2. The Game Effect that instructs a player to channel 1 or more runes may specify the conditions or
circumstances under which those runes enter the board. Example: A spell reads "Channel 1 rune
exhausted." As that spell resolves, its controller puts the top rune of their rune deck onto the board
and that rune enters the board exhausted rather than ready.
417.3. Channeling is a Limited Action.
417.3.a. Players may only channel runes when Game Effects direct them to do so.
417.4. This action is formatted as "Channel X rune(s)," optionally followed by conditions or stipulations.
e.g., "Channel 1 rune."
e.g., "When you play me, channel 1 rune exhausted."
e.g., "Channel 2 runes exhausted. If you couldn't channel 2 runes this way, draw 1."
418. Burn Out
418.1. Burning Out is an action a player must perform if they attempt to move one or more cards from their
Main Deck to any other zone in excess of the number of cards remaining in their Main Deck:
418.1.a. If a player must Draw cards in excess to the number of cards in their deck, they will Draw as
many as possible, perform this action, then Draw the remaining amount instructed.
418.1.b. If a player must put one or more cards from their Main Deck in any other zone, such as the
Trash, in excess of the number of cards in their deck they will do so as much as possible,
perform this action, and then complete the remaining number required by the instruction.
418.1.c. If an instruction directs a player to look at or reveal cards in excess to the number of cards in
a player’s Main Deck, that player looks at or Reveals as many as possible, but does not Burn
Out, then proceeds with the rest of the instruction.
418.1.c.1. If there are insufficient cards among the looked at or revealed cards to perform
subsequent actions to the revealed or looked at cards, any further instructions are
ignored. This does not cause a Burn Out, even if those instructions would cause
those cards to change zones.
Reminder: Cards are considered in the zone of origin while being looked at
or revealed, in this case the Main Deck.
418.2. To Burn Out, a player does the following in sequence:
418.2.a. Performs as much of the prescribed action as possible.
418.2.b. Recycles their trash into their Main Deck.
Reminder: When multiple cards are Recycled to the Main Deck at the same time,
those cards must be randomized
418.2.c. Chooses an opponent to gain 1 point.
418.2.d. Completes the remainder of the action that caused them to burn out.
Example: A player attempts to draw 1 during their Draw Phase while their Main
Deck is empty. That player instead recycles their trash into their Main Deck,
randomizing it as normal, then chooses an opponent to gain 1 point, and then
draws 1.
418.3. A player's Main Deck may remain empty as they Burn Out, usually because their trash is also empty.
When they attempt to perform the original action again, it will cause another Burn Out.
418.3.a. Unless some effect intervenes, this will result in them burning out repeatedly, giving 1 point
to an opponent each time, until an opponent passes the Victory Score and wins the game.
418.4. Burning Out is a Limited Action.
418.4.a. Players may only burn out when Game Effects direct them to do so.
418.5. Burning Out is a Replacement Effect.
See rule 364. Replacement Effects for more information.
419. Movement
420. Moving is a Limited Action.
420.1. A Permanent changing its position from any space on the Board to another space on the Board is a
Move, unless it is caused by a corrective Recall.
See rule 407. Move for more information.
420.2. A card changing game zones does not in itself constitute a Move.
420.3. Moving is instantaneous.
420.3.a. There is no state for Permanents between locations.
420.3.b. Permanents are either at their Origin before Moving or their Destination after Moving.
420.3.c. Moving does not use the Chain, nor is it able to be Reacted to.
421. Moving is defined by the Origin and Destination of the Permanent that is changing locations.
421.1. The Origin is where the Permanent is starting from.
421.2. The Destination is where the Permanent is going to.
421.2.a. In Modes of Play with more than two players, Battlefields with Staged Combats or
Combats in Progress are Invalid Destinations for Moves of all kinds (Standard Moves or
otherwise) by Units controlled by Players who don't already have permanents at that
Battlefield.
421.2.b. If an action would require a Move that would cause a Unit to become present in a Location
where it cannot move for any reason, such as a Battlefield with two players that are not the
controller of the Unit performing this Move action are in a Combat or such a Combat is
Staged, it instead Recalls.
See rule 428. Recalls for more information.
421.3. Units are the only Permanents that can Move.
422. Players may choose to move their Units with the Standard Move.
See rule 140. for more information on the Standard Move.
423. Spells, Abilities, or other effects may cause a Move to occur.
423.1. The source of the Move will provide details on any restrictions on legality for Destination.
423.2. Units cannot Move to a Battlefield that already has units from 2 other players present by any means.
424. The Destination becomes Contested if it is a Battlefield not controlled by the controller of the Unit or Units
that moved.
425. Units may cause a Showdown without a Combat when they Move.
425.1. A Showdown is opened when a Move causes a Battlefield to become Contested while it has no
Units present from any player other than those that just moved.
426. Units may cause Combat when they Move.
426.1. A Combat is triggered when a Move causes a Battlefield to become Contested and Units controlled
by opposing players.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
427. When a Move action is complete, perform a Cleanup.
428. Recalls
429. A Recall is when a Permanent is relocated from anywhere to its Base without it being a Move.
430. Recalls are not Moves.
430.1. They do not cause Triggered Abilities to trigger that are triggered by Move actions.
430.2. A Recall causes a Permanent to change locations.
430.3. A Recall cannot be prevented by actions and Game Effects that restrict or block Movement.
431. Gear can be Recalled.
431.1. When Gear is created or played at a battlefield, or is at a battlefield for any other reason, it is Recalled
to its controller's base during the next Cleanup.
Example: Zhonya's Hourglass is a gear with the Hidden ability, which allows it to be hidden
at a battlefield and played later to that battlefield. If Zhonya's Hourglass is played from
hidden, it must be played to that battlefield. It will be recalled to its controller's base during
the next Cleanup.
432. Recalls do not affect the state of the Permanent being recalled.
432.1. Unless otherwise stated by the source of the Recall, Damage, Exhausted Status, Buffed Status, and
applied Layer alterations will all remain unaffected by a Recall.
433. Combat
434. A Combat occurs when a Cleanup occurs, there are no items on the Chain, and a Battlefield has Units
controlled by two opposing players.
435. Combat is considered Staged if there are units controlled by two opposing players at a Battlefield but the
Steps of Combat have not been initiated.
435.1. If more than one Battlefield has Units controlled by opposing players at it at the same time, the Turn
Player decides which Combat to resolve first.
435.2. If Staged Combats stop being Staged before the Steps of Combat are initiated, they are not resolved
or executed.
436. Combat can only occur between Units controlled by exactly two players.
436.1. In Modes of Play with more than two players, Battlefields with Staged Combats or Combats in
Progress are Invalid Destinations for Moves of all kinds (Standard Moves or otherwise) by Units
controlled by Players who don't already have permanents at that Battlefield.
See rule 421.2.a. for more information on Invalid Destinations.
436.2. In Modes of Play with more than two players, Battlefields with Staged Combats or Combats in
Progress are Invalid to be chosen as a location to play one or more Units by a player not involved in
that Combat by any means
436.2.a. If an effect would require a Unit be played to a Battlefield with a Staged Combat or a
Combat in Progress, where the controller of the played unit is not a participant, instead the
Unit is played to its controller's Base.
436.2.b. Any subsequent reference to "here" in the corresponding effect is reassigned to the
Controller's Base, where the Unit was played. Any further effects that may be invalidated are
invalidated as if the effect was mistargeted.
See rule 352.5. Targeting for more information on Mistargeting.
436.3. All choices that would result in a Combat occurring between more than two players simultaneously
are invalid and ineligible to be completed.
437. The Steps of Combat
438. Step 1: The Showdown Step
438.1. A Showdown opens at this time.
438.1.a. Establish who is Attacker and who is Defender.
438.1.a.1. The Attacker is the player whose unit(s) applied the Contested status to the
Battlefield. They gain the Attacker designation now.
438.1.a.1.a. This player gains Focus as this Showdown begins.
438.1.a.2. The Defender is the player who did not apply the Contested status to the
Battlefield. They gain the Defender designation now.
438.1.a.3. Units at the Contested Battlefield controlled by the Attacker gain the Attacker
designation now.
438.1.a.3.a. If a Unit controlled by the Attacker becomes present at this Battlefield
after this moment, it will gain the Attacker designation during the
Cleanup phase following the action that caused it to become present
438.1.a.4. Units at the Contested Battlefield controlled by the Defender gain the Defender
designation now.
438.1.a.4.a. If a Unit controlled by the Defender becomes present at this Battlefield
after this moment it will gain the Defender designation during the
Cleanup phase following the action that caused it to become present
438.1.b. Finalize items on the Initial Chain if establishing Attacker and Defender has caused
Triggered Abilities to become Pending.
438.1.b.1. The Attacking player, who has Focus, places Triggered Abilities on the Chain first,
followed by all non-Defender players in Turn Order, followed by the Defending
Player.
438.1.c. The State Closes if an Initial Chain was created.
438.1.c.1. Otherwise the Showdown continues, with the State Open as normal.
438.1.d. Players proceed with any play on the Chain as normal.
438.1.e. Focus does not pass upon closure of the Initial Chain, if any.
439. Step 2: The Combat Damage Step
439.1. When the Showdown closes, Attackers and Defenders resolve Combat Damage at the Battlefield
that was attacked, using their current Might.
439.1.a. The Combat Damage Step only occurs if both Attacking and Defending units remain at
the location.
439.1.a.1. If neither Attacking Units nor Defending Units remain at this stage, the Combat
Damage Step is skipped.
439.1.b. Sum the Might of all Attacking Units.
439.1.c. Sum the Might of all Defending Units.
439.1.d. Starting with the Attacker, each player assigns an amount of damage equal to their
summed Might among the other's Units.
439.1.d.1. Assigning Damage is not Dealing Damage.
439.1.d.1.a. When all Damage is assigned, it will be Dealt simultaneously. These
actions are not synonymous.
439.1.d.2. Abilities or effects may influence the order in which damage is assigned. Reminder:
Lethal Damage is non-zero damage equaling or exceeding the Might of a Unit.
439.1.d.3. Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned
to a different Unit.
Example: If a player has 5 damage to distribute among four 3 Might units,
they may not choose to assign 2 damage to one of the units and 1 damage
to each of the remaining 3. They must assign at least 3 damage to one,
and the remaining 2 to another.
439.1.d.4. Units cannot have more damage assigned to them than the minimum required to
constitute lethal damage unless no further units remain to have damage assigned
to them.
439.1.d.5. A player must obey all requirements and restrictions on damage assignment if
able.
Example: A player is assigning damage to the following units: a unit with
Tank ("I must be assigned combat damage first."); Caitlyn, Patrolling ("I
must be assigned combat damage last."); and another unit without any
abilities. That player must assign combat damage first to the unit with
Tank, then to the unit with no abilities, then to Caitlyn.
439.1.d.6. If multiple Units have abilities or effects that require a player to assign them
damage with the same priority, that player may assign damage to those units in
any order.
Example: A player is assigning damage to the following units: two units
with Tank ("I must be assigned combat damage first.") and one unit with
no abilities. That player chooses one of the units with Tank and assigns
combat damage to it. Then they must assign any remaining damage first
to the other unit with Tank, then to the unit with no abilities.
439.1.d.7. If a Unit has one or more Abilities or effects applying to it that demand it be
assigned damage in a specific way that is exclusionary, then the assigning player
chooses only one of those abilities to apply when assigning damage.
Example: Caitlyn, Patrolling ("I must be assigned combat damage last.")
has been given the Tank ability ("I must be assigned combat damage
first."). A player is assigning damage to this Caitlyn with Tank and two units
with no abilities. That player can’t fulfill both of Caitlyn’s damage
requirements, so they may choose to assign damage to Caitlyn first,
fulfilling the Tank requirement, or last, fulfilling Caitlyn’s printed
requirement. They can’t choose to apply damage to Caitlyn in between the
other two units, because that wouldn’t fulfill either requirement.
439.1.d.8. If there is more than one unit in which this situation applies to, each unit is dealt
with individually. The assigning player chooses which ability or effect applies, and
then resolves the assignment. If this creates a situation where now more than one
unit must be assigned with the same priority, those units may be assigned damage
in any order as normal within that priority.
Example: Two copies of Caitlyn, Patrolling ("I must be assigned combat
damage last.") have been given the Tank ability ("I must be assigned
combat damage first."). A player assigning damage to these two Caitlyns
and one unit with no abilities could choose to fulfill both Caitlyns’ Tank
requirements by assigning them both damage before the other unit.
439.1.d.9. If a unit cannot be dealt damage, then no amount of damage can be considered
lethal. Such a unit is exempt from any considerations of mandatory assignment.
Example: Kayn, Unleashed says “If I have moved twice this turn, I don't
take damage.” While Kayn can’t take damage, it is ignored for the
purposes of assigning lethal damage in combat.
439.1.e. Deal Damage to each unit equal to the amount assigned to it.
440. Step 3: The Resolution Step
440.1. 1. Perform a Combat Cleanup.
440.1.a. Invoke a Special Cleanup.
440.1.a.1. Insert “2a. Clear all marked damage from all Units.”
440.1.a.2. Insert “2b. Recall Attackers present at the Battlefield if Defenders are still present.”
See rule 428. Recalls for more information.
440.1.a.3. Insert “2c. Remove Attacker and Defender Designation from all Units and Players.”
440.1.b. Clear the Contested status from this Battlefield.
440.1.b.1. Clear the Contested status regardless of the outcome of the Combat.
440.2. If any Units remain at the Battlefield, and if their controller does not already Control the Battlefield,
that player Establishes Control over the Battlefield..
440.2.a. This results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored that Battlefield this turn.
See rule 179. Control for more information on Control.
See rule 442.1. for more information on Conquering.
440.2.b. This does not have to be the player that applied Contested to the Battlefield.
441. Scoring
442. A player Scores in one of two ways:
442.1. Conquer: A player gains Control of a Battlefield they did not yet Score this turn.
442.1.a. In Modes of Play with teammates, Battlefields under the Control of a teammate during the
Beginning Phase are also disqualified from being Scored through Conquer by any means.
442.1.b. A player will gain control of a Battlefield after establishing Control by applying Contested
first.
442.2. Hold: A player maintains Control of a Battlefield during their Beginning Phase.
443. A player may only Score, from either method, once per Battlefield per turn.
444. When a player Scores, two things occur:
444.1. The player earns up to one Point, depending on their current score.
444.1.a. The Final Point has additional restrictions.
444.1.a.1. Notably, points earned from sources that are not Conquer or Hold are not beholden
to these restrictions.
444.1.b. When a player tries to earn a Point through a Score, and their current Point Total is 1 point
from the Victory Score of the Mode of Play, the following occurs:
444.1.b.1. If the player has Scored through Hold, that player scores the Final Point.
444.1.b.2. If the player has Scored through a Conquer and has Scored every Battlefield
through either method this turn, that player scores the Final Point. If the player has
Scored through a Conquer and has not Scored every Battlefield this turn, that
player draws a card.
444.2. Trigger Score abilities at the Battlefield that Scored.
444.2.a. Conquer abilities trigger at a Battlefield that was Conquered.
444.2.b. Hold abilities trigger at a Battlefield that was Held.
444.2.c. These will only trigger when the Battlefield is Scored; I.E. These cannot be triggered more
than once per turn for a player.
445. When a player accrues Points equal to the Victory Score for their Mode of Play, they Win the Game
immediately.
446. Layers
447. Layers are the mechanism in which Game Effects alter the Traits, Intrinsic Abilities, or other properties of
Game Objects.
448. Layers are an organizational structure.
448.1. Layers only serve to structure the application and order that Game Effects apply to Game Objects to
maintain consistency.
449. The layers are applied repeatedly until all effects operating on objects have been applied once and no
changes have been processed.
449.1. Layers are applied in sequence. Each effect in them is applied as soon as able, and only a single time
across all sequences.
449.2. When a sequence of applications completes, recur the process, and evaluate each layer again
applying any effects that may now be applicable.
449.3. The removal or disqualification of an effect is separate from the application of the effect, but still can
only be applied once.
Example: Fiora, Victorious has printed Might 4 and says “While I'm Mighty, I have Deflect,
Ganking, and Shield.” If a player places a buff on Fiora, her Might is increased in the
Arithmetic layer, after the layer for Ability-Altering Effects. The Ability-Altering Effect layer is
then re-checked and the abilities Deflect, Ganking, and Shield applied. Since each effect has
been applied once and there are no other effects to apply, Fiora’s characteristics are finalized
as 5 Might with Deflect, Ganking, and Shield. While a buffed Fiora, Victorious is in combat as
a defender, an additional +1 Might will be applied in the Arithmetic layer, giving her 6 Might
and the 3 keywords.
Example: A buffed Fiora, Victorious is in combat as a defender when her buff is removed.
Reevaluating the layers in sequence, she no longer gains Deflect, Ganking, and Shield
during the Ability-Altering Effect layer, so when the Arithmetic layer is evaluated, neither the
buff (which is gone) nor Shield (which she no longer has) apply. She goes directly from 6
Might with three keywords to 4 Might with no keywords..
450. Layers are applied in the following order:
450.1. 1. Trait-Altering Effects
450.1.a. This layer deals with effects that grant, remove, or replace inherent traits of Game Objects.
Name
Super Type
Type
Tags
Controller
Cost
Domain
450.1.a.1. Assignment of Might is dealt with in this layer.
Example: A spell reads "A unit's Might becomes 4 this turn." The unit's
Might is set to 4 in this layer.
450.1.b. One Game Object becoming a copy of another.
450.1.b.1. All Traits, including the Rules Text, replace or are added to those of the original
Game Object as specified by the Game Effect directing the Copy. This is applied in
this layer.
450.1.c. Effects for this layer can be identified by the phrase "become(s)", "give," "is," or "are" in the
text.
Example: A permanent has the ability "Other friendly units are Yordles." Other
friendly units gain the Yordle tag in this layer.
450.2. 2. Ability-Altering Effects
450.2.a. This layer deals with effects that grant, remove, or replace the abilities or rules text of Game
Objects.
Keywords
Passive Abilitie
Appending rules text
Removing rules text
Duplicating Rules Text from one Game Object to another
450.2.b. Effects for this layer can be identified by the phrase "become(s)," "give," "lose(s)," "have," "has,"
"is," or "are" in the text.
Example: A permanent has the ability "Other friendly units have [Vision]." Other
friendly units gain the Vision keyword in this layer.
450.3. 3. Arithmetic
450.3.a. This layer deals with the mathematics of increasing and decreasing the numeric values of
the traits of Game Objects.
Might
Energy Cost
Power Cost
450.3.b. When an arithmetic effect has a limitation that applies, it is limited at the time of its
application, and is “remembered” at that limited level for the duration of its effect. This
process is called “snapshotting.”
Example: If an effect gives a unit “-4 [M] to a min of 1 until end of turn” choosing a
unit with 2 [M], then the effect will generate -1 [M] until end of turn.
450.3.c. This layer applies arithmetic in the following way.
450.3.c.1. 1. Increases
450.3.d.1. Positive values, or increases, to Might are applied first.
450.3.e.1. If there is a restriction or limitation to this increase, the limitation is
“snapshotted” for the duration of the effect.
450.3.e.2. 2. Decreases
450.3.f.0.a. Negative values, or decreases, to Might are applied last.
450.3.g.1. If there is a restriction or limitation to this decrease, the limitation is
snapshotted for the duration of the effect.
451. If more than one effect applies to the same Game Object in the Same Layer, or to each other in the same
layer, then both effects will apply but their order may be determined by Dependency.
451.1. A Dependency is established if:
451.1.a. Applying one of the effects alters the existence of the other; or
451.1.b. Applying one of the effects alters the number of objects the other effect can influence
451.1.c. Applying one of the effects alters the outcome when applying the other non-
deterministically
452. To determine which effect Depends on another, determine which of the prior criteria applies, and then also
which effect’s evaluation is altered by the sequence of applications. That effect is said to Depend on the other.
452.1. To resolve a dependency, the effects within the same layer that created the dependency must be
applied such that:
1. Identify which effect Depends on the other within the Layer.
2. Apply the effect that is depended on first.
3. Immediately apply the effect that Depends on the first effect next.
453. If more than one effect applies in the same layer but no dependency is established, then Timestamp order is
applied to the effects.
453.1. The first effect to have been played is applied first, and the newest effect is applied last within the
same Layer.
454. Modes of Play
455. There are multiple methods of playing Riftbound.
456. A Mode of Play must define several variables for the game.
456.1. Number of Players: How many people are playing the game.
456.2. Formation of Players: How the players are organized while playing.
456.2.a. This defines if a player is alone or on a team.
456.2.b. This defines the number of opponents.
456.3. Victory Score: The point total a player or team must reach to win.
456.3.a. Victory Scores can be any positive number.
456.4. Battlefield Count: Determines how many Battlefields are in play, contributed by players, during play.
456.4.a. This may influence deck building requirements in competitive settings.
456.4.b. This may involve utilizing less Battlefields than there are players.
456.5. Setup: Any changes to initial setup required for this mode.
456.6. Format: Conditions to win or additional rules added over play.
456.7. First Turn Process: Adjustments to each player's first turn.
456.8. Unique Rules
456.8.a. If any, they will be appended here.
457. Sanctioned Modes
458. 1v1 (Duel)
458.1. 2 Players
458.2. 1v1
1 opponent each
No teams
458.3. Victory Score: 8
458.4. Battlefield Count: 2
458.4.a. Each player provides three (3) Battlefields, included in their deck during deck building. Only
1 will be used, chosen during setup.
458.5. Setup: Each player randomly selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The other two are removed
and will not be used for this game. The selected Battlefields are placed in the Battlefield Zone.
458.6. Format: Best of 1. The first player to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the Match.
458.7. First Turn Process: The player going second channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during
their first Channel Phase of the game.
459. 1v1 (Match)
459.1. 2 Players
459.2. 1v1
1 opponent each
No teams
459.3. Victory Score: 8
459.4. Battlefield Count: 2
459.4.a. Each player provides three (3) Battlefields, included in their deck during deck building. Only
1 will be used, chosen during setup.
459.5. Setup: Each player selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The other two are set aside and will
not be used for this round of play. The selected Battlefields are placed in the Battlefield Zone. After
this game, the Battlefields that were used are to be removed and not selected again for this Match.
One of the remaining Battlefields that were set aside must be chosen instead.
459.6. Format: Best of 3. The first player to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the game. The winner of
that game earns One Set Point. Players then reset the game state, remove the Battlefields in play
from the game, choose new Battlefields from those set aside, and play again. The first player to earn
Two Set Points wins.
459.7. First Turn Process: The player going second channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during
their first Channel Phase of the game.
460. FFA3 (Skirmish)
460.1. 3 Players
460.2. FFA
2 opponents each
No teams
460.3. Victory Score: 8
460.4. Battlefield Count: 3
460.4.a. Each player provides three (3) Battlefields, included in their deck during deck building. Only 1
will be used, chosen during setup.
460.5. Setup: Each player randomly selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The other two are discarded
and will not be used for this game. The selected Battlefields are placed between the three Players
before play and will be used for this game.
460.6. Format: Best of 1. The first player to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the Match.
460.7. First Turn Process: The player going first does not draw a card during their first Draw Phase of the
game. The player going last channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel
Phase of the game.
461. FFA4 (War)
461.1. 4 Players
461.2. FFA
3 opponents each
No teams
461.3. Victory Score: 8
461.4. Battlefield Count: 3
461.4.a. Each player provides three (3) Battlefields, included in their deck during deck building.
461.4.b. The player who is taking the first turn removes their Battlefields. They will not be used.
461.5. Setup: Each player who is not going first randomly selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The
other two are removed and will not be used for this game. The selected Battlefields are placed
between the players before play and will be used for this game.
461.6. Format: Best of 1. The first player to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the Match.
461.7. First Turn Process: The player going first does not draw a card during their first Draw Phase of the
game. The player going last channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel
Phase of the game.
462. 2v2 (Magma Chamber)
462.1. 4 Players
462.2. 2v2
2 opponents each
1 teammate
462.3. Victory Score: 11
462.4. Battlefield Count: 3
462.4.a. Each player provides one (1) Battlefield, included in their deck during deck building.
462.4.b. The player who is taking the first turn removes their Battlefields. They will not be used.
462.5. Setup:
462.5.a. Each player who is not going first randomly selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The
other two are removed and will not be used for this game. The selected Battlefields are
placed between the players before play and will be used for this game.
462.5.b. Turn order alternates teams.
462.5.b.1. The first player will be followed by an opponent, then the first player's teammate,
then the first opponent's teammate, and so on.
462.5.b.2. If allies are sitting across from each other, turn order proceeds clockwise as normal.
462.5.b.3. If allies are sitting next to each other, turn order is passed across the table.
462.6. Format: Best of 1. The first team to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the Match.
462.6.a. Teammates win or lose together.
462.6.a.1. If one player Concedes, then the entire team loses.
462.6.a.2. If one player Loses, then the entire team loses.
462.6.a.3. If one player Wins, then the entire team wins.
462.7. First Turn Process: The player going first does not draw a card during their first Draw Phase of the
game. The player going last channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel
Phase of the game.
462.8. Unique Rules
462.8.a. Players may play spells during their Teammate's Turn.
462.8.b. Battlefields controlled during the Beginning Phase of a player's turn by that player's
teammate are disqualified from being scored by that Team, that turn. Example: A player
may not induce their partner to retreat, and then conquer a Battlefield their teammate was
controlling.
462.8.c. Control is not shared.
462.8.c.1. Players may not Hide cards at Battlefields controlled by their Teammate.
462.8.c.2. Players may not issue Standard Movement to their Teammate's Units.
462.8.d. Friendly describes controlled Game Objects by a player or their Teammate. Example: "When
I am played, ready a friendly unit" could target a player's own Units or their teammate's
Units.
462.8.e. Hands are still Private Information.
462.8.e.1. Players are not restricted in what they say to their Teammate, however.
462.8.e.1.a. Feel free to openly communicate, honestly or cryptically.
462.8.e.1.b. Revealing Cards is still a game action and cannot be done unless
instructed.
See rule 411. Reveal for more information.
462.8.f. The Final Point has an adjustment to the criteria when scoring.
462.8.f.1. When scoring the Final Point from Conquer, a player must Score each Battlefield
in the same turn, excepting any that were occupied by their ally during that turn’s
Beginning Phase.
462.8.f.2. No other changes to Final Point restrictions.
462.8.g. Teammates may not utilize the same Champion Legend.
462.8.h. Teammates may not utilize the same Battlefields.
649. Conceding
650. A player may concede at any time.
651. When a player concedes, they are removed from the game in progress.
651.1. If only one other player is remaining after a player has conceded, the player remaining Wins.
651.2. If more than one player remains after a concession, follow the steps for the Removal of a Player.
651.3. Removal of a player involves them no longer being able to make choices or otherwise influence the
game.
651.4. If the player has Teammates due to the Mode of Play, that player’s Teammates also lose and are
removed from the game.
652. If the game continues, follow these steps for Removal of a Player.
652.1. Banish all permanents and runes they currently control and all permanents and runes they own.
652.2. Remove the Battlefield they contributed to the game if it is in use.
652.2.a. If it was in use, replace it with a token battlefield with no abilities.
652.2.b. Any units or hidden cards there do not move and are otherwise unaffected by this process.
652.2.c. If the removed battlefield was applying any continuous effects, those continuous effects
immediately cease, which may cause changes in the characteristics of units or hidden cards
there.
Example: A battlefield reads "Units here have +1 [M]." If that battlefield's owner
concedes and the battlefield is removed from the game as a result, units there
immediately cease to get +1 [M].
652.3. Remove all cards they own from the game.
652.4. Counter all spells and abilities of all types controlled by the player that has conceded.
652.5. Proceed with the game.
652.5.a. Turn
652.5.a.1. If the removed player was the Turn Player, play proceeds in Turn Order to the next
available player in order.
652.5.b. Focus
652.5.b.1. If the removed player had Focus in a Showdown, the next Player in order receives
Focus.
652.5.b.2. If the player being removed creates a state where all Players have Passed their
Focus, the Showdown ends and play proceeds as necessary, E.G. Combat is
resolved or a Cleanup is completed.
652.5.c. Priority
652.5.c.1. If the removed player had Priority during a Chain, the next Player in order receives
Priority.
652.5.c.2. If the player being removed creates a state where all Players have passed Priority,
then the most recent spell or ability on the Chain will resolve with Priority being
re-established as appropriate for the state after the resolution of that spell or ability.
700. Additional Rules
701. Buffs
702. Buffs are objects placed on Units.
702.1. Buffs can be tracked with a buff reminder card from a Riftbound booster pack or with any spare
object in your surroundings.
702.2. Buffs can be added or spent.
702.2.a. To Buff a Unit, a player chooses a Unit and then places a buff on it. That Unit is Buffed for as
long as the buff remains on it.
702.2.b. Spending a Buff removes a single Buff counter from a Unit.
702.2.b.1. A buff cannot be spent from a Unit that does not have a buff.
702.2.b.2. A player can only spend buffs on units they control.
702.3. There can only be one Buff on a Unit at a time.
702.3.a. If a Buff is added, or instructed to be added, on a Unit that already has a Buff, it is not placed
instead.
703. Each Buff individually contributes +1 Might to a Unit.
704. Buffs are Game Objects and may be referenced, counted, or targeted by other effects as specified.
705. If a Unit leaves play, remove all Buffs from it.
705.1. Champions do not retain Buffs in the Champion Zone, even if they return there somehow.
706. Mighty
707. Mighty is a description that applies to some units. Other game effects can check whether a unit is Mighty.
708. A Unit "is Mighty" as long as its Might is 5 or greater.
709. A Unit "becomes Mighty" at the moment its Might changes from being less than 5 to being 5 or greater.
Example: A Unit with Might 4 that gets +1 [M] becomes Mighty.
Example: A Unit with Might 5 that gets +1 [M] does not become Mighty, because it was already
Mighty.
710. Units on the board are evaluated according to their current Might.
Example: A unit with a base Might of 3 is targeted by a spell that reads "A unit gets +3 [M] this turn." As
that spell resolves, its Might changes from 3 to 6, and it becomes Mighty. When that effect expires at
the end of the turn, it will no longer be Mighty.
711. Units in Non-Board Zones are evaluated according to their inherent Might.
Example: A unit in the trash is Mighty if its printed Might is 5 or greater. It doesn't matter if there were
effects raising or lowering its might while it was on the board.
712. Bonus Damage
713. Bonus Damage is an intrinsic property that can be granted to Deal actions that influence the amount of
Damage that the action is distributing.
714. If more than one instance of Bonus Damage is applied or granted to a Deal action, all instances are summed
and applied once.
714.1. Bonus Damage can only be a positive value, and can only increase the amount of Damage being
distributed.
714.2. If, for any reason, Bonus Damage would be a negative number, then no Bonus Damage is applied to
the action.
715. Bonus Damage applies to the total damage Dealt by one instance of the action.
715.1. If the Deal action has a single target, the amount of Damage to that target will be increased by the
Bonus Damage granted to it.
715.2. If the Deal action has multiple targets, the amount of Damage dealt to each target is increased by
Bonus Damage individually and separately.
Example: Singularity is a spell that says “Deal 6 to each of up to two units.” A player plays
Singularity while they also control Annie, Fiery, a unit that says “Your spells and abilities deal 1
Bonus Damage.” Singularity deals 1 Bonus Damage to both of its targets, dealing 7 to each.
715.3. If the Deal action Splits damage, then the Bonus Damage applies to the amount of Damage that
will be Split. This can alter the number of targets eligible to be chosen.
Example: Volibear, Furious is a unit that says in part “When I attack, deal 5 damage split
among any number of enemy units here.” A player attacks with Volibear, Furious while they
also control Annie, Fiery, a unit that says “Your spells and abilities deal 1 Bonus Damage.”
Volibear, Furious now deals 6 damage split among any number of enemy units at its
location, and can choose to split that damage among up to 6 units rather than the usual 5.
716. Keywords
717. A Keyword is a specific term that appears on Cards that acts as a shorthand for a specific game effect, or
ability of any variety.
717.1. A Keyword can be an ability.
717.2. Keywords can be identified by having a colored highlight behind them.
717.2.a. The color of the highlight has no effect on gameplay.
717.3. Keywords can be referenced or specified by other Game Effects.
717.3.a. Other effects may grant Keywords.
717.3.a.1. The definition and rules of the specific Keyword will determine the behavior if a
Keyword is granted while it is already present.
717.3.a.2. The effect that granted the Keyword will specify the duration for which it is
granted.
717.3.a.3. If an effect that grants a Keyword does not specify a duration, the duration is as
long as that Game Object remains on the Board or in its current Non-Board Zone.
717.3.b. Other effects may remove Keywords.
717.3.b.1. The effect that removed the Keyword will specify the duration it is removed.
717.3.b.2. If an effect that removes a Keyword does not specify a duration, the duration is as
long as that Game Object remains on the Board or in its current Non-Board Zone.
718. A card can have any number of Keywords.
719. Similar to other rules text, execute any effects of Keywords in the order listed when reading the card from top
to bottom of the rules text.
720. Keyword Glossary
721. Accelerate
721.1. Accelerate is a Unit ability.
721.1.a. Accelerate is functionally short for "As you play me, you may pay [1] and 1 Power as an
additional cost. If you do, I enter ready."
721.1.a.1. If the unit has a single domain, the Power portion of the Accelerate cost can be paid
only with a Power that matches the domain of the unit.
721.1.a.2. If the unit has no domain or more than one domain, the Power portion of the
Accelerate cost can be paid with [A] (a Power of any domain).
721.2. Accelerate is an Optional Additional Cost to be paid as a player plays the unit with the ability.
721.2.a. Accelerate costs cannot be paid while the unit is on the board, only as part of the steps of
playing a card.
721.3. Accelerate has no function while on the board.
721.4. Multiple instances of Accelerate are redundant.
721.5. Accelerate, and whether or not a unit has Accelerate, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be
checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
721.6. Accelerate influences the state of the unit entering the Board. It does not enter exhausted and then
become ready.
721.6.a. Accelerate will not interact with, or trigger, abilities that are affected by units becoming
ready.
722. Action
722.1. Action is a Permissive keyword.
722.1.a. It can be present on Spells, Units, Rune Abilities, Legend Abilities or Permanent Abilities.
722.1.b. Action grants the corresponding card or effect permission to be played or activated during
Showdowns, even when it is not the Controlling player's turn.
722.1.c. Action is functionally short for the following:
722.1.c.1. On Spells and Units: "This can be played during showdowns on any player's turn."
722.1.c.2. On Rune, Legend, or Permanent Abilities: "This can be activated during showdowns
on any player's turn."
722.2. The card or effect with this keyword is not restricted to showdowns. This permission is inclusive of all
other timings and options available to the ability as written or by default.
722.3. Action does not alter the function of any instruction of the corresponding card or effect it is on. It is
only permission.
Example: Playing a Unit with Action still has the inherent restrictions of playing Units
without Action. It can only be played to the controlling player's base or a battlefield they
control.
722.4. Action is a referenceable characteristic.
722.4.a. Whether or not a Game Object has Action is a characteristic of that Game Object and may
be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
722.4.b. Whether or not a Spell has Action is a characteristic of that Spell and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
722.4.c. Whether or not an Ability has Action is a characteristic of that Ability and may be checked
or referenced by other Game Effects.
723. Assault
723.1. Assault is a Passive Ability keyword.
723.1.a. It is present on Units.
723.1.b. Assault is formatted as "Assault [X]".
723.1.b.1. The X is referenced in the functional text of the ability.
723.1.b.2. The X is referred to as the Assault Value.
723.1.b.3. If X is omitted, it is presumed to be 1.
723.1.c. It is functionally short for "While I am an attacker, I have +X [M]."
723.1.d. Being an attacker means the Unit has gained the Attacker designation during Combat.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
723.1.d.1. Assault remains in effect as long as the Unit maintains the Attacker designation.
723.2. If a Unit has Assault or has been granted Assault and is granted Assault by an additional source, the
Assault Value of all granted Assault keywords is summed.
Example: Petty Officer has Assault. It is chosen as the target of Cleave, which says "Give a unit
[Assault 3] this turn." After Cleave resolves, Petty Officer has Assault 4 this turn.
723.3. Assault, and whether or not a unit has Assault, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
724. Deathknell
724.1. Deathknell is a Triggered Ability keyword.
724.1.a. It is present on Permanents.
724.1.b. It is formatted as "Deathknell — [Effect]".
724.1.b.1. [Effect] is the rules text for the specific instance of Deathknell. This is referred to as
the Deathknell effect.
724.1.c. It is functionally short for "When I die, [Effect]."
724.1.c.1. [Effect] is the rules text of the Deathknell effect.
724.1.d. The Trigger for this effect is the Permanent being Killed and sent to the Trash.
724.1.d.1. If the Permanent with the effect is not sent to the Trash, for example because its
"killed" event was replaced with a recall, the Deathknell will not occur.
724.2. Each instance of Deathknell a Permanent may have will trigger separately.
724.2.a. The controller will choose the order to add these Triggers to the chain.
724.3. Deathknell, and whether or not a permanent has Deathknell, is a characteristic of the permanent and
may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
725. Deflect
725.1. Deflect is a Passive Ability keyword.
725.1.a. It is present on Permanents.
725.1.b. It is formatted as "Deflect [X]".
725.1.b.1. The X is referenced in the functional text of the ability.
725.1.b.2. The X is referred to as the Deflect Value.
725.1.b.3. If X is omitted, it is presumed to be 1.
725.1.c. It is functionally short for "Spells and abilities an opponent controls that choose me cost an
amount of Power equal to [Deflect Value] more to play as an additional cost."
725.1.c.1. The Power used to pay this cost may always be of any Domain.
Example: A Fury spell targets an Order unit with Deflect. The Power used
to pay the Deflect cost can be any Domain; it does not need to match the
Domain of the spell or the target.
725.1.d. It is an effect that imposes a Mandatory Additional Cost on Spells and Abilities that choose
the permanent that has this ability.
See rule 346. Playing Cards for more information.
725.2. If a Unit has Deflect, or has been granted Deflect, and is granted Deflect by an additional source, the
Deflect Value of all granted Deflect keywords is summed.
725.3. Deflect, and whether or not a permanent has Deflect, is a characteristic of the permanent and may
be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
726. Ganking
726.1. Ganking is a Passive Ability keyword.
726.1.a. It is present on Units.
726.1.b. It is functionally short for "I may move to a battlefield from another battlefield."
726.1.c. It is a passive ability that adds permissions to the Unit's Standard Move.
726.1.c.1. It does not restrict or remove options from the Unit's Standard Move.
726.1.c.2. It does not have an activation cost.
726.1.c.3. It does not give additional abilities or activations of Movement, only new options for
the Standard Move.
726.2. Multiple instances of Ganking are redundant.
726.3. Ganking, and whether or not a unit has Ganking, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
727. Hidden
727.1. Hidden is a keyword that acts as a prerequisite to perform the Hide Discretionary Action.
727.1.a. It is present on Spells, Units, and Gear.
727.1.b. It is functionally short for "While this card is in your hand or in the Champion Zone on your
turn during an Open State, you may pay [A] to hide this facedown at a battlefield you control
that doesn't already have a facedown card hidden there for as long as you control that
battlefield. Beginning on the next turn, this gains [Reaction] and you may play this, ignoring
its base cost."
727.1.c. It allows the player to take the Discretionary Action Hide.
727.1.c.1. Hide is not a subset of Play.
727.1.c.2. Hiding a card does not open a chain.
727.1.c.3. Playing a card from facedown (or "from Hidden") does open a chain.
727.1.d. Some choices made while playing a card from Hidden are restricted to the battlefield where
it was hidden. A card cannot be played from Hidden if it is a spell with no valid targets under
these restrictions.
See rule 352.5. Targeting for more information.
727.1.d.1. A hidden unit must be played to that battlefield.
727.1.d.2. If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent chooses any targets, those
targets must be chosen from among options at that battlefield, unless the ability
explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible.
Example: Blastcone Fae is a unit with Hidden and “When you play me,
give a unit -2 [M] this turn, to a minimum of 1 [M].” Because this is a play
effect, its target must be chosen from among units at the same battlefield
if Blastcone Fae was played from Hidden.
Example: Tideturner is a unit with Hidden and “When you play me, you
may choose a unit you control at another location. Move me to its location
and it to my original location.” Because its play ability has a targeting
restriction that can never be fulfilled by a unit at its battlefield, its target
may be chosen freely from among the available options.
727.1.d.3. If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent causes you to play a unit,
you must choose to play that unit at that battlefield.
727.2. Abilities and instructions of hidden cards other than the choices listed above function as normal.
Example: Stand United is a spell that has Hidden and says “Buff a friendly unit. Buffs give an
additional +1 might to friendly units this turn.” If it’s played from Hidden, the first part of its
ability must choose a friendly unit at the same battlefield, but the second part of its ability
affects all friendly units with buffs, no matter where they are.
727.3. Instead of being hidden, a card with Hidden may be played for its cost as normal, at its normal timing
with no restrictions on targeting.
727.4. Multiple instances of Hidden are redundant.
727.5. Hidden, and whether or not a card has Hidden, is a characteristic of the card and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
727.5.a. This is independent of the state of being facedown.
727.6. A card that is Hidden gains Reaction while facedown, and may be played any time a card with
Reaction may be played as a result.
727.6.a. The property is granted to the card in its facedown state, and is not publicly known.
728. Legion
728.1. Legion is a Conditional Keyword.
728.1.a. It can be present on Spells, Units, Rune Abilities, Legend Abilities and Permanent
Abilities.
728.1.b. It is formatted as "Legion — [Text]".
728.1.c. Starting from the Keyword to the end of the clause, the entire statement is the Legion
Ability.
728.1.c.1. On spells and on play effects of permanents, it is functionally short for “If you have
played another Main Deck card before this one already this turn, apply [Text].”
728.1.c.2. On other abilities and instructions, it is functionally short for “If you have played a
Main Deck card this turn, apply [Text].”
728.1.c.3. This is called the Legion condition.
728.1.c.4. Legion's conditional can apply to passive abilities, activated abilities, spell
instructions, or even abilities active in zones outside of the board.
728.2. All instances of Legion on cards a player controls are satisfied by that player playing a single card.
Example: One card has three different Legion Abilities. The Legion Text of all three abilities
apply as long as one card has been played by the card's controller earlier in the same turn.
728.3. Legion, and whether or not a card has Legion, is a characteristic of the card and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
729. Reaction
729.1. Reaction is a Permissive keyword.
729.1.a. It can be present on Spells, Units, Rune Abilities, Legend Abilities and Permanent
Abilities.
729.1.b. Reaction grants the corresponding card or effect all abilities and permissions of Action.
729.1.c. Reaction, additionally, is functionally short for the following:
729.1.c.1. On Spells: "This can be played during Closed States on any player's turn."
729.1.c.2. On Units: "This can be played during Closed States on any player's turn."
729.1.c.3. On Rune, Legend, or Permanent Abilities: "This can be activated during Closed
States on any player's turn."
729.2. The corresponding card or effect with this keyword is not restricted to Closed States or Showdowns.
This permission is inclusive of all other timings and options available to the ability as written, Action's
permissions, or by default.
729.3. Reaction does not alter the function of any instruction of the Card, Rune, or Effect it is on. It is only
Permission.
729.3.a. Playing Units with Reaction still has the inherent restrictions of playing Units without
Reaction. It can only be played to the controlling player's base or a battlefield they control.
729.4. Reaction is a referencable characteristic.
729.4.a. Whether or not a Game Object has Reaction is a characteristic of that Game Object and
may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
729.4.b. Whether or not a Spell has Reaction is a characteristic of that Spell and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
729.4.c. Whether or not an Ability has Reaction is a characteristic of that Ability and may be checked
or referenced by other Game Effects.
730. Shield
730.1. Shield is a Passive Ability keyword.
730.1.a. It is present on Units.
730.1.b. Shield is formatted as "Shield [X]".
730.1.b.1. The X is referenced in the functional text of the ability.
730.1.b.2. The X is referred to as the Shield Value.
730.1.b.3. If X is omitted, it is presumed to be 1.
730.1.c. It is functionally short for "While I am a defender, I have +X [M]."
730.1.d. Being a defender means the Unit has gained the Defender designation during Combat.
See rule 433. Combat for more information.
730.1.d.1. Shield remains in effect as long as the Unit maintains the Defender designation.
730.2. If a Unit has Shield, or has been granted Shield, and is granted Shield by an additional source, the
Shield Value of all granted Shield keywords is summed.
Example: Stalwart Poro has Shield. It is chosen as the target of Block, which says "Give a unit
[Shield 3] and [Tank] this turn." After Block resolves, Stalwart Poro has Shield 4 this turn.
730.3. Shield, and whether or not a unit has Shield, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
731. Tank
731.1. Tank is a Passive Ability keyword.
731.1.a. It is present on Units.
731.1.b. It is functionally short for "I must be assigned lethal damage before any other unit with the
same controller as me that does not have [Tank] during combat resolution."
731.1.c. It alters how players can elect to assign combat damage during combat.
731.1.c.1. Players must still assign lethal damage to a unit before moving to the next when
assigning their damage.
731.1.c.2. If more than one unit with Tank is present with the same controller in Combat,
damage may be assigned to any of them. Units without Tank are invalid
assignments until all units with Tank have lethal damage assigned to them.
731.2. Multiple instances of Tank are redundant.
731.3. Tank, and whether or not a unit has Tank, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or
referenced by other Game Effects.
732. Temporary
732.1. Temporary is a Triggered Ability keyword.
732.1.a. It is present on Permanents.
732.1.b. It is functionally short for "At the start of this permanent's controller's Beginning Phase,
before scoring, kill this."
732.1.c. The Trigger Condition is the controller of the permanent's Beginning Phase occurring.
732.2. Multiple instances of Temporary are redundant.
732.3. Temporary, and whether or not a permanent has Temporary, is a characteristic of the permanent and
may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
733. Vision
733.1. Vision is a Triggered Ability keyword.
733.1.a. It is present on Permanents.
733.1.b. It is functionally short for "When this is played, look at the top card of your Main Deck. You
may recycle it."
733.1.c. The trigger is the permanent entering the Board.
733.2. Multiple instances of Vision trigger separately.
733.2.a. The player may choose to recycle or not recycle for each instance of Vision separately.
733.2.b. If the player does not recycle the top card and nothing else happens in between the triggers
resolving, each instance of Vision will see the same card.
733.3. Vision, and whether or not a permanent has Vision, is a characteristic of the permanent and may be
checked or referenced by other Game Effects.