A unit with 0 or less Might does not automatically die. It can remain on the board but will die if it takes any damage. Because 0 is not a valid amount of damage, it takes at least 1 damage to kill such a unit. This ensures cards like Frigid Touch only weaken units rather than kill them outright.
Citaat uit de bron: “units can stick around on the board with 0 (or less!) Might. They will die if they take any damage, but '0' is not a valid amount of damage, so it takes 1 damage to kill a unit with 0 or less Might.”
A unit with negative Might contributes 0 damage in combat (negative Might is treated as 0 for dealing damage). However, for purposes of raising it back above 0, the true negative value is used. For example, a unit at -3 Might deals 0 damage, dies to 1 damage, and needs +4 Might to reach 1 Might.
Citaat uit de bron: “Negative Might is treated as 0 Might for the purposes of dealing damage, but as its true value for raising it back above 0.”
You may react to Fallen Feline's play effect before a spell is named. Naming occurs on resolution of the triggered ability. Spells already on the chain when the ability resolves are unaffected; only spells put onto the chain after resolution are prohibited.
Citaat uit de bron: “You can react to the play effect of Fallen Feline, before they've named a spell … Any spells already on the chain when Fallen Feline's ability resolves will be unaffected.”
When naming a card or tag in Riftbound, you cannot name something that does not exist in Riftbound. You may identify a card by any information that uniquely identifies it (not just its printed name). If the identifier is ambiguous—e.g., saying only 'Kai'Sa' when multiple Kai'Sa cards exist—no card has been named.
Citaat uit de bron: “you can't name something that doesn't exist in Riftbound … As long as there is no ambiguity as to what card is being named, a player can use whatever method is clear to their opponents and teammates.”
Legion checks whether cards were finalized by an opponent, not whether an opponent controls a spell that resolves. A spell finalized by an opponent but subsequently taken over via Rebuttal still counts as finalized by the opponent, so Legion abilities remain active.
Citaat uit de bron: “Battering Ram and Legion … check whether cards were finalized. Although you gained control of Stupefy, you did not finalize it; you got it after it was already finalized by your opponent.”
Swain, Visionary's conquest ability scores 1 extra point by checking whether you've played a non-token unit, a non-token gear, and a spell this turn. These three conditions can be satisfied by different cards; a single card satisfies only its own types.
Citaat uit de bron: “Swain only checks whether you've played a non-token unit, a non-token gear, and a spell. Checks like that do not care whether they were satisfied by multiple cards or a single card.”
Heimerdinger, Inventor can gain Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow's Empowered> activated ability (ready 2 gear) even if Jayce is not empowered, because a dependent ability exists on the card for reference and evaluation before its condition is met (rule 727.1.b.1.). Heimerdinger himself must be empowered to satisfy the ability's activation condition.
Citaat uit de bron: “The Dependent Ability is present on the card for the sake of reference or evaluation until the Condition is met … Heimerdinger, Inventor is exactly one such effect.”
In Riftbound, 'can't' beats 'can.' Perched Grimwyrm's restriction (can't be played except to a battlefield conquered this turn) is a prohibition that Dragon Roost's permission to play a dragon there cannot overcome.
Citaat uit de bron: “In Riftbound, 'can't' beats 'can.'...Dragon Roost's ability tries to give the Grimwyrm permission to be played to the Roost, but that can't overcome Perched Grimwyrm's own restriction.”
If Ride the Wind targets a unit at Vilemaw's Lair and instructs it to move to base, Vilemaw's Lair's 'Units can't move from here to base' negates (does not ignore) the move instruction. Because the instruction is negated rather than ignored, linked instructions such as readying the unit still execute—the unit will be readied.
Citaat uit de bron: “They will be readied...An instruction is not ignored if an ability, effect, or circumstance of the game prevents it from occurring.”
Baron Nashor's passive generates a delayed replacement effect ('I enter there') that replaces his entering any other location with entering the Baron Pit, bypassing play-location restrictions such as Mageseeker Warden. Dragon Roost is only a permission on play location, not a replacement effect, and therefore cannot bypass such restrictions.
Citaat uit de bron: “Baron Nashor's passive ability generates a delayed replacement effect...This replacement effect replaces the event of him entering to any other location with him entering to the Baron Pit.”
A player always controls their own legend. Control of legends cannot change under any game effect. The game does not typically consider the possibility that any player controls a legend because it is invariably the legend's owner.
Citaat uit de bron: “you do indeed control your own legend. We don't typically consider the possibility that any player controls a legend, because control of legends cannot change”
An 'ignored' instruction is one not performed because its target was not a legal target on resolution (mistargeted). A 'negated' instruction is one prevented by a replacement effect, an ability (e.g., Vilemaw's Lair), or game state—its effects are skipped or replaced. A negated instruction does NOT cause linked instructions to be ignored; an ignored instruction does cause linked instructions to be ignored.
Citaat uit de bron: “A negated instruction has its effects skipped, replaced, or prevented. A negated instruction will not cause any linked instructions to be ignored”
While a spell or ability has at least one target that is a unit located at Heisho, Shell of the World, all instances of Deflect on all units are treated as inactive when paying costs for that spell or ability. This applies only to that specific spell or ability instance; a subsequent spell or ability targeting units not at Heisho must still pay for Deflect normally.
Citaat uit de bron: “While your spell or ability chooses a unit at Heisho, Shell of the World, you ignore deflect while paying for the spell.”
Units cannot be played to a base of a player other than their own controller under any circumstances. If instructed to do so (e.g., Temporal Breach choosing an opponent's unit you temporarily control via Hostile Takeover), the unit fails the legality check during finalization and is returned to banishment.
Citaat uit de bron: “Units cannot be played to a base of a player other than their own controller under any circumstances.”
Dragon Form sets a unit's base Might to 5 via the Trait-Altering layer; existing arithmetic modifiers (e.g., Stupefy's -1) are applied in the Arithmetic layer. Layer evaluation is instantaneous—there is no window where the unit momentarily exists at 5 Might before the modifier is applied. A unit under both Dragon Form and Stupefy is immediately 4 Might; Fiora, Grand Duelist will not trigger.
Citaat uit de bron: “this process happens instantaneously; there is no window while evaluating layers for the unit to see itself become 5 M and then go down to 4 M”
A player can use Profiteer to disempower their own legend (e.g., Ambessa, Matriarch of War) in order to empower another unit such as Kayle. A player controls their own legend; control of legends cannot change.
Citaat uit de bron: “you can disempower Ambessa, Matriarch of War with Profiteer. And yes, you control your own legend.”
If Perched Grimwyrm cannot be legally finalized (no valid play location due to its own restriction), all actions taken as part of playing it are undone and it is returned to the zone it was played from. If you have conquered a different battlefield this turn you may play it there without paying Dragon Roost's additional cost, but not to Dragon Roost itself unless you've conquered it.
Citaat uit de bron: “The actions taken as part of playing Perched Grimwyrm will be undone and it will be returned to the zone it was played from.”
When two mandatory positive requirements conflict on where to play a unit (e.g., Elder Dragon's AA instructing play to Dragon Roost and another effect specifying a different location), the player chooses one requirement and ignores all others. This only applies to mandatory positive requirements that specify a location or method without also preventing play elsewhere.
Citaat uit de bron: “the player chooses one of those requirements and ignores all others”
Astral Heron's triggered ability discounts the next card played (added to the chain and queued for finalization) this turn after the ability resolves. Erratum wording: 'When you play your first card each turn, if I'm at a battlefield, the next card you play this turn costs [2]AA less.'
Citaat uit de bron: “It discounts the next card played (added to the chain and queued for finalization) this turn after the ability resolves.”
If Stupefy is played on an empowered Gangplank, Naval who has exactly 1M, the -M value snapshots to -0M, meaning no actual -M event is generated. With no suitable event to replace, Gangplank's replacement effect does not trigger.
Citaat uit de bron: “In the case of Stupefy played on a 1 M unit, no -M is given; it is snapshot to -0 M. Thus, there is no suitable event for Gangplank's replacement effect to replace.”