Geverifieerde rulings en officieel bevestigde community-inzichten, met per item de volledige bewijsketen: bron, citaat en klikbare §-verwijzingen.
Target – you and you alone choose (other players' choices excluded)
If another player is involved in the choice, the object is not a target. Cull the Weak has no targets because all players are instructed to choose and kill a unit — the choice is not made by you alone. Citaat uit de bron: “Cull the Weak doesn't have any targets, because you're instructed to kill a unit as part of an instruction for all players to choose and kill a unit.”
When an Attacker destroys all Defending units and still has units remaining, they conquer the Battlefield and immediately score 1 point; additionally, every time a Battlefield is conquered without winning the game, the conquering player draws a card.
“every time you conquer a Battlefield but it doesn't win you the game, you get to draw a card”
Cruel Patron (187.4.c example) (§187.4.c)
If a player kills their only unit at a battlefield to pay Cruel Patron's additional cost, a cleanup is triggered, but control of the battlefield is not lost because Cruel Patron is on the chain. The player may then choose to play Cruel Patron to that same battlefield. Citaat uit de bron: “because there is an item on the chain (Cruel Patron) I don't lose control of the battlefield”
A unit's Might value represents both the damage it deals in combat and the total damage it can absorb before being destroyed.
“Might... this number shows how much damage they deal AND how much they can take”
Units with 0 or Less Might
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.”
Action Spells may be played during the controller's turn or during a Showdown; on an opponent's turn, a player may only play Action Spells during Showdowns.
“Most Spells are labeled Action, which means you can play them during your turn or during a Showdown. If it's not your turn, you can only play Action Spells during Showdowns.”
Negative Might in combat
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.”
Even when no enemy units are present during a Showdown, both players may still play Actions and Reactions in an attempt to remove the attacking units.
“Even if there are no enemy units, players may still play Actions and Reactions to try and remove the attacking units.”
battlefield control without units
When a player controls the battlefield but has no units there (achievable via Hostile Takeover or Stormbringer), the current rules have a gap with no obvious outcome. The interim ruling is to start a noncombat showdown as the least disruptive way to handle this scenario. Citaat uit de bron: “starting a noncombat showdown is the least disruptive way to handle this scenario”
Units with the Ganking ability may move directly from one Battlefield to another, whereas normal units can only move between their controller's Base and a Battlefield.
“only units with the Ganking ability may move between battlefields”
“Some units have Ganking though, which lets them move from Battlefield to Battlefield.”
Counter Strike vs. Elder Dragon (§437.2.a)
If Counter Strike (or any prevent effect) completely prevents Elder Dragon's 1 damage to a unit, that damage is never dealt per rule 437.2.a. Since no damage is dealt, Elder Dragon's passive ability—which redefines lethal damage thresholds for units that have damage marked on them by its controller—has no opportunity to apply to that unit. Citaat uit de bron: “If the damage is entirely prevented, it is never dealt per rule 437.2.a., and thus there is no opportunity for the passive ability of Elder Dragon to apply”
Gear cards enter play in the Ready state (not Exhausted), so they can be used immediately; Gear always enters at the controller's Base.
“Gear cannot hold or conquer battlefields, and can only exist in base. If a Gear card is played at a battlefield, it is immediately recalled to the base.”
“Gear enters play Ready, so you can use it right away. It always goes to your Base.”
Arise!
Arise! is revised to use a reflexive trigger: it first plays a 2 M Sand Soldier unit token for each Equipment you control, then 'Then do this:' readies up to two of them, allowing players to respond between the two effects. Citaat uit de bron: “Play a 2 M Sand Soldier unit token for each Equipment you control. Then do this: Ready up to two of them.”
Each Battlefield can only award 1 point per turn; moving a unit away and replacing it with another unit in the same turn does not grant additional points.
“Moving away from a battlefield and back to it with another unit the same turn will not gain you a bonus point.”
“Each Battlefield only gives you 1 point per turn max. You can't move a unit away and move a new one in to score twice.”
Rell, Magnetic
Rell, Magnetic is revised to use a reflexive trigger for Equipment attachment: when she attacks and you play a qualifying Equipment for free, 'then do this:' attaches it to her as a separate chain item, allowing players to respond before the attachment resolves. Citaat uit de bron: “If you do, then do this: Attach it to me.”
During the Beginning Phase, each player channels 2 Runes from the top of their Rune Deck; the second player channels 3 Runes on their very first turn to compensate for going second.
“If you're going second on your very first turn, you get 3 Runes instead to help catch up.”
Profiteer
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.”
Recalling a unit to base via Zhonya's Hourglass is explicitly not considered a move.
“Send it to base. This isn't a move.”
Janna, Savior
Janna, Savior's play trigger is revised to 'move up to one enemy unit,' making the enemy-unit selection optional. This allows her triggered ability to be placed on the chain and heal your units even when no enemy units are present at the battlefield. Citaat uit de bron: “heal your units here, then move up to one enemy unit from here to its base.”
Ravenborn Tome's Bonus Damage effect now applies only to the next spell played 'this turn,' preventing the bonus from carrying forward to future turns.
“The next spell you play this turn deals 1 Bonus Damage.”
Astral Heron
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.”
A player's main deck may only contain cards belonging to the domains listed on their Champion Legend card.
“her deck must only contain cards of the Mind and Order domain”
“You can only put cards in your deck that match your Legend's Domains”
Target – 'must' be taken actions exclusion (Sigil of the Storm)
Units that use the 'must' wording (like Sigil of the Storm) are excluded from targeting. This category exists to allow cards to require something to happen and ensure it actually does, without making those objects targets. Citaat uit de bron: “Actions that 'must' be taken are a new category to handle cards like Sigil of the Storm… its purpose is to make sure that we can make cards that require something to happen and make sure it actually d”
Signature Cards are Legend-specific cards that can only be included in a deck matching their designated Legend, with a maximum of 3 total Signature Cards permitted across the entire deck.
“You can only use them with their matching Legend, and you can't put more than 3 total Signature Cards in your deck.”
Mel, Newly Awakened (§375.)
When Stupefy (give -1M, minimum 1M) is cast while an empowered Mel, Newly Awakened is in play, Mel's replacement effect changes the -1M to -2M, but the replaced event inherits Stupefy's "to a minimum of 1M" modifier. A replacement effect inherits any modifications applied by the game effect that generated the replaced event, so a 2M unit becomes 1M. Citaat uit de bron: “a replacement effect that replaces an event modified by the game effect that generated that event will inherit any of those modifications”
Repulse vs Alpha Strike (targeting arrow count)
Repulse counts all targeting relationships ('arrows') pointing from a spell to friendly units, regardless of whether those targets currently meet the spell's targeting restrictions. Units moved to base by Flash are still targeted by Alpha Strike (arrows are 'grayed out' but present), so Repulse counts them and cannot counter Alpha Strike unless all remaining targeted units have moved to a non-board zone. Citaat uit de bron: “Repulse cares about the number of those arrows that point to friendly units, not the color of the arrows.”
Elder Dragon (§460.2.c.3)
Elder Dragon's passive ('Any amount of your damage is enough to kill enemy units') alters the lethal damage threshold for units with damage marked by Elder Dragon's controller to any non-zero amount. As a result, Elder Dragon can check damage marked on units before it enters the board, and its controller need only assign one damage per unit during the Combat Damage step. Citaat uit de bron: “Elder Dragon can check damage marked on units by its controller before it enters the board, and that players need only assign one damage to units during the Combat Damage step while they control Elder”
play from deck (banish first)
Cards that instruct you to play a card from your Main Deck must first banish that card, then play it from banish. This gives the game a defined zone for the card while it is being played and a place to return it if it cannot be played for any reason. This applies to Rek'Sai Swarm Queen, Void Burrower, Void Rush, and Reinforce. Citaat uit de bron: “banishing the card ensures that the game has a place to put the card until it's actually played, and a place to send the card back to if it can't be played”
344.2
Rule 344.2 updated: a Showdown is opened during the Cleanup at the end of the action that caused the Battlefield to become Contested if there aren't units controlled by different players at that Battlefield — replacing the old condition of 'the Battlefield is uncontrolled when it becomes Contested.' Citaat uit de bron: “If Control of a Battlefield is Contested and there aren't units controlled by different players there, a Showdown is opened during the Cleanup at the end of the action.”
Mandatory Actions and Private Information
A player cannot be compelled to perform an action on cards whose privacy is secret or private if that action specifies a type or quality of card. If such an effect would compel this, the player may ignore it instead. This means Rift Herald's Deathknell cannot force an opponent to play a unit from hand. Citaat uit de bron: “A player cannot be compelled to perform an action on cards whose privacy is secret or private if that action specifies a type or quality of card.”