Riftbound keyword
Accelerate
Accelerate is a Riftbound keyword on units: as you play one, you may pay 1 energy and one power of its domain extra so it enters ready instead of exhausted.
32 cardsFirst seen in OriginsCore Rules 805
Official text
On the cards
Accelerate (You may pay 
1 Energy
Rune of this card's domain as an additional cost to have me enter ready.)
Core Rules
- 805.1
- Accelerate is an Optional Additional Cost keyword.
- 805.1.a
- Accelerate is present on Units.
- 805.1.b
- Accelerate is functionally short for "As you play me, you may pay 1 EnergyRune of this card's domain as an additional cost. If you do, I enter ready."
- 805.1.b.1
- If the unit has one or more domains, the Power portion of the Accelerate cost can be paid only with a Power that matches one of the domains of the unit.
- 805.1.b.2
- If the unit has no domain, the Power portion of the Accelerate cost can be paid with
Any Rune (a Power of any domain). - 805.2.a
- Accelerate costs cannot be paid while the unit is on the board, only as part of the steps of playing a card.
- 805.2.b
- Paying the cost generates a Delayed Replacement Effect. Even if the unit loses the Accelerate keyword during the finalization process, as long as the cost was paid, that unit will still enter ready.
- 805.6
- Accelerate generates a delayed replacement effect that replaces a unit entering the board exhausted with it entering ready. It does not enter exhausted and then become ready.
- 805.6.a
- Accelerate will not interact with, or trigger, abilities that are affected by units becoming ready.
Riftbound Core Rules, updated October 9, 2026
How Accelerate works
How much does Accelerate cost?
1 energy and one power of the unit's domain, on top of its normal cost. Accelerating a Fury unit that costs 3 energy costs 4 energy and one Fury power in total.
Core Rules 805.1.b, 805.1.b.1
Why pay for a unit to enter ready?
Units normally enter the board exhausted, and a unit's standard move costs exhausting it. A unit that enters ready can move to a battlefield the turn you play it instead of waiting a turn.
Core Rules 143.4, 144.2
Which power can pay for Accelerate?
Power of the unit's own domain. A unit with two domains can use power of either one, and a unit with no domain can use power of any domain.
Core Rules 805.1.b.1, 805.1.b.2, 135.2.e.6.c
Is Accelerate optional?
Yes. You decide as you play the unit. If you don't pay, it enters exhausted as usual, and you can't pay the cost later once it's on the board.
Core Rules 805.1, 805.2.a, 805.3
Can I accelerate a unit I'm playing for free?
Yes. Playing a unit while ignoring its cost only sets its base cost to zero, so you can still pay the Accelerate cost on top. Riot's example: Legion Rearguard played ignoring its cost, plus 1 energy and one Fury power for Accelerate.
Core Rules 356.1.b.3
Does an accelerated unit count as becoming ready?
No. It enters the board ready instead of exhausted; it never enters exhausted and then readies. Abilities that care about units becoming ready don't trigger.
Core Rules 805.6, 805.6.a
What if the unit loses Accelerate while I'm playing it?
It still enters ready, as long as you paid the cost. Paying creates an effect that makes the unit enter ready, and that effect doesn't need the unit to keep the keyword.
Core Rules 805.2.bUnleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications
Can discounts lower the Accelerate cost?
Discounts on optional additional costs can, because that's what Accelerate is. Ezreal, Prodigy makes optional additional costs you pay cost 1 energy or one power less.
Core Rules 805.1Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ
Example: Kai'Sa straight into battle
Kai'Sa, Survivor costs 4 energy and reads "When I conquer, draw 1." You pay 5 energy and one Fury power instead, so she enters ready. That same turn, you move her to a battlefield, and if you take control of it, she conquers and you draw 1. Without Accelerate, she'd enter exhausted and couldn't move until she's readied, normally at the start of your next turn.
From Riftbound Core Rules
Official rulings
Riot's own words, from its rules articles.
The cost of the ability always matches the domain of the unit that has the ability.
What costs does Ezreal, Prodigy reduce? Does he reduce Repeat costs? Accelerate costs? Equip costs?
Ezreal, Prodigy reduces additional costs that are optional to pay. These will generally use both the words “additional cost” and the word “may.” Repeat and Accelerate are the two main sources of optional additional costs…
What happens if I play Atakhan from my deck with Rek’Sai, Breacher on the board? Can I pay the Accelerate cost and kill Rek’Sai for the Atakhan additional cost? Will it enter ready?
Yes, as long as you pay the Accelerate cost, Atakhan will enter ready, even if he kills Rek’Sai for his additional cost. This is because Accelerate creates a delayed replacement effect that causes Atakhan to enter ready. Although he lacks the Accelerate keyword when he resolves, he still has the delayed replacement effect that Accelerate generates.
In the Unleashed FAQ, we clarified that Accelerate is an ability made up of two parts: an optional additional cost, and a delayed replacement effect that is generated when you pay the cost. This has now been reflected in the rules themselves.
Every Accelerate card (32)
kw:accelerate
