Riftbound game action
Burn
Burn is a Riftbound game action: Burn X puts the top X cards of a player's Main Deck into their trash. If the deck runs out partway, that player burns out.
9 cardsFirst seen in VendettaCore Rules 441
Official text
On the cards
Burn 2. (Put the top 2 cards of your Main Deck into your trash.)
They Burn 1. (They put the top card of their Main Deck into their trash.)
Core Rules
- 441.1
- Burning is the act of moving cards from the top of a player’s Main Deck to their trash.
- 441.1.a
- “When you burn” abilities or other Triggered Abilities that trigger on burning are executed after burning has occurred.
- 441.2
- This action is formatted as "Burn X."
- 441.2.a
- X is the number of cards to be Burned.
- 441.3.a
- A player must Burn cards when instructed to do so by game effects or costs.
- 441.4
- When Burning is part of an effect, then a player must Burn as many cards as possible. If instructed to burn more cards than they have in their main deck, they burn that many cards, burn out and then burn the rest.
Riftbound Core Rules, updated October 9, 2026
How Burn works
What does Burn do?
Burn 3 takes the top 3 cards of a Main Deck and puts them into that player's trash. Most cards burn your own deck, but some make another player burn, like Blade Twirler.
Core Rules 441.1, 441.2Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes
Is burning the same as burning out?
No. Burning moves cards from a deck to the trash. Burning out is what happens when a player needs more cards from their Main Deck than it has: they recycle their trash into their Main Deck and choose an opponent to gain 1 point.
Core Rules 441.1, 432.1, 432.2
What if I have to burn more cards than my deck has?
You burn the cards you have, then burn out: your trash, including the cards you just burned, is recycled into your Main Deck, and an opponent of your choice gains 1 point. Then you burn the rest.
Core Rules 441.4, 432.1.b, 432.2
Can I choose not to burn?
Not when a card tells you to. You must burn as many cards as you can. Some cards make it optional with "you may", like Shadow Order Disciple.
Core Rules 441.3.a, 441.4
Why would I burn my own cards?
To fill your trash. Spells with Flow can be played from your trash, and some cards reward what you burn, like Forgotten Relic, which gives a friendly unit Might equal to a unit it burns. The price is a smaller deck, which brings you closer to burning out.
Core Rules 829.1.bCore Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes
When do "when you burn" abilities trigger?
After the burn is complete.
Core Rules 441.1.a
What if my deck and my trash are both empty?
You burn out over and over, and each time an opponent gains 1 point, until an opponent passes the Victory Score and wins. That win happens immediately, without waiting for a cleanup.
Core Rules 432.3, 432.3.a, 432.3.c.1
Example: Death Mark with two cards left
You have 2 cards left in your Main Deck and play Death Mark, which starts with Burn 3. You burn your last 2 cards, then burn out: you recycle your trash into your Main Deck and choose an opponent to gain 1 point. Then you burn the third card from your new deck, and Death Mark goes on to make its Shadow Clone token.
From Riftbound Core Rules
Official rulings
Riot's own words, from its rules articles.
To burn X, a player takes X cards from the top of their Main Deck and puts them in their trash. Cards can trigger when burned, or when you burn a card, and effects can count the number of cards burned in a turn.
Burning cards can bring you closer to burning out, but it can also add valuable flow cards to your trash.
Every Burn card (9)
kw:burn
