Riftbound keyword
Flow
Flow is a Riftbound keyword on spells: you may play the spell again from your trash by paying its Flow cost, and then it's banished. One extra use, then it's gone.
17 cardsFirst seen in VendettaCore Rules 829
Official text
On the cards
Flow 
2 Energy (You may play this from your trash for its Flow cost. Then banish it.)
Core Rules
- 829.1
- Flow is a Passive Ability keyword.
- 829.1.a
- Flow is present on Spells.
- 829.1.b
- It is functionally short for “You may play this from your trash for its flow cost. Then banish it.”
- 829.1.b.1
- Banishing the spell in this way is a delayed replacement effect. If the spell would leave the chain after becoming a finalized chain item, and leaving the chain wasn’t instructed by its own execution, banish it instead.
- 829.1.b.2
- Playing a spell for its Flow cost does not change the timing at which it can be played, nor any permissions for the spell aside from the zone from which it can be played.
- 829.1.c.1
- The cost is an alternate cost that replaces the base cost of the spell to be paid during finalization.
- 829.1.c.2
- Flow costs may include both resource costs and non-resource costs.
- 829.1.c.3
- If a spell has multiple instances of the Flow keyword with different costs, its controller may choose which cost to apply as they play it.
Riftbound Core Rules, updated October 9, 2026
How Flow works
How does Flow work?
A spell with Flow can be played a second time, from your trash. You pay its Flow cost instead of its normal cost, and when it's done it's banished instead of going back to your trash.
Core Rules 829.1.b, 829.1.c.1Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes
Can I pay the Flow cost when I play the spell from my hand?
No. The Flow cost is for playing the spell from your trash. From your hand, it costs what it normally costs.
Core Rules 829.1.b, 829.1.b.2
Does Flow change when I can play the spell?
No. Flow only changes where you can play it from. A spell without Action or Reaction can still only be played on your own turn, with no showdown and nothing on the chain.
Core Rules 829.1.b.2, 310.1.a
What if a spell I played for its Flow cost is countered?
It's still banished. A spell played this way is banished whenever it would leave the chain for any reason other than its own instructions, including being countered or returned to its owner's hand by Abandon.
Core Rules 829.1.b.1Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications
Do discounts and extra costs change the Flow cost?
Yes. The Flow cost replaces the spell's normal cost, and then additional costs (like Deflect's) and discounts apply as usual. Stargazer, for example, makes spells with Flow you play from your trash cost 2 energy less, to a minimum of 1.
Core Rules 829.1.c.1, 356.1.a, 356.2, 356.4
What if a spell has two Flow costs?
You choose which one to pay as you play it. That can happen when Kennen, Storm of Shuriken gives a spell in your trash Flow equal to its cost and the spell already has Flow.
Core Rules 829.1.c.3
How do I get Flow spells into my trash?
Usually by playing them, since a spell goes to your trash after it resolves. Burning and discarding put cards there too, which is why Vendetta pairs Flow with Burn.
Core Rules 351.2, 441.1Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes
Example: Dredge Up, twice
You play Dredge Up from your hand for 2 energy and draw a card, and it goes to your trash. Later, you play it again from your trash for its Flow cost of 2 energy and draw another card. This time it's banished instead of going to your trash, so you can't play it a third time.
Official rulings
Riot's own words, from its rules articles.
Flow is a keyword that appears on spells. It is a permission and an alternate cost. By playing a spell for its Flow cost, you can play it from the trash, then banish it. One and done.
Cards with Flow also have a nifty symbol on their text box to indicate that they have a function from your trash!
What happens when you play Abandon on a spell that was played for its Flow cost?
It will be banished when it attempts to leave the chain. … No matter how it happens, as long as the flow spell leaving the chain wasn’t instructed by the execution of the spell itself, it will be banished. This also applies to effects like Kai’Sa, Evolutionary from Origins, or Fizz, Trickster from Spiritforged.
Every Flow card (17)
kw:flowCards with Flow · 15
Cards that grant or discount Flow · 2
