Riftbound game action
Stun
Stun is a Riftbound game action: a stunned unit deals no combat damage for the rest of the turn, but it keeps its Might, so it's just as hard to kill.
34 cardsFirst seen in OriginsCore Rules 424
Official text
On the cards
Stun a unit. (It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.)
When I attack, Stun an enemy unit here. (It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.)
Core Rules
- 424.1
- Stunning is the act of selecting one or more Units on the Board and rendering them Stunned.
- 424.1.a
- Stunned is a binary state. A Unit is Stunned or it isn't.
- 424.1.a.1
- A Stunned Unit can not be Stunned again.
- 424.1.a.2
- Stunned Units lose the Stunned status during step 3d of the end of turn cleanup.
- 424.1.b
- A Stunned Unit does not contribute its might to damage in the combat damage step.
- 424.1.c
- A Stunned Unit must still have damage applied to it equal to, or greater than, its full might value to be killed.
- 424.2.a
- Players may only Stun Units when directed to by Game Effects.
Riftbound Core Rules, updated October 9, 2026
How Stun works
What does Stun do?
A stunned unit doesn't add its Might to its side's combat damage. On its own, that's all a stun does: the unit keeps its full Might, so it still takes full damage to kill.
Core Rules 424.1.b, 424.1.c
How long does a stun last?
Until the end of the turn. Units lose their stun in the cleanup at the end of each turn.
Core Rules 424.1.a.2
Can a stunned unit still move, defend or use abilities?
Yes. Stun only stops combat damage. That's why Vex, Apathetic adds "They can't move it this turn" on top of its stun. A stunned unit also still deals damage from spells and abilities.
Core Rules 424.1.b
What happens if a stun means both sides survive the combat?
The usual: if units from both sides are left after combat damage, the attackers are recalled to base and the defender keeps the battlefield. Stunning an attacker is a way to hold a battlefield without killing anything.
Core Rules 468.1.a.2
Can I stun a unit that's already stunned?
You can choose it, but nothing happens: a unit is either stunned or not. Abilities that trigger when you stun a unit, like Eclipse Herald's, don't trigger. Some cards reward it instead: Existential Dread returns an already-stunned attacker to its owner's hand.
Core Rules 424.1.a, 424.1.a.1Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications
Does Stun choose its target?
"Stun a unit" does, so it's affected by things like Deflect. Some effects stun without choosing, like Blast Cone, which stuns an enemy unit you moved.
Core Rules 355.5.a, 355.7Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications
Why don't older cards show Stun highlighted?
Riot added the highlight for Stun, along with Buff and Predict, starting with Unleashed. Older cards like Rune Prison ("Stun a unit.") work exactly the same way, and they're in the list below too.
Core Rules 424.1Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes
Example: Holding a battlefield with Back Off
Your opponent attacks your battlefield with a 5 Might unit, and you defend with a 3 Might unit. You play Back Off to stun the attacker. In the combat damage step it deals no damage, and your 3 damage isn't enough to kill it. Both units survive, so the attacker is recalled to its base and you keep the battlefield. Because you played Back Off from your hand, you also draw 1.
From Riftbound Core Rules
Official rulings
Riot's own words, from its rules articles.
What happens when my empowered Gangplank, Naval is moved by my opponent’s Blast Cone’s play effect and they exhaust Blast Cone to stun Gangplank? Will he be stunned? What happens if I then play Back Off choosing my Gangplank? Will he get +3
Might this turn?Blast Cone will stun Gangplank. If you play Back Off choosing your stunned Gangplank, he will not receive +3
Might this turn. Blast Cone’s triggered ability that stuns units doesn’t choose them, so Gangplank’s replacement effect can’t apply to that event. Back Off played on a stunned Gangplank does not actually perform the stun game action, because Gangplank is already stunned. It’s legal to play Back Off, but the instruction will be negated.
Every Stun card (34)
o:stun
