# How to play Riftbound > Each player brings a legend, a champion, a main deck of at least 40 cards, 12 runes and 3 battlefields. Conquer and hold battlefields to score points. First to 8 wins. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/how-to-play Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Riftbound is a trading card game where players fight over battlefields. You score a battlefield by conquering it, which means taking control of it, or by holding it, which means still controlling it when your turn starts. Each battlefield can be scored once per turn, usually for 1 point. The first player to 8 points wins, or the first team to 11 in 2v2. [Scoring](https://runeweave.com/rules/scoring) has the details, including the special rule for the final point. Each player brings a Champion Legend, a Chosen Champion, a main deck, a rune deck and battlefields. Your legend's domains decide which cards your deck can include, and the legend stays in your Legend Zone all game; the [legends page](https://runeweave.com/legends) lists every one. Your Chosen Champion is a champion unit with your legend's champion tag. It starts in your Champion Zone, and you can play it from there. Your main deck has at least 40 cards, counting the Chosen Champion, with no more than 3 copies of any card. Your rune deck has exactly 12 runes, and every sanctioned mode asks for 3 battlefields. [Deck building](https://runeweave.com/rules/deck-building) covers the full rules. To set up, put your legend in your Legend Zone and your champion in your Champion Zone, shuffle your main deck and rune deck separately, and set your battlefields aside. The [game mode](https://runeweave.com/rules/game-modes) decides which battlefields go into play. Choose the first player with any fair random method. Everyone draws 4 cards. Then, in turn order, each player can mulligan: set aside up to 2 cards, draw that many, and put the set-aside cards on the bottom of their main deck. Players then take turns, and every turn runs through six phases in order. In the Awaken Phase you ready your cards. In the Beginning Phase start-of-turn effects happen and you hold the battlefields you control. In the Channel Phase you channel 2 runes from your rune deck. In the Draw Phase you draw 1. In the Main Phase you play cards, move units and fight. In the Ending Phase units heal and "this turn" effects end. [Turn structure](https://runeweave.com/rules/turn-structure) walks through each phase. Riftbound has six card types. Your main deck holds units, gear and spells. Units and gear are permanents that stay on the board after you play them, while spells take effect and then go to your trash. Runes make up your rune deck and pay for your cards. Battlefields and legends are never played: battlefields start the game on the board, and your legend starts in your Legend Zone. [Card types](https://runeweave.com/rules/card-types) covers each one. A card's cost is in its top-left corner: a number of energy, and on some cards one or more power symbols below it. Runes pay for both. Exhaust a basic rune to add 1 energy, or recycle it to add 1 power of its domain. Unspent energy and power are lost at the start of every Main Phase and at the end of every turn. [Runes](https://runeweave.com/rules/runes) explains the details. Units do the fighting. You play a unit to your base or to a battlefield you control, and it enters exhausted. A ready unit can move from your base to a battlefield, or back to base, by exhausting. If an opponent's units are at that battlefield, a [combat](https://runeweave.com/rules/combat) decides who controls it. If it's empty, a showdown starts, and if only your units are there when it ends, you take control and conquer it. Units with [Ganking](https://runeweave.com/keywords/ganking) can also move from one battlefield to another; [movement](https://runeweave.com/rules/movement) covers the rest. ## What the Core Rules say - **103** To play Riftbound, a player must have a Main Deck, a Rune Deck, a Champion Legend, and a number of Battlefields determined by the Mode of Play. These are collectively referred to as a player’s deck. - **103.2.b.2** Your deck’s Domain Identity is dictated by the domains of your Champion Legend. In the default card frame, these domains appear as symbols in the legend’s upper left corner. - **103.3** A Main Deck of at least 40 cards: A Chosen Champion Unit, as well as Units, Gear, and Spells - **103.3.b** Your Main Deck can include up to 3 copies of the same named card. - **161.2.a** Exactly 12 Rune cards chosen during Deck Construction. - **115** Determine Turn Order using any fair random method agreed on by all players. - **116** Players each draw 4. - **117.1** A player may choose up to two cards in their hand. They set those cards aside. - **117.2** Then, that player draws as many cards as they set aside. - **117.3** Finally, that player Recycles the cards that were set aside. - **143.4** Units enter the Board exhausted. - **194.2** A player wins the game if, in a cleanup, they have points greater than or equal to the Victory Score and more points than any other player. ## Common questions ### How do you play Riftbound? Each player brings a legend, a champion, a main deck of at least 40 cards, a rune deck of 12 runes and battlefields. On your turn you channel 2 runes, draw a card, and use your runes to play units, gear and spells. Your units move to battlefields to take control of them. Conquering or holding a battlefield scores a point, and the first player to 8 points wins. Source: Core Rules 103, 103.3, 161.2.a, 315.3.b, 315.4.b, 471.1, 471.2, 194.3 ### How many cards are in a Riftbound deck? A Riftbound main deck has at least 40 cards, including your Chosen Champion, with no more than 3 copies of any card. Alongside it you bring a rune deck of exactly 12 runes, a Champion Legend, and 3 battlefields in every sanctioned mode. At most 1 of your 3 battlefields is used in each game. Source: Core Rules 103.3, 103.3.b, 103.3.b.1, 161.2.a, 487.4.a, 491.4.a, 490.4.b ### How do you win Riftbound? Reach the Victory Score with more points than every opponent: 8 points in 1v1 and free-for-all games, or 11 for a team in 2v2. Points come from conquering and holding battlefields, from cards that give points, and from opponents who burn out. The game checks for a winner in every cleanup. You also win if a card says you do, or if you're the last player left in the game. Source: Core Rules 194.2, 194.3, 491.3, 194.1, 195 ### How does the mulligan work in Riftbound? Everyone starts by drawing 4 cards. Then, in turn order, each player may set aside up to 2 of them, draw that many new cards, and recycle the set-aside cards to the bottom of their main deck. You draw before you recycle, so you can't redraw the cards you set aside. Source: Core Rules 116, 117.1, 117.2, 117.3, 417.1 ### Who goes first in Riftbound? Decide with any fair random method that all players agree on. Unless the mode says otherwise, turns then go clockwise from the first player. In 1v1, the player going second channels 3 runes instead of 2 on their first turn. In 3- and 4-player games, the player going first skips their first draw and the player going last channels an extra rune. Source: Core Rules 115, 115.1.b, 487.7, 489.7, 490.7, 491.7 ### What happens on a turn in Riftbound? Six phases, always in this order. Awaken: ready everything you control. Beginning: start-of-turn effects happen, then you hold the battlefields you control. Channel: channel 2 runes. Draw: draw 1 card. Main: play cards, move units and fight. Ending: end-of-turn effects happen, then all units heal and "this turn" effects end. [Turn structure](https://runeweave.com/rules/turn-structure) covers each phase. Source: Core Rules 315.1.b, 315.2.a.1, 315.2.b.2, 315.3.b, 315.4.b, 316.5.a, 317.1.a, 317.2.b, 317.2.c ### Where can you play units in Riftbound? To your base or to a battlefield you already control. Units enter exhausted, so a unit usually can't move until it readies at the start of your next turn. A unit with [Accelerate](https://runeweave.com/keywords/accelerate) can enter ready if you pay its extra cost, and a unit with [Ambush](https://runeweave.com/keywords/ambush) can be played to a battlefield where you have units. Source: Core Rules 355.2.a, 143.4, 144.2, 315.1.b, 805.1.b, 822.1.b ### How do you take control of a battlefield? Move your units there. If an opponent has units there, a [combat](https://runeweave.com/rules/combat) decides it. If both sides still have units after combat damage, the attackers return to base, and then the player with units left there controls the battlefield. If it's empty, a showdown happens instead, and if only your units are there when it ends, you take control. Taking control of a battlefield you haven't scored this turn conquers it. Source: Core Rules 144.4.a, 316.7.a, 468.1.a.2, 468.5, 316.8.b.1, 348.2.a, 471.1 ### How many players can play Riftbound? Two to four. The sanctioned modes are Duel and Match for 2 players, Skirmish for 3, War for 4, and Magma Chamber, which is 2v2. Every mode is played to 8 points except Magma Chamber, which is played to 11. Source: Core Rules 487.1, 488.1, 489.1, 490.1, 491.1, 491.3 ### What are the card types in Riftbound? Six: units, gear, spells, runes, battlefields and legends. Units, gear and spells make up your main deck. Units and gear stay on the board after you play them, while spells go to the trash once they resolve. Runes make up your rune deck. Battlefields and legends aren't played: battlefields start the game on the board, and your legend starts in your Legend Zone. Source: Core Rules 133.4.a.2, 133.4.b.1, 157, 133.5.a.1, 133.6.a.1, 133.6.b.1 ## Example: Your first two turns in 1v1 You win the coin flip and go first. Both players draw 4. You set aside 1 card, draw 1, and put the set-aside card on the bottom of your main deck. On your first turn there's nothing to ready or hold yet, so you channel 2 runes and draw 1. In your Main Phase you exhaust both runes for 2 energy and play a unit that costs 2 energy to your base. It enters exhausted. Your opponent goes second, so they channel 3 runes on their first turn. On your second turn, your unit readies in your Awaken Phase, and in your Main Phase it can move to a battlefield. ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # How scoring works in Riftbound > Riftbound is won at 8 points (11 in 2v2). You score a battlefield by conquering or holding it, once per battlefield per turn, and the final point comes with a catch. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/scoring Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Riftbound games are won on points. The first player to reach the Victory Score, which is 8 points in 1v1 and free-for-all games and 11 in 2v2, wins, as long as they also have more points than everyone else. The game checks for a winner in each cleanup, so a tie at the top keeps the game going. Most points come from scoring battlefields, and there are two ways to score one. You conquer a battlefield by taking control of it during a turn, and you hold one by still controlling it when your turn starts. Each battlefield can be scored only once per turn, whichever way you score it. Each score is normally worth 1 point. The exception is the final point: if a conquer would give you your last point, you only get it if you've scored every battlefield that turn. If you haven't, you draw a card instead. Holding and points from cards don't have that restriction. Scoring a battlefield also triggers its conquer or hold abilities, such as [Hunt](https://runeweave.com/keywords/hunt)'s XP, even when the point itself is replaced by a card draw. ## What the Core Rules say - **194.2** A player wins the game if, in a cleanup, they have points greater than or equal to the Victory Score and more points than any other player. - **194.3** The Victory Score is 8 points by default. - **471.1** Conquer: A player gains Control of a Battlefield they did not yet Score this turn. - **471.2** Hold: A player maintains Control of a Battlefield they did not yet Score this turn during their Beginning Phase. - **472** A player may only Score, from either method, once per Battlefield per turn. - **473.1.b** When a player tries to Gain a Point through a Conquer, and their current Point Total is 1 point from the Victory Score of the Mode of Play or higher, the following occurs: - **473.1.b.1** If the player has Scored every Battlefield this turn, that player Gains the Final Point. If the player has not Scored every Battlefield this turn, that player draws a card instead. - **473.1.a.1** Notably, points Gained from sources that are not Conquer are not beholden to these restrictions. ## Common questions ### How many points do you need to win Riftbound? 8 points in 1v1 and free-for-all games, and 11 in 2v2, where teammates share their points. You also need more points than every opponent when a cleanup happens. Source: Core Rules 194.2, 194.3, 487.3, 491.3, 491.8.d ### What's the difference between conquering and holding? Conquering is taking control of a battlefield during a turn, by winning a combat there or by moving into a battlefield nobody else is at. Holding is still controlling a battlefield when your turn starts: you hold every battlefield you control in your Beginning Phase. Source: Core Rules 471.1, 471.2, 190.4, 315.2.b.2 ### Can I score the same battlefield twice in one turn? No. Each battlefield can be scored only once per turn, by conquering or by holding. If you lose a battlefield you already scored and take it back in the same turn, you don't score it again. Source: Core Rules 472, 471.1 ### How does the final point work? If a conquer would give you your last point, you only get it if you've scored every battlefield this turn. Otherwise you draw a card instead. With two battlefields, that means a conquer only wins the game once you've also scored the other battlefield that turn. Source: Core Rules 473.1.b, 473.1.b.1 ### Can I win by holding a battlefield? Yes. The final-point rule only applies to conquering. If you're one point away and still control a battlefield when your turn starts, holding it gives you your last point. Source: Core Rules 473.1.a.1, 473.1.b, 471.2 ### Do points from cards count as scoring? No. A card that says "score 2 points" just gives you points; it isn't scoring a battlefield. Points from cards aren't limited by the final-point rule either. Source: Core Rules 470.1, 470.2, 473.1.a.1 ### What if two players reach the Victory Score at the same time? The player with more points wins. If they're tied, the game keeps going until one of them has more points in a cleanup. Source: Core Rules 194.2.a, 194.2.b ### Do conquer and hold abilities trigger if I draw a card instead of the point? Yes. Scoring a battlefield triggers its conquer or hold abilities even when the point is replaced, so you still get effects like Hunt's XP. Source: Core Rules 473.2, 383.4.c.2.c, 383.4.d.2.c ### How does scoring work in 2v2? Teammates share their points and play to 11. Each battlefield can be scored once per team per turn, and a battlefield your teammate controlled during your turn's scoring step can't be scored by your team that turn. Source: Core Rules 491.3, 491.8.b, 491.8.b.1, 491.8.d ## Example: Winning from 7 points You have 7 points in a 1v1 game with two battlefields. On your turn you conquer the first battlefield, but you haven't scored the other one yet, so you draw a card instead of taking your 8th point. Then you conquer the second battlefield too. You've now scored every battlefield this turn, so that conquer gives you the final point, and you win in the next cleanup. ## Official rulings > CLARIFIED: A player will win the game if, during a cleanup, they have accrued points greater than or equal to the Victory Score and greater than any opponent. Both must be true. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 > The rules for 2v2 scoring were slightly contradictory. In the Vendetta rules update we cleaned them up, and in this rules update they’ve been fully aligned. Specifically, the final point and scoring eligibility special rules now apply only to teams that maintain control of a battlefield during their own or a teammate’s turn, and not during an opponent’s turn. — [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 - [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Riftbound turn structure: every phase in order > A Riftbound turn has six phases: Awaken, Beginning, Channel, Draw, Main and Ending. You ready, hold battlefields, channel 2 runes, draw 1, play cards, then units heal. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/turn-structure Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Every Riftbound turn has the same six phases, always in this order: Awaken, Beginning, Channel, Draw, Main and Ending. The first four make up the Start of Turn, a fixed set of tasks for the player whose turn it is. The Main Phase is where you decide what to do. The Ending Phase cleans up. In the Awaken Phase, you ready everything you control that can be readied, such as your units, gear and runes. The Beginning Phase has two steps. First, effects that happen at the start of your Beginning Phase take place, such as [Temporary](https://runeweave.com/keywords/temporary) killing its card or [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon) drawing you a card. Then, in the scoring step, you hold every battlefield you control, and each one you hold scores a point. [Scoring](https://runeweave.com/rules/scoring) explains holding and conquering. In the Channel Phase, you channel 2 runes: the top 2 cards of your rune deck go onto the board, ready. If fewer than 2 are left, you channel as many as you can. In the Draw Phase, you draw 1 card. If your main deck is empty, you burn out: you recycle your trash into your main deck, choose an opponent to gain 1 point, and then draw. The Main Phase begins by emptying every player's rune pool, and then start-of-Main-Phase effects take place. After that it has no set order. You can play cards, activate abilities and move units as many times as you can pay for, in any order. Moving units can start a showdown or a [combat](https://runeweave.com/rules/combat), which plays out before you carry on. When you're done, you declare that you're ending your turn. [Timing](https://runeweave.com/rules/timing) covers who can play what, and when. The Ending Phase has two steps. In the ending step, end-of-turn effects take place. In the expiration step, all units heal, every "this turn" effect ends, and every rune pool empties. If any spell or ability goes on the chain during the expiration step, the step repeats. Then the next player in turn order starts their turn, unless someone has an extra turn queued. Some modes change the first turn. In 1v1 Duel and Match, the player going second channels 3 runes in their first Channel Phase. In Skirmish, War and Magma Chamber, the player going first doesn't draw in their first Draw Phase, and the player going last channels 3 runes in their first Channel Phase. [Game modes](https://runeweave.com/rules/game-modes) covers each mode. ## What the Core Rules say - **315.1.b** 1. The Turn Player readies all Game Objects they control that are able to be readied. - **315.2.a.1** At the start of Beginning Phase game effects take place. - **315.2.b.2** 1. The Turn Player Holds all Battlefields they Control. - **315.3.b** 1. The Turn Player channels 2 runes from their Rune Deck. - **315.4.b** 1. The Turn Player draws 1. - **316.5.a** A player may take any number of Discretionary Actions they are able to perform during this phase. - **167** Every player's Rune Pool empties at the start of each player's Main Phase and the end of each player's turn. - **317.1.a** At the end of this turn and at the end of turn Game Effects take place. - **317.2.b** Insert “3c. Heal all Units.” - **317.2.c** Insert “3d. All ‘this turn’ effects expire simultaneously.” - **487.7** First Turn Process: The player going second channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game. - **489.7** First Turn Process: The player going first does not draw a card during their first Draw Phase of the game. The player going last channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game. ## Common questions ### What are the phases of a turn in Riftbound? Six, in this order: Awaken, Beginning, Channel, Draw, Main and Ending. You ready your cards in the Awaken Phase, hold your battlefields in the Beginning Phase, channel 2 runes in the Channel Phase, draw 1 card in the Draw Phase, play cards and fight in the Main Phase, and heal units and end "this turn" effects in the Ending Phase. Source: Core Rules 315.1.b, 315.2.b.2, 315.3.b, 315.4.b, 316.5.a, 317.2.b, 317.2.c ### What happens in the Beginning Phase? Two steps, in order. First, effects that happen at the start of your Beginning Phase take place, such as [Temporary](https://runeweave.com/keywords/temporary) killing its card. Then, in the scoring step, you hold every battlefield you control, and each one you hold scores a point. Because the first step comes before scoring, your Temporary units are gone before you hold. Source: Core Rules 315.2.a.1, 315.2.b.2, 471.2, 816.1.b ### How many runes do you channel each turn in Riftbound? 2, in your Channel Phase. They come from the top of your rune deck and enter ready. If fewer than 2 are left, you channel as many as you can. In 1v1, the player going second channels 3 on their first turn. Source: Core Rules 315.3.b, 315.3.b.1, 431.2.a, 487.7 ### What happens when your main deck runs out? When you need to draw from an empty main deck, you burn out. You recycle your trash into your main deck in a random order, choose an opponent to gain 1 point, and then draw. If your trash is empty too, you keep burning out and giving points until an opponent wins. Having to [burn](https://runeweave.com/keywords/burn) more cards than your main deck holds makes you burn out as well. Source: Core Rules 315.4.b.1, 432.2.b, 432.2.c, 315.4.b.2, 432.3.a, 441.4 ### When do units heal in Riftbound? At two times: at the end of every player's turn, and in the cleanup right after combat damage in every combat. Each time, all units heal, not only the ones that fought. Otherwise, damage stays on a unit until a card heals it. Source: Core Rules 143.3.b.1, 143.3.b.2, 317.2.b, 468.1.a.1, 419.3.a ### Does unspent energy carry over to the next turn? No. Every player's rune pool empties at the start of each Main Phase and at the end of each turn, and any unspent energy and power are lost. Runes you didn't exhaust stay ready, though, so you can still use them later, including on an opponent's turn to pay for a [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction). Source: Core Rules 167, 167.1, 164.2.a, 430.3 ### What can you do in the Main Phase? Anything you're able to do and can pay for, as often as you like and in any order: play units, gear and spells, activate abilities, and move units. Moving units can start a showdown or a combat, which plays out before you continue. The Main Phase ends when you declare that you're ending your turn. Source: Core Rules 316.5.a, 411.1.b, 316.6, 316.7.a, 316.9 ### When do "this turn" effects end? In the expiration step of the Ending Phase, after end-of-turn effects. All "this turn" effects end at the same time, together with units healing and rune pools emptying. If any spell or ability goes on the chain during that step, the step repeats, so a "this turn" effect created during it still ends this turn. Source: Core Rules 317.1.a, 317.2.c, 317.2.f; [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 ### Do you draw a card on your first turn in Riftbound? In 1v1, yes. Both players draw in their first Draw Phase, and the player going second also channels 3 runes on their first turn instead of 2. In Skirmish, War and 2v2, the player going first skips their first draw, and the player going last channels 3 runes on their first turn. Source: Core Rules 315.4.b, 487.7, 488.7, 489.7, 490.7, 491.7 ### How do extra turns work in Riftbound? A card like [Time Warp](https://runeweave.com/card/time-warp), which says "Take a turn after this one," gives you an additional turn right after the current one. When it's over, play continues in the normal turn order; extra turns never change it. Each extra turn is inserted right after the current turn, so if several are created in one turn, the last one created is taken first. Source: Core Rules 735, 737, 738; [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 ## Example: A third turn with Loose Cannon It's your third turn of a 1v1 game, and your legend is Jinx's [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon). You control one battlefield, where the unit you moved there last turn is still exhausted. Awaken: you ready that unit and all your runes. Beginning: Loose Cannon goes first, and since you have only 1 card in hand, you draw 1. Then you hold your battlefield and score 1 point. Channel: you channel 2 more runes. Draw: you draw 1. Main: you exhaust 3 runes for 3 energy and play a unit that costs 3 energy to the battlefield you control. Ending: all units heal, "this turn" effects end, and your rune pool empties. Your opponent's turn begins with their Awaken Phase. ## Official rulings > This is secretly two changes in one: the first, is that we’re renaming the end of turn phase to the ending phase. The second, now that we have the machinery of HOT FEPR, is to make the expiration step properly loop. In Spiritforged we saw the first instance of a triggered ability triggering in the expiration step, and it produced some very unintuitive results: things like “this turn” effects applied in reaction to an expiration step trigger lasting until the next turn, and damage applied in the expiration step carrying over to the next turn. To avoid things getting even weirder going forward, the expiration step will now repeat if any items underwent the FEPR process during it. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 **How does HOT FEPR actually work?** > HOT FEPR stands for Handle Outstanding Tasks; then Finalize, Execute, Pass, Resolve. Outstanding Tasks include the various procedures of the turn: things like readying all of your game objects on the board in the Awakening Phase, scoring battlefields in the Beginning Phase, drawing 1 in the Draw Phase, the steps of a cleanup, and the substeps of the Combat Phase, among other procedures. Each of these tasks is made outstanding when a player is expected to perform them, and a player must handle any outstanding tasks before proceeding to the next substep, step, phase, or turn. — [Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/unleashed-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), April 29, 2026 > CLARIFIED: When an additional turn is created, it is owned by the player instructed to take it and inserted directly after the current turn into the repeating queue of turns generated at the start of the game. … CLARIFIED: Turn order remains unaffected by any additional turns. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 > When “at end of turn” appears on card text, it is used synonymously with “at the end of this turn.” — [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 - [Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/unleashed-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), April 29, 2026 - [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # How combat works in Riftbound > Combat starts when two players' units meet at a battlefield. Each side deals damage equal to its total Might, and whoever still has units there afterward controls it. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/combat Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Combat happens when units controlled by two players are at the same battlefield, usually because one player moved units to a battlefield where the other has units. The player whose units contested the battlefield is the attacker, and the other player is the defender. The combat starts in the next cleanup with nothing on the chain, and only one showdown or combat happens at a time. Every combat includes a showdown, where players take turns playing Action and Reaction cards and abilities, starting with the attacker. When every player passes in a row, the showdown closes. Moving to an empty battlefield starts a showdown with no combat, and it becomes a combat if another player's units arrive. When the showdown closes, combat damage happens if both sides still have units there. Each side adds up the Might of its units, and starting with the attacker, each player assigns that much damage among the other side's units. Each unit must be assigned lethal damage before the next one gets any, [Tank](https://runeweave.com/keywords/tank) units must be assigned damage first and [Backline](https://runeweave.com/keywords/backline) units last, and [stunned](https://runeweave.com/keywords/stun) units add no Might. Then all of the damage is dealt at once. Then comes the combat cleanup. Units with lethal damage die, all units heal, and if both sides still have units there, the attackers are recalled to their base. If only one player has units left, they win the combat and take control of the battlefield if they didn't already have it. That's a conquer if they haven't [scored](https://runeweave.com/rules/scoring) it this turn. If no units are left, the battlefield becomes uncontrolled. ## What the Core Rules say - **316.7.a** A Combat occurs as a result of Units controlled by opposing players being present at the same Battlefield. - **464** Combat can only occur between Units controlled by exactly two players. - **466.2.c.1** The Attacker is the player whose unit(s) applied the Contested status to the Battlefield. - **466.2.c.2** The Defender is the player who did not apply the Contested status to the Battlefield. - **316.7.f** Combat will also include a Showdown. - **467.2** 1. When the Showdown closes, Attackers and Defenders resolve Combat Damage at the Battlefield that was attacked, using their current Might. - **467.2.c** Starting with the Attacker, each player assigns an amount of damage equal to their summed Might among the other's Units. - **467.2.c.3** Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned to a different Unit. - **468.3.a** A Player has won a combat if they received either the attacker or defender designation and are the only Player that has units remaining at this battlefield during this step. - **468.3.d** There is “No Result” if units were recalled during step 3d of the Combat Cleanup, if both Players have units present during this task, or if neither player has units present during this task. - **468.5** 1. If no Showdown or Combat is staged at this location, the player with Units remaining here Establishes Control if they didn’t already control this Battlefield. - **468.5.d** Establishing Control results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored this Battlefield this turn. ## Common questions ### When does combat happen in Riftbound? When units controlled by two different players are at the same battlefield, usually because one player moved units to a battlefield where the other has units. The combat starts in the next cleanup with nothing on the chain, as long as no other showdown or combat is going on. If combats are waiting at two battlefields, the player whose turn it is picks which goes first. Source: Core Rules 316.7.a, 462, 463, 463.1 ### Who is the attacker and who is the defender? The attacker is the player whose units contested the battlefield, by moving or being played there while that player didn't control it. The defender is the other player, whether or not they controlled the battlefield. Units that arrive during the combat join their controller's side in the next cleanup. Source: Core Rules 466.2.c.1, 466.2.c.2, 466.2.c.3.a, 190.3.a.1 ### Is a showdown the same as combat? Not always. Every combat includes a showdown, but moving to an empty battlefield starts a showdown with no combat. Either way, players take turns playing Action and Reaction cards, starting with the player who contested the battlefield. A showdown without combat becomes a combat if another player's units arrive. Source: Core Rules 316.7.f, 316.8.b.1, 316.8.b.1.a, 308.1.a, 345 ### How does combat damage work? When the showdown closes, each side adds up the Might of all its units at the battlefield, exhausted or not. Starting with the attacker, each player assigns that much damage among the other side's units, then all of it is dealt at once. Stunned units add no Might, and a unit with Might below 0 adds 0. Source: Core Rules 467.2, 467.2.a, 467.2.b, 467.2.c, 467.2.c.1.a, 424.1.b, 143.2.c ### How do I assign combat damage? One unit at a time. Each unit must be assigned lethal damage, enough to kill it counting damage it already has, before the next unit gets any, and no unit can be assigned more than that unless no other units are left to assign to. Units with [Tank](https://runeweave.com/keywords/tank) must be assigned damage first, and units with [Backline](https://runeweave.com/keywords/backline) last. A unit that can't be dealt damage is exempt from these requirements. Source: Core Rules 467.2.c.3, 467.2.c.4, 142.4.a, 815.1.b, 826.3, 467.2.c.10 ### When do units heal in Riftbound? At two times: in the cleanup right after combat damage, and at the end of every turn. In the combat cleanup, units with lethal damage die first, then all units heal, so the survivors don't keep their combat damage. Source: Core Rules 143.3.b, 143.3.b.1, 143.3.b.2, 323.4, 468.1.a.1 ### What happens if both sides have units left after combat damage? The attackers still at the battlefield are recalled to their base, already healed, and nobody wins the combat. The defender, now the only player with units there, keeps the battlefield, or takes it if they didn't control it. Source: Core Rules 468.1.a.1, 468.1.a.2, 468.3.d, 468.5 ### Who controls the battlefield after combat? If only one player has units left, they win the combat and take control if they didn't already have it, which is a conquer if they haven't scored the battlefield this turn. That player doesn't have to be the attacker. If no units are left at all, the battlefield becomes uncontrolled. Source: Core Rules 468.3.a, 468.5, 468.5.b, 468.5.d, 468.5.e; [Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-spiritforged-faq/), January 14, 2026 ### Is Assault a trigger? No. [Assault](https://runeweave.com/keywords/assault) is a passive ability: the unit has extra Might for as long as it's an attacker, and [Shield](https://runeweave.com/keywords/shield) does the same for defenders. "When I attack" and "When I defend" abilities are triggers, and they trigger the first time the unit becomes an attacker or defender in each combat. Source: Core Rules 807.1, 807.1.c, 814.1.c, 383.4.e, 383.4.f; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### Can more than two players fight at the same battlefield? No. A combat is always between exactly two players. With more than two players, nobody else can move or play units to a battlefield where a combat is staged or going on, and no move can take units to a battlefield that already has units from two other players. Source: Core Rules 464, 464.1, 464.2, 451.2 ## Example: Attacking past a Tank You move [Petty Officer](https://runeweave.com/card/petty-officer), 5 Might with Assault, and a 2 Might unit to a battlefield where your opponent has [Sunlit Guardian](https://runeweave.com/card/sunlit-guardian), 3 Might with Shield and Tank, and [Stalwart Poro](https://runeweave.com/card/stalwart-poro), 2 Might with Shield. As an attacker Petty Officer has 6 Might, and as defenders the Guardian has 4 and the Poro 3. Both players pass in the showdown. You assign your 8 damage: 4 to the Guardian first because it has Tank, 3 to the Poro, and the last 1 to either. Your opponent assigns 6 of their 7 to Petty Officer and 1 to your other unit. All of it is dealt at once, so both defenders and Petty Officer die. Your 2 Might unit heals in the cleanup and is the only unit left, so you win the combat and conquer the battlefield. ## Official rulings > Now, a showdown will open as long as the battlefield is contested and there is a unit there whose controller doesn’t control the battlefield. If there are units controlled by different players at that battlefield, it will open as a combat showdown. Otherwise, it will be a non-combat showdown. If a non-combat showdown is ongoing and a combat becomes staged at the same battlefield, the non-combat showdown will become a combat showdown in the next cleanup and the normal procedures for opening a combat will begin. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 **What does it mean to win or lose a combat?** > It doesn’t matter whether combat damage was actually dealt, only that there was a combat showdown and only your units were left after combat damage. … You can win a combat on either offense or defense. — [Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-spiritforged-faq/), January 14, 2026 > NEW RULE: Attack and Defend triggers can happen once per combat, specifically the first time something gains the attacker or defender designation during that combat. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 **Does a unit with negative Might contribute negative damage to my Might total in combat?** > No. Negative Might is treated as 0 Might for the purposes of dealing damage, but as its true value for raising it back above 0. So a unit with -3 Might would contribute 0 damage in combat, would die if it was dealt 1 or more damage, and would require +4 Might to get it back up to 1 Might. — [Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-spiritforged-faq/), January 14, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 - [Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-spiritforged-faq/), January 14, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Unleashed Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-unleashed-patch-notes/), March 30, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Timing in Riftbound: the chain, priority and focus > By default, you can only play cards on your turn with no showdown and nothing on the chain. Showdowns allow Action and Reaction cards, and the chain only Reactions. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/timing Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Riftbound's timing comes down to two questions: is a showdown or combat going on, and is anything on the chain? The answers give the state of the turn: Neutral or Showdown, and Open or Closed. Your Main Phase with nothing going on is Neutral Open, the only state where cards and abilities can be played by default, and then only by the player whose turn it is. Keywords widen that. [Action](https://runeweave.com/keywords/action) cards and abilities can also be played during showdowns, on any player's turn. [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction) includes everything Action allows and adds closed states, so a Reaction can be played while a spell or ability is waiting on the chain. That's how you answer something before it resolves. Playing a card or ability puts it on the chain as a pending item. Once its choices, costs and legality check are done, it's finalized and its controller gets priority. Players then take turns adding Reactions or passing, and when every player passes in a row, the newest finalized item resolves. Units, gear and abilities that [add](https://runeweave.com/keywords/add) energy or power skip that step and resolve as soon as they're finalized. Only one player has priority at a time, and only that player can act. Focus exists only during showdowns: the player with focus gets priority whenever the chain is empty, and focus moves to the next player when they pass or when a chain they started finishes. A showdown ends when every player passes in a row. ## What the Core Rules say - **310.1** Neutral Open: There is no Showdown or Combat in progress and no Chain exists. - **310.2** Neutral Closed: There is no Showdown or Combat in progress and a Chain exists. - **310.3** Showdown Open: A Showdown or Combat is in progress and no Chain exists. - **310.4** Showdown Closed: A Showdown or Combat is in progress and a Chain exists. - **310.1.a** By default, cards can be played and abilities activated only when a player has priority on their turn in a Neutral Open state. - **308.1.a** Only cards and abilities with the Action or Reaction keywords can be played or activated in a Showdown State. - **309.1.a** Only cards and abilities with the Reaction keyword can be played or activated in a Closed State. - **339.1** If all players have passed Priority in sequence without adding any items to the Chain, proceed to Step 4: Resolve. - **340.1** The newest Finalized Chain Item resolves. Execute its game effects in their entirety. - **337.2** If, after finalizing the Chain Item, that item is a Unit, Gear, or an ability that Adds resources, it resolves immediately—Move to Step 4: Resolve. - **312.1** Priority is the singular exclusive right to take Discretionary Actions. - **313.1** Focus is the permission to take appropriately timed Discretionary Actions when the turn is in a Showdown Open State. ## Common questions ### When can I play cards in Riftbound? By default, only on your own turn, in your Main Phase, with no showdown going on and nothing on the chain. Action cards can also be played during showdowns, and Reaction cards whenever you have priority, including while something is on the chain on either player's turn. Source: Core Rules 310.1.a, 316.5.b, 312.2.a, 312.1, 806.1.c.1, 813.1.b, 813.1.c.1 ### What do Neutral, Showdown, Open and Closed mean? They describe the state of the turn. Neutral means no showdown or combat is going on, and Showdown means one is. Open means nothing is on the chain, and Closed means something is. Put together, the turn is always Neutral Open, Neutral Closed, Showdown Open or Showdown Closed. Source: Core Rules 308.1, 308.2, 309.1, 309.2, 310 ### What's the difference between Action and Reaction? [Action](https://runeweave.com/keywords/action) lets a card or ability be played during showdowns on any player's turn, as well as at the normal time. [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction) includes all of that and also works in closed states, while something is on the chain, which is what lets you respond to a spell before it resolves. Source: Core Rules 806.1.b, 806.2, 813.1.b, 813.1.c.1, 159.2.b.3 ### How does the chain work? Playing a card or ability puts it on the chain. Its controller gets priority first, then players take turns adding Reactions or passing. When every player passes in a row, the newest item resolves, and players can respond again before the next one does. Once the chain is empty, the state is open again. Source: Core Rules 328, 337.4, 338.1.b.1, 339.1, 340.1, 340.4, 340.2 ### What's the difference between pending and finalized? A chain item is pending while it's being played: its choices, costs and legality check. After the check it's finalized, and only finalized items resolve. Pending items are finalized oldest first, and nobody gets priority until nothing on the chain is pending. Source: Core Rules 329.2, 329.3, 340.1, 337.1.b, 337.4, 312.2.c ### Can I respond to a unit or gear being played? Not to the unit or gear itself. Units, gear and abilities that add energy or power resolve as soon as they're finalized, without anyone getting priority in between. The abilities they trigger, like a unit's "when you play me" ability, go on the chain afterward and can be responded to. Source: Core Rules 337.2, 430.2, 430.2.a, 383.4.a, 383.3 ### What's the difference between priority and focus? Priority is the right to act right now, and only one player has it at a time. Focus only exists during showdowns and tracks whose turn it is to start something: the player with focus gets priority whenever the chain is empty. Passing priority while something is on the chain doesn't give up focus. Source: Core Rules 312.1, 313.1, 313.2, 313.3, 313.5, 335.1; [Riftbound Core Rules: Spiritforged Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-spiritforged-patch-notes/), December 5, 2025 ### How do turns work in a showdown? The player who contested the battlefield gets focus first. The player with focus can play an Action or Reaction card or ability, or pass. If they play something, focus moves to the next player in turn order once that chain has resolved; if they pass, it moves on right away. The showdown ends when every player passes in a row. Source: Core Rules 345, 347.1, 347.1.b, 347.2, 347.2.a, 347.2.b ### Does focus pass after a triggered ability resolves? No. If a chain was started by a triggered ability or an ability that adds resources, focus stays where it was when that chain finishes. That's why the abilities that trigger as a combat starts don't cost the attacker their first chance to act. Source: Core Rules 346.1, 340.2.a, 466.2.c.1.a; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### What order do triggered abilities go on the chain? If several of your abilities trigger at the same time, you choose their order. If several players' abilities trigger at once, each player orders their own, starting with the player whose turn it is. When a combat starts, the attacker puts their triggers on the chain first and the defender last, so the defender's resolve first. Source: Core Rules 383.3.d, 383.3.d.1, 466.2.d.1, 340.1; [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 ## Example: Cleave meets Flash You attack a battlefield, and with focus in the combat's showdown, you play [Cleave](https://runeweave.com/card/cleave) to give your attacker Assault 3, then pass priority. Your opponent responds with [Flash](https://runeweave.com/card/flash), a Reaction, to move their only defender to base. You both pass, so Flash resolves first; you both pass again, and Cleave resolves. The chain is empty, so focus passes to your opponent. They pass, you pass, and the showdown ends. No defenders are left, so there's no combat damage, and you conquer the battlefield. ## Official rulings > Priority is the singular and exclusive right to take discretionary actions. Priority restricts actions for all players to one bottleneck—only the player with priority may act. Focus, however, is like a “home base.” It is an additional permission, and a tracking tool. Focus passes around to make sure everyone gets a turn to play Actions in showdowns, even as priority bounces around from player to player. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Spiritforged Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-spiritforged-patch-notes/), December 5, 2025 > CLARIFIED: Focus does not pass at the end of the initial chain. … This is so that who gets to play first in a showdown is not reliant on whether or not there was an initial chain. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 **Can a cleanup happen while I’m finalizing a card or ability?** > No. A cleanup cannot occur during the process of finalizing a card or ability. … Cleanups will occur after adding an item to the chain, after finalizing that item, and after that item resolves. At each point that a cleanup occurs, it will pause the FEPR process until it is complete. However, cleanups will only happen between these steps and never during a step itself. — [Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/unleashed-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), April 29, 2026 > Items cannot be placed on the chain simultaneously for any reason. If chain items would be played simultaneously, their controller chooses the order they go on the chain. If multiple players would add items to the chain simultaneously, they place their items on the chain in turn order instead, starting with the current turn player. — [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Spiritforged Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-spiritforged-patch-notes/), December 5, 2025 - [Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/unleashed-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), April 29, 2026 - [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Moving units in Riftbound: the standard move, recalls and battlefields > Exhaust a unit in your Main Phase to move it between your base and a battlefield, or between battlefields with Ganking. A recall sends it to base but isn't a move. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/movement Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Every unit has a standard move. In your Main Phase, when no showdown or combat is going on and nothing is on the chain, you can exhaust a unit to move it from your base to a battlefield or from a battlefield back to your base. Units with [Ganking](https://runeweave.com/keywords/ganking) can also move straight from one battlefield to another. Several units can move as one move if they all go to the same place, even from different starting points. Moving doesn't use the chain, so nobody can respond to the move itself. Moving to a battlefield you don't control contests it: if it's empty, a showdown starts, and if another player has units there, a [combat](https://runeweave.com/rules/combat) starts. No move can take units to a battlefield that already has units from two other players. Spells and abilities can move units too. The card says where the units can go, and you choose the destination as you play it. With Action or Reaction, a move can happen during a showdown, which is one way units join or leave a combat. A recall is different: it sends a unit or gear to its base without moving it, so it doesn't trigger move abilities and effects that stop movement can't stop it. Units are played to your base or a battlefield you control, and gear to your base, with exceptions. [Ambush](https://runeweave.com/keywords/ambush) units can also be played to a battlefield where you have units, [Deploy](https://runeweave.com/keywords/deploy) gear is played to any battlefield instead of your base, and a [Hidden](https://runeweave.com/keywords/hidden) unit or gear must be played to the battlefield where it was hidden. Bases and battlefields are the game's locations; a battlefield's facedown zone and the Legend Zone are not. ## What the Core Rules say - **144** Units have the Inherent Ability to perform a Standard Move. - **144.1.a** This action can be done any time during a player's Main Phase. - **144.1.c** This action cannot be performed during a Showdown or Combat. - **144.2** Exhausting the Unit is the Cost for this action. - **144.3** Players may perform multiple Units' standard move simultaneously. This is treated as one game action performed on multiple Units. - **144.4.a** Units may move from their Base to a Battlefield. - **144.4.b** Units may move from a Battlefield to their Base. - **448.3.c** Moving does not use the Chain, nor is it able to be Reacted to. - **457** A Recall is when a Permanent is relocated from anywhere to its Base without it being a Move. - **355.2.a** By default, Valid locations include the controller’s Base or a Battlefield the controller controls. - **149.2** Gear can only be played to a player's Base unless an effect specifies otherwise. - **198.1** Locations include the Battlefields and the Bases. ## Common questions ### How do you move units in Riftbound? With the standard move: exhaust the unit to move it from your base to a battlefield, or from a battlefield back to your base. You can do it any time in your own Main Phase, except during a showdown or combat or while something is on the chain. Units with [Ganking](https://runeweave.com/keywords/ganking) can also move from one battlefield to another. Source: Core Rules 144.1.a, 144.1.b, 144.1.c, 144.2, 144.4.a, 144.4.b, 144.4.c.1, 421.3, 411.1.a ### Can a unit move the turn it's played? Usually not. Units enter the board exhausted, and exhausting the unit is the cost of the standard move, so it has to be readied first. [Accelerate](https://runeweave.com/keywords/accelerate) and similar effects let a unit enter ready. Source: Core Rules 143.4, 143.4.a, 144.2 ### Can I move several units at once? Yes. Several units' standard moves can be one move, as long as they all go to the same place. They can start from different places, so a Ganking unit at one battlefield can join units moving from your base. Each unit is exhausted. Source: Core Rules 144.3, 144.3.a, 144.3.b, 144.3.c ### What happens when I move to a battlefield? If you don't control it, your units contest it. An empty battlefield gets a showdown and one with another player's units gets a combat, starting in the next cleanup with nothing on the chain. The move itself doesn't use the chain, so it can't be responded to; your opponent's chance comes in the showdown. Source: Core Rules 452, 453, 454, 455, 323.11, 323.12, 448.3.c ### Which battlefields can't units move to? No move of any kind can take units to a battlefield that already has units from two other players. With more than two players, a battlefield with a staged or ongoing combat is off-limits to players who aren't in it, and in 2v2 you can't move to a battlefield your teammate occupies. If an effect would move a unit somewhere it can't go, the unit is recalled instead. Source: Core Rules 451.2, 449.2.a, 449.2.b, 449.2.c ### How do move effects from cards work? A spell or ability that moves units says where they can go, and you choose the destination when you play it; it must be somewhere other than where the units are. Exhausting is the cost of the standard move, not part of moving, so a card that moves a unit only exhausts it if it says so. With Action or Reaction, it can move units during a showdown. Source: Core Rules 451, 451.1, 355.4, 355.4.a, 421.1, 421.3.a, 144.2, 308.1.a; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### Is a recall a move? No. A recall sends a unit or gear to its base without moving it, so it doesn't trigger abilities that care about moving, and effects that stop units from moving can't stop it. Its damage and statuses, like being exhausted, stay as they were unless the recall says otherwise. Source: Core Rules 457, 458, 458.1, 458.3, 460.1; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### When do units and gear get recalled? After combat damage, attackers still at the battlefield are recalled if defenders are still there too. Gear that isn't attached and doesn't have Deploy is recalled from a battlefield in the next cleanup. A unit that an effect would move somewhere it can't go is recalled instead, and cards can recall things too: [Zhonya's Hourglass](https://runeweave.com/card/zhonyas-hourglass) recalls a friendly unit that would die. Source: Core Rules 468.1.a.2, 459.1, 830.1.b.3, 449.2.c ### Where can I play units and gear? Units go to your base or a battlefield you control, and gear to your base. Ambush units can also be played to a battlefield where you have units, Deploy gear goes to any battlefield instead of your base, and a hidden unit or gear must be played to the battlefield where it was hidden. Units and gear are never played to another player's base. Source: Core Rules 355.2.a, 149.2, 822.1.b, 830.1.b, 830.1.b.1, 811.1.d.1, 811.1.d.1.a, 358.3; [Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/vendetta-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), August 14, 2026 ### Is my base a location? Yes. Each base and each battlefield is a location, and every unit and gear on the board is at one of them. A battlefield's facedown zone and the Legend Zone are not locations. So a card that hits units at the same location, like [Bellows Breath](https://runeweave.com/card/bellows-breath), can hit units in a base. Source: Core Rules 198.1, 107.1.b, 107.2.b, 146.1, 152.1, 107.3.e, 107.4.b, 355.11.b.1 ## Example: Recalled from Vilemaw's Lair Your units attack an enemy unit at [Vilemaw's Lair](https://runeweave.com/card/vilemaws-lair), a battlefield that says units can't move from there to base. After combat damage, both sides still have units there, so your attackers are recalled to your base. The Lair can't stop that, because a recall isn't a move. ## Official rulings > CLARIFIED: Recalls are not moves. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > CLARIFIED: Recalls do not affect the state of the object. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > NEW RULE: Move destinations are a required choice. This means they are required to be made at time of putting a spell or ability on the chain. It also means that you cannot choose destinations that are not valid to satisfy the conditions of a spell or ability. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > Units cannot be played to a base of a player other than their own controller under any circumstances. — [Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/vendetta-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), August 14, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 - [Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/vendetta-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), August 14, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Runes in Riftbound: energy, power and the rune deck > A Riftbound rune deck is 12 runes in your legend's domains. You channel 2 a turn, then exhaust a rune for 1 energy or recycle it for one power of its domain. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/runes Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Runes are how you pay for cards in Riftbound. Each player brings a rune deck of exactly 12 runes, shuffled and kept apart from the Main Deck. Every rune has to match your Champion Legend's domains, so a Fury and Chaos legend like [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon) plays Fury and Chaos runes. Runes come into play by channeling. In your Channel Phase you put the top 2 runes of your rune deck onto the board, ready to use. In a 1v1 game, the player going second channels one extra rune on their first turn; in free-for-all and 2v2 games, the player going last does. Each basic rune has two abilities. Exhaust it to add 1 energy, or recycle it to add one power of its domain. Recycling puts the rune on the bottom of your rune deck, so it leaves the board until you channel it again. Both abilities have [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction), so you can use them whenever you need to pay, even partway through playing a card. Energy and power pay different parts of a cost. The number in a card's top-left corner is its energy cost, and the domain symbols in that corner are its power cost. Energy has no domain, so energy from any rune works. Power has a domain, so a Fury symbol needs Fury power, while a rainbow symbol takes power of any domain. A few sources, like the [Gold](https://runeweave.com/card/gold) token, add power that can pay for any domain. What you [add](https://runeweave.com/keywords/add) goes into your rune pool, and it doesn't last. Your pool empties at the start of each player's Main Phase and at the end of every turn, and anything unspent is lost. Exhausted runes ready again at the start of your turn. ## What the Core Rules say - **161.2.a** Exactly 12 Rune cards chosen during Deck Construction. - **103.4.a.1** Cards in the Rune Deck must be of the Domain Identity of your Champion Legend. - **431.4.a** A player Channels two Runes during the Channel Phase on their turn. - **164.2.a** [Reaction][>] [E]: Add [1]. - **164.2.b** [Reaction][>] Recycle this: Add [C]. - **164.2.b.1** The Power added this way corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that is being Recycled. - **161.2.b** When a Rune is Recycled it is returned to the Rune Deck, not the Main Deck. - **163.1** Energy is used to pay numeric Energy costs. - **163.2** Power is used to pay Domain-associated Power Costs. - **135.2.e.5.a** When required as a cost, [A] can be paid by Power of any Domain. - **166.2** Players must add Energy and Power to their Rune Pool in order to be able to spend it to play cards or pay for Abilities with costs. - **167** Every player's Rune Pool empties at the start of each player's Main Phase and the end of each player's turn. ## Common questions ### How many runes are in a Riftbound rune deck? Exactly 12, and every one must match your Champion Legend's domains. The rules don't set a split, so a two-domain deck can run any mix of its two rune types. The rune deck is shuffled and kept separate from your Main Deck. Source: Core Rules 161.2.a, 103.4.a, 103.4.a.1, 103.4.b ### How many runes do you channel each turn? Two, in your Channel Phase, from the top of your shuffled rune deck, so you don't choose which ones you get. They come in ready. In a 1v1 game, the player going second channels one extra rune on their first turn, and in free-for-all and 2v2 games the player going last does. Source: Core Rules 431.4.a, 315.3.b, 431.1, 103.4.b, 431.2.a, 487.7, 488.7, 489.7, 490.7, 491.7 ### What's the difference between energy and power in Riftbound? Energy pays the number in a card's cost and has no domain, so energy from any rune works. Power pays the domain symbols in the cost, and it has a domain, which usually matches the rune that made it. Source: Core Rules 163.1, 163.1.a, 163.2, 163.2.a, 163.2.a.1, 131.2.a, 131.3.a ### How do runes make energy and power? Exhaust a rune to add 1 energy, or recycle it to add one power of its domain. Recycling sends it to the bottom of your rune deck. Recycling doesn't need the rune to be ready, so you can exhaust a rune for energy and then recycle it for power. Source: Core Rules 164.2.a, 164.2.b, 164.2.b.1, 417.1, 417.1.b ### Can I use my runes on my opponent's turn? Yes. Both rune abilities have Reaction and add resources, and those abilities can be used whenever you have to pay a cost, such as for a [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction) spell. Anything you don't spend is lost when that turn ends. Source: Core Rules 164.2.a, 164.2.b, 430.3, 813.1.c.2, 167; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### What does power of any domain mean? A rainbow symbol in a cost can be paid with power of any domain, and power added as any domain, like from a [Gold](https://runeweave.com/card/gold) token, can pay any power cost. Other power has to match the domain in the cost. A card with more than one domain, like the Calm and Chaos spell [Defiant Dance](https://runeweave.com/card/defiant-dance), takes power of any of its domains. Source: Core Rules 135.2.e.5, 135.2.e.5.a, 135.2.e.5.b, 187.5, 163.2, 163.2.b, 135.2.e.6.c; [Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-vendetta-patch-notes/), July 17, 2026 ### What are the six rune types and their colors? There's one basic rune for each domain. Fury is red with a three-pointed symbol, Calm green with a leaf, Mind blue with a sun and moon, Body orange with a blocky diamond, Chaos purple with a swirling hexagon, and Order yellow with an angular wing. Each rune's power is of its own domain. Source: Core Rules 164.1, 134.2.a, 134.2.b, 134.2.c, 134.2.d, 134.2.e, 134.2.f, 164.2.b.1 ### When does your rune pool empty? At the start of each player's Main Phase and at the end of every turn. Any energy or power you haven't spent by then is lost. Source: Core Rules 167, 167.1, 316.3, 317.2.d ### Are runes permanents? No. Runes stay on the board after you channel them, but they aren't permanents, because they aren't Main Deck cards. A rune stays on the board until it's recycled or removed some other way. Source: Core Rules 161.1, 161.1.a, 133.5.a.1, 133.4.a.1 ### What happens when your rune deck runs out? You channel as many runes as are left. Running out of runes doesn't burn you out, because burning out only happens with your Main Deck. Runes you recycle go to the bottom of the rune deck, so it fills back up as you recycle. Source: Core Rules 431.3, 315.3.b.1, 432.1, 417.1.b ## Example: Paying for Jinx, Rebel You have six ready runes: three Fury and three Chaos. To play [Jinx, Rebel](https://runeweave.com/card/jinx-rebel), which costs 5 energy and one Chaos power, you exhaust all three Fury runes and two Chaos runes for 5 energy, then recycle one of those exhausted Chaos runes for the Chaos power. Jinx is paid for, and your third Chaos rune is still ready for later. The recycled rune goes to the bottom of your rune deck, so you now have five runes on the board, and you'll channel two more next turn. ## Official rulings > CLARIFIED: Basic rune abilities have Reaction. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > This means you’ll have to pay for a signature card’s power cost with a power of that card’s domains. If there is an [A] symbol in the card’s text, that can still be paid with power of any domain. — [Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-vendetta-patch-notes/), July 17, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 - [Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-vendetta-patch-notes/), July 17, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Riftbound deck building rules > A Riftbound deck is a Champion Legend, a Main Deck of 40+ cards including your Chosen Champion, 12 runes and 3 battlefields. Max 3 copies of a card and 3 Signature cards. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/deck-building Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation A Riftbound deck has four parts: one Champion Legend, a Main Deck of at least 40 cards, a rune deck of exactly 12 runes, and three battlefields in every sanctioned mode. The Main Deck includes your Chosen Champion, which starts the game in your Champion Zone instead of being shuffled in. Start with your Champion Legend (every one is on the [Legends](https://runeweave.com/legends) page). Its domains are your deck's Domain Identity. A card with one domain needs that domain, a card with two domains needs both, and cards with no domain fit any deck. [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon) is Fury and Chaos, so a Jinx deck can play Fury cards, Chaos cards, Fury and Chaos cards, and cards with no domain. Your Chosen Champion must be a champion unit with your legend's champion tag, like [Jinx, Rebel](https://runeweave.com/card/jinx-rebel) or [Jinx, Demolitionist](https://runeweave.com/card/jinx-demolitionist) for Loose Cannon. You can play up to 3 copies of a card by name, and your Chosen Champion counts toward its 3. Different versions of a champion have different names, so you can play 3 of each. Signature cards are tied to a champion too. A deck can hold 3 Signature cards in total, whatever their names, and all of them must have your legend's champion tag. A card with [Unique](https://runeweave.com/keywords/unique) is limited to 1 copy. Your 12 runes must match your Domain Identity, and your three battlefields must all have different names. Tokens never go in a deck: cards create them during play. Every card must also be legal in the format you play, so check the [ban list](https://runeweave.com/ban-list). ## What the Core Rules say - **103** To play Riftbound, a player must have a Main Deck, a Rune Deck, a Champion Legend, and a number of Battlefields determined by the Mode of Play. These are collectively referred to as a player’s deck. - **103.2.b.2** Your deck’s Domain Identity is dictated by the domains of your Champion Legend. In the default card frame, these domains appear as symbols in the legend’s upper left corner. - **103.2.b.4** If a card has more than one Domain, then that card is permitted only in a Domain Identity that contains all of the indicated Domains on that card. - **103.2.b.5** If a card has no Domain, then that card is permitted in decks of any Domain Identity. - **103.3** A Main Deck of at least 40 cards: A Chosen Champion Unit, as well as Units, Gear, and Spells - **103.3.a.2** Must be a champion unit with a champion tag that matches the tag on your Champion Legend. - **103.3.b** Your Main Deck can include up to 3 copies of the same named card. - **103.3.d.1** Regardless of name, a deck may only contain a sum total of 3 Signature cards. - **103.3.d.2** All of the Signature cards must have the Champion tag that corresponds to the Champion Legend of the deck. - **161.2.a** Exactly 12 Rune cards chosen during Deck Construction. - **103.5.c** Cannot include more than one of a Battlefield of the same name when there are more than one required for the deck. - **825.3.a** A deck can contain only one card of a given name if the card has Unique ## Common questions ### How many cards are in a Riftbound deck? A Main Deck of at least 40 cards, counting your Chosen Champion, plus a rune deck of exactly 12 runes, one Champion Legend and three battlefields in every sanctioned mode. That's at least 56 cards in all. Source: Core Rules 103, 103.3, 161.2.a, 103.2, 487.4.a, 488.4.a, 489.4.a, 490.4.a, 491.4.a ### What is Domain Identity in Riftbound? It's the set of domains your deck can use, taken from your Champion Legend. A card with one domain needs that domain in your identity, a card with two domains needs both, and cards with no domain fit any deck. Your runes must match it too. Source: Core Rules 103.2.b, 103.2.b.2, 103.2.b.3, 103.2.b.4, 103.2.b.5, 103.4.a.1; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### Who can be my Chosen Champion? Any champion unit with your legend's champion tag. With [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon), which has the Jinx tag, that's [Jinx, Rebel](https://runeweave.com/card/jinx-rebel) or [Jinx, Demolitionist](https://runeweave.com/card/jinx-demolitionist). Signature units like [Tibbers](https://runeweave.com/card/tibbers-annie) aren't champion units, so they can't be. Your Chosen Champion starts in your Champion Zone, and you can play it from there as normal. Source: Core Rules 103.3.a.2, 103.3.a.1, 103.3.d.3, 108.3.d ### How many copies of a card can I have in Riftbound? Up to 3 of each card by name, and your Chosen Champion counts toward its 3. Cards for the same champion with different names are different cards, so 3 [Yasuo, Remorseful](https://runeweave.com/card/yasuo-remorseful) and 3 [Yasuo, Windrider](https://runeweave.com/card/yasuo-windrider) is legal. Cards with [Unique](https://runeweave.com/keywords/unique) are limited to 1. Source: Core Rules 103.3.b, 103.3.b.1, 103.3.b.2, 132.4, 825.3.a ### How many Signature cards can a Riftbound deck have? 3 in total, whatever their names, and every one must have your Champion Legend's champion tag. A Jinx deck could play 3 copies of [Super Mega Death Rocket!](https://runeweave.com/card/super-mega-death-rocket-jinx), but then no other Signature cards. Source: Core Rules 103.3.d, 103.3.d.1, 103.3.d.2 ### How does Unique work with Signature cards? The two limits stack: 3 Signature cards in total, and only 1 copy of each Unique one. Ornn's [Forgefire Cape](https://runeweave.com/card/forgefire-cape), [Rabadon's Deathcrown](https://runeweave.com/card/rabadons-deathcrown) and [Shurelya's Requiem](https://runeweave.com/card/shurelyas-requiem) are all Unique Signature cards, so an Ornn deck can play one of each. Source: Core Rules 825.3.b, 825.3.a, 103.3.d.1 ### How many battlefields do you need in Riftbound? Three, all with different names, in every sanctioned mode. At most one of yours is used in each game; [game modes](https://runeweave.com/rules/game-modes) covers how it's picked. Source: Core Rules 103.5.a, 103.5.c, 487.4.a, 488.4.a, 489.4.a, 490.4.a, 490.5, 491.4.a, 491.5.a ### Do tokens go in your deck? No. Tokens aren't cards, and they can only exist on the board or the chain: cards create them during play. You don't need the printed token cards from booster packs either, since anything can stand in for a token. Source: Core Rules 185, 180, 186, 181 ### Can I play banned cards? No. Your Main Deck has to be legal in the format you're playing. The [ban list](https://runeweave.com/ban-list) shows the cards and battlefields banned right now. Source: Core Rules 103.3.e ### Can 2v2 teammates use the same legend? No. In 2v2, teammates can't use the same Champion Legend or the same battlefields. Source: Core Rules 491.8.h, 491.8.i; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ## Example: Building around Loose Cannon You pick [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon), a Fury and Chaos legend with the Jinx tag. You choose [Jinx, Rebel](https://runeweave.com/card/jinx-rebel) as your Chosen Champion and add 2 more copies to your Main Deck, for 3 in all. You add 3 [Super Mega Death Rocket!](https://runeweave.com/card/super-mega-death-rocket-jinx), which uses all 3 of your Signature cards, then fill the rest of the 40 with Fury, Chaos and domainless cards, at most 3 of each. Your rune deck is any 12 Fury and Chaos runes, and you bring three battlefields with different names. ## Official rulings > Clarified: Domain Identity is keyed off of Champion Legend. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > Clarified: A player’s Chosen Champion is not one specific piece of cardboard, but any Champion Unit with the same name as the Chosen Champion that began the game in the Champion Zone. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > NEW RULE: Players cannot have the same Champion Legend as their partner. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Riftbound card types: units, spells, gear, legends, runes and battlefields > Riftbound has six card types. Units, gear and spells form your Main Deck, runes your rune deck, and legends and battlefields start in play. Units and gear are permanents. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/card-types Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Every Riftbound card has one of six types. Units, gear and spells make up your Main Deck, and runes make up your rune deck. Your Champion Legend and your battlefields aren't in either deck: they start the game in play and stay there. Units and gear are permanents, which means they stay on the board after you play them. A spell does what its text says and then goes to your trash. Runes stay on the board too, but they aren't permanents, because they aren't Main Deck cards. Legends and battlefields aren't permanents either. Units are your fighters. A unit's Might is what it adds to combat, and damage equal to its Might kills it. You play a unit to your base or a battlefield you control, and it enters exhausted. Gear normally goes to your base and enters ready. Equipment is gear you attach to a unit, which adds its Might bonus and effect text to that unit. Champion units and Signature cards are tied to a legend by its champion tag. One champion unit is your Chosen Champion, which starts the game in your Champion Zone. Tokens, like a [Recruit](https://runeweave.com/card/recruit) unit or [Gold](https://runeweave.com/card/gold) gear, aren't cards at all: effects create them during play. Main Deck cards have a cost, paid with energy and power from your runes, as [runes, energy and power](https://runeweave.com/rules/runes) explains. [Deck building](https://runeweave.com/rules/deck-building) covers what goes in a deck. ## What the Core Rules say - **133.4.a.1** An umbrella sub-category encompassing Main Deck Game Objects that remain on the board after being played. - **133.4.a.2** Unit and Gear are permanent types. - **133.4.b.1** A sub-category encompassing Main Deck cards with the spell type, which do not remain on the board after being played. - **133.5.a.1** A sub-category encompassing cards with the rune type. These are channeled rather than played. They remain on the board after being channeled, but they are not permanents, as they are not Main Deck cards. - **133.6.a.1** A sub-category encompassing cards with the battlefield type. They are not played or channeled. They start the game on the board. - **133.6.b.1** A sub-category encompassing cards with the legend type. They are not played or channeled. They start the game in the Legend Zone and cannot typically leave it during play. - **143.2** Might: The combat statistic of a Unit. Used to determine a Unit's contribution to Combat, as well as when it is Killed by damaging effects. - **143.4** Units enter the Board exhausted. - **149.1** Gear enter play Ready. - **149.2** Gear can only be played to a player's Base unless an effect specifies otherwise. - **150.2** Equipment have effect text and a Might bonus. - **185** Tokens are not cards. ## Common questions ### What are the card types in Riftbound? There are six: units, spells and gear, which go in your Main Deck; runes, which make up your rune deck; and legends and battlefields, which start the game in play. Champion and Signature aren't card types but supertypes, and tokens are game objects that cards create. Source: Core Rules 103.3, 154, 161, 133.6.a.1, 133.6.b.1, 133.7, 133.7.a, 133.7.b, 180 ### What's the difference between a permanent and a spell? Permanents, meaning units and gear, stay on the board after you play them. A spell does what its text says, then goes to its owner's trash. By default you play spells on your own turn outside showdowns, unless they have [Action](https://runeweave.com/keywords/action) or [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction). Source: Core Rules 133.4.a.1, 133.4.a.2, 133.4.b.1, 157, 155, 806.1.c.1, 813.1.c.1 ### What do the numbers on a Riftbound card mean? The number in the top-left corner is the energy cost, and the domain symbols in that corner are the power cost. A unit's Might is in its top-right corner. Equipment also has a Might bonus in its lower-right corner, which it adds to the unit it's attached to. Source: Core Rules 131.2.a, 131.3.a, 143.2.a, 137.1, 137.3 ### Where can I play units? To your base or to a battlefield you control, unless an effect lets you play one somewhere else. Units enter exhausted, and moving costs exhausting the unit, so a new unit can't move until it's readied, unless it entered ready with [Accelerate](https://runeweave.com/keywords/accelerate). Source: Core Rules 355.2.a, 355.2.b, 143.4, 143.4.a, 144.2, 415.1.b, 416.3.a ### How does gear work in Riftbound? Gear is a permanent you normally play to your base, and it enters ready. Its activated abilities can be used in your Main Phase outside showdowns, unless they have [Action](https://runeweave.com/keywords/action) or [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction). Unattached gear at a battlefield is recalled to your base in the next cleanup, unless it has [Deploy](https://runeweave.com/keywords/deploy), which lets gear be played to a battlefield and stay there. Source: Core Rules 133.4.a.2, 149.1, 149.2, 151.2, 806.1.c.2, 813.1.c.2, 149.3, 830.1.b, 830.1.b.3 ### How does Equipment work in Riftbound? Equipment is gear with the Equipment tag. Pay its [Equip](https://runeweave.com/keywords/equip) cost to attach it to a unit you control: the unit gets its Might bonus and effect text, and the Equipment's printed rules text stops working while it's attached. [Quick-Draw](https://runeweave.com/keywords/quick-draw) Equipment can be played as a Reaction and attaches to a unit you control when you play it. If the unit leaves the board, the Equipment detaches and stays where the unit was, then goes back to your base if that's a battlefield. Source: Core Rules 150.1, 150.2, 818.1.b, 435.1.c, 435.1.d, 435.1.e, 819.1.d, 719.5, 436.4.b, 436.4.a ### What are champion units and Signature cards? Both are tied to a legend by its champion tag, such as Jinx. Champion units are units with the Champion supertype, and the one you pick as your Chosen Champion starts the game in your Champion Zone. Signature is a supertype any card type can have, like the spell [Super Mega Death Rocket!](https://runeweave.com/card/super-mega-death-rocket-jinx), and a deck can hold 3 Signature cards in total. Source: Core Rules 133.8.b, 133.7.a, 133.7.b, 103.3.a.2, 108.3.b, 103.3.d.1 ### What does a Champion Legend do? It sets your deck's domains and starts the game in your Legend Zone, where it stays: legends can't be killed or moved, and they aren't permanents. Legends have abilities too, like [Loose Cannon](https://runeweave.com/card/loose-cannon)'s extra draw when your hand is low, or [Fire Below the Mountain](https://runeweave.com/card/fire-below-the-mountain)'s exhaust for power to spend on gear. Source: Core Rules 176.1, 133.6.b.1, 107.4.d, 174.3, 174.4, 175, 174.6, 174.7, 174.8 ### What are battlefields in Riftbound? Battlefields are where units fight and where you score points. They start the game on the board and stay there: they can't be played, moved or killed, and they aren't permanents. Whoever controls a battlefield controls its abilities. Each player brings three to a game. Source: Core Rules 133.6.a.1, 170.2.a, 170.3, 170.4, 171, 190.6.a, 194.1.a, 194.1.b, 487.4.a, 491.4.a ### How do tokens work in Riftbound? Tokens are game objects that cards create during play, like a 1 Might [Recruit](https://runeweave.com/card/recruit) unit, or a [Gold](https://runeweave.com/card/gold) gear you kill and exhaust for one power of any domain. A token follows the rules for its type, has no domain and counts as costing 0. If it leaves the board for your trash, hand or any other zone except the chain, it stops existing. Anything can stand in for a token, so the printed token cards are optional. Source: Core Rules 180, 187.1, 187.5, 185.2.d, 185.3.a.1, 185.3.b, 186.1, 181 ## Example: Equipping a Long Sword [Long Sword](https://runeweave.com/card/long-sword) is Fury Equipment with a +2 Might bonus and [Quick-Draw](https://runeweave.com/keywords/quick-draw). It costs 2 energy and one Fury power, and Quick-Draw lets you play it as a Reaction. When you play it, it attaches to a unit you control, so your 2 Might [Legion Rearguard](https://runeweave.com/card/legion-rearguard) becomes a 4 Might unit. If the Rearguard dies at a battlefield, the Long Sword detaches and stays there, then it's recalled to your base in the next cleanup. ## Official rulings **If I play Turn to Dust on an attached Equipment, will the Equipment die in the Beginning Phase?** > Attached Equipment only have their printed rules text made inactive per rules 718.2. and 135.4. This means that any granted rules text will still be active; granted Temporary will trigger and kill attached Equipment and granted Deflect will add [A] to the cost of enemy spells and abilities that target them. — [Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/unleashed-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), April 29, 2026 **Can Rumble, Hotheaded choose a Mech token to recycle? If he does, where does it go?** > We’ll be clarifying in a future rules updates that tokens “inherit” the recycle destination of their type(s), so a token that’s a unit or gear is recycled to your Main Deck just like any other gear. It then vanishes, as tokens do any time they leave the board, but it still counts as “the unit you recycled” and Rumble can check its Might. — [Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-spiritforged-faq/), January 14, 2026 > Orianna, Lady of Clockwork presents some unique rules scenarios for the game, including what happens to an Equipment that becomes a unit. We decided on the simplest answer: units can’t be attached to other game objects. If an attached game object becomes a unit, it detaches immediately. — [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Spiritforged FAQ](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-spiritforged-faq/), January 14, 2026 - [Unleashed Rules FAQ and Clarifications](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/unleashed-rules-faq-and-clarifications/), April 29, 2026 - [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026. --- # Riftbound game modes: 1v1, 2v2 and free-for-all > Riftbound has five sanctioned modes: 1v1 Duel and Match, 3-player Skirmish, 4-player War and 2v2 Magma Chamber. All play to 8 points except 2v2, which plays to 11. Riftbound rules explained by Runeweave: https://runeweave.com/rules/game-modes Symbols in Riot's text: [M] Might, [A] one power of any domain, [C] one power of the card's own domain, [E] exhaust, [2] two energy. ## Explanation Riftbound's Core Rules define five sanctioned modes of play. Duel and Match are 1v1, Skirmish is a 3-player free-for-all, War is a 4-player free-for-all, and Magma Chamber is 2v2. Each mode sets the number of players, the Victory Score, how many battlefields are in play and how they're chosen, whether you play one game or a match, and any changes to the first turn. Every player brings 3 battlefields in every mode, and each game uses at most one of them. In 1v1, each player puts one into play, for 2 in total. In Skirmish, each of the three players puts one in, for 3. In War and Magma Chamber, the player taking the first turn doesn't use theirs, and the other three players each put one in, so there are also 3. Duel is a single game to 8 points, and each player's battlefield is picked at random. Match is best of 3, and each player chooses their battlefield. After a game that someone wins, the battlefields used are removed for the rest of the match, and new ones are chosen from those set aside. A match can also be played as best of 5, where games 4 and 5 may reuse a removed battlefield once a player has used each of theirs. In both Duel and Match, the player going second channels an extra rune on their first turn. In Skirmish and War, everyone plays for themselves, and the goal is still 8 points. A combat is always between exactly two players: while one is staged or under way at a battlefield, the other players can't move or play units there. Showdowns include everyone, though. Focus passes around the table in turn order, so any player can play [Action](https://runeweave.com/keywords/action) and [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction) cards. On the first turn, the player going first skips their draw, and the player going last channels an extra rune. Magma Chamber is two teams of two, played to 11 points. Turns alternate between the teams. Teammates share one point total and win or lose together, so if one player concedes, the team loses. Control isn't shared: you can't give your teammate's units standard moves, hide cards at their battlefields, or move your units to a battlefield they occupy. Anything your teammate controls counts as "friendly" for your cards, but XP isn't shared. On your turn, you can invite your teammate to play spells and activate abilities using your priority. Scoring has extra rules in 2v2. Each battlefield can be scored only once per team per turn. A battlefield your teammate controls during your turn's scoring step can't be scored by your team that turn. And for the final point, you don't need to have scored the battlefields your teammate occupied in that step. Teammates can't bring the same Champion Legend or the same battlefields, and 2v2 Constructed has its own [ban list](https://runeweave.com/ban-list). ## What the Core Rules say - **487.4.a** Each player provides three (3) Battlefields, included in their deck during deck building. Only 1 will be used, chosen during setup. - **487.5** Setup: Each player randomly selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The other two are removed and will not be used for this game. The selected Battlefields are placed simultaneously in the Battlefield Zone. - **487.7** First Turn Process: The player going second channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game. - **488.6** Format: Best of 3. The first player to reach the Victory Score in Points wins the game. The winner of that game earns One Game Win. Players then reset the game state, remove the Battlefields in play from the game, choose new Battlefields from those set aside, and play again. The first player to earn Two Game Wins wins the match. - **489.7** First Turn Process: The player going first does not draw a card during their first Draw Phase of the game. The player going last channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game. - **490.4.b** The player who is taking the first turn removes their Battlefields. They will not be used. - **464** Combat can only occur between Units controlled by exactly two players. - **491.3** Victory Score: 11 - **491.5.c.1** The first player will be followed by an opponent, then the first player's teammate, then the first opponent's teammate, and so on. - **491.6.a** Teammates win or lose together. - **491.8.b** A Battlefield can only be Scored, via Conquering or Holding, once per team per turn. - **491.8.d** Points are shared by a team. ## Common questions ### What game modes does Riftbound have? Five sanctioned modes: Duel, a single 1v1 game; Match, a 1v1 best of 3; Skirmish, a 3-player free-for-all; War, a 4-player free-for-all; and Magma Chamber, a 2v2 team game. All are played to 8 points except Magma Chamber, which is played to 11. Source: Core Rules 487.3, 487.6, 488.6, 489.3, 490.3, 491.2, 491.3 ### How does 2v2 work in Riftbound? Two teams of two play to 11 points with 3 battlefields, and turns alternate between the teams. Teammates share one point total and win or lose together. Each player still controls their own cards, and you can't move units to a battlefield your teammate occupies. On your turn, you can invite your teammate to play spells and activate abilities with your priority. Source: Core Rules 491.3, 491.4, 491.5.c, 491.8.d, 491.6.a, 491.8.c, 449.2.b, 491.8.a ### How many points do you need to win in 2v2? 11. Teammates share one point total, so both players always have the same score, and points either of you gains or loses count for the team. A card that checks whether you gained points checks whether your team did. Source: Core Rules 491.3, 491.8.d.1, 491.8.d.2, 491.8.d.3 ### Can I conquer a battlefield my teammate was controlling? Not on a turn when they controlled it during your scoring step. A battlefield your teammate controlled during the scoring step of your turn can't be scored by your team that turn, so you can't have them leave it and then take it yourself. Each battlefield can also be scored only once per team per turn. Source: Core Rules 491.8.b.1, 471.1.a, 491.8.b ### How do you play Riftbound with 3 players? Play Skirmish, the 3-player free-for-all. Everyone plays for themselves to 8 points. Each player randomly selects one of their 3 battlefields, so 3 battlefields are in play. The player going first skips their first draw, and the player going last channels an extra rune on their first turn. Source: Core Rules 489.1, 489.2, 489.3, 489.5, 489.7 ### How does 4-player free-for-all work in Riftbound? That's War: four players, each playing for themselves to 8 points. The player taking the first turn doesn't use their battlefields. The other three each randomly select one of theirs, so 3 battlefields are in play. The first player skips their first draw, and the last player channels an extra rune on their first turn. Source: Core Rules 490.1, 490.2, 490.3, 490.4.b, 490.5, 490.7 ### How do combat and showdowns work with more than two players? A combat is always between exactly two players. While one is staged or under way at a battlefield, players who aren't in it can't move units there or play units there. Showdowns include everyone: focus passes to each player in turn order, so any player can play [Action](https://runeweave.com/keywords/action) and [Reaction](https://runeweave.com/keywords/reaction) cards, even at a battlefield where they have no units. Source: Core Rules 464, 464.1, 464.2, 347.1.b, 347.2.b; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### What's the difference between Duel and Match? Both are 1v1 games to 8 points with 2 battlefields. Duel is a single game, and each player's battlefield is picked at random. Match is best of 3, and each player chooses their battlefield. After a game someone wins, the battlefields used are removed, and each player picks a new one from those set aside. Source: Core Rules 487.3, 487.4, 487.5, 487.6, 488.5, 488.6 ### Can teammates use the same legend or battlefields in 2v2? No. Teammates must have different Champion Legends, and no battlefield can appear in both of their decks. Source: Core Rules 491.8.h, 491.8.i; [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 ### Does "friendly" include my teammate's units in 2v2? Yes. Two game objects are friendly if they share a controller or if their controllers are teammates, so a card that says "ready a friendly unit" can ready one of your teammate's units. XP isn't shared, though: each player has their own. Source: Core Rules 740.1.a, 491.8.e, 732 ## Example: Setting up a 2v2 game You and your teammate sit next to each other, facing the other team. You're chosen to go first, so your 3 battlefields aren't used. Your teammate and both opponents each randomly select one of theirs, and those 3 go into play. Turn order alternates teams and passes across the table: you, then an opponent, then your teammate, then the other opponent. You skip your first draw, and the other opponent, who goes last, channels 3 runes on their first turn. Your team plays to 11 points, and you and your teammate always have the same score. ## Official rulings > New Rule: In 2v2, partners cannot include the same battlefield across both of their decks. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > NEW RULE: Players cannot have the same Champion Legend as their partner. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > CLARIFIED: Partners win or lose together. This means one player conceding has their partner lose as well. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > CLARIFIED: All players always have agency to act during Showdowns and Chains in all modes. — [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 > NEW RULE: In a Best of 5 match, during games 4 and 5 of the match players may present a battlefield that has been removed from the game. … NEW RULE: Players may only re-use a battlefield in this way if they have already presented each of their battlefields at least once during the match, and present a battlefield at most twice in a given match. — [Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-vendetta-patch-notes/), July 17, 2026 > The rules for 2v2 scoring were slightly contradictory. In the Vendetta rules update we cleaned them up, and in this rules update they’ve been fully aligned. Specifically, the final point and scoring eligibility special rules now apply only to teams that maintain control of a battlefield during their own or a teammate’s turn, and not during an opponent’s turn. — [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 ## Sources - [Riftbound Core Rules](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/rules-hub/), October 9, 2026 - [Riftbound Core Rules: Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/rules-and-releases/riftbound-core-rules-patch-notes/), October 24, 2025 - [Core Rules: Vendetta Patch Notes](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-vendetta-patch-notes/), July 17, 2026 - [Core Rules: Radiance Patch Notes (Effective October 16, 2026)](https://playriftbound.com/en-us/news/announcements/core-rules-radiance-patch-notes-effective-october-16-2026/), October 9, 2026 Checked against these sources on October 15, 2026.