Hidden — Riftbound Keyword

Definition

Hidden is a keyword that acts as a prerequisite to perform the Hide Discretionary Action. It is functionally short for "While this card is in your hand or in the Champion Zone on your turn during an Open State, you may pay [A] to hide this facedown at a battlefield you control that doesn't already have a facedown card hidden there for as long as you control that battlefield. Beginning on the next turn, this gains [Reaction] and you may play this, ignoring its base cost."

Rules (19)

737.

Hidden

737.1.

Hidden is a keyword that acts as a prerequisite to perform the Hide Discretionary Action.

737.1.a.

It is present on Spells, Units, and Gear.

737.1.b.

It is functionally short for "While this card is in your hand or in the Champion Zone on your turn during an Open State, you may pay [A] to hide this facedown at a battlefield you control that doesn't already have a facedown card hidden there for as long as you control that battlefield. Beginning on the next turn, this gains [Reaction] and you may play this, ignoring its base cost."

737.1.c.

It allows the player to take the Discretionary Action Hide.

737.1.c.1.

Hide is not a subset of Play.

737.1.c.2.

Hiding a card does not open a chain.

737.1.c.3.

Playing a card from facedown (or "from Hidden") does open a chain.

737.1.d.

Some choices made while playing a card from Hidden are restricted to the battlefield where it was hidden. A card cannot be played from Hidden if it is a spell with no valid targets under these restrictions. See rule 352.5. Targeting for more information.

737.1.d.1.

A hidden unit must be played to that battlefield.

737.1.d.2.

If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent chooses any targets, those targets must be chosen from among options at that battlefield, unless the ability explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible. Example: Blastcone Fae is a unit with Hidden and “When you play me, give a unit -2 [M] this turn, to a minimum of 1 [M].” Because this is a play effect, its target must be chosen from among units at the same battlefield if Blastcone Fae was played from Hidden. Example: Tideturner is a unit with Hidden and “When you play me, you may choose a unit you control at another location. Move me to its location and it to my original location.” Because its play ability has a targeting restriction that can never be fulfilled by a unit at its battlefield, its target may be chosen freely from among the available options.

737.1.d.3.

If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent causes you to play a unit, you must choose to play that unit at that battlefield.

737.2.

Abilities and instructions of hidden cards other than the choices listed above function as normal. Example: Stand United is a spell that has Hidden and says “Buff a friendly unit. Buffs give an additional +1 might to friendly units this turn.” If it’s played from Hidden, the first part of its ability must choose a friendly unit at the same battlefield, but the second part of its ability affects all friendly units with buffs, no matter where they are.

737.3.

Instead of being hidden, a card with Hidden may be played for its cost as normal, at its normal timing with no restrictions on targeting.

737.4.

Multiple instances of Hidden are redundant.

737.5.

Hidden, and whether or not a card has Hidden, is a characteristic of the card and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.

737.5.a.

This is independent of the state of being facedown.

737.6.

A card that is Hidden gains Reaction while facedown, and may be played any time a card with Reaction may be played as a result.

737.6.a.

The property is granted to the card in its facedown state, and is not publicly known.

Related FAQ (14)

How do I hide a card with Hidden?

You can hide a card with the Hidden keyword from your hand instead of paying its normal cost. To do this, you must already control a battlefield (have units there) to hide the card at. Hiding a card costs (A) (one power of any domain/color) and you place the card face down at that battlefield.

When I hide a card, does that count for Legion?

Hiding isn't playing, and doesn't count as playing a card for abilities like Legion.

If I hide a card, and then my opponent uses a spell to move a unit to that battlefield that same turn, can I play the card I hid?

No. You can't play cards the same turn you hide them.

If I hid a card last turn, can I play that card even if I'm not reacting to another spell or ability?

You can play them any time you can normally play a reaction, which includes when you're not actually reacting to anything. You're not restricted to playing them during showdowns at their own battlefield.

Do I have to play a unit I hid to that battlefield? Or can I play it to my base?

A hidden unit must be played to that battlefield if able.

If I play a spell with targets that I hid, do I have to choose those targets from the battlefield I hid it at?

Yes. If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent chooses any targets, those targets must be chosen from among options at that battlefield, unless the ability explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible. (We'll talk more about this later for specific cards.)

If I play a card I hid, and that card's effects include playing additional units (for example, tokens), can I play them anywhere?

No. If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent causes you to play a unit, you must choose to have that unit enter the board at that battlefield.

When you play a card from hidden, it gains several additional restrictions. The rules were somewhat unclear on this.

That's not a question. But alright, let's spell out the restrictions more clearly: ● A hidden unit must be played to that battlefield if able. ● If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent chooses any targets, those targets must be chosen from among options at that battlefield, unless the ability explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible. If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent causes you to play a unit, you must choose to have that unit enter the board at that battlefield.

What do the Hidden changes mean for Tideturner? It seems like I'm supposed to be able to choose a unit at another location.

Tideturner is receiving minor errata, both to restrict its targeting to a unit you control and to make sure that it can target a unit at another location under these rules.

What about Zhonya's Hourglass and Stand United? When they're played from hidden, are their effects restricted to the battlefield where they were played?

Only effects that choose are restricted. Zhonya's Hourglass saves the next friendly unit that dies anywhere. Stand United can only give a buff to a unit at the battlefield where it was hidden, but its other effect, which causes buffs to grant an additional bonus, applies everywhere. This is a change from previous rulings on these cards, intended to simplify the question of what hidden cards can and can't do. Zhonya's Hourglass has additional rulings and minor errata related to saving dying units; see below.

If a unit would be killed by Hidden Blade, but one of these cards replaces that unit's death, does the unit's controller still draw 2?

Yes. Hidden Blade attempts to kill a unit, then says that “its controller" draws 2. Even if the unit doesn't die, it's still on the board and information about its controller is still available, so that player draws 2. This is different from Baited Hook, which requests information about “the killed unit," and can't find any information if no unit was actually killed.

What does it mean to “kill a unit with a spell?" It seems like Hidden Blade counts, but what about a spell that deals damage? A spell that causes a unit to deal damage? A spell that causes a unit to die in some other way, like Stupefy on a unit that has 1 more Might than it has damage currently marked on it?

This is unclear under existing rules, so the updated rules will clarify. “When you kill a unit with a spell" triggers immediately after a spell you control resolves if either of the following is true: 1. That spell instructs you to kill a unit during its resolution, and that unit is put into the trash this way. 2. A spell instructs you to deal damage to a unit during its resolution, and that unit is put into the trash during the cleanup immediately following that spell's resolution. This includes “direct kill" spells you control like Hidden Blade. It also includes damage spells like Void Seeker, provided they mark lethal damage on the unit that immediately causes it to die. In all cases, the unit has to actually die—if that death is replaced by a card like Unlicensed Armory, then you didn't kill a unit with a spell. Notably, the following do not count as you killing a unit with a spell: ● You are instructed to kill a unit by a spell another player controls, even if the spell instructs you to kill the unit (e.g., another player's Cull the Weak). ● Another player is instructed to kill a unit by a spell you control (e.g., your Cull the Weak, if you don't kill any of your own units with it). ● You play a spell like Challenge that causes a unit to deal lethal damage to another unit. ● You use a spell to mark damage on a unit and the unit dies later in the turn, even if that damage later became lethal damage for any reason. ● You use a spell to directly or indirectly lower the Might of a unit, causing damage it's already taken to become lethal damage. For example: ○ You use a spell like Stupefy to lower the Might of a unit that has already taken damage, causing that damage to become lethal damage. ○ You use a spell like Charm to move a unit with damage on it away from Trifarian War Camp, indirectly lowering its Might and causing that damage to become lethal damage. ○ You use a spell like Rebuke to return Lee Sin, Centered to its owner's hand, indirectly lowering the Might of a buffed unit at the same battlefield that has damage on it, causing that damage to become lethal damage. ● You do anything else with a spell that causes a unit to die in any other way than the two methods listed above, or at any time other than during or immediately after the spell's resolution. ● You do any of the above, but the unit doesn't actually die.

Can Immortal Phoenix return if it is the unit that was killed? Or if it and other units were killed at the same time? For example, can I Hidden Blade on my own Phoenix and immediately replay it?

Yes. Triggers like this are evaluated immediately after the event that takes place, at which point Phoenix is in the trash.

What does this card do, and when can it do it? If I play him from Hidden during combat, does his ability trigger twice?

We're issuing a rules update that changes how Teemo and other defend and attack triggers work, and we're issuing a minor errata for Teemo in accordance with it. We're also clarifying what his ability does and how many targets it has. This contradicts some previous guidance we've given on this card, as we've examined what it says, what it's intended to do, and what our rules can support. Teemo has a “when I defend" trigger. Under previous rules, attack and defend triggers happened only at the beginning of combat. Teemo's dual trigger condition was meant to cover this—he either triggered at the beginning of combat, or he triggered when you played him into combat. Under the updated rules, attack and defend triggers trigger any time a unit becomes an attacker or defender—whether that's because combat began, because the unit was moved into combat using a spell or ability, or because the unit was played into combat somehow. (And yes, this means that a unit that starts in combat, moves out somehow, and then moves back can trigger these abilities twice. We think this is fine—moving a unit at Action speed isn't easy to do, and doing it twice is even harder, so we don't mind there being a substantial reward.) One thing to note about this change that doesn't apply to Teemo directly: Assault and Shield are not attack or defend triggers, so they'll work the same way they did before. They apply while a unit is an attacker or defender in combat as appropriate, stop applying once the unit is no longer in combat, and start applying if it joins or rejoins combat partway through. This rules change makes the “played from (Hidden)" part of Teemo's text redundant. And since the ability only does anything if enemy units are present, we're issuing errata to clarify that it only triggers once as intended, whether Teemo is played into combat or was there from the start. We're also rephrasing the ability to make it clearer that it only has one target.