Rules Text — Riftbound Rules

All cards have a section that describes how they affect the game. This section is known as the Rules Text of the card.

Section 135 — 41 rules

135.1.: All cards have a section that describes how they affect the game. This section is known as the Rules Text of the card.
135.2.: This section may contain:
135.2.a.: Abilities
135.2.a.1.: Abilities are discrete pieces of text that describe what a card may or must do. See rule 360. Abilities for more information.
135.2.a.2.: They may appear on any card.
135.2.b.: Instructions
135.2.b.1.: Instructions are a type of text that appears on spells and within abilities.
135.2.b.2.: They describe actions to be performed by one or more players.
135.2.b.3.: Instructions will self-describe when they are to be executed. If there is no timing described, they will execute during resolution. Example: An instruction says “as you play me, kill a unit as an additional cost.” That instruction will execute as the card is being played. If the card is given Repeat and the Repeat cost is paid, this instruction will not execute because the Repeat execution does not happen until resolution of the spell, after this instruction has executed.
135.2.b.4.: Instructions can usually be recognized by the way they are written. An instruction is written in the imperative mood, using the base form of a verb and omitting the subject unless necessary.
135.2.b.5.: A single instruction is made up of a game action and its complement.
135.2.b.5.a.: The complement of a game action is made up of the players or Game Objects that perform that game action, that that game action is performed on, the condition under which it is performed, and the duration for its effect to last. Some game actions omit a complement entirely. Example: Void Seeker is made up of two instructions. The first is “deal 4 to a unit at a battlefield.” Here “deal 4” is the game action, while “a unit at a battlefield,” is its complement. The second instruction, “draw 1,” has no complement. Example: Teemo, Strategist’s defend trigger reads “When I defend, choose an enemy unit here and reveal the top 5 cards of your Main Deck. Deal 1 to that unit for each card with Hidden revealed this way, then recycle the revealed cards.” There are four instructions here: “choose an enemy unit here,” “reveal the top 5 cards of your Main Deck,” “deal 1 to that unit for each card with Hidden revealed this way,” and “recycle the revealed cards.”
135.2.b.5.b.: If a conditional clause appears in instructions prior to one or more clauses with multiple instructions, that condition applies to all instructions in subsequent clauses in the same sentence. Example: A spell reads in part “If you’ve gained a point this turn, draw 1, then discard 1.” In order for either of the instructions that follow the “If you’ve gained a point this turn,” conditional clause to execute, the condition must be true. Example: Rogue Assassin is a legend that reads in part “[Action][>] [E]: If it's your turn, move a friendly unit in a showdown to base and if I'm [Empowered], ready it.” The first conditional clause in the activated ability applies to all subsequent instructions in the same sentence. The second conditional clause, “if I’m [Empowered],” only applies to the instruction that immediately follows it.
135.2.b.6.: Instructions do not include trigger conditions or the events or actions that a replacement effect defines as being eligible to be replaced. Example: An ability reads “When you play me, draw 1.” The trigger condition for this ability is not an instruction. “Draw 1,” is the only instruction included in the ability. Example: An ability reads “If a unit would die, banish it instead.” The text “If a unit would die,” is not an instruction of the ability. Example: An ability reads “As I’m revealed from your Main Deck, Add [2].” The text “As I’m revealed from your Main Deck,” is not an instruction of the ability.
135.2.b.7.: Instructions of a spell or ability may reference actions taken during Finalization. They will do so by checking whether “you” performed those game actions. These instructions check whether the game action was performed, not by whom. If another player gains control of the spell or ability after the game action was performed during finalization, it will still be considered true for the purposes of these instructions. Example: Rampage is a spell that reads “As you play this, you may pay [C] as an additional cost.” and “Choose a friendly unit and an enemy unit. If you paid the additional cost, give the friendly unit +2 [Might] this turn. They deal damage equal to their Mights to each other.” If another player gains control of Rampage, although they are not the one who paid the cost, the “if you paid the additional cost,” condition will still be fulfilled. Example: Back Off is a spell that reads in part “If you played this from your hand, draw 1.” On resolution, Back Off checks if it was played from hand. If another player gained control of Back Off, as long as the card was played from hand, the condition will be true and the controller of the spell will draw 1.
135.2.c.: Keywords
135.2.c.1.: Keywords are short words or phrases that represent longer abilities or instructions. See rule 800. Keywords for more information.
135.2.c.2.: Keywords may or may not have reminder text.
135.2.d.: Reminder Text
135.2.d.1.: Reminder text appears in italics and parentheses.
135.2.d.2.: Its purpose is to summarize relevant rules, including keywords and other rules.
135.2.d.3.: The presence, absence, or exact wording of reminder text has no effect on game function.
135.2.e.: Symbols
135.2.e.1.: Rules text sometimes contains symbols that express game concepts. Each symbol also has a shorthand used to represent it in written text.
135.2.e.2.: The cost of Exhausting a Permanent is represented by the “exhaust symbol,” which resembles a card turning sideways. Its shorthand is [E]. (Some previous rules information has given its shorthand as [T].)
135.2.e.3.: Might is represented by the “Might symbol,” which resembles a sword and shield. Its shorthand is [M]. (Some previous rules information has given its shorthand as [S].)
135.2.e.4.: Power of a specific Domain is represented by its domain symbol and the corresponding shorthand. See rule 134. Domain for more information.
135.2.e.5.: Power of any Domain is represented by a swirling rainbow symbol. Its shorthand is [A].
135.2.e.5.a.: When required as a cost, [A] can be paid by Power of any Domain.
135.2.e.5.b.: When Added to a player’s Rune Pool, [A] can be spent to pay a Power cost of any Domain.
135.2.e.6.: Power of a domain corresponding to a card’s own Domain is not represented by a symbol, but appears in these rules similarly to other symbols. Its shorthand is [C].
135.2.e.6.a.: When a [C] shorthand is printed on a card as reminder text, it assumes that card’s usual Domain, but it still means “one Power of this card’s Domain.”
135.2.e.6.b.: A [C] shorthand on a card with no Domain is processed as [A] instead.
135.2.e.6.c.: A [C] shorthand on a card with multiple Domains is processed as any power of that card’s Domains. Example: Defiant Dance is a Calm and Chaos spell. Its cost is [1][C]. The power component of that cost can be paid with either [G] or [P]. Example: Tibbers is a Fury and Chaos Unit. If Tibbers is granted the Accelerate keyword, the power component of the optional additional cost can be paid with either [R] or [P].
135.2.e.7.: A keyword associated with an ability is indicated by the [>] symbol.
135.2.e.7.a.: This could be a dependent keyword like [Legion][>] or [Level][>], a triggered ability with a keyworded trigger condition like [Deathknell] or it could be a permissive keyword associated with an ability like [Action][>] or [Reaction][>].
135.2.e.7.b.: Whatever instruction or ability comes after the [>] is modified by the keyword that comes before the [>]. It will either be inactive, in the case of a dependent keyword; the trigger effect, in the case of a keyword triggered ability; or it will receive the permission granted by the keyword in the case of a permissive keyword.
135.3.: Rules text can be blank.
135.4.: A card’s printed Rules Text is Inactive while that card is Attached to another card. See rule 716. Attachment for more information. See rule 720. Inactive for more information.
135.4.a.: The presence of text, rules, Keywords, and other effects can still be referenced and detected by other game effects, even while Rules Text is Inactive.
135.4.b.: Any granted or appended Rules Text on a card is still Active even if that card is Attached to another card.