Units — Riftbound Rules

140.

Unit is:

140.1.

A Game Object

140.1.a.

While on the Board:

140.1.a.1.

Units are at one of several Locations while on the Board: a Battlefield or their Base.

140.1.a.2.

Units and their details are Public Information while on the Board.

140.1.a.3.

Units can be chosen, affected, or manipulated by spells, affects, or game actions that specify Units.

140.1.a.4.

Units can be Killed. See rule 415. Kill for more information.

140.1.b.

While in the Trash:

140.1.b.1.

Units are treated as Cards, similar to when in the Hand.

140.1.b.2.

They retain the properties of being a Unit, but are not on the Board and thus cannot take actions or be affected by spells, abilities, or game actions that target Units on the Board.

140.1.b.3.

Units can be affected by spells and game effects that target Units in the Trash.

140.2.

A Card Type

140.2.a.

This is a unique identifier that some spells or abilities will use to restrict what they can choose or affect.

140.2.b.

The card type is relevant in all zones.

141.

Damage is a marked value that is applied to Units.

141.1.

Damage is not a Game Object.

141.2.

Damage is a value tracked per-Unit.

141.3.

Damage tracks how close a Unit is to being Killed. See rule 415. Kill for more information.

141.4.

Damage can be Healed. See rule 405. Heal for more information.

142.

Units have multiple Intrinsic Properties unique to them:

142.1.

Tag: A Unit has zero or more Tags representing one or more champions, regions, factions, or species it belongs to.

142.1.a.

These have no intrinsic rules or behaviors by themselves.

142.1.b.

Spells, abilities, and game actions can reference these types as part of their execution.

142.2.

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.

142.2.a.

If a Unit ever has nonzero damage marked on it equalling or exceeding its Might, it is Killed.

142.2.b.

If a unit's Might is ever less than 0, it is treated as 0 for all purposes.

142.3.

Units can have damage marked on them.

142.3.a.

When spells, abilities, or other game effects deal damage, Units mark that damage on them temporarily. This can be tracked with coins, dice, or other markers, or by memory.

142.3.b.

Damage is Healed from Units at two specific times:

142.3.b.1.

At the end of each player's turn.

142.3.b.2.

During a Combat Cleanup. See rule 444.1. for more information about Combat Cleanups.

142.4.

Units enter the Board exhausted.

142.4.a.

This can be altered by Accelerate or similar game effects. See rule 731. Accelerate for more information.

143.

Units have the Inherent Ability to perform a Standard Move.

143.1.

This action is limited in when it can be performed.

143.1.a.

This action can be done any time during a player's Action Phase.

143.1.b.

This action cannot be performed during a Closed State.

143.1.c.

This action cannot be performed during a Showdown.

143.2.

Exhausting the Unit is the Cost for this action.

143.3.

Players may perform multiple Units' standard move simultaneously.

143.3.a.

When a Move like this is declared by a player, the units' Destination must be the same.

143.3.b.

When a Move like this is declared by a player, the Origins do not need to be the same.

143.3.c.

The Costs of Exhausting the Units are also paid Simultaneously.

143.4.

The Destinations where Units can Move to with their Standard Move are restricted:

143.4.a.

Units may move from their Base to a Battlefield.

143.4.a.1.

Units cannot Move to a Battlefield that already has units from 2 other players present.

143.4.b.

Units may move from a Battlefield to their Base.

143.4.c.

Ganking is a unique ability that affects a Unit's Standard Move

143.4.c.1.

Units with Ganking may use their Standard Move to Move from Battlefield to Battlefield. See rule 736. Ganking for more information.

144.

Units may have Activated Abilities.

... and 4 more rules

Related FAQ (19)

Can I move multiple units together to a battlefield?

Yes, you can use the standard move of your units all at once to move them as a group together to the same legal destination. To do this, exhaust them all (the cost of the standard move) and then move them to the destination, then resolve any move effects, then start a showdown if needed.

Can I move more units in before a combat starts using a spell or ability?

If you don't move units together as a group using the standard move, then you can only move additional units afterward if you use a spell or ability with the Action or Reaction keywords, after the combat starts as part of the showdown.

What happens if units from both sides in combat survive, either because of Kayn or a stun?

In this case, both sides will still assign damage to the other side as normal (stunned units will not deal damage). Units will still die if they are assigned damage equal to or greater than their Might (unless they don't die, for example because of Kayn's ability). Then if units from both sides remain alive at the battlefield, any remaining attacking units will be recalled to base and the defending player will maintain control (no score, though).

Do units heal from combat damage? When?

Yes, units everywhere will heal from damage at the end of every combat and at the end of every turn. That means if a unit survives through damage assignment, it'll be back to zero damage at the end of the combat.

Do Seals add energy? Do Seals enter exhausted like units do?

No, Seals can't generate energy. They can be exhausted to produce 1 power of Seal's domain/color. Since you don't recycle them to make the power resource, you will be able to ready them and use them again on future turns.

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.

In a free-for-all, can I play Actions and Reactions in a showdown that I don't have units at?

Yes. Starting with the player who contested control/the attack, players each get a chance to play an Action or Reaction. Other players can then react with Reactions, but once everyone passes, the next player in turn order can play their own Action or Reaction. Continue like this until all players have passed on an empty chain, and then move to the end of the showdown.

Is there a maximum number of units I can have in my base? On a battlefield?

No. You can have any number of units in a location.

Some spells and abilities require choosing units, gear, or other things for them to affect. The rules say some of these choices are made when I put the spell or ability on the chain, but it seems like some of them can't be or shouldn't be. How do I know the difference?

Riftbound uses a set of contextual rules rather than specific words on cards to determine which choices are made as a card is played. When a spell or ability chooses something else to affect, the rules refer to those choices as “targets." Targets must be chosen as the spell or ability is placed on the chain, and they must still meet all targeting requirements as the spell or ability resolves. The next version of the rules will have more rigorous guidelines on which choices are targets, which we'll summarize here. For the most part, these rules don't change what choices are targets, they just spell it out more. An object or player mentioned in a spell or ability is a target if all of the following are true: 1. something publicly visible to all players; 2. that you and you alone choose; 3. that isn't part of a targeting restriction, cost, trigger condition, replacement effect, or an action that “must" be taken. This explanation sounds complicated, but in general, most things that are affected by a spell or ability are targets. For a more precise breakdown of what each of those entails, see the Appendix. There are two other choices that are not considered targets, but are made while putting something on the chain. Those are: 1. The location to which a unit will be played (normally either your base or a battlefield you control). 2. The destination or destinations for any spell or ability whose effect is moving one or more units, whether or not it mentions a destination by name.

Are the units I choose for Fox-Fire targets? What happens if some of them gain Might as a reaction?

Fox-Fire is unusual (currently unique) in that its targets' legality is evaluated as a group rather than individually. The updated rules will explain how to handle this. As you play Fox-Fire, you'll choose any number of units at a single battlefield whose current total Might is 4 or less. Then, after any appropriate Reactions, Fox-Fire resolves and checks target legality again. If the units no longer meet the group targeting restriction because some of them have gained Might, you choose any number of the original targets whose Might adds up to no more than 4. Here are a few examples to illustrate. In all of them, Fox-Fire initially chooses 4 Recruits with 1 Might each, and some of those Recruits have gained Might before Fox-Fire resolves. ● One Recruit gets 1 Might. You can choose either to exclude that Recruit and kill the other three (total Might 3), or exclude one other Recruit and kill the 2 Might Recruit and two 1 Might Recruits (total Might 4). ● One Recruit gets 3 Might. You can choose either to exclude that Recruit and kill the other three (total Might 3), or exclude the other three and kill just that one (total Might 4). ● One Recruit gets 6 Might. You must choose to exclude that Recruit, because its Might alone takes you above your total. You must kill the other three (total Might 3). ● Two Recruits get 1 Might. You can either kill the two 2 Might Recruits, or one 2 Might Recruit and the two 1 Might Recruits. ● All four Recruits get 1 Might. You must choose two of the Recruits to kill, and the other two will survive. ● All four Recruits get 3 Might. You choose one Recruit to kill (total Might 4) and exclude the rest. ● All four Recruits get 6 Might. You no longer have a valid subset of targets, because even a single Recruit takes you over the Might limit. Fox-Fire does nothing.