Rule 000
Golden and Silver Rules
Golden and Silver Rules
OFFICIAL SOURCES · DRAFT SNAPSHOT
Riftbound Core Rules
Core Rules 2026-07-16. Imported rule text is separate from the engine's supported interactions.
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Rule 001
Golden and Silver Rules
Golden Rule
Rule 002
Golden and Silver Rules
Card text supersedes rules text. Whenever a card fundamentally contradicts the rules, the card's indication is what is true.
Rule 050
Golden and Silver Rules
Silver Rule
Rule 051
Golden and Silver Rules
Card text uses different terminology than rules. Card text should be interpreted according to these rules, not as though it were text within these rules.
Rule 052
Golden and Silver Rules
Card, when written in card effects, is shorthand for "Main Deck card." Runes, legends, and battlefields are not considered cards when executing the abilities and effects of game objects. They are considered cards for the purposes of these rules.
Rule 053
Golden and Silver Rules
Cards refer to themselves in the first person.
Rule 053.1
Golden and Silver Rules
* Units and legends say "I," "me," etc.
Rule 053.2
Golden and Silver Rules
* Gear and spells say "this."
Rule 053.3
Golden and Silver Rules
* Battlefields say "here."
Rule 053.4
Golden and Silver Rules
* Cards may refer to themselves by their name for clarity. This is shorthand for the above terms.
Rule 054
Golden and Silver Rules
“Can’t beats Can”
Rule 054.1
Golden and Silver Rules
Cards that forbid actions or effects, as a broad method of determination, supersede cards that allow or permit that same action or effect.
Rule 054.2
Golden and Silver Rules
If a card specifies that an action can “only” be performed under certain circumstances, it cannot be performed under any other circumstances.
Rule 055
Golden and Silver Rules
When executing card text, do as much as you can, ignoring impossible instructions.
Rule 055.1
Golden and Silver Rules
If all of a card’s instructions are impossible, it is still played and resolved, but nothing happens.
Rule 056
Golden and Silver Rules
Cards a player owns may never be placed into a non-Board zone belonging to another player.
Rule 056.1
Golden and Silver Rules
Non-Board zones corresponding to a player include Main Deck, Rune Deck, Trash, Hand, Chosen Champion zone, and Banishment.
Rule 056.2
Golden and Silver Rules
If a card would enter such a zone, it goes to its owner’s corresponding zone instead.
Rule 100
Game Concepts
Game Concepts
Rule 101
Game Concepts
Deck Construction
Rule 102
Game Concepts
Riftbound is a Trading Card Game where a player must provide their own cards to play against other players.
Rule 103
Game Concepts
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.
Rule 103.1
Game Concepts
1 Champion Legend
Rule 103.1.a
Game Concepts
This is placed in the Legend Zone at the start of the game.
Rule 103.1.b
Game Concepts
This will dictate the Domain Identity of the deck.
Rule 103.1.b.1
Game Concepts
Cards included in your deck must abide by your Domain Identity.
Rule 103.1.b.2
Game Concepts
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.
Rule 103.1.b.3
Game Concepts
If a card has a single Domain, then that card is permitted in the Domain Identity that corresponds to the same Domain.
Rule 103.1.b.4
Game Concepts
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.
Rule 103.1.b.5
Game Concepts
Some Game Effects may allow a player to add cards to their deck irrespective of those cards’ Domains. Those cards are considered part of their deck’s Domain Identity, regardless of their Domain.
Rule 103.2
Game Concepts
A Main Deck of at least 40 cards: A Chosen Champion Unit, as well as Units, Gear, and Spells
Rule 103.2.a
Game Concepts
Chosen Champion
Rule 103.2.a.1
Game Concepts
This will be placed in the Champion Zone at the start of the game.
Rule 103.2.a.2
Game Concepts
Must be a champion unit with a champion tag that matches the tag on your Champion Legend. Example: Loose Cannon has the tag Jinx. Therefore, a player could choose Jinx, Rebel or Jinx, Demolitionist as their Chosen Champion, because they also have the tag Jinx. Example: Tibbers has the tag Annie, but it is a signature unit, not a champion unit. It cannot be your Chosen Champion, even if your Champion Legend has the tag Annie.
Rule 103.2.a.3
Game Concepts
A player’s Chosen Champion is both the specific card chosen for this slot during Deck Building and also any Champion Unit with the same name as the specific card selected for this specific slot during the course of play. Example: A player chose Jinx, Rebel as their Chosen Champion. One copy of Jinx, Rebel starts the game in their Chosen Champion zone. Any additional copies of Jinx, Rebel in their Main Deck, their hand, their trash, or on the board also count as their Chosen Champion for any game rules and effects that care about Chosen Champion status during the game.
Rule 103.2.b
Game Concepts
Your Main Deck can include up to 3 copies of the same named card.
Rule 103.2.b.1
Game Concepts
This includes your Chosen Champion. Example: A deck could include Volibear, Furious as its Chosen Champion and still include 2 more copies of Volibear, Furious in their Main Deck.
Rule 103.2.b.2
Game Concepts
Cards have different names even if they represent the same character. Example: A deck could include 3 copies of Yasuo, Remorseful and 3 copies of Yasuo, Windrider, because they have different names.
Rule 103.2.c
Game Concepts
Subject to Domain Identity.
Rule 103.2.d
Game Concepts
Your deck may only contain 3 total Signature cards that have the same Champion tag as your Champion Legend.
Rule 103.2.d.1
Game Concepts
Regardless of name, a deck may only contain a sum total of 3 Signature cards.
Rule 103.2.d.2
Game Concepts
All of the Signature cards must have the Champion tag that corresponds to the Champion Legend of the deck.
Rule 103.2.d.3
Game Concepts
Signature cards are not Champion units and cannot be placed in the Champion Zone.
Rule 103.2.e
Game Concepts
Subject to card legality of the Format being played.
Rule 103.3
Game Concepts
Rune Deck
Rule 103.3.a
Game Concepts
12 Rune Cards
Rule 103.3.a.1
Game Concepts
Cards in the Rune Deck must be of the Domain Identity of your Champion Legend.
Rule 103.3.b
Game Concepts
Must be shuffled and kept separate from the Main Deck.
Rule 103.4
Game Concepts
Battlefields
Rule 103.4.a
Game Concepts
The number will be dictated by your Mode of Play.
Rule 103.4.b
Game Concepts
Subject to Domain Identity if applicable.
Rule 103.4.c
Game Concepts
Cannot include more than one of a Battlefield of the same name when there are more than one required for the deck.
Rule 104
Game Concepts
Setup
Rule 105
Game Concepts
Spaces
Rule 106
Game Concepts
The Play Area is a collection of logical Zones that are defined by their behaviors and relationships to Players. These Zones are grouped into The Board and Non-Board Zones.
Rule 107
Game Concepts
The Board
Rule 107.1
Game Concepts
Bases
Rule 107.1.a
Game Concepts
Each player has their own Base.
Rule 107.1.b
Game Concepts
Each Base is a Location. See rule 197. Locations for more information.
Rule 107.1.c
Game Concepts
Permanents and Runes controlled by a player reside in that player's Base.
Rule 107.1.c.1
Game Concepts
Permanents attached to Permanents controlled by a player may also be found in that player’s Base, regardless of their controller.
Rule 107.1.d
Game Concepts
Permanents and Runes in Bases are Public Information.
Rule 107.2
Game Concepts
Battlefield Zone
Rule 107.2.a
Game Concepts
The Battlefield Zone houses multiple Battlefields.
Rule 107.2.b
Game Concepts
Each Battlefield is individually a Location. See rule 197. Locations for more information.
Rule 107.2.c
Game Concepts
Battlefields and permanents at Battlefields are Public Information.
Rule 107.3
Game Concepts
Facedown Zones
Rule 107.3.a
Game Concepts
Each Battlefield is associated with a sub-zone called a Facedown Zone, a single logical space that a card can be put facedown in through various Game Effects.
Rule 107.3.b
Game Concepts
Each Facedown Zone has a maximum occupancy of one card.
Rule 107.3.b.1
Game Concepts
The maximum occupancy of a Facedown Zone can increase or decrease.
Rule 107.3.b.2
Game Concepts
If the maximum occupancy of a Facedown Zone decreases to a number less than the number of cards currently located there, the controller of that Facedown Zone must put a number of cards equal to the difference in the trash from the Facedown Zone.
Rule 107.3.c
Game Concepts
Cards can only be placed in or occupy the Facedown Zone if the controller of the card also controls the associated Battlefield.
Rule 107.3.d
Game Concepts
If a player loses Control of a Battlefield, any cards in the Facedown Zone associated with that Battlefield are removed during the next Cleanup. See rule 318. Cleanups for more information. See rule 421. Hide for more information.
Rule 107.3.e
Game Concepts
Facedown Zones are not locations.
Rule 107.3.f
Game Concepts
Facedown Zones are Public Zones, though facedown cards located there are Private.
Rule 107.4
Game Concepts
Legend Zone
Rule 107.4.a
Game Concepts
The space for each player's Champion Legend.
Rule 107.4.b
Game Concepts
This is not a location.
Rule 107.4.c
Game Concepts
The Champion Legend here is a Game Object. See rule 119. Game Objects for more information.
Rule 107.4.d
Game Concepts
The Champion Legend cannot be removed, moved, or displaced from this zone.
Rule 107.4.d.1
Game Concepts
Some effects may add a legend card or token to the Legend Zone. These legends are not Champion Legends.
Rule 107.4.d.2
Game Concepts
Non-Champion legends may be removed from the Legend Zone. They cannot exist in any zone other than the Legend Zone or Banishment.
Rule 108
Game Concepts
Non-Board Zones
Rule 108.1
Game Concepts
The Chain
Rule 108.1.a
Game Concepts
Cards and abilities are placed here as part of the process of being played. See rule 327. Chains for more information.
Rule 108.1.b
Game Concepts
Cards and abilities on the Chain are Public Information.
Rule 108.2
Game Concepts
Trashes
Rule 108.2.a
Game Concepts
Each player has their own Trash.
Rule 108.2.b
Game Concepts
This space is where cards are placed when they are killed or discarded, when they finish being executed as spells, when they are moved to the trash as an effect, etc.
Rule 108.2.c
Game Concepts
Cards in each player’s Trash are unordered. Their sequence does not matter, and they may be reorganized.
Rule 108.2.d
Game Concepts
Cards in a player's Trash are Public Information. See rule 128. Privacy for more information.
Rule 108.3
Game Concepts
Champion Zones
Rule 108.3.a
Game Concepts
Each player has their own Champion Zone.
Rule 108.3.b
Game Concepts
The space each player puts their Chosen Champion at the start of the game.
Rule 108.3.c
Game Concepts
The Chosen Champion cannot be returned to this zone by normal means.
Rule 108.3.c.1
Game Concepts
If a Chosen Champion is instructed to be returned to this zone, it can only do so if there is not a card already in this zone.
Rule 108.3.d
Game Concepts
The Chosen Champion can be played from here as normal, following the rules of Playing a Card. See rule 349. Playing Cards for more information.
Rule 108.3.e
Game Concepts
Cards in a player’s Champion Zone are Public Information.
Rule 108.4
Game Concepts
Main Deck Zones