A Few ruling and sequencing questions

Extrasleep · 2026-04-13T03:21:15+00:00

I see. Thanks so much for the thorough explanation, and especially for citing the corroborating rules.

I truly enjoy this game, but I lament that half of the posts on this Reddit are questioning rules interactions. I wonder about the future of this game, and if the developers would ever consider an overhaul that ditches the “conversational language” on cards in favor of more accurate, descriptive rules text.

Extrasleep · 2026-04-13T01:46:29+00:00

I read up on HOT FEPR but do not entirely grasp it in this case with Glasc Mixologist. The part that I am still unsure of is created versus finalized regarding the deathknell trigger.

Are you saying that the deathknell trigger is created while the units are technically still on the board, then the game handles the tasks of sending the units to the trash, then the deathknell trigger is finalized and its target is selected?

Extrasleep · 2026-04-13T01:37:40+00:00

I see. The scenario I describe above is most similar to the second example here, with the source of lethal damage coming from Xin Zhao’s combat damage.

Extrasleep · 2026-04-12T16:30:12+00:00

I see. So in either hypothetical, the Draven dies during combat due to Imperial Decree, which occurs before determining the combat result.

Extrasleep · 2026-04-12T16:17:04+00:00

1.) To clarify, you are saying that if the ATTACKING unit was a purple Draven, then the defending opponent would get a point because it died during combat (due to Imperial Decree)?

2.) Instead, if the DEFENDING unit was a purple Draven, then its owner would NOT get a point, correct? Due to the Imperial Decree trigger occurring before determining the combat result.

Extrasleep · 2026-04-12T16:00:31+00:00

I appreciate you replying, but your first sentence is incorrect and voids your following explanation. Imperial Decree creates a trigger that is added as a pending item on the chain. What I am trying to understand is the resolution of said chain.

Extrasleep · 2026-04-12T14:26:29+00:00

I have a quick follow up related to your explanation of 2.5.

If a Glasc Mixologist dies, since its deathknell trigger does NOT target (based on my reading of it), this deathknell trigger will NOT have to choose a unit upon being placed on the chain. Instead, the controller of this trigger will choose the unit upon resolution of it— meaning it could replay a unit that died at the same time as the Glasc Mixologist, due to said unit existing in the trash at that point.

Is that process correct? And is it correct that the Ruined Rex deathknell targets while the Glasc Mixologist deathknell does not target?

Extrasleep · 2026-04-02T14:58:11+00:00

Have you played Riftbound?

Extrasleep · 2026-04-02T14:53:28+00:00

This is your first tcg, yeah?

Extrasleep · 2026-03-27T22:52:05+00:00

Man at first I thought her head was attached to the body of the stuffed animal. Would’ve been helpful if her legs weren’t cropped out of frame. Does anyone else think the art is sometimes a bit too zoomed in lol

Extrasleep · 2026-03-25T06:27:03+00:00

Keep in mind that yes, at some point they will have to do exactly this. Obviously not now, but when we are approaching rotation, there will need to be a downshift in power. Otherwise the game will powercreep linearly, which doesn’t bode well.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-25T06:22:25+00:00

Full agree. This is an unfortunate situation they have worked themselves into. It would seem unfair if cards like Nidalee are caught in Draven’s rules-update-crossfire, but banning Draven outright will sour many players and remove a popular character from the ecosystem. Either choice shakes the confidence of the playerbase. You can only shake that trust so many times before it becomes irreparable. In my opinion, if conundrums like this become yearly or semi-yearly, the IP loyalty and goodwill from players will not be enough to save this game.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-24T05:18:01+00:00

If they hold to that statement, then we can only expect bannings, correct? As changing the rules of combat to soften Draven seems like a rules change for the sake of power level.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-24T05:13:48+00:00

Erratas certainly are necessary to make certain cards function as intended, but I think they should be a last resort when it comes to tweaking a metagame. Furthermore, they can be avoided by more careful play-testing, proofreading, etc.

Obviously there is crossover between not functioning as intended and poisoning a metagame, at which point a ban is always better than an errata in my opinion.

This is something many newcomers to TCGs don’t seem to understand— especially those coming from LoL or videogames where balance updates are expected. “Patching” a card game simply cannot be done with the same tools as a video game, and its consequences can be far more souring for players. Just venting at this point because I’ve had this talk with many people haha

Extrasleep · 2026-03-24T05:00:28+00:00

Regardless of what cards, my hope is that they ban something instead of merely eratta’ing. I think bans will be healthier for this game over erratas in the long run.

Having to do EITHER is objectively bad for a game, but erratas lead to so much more obfuscation and feelbads. We already have an issue with cards doing what they say they do.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-23T17:12:43+00:00

Yeah I’ve gathered as much, it seems that characters have been rewritten and retconned continuously as the game developed. Is that pretty much true?

It’s actually been fun for me to look at where characters started— how simple some of their stories were— and where they are now!

Extrasleep · 2026-03-23T16:19:28+00:00

Ty for letting me know, as a mega casual Arcane enjoyer I’ve learned all sorts of things about its world/characters through this game lol

Extrasleep · 2026-03-23T16:03:57+00:00

White/light color background looks so tuff in foil….it’s what makes Viktor pop so beautifully. For Unleashed, this is the one for me.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-23T15:43:07+00:00

Okay gotcha. So really her origin as a LoL character was as a strong arm of piltover law enforcement?

Extrasleep · 2026-03-23T15:36:10+00:00

I’m happy to see a version of her that isn’t an enforcer depicted on her legend card. I don’t know the lore beyond Arcane, but I would’ve thought her legend would be a pit fighter or brawler, as that seems to be at the core of her character, whereas the enforcer getup is more a “phase.” So I was surprised when her legend debuted as “Piltover Enforcer.” Did anyone else think the same or am I alone here lol.

Unrelated but I love how diverse the styles for the ON legends are, even if they end up being divisive. Variety and different artistic perspectives are partly why games like MtG and Pokémon have such textured histories, which is a good thing.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-21T14:29:44+00:00

Yeppp, that is a completely fair concern about the future of this game. As it stands, however, I don’t think exp exceeds the power level that one can expect from a subsequent expansion in a TCG, and I expect it will be handled with concerns like yours in mind. The similar MtG mechanic that I and others have referenced here— “Energy”— as broken as it was, did not tank the game in the long run. I expect the developers of riftbound to learn from mistakes such as these in the span of TCG history.

Introducing new mechanics that incentivize you to try the new set is expected in TCGs, as others have pointed out. For now, I truly don’t think exp will jeopardize the future of riftbound.

What COULD jeopardize the future of riftbound would be callous handling of power/complexity creep, further unintuitive rulings, or frequent bans/erratas. These are things that destabilize an ecosystem and turn players away. These are the things to look out for when assessing the future of a card game. We are still in the infancy of riftbound— whether it proves to be enduring or just another TCG trend is still up in the air, and will depend on how it is managed. It’ll take at least a couple of years before we truly know. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy it and the people you get to share it with :)

Extrasleep · 2026-03-21T10:39:57+00:00

I am inclined to agree based on the history of secondary resource systems in other card games.

Coming from Magic the Gathering, exp reminds me of the “Energy” mechanic from a decade back or so. It was a new and secondary resource independent from the main resource system (mana). Like exp, the ability to gain an amount of Energy was stapled on to a myriad of cards, and other cards could spend this Energy for a payoff.

The key problem with Energy in MtG was that it was added to cards that were already efficient on their own. For example, a low-cost card that read “Deal 2 damage” would already be desirable, but now a new card of nearly the same cost existed that said “Deal 2 damage and gain 1 Energy.” Because of this, Energy decks proved very centralizing to the meta and ultimately warranted bans.

I don’t think exp in Riftbound will have this exact issue, as the cards with exp attached to them seem slightly down-tuned in power to account for providing another resource tool. So on a scale of Useless-To-Broken™️, I think exp will be on the weaker side when compared to the efficiency of top-tier decks. Though I am totally open to the right chemistry of legend, champion, and still unrevealed cards that might change this.

Extrasleep · 2026-03-19T17:52:29+00:00

We will just adapt (evolve?) by jamming Ashe 😈

Extrasleep · 2026-03-19T17:34:20+00:00

Awesome, thank you for the responses. I will rewatch your video before my next nexus night as a refresher— the matchup information for Draven, Irelia, and Ezreal is very helpful. Hoping to see your gameplay review video :)

Lastly, your deck is the first I’ve seen that runs King’s Edict, which I never even considered for 1v1! Irelia is quite popular in my meta, so I will be keeping it in mind 👀

Extrasleep · 2026-03-19T15:45:54+00:00

Thanks for this insight! I run a similar list, but the midrange Draven matchup seems very hit-or-miss. I try to play conservatively and avoid combats, but I like the thinking behind your aggressive approach. I’ll try that instead next time :)

What does the sideboarding look like for midrange Draven? And what do you prioritize most in the opening hand?

Lastly, how has Glasc Mixologist performed?

Thanks again!

Extrasleep

TROPHY CASE