412. Counter

• 412.1. Countering is the act of negating the execution, activation, or otherwise playing of a card by a player.

  • 412.1.a. A card that is Countered does nothing and is then placed in the Trash.

  • 412.1.b. A card that is Countered is not considered to have been played.

  • 412.1.c. Countering does not refund any costs paid to play a card.

    • 412.1.c.1. This includes additional costs.

• 412.2. Countering is a Limited Action.

  • 412.2.a. Players may only Counter cards when directed to by Game Effects.

• 412.3. This action is formatted as "Counter [a card or ability on the chain]."

413. Buff

• 413.1. Buffing is the action of placing a Buff counter on a Unit. See rule 701. Buffs for more information.

  • 413.1.a. A Buff is also an object.

  • 413.1.b. To Buff a unit, place a Buff Counter on it if it does not have one already

    • 413.1.b.1. If the unit already has a Buff Counter on it, it does not get another one.

  • 413.1.c. Units with Buff Counters can still be chosen for actions that Buff units, but will not be Buffed as part of the execution. Example: A spell reads "Buff a unit. Then, if it was buffed this way, draw a card." It will place a buff counter on a unit that has no buff counter, and then its controller will draw a card. However, if the player chooses a unit with a buff counter on it already, then the card will not be drawn.

• 413.2. Buffing is a Limited Action.

  • 413.2.a. Players may only Buff units when Game Effects direct them to do so.

• 413.3. This action is formatted as "Buff [one or more units]." e.g., "Buff a unit." e.g., "Buff a friendly unit." e.g., "Buff two friendly units at the same battlefield."

414. Banish

• 414.1. Banishing is the action of placing a card from any zone to Banishment. See 107.5. Banishment for more information.

• 414.2. When a card is Banished it is placed directly into the Banishment zone from its origin.

  • 414.2.a. Banish is not a subset of Kill.

  • 414.2.b. Banish is not a subset of Discard.

• 414.3. Cards and effects can refer to cards that were banished by the same object.

  • 414.3.a. Separate instances of an object or effect banishing cards do not reference other banished cards by objects of the same name or effects originating from cards of the same name. Example: A spell reads "Banish the top card of your Main Deck. When you conquer this turn, draw it." This card effect allows you to draw the banished card from banishment if a condition is met. If more than one of these effects is played, each one triggers separately. Each card will be drawn separately. If the turn player passes the turn without playing the card, the card remains in banishment indefinitely. If the same player plays another copy of the same spell, banishes another card, and satisfies its condition, they could play the new banished card, but not the original banished card.

• 414.4. Banishing is a Limited Action.

  • 414.4.a. Players may only Banish cards or permanents when Game Effects direct them to do so.

• 414.5. This action is formatted as "Banish [one or more permanents or cards]." e.g., "Banish a card from your hand." e.g., "Banish 2 cards from your trash." e.g., "Look at the top 2 cards of your Main Deck. Draw one of them and banish the other."

415. Kill

• 415.1. Killing is the action of a Permanent going to the trash from the board.

  • 415.1.a. This can be Active or Passive.

    • 415.1.a.1. Active Kill is when the action is taken when instructed by a game effect or as a cost for a card or ability.

    • 415.1.a.2. Passive Kill is when the action is taken as a result of Lethal Damage or as a consequence for any other state.

• 415.2. When a permanent is killed it is placed directly in the trash from its place of origin.

  • 415.2.a. It is only considered Killed if its origin was any zone on the board.

  • 415.2.b. This is not a subset of Move.

• 415.3. Killing is a Limited Action.

  • 415.3.a. Players may only Kill units when Game Effects direct them to do so.

• 415.4. Killing can also be the result of resolving a Cleanup.

• 415.5. Killing can be attributed to one or more Game Objects.

  • 415.5.a. The Killed Unit or Gear is said to be Killed by that Game Object.

  • 415.5.b. A spell or ability that contains a Kill instruction is responsible for Killing the Unit or Gear.

  • 415.5.c. When one or more Units is killed due to a Cleanup, the spell or ability that resolved immediately prior to that Cleanup that applied damage to the Unit or Units is responsible for that Kill action.

  • 415.5.d. Abilities originating from Game Objects that are responsible for Kill Actions are responsible in addition to the Game Object that created them. Example: Falling Star is a spell that says “Do this twice: Deal 3 to a unit.” Immortal Phoenix is a unit that says “When you kill a unit with a spell, you may pay [1][C] to play me from your trash.” A player plays Falling Star while Immortal Phoenix is in their trash. The “do this” phrasing on Falling Star means that it has a reflexive triggered ability, which places two triggered abilities on the chain. As each of those triggered abilities resolve, it deals damage to the unit chosen for that ability. If one of these abilities deals lethal damage to a unit, both Falling Star and its ability are considered sources of the damage, and so both Falling Star and its ability are responsible for killing the unit. This means that Falling Star’s controller killed a unit with a spell, so Immortal Phoenix’s ability will trigger.

• 415.6. This action is formatted as "Kill [one or more permanents]." e.g., "Kill an enemy unit." e.g., "Kill this, [2]: Draw 1." e.g., "Kill all gear."

416. Add

• 416.1. Adding is the action of putting resources into a player's Rune Pool.

• 416.2. Spells, triggered abilities, and activated abilities that Add resources finalize immediately.

  • 416.2.a. Priority and Focus will not pass from Add abilities being finalized, and will resolve before any other outstanding items on the chain are finalized.

• 416.3. Activated abilities that Add resources and have the Reaction tag can be activated during the playing or resolution of other spells and abilities, any time that those spells or abilities require that resources be paid. Example: A player can add Energy and Power through any means before initiating the process of playing a spell. After initiating that process, in the Pay Costs step, they may activate Add Reactions to add Energy or Power to pay costs.

• 416.4. Adding is a Limited Action.

  • 416.4.a. Players may only Add resources when Game Effects direct them to do so.

• 416.5. This action is formatted as "Add [one or more resources]." e.g., "Add [2]." means "Add 2 Energy." e.g., "[E]: Add [Y]." means "Add 1 Power of the Order domain." e.g., "Add [1][G]." means "Add 1 Energy and 1 Power of the Calm domain."

417. Channel

• 417.1. Channeling is the action of taking one or more Runes from the top of a player's Rune Deck and putting them on the board.

• 417.2. The Game Effect that instructs a player to channel 1 or more runes may specify the conditions or circumstances under which those runes enter the board. Example: A spell reads "Channel 1 rune exhausted." As that spell resolves, its controller puts the top rune of their rune deck onto the board and that rune enters the board exhausted rather than ready.

• 417.3. Channeling is a Limited Action.

  • 417.3.a. Players may only channel runes when Game Effects direct them to do so.

• 417.4. This action is formatted as "Channel X rune(s)," optionally followed by conditions or stipulations. e.g., "Channel 1 rune." e.g., "When you play me, channel 1 rune exhausted." e.g., "Channel 2 runes exhausted. If you couldn't channel 2 runes this way, draw 1."

418. Burn Out

• 418.1. Burning Out is an action a player must perform if they attempt to move one or more cards from their Main Deck to any other zone in excess of the number of cards remaining in their Main Deck:

  • 418.1.a. If a player must Draw cards in excess to the number of cards in their deck, they will Draw as many as possible, perform this action, then Draw the remaining amount instructed.

  • 418.1.b. If a player must put one or more cards from their Main Deck in any other zone, such as the Trash, in excess of the number of cards in their deck they will do so as much as possible, perform this action, and then complete the remaining number required by the instruction.

  • 418.1.c. If an instruction directs a player to look at or reveal cards in excess to the number of cards in a player’s Main Deck, that player looks at or Reveals as many as possible, but does not Burn Out, then proceeds with the rest of the instruction.

    • 418.1.c.1. If there are insufficient cards among the looked at or revealed cards to perform subsequent actions to the revealed or looked at cards, any further instructions are ignored. This does not cause a Burn Out, even if those instructions would cause those cards to change zones. Reminder: Cards are considered in the zone of origin while being looked at or revealed, in this case the Main Deck.

• 418.2. To Burn Out, a player does the following in sequence:

  • 418.2.a. Performs as much of the prescribed action as possible.

  • 418.2.b. Recycles their trash into their Main Deck. Reminder: When multiple cards are Recycled to the Main Deck at the same time, those cards must be randomized

  • 418.2.c. Chooses an opponent to gain 1 point.

  • 418.2.d. Completes the remainder of the action that caused them to burn out. Example: A player attempts to draw 1 during their Draw Phase while their Main Deck is empty. That player instead recycles their trash into their Main Deck, randomizing it as normal, then chooses an opponent to gain 1 point, and then draws 1.

• 418.3. A player's Main Deck may remain empty as they Burn Out, usually because their trash is also empty. When they attempt to perform the original action again, it will cause another Burn Out.

  • 418.3.a. Unless some effect intervenes, this will result in them burning out repeatedly, giving 1 point to an opponent each time, until an opponent passes the Victory Score and wins the game.

• 418.4. Burning Out is a Limited Action.

  • 418.4.a. Players may only burn out when Game Effects direct them to do so.

• 418.5. Burning Out is a Replacement Effect. See rule 364. Replacement Effects for more information.

419. Movement

420. Moving is a Limited Action.

• 420.1. A Permanent changing its position from any space on the Board to another space on the Board is a Move, unless it is caused by a corrective Recall. See rule 407. Move for more information.

• 420.2. A card changing game zones does not in itself constitute a Move.

• 420.3. Moving is instantaneous.

  • 420.3.a. There is no state for Permanents between locations.

  • 420.3.b. Permanents are either at their Origin before Moving or their Destination after Moving.

  • 420.3.c. Moving does not use the Chain, nor is it able to be Reacted to.

421. Moving is defined by the Origin and Destination of the Permanent that is changing locations.

• 421.1. The Origin is where the Permanent is starting from.

• 421.2. The Destination is where the Permanent is going to.

  • 421.2.a. In Modes of Play with more than two players, Battlefields with Staged Combats or Combats in Progress are Invalid Destinations for Moves of all kinds (Standard Moves or otherwise) by Units controlled by Players who don't already have permanents at that Battlefield.

  • 421.2.b. If an action would require a Move that would cause a Unit to become present in a Location where it cannot move for any reason, such as a Battlefield with two players that are not the controller of the Unit performing this Move action are in a Combat or such a Combat is Staged, it instead Recalls. See rule 428. Recalls for more information.

• 421.3. Units are the only Permanents that can Move.

422. Players may choose to move their Units with the Standard Move. See rule 140. for more information on the Standard Move.

423. Spells, Abilities, or other effects may cause a Move to occur.

• 423.1. The source of the Move will provide details on any restrictions on legality for Destination.

• 423.2. Units cannot Move to a Battlefield that already has units from 2 other players present by any means.

424. The Destination becomes Contested if it is a Battlefield not controlled by the controller of the Unit or Units that moved.

425. Units may cause a Showdown without a Combat when they Move.

• 425.1. A Showdown is opened when a Move causes a Battlefield to become Contested while it has no Units present from any player other than those that just moved.

426. Units may cause Combat when they Move.

• 426.1. A Combat is triggered when a Move causes a Battlefield to become Contested and Units controlled by opposing players. See rule 433. Combat for more information.

427. When a Move action is complete, perform a Cleanup.

428. Recalls

429. A Recall is when a Permanent is relocated from anywhere to its Base without it being a Move.

430. Recalls are not Moves.

• 430.1. They do not cause Triggered Abilities to trigger that are triggered by Move actions.

• 430.2. A Recall causes a Permanent to change locations.

• 430.3. A Recall cannot be prevented by actions and Game Effects that restrict or block Movement.

431. Gear can be Recalled.

• 431.1. When Gear is created or played at a battlefield, or is at a battlefield for any other reason, it is Recalled to its controller's base during the next Cleanup. Example: Zhonya's Hourglass is a gear with the Hidden ability, which allows it to be hidden at a battlefield and played later to that battlefield. If Zhonya's Hourglass is played from hidden, it must be played to that battlefield. It will be recalled to its controller's base during the next Cleanup.

432. Recalls do not affect the state of the Permanent being recalled.

• 432.1. Unless otherwise stated by the source of the Recall, Damage, Exhausted Status, Buffed Status, and applied Layer alterations will all remain unaffected by a Recall.

433. Combat

434. A Combat occurs when a Cleanup occurs, there are no items on the Chain, and a Battlefield has Units controlled by two opposing players.

435. Combat is considered Staged if there are units controlled by two opposing players at a Battlefield but the Steps of Combat have not been initiated.

• 435.1. If more than one Battlefield has Units controlled by opposing players at it at the same time, the Turn Player decides which Combat to resolve first.

• 435.2. If Staged Combats stop being Staged before the Steps of Combat are initiated, they are not resolved or executed.

436. Combat can only occur between Units controlled by exactly two players.

• 436.1. In Modes of Play with more than two players, Battlefields with Staged Combats or Combats in Progress are Invalid Destinations for Moves of all kinds (Standard Moves or otherwise) by Units controlled by Players who don't already have permanents at that Battlefield. See rule 421.2.a. for more information on Invalid Destinations.

• 436.2. In Modes of Play with more than two players, Battlefields with Staged Combats or Combats in Progress are Invalid to be chosen as a location to play one or more Units by a player not involved in that Combat by any means

  • 436.2.a. If an effect would require a Unit be played to a Battlefield with a Staged Combat or a Combat in Progress, where the controller of the played unit is not a participant, instead the Unit is played to its controller's Base.

  • 436.2.b. Any subsequent reference to "here" in the corresponding effect is reassigned to the Controller's Base, where the Unit was played. Any further effects that may be invalidated are invalidated as if the effect was mistargeted. See rule 352.5. Targeting for more information on Mistargeting.

• 436.3. All choices that would result in a Combat occurring between more than two players simultaneously are invalid and ineligible to be completed.

437. The Steps of Combat

438. Step 1: The Showdown Step

• 438.1. A Showdown opens at this time.

  • 438.1.a. Establish who is Attacker and who is Defender.

    • 438.1.a.1. The Attacker is the player whose unit(s) applied the Contested status to the Battlefield. They gain the Attacker designation now.

      • 438.1.a.1.a. This player gains Focus as this Showdown begins.

    • 438.1.a.2. The Defender is the player who did not apply the Contested status to the Battlefield. They gain the Defender designation now.

    • 438.1.a.3. Units at the Contested Battlefield controlled by the Attacker gain the Attacker designation now.

      • 438.1.a.3.a. If a Unit controlled by the Attacker becomes present at this Battlefield after this moment, it will gain the Attacker designation during the Cleanup phase following the action that caused it to become present

    • 438.1.a.4. Units at the Contested Battlefield controlled by the Defender gain the Defender designation now.

      • 438.1.a.4.a. If a Unit controlled by the Defender becomes present at this Battlefield after this moment it will gain the Defender designation during the Cleanup phase following the action that caused it to become present

  • 438.1.b. Finalize items on the Initial Chain if establishing Attacker and Defender has caused Triggered Abilities to become Pending.

    • 438.1.b.1. The Attacking player, who has Focus, places Triggered Abilities on the Chain first, followed by all non-Defender players in Turn Order, followed by the Defending Player.

  • 438.1.c. The State Closes if an Initial Chain was created.

    • 438.1.c.1. Otherwise the Showdown continues, with the State Open as normal.

  • 438.1.d. Players proceed with any play on the Chain as normal.

  • 438.1.e. Focus does not pass upon closure of the Initial Chain, if any.

439. Step 2: The Combat Damage Step

• 439.1. When the Showdown closes, Attackers and Defenders resolve Combat Damage at the Battlefield that was attacked, using their current Might.

  • 439.1.a. The Combat Damage Step only occurs if both Attacking and Defending units remain at the location.

    • 439.1.a.1. If neither Attacking Units nor Defending Units remain at this stage, the Combat Damage Step is skipped.

  • 439.1.b. Sum the Might of all Attacking Units.

  • 439.1.c. Sum the Might of all Defending Units.

  • 439.1.d. Starting with the Attacker, each player assigns an amount of damage equal to their summed Might among the other's Units.

    • 439.1.d.1. Assigning Damage is not Dealing Damage.

      • 439.1.d.1.a. When all Damage is assigned, it will be Dealt simultaneously. These actions are not synonymous.

    • 439.1.d.2. Abilities or effects may influence the order in which damage is assigned. Reminder: Lethal Damage is non-zero damage equaling or exceeding the Might of a Unit.

    • 439.1.d.3. Units must have lethal damage assigned to them in full before damage is assigned to a different Unit. Example: If a player has 5 damage to distribute among four 3 Might units, they may not choose to assign 2 damage to one of the units and 1 damage to each of the remaining 3. They must assign at least 3 damage to one, and the remaining 2 to another.

    • 439.1.d.4. Units cannot have more damage assigned to them than the minimum required to constitute lethal damage unless no further units remain to have damage assigned to them.

    • 439.1.d.5. A player must obey all requirements and restrictions on damage assignment if able. Example: A player is assigning damage to the following units: a unit with Tank ("I must be assigned combat damage first."); Caitlyn, Patrolling ("I must be assigned combat damage last."); and another unit without any abilities. That player must assign combat damage first to the unit with Tank, then to the unit with no abilities, then to Caitlyn.

    • 439.1.d.6. If multiple Units have abilities or effects that require a player to assign them damage with the same priority, that player may assign damage to those units in any order. Example: A player is assigning damage to the following units: two units with Tank ("I must be assigned combat damage first.") and one unit with no abilities. That player chooses one of the units with Tank and assigns combat damage to it. Then they must assign any remaining damage first to the other unit with Tank, then to the unit with no abilities.

    • 439.1.d.7. If a Unit has one or more Abilities or effects applying to it that demand it be assigned damage in a specific way that is exclusionary, then the assigning player chooses only one of those abilities to apply when assigning damage. Example: Caitlyn, Patrolling ("I must be assigned combat damage last.") has been given the Tank ability ("I must be assigned combat damage first."). A player is assigning damage to this Caitlyn with Tank and two units with no abilities. That player can’t fulfill both of Caitlyn’s damage requirements, so they may choose to assign damage to Caitlyn first, fulfilling the Tank requirement, or last, fulfilling Caitlyn’s printed requirement. They can’t choose to apply damage to Caitlyn in between the other two units, because that wouldn’t fulfill either requirement.

    • 439.1.d.8. If there is more than one unit in which this situation applies to, each unit is dealt with individually. The assigning player chooses which ability or effect applies, and then resolves the assignment. If this creates a situation where now more than one unit must be assigned with the same priority, those units may be assigned damage in any order as normal within that priority. Example: Two copies of Caitlyn, Patrolling ("I must be assigned combat damage last.") have been given the Tank ability ("I must be assigned combat damage first."). A player assigning damage to these two Caitlyns and one unit with no abilities could choose to fulfill both Caitlyns’ Tank requirements by assigning them both damage before the other unit.

    • 439.1.d.9. If a unit cannot be dealt damage, then no amount of damage can be considered lethal. Such a unit is exempt from any considerations of mandatory assignment. Example: Kayn, Unleashed says “If I have moved twice this turn, I don't take damage.” While Kayn can’t take damage, it is ignored for the purposes of assigning lethal damage in combat.

  • 439.1.e. Deal Damage to each unit equal to the amount assigned to it.

440. Step 3: The Resolution Step

• 440.1. 1. Perform a Combat Cleanup.

  • 440.1.a. Invoke a Special Cleanup.

    • 440.1.a.1. Insert “2a. Clear all marked damage from all Units.”

    • 440.1.a.2. Insert “2b. Recall Attackers present at the Battlefield if Defenders are still present.” See rule 428. Recalls for more information.

    • 440.1.a.3. Insert “2c. Remove Attacker and Defender Designation from all Units and Players.”

  • 440.1.b. Clear the Contested status from this Battlefield.

    • 440.1.b.1. Clear the Contested status regardless of the outcome of the Combat.

• 440.2. If any Units remain at the Battlefield, and if their controller does not already Control the Battlefield, that player Establishes Control over the Battlefield..

  • 440.2.a. This results in a Conquer if that player has not yet scored that Battlefield this turn. See rule 179. Control for more information on Control. See rule 442.1. for more information on Conquering.

  • 440.2.b. This does not have to be the player that applied Contested to the Battlefield.

441. Scoring

442. A player Scores in one of two ways:

• 442.1. Conquer: A player gains Control of a Battlefield they did not yet Score this turn.

  • 442.1.a. In Modes of Play with teammates, Battlefields under the Control of a teammate during the Beginning Phase are also disqualified from being Scored through Conquer by any means.

  • 442.1.b. A player will gain control of a Battlefield after establishing Control by applying Contested first.

• 442.2. Hold: A player maintains Control of a Battlefield during their Beginning Phase.

443. A player may only Score, from either method, once per Battlefield per turn.

444. When a player Scores, two things occur:

• 444.1. The player earns up to one Point, depending on their current score.

  • 444.1.a. The Final Point has additional restrictions.

    • 444.1.a.1. Notably, points earned from sources that are not Conquer or Hold are not beholden to these restrictions.

  • 444.1.b. When a player tries to earn a Point through a Score, and their current Point Total is 1 point from the Victory Score of the Mode of Play, the following occurs:

    • 444.1.b.1. If the player has Scored through Hold, that player scores the Final Point.

    • 444.1.b.2. If the player has Scored through a Conquer and has Scored every Battlefield through either method this turn, that player scores the Final Point. If the player has Scored through a Conquer and has not Scored every Battlefield this turn, that player draws a card.

• 444.2. Trigger Score abilities at the Battlefield that Scored.

  • 444.2.a. Conquer abilities trigger at a Battlefield that was Conquered.

  • 444.2.b. Hold abilities trigger at a Battlefield that was Held.

  • 444.2.c. These will only trigger when the Battlefield is Scored; I.E. These cannot be triggered more than once per turn for a player.

445. When a player accrues Points equal to the Victory Score for their Mode of Play, they Win the Game immediately.

446. Layers

447. Layers are the mechanism in which Game Effects alter the Traits, Intrinsic Abilities, or other properties of Game Objects.

448. Layers are an organizational structure.

• 448.1. Layers only serve to structure the application and order that Game Effects apply to Game Objects to maintain consistency.

449. The layers are applied repeatedly until all effects operating on objects have been applied once and no changes have been processed.

• 449.1. Layers are applied in sequence. Each effect in them is applied as soon as able, and only a single time across all sequences.

• 449.2. When a sequence of applications completes, recur the process, and evaluate each layer again applying any effects that may now be applicable.

• 449.3. The removal or disqualification of an effect is separate from the application of the effect, but still can only be applied once. Example: Fiora, Victorious has printed Might 4 and says “While I'm Mighty, I have Deflect, Ganking, and Shield.” If a player places a buff on Fiora, her Might is increased in the Arithmetic layer, after the layer for Ability-Altering Effects. The Ability-Altering Effect layer is then re-checked and the abilities Deflect, Ganking, and Shield applied. Since each effect has been applied once and there are no other effects to apply, Fiora’s characteristics are finalized as 5 Might with Deflect, Ganking, and Shield. While a buffed Fiora, Victorious is in combat as a defender, an additional +1 Might will be applied in the Arithmetic layer, giving her 6 Might and the 3 keywords. Example: A buffed Fiora, Victorious is in combat as a defender when her buff is removed. Reevaluating the layers in sequence, she no longer gains Deflect, Ganking, and Shield during the Ability-Altering Effect layer, so when the Arithmetic layer is evaluated, neither the buff (which is gone) nor Shield (which she no longer has) apply. She goes directly from 6 Might with three keywords to 4 Might with no keywords..

450. Layers are applied in the following order:

• 450.1. 1. Trait-Altering Effects

  • 450.1.a. This layer deals with effects that grant, remove, or replace inherent traits of Game Objects. Name Super Type Type Tags Controller Cost Domain

    • 450.1.a.1. Assignment of Might is dealt with in this layer. Example: A spell reads "A unit's Might becomes 4 this turn." The unit's Might is set to 4 in this layer.

  • 450.1.b. One Game Object becoming a copy of another.

    • 450.1.b.1. All Traits, including the Rules Text, replace or are added to those of the original Game Object as specified by the Game Effect directing the Copy. This is applied in this layer.

  • 450.1.c. Effects for this layer can be identified by the phrase "become(s)", "give," "is," or "are" in the text. Example: A permanent has the ability "Other friendly units are Yordles." Other friendly units gain the Yordle tag in this layer.

• 450.2. 2. Ability-Altering Effects

  • 450.2.a. This layer deals with effects that grant, remove, or replace the abilities or rules text of Game Objects. Keywords Passive Abilitie Appending rules text Removing rules text Duplicating Rules Text from one Game Object to another

  • 450.2.b. Effects for this layer can be identified by the phrase "become(s)," "give," "lose(s)," "have," "has," "is," or "are" in the text. Example: A permanent has the ability "Other friendly units have [Vision]." Other friendly units gain the Vision keyword in this layer.

• 450.3. 3. Arithmetic

  • 450.3.a. This layer deals with the mathematics of increasing and decreasing the numeric values of the traits of Game Objects. Might Energy Cost Power Cost

  • 450.3.b. When an arithmetic effect has a limitation that applies, it is limited at the time of its application, and is “remembered” at that limited level for the duration of its effect. This process is called “snapshotting.” Example: If an effect gives a unit “-4 [M] to a min of 1 until end of turn” choosing a unit with 2 [M], then the effect will generate -1 [M] until end of turn.

  • 450.3.c. This layer applies arithmetic in the following way.

    • 450.3.c.1. 1. Increases

    • 450.3.d.1. Positive values, or increases, to Might are applied first.

    • 450.3.e.1. If there is a restriction or limitation to this increase, the limitation is “snapshotted” for the duration of the effect.

    • 450.3.e.2. 2. Decreases

      • 450.3.f.0.a. Negative values, or decreases, to Might are applied last.

    • 450.3.g.1. If there is a restriction or limitation to this decrease, the limitation is snapshotted for the duration of the effect.

451. If more than one effect applies to the same Game Object in the Same Layer, or to each other in the same layer, then both effects will apply but their order may be determined by Dependency.

• 451.1. A Dependency is established if:

  • 451.1.a. Applying one of the effects alters the existence of the other; or

  • 451.1.b. Applying one of the effects alters the number of objects the other effect can influence

  • 451.1.c. Applying one of the effects alters the outcome when applying the other non- deterministically

452. To determine which effect Depends on another, determine which of the prior criteria applies, and then also which effect’s evaluation is altered by the sequence of applications. That effect is said to Depend on the other.

• 452.1. To resolve a dependency, the effects within the same layer that created the dependency must be applied such that: 1. Identify which effect Depends on the other within the Layer. 2. Apply the effect that is depended on first. 3. Immediately apply the effect that Depends on the first effect next.

453. If more than one effect applies in the same layer but no dependency is established, then Timestamp order is applied to the effects.

• 453.1. The first effect to have been played is applied first, and the newest effect is applied last within the same Layer.

454. Modes of Play

455. There are multiple methods of playing Riftbound.

456. A Mode of Play must define several variables for the game.

• 456.1. Number of Players: How many people are playing the game.

• 456.2. Formation of Players: How the players are organized while playing.

  • 456.2.a. This defines if a player is alone or on a team.

  • 456.2.b. This defines the number of opponents.

• 456.3. Victory Score: The point total a player or team must reach to win.

  • 456.3.a. Victory Scores can be any positive number.

• 456.4. Battlefield Count: Determines how many Battlefields are in play, contributed by players, during play.

  • 456.4.a. This may influence deck building requirements in competitive settings.

  • 456.4.b. This may involve utilizing less Battlefields than there are players.

• 456.5. Setup: Any changes to initial setup required for this mode.

• 456.6. Format: Conditions to win or additional rules added over play.

• 456.7. First Turn Process: Adjustments to each player's first turn.

• 456.8. Unique Rules

  • 456.8.a. If any, they will be appended here.