Last Updated: 2026-07-16

100. Game Concepts

101. Deck Construction
102. Riftbound is a Trading Card Game where a player must provide their own cards to play against other players.
103. 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.
104. Setup
105. Spaces
106. 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.
107. The Board
108. Non-Board Zones
109. All Game Objects in the collective Play Areas are Public Information.
110. Setup Process
111. Each player separates their Champion Legend and places it in the Legend Zone.
112. Each player separates their Chosen Champion and places it in the Champion Zone.
113. Each player sets aside their Battlefields.
114. Each player shuffles their Main and Rune Decks, separately, then places them into their respective Zones.
115. Determine Turn Order using any fair random method agreed on by all players.
116. Players each draw 4.
118. Begin play with the First Player taking their turn.
119. Game Objects
120. A Game Object is any game piece that can produce one or more Game Effects or grant prerequisites for players to take Game Actions.
121. A Game Object does not include nor preclude any inherent properties beyond the ability to produce, or act as the prerequisite for, Game Effects and Game Actions.
122. A Game Object can be a literal object or a logical object.
123. Game Objects include, but are not limited to, the following: Main Deck cards in any zone Runes in any zone Legends Battlefields Tokens in any zone Abilities of any type on the chain Counters and other status markers
124. A Game Object that changes zones to or from a Non-Board Zone becomes a new object for the purposes of tracking that object.
125. Cards
126. Riftbound games are composed of players playing the cards in their respective decks.
127. Ownership
128. Privacy
129. Back Side
130. Front Side
131. Cost
132. Name
133. Category
134. Domain
135. Rules Text
136. Effect Text
137. Might Bonus
138. Flavor Text
139. Illustration
140. Units
141. Unit is:
142. Damage is a marked value that is applied to Units.
143. Units have multiple Intrinsic Properties unique to them:
144. Units have the Inherent Ability to perform a Standard Move.
145. Units may have Activated Abilities.
146. Units have a Location.
147. Gear
148. Gear are:
149. Gear have several Intrinsic Properties unique to them.
150. Gear can have the Equipment tag.
151. Gear may have Activated Abilities.
152. Gear have a Location.
153. Spells
154. Spell is a card type.
155. A spell can be played during an Open State outside of Showdowns on its controller's turn.
156. A spell is controlled by the player who played it.
157. A spell creates a game effect according to its instructions and is then placed in the Trash of the player who owns it.
158. When a spell is successfully played, a player executes the rules text of the spell. This is called Resolving the spell.
159. Certain Keywords on spells are not executable rules text, but instead intrinsic properties of the spell.
160. Runes
161. Rune is a Card Type.
162. Runes produce the resources needed to pay costs.
163. Runes produce Energy and Power.
164. Basic Runes
165. Rune Pools
166. The Rune Pool is a conceptual collection of a player's available Energy and Power available to pay Costs.
167. Every player's Rune Pool empties at the start of each player's Main Phase and the end of each player's turn.
168. All Abilities that include the action "Add" are abilities that are adding Energy or Power to the Rune Pool. See rule 429. Add for more information.
169. Battlefields
170. Battlefields are Game Objects.
171. Battlefields are not Permanents.
172. The number of Battlefields on the Board is determined by the Mode of Play.
173. Legends
174. Legends are Game Objects.
175. Legends are not Permanents.
176. Legends may have one or more Domains.
177. Multiple Types
178. Game Objects can have multiple types.
179. Tokens
180. Tokens are Game Objects created by spells and abilities during play.
181. Tokens can be represented by anything. Printed tokens are included in Riftbound booster packs, but they are not required to play a token.
182. A token's controller is the controller of the spell or ability that created it, unless the token's type innately determines control or that spell or ability specifies that a different player is the token's controller.
183. A token's owner is the player who controlled the effect that created it.
184. The effect that creates a token may specify the conditions or circumstances under which it enters the board. These stipulations may alter the usual steps for playing a card if the token is played.
185. Tokens are not cards.
186. Tokens are Created on the board or the Chain and cannot exist elsewhere.
117. In turn order, players perform their Mulligan.
187. The spell or ability that Creates a token specifies some of its characteristics. It may have other characteristics, as listed below.
188. Control
189. Control is the concept of a player having influence of a Game Object and applies differently to different card types.
190. Battlefields
191. Everything Else
192. When a game effect or rules text refers to the Controller of a specific object, it can be referring to either context interchangeably.
193. Winning
194. Players win Riftbound games primarily through gaining points.
195. A player also wins the game if an effect instructs them to do so, or if they are the only player remaining in the game.
196. When a player wins the game, the game ends.
197. Locations
198. Locations are the Game Objects and Zones where permanents and runes may be located.
199. A Game Object that comprises a Location is also a Game Object at that location.