How to Play›Showdowns and Combat

How To Play

10 sections

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How to Play›Showdowns and Combat

How To Play

10 sections

Chapter 7 of 105 min read

Showdowns and Combat

Open and combat showdowns — how units fight for control of battlefields.

Combat in Riftbound is how you take and defend battlefields. When you move a unit to a battlefield, one of two types of showdown begins depending on who controls it:

Open Showdown — you move a unit to an uncontrolled battlefield. No opponent is there yet, so you claim it without a fight — your opponent still has a chance to play a spell though!
Combat Showdown — you move a unit to a battlefield your opponent already controls. After all spells resolve, Might is compared to decide who holds the ground.

Starting Combat

To initiate a Combat Showdown, move one or more of your ready units to an opponent-controlled battlefield during your Action Phase. Those units becomes the attackers. The defending units gain defender.

Note

You can move multiple units at the same time and you can contest the same battlefield mutliple times. The path to victory can be in a huge push or multiple small skirmishes.

Resolving Combat

Combat resolves by comparing Might values:

Total Each Side's Might

Add up the Might of all units on each side at the battlefield — attackers vs. defenders. Multiple units stack their Might together.

Assign Damage Simultaneously

Both sides assign their total Might as damage to the opposing side at the same time — neither player goes first. Players must assign lethal damage to a unit before damaging the next.

Highest Might Wins

The side with the higher combined Might destroys more units. Multiple units can be wiped out in a single showdown. If totals are equal, all units on both sides are destroyed simultaneously.

Damage Heals

Once combat damage is dealt, all units at every location heal back to full. This happens before any Deathknell triggers resolve.

Conquer or Hold

If the attacking side destroys all defending units, they conquer the battlefield and score a point.

Might

Determines combat outcome

All units on each side stack their Might. Higher total wins — ties wipe both sides.

Spells in Combat

Combat doesn't resolve instantly — both players have windows to play spells before Might is compared. This is where a lot of the game's depth lives.

Buff your attacker's Might with a spell
Grant your units unique effects for the turn
Play a disruption spell to remove a defender before combat resolves

Warning

Your opponent can respond to your combat spells too. If they play a spell after yours, you get another chance to respond — this is the Chain (covered in the next section).

Try a Showdown

Toggle between showdown types and drag your unit onto the battlefield to see how each plays out. Remeber both players can still play spells before the combat ends — for this demo, assume none are played.

Try a Showdown

You

—

Opponent

This battlefield is uncontrolled. Drag your unit to the zone below it to claim it.

Drop to conquer

Your unit

Drag or tap to send to the zone above

Loading…

Chapter 7 of 105 min read

Showdowns and Combat

Open and combat showdowns — how units fight for control of battlefields.

Combat in Riftbound is how you take and defend battlefields. When you move a unit to a battlefield, one of two types of showdown begins depending on who controls it:

Open Showdown — you move a unit to an uncontrolled battlefield. No opponent is there yet, so you claim it without a fight — your opponent still has a chance to play a spell though!
Combat Showdown — you move a unit to a battlefield your opponent already controls. After all spells resolve, Might is compared to decide who holds the ground.

Starting Combat

Note

You can move multiple units at the same time and you can contest the same battlefield mutliple times. The path to victory can be in a huge push or multiple small skirmishes.

Resolving Combat

Combat resolves by comparing Might values:

Total Each Side's Might

Add up the Might of all units on each side at the battlefield — attackers vs. defenders. Multiple units stack their Might together.

Assign Damage Simultaneously

Both sides assign their total Might as damage to the opposing side at the same time — neither player goes first. Players must assign lethal damage to a unit before damaging the next.

Highest Might Wins

The side with the higher combined Might destroys more units. Multiple units can be wiped out in a single showdown. If totals are equal, all units on both sides are destroyed simultaneously.

Damage Heals

Once combat damage is dealt, all units at every location heal back to full. This happens before any Deathknell triggers resolve.

Conquer or Hold

If the attacking side destroys all defending units, they conquer the battlefield and score a point.

Might

Determines combat outcome

All units on each side stack their Might. Higher total wins — ties wipe both sides.

Spells in Combat

Combat doesn't resolve instantly — both players have windows to play spells before Might is compared. This is where a lot of the game's depth lives.

Buff your attacker's Might with a spell
Grant your units unique effects for the turn
Play a disruption spell to remove a defender before combat resolves

Warning

Your opponent can respond to your combat spells too. If they play a spell after yours, you get another chance to respond — this is the Chain (covered in the next section).

Try a Showdown

You

—

Opponent

This battlefield is uncontrolled. Drag your unit to the zone below it to claim it.

Drop to conquer

Your unit

Drag or tap to send to the zone above