Deathknell
Unofficial answers about the Deathknell mechanic in Riftbound, with examples and Core Rules citations.
When is a Deathknell ability added to the chain?
After replacement effects are processed, an active Deathknell ability is added to the chain as a pending item immediately before its permanent moves to the trash, provided the permanent is still being killed and sent there. Before the permanent leaves the board, the game records its location, attributes, and other information needed to process the ability.
Each instance of Deathknell triggers separately. The permanent's controller chooses the order in which those pending abilities are added.
When does a Deathknell ability resolve if its unit dies during a cleanup?
It resolves only after the cleanup finishes. During a combat cleanup, surviving units are therefore healed before the Deathknell ability's controller chooses targets or the ability resolves.
The ability becomes a pending item before the unit moves to the trash. It cannot begin finalization until all outstanding tasks are complete.
Does Deathknell resolve before the card or ability that killed the unit?
It depends on when the unit is killed.
- Killed to pay a cost while a spell or ability is being finalized: The Deathknell resolves first. The original item is already pending when its cost is paid. It finishes finalizing before the newer Deathknell, which then resolves first. For example, suppose Sacrifice kills Ruined Rex as its additional cost and Ruined Rex's Deathknell has a legal enemy unit to choose. The Deathknell resolves before Sacrifice draws 2 and channels 1 rune exhausted.
- Killed during resolution: The killing card or ability finishes first, including when the kill pays a cost within its instructions. Costs within instructions in spells and activated abilities, and those appearing later in triggered abilities, are paid during resolution. The Deathknell is added before its permanent moves to the trash. It cannot finalize or resolve until the current item finishes. For example, after Baited Hook kills a unit, it finishes every remaining instruction before that unit's Deathknell can resolve.
- A resolving card or ability leaves the unit with lethal damage: The current item finishes first because cleanup cannot begin during its resolution. If the unit has lethal damage when cleanup reaches step 3a, it is killed then. Its Deathknell is added before the unit moves to the trash. The Deathknell cannot finalize until all outstanding tasks are complete.
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Written by Christian “Near” Ivicevic.
Last updated on .