Tournament Rules Changes (April 29, 2026)
Changes between the March 2026 and April 2026 Riftbound Tournament Rules.
Badges identify Added, Changed, and Removed rules. Removed wording is struck through, while added wording is highlighted. Each change appears with the unchanged rules needed to preserve its context; other unchanged rules are omitted. Rule numbers open the corresponding source document in a new tab.
400. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Policies
403. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Sideboard
- 403.9. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
If a match completely skips the first game due to a penalty
or an intentional draw, neither playerqualifiesmay sideboard for403.5 in Tournament Rules 2026-03-30 (opens source rules in a new tab)the following game. - 403.10. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
If a game ends in a draw, neither player may sideboard for the following game.
406. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Start of Game Procedure
- 406.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
The setup process for a game of Riftbound is defined in the Core Rules. See CR 110. Setup Process. Additionally:
- 406.1.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
In competitions where sideboards are allowed, players may exchange cards from their main deck and their sideboard after each game of a match. See 403 in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens source rules in a new tab) for more information on sideboards.
- 406.1.b. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
If a game ends in a draw, players must use the same battlefields for the following game.
- 406.1.g. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
For competitions run using a “best of 1” format instead of a “best of 3” format, the head judge may opt to use the altered initial setup process listed below to closer mirror the “best of 3” experience:
- 406.1.g.7. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
Players perform shuffling steps
406.1.b.-406.1.d.3406.1.c.-406.1.e.3. listed above, then proceed to CR 116. Setup Process.
500. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Communication
502. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Information
- 502.11. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
In 2v2, teammates may share Private information, including directly showing each other the cards in their hand as defined by 484.8.e. in the Core Rules.
509. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Gameplay Decisions
- 509.4. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
At high OPL, a player can reverse their most recent action and make a different decision for that action (including not taking it at all) if no new action has been taken by either player
, a judge allows it,and the following is true:
600. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Competition Formats
601. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Constructed
- 601.2.d. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
If a card is banned in a specific format, that card may not be included in a deck.
- 601.2.d.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
Riftbound’s list of banned cards can be found here.
- 601.2.d.2. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
At low OPL, if a player is using the exact deck configuration of a preconstructed Riftbound deck product, they are allowed to play with cards on the banned list. For example:
- 601.2.d.2.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
At Nexus Nights, if a player is playing a deck matching the exact contents of the preconstructed Jinx Champion Deck, they are allowed to use the banned cards in the deck, such as Fight or Flight, Scrapheap and Reaver’s Row. If the player makes any changes or adds a sideboard, they can no longer include the banned cards.
700. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Enforcement and Penalties
702. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Game Play Errors
- 702.1.c. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
At low OPL, penalties should generally be less harsh and rewinds may be applied even if the erroring player gains an information advantage.
- 702.1.c.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
PenaltiesAt low OPL, penalties that require an opponent of the erroring player to make a choicecan beare made at randomorby a judgeifwhen they can’t be avoided by a rewind.
- 702.5. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
Looking at Extra Cards [Warning]: A player takes an action that enables them to see the faces of cards they are not entitled to see.Looking at Extra Cards [Warning]: While taking a game action that allows a player to look at cards from a deck, they look at more cards than they are entitled to.
- 702.5.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
Cards being looked at from secret information such as a deck are added to a private information group while they are being looked at.
- 702.5.b. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
Once extra cards being looked at have touched a new private or secret group from their original source, they become part of that group. If the extra cards have not touched a new group, this is instead a Looking at Secret Information error. See 702.10 in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens source rules in a new tab). for more on Looking at Secret Information errors.
- 702.5.b.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
For example, if a player plays a Stacked Deck and adds a fourth card to the private set of cards they are looking at, it is Looking at Extra Cards. If they correctly look at the top three, but knock the top card of their Main Deck over without adding it to the private group, it is Looking at Secret Information.
- 702.5.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-03-30 (opens in a new tab)Removed
Players are not entitled to see cards that are private (to another player) or secret.
- 702.5.b. in Tournament Rules 2026-03-30 (opens in a new tab)Removed
Cards in a deck are considered to be in that deck unless and until they touch cards in another private or secret group. If that happens, the error is instead a Secret Card Error.
- 702.5.c.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
If the error is caught while the erroring player is looking at the extra cards, the next opponent in turn order of the erroring player looks at the private group and chooses the appropriate number of extra cards to shuffle back into the randomized portion of the appropriate deck.
- 702.5.c.1.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
If one or more of the cards has already been added to a new group of cards, the next opponent in turn order of the erroring player looks at that group and chooses the appropriate number of cards to return to the original group of cards being looked at. Then perform 702.5.c.1 in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens source rules in a new tab)
- 702.5.c.2. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
If the error is caught at a later stage in the game, instruct players to continue playing.
- 702.5.c.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-03-30 (opens in a new tab)Removed
If the cards remain in a single deck, shuffle the deck appropriately to remove the information advantage.
703. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Tournament Errors
- 703.4. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
Deck Presentation Error [Warning]: A player’s deck’s contents are illegal during presentation to an opponent or during gameplay.
- 703.4.a.4. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Changed
A player’s deck is the incorrect deck size. See 402 in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens source rules in a new tab) for more information about deck size. (
ExampleExamples: A player misplaced a cardor, a player forgot to shuffle their banished cards back into their deck between games, a player's deck has an extra card or is missing a card due to an effect like Possession from a previous game.) - 703.4.a.5. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
A player has cards in their deck box with their deck that are not part of the registered contents of their decklist. Promotional cards given out as part of the event, tokens, and damaged cards replaced with official proxies are allowed to be stored this way and do not warrant this error.
- 703.4.a.5.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
At Professional OPL, extra cards stored in the deck box this way upgrades to a [Game Loss].
- 703.9. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
Outside Assistance: A player receives advice or strategic assistance from an individual outside of the match.
- 703.9.c. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
If the spectator giving the outside assistance is also a player in the event, this penalty is also applied to them.
704. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Unsporting Conduct
- 704.3. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
Unsporting Major [Disqualification]:
- 704.3.a. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)
Examples include but are not limited to:
- 704.3.a.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
Use of racial slurs
- 704.3.a.2. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
Physical violence or the threat of physical violence
- 704.3.a.1. in Tournament Rules 2026-03-30 (opens in a new tab)Removed
Hate speech
- 704.3.a.2. in Tournament Rules 2026-03-30 (opens in a new tab)Removed
Physical violence
- 704.3.a.4. in Tournament Rules 2026-04-29 (opens in a new tab)Added
Intentionally misgendering an event attendee
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