Riftbound Guide

If a showdown happened and you were not sure who assigned damage to what, or whether a unit that survived would carry its wounds into the next fight, you are not alone. Damage in Riftbound trips up almost every new player for the same reason: it looks like it should work like other card games, and it does not quite. Once you understand Might and how assignment works, every combat starts to make sense immediately. This guide covers everything you need, including what carries over, when units heal, and the one rule that catches most beginners off guard.

What Is Might?

Might is printed in the top right corner of every unit card. It acts as both attack power and health at the same time. A unit with 4 Might deals 4 damage in combat and can take 4 damage before it is killed. There is no separate attack stat and health stat like in some other card games.

Some things can raise or lower Might temporarily. A Buff token adds +1 Might, though a unit can only hold one at a time. The Shield keyword also adds Might, but only while the unit is defending. More on Shield at the end of this article.

How Is Damage Assigned?

When combat happens at a Battlefield, both players add up the total Might of all their units there. That combined Might is the total damage they have to distribute across the enemy units.

You must assign enough damage to fully kill one unit before you can move on to the next. You cannot spread your damage however you like. If your opponent has a 3 Might unit and a 4 Might unit, and you have 5 total Might, you must put at least 3 into the first unit to kill it, then the remaining 2 go to the second. Or you could assign 4 to the second unit first to kill it, with the remaining 1 going to the other.

Any damage left over after killing a unit carries to the next unit in your assignment order. A single unit with enough Might can kill several smaller units in one combat if the numbers add up.

A unit that is going to lose the combat still deals its damage before it is removed. Both sides assign damage at the same time, so the losing side always gets their damage in.

Does Damage Carry Between Units?

Yes, within a combat it does. When you assign damage and kill a unit, any remaining damage carries over to the next unit you choose to assign it to. A 6 Might unit fighting two 2 Might units would kill the first with 2 damage, then the remaining 4 carries to the second unit, which also dies.

Once all enemy units at a Battlefield are killed, any remaining damage stops there.

When Do Units Die?

A unit dies when the damage marked on it equals or exceeds its Might. This is resolved as combat finishes, so you do not need to track it manually during the assignment. Any unit that has taken damage equal to or greater than its Might is moved to the Trash.

Units in the Trash are out of the game. Some card effects can retrieve units from the Trash, but by default a killed unit stays out for the rest of the game.

When Do Units Heal?

Damage does not stick around permanently. Units heal at two points during the game.

First, damage clears after each combat resolves. Once a fight at a Battlefield is finished and dead units are removed, all surviving units have their damage wiped. A unit that took 2 damage in one fight starts the next fight at full Might.

Second, damage clears at the end of each player’s turn. So even if a unit took damage from a spell or ability and was not in combat, it will be fully healed before the next player’s turn begins.

This means you cannot chip away at a unit across multiple turns. If you want a unit dead, you need to kill it in the same action that damages it.

What Happens After Combat: Conquering

Once all damage is dealt and dead units are removed, the game checks who still has units at the Battlefield. If you have units remaining and your opponent has none, you conquer the Battlefield and score 1 point immediately.

If both players have surviving units at the Battlefield, neither side conquers. This can happen when both players brought multiple units and the combat did not wipe one side out completely. Control stays with whoever held it before, and fighting can continue if more units move in.

Conquering is not the only way to score. If you still control a Battlefield at the start of your next turn, you hold it and score another point. Conquer and hold the same Battlefield across two turns and you have scored 2 points from it.

For how combat is triggered, how Showdowns work, and when you can play spells mid-fight, the How Combat Works guide covers all of that.

The Shield Keyword

Shield adds bonus Might to a unit while it is defending. That extra Might raises the damage threshold your opponent needs to kill it, making it harder to remove on their turn. Shield only applies while defending. When that same unit attacks, its Might is back to its base value. Full details are on the Keywords page.

Quick Reference: Damage Rules

You now have everything you need to handle any damage situation the game can throw at you. The most common mistake to avoid: assuming damage persists between fights. It does not. A unit that survived a showdown with 3 damage on it is back to full Might before the next one. For everything else about how the turn sequence and combat triggers fit together, the How to Play hub is the next step.

Get Riftbound Updates

New sets, card reveals, and buying guides. Straight to your inbox.

More Guides

• Champion Deck Comparison helps you pick the right deck to learn the game with.
• Starter Deck Guide covers every pre-built option and which suits your playstyle.