Focus and Priority: the mistake that ends Showdowns too early
A post that went up on r/riftboundtcg this morning has dragged one of paper Riftbound’s most common misunderstandings back into the light: passing Priority is not passing Focus, and a Showdown only closes when both players pass Focus back to back. This is not one player’s reading. It is what rules 346, 347 and 348 of the official Core Rules say, in the version last updated on 16 July 2026. In the comments, one player describes losing that exact argument to three judges at a Regional Qualifier.
The rulesWhat 346, 347 and 348 actually say
Rule 347 is the heart of it: during a Showdown the player with Focus may play a legally timed card or activated ability, starting a Chain, or pass. Then comes the clause almost everyone skips — if all players have passed once in sequence the Showdown ends; otherwise Focus passes to the next player in turn order. Rule 348 says the same thing from the other side: the Showdown closes only when every player passes Focus without playing a spell or activating an ability.
Rule 346 completes the picture. When the last item on the Chain resolves and the turn returns to an open state during a Showdown, Focus passes, and the next player gains both Focus and Priority. In practice nobody gets to sit on Focus and fire off two Actions in a row: once the Chain empties, Focus leaves on its own, like it or not.
The split is spelled out in rule 335.1: during a Showdown, Priority goes to the player who has Focus. Focus decides who can open a Chain, Priority who can answer once a Chain is already open.
Who opens
The player with Focus chooses to play something and start a Chain, or to pass. Only two consecutive passes close the Showdown.
Who answers
With a Chain on the table, Priority decides who may add a Reaction. Handing it over is not the same as giving up the Showdown.
The exceptionRule 346.1, which hardly anyone quotes
The thread stops at 346, but the rulebook adds a decisive sub-clause. Rule 346.1 states that Focus does not pass that way if the Chain opened because a triggered ability was added to it, or because of an ability that adds resources. The rules supply the example themselves: the Combat Chain opens through triggered abilities, so when its last item resolves, Focus stays where it is.
At the tableWhy players keep getting it wrong
Reading the comments, most of the blame falls on vocabulary: one word, “pass”, covers two different gestures, and your opponent cannot guess which one you mean. Several players have changed their phrasing on purpose, and others point to habits carried over from Magic, where Priority returns to the turn player after the stack resolves, so newcomers assume the same automatic loop here.
Then there is the client. According to several comments, RiftAtlas does not hand Focus over automatically once a Chain resolves, leaving the player to do it manually; people who learn online get used to holding Focus and carry that habit into paper play. It is not an official Riot explanation, but the overlap comes up across half the thread.
| Situation | Avoid | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| You played a card and have nothing else to add | “Pass” | “Priority to you” |
| The Chain emptied and Focus goes to your opponent | “I pass Focus” | “Chain is empty, Focus is yours” |
| You hold Focus and intend to play nothing | “Go ahead” | “I pass Focus” |
JudgesThe story from the Singapore Regional
The most debated comment comes from a player who says he lived through it at a Regional Qualifier: after playing Punch First he announced “I pass Focus”, his opponent passed as well and declared the Showdown over, and by his account the judges sided with the opponent even after the call was escalated. Other users took the opening to complain about the lack of a structured qualification path for judges. These are one-sided accounts, unverified and not addressed by Riot, and we report them as such.
Why it matters for us. In Italy a great many players walk into their local store having learned the game on RiftAtlas, and with the ban list live from 18 September the coming weeks will push plenty of them into their first paper tournament. Simply saying out loud which of the two you are handing over — Focus or Priority — is enough to avoid a judge call that, as the thread shows, does not always end well. And if you cast Stupefy or answer with Eclipse, remember that Focus changes hands by itself once the Chain resolves.
The short version
- A Showdown ends only when both players pass Focus one after the other (rules 347 and 348).
- When the last item on the Chain resolves, Focus passes automatically to the next player (rule 346): you cannot chain two Actions.
- Rule 346.1 is the exception: if the Chain opened through a triggered ability, as the Combat Chain does, Focus does not pass.
Source: r/riftboundtcg and the Riftbound Core Rules (last updated 16/07/2026). Images: Riot Games.
Spotted an error?
To send a report you must first log in or sign up: it only takes a few seconds.