Vendetta's official FAQ answers 33 questions: the rulings that change your games
Two weeks after the set's launch and days before RQ Barcelona, Riot has published the official Vendetta FAQ: 33 questions and answers covering the set's trickiest interactions. One detail you shouldn't overlook: where the FAQ differs from the rulebook, the FAQ wins. We've reorganized the rulings by theme — counterplay, Mel, gear and copies, replacements, champions — with what actually changes at the table.
The FAQ is a collection of official rulings published on August 14 in the playriftbound.com Rules Hub. Here you'll find the most relevant ones explained: for edge cases, the original English text is authoritative.
CounterplayCounters, Flow and Fallen Feline's naming
Three rulings immediately shape the Reaction mind game. First: Abandon against a spell played for its Flow cost doesn't send it back to hand — a Flow spell is banished whenever it leaves the chain, no matter how it leaves, so Abandon's «return to hand» turns into an exile. Second: Crumbling Sands uses the «finalize» meaning of «played», so it can counter a spell that was already finalized earlier, as long as an opponent finalized another one after it: if your opponent plays two spells in a row, you can counter the first. Third: Fallen Feline — you react before your opponent names a card (naming happens on resolution), and the declared name must uniquely identify one card: a generic «Kai'Sa» isn't enough when multiple Kai'Sa versions exist.
The set's queenEmpowered Mel: what she actually protects
Mel, Newly Awakened is the card with the most FAQ entries. Her Empowered replacement effect applies only to the event that chooses her as a target: with Moonfall, the chosen unit takes −3 Might but every other unit at that battlefield still takes the −2; with Stupefy, the replacement also inherits the spell's «minimum 1» modifier. And if your opponent plays Abandon on one of your spells while Mel is empowered? They can, but all they'll get is the Predict: the spell can't be countered, so the «return to hand» event never exists. Watch out for Rebuttal, though: gaining control of a spell is not countering it, so Mel's protection doesn't stop it — and whoever controls the spell can re-pick targets and modes at will.
GearShady Spectacles and copies that don't copy everything
Vendetta's most talked-about spectacles have a precise limit: «Empowered» is a status, not a printed trait, so copying an empowered unit doesn't make the equipped unit empowered — temporary modifications don't travel with the copy. The FAQ also clarifies the attach mechanic, which is now a sequential event: if Akshan, Mischievous steals your Shady Spectacles, the old unit immediately loses the copy and the thief picks his own — but when copying, say, Aphelios, his on-attach ability doesn't trigger, because the attachment already completed by the time the copy resolves. The flip side: detaching and re-attaching creates a fresh instance of the copied ability, so «once per game»-style abilities recharge, exactly like refreshing Svellsongur.
ReplacementsKi Barrier + Lotus Trap: you pick the order
The most «technical» but also most exploitable ruling: when multiple replacement effects want to modify the same damage, the player controlling the unit chooses the order. The FAQ's example: a 4-Might unit with Ki Barrier (prevent the next 7 damage) defending against a 4-Might attacker while Lotus Trap (double all damage) is active. Applying Ki Barrier first: 4 damage prevented, the doubling has nothing left to double, zero damage taken and 3 points of prevention still banked. Applying Lotus Trap first: 8 damage, 7 prevented, 1 taken and the barrier spent. Same fight, opposite outcomes: from now on it's a deliberate choice, not chance.
ChampionsKayle stacks, Gangplank filters, Renekton demands the transition
Three champions leave the FAQ with precise instructions. Kayle, Justified is the exception to the rule: her Empowered stacks up to 3 times (for other cards it's binary), a Disempower removes only one, and the ability can be activated even while she's already empowered. Gangplank, Naval only replaces real Might-reduction events: no +3 if he's already stunned and would be «stunned again», no +3 on a Stupefy that would reduce by 0 — but Switcheroo's swap genuinely generates a «−Might» event, and there the +3 definitely lands. Finally, Renekton, Brute only triggers when he becomes 10+ Might: if he merely stays there (going from 11 to 10, or staying above), the «become» event never happens and the trigger doesn't fire.
Quick hitsThe other rulings worth knowing
Elsewhere in the FAQ: «ignored» and «negated» are not synonyms — with Ride the Wind on a unit at Vilemaw's Lair the move is negated but the ready still happens; «can't» beats «can», so Perched Grimwyrm can't be played to an unconquered Dragon Roost even if you pay; with conflicting placement instructions (Temporal Breach + Dragon Roost) you choose which one to follow; Hwei discarding Patched Porobot generates both triggers (unit and gear); and units you steal control of can never be played to another player's base. Rounding things out: clarifications on Astral Heron — already covered by August's errata — and on «dependent» keywords, which are copied in full even while inactive.
Q&AWhat you need to know
Does the FAQ override the rulebook?
Yes: Riot specifies that where the FAQ differs from the Core Rules Document, the FAQ takes precedence. It's the document to check for the most recent interactions.
What happens if I counter a spell played with Flow?
It gets banished, not returned to hand: a Flow spell is banished whenever it leaves the chain, even if the countering effect would return it to its owner (like Abandon).
Does Kayle lose all her Empowered statuses when disempowered?
No, she loses only one: per her card text, her Empowered stacks up to 3 instances, unlike other cards where it's a binary status.
Does empowered Gangplank get +3 every time he would lose Might?
Only if a real reduction event exists: no +3 if he's already stunned or if the reduction would be 0. Switcheroo's swap, however, generates a real −Might event, and there the +3 applies.
TL;DR
- 📜 The August 14 FAQ collects 33 official rulings and overrides the rulebook where the two differ.
- 🃏 Flow spells get banished even when countered, and Crumbling Sands can counter «backwards».
- 🛡️ Mel's protection only covers the chosen unit and doesn't stop Rebuttal: control isn't a counter.
- ⚔️ Kayle stacks up to 3 Empowered, Gangplank and Renekton only trigger on real events; the replacement order (Ki Barrier/Lotus Trap) is the controller's call.
Source: Vendetta Rules FAQ and Clarifications (playriftbound.com). Card images © Riot Games.
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