Riftbound Icons: Every Card Symbol Explained

Riftbound Icons Explained: Every In-Text Symbol and What It Means

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Card Cost Symbols

Name	Meaning
Wild Power	The swirling rainbow symbol represents Wild Power. Unlike domain-specific Power, it can be used to pay a Power cost of any domain.
Energy cost	The number symbol represents an Energy cost. Energy has no domain, so exhausting any rune contributes to it.

In-Text Symbols

Exhaust is sometimes called ‘Tap’.

Name	Meaning
Might	The Might symbol appears on unit cards and shows how powerful that unit is in combat. A higher Might number means the unit deals more damage and is harder to remove from a battlefield. You will see the Might symbol constantly while playing. It is one of the most important numbers on any unit card.
Exhaust	The sideways arrow symbol means turn this card sideways to pay the cost or use the ability. An exhausted card cannot be exhausted again until it readies at the start of your next turn.
Recycle	Recycle means to put a rune or card from your board to the bottom of the appropriate deck as a cost. Unlike exhausting, the card physically leaves your board; a recycled rune goes back to your rune deck and generates one Power of its domain.
Power Activation	A domain symbol next to a colon means exhaust one rune of that specific domain to activate the ability. Unlike an Energy cost, only a rune of the matching domain can pay this.

Reading the Effect Box

Add 2 Energy to your pool this turn. Any unspent Energy empties at the end of your turn.

Pay 1 Energy and recycle 1 Fury rune, then return a unit from your trash to your main deck. Exhausting this card is optional and plays a 3 Might Mech unit token to your base if you do.

Deflect 2 means opponents must pay 2 additional Power to target this unit with a spell or ability. If they cannot or choose not to pay, they cannot target it.

Destroy this Gold token as the cost. The token must be ready to use this ability. As a Reaction, it adds 1 Power to your pool instantly, before opponents can respond.

Accelerate is an optional additional cost. If you pay it, the unit enters play ready instead of exhausted, meaning it can move or act on the same turn it was played.

Recycle 1 Calm rune to attach this equipment to a unit you control. Once attached, the equipment’s rules text goes inactive and its Effect Text, shown in the lower section of the card, becomes active instead.

Repeat (1) means you may pay the additional cost shown in parentheses to repeat the spell’s effect once. Assault 2 means the unit gets +2 Might while attacking, not while defending.

Pay 4 Energy AND recycle 4 Mind runes, then exhaust this card to score 1 point. Because the card exhausts as part of the cost, you cannot use this ability again until your next turn.

You may repeat this spell’s effect any number of times, each costing 4 Energy and 1 Mind rune. You declare and pay for all repetitions upfront when you play the card.

**Hunt 2** means this unit gains 2 XP when it conquers or holds a battlefield. XP accumulates for your Legend across the whole game and increases your level as it grows.

**Level 3** means this unit gains the stated effect permanently while your Legend has 3 or more XP. No spending required. The ability is always active as long as you meet the threshold. For Mosstomper that is +1 Might and Deflect, meaning opponents must pay a Wild Power cost to target it with a spell or ability.

Hunt builds your XP. Level abilities unlock automatically once you have enough.
(This mechanic was introduced in Unleashed (Set 3, May 2026)).

Ambush means this unit can be played as a Reaction to a battlefield where you already have units. You cannot drop into an empty battlefield, you need presence there first.
Individual cards may extend this rule. For example Rengar, Trophy Hunter can Ambush into any battlefield, even without your units present, as his card text explicitly overrides the base keyword.
(This mechanic was introduced in Unleashed (Set 3, May 2026)).

The Might Bonus box shows how much Might the gear adds to the unit it is attached to. The bonus applies only while the equipment remains attached.

Power Cost

Requires 3 Energy plus 1 Fury rune to play. The number is the Energy cost; the domain symbol below it is the Power cost.

Requires 1 Energy plus 2 Body runes to play. Two stacked domain symbols means you pay one Power of that domain per symbol shown.

Requires 1 Energy plus 1 Fury rune OR 1 Energy plus 1 Body rune to play. A dividing line between two domain symbols means you choose one or the other, not both.

This is a Legend card. The domain icons in the top left define your deck’s domain identity: every card in your main deck and rune deck must belong to at least one of those domains. Your legend cannot be killed or moved and stays in the Legend Zone for the entire game.

For a full beginner’s guide to Riftbound covering rules, combat, domains, and deck building, visit RiftboundGuide.com