Getting Started
ABCD: Starting Your Turn
Remember the four start-of-turn phases: Awaken, Beginning, Channel, and Draw.
Guide overview
What you’ll learn
- Remember the start-of-turn phases with ABCD.
- Understand the purpose of each phase.
Guide content
Understand the concept
Every turn in Riftbound starts with the same four phases: Awaken, Beginning, Channel, and Draw. An easy way to remember the order is simply ABCD. Once you know what each letter means, starting your turn becomes much easier to keep track of.
A — Awaken
Awaken is when you get your board ready for the new turn.
Your ExhaustTo Exhaust something, turn it sideways to show that it has been used for an action or cost that requires it to Exhaust.View in Glossary cards and RuneRunes are your resources for paying for cards and abilities. They come from a separate Rune Deck and are brought into play as the game progresses.View in Glossary become Ready again, letting you use them during the turn ahead.
Think of it as resetting the things you used on your previous turn so they're ready to go again.
B — Beginning
Beginning is when you handle the start-of-turn parts of the game.
Abilities or other effects that happen at the beginning of your turn are handled during this phase.
This is also when you score for Holding BattlefieldA Battlefield is a shared location that players compete to control during the game.View in Glossary . If you still control a Battlefield from the previous turn when its scoring step is reached, you Hold it and gain +1 point.
Once your Beginning Phase is complete, you move on to Channel.
C — Channel
Channel is when you add new Runes from your Rune Deck to the resources you have in play.
You normally Channel two Runes each turn, helping your available resources grow as the game goes on.
Once they're in play, those new Runes are available for the rest of your turn.
D — Draw
Draw is the final step before you move into the rest of your turn.
Draw one card from your Main Deck.
Once that's done, your ABCD is complete and you're ready to continue your turn.
Keep in mind
Key points
- A — Awaken: Ready your cards and runes.
- B — Beginning: Handle your start-of-turn effects, and if you still control a Battlefield from the previous turn, this is when you Hold it and gain +1 point.
- C — Channel: Draw your new Runes from your Rune Deck and put them into play.
- D — Draw: Draw one card from your Main Deck.
- ABCD done. Now play your turn.