Cards And Zones
Who Owns a Card, and Who Controls It?
Ownership records who brought a card into the game. Control determines who uses it now. Changing control does not change ownership.
RiftPal explanation · Answer first
The short answer
A card's OwnerThe player who brought a card into the game, regardless of legal ownership of the physical card. A token is owned by the player who controlled its creating effect. Changing control does not transfer ownership.View in Glossary is the player who brought it into the game, even if the deck was borrowed. Its ControllerThe player who currently controls a game object and makes the choices assigned to that controller. Control is established differently for battlefields and other objects, and need not match ownership.View in Glossary is the player who currently uses it and makes its choices. These can be different players.
If your opponent controls your card, it is still yours for game rules. If it goes to a hand, deck, TrashA player's off-board zone for cards that are killed or discarded and spells that finish resolving, unless an effect changes their destination. Its cards are public information and their order does not matter.View in Glossary or BanishmentA player's off-board zone for banished cards. Its cards are public information and their order does not matter. It is separate from the Trash; some effects use it temporarily.View in Glossary , it goes to its owner's corresponding zone.
RiftPal explanation
How it works
Card reference
Possession
Playing, hiding or creating an object normally establishes who controls it. For a spell or ability, its ControllerThe player who currently controls a game object and makes the choices assigned to that controller. Control is established differently for battlefields and other objects, and need not match ownership.View in Glossary chooses targets, pays costs and makes the choices assigned to them. Effects can change control without changing OwnerThe player who brought a card into the game, regardless of legal ownership of the physical card. A token is owned by the player who controlled its creating effect. Changing control does not transfer ownership.View in Glossary ship.
Spell
Possession
[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) Choose an enemy unit at a battlefield. Take control of it and recall it. (Send it to your base. This isn't a move.)
Cards cannot enter another player's personal off-board zone. Use the OwnerThe player who brought a card into the game, regardless of legal ownership of the physical card. A token is owned by the player who controlled its creating effect. Changing control does not transfer ownership.View in Glossary 's hand, deck, TrashA player's off-board zone for cards that are killed or discarded and spells that finish resolving, unless an effect changes their destination. Its cards are public information and their order does not matter.View in Glossary , Champion ZoneThe separate zone where your Chosen Champion starts the game. You can play it from there using the normal timing, costs and restrictions. It is not a location on the board.View in Glossary or BanishmentA player's off-board zone for banished cards. Its cards are public information and their order does not matter. It is separate from the Trash; some effects use it temporarily.View in Glossary instead. This does not grant a new way to return a champion to the Champion Zone.
A battlefield's owner does not automatically control it. Its ControllerThe player who currently controls a game object and makes the choices assigned to that controller. Control is established differently for battlefields and other objects, and need not match ownership.View in Glossary normally controls its abilities, unless an ability assigns a particular player its choices. With no battlefield controller, the turn player handles an ability's choices unless it says otherwise. But 'you' on an uncontrolled battlefield refers to no one, so those instructions are ignored.
Once an ability is on the ChainAn off-board zone that holds cards and abilities during the process of playing them. Cards and abilities on it are public information.View in Glossary , changing control of its source does not transfer that ability. An attached card also keeps its own controller when control of the card it is attached to changes, and vice versa.
A token belongs to the player who controlled its creating effect. That player normally controls it too, unless the effect or token type says otherwise.
In a team game, a friendly object can be controlled by you or your teammate. That does not give you control of their units or permission to use their Standard MoveA Standard Move is the normal way a unit moves between its Base and a Battlefield.View in Glossary .
In practice
Example
Your opponent takes control of a unit you brought in your deck. They make its choices while they control it. If it is killed, put it in your Trash. If an effect returns it to its owner's hand instead, put it in your hand.