Combat
Who Wins Combat, and What Happens to Survivors?
After combat cleanup and its effects resolve, the units remaining determine the combat result.
RiftPal explanation · Answer first
The short answer
If only your units remain when the result is checked, you normally win combat. CombatCombat is the part of play where opposing players' units fight for the same Battlefield.View in Glossary has No Result if both sides remain, neither side remains or surviving attackers were RecallRecall means moving a permanent back to its controller's Base.View in Glossary because defenders survived.
RiftPal explanation
How it works
After Combat DamageCombat Damage is the Damage units deal as part of Combat.View in Glossary , perform Combat Cleanup. Units with Lethal DamageMarked damage sufficient to kill a unit in cleanup. Normally it must be a nonzero amount at least equal to the unit's Might. Effects can change the amount needed.View in Glossary are killed, then all units are healed. If defenders are still present, surviving attackers are recalled to their 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 's BaseYour Base is your personal location where your units can be played and return to during the game.View in Glossary . Resolve triggered abilities and other effects from the damage and cleanup before checking the result.
If both sides had survivors when the recall step was reached, the combat was a tie. Recalling the attackers makes the final BattlefieldA Battlefield is a shared location that players compete to control during the game.View in Glossary look one-sided, but the defender does not win: because attackers were recalled during cleanup, the combat has No Result. No Result also applies if both players still have units at the result check or if neither does. If both players still have units, stage another ShowdownA Showdown is a structured opportunity for players to act when a Battlefield is contested.View in Glossary and Combat there.
Otherwise, the only player with units remaining wins and the other loses. If no new contest is staged, the remaining player can establish control of the battlefield and ConquerConquer means taking control of a Battlefield you did not already control and Scoring it for the turn.View in Glossary it if they have not scored it this turn. With no units remaining, the battlefield becomes uncontrolled. Combat then ends and all attacker and defender designations and 'this combat' effects expire.
In practice
Example
Both sides still have a unit after combat damage. Combat Cleanup heals them and recalls the attacker because a defender remains. The defender is now alone at the battlefield, but the recall means the combat has No Result; the defender did not win.