Riftbound Game Actions Explained: Buff, Stun, Predict, Add, Repeat, Temporary, Unique & Mighty
Not every precise rule in Riftbound is a bracketed keyword line. Riot's Core Rules also defines a set of "Game Actions" — verbs that show up inside OTHER cards' ability text, like "Buff a unit" or "Add [2]" — with the same rigor as a full keyword. This guide covers eight of them: the ones that show up most often once you start reading real cards closely.
Buff: a single counter, not a stacking bonus
Buffing places a Buff counter on a chosen unit — but only if it doesn't already have one. A unit can hold just one Buff counter at a time by default, so re-Buffing an already-Buffed unit doesn't add anything further; it can still be chosen, the instruction just doesn't do more. Some cards check whether a Buff actually landed ("if it was buffed this way...") before triggering a bonus. Full reference: Buff keyword page.
Stun: skips one combat, doesn't kill
A Stunned unit doesn't contribute its Might to combat damage that turn — it's a binary status, on or off, and re-Stunning an already-Stunned unit does nothing further. Stunned wears off automatically at end-of-turn cleanup, and a Stunned unit still needs damage equal to its full Might to actually die — Stun is a tempo tool for winning one fight, not permanent removal. Full reference: Stun keyword page.
Predict: looking before you draw
Predicting shows you the top card of your own Main Deck and lets you choose to keep it there or Recycle it away. "Predict X" does this for X cards at once. It doesn't draw anything — it's pure card selection, most commonly triggered by the Vision keyword. Full reference: Predict keyword page.
Add: putting resources in your pool
Adding puts Energy or Power into your Rune Pool — "Add [2]" means 2 Energy, a domain letter means Power of that domain. Abilities that Add resolve immediately rather than passing priority, which is what makes an Add ability with Reaction so flexible: it can be activated the instant a cost needs paying, mid-resolution of something else entirely. Full reference: Add keyword page.
Repeat: running a spell's effect twice
Paying "Repeat [Cost]" as you play a spell or ability lets its instructions execute a second time on resolution — the choices for that second execution (targets, modes) don't have to match the first. Multiple instances of Repeat can each be paid separately, for one additional execution per instance. Full reference: Repeat keyword page.
Temporary: built to last exactly one round
A permanent with Temporary is automatically killed at the very start of its controller's next Beginning Phase, before scoring. It gets the rest of the turn it entered on, plus reaches the start of the following one — then it's gone. It's how Riftbound prints a self-cleaning, one-cycle effect. Full reference: Temporary keyword page.
Unique: a deckbuilding rule, not a gameplay effect
Unique restricts a deck to only one card of that exact name. Unlike everything else in this guide, it does absolutely nothing once a game has started — it's checked purely when a deck list is validated. Full reference: Unique keyword page.
Mighty: a threshold, not a keyword you're granted
A unit "is Mighty" automatically whenever its current Might is 5 or greater, and stops being Mighty the instant that total drops — there's no separate status to track, it's derived live from the number. Cards that check "while I'm Mighty..." turn their bonus on and off with the unit's stats. Full reference: Mighty keyword page.
Why these matter even though they're not "keywords"
Reading a Riftbound card correctly means reading these verbs precisely, not intuitively — "Buff" doesn't stack past one counter the way a generic "+1/+1" might in another game, and "Stun" doesn't kill even though it feels like it should. Getting a Game Action's exact rule wrong is one of the most common ways a new player misreads what a card actually does.
See the full Riftbound keywords glossary for every mechanic in the game — combat keywords like Tank and Shield are in the Combat Keywords guide, and Vendetta's three headline new mechanics are in the Empower, Flow and Burn guides.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a Keyword and a Game Action in Riftbound?
A Keyword is a standalone bracketed line on a card, like [Tank] or [Empower]. A Game Action is a verb used INSIDE other cards' ability text — 'Buff a unit', 'Add [2]', 'Stun a unit' — that Riot's Core Rules still defines precisely, even though it isn't its own keyword line.
Can you Buff a unit that already has a Buff counter?
You can still choose it, but no additional counter is placed — a unit can only hold one Buff counter at a time unless a specific effect says otherwise.
Does a Stunned unit still need full damage to die?
Yes — being Stunned only removes a unit's Might from that combat's damage; it still needs damage equal to its full Might to actually be killed.
Is Mighty something a card grants me?
No — Mighty is a derived threshold. Any unit with 5 or more current Might automatically counts as Mighty, and stops the instant that total drops.
Does Unique do anything once the game has started?
No — Unique is purely a deckbuilding restriction (only one copy of that named card per deck). It has zero effect once the game is underway.
What happens if you Repeat a spell's effect?
Paying the Repeat cost as you play a spell or ability makes its instructions execute a second time on resolution — and the choices for that second execution don't have to match the first.
Ready to buy?
Compare live prices for every Riftbound single across every store we track.