Riftbound Deathknell: what it does
GlossaryDeathknell is a Riftbound triggered-ability keyword on permanents, short for "when I die, [Effect]." It fires when the permanent is Killed and actually sent to the trash — if something replaces that death (a recall, for instance) before it happens, the Deathknell effect never triggers, since the permanent was never truly sent to the trash.
What counts as "dying" for Deathknell
The trigger is specifically the permanent being Killed and moved to the trash. If a replacement effect intercepts that — recalling the card to hand instead, for example — the death that Deathknell is watching for never actually happens, so the ability doesn't fire. Before the card physically moves, the game notes its location and relevant details so the Deathknell effect can still reference them once it resolves.
Multiple Deathknells and building around them
A permanent with more than one Deathknell effect triggers each of them separately when it dies, and its controller chooses the order to add them to the chain. Because Deathknell rewards a card for dying rather than surviving, it pairs naturally with sacrifice effects, trades you're happy to make, and any plan that treats a unit's death as the payoff rather than the cost. See the Growth Keywords guide for how it fits alongside Riftbound's other value-generating keywords.
Hunting Dog is a real, officially revealed Radiance card printed with Deathknell — open it to see the exact printed rules text and its live price across stores.
Every Deathknell card
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Deathknell FAQ
What does Deathknell mean in Riftbound?
Deathknell is short for "when I die, [Effect]" — it triggers when the permanent is Killed and sent to the trash.
Does Deathknell trigger if a card is recalled instead of dying?
No — if the permanent's death is replaced by something else, like being recalled, it was never actually sent to the trash, so Deathknell doesn't fire.
What if a permanent has multiple Deathknell abilities?
Each one triggers separately when it dies, and its controller chooses the order they're added to the chain.