# Riftbound Growth & Value Keywords Explained: Legion, Level, Hunt, Weaponmaster, Equip, Accelerate, Vision & Deathknell

_2026-08-12 · RiftCompare_

Eight Riftbound keywords built around scaling up over the course of a game — XP thresholds, playing multiple cards a turn, equipping gear, card selection and death triggers, all explained in plain English.

Where the combat keywords decide who takes damage and the timing keywords decide when a card can be played, this cluster of eight is about the long game — scaling a board up, banking XP toward a threshold, arming a unit with gear, and turning a card's death into an advantage instead of a loss.

## Legion: rewards playing more than one card a turn

**A Legion ability is dormant until you've played a second card the same turn — then it stays active for the rest of that turn.** It's a running condition, not a one-time trigger, and playing any single other card turns on every Legion ability you control at once. Full reference: **[Legion keyword page](/keywords/legion)**.

## Level: a running XP threshold

**A Level [N] ability is active for as long as your XP total stays at N or more,** and goes inactive the instant it drops below — including if the card changes controller and the new controller doesn't meet the threshold. It's a long-game investment: unremarkable early, and only worth its full text once your XP engine catches up. Full reference: **[Level keyword page](/keywords/level)**.

## Hunt: the XP engine behind Level

**Hunt X grants that much XP whenever the unit with it Conquers OR Holds a battlefield** — both winning a fight and simply keeping a battlefield you already hold can trigger it, so a Hunt unit that sticks around keeps paying out turn after turn. It's the most direct way to reach the thresholds Level cards check for. Full reference: **[Hunt keyword page](/keywords/hunt)**.

## Weaponmaster: free equipping on entry

**When you play a unit with Weaponmaster, you may immediately choose an Equipment card you control and attach it, paying the Equip cost at a discount.** It only does something if you already have Gear sitting around — a payoff for a deck that plays Equipment early and expects to arm a threat later. Full reference: **[Weaponmaster keyword page](/keywords/weaponmaster)**.

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## Equip: attaching gear on your own timing

**Equip [Cost] is an activated ability on Gear cards — pay it, choose a unit you control, and the Gear attaches to it.** It's the manual version of what Weaponmaster automates: you control exactly when it happens, rather than only getting the option the turn a Weaponmaster unit lands. Full reference: **[Equip keyword page](/keywords/equip)**.

## Accelerate: pay more now, act immediately

**Accelerate lets you pay an optional extra cost as you play a unit so it enters the board readied instead of exhausted** — meaning it can attack or block right away instead of sitting out its first turn. It only matters at the moment of playing the card; once the unit's on the board, Accelerate has already done its job. Full reference: **[Accelerate keyword page](/keywords/accelerate)**.

## Vision: card selection on entry

**Vision triggers when the permanent with it is played, letting its controller Predict** — look at the top card of their deck and choose whether to keep it there or Recycle it away. It doesn't draw an extra card; it just smooths out what you're about to draw next, and it's most valuable stacked across several sources. Full reference: **[Vision keyword page](/keywords/vision)**.

## Deathknell: turning a death into value

**Deathknell is short for "when I die, [Effect]" — it fires when the permanent is Killed and actually sent to the trash,** not if that death is replaced by something else (a recall, for instance). It rewards a deck that's happy to trade a unit away, or even sacrifice it deliberately, because the death itself is the payoff. Full reference: **[Deathknell keyword page](/keywords/deathknell)**.

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## How these eight fit together

Hunt feeds Level. Legion rewards a low, wide curve of cheap cards. Equip and Weaponmaster both want a Gear-heavy shell, just on different timings. Accelerate and Vision are both about smoothing out a game plan rather than winning it outright — one skips downtime, the other skips a bad draw. Deathknell is the odd one out: it's the only keyword here that wants a unit gone, not scaled up, which makes it a natural fit alongside sacrifice effects and trades you were happy to make anyway.

See the full **[Riftbound keywords glossary](/keywords)** for every mechanic in the game, or the **[Empower](/guides/riftbound-empower-explained)**, **[Flow](/guides/riftbound-flow-explained)** and **[Burn](/guides/riftbound-burn-explained)** guides for Vendetta's three headline new mechanics.

## FAQ

**How do you gain the XP that Level checks for?**

Hunt is the most direct source — it grants XP whenever a unit with Hunt Conquers or Holds a battlefield, defaulting to 1 XP unless a higher value is printed.

**Does Legion need two cards WITH Legion to turn on?**

No — playing any one other card that turn satisfies every Legion ability you control, not just a matching pair.

**What's the difference between Equip and Weaponmaster?**

Equip is something you pay for and activate yourself, on your own timing. Weaponmaster automatically offers a discounted equip the instant a unit with that keyword is played — no separate activation needed.

**Does Accelerate do anything once a unit is already on the board?**

No — it only affects how the unit enters (readied instead of exhausted); it has no function afterward.

**Does Deathknell trigger if a permanent is recalled instead of dying?**

No — Deathknell specifically watches for the permanent being Killed and sent to the trash. If that death is replaced by something else, like a recall, the trigger never fires.

**Are any of these eight keywords new to Vendetta?**

No — Legion, Level, Hunt, Weaponmaster, Equip, Accelerate, Vision and Deathknell are all core Riftbound rules, not set-specific mechanics like Empower, Flow and Burn.

Source: https://riftcompare.com/guides/riftbound-growth-keywords-explained