Smoke Screen is the kind of card that doesn’t ask questions. It just steps into the middle of your opponent’s plan and shuts it down—hard.
Reaction spells are already some of the most high-skill, high-reward tools in Riftbound, and this one’s a standout.
Whether you’re playing tempo, control, or just packing answers to beat aggro, Smoke Screen makes a real argument for inclusion.
Gameplay / Cool Mechanics
Let’s cut straight to it: Smoke Screen is a 2-cost Reaction spell that gives a unit -4 power until end of turn (to a minimum of 1). You can play it anytime, even in the middle of stack resolution.
This spell isn’t just “removal-adjacent”—it’s tempo-killing. Someone tries to swing with their freshly pumped 6/2? Now it’s a 2/1. Want to protect a unit from a fight? Drop this in response and change the math entirely.
Because Smoke Screen doesn’t set a unit’s power but reduces it by 4, it gets around a ton of typical buff patterns.
It’s especially dangerous when combined with other tools that reward soft-removal or punish weakened enemies.
Also, the “minimum of 1” clause matters more than it first appears. It means you can’t completely blank a unit unless it’s sitting at 4 or less—but this also stops it from being a total blowout against bosses or Legends. Smart balance choice.
Visuals
The art for Smoke Screen sells exactly what the card does. A trio of elite operatives emerging from a literal wall of smoke, ready to neutralize a threat.
The central figure—poised, composed, deadly—adds a precision to the whole frame. The flanking figures are blurred and backlit, reinforcing the theme of sudden intervention and disruption.
Light cuts through the fog just enough to guide your eye but keeps the vibe tense and watchful.
Pull Rate & Value Speculation
Smoke Screen is listed at card 093/298, placing it squarely in the early-mid range of the set’s numerical sequence.
We haven’t seen its foil treatment or rarity confirmed yet, but a control-friendly utility spell with visual punch like this?
Expect it to show up in foil. And if Riftbound does thematic alt-arts or regional variants, something tells me this one’s gonna get a noir or cyberpunk variant down the line.
Collectors who value art-forward, low-cost high-impact cards are going to want Smoke Screen—especially if reactions as a card type take off in the competitive meta.
Read more – Mageseeker Warden from Riftbound TCG
