Combo · ENGINE

Two Calm cards on the same battlefield want opposite garrisons - one pays for ALONE and the other for exactly one companion

6 cards · calm · verified

Pieces

• En Garde ×3 OGN-046 · engine · calm

  [Reaction] (Play any time, even before spells and abilities resolve.) Give a friendly unit +1 Might this turn, then an additional +1 Might this turn if it is the only unit you control there.

• Hand Hammer ×3 VEN-027 · payoff · calm

  [Equip] 1 Calm Power (1 Calm Power: Attach this to a unit you control.)

  I have +2 Might while I'm at a battlefield with exactly one other unit you control.

Payoff

Deck

• Both cards are mono-Calm, so 103.1.b.3 admits any legend with Calm in its pair.
• Neither card is banned or restricted in either format, and neither is a Signature card.
• A decision about garrison size that the two cards make FOR you - see the notables. They are in one entry because a deck that runs both has to choose, not because they combine.

Run play

• En Garde wants a lone body they attack, the Hammer a pair they leave alone, and both end where a plain two-drop does

Prerequisites

• 740.2.a IS THE DEFINITION AND IT COUNTS YOUR OWN SIDE. 'A unit is alone when there are no other friendly units at the same location' - so En Garde's second point needs a garrison of exactly ONE, and the enemy's size is irrelevant. Hand Hammer's clause is the neighbouring case in the same words: 'at a battlefield with exactly one other unit you control' - a garrison of exactly TWO. One card pays at one body, the other at two, and nothing pays at three.
• SO THIS IS A DECKBUILDING FORK, NOT A COMBINATION, AND THE ENTRY SAYS SO. On a garrison of one, En Garde is +2 and the Hammer's [Effect] is +0 (its Might Bonus of +1 still applies - 434.1.d - but the conditional +2 does not). On a garrison of two, the Hammer is +2 and En Garde is +1. A list that wants both is paying full price for whichever one is switched off, and the honest version of this entry is that the two cards TELL you what size garrison the deck wants.
• THE HAMMER'S 'I' IS THE CARRIER, WHICH IS WHY THE CONDITION READS THE CARRIER'S LOCATION. 136.2.b makes Effect Text Inactive unless attached, 136.2.c appends it to the Top-Most Card's Rules Text, and 053.1 with 136.2.d fix the referent - 'I' and 'me' in appended Effect Text are the CARRIER, while 'this' and the gear's own name stay with the gear (Riot's examples are Guardian Angel and Brutalizer). So 'I have +2 :rb_might: while I'm at a battlefield with exactly one other unit you control' is about where the CARRIER stands.
• AND THE HAMMER'S CONDITION IS CONTINUOUS, WHICH MAKES IT FRAGILE IN A GOOD WAY. It is an [Effect] on a permanent, re-read at every moment rather than checked once, so it switches off the instant a third body arrives and back on when one dies - unlike En Garde, whose 'this turn' modifier is fixed when the spell resolves. In a combat where bodies are dying, the Hammer's +2 can appear mid-step; 465.2.c reads Might at assignment, so it matters exactly then. CORRECTED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md): it switches off just as easily. A one-body answer to the companion cast in the showdown, such as OGN-169 Gust on a companion of 3 Might or less, leaves the carrier alone, and the Hammer then gives only its +1 Might Bonus. And a body that dies to the combat's own damage never switches it on for that combat: 465.2 resolves combat damage after the showdown ("1. When the Showdown closes, Attackers and Defenders resolve Combat Damage at the Battlefield that was attacked, using their current Might."), 465.2.c.1.a says "When all Damage is assigned, it will be Dealt simultaneously. These actions are not synonymous.", and 143.2.a kills a unit only once the damage is marked ("If a Unit ever has nonzero damage marked on it equalling or exceeding its Might, it is Killed."). So the +2 can appear mid-combat only when a body is removed before damage is assigned, by a spell or ability in the showdown.
• NEITHER IS A BUFF. Both are Might modifiers rather than 702 counters, so 702.3's one-per-unit cap and 703's fixed +1 are silent and a real buff still lands on top; and 434.1.d's Might Bonus is a third, separate source. Three different mechanisms that all read as '+Might' on the card face.
• AND EN GARDE IS [REACTION], WHICH IS THE ONE THING THE HAMMER CANNOT DO. 813.1.c.1 lets it be played 'during Closed States on any player's turn', so it is bought after the attacker's summed Might is countable (464.2.c.3, 465.2.c). The Hammer is a permanent and commits in advance. CORRECTED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md): En Garde is bought after the attack is declared, not after the count is final. The attacker holds Focus first in the combat's showdown (464.2.d: "3. The Attacker gains Focus."; 313.1: "Focus is the permission to take appropriately timed Discretionary Actions when the turn is in a Showdown Open State."), and [Action] cards play there too (806.1.b: "Action grants the corresponding card or effect permission to be played or activated during Showdowns, even when it is not the Controlling player's turn."), so the attacker can answer En Garde after it resolves. OGN-004 Cleave (Fury spell, E1, "[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) Give a unit [Assault 3] this turn. (+3 :rb_might: while it's an attacker.)") and SFD-003 Blood Rush (Fury spell, E1, "[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) [Repeat] :rb_energy_1: (You may pay the additional cost to repeat this spell's effect.) Give a unit [Assault 2] this turn. (+2 :rb_might: while it's an attacker.)") each beat its +2 for one rune: in the walk the 3-Might Saboteur became a 6 or a 5 against the Poro's 4. A pump played before the attack beats it for nothing: OGN-016 Dangerous Duo (Fury unit, E3, M3, "[Legion] — When you play me, give a unit +2 :rb_might: this turn. (Get the effect if you've played another card this turn.)") made the walked Saboteur a 5, which En Garde's 4 could not beat, on a body the opponent was playing that turn anyway.
• WHAT IT IS NOT. Nothing here scores; 469 defines Scoring as Conquer or Hold. And 807.1.d ties nothing here to an Attacker designation, so both work on defence.
• THE HAMMER IS SEEN - ADDED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md). [Equip] is a gear's activated ability, so it cannot be used in a showdown (151.2: "The Activated Ability of Gear may be executed at any time during the controlling player's Main Phase during an Open State, and not during a Showdown."). The Hammer is therefore attached before any attack, where the opponent can count it. In the walk, going first against a Fury/Chaos Draven deck, it made A 8 on T2, the Saboteur took the empty battlefield instead, and the Hammer never fought: 2 to 2 after their T3. A plain two-drop in the same slot (OGN-044 Clockwork Keeper) made A 5 and got the same 2 to 2. The En Garde list was also 2 to 2 after their T3 (3 to 3 after their T4), and En Garde moved a point only when they attacked before pumping: 3 to 1 after their T3.
• NO ANSWER WAS NAMED - ADDED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md). These are from the walked Fury/Chaos Draven census (247 cards), not every deck's answers. En Garde's: a pump played before the attack, which costs nothing beyond the turn planned (Dangerous Duo, in the [REACTION] notable); then, for one rune, Cleave or Blood Rush after it resolves, or OGN-169 Gust (Chaos spell, E1, "[Reaction] (Play any time, even before spells and abilities resolve.) Return a unit at a battlefield with 3 :rb_might: or less to its owner's hand.") in response to it, while the target is still 3 or less. En Garde then resolves with no legal target (359.3.e.5: "If any of the spell's targets are no longer legal, those game objects, players, or zones are unaffected by the spell as it resolves. Any instructions related to an illegal target can’t be followed."). The Hammer's: OGN-179 Acceptable Losses (Chaos spell, E1, "[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) Each player kills one of their gear.") kills it when it is your only gear, recycled rune and all, and SFD-135 Factory Recall (Chaos spell, E1, "[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) Return a gear to its owner's hand.") returns it, so playing and attaching it again costs E2 and another recycled Calm rune. In the walk the Hammer needed neither: the opponent went where it was not.

Bodies no card supplies

For a deck that keeps ONE body per battlefield, run En Garde: +2 Might for 1 Energy at [Reaction] speed, bought after the attack is declared (813.1.c.1)

Steps

1. Decide the garrison size first: these two cards are the decision, not a combination.
2. For a deck that keeps ONE body per battlefield, run En Garde: +2 Might for 1 Energy at [Reaction] speed, bought after the attack is declared (813.1.c.1). CORRECTED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md): bought after the attack is declared, but not after the count is final: the attacker can still answer it in the same showdown (the AND EN GARDE IS [REACTION] notable).
3. For a deck that keeps TWO, run Hand Hammer: [Equip] for one Calm Power, +1 from its Might Bonus (434.1.d) and +2 more while exactly one other unit of yours is there. CORRECTED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md): the Hammer is played first for E2, and the [Equip] is then one Calm Power, which is a rune recycled (164.2.b: "Recycle this: [Reaction] — Add [C]."; 164.2.b.1: "The Power added this way corresponds to the Domain of the Rune that is being Recycled."). If the carrier leaves the board, the Hammer detaches and stays (719.5: "When a Top-Most Card changes zones from a board zone to a non-board zone, all Attached cards Detach from it, remaining in their current zones."), and at a battlefield it goes back to base (435.4.a: "If the Detached card was a Gear and this causes it to become present at a Battlefield, it will be Recalled during the next Cleanup."). Attaching it again is another [Equip] and another recycled Calm rune.
4. The Hammer's condition is continuous, so it can switch on mid-combat as bodies die - 465.2.c reads Might at assignment. CORRECTED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md): and off: a one-body answer to the companion in the showdown switches it off, and a body killed by the combat's own damage dies after all damage is assigned (465.2.c.1.a, 143.2.a), so it never switches the clause on for that combat.
5. Do not expect either to pay on a garrison of three: 740.2.a's 'alone' is one and the Hammer's clause is exactly two.

Per iteration

+2 Might for 1 Energy on a lone body, or +3 on a carrier standing with exactly one companion - never both

How it ends

engine only - three of each by 103.2.b, and each is dead on the board size the other wants; nothing here scores CORRECTED 2026-10-23 (#439, from the run play docs/plays/2026-10-23-en-garde-wants-a-lone-body-they-attack-the-hammer-a-pair-they-leave-alone-and-both-end-where-a-plain-two-drop-does.md): true of the cards. Walked going first against a Fury/Chaos Draven deck, the En Garde list, the Hammer list and a plain two-drop in the same slot all stood 2 to 2 after their T3; the Hammer was seen and avoided, and En Garde moved a point only against an attack made before the pump.

Sources

Published elsewhere

• Riftbound Core Rules, Last Updated 2026-07-16 (data/Riftbound-Core-Rules-2026-07-16.txt) 2026-07-16
• Card text verbatim from data/corpus_flat.txt (built from Riot's gallery content API) 2026-09-07

Walked here, in this project

• Hand walk 2026-09-07 (docs/phase0/walks/2026-09-07-uncatalogued-calm-mind-order.md, batch 9) 2026-09-07 record
• Run play 2026-10-23, issue #429 2026-10-23 record

Walked against Core Rules 2026-07-16

Match a deck list against the whole catalogue