You don’t even need to read the text box—Rebuke hits instantly. A wall of ethereal energy slams into a defiant warrior mid-motion, tearing through him like a divine command.
The composition doesn’t ask for interpretation. It declares: You are not welcome here.
There’s violence, yes, but also restraint. This isn’t brute-force removal—it’s decisive authority. The tone is icy, elevated. Cold magic, high stakes, zero tolerance.
Illustration Breakdown
Visually, Rebuke captures a critical threshold—the moment before someone is unmade. The unit on the right, tattooed and muscular, is physically overpowered by a ghostly construct barreling in from the left.
The sheer angle of the action splits the frame diagonally, adding intensity and direction.
Shards of energy, armor, and momentum scatter across the midsection like the debris of a shattered will.
Kudos Productions nails the mood with palette choice: the deep magenta sky offers surreal tension while the glowing spirit’s sharp blues pierce it like a righteous verdict.
There’s a spiritual violence to the scene, not messy but definitive. Even the unit’s twisted hair and tensed arms resist in vain—it’s too late.
And then there’s the quote: “Get out.” Cold. Minimal. Perfect.
Gameplay Integration
Mechanically, Rebuke echoes the art’s brutality through simplicity. It’s a two-cost Action spell that sends any unit on the battlefield back to its owner’s hand.
No caveats, no setup. If something’s threatening your board, your tempo, or your plan, you can snap it off the field with a flick of purple mana.
That kind of disruption—especially at common or uncommon rarity—gives purple decks a clean answer to midgame pressure.
In a game like Riftbound, where battlefield presence often snowballs into momentum, being able to reset an opponent’s investment for just 2 is massive.
And narratively, that “return” effect hits harder when you look at the art. The character isn’t destroyed—they’re rejected.
The battlefield does not consent to their presence. They go back home, whether they want to or not.
Collector Details / Value Mention
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Card Name: Rebuke
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Set: Riftbound TCG (Preview Season)
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Collector Number: 172/298
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Artist: Kudos Productions
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Rarity: Likely common or uncommon
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Alt/Overnumbered: No known variant revealed
Rebuke probably won’t be a chase card in terms of rarity, but don’t count it out.
Functional staple spells with standout art have a tendency to become community favorites—especially in foil.
And if purple control shells gain traction competitively, Rebuke is the kind of quiet workhorse that picks up long-term play demand.
In Rebuke, Riftbound delivers a visual metaphor for control—clean, cold, and completely unyielding.
Read more – The art of Highlander from Riftbound TCG
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