Does 'Chosen Champion' refer only to the specific card separated at the start of the game, or does it refer to all copies of that card played throughout the game?

Question

Accepted Answer

Chosen Champion refers to both the specific card you put into the Champion Zone at game start and any other Champion Unit with that exact same card name anywhere during the game.

All copies of the chosen card name count as your Chosen Champion for rules and effects that care about Chosen Champion status (not just the physical card separated at game start).

During Deck Building you choose one Champion Unit card to be your Chosen Champion; that card is placed in the Champion Zone at the start of the game [103.2.a.1]. At game start you separate that chosen card and place it in your Champion Zone as your Chosen Champion [113]. Throughout the game, any Champion Unit that has the exact same name as that chosen card (in your deck, hand, trash, or on the board) also counts as your Chosen Champion for effects that reference Chosen Champion status [103.2.a.3].

Cards that represent the same character but have different printed names (e.g., Yasuo, Remorseful vs Yasuo, Windrider) do not count as the same Chosen Champion because names differ [103.2.b.2]. Signature units that are not Champion units cannot be your Chosen Champion even if they share a Champion tag with your Legend (example: Tibbers is a signature unit and cannot be a Chosen Champion) [103.2.a.1]. You may include additional copies of your Chosen Champion in your deck up to the deck copy limits; those copies still count as your Chosen Champion when they are in game zones like hand, trash, or board [103.2.b.1].

The Core Rules explicitly define Chosen Champion to be both the specific card you select for that slot during Deck Building (and place into the Champion Zone at game start) and any Champion Unit with that exact same printed name encountered during play [103.2.a.3] [103.2.a.1]. This means the single physical card separated at the start is your Chosen Champion, and any other copies named identically (in your Main Deck, hand, trash, or on the board) also count as your Chosen Champion for effects that reference Chosen Champion status. The rules further note that your Main Deck may include additional copies of that chosen card (subject to normal deck limits) and those additional copies still count as the Chosen Champion when they are in-game zones [103.2.b.1]. Examples in the rules (such as Jinx, Rebel and Volibear, Furious) illustrate these points, and the rules also clarify that cards with different printed names—even if they represent the same character—do not share Chosen Champion status [103.2.b.2].