diff --git a/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/lower.rs b/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/lower.rs
index b7e2581a49..5abbd9072d 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/lower.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/lower.rs
@@ -3588,15 +3588,39 @@ pub(crate) fn target_filter_is_single_object_target(filter: &TargetFilter) -> bo
     }
 }
 
+/// #5994: whether the per-opponent fanout slot is optional (min 0) or
+/// mandatory (min 1), for verbs that fall through to this detector because
+/// they aren't in `MULTI_TARGET_VERBS` (e.g. "put", "gain control of") — a
+/// `MULTI_TARGET_VERBS` verb like "exile" takes its min from
+/// `stripped_multi_target` upstream and never reaches this function. Scans at
+/// word boundaries for an "up to N target …" quantifier anywhere in the
+/// clause, not just immediately after the verb, so one detector covers every
+/// non-`MULTI_TARGET_VERBS` verb instead of each needing its own hardcoded
+/// prefix (the prior version only recognized "gain control of "). This does
+/// NOT recognize "any number of target …" — that arm lives in
+/// `strip_leading_quantifier`, which this function doesn't call; no card in
+/// the per-opponent-fanout class currently uses that form. Reusing
+/// `strip_optional_target_prefix` (rather than the bare `strip_leading_quantifier`
+/// used by `MULTI_TARGET_VERBS`) is the safety property this relies on: it only
+/// accepts a quantifier immediately followed by "target "/"other target "/
+/// "another target ", so it can't misfire on a resource-count quantifier that
+/// happens to precede the object noun (e.g. "put up to three +1/+1 counters on
+/// target creature" — the quantity there modifies the counters, not the
+/// target, and the "target " guard declines it).
 fn per_opponent_target_fanout_min(text: &str) -> usize {
     let lower = text.to_ascii_lowercase();
-    let Some((_, rest)) = nom_on_lower(text, &lower, |input| {
-        value((), tag("gain control of ")).parse(input)
-    }) else {
-        return 1;
-    };
-    let (_, spec) = strip_optional_target_prefix(rest);
-    if spec.is_some_and(|spec| spec.min_is_fixed_zero()) {
+    let found_optional_target_slot =
+        nom_primitives::scan_at_word_boundaries(lower.as_str(), |input| {
+            match strip_optional_target_prefix(input) {
+                (rest, Some(spec)) if spec.min_is_fixed_zero() => Ok((rest, ())),
+                _ => Err(nom::Err::Error(OracleError::new(
+                    input,
+                    nom::error::ErrorKind::Fail,
+                ))),
+            }
+        })
+        .is_some();
+    if found_optional_target_slot {
         0
     } else {
         1
diff --git a/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/tests.rs b/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/tests.rs
index ca5a304bbe..19b3967dbf 100644
--- a/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/engine/src/parser/oracle_effect/tests.rs
@@ -32074,6 +32074,62 @@ fn effect_for_each_opponent_gain_control_uses_per_opponent_target_fanout() {
     }
 }
 
+/// #5994: Riptide Gearhulk's ETB — "for each opponent, put up to one target
+/// nonland permanent that player controls into its owner's library third
+/// from the top." The per-opponent fanout already binds the target's
+/// controller to `TargetPlayer` correctly here (`Effect::PutAtLibraryPosition`
+/// is wired into `Effect::target_filter()`, and the noun phrase is structurally
+/// identical to the working `GainControl`/`ChangeZone` fanout precedents), so
+/// the caster-vs-opponent aliasing half of the bug was already fixed upstream.
+/// What survived was `MultiTargetSpec.min`: `per_opponent_target_fanout_min`
+/// only recognized the min-0 ("up to") shape after a literal "gain control of "
+/// prefix, so every other per-opponent-fanout verb ("put", "exile", …) fell
+/// back to `min: 1` — forcing a target from every opponent's permanents even
+/// though "up to one" should allow skipping — which is the "fizzles if
+/// skipped" half of the report.
+#[test]
+fn effect_for_each_opponent_put_at_library_position_uses_optional_per_opponent_fanout() {
+    let def = parse_effect_chain(
+        "for each opponent, put up to one target nonland permanent that player controls into its owner's library third from the top.",
+        AbilityKind::Spell,
+    );
+
+    assert!(def.repeat_for.is_none());
+    assert_eq!(
+        def.multi_target,
+        Some(MultiTargetSpec::bounded(
+            0,
+            QuantityExpr::Ref {
+                qty: QuantityRef::PlayerCount {
+                    filter: PlayerFilter::Opponent,
+                },
+            },
+        )),
+        "an \"up to one\" per-opponent slot must be optional (min 0), not mandatory"
+    );
+    match &*def.effect {
+        Effect::PutAtLibraryPosition {
+            target: TargetFilter::Typed(tf),
+            position: LibraryPosition::NthFromTop { n },
+            ..
+        } => {
+            assert_eq!(
+                tf.controller,
+                Some(ControllerRef::TargetPlayer),
+                "target must be scoped to the iterated opponent, not the caster"
+            );
+            assert!(tf
+                .type_filters
+                .iter()
+                .any(|filter| matches!(filter, TypeFilter::Permanent)));
+            assert_eq!(*n, 3);
+        }
+        other => {
+            panic!("expected PutAtLibraryPosition TargetPlayer nonland permanent, got {other:?}")
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn choose_two_target_creatures_controlled_by_different_players_sets_target_constraints() {
     let def = parse_effect_chain(