How Riftbound Fixes Magic: The Gathering’s Biggest Problems

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Riot Games has recently released Riftbound, a trading card game set in the world of League of Legends. With so many trading card games already available, it’s natural to wonder if we really need another one. However, I believe Riftbound isn’t just a solid game for both casual and competitive players, it actually builds upon and improves many features found in other TCGs. As a long-time Magic: The Gathering player, I was particularly impressed with how Riftbound addresses some of the issues and outdated design elements that have bothered me in Magic for years. Here’s a look at some of the ways Riftbound stands out.

Casual Yet Competitive

One thing I dislike about Magic: The Gathering is needing different decks for different ways to play. Limited requires a 40-card deck, Pauper and Vintage need 60-card decks, and Commander decks are huge at 100 cards. Keeping up with all the rules and decklists for each format can be overwhelming. Riftbound solves this problem – any 40-card deck you create works for all game types, whether you’re playing one-on-one, two-on-two, or in a free-for-all with several players. While all trading card games can sometimes feel grindy when you start competing, I often play Riftbound casually because it’s so flexible. You build one deck, and it works for everything, which means I can play my favorite Jinx deck much more often. I spoke with Nik Davidson, a game designer at Riot Games, to learn more about why they designed Riftbound this way.

Having worked on games like Magic, Marvel Snap, and Pokemon, I’m passionate about great game design. With Riftbound, we really wanted to emphasize social multiplayer experiences. While many games offer this, we aimed for a new approach, building the game from scratch with that in mind. The fact that Riftbound works so well with different team sizes – four-player, three-player, or 2v2 – wasn’t a coincidence. It was a core idea from the very beginning, and we believe Riftbound delivers a uniquely strong social competitive experience.

More Player Urgency

As a Commander player, I hate being eliminated early and just watching everyone else have fun. That’s why I’m so excited about Riftbound! It’s totally different – instead of trying to knock each other out, we’re all racing to control points on the battlefield. You need to capture eight of them to win, which means everyone stays in the game right until the very end. It’s awesome because even if you fall behind, you can still totally make a comeback with some clever plays while everyone else is battling it out!

Riftbound keeps the game moving quickly because you only need to shuffle your deck once at the beginning. Unlike some games, there’s no searching for specific cards, so you won’t have to wait while players repeatedly shuffle large decks.

A Resource System That Never Leaves You Screwed

A common frustration with Magic: The Gathering is its traditional mana system. Players rely on drawing land cards each turn to generate resources, which can lead to slow gameplay. Being “mana screwed” – not drawing enough lands or the right colors – is particularly discouraging and can stall the game. Riftbound addresses this with its rune system. Players draw from a separate 12-card deck and get to activate two runes per turn, providing a quicker start and ensuring they always have meaningful choices to make instead of simply playing (or not playing) a land each turn.

In Riftbound, stronger spells and units need a “Power” cost – you have to set aside a rune of the matching color from your deck. This helps keep the game balanced, but also allows for really exciting and powerful turns that can change the game. These moments have been some of the most thrilling I’ve had playing a trading card game recently. Playing with the Legend Kai’sa and using her ability to take an extra turn felt like completing a puzzle to win. According to the developers, this system…

Dave Guskin, Dave Smith, and John Mormon developed a resource system early on that started with an initial idea and was refined over time. Surprisingly, that first attempt was remarkably close to what they needed. While it’s been updated since then, I was initially wary when I joined the Riftbound team and heard about a ‘new resource system,’ as often new systems come at the expense of being truly effective. However, this system is both innovative and well-designed – it wasn’t just luck, but the skill of the developers. What I particularly appreciate is that it strikes a great balance between reliable consistency and meaningful player choice. Players can decide when and how to use their resources, and tailor their decks to either consistently build up power or focus on playing powerful, expensive cards. It’s a very flexible system.

A Promise Of Support

Riot Games has demonstrated a strong commitment to its players and the future of Riftbound. They’ve been proactive in addressing issues like card availability, announced plans for more content, offered prize support, and hinted at exciting new game formats like draft. They’re also encouraging players to support local game stores. This level of communication and support is a welcome change in the trading card game world, where many companies often leave players in the dark or fail to address concerns. Riot seems determined to make a real difference in the TCG community.

Trading card games thrive on strong local communities, and we’re excited to see that happening with Riftbound. We’ve recently held our first regional qualifier in the US, and have seen massive turnout at events in China. These tournaments are a vital part of competitive play, but more than that, it’s just fantastic to be able to gather with friends and enjoy a card game again after the challenges of COVID-19. It’s a simple joy that’s hard to replicate. I’ve personally reconnected with friends I haven’t seen in over a year to play Riftbound, and it’s great to have a shared activity to bring us together in person. That face-to-face connection is something truly special, and it’s a key reason Riot was so drawn to Riftbound – we want to build the best possible environment for competitive, social, and collaborative gaming.

I’ve played Riftbound and I have to say, I agree with the positive outlook. The game has a promising future.

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2025-11-26 20:11