The craze for trading card games remains unabated, and games such as Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, and Disney Lorcana are at the forefront. Aware of this popularity, Riot Games – known for its blockbuster franchise League of Legends – has decided to join the fray with Riftbound, a trading card game that takes place in the LoL universe and offers a unique twist.
In our latest trip, we stopped by Riot Games to get a firsthand look at their brand-new game, grasp its rules directly from the makers themselves, and watch as four sample decks were played out by the game developers. Additionally, we are thrilled to introduce three unique cards that will be revealed in the forthcoming preview.
As a passionate gamer, I’ve found myself standing at the edge of the TCG battleground, ready to face the titans who currently dominate the scene. But here comes Riot with their innovative new card game, Riftbound. The core mechanics and gameplay feel solid enough to earn a spot in the Arena, that much is clear. Now it’s up to Riot to demonstrate that Riftbound isn’t just a flash in the pan, but a force to be reckoned with for the long haul.
Entering the rift
As a gamer, I’d put it this way: In Riftbound, unlike Magic or Pokemon, the main objective isn’t about dishing out direct damage to opponents or their creatures. Instead, the essence lies in capturing “battlefields” – two cards placed right in the middle of the table, each representing a unique location. When I move one of my units (let’s call them creatures) to a location and conquer it, I gain a point. These battlefields are hotly contested grounds, where ownership can change throughout the game as combat ensues, allowing players to capture and re-capture them.
The first player to control both battlefields simultaneously will be declared the winner, which is different from capturing eight separate battlefields. Even if a player has accumulated seven points by controlling one battlefield, they must still conquer or maintain control of both battlefields to secure their victory.
Battlefields serve a purpose beyond merely being territories to be seized. Players have the freedom to select their preferred battlefield that complements their deck, as each battlefield also grants unique powers to the current owner. For instance, the Viktor trial deck focuses on generating multiple Recruit tokens, and its battlefield, Altar to Unity, allows the holder to produce a Recruit token in their base.
As a gamer, let me tell you about my gameplay space. Instead of one large area, it’s divided into several distinct sectors, which I like to call my zones. Here’s a quick rundown of each:
1. Home Base: This is where I start the game and where I return when I need to restock or repair. It’s my safe haven.
2. Resource Zone: This is where I find all sorts of useful items like ammo, health packs, and upgrades. It’s essential for keeping me in the game.
3. Enemy Territory: This is where the action gets tough. It’s filled with enemies I need to defeat to progress. It can be challenging, but it’s also rewarding.
4. Neutral Zone: This area is a mix of friendly and enemy territory. It can be risky to venture here, but there are often valuable resources to be found.
5. Secret Hideout: These are hidden areas that contain rare items or powerful upgrades. Finding them can give me a significant advantage in the game.
- Base: This is where each player holds their units before sending them into a battlefield. It acts as a “safe” zone where they cannot be attacked.
- Battlefield: This is where each assigned battlefield lies, and it is an active zone where any units within can be destroyed. Battlefield cards have black card backs.
- Legend: Each deck will assign a “Legend,” or a card that stays in this zone and offers a power to the deck, usually once per turn. Legend cards also have black card backs.
- Champion/Leader: This zone is where players can place a single copy of their Leader card, so that they are guaranteed to be able to summon their Leader at least once per game. More copies are allowed in the main deck; this is more of a “first one’s free to find” scenario. Champion cards have blue card backs.
- Main Deck Zone: The Main Deck consists of a player’s main deck. These are units, gear, and action cards with blue card backs, and these are what players will use in-game.
- Rune Zone: The Rune Deck consists of 12 resource cards, built around the colored runes represented in the Main Deck. Players will gain two Runes every turn, which are used to pay costs for playing cards. Rune cards have white card backs.
It seems quite comprehensive at first glance, but once everything is organized and in its designated spots, following along becomes surprisingly straightforward. The zones were tidily arranged on the game mats, making it quick to grasp where each card should be placed.
Channel the Runes
One intriguing aspect that sets Riftbound apart from other Trading Card Games lies in its resource management system. Instead of drawing individual cards each turn like most TCGs, you draw two Rune cards simultaneously from the Rune Deck at the start of your turn. These Runes can be used not only to cover the costs of cards but also reused or recycled, providing a unique approach to resource allocation. The game features six different colors for Runes, and you’re permitted to incorporate up to two distinct colors in your deck.
Once placed on the battlefield, these cards are rotated sideways to increase the mana (or Runes) available in the resource pool. The majority of cards display a number indicating the amount of mana required to cast the spell, but some cards also have colored nodes beneath this cost. For each colored node, a Rune card must be discarded and placed back at the bottom of the Rune Deck for the card to be played correctly. (For Magic fans, mana is known as Runes.)
For example, here’s one of the exclusive cards we’re revealing today, Heimerdinger, Inventor:
Note that under the “3” on the top left is a blue node; this means that while the player will spend three Runes of any color to pay that cost, you’ll also need to recycle one blue Rune to the bottom of your Rune Deck to complete casting parameters. Compare it to Dangerous Duo earlier in the article; it has no node under its cost.
Fortunately, a Rune on the board can always be put back into the deck, regardless if it has been utilized or not. This allows the player to reuse one of the Runes that contributed to the initial cost of three Runes.
Managing resources becomes more complex when considering this game mechanic because it requires tracking not just the Rune cost of each card but also the number of Runes you’ll be returning to the deck for those played cards. Since only two new Runes enter the board per turn, overuse of cards that reclaim Runes can lead to a depletion of Runes in future turns for the players.
Bound for battle
Each player’s turn starts with what the Riftbound team has dubbed the “ABCD” sequence:
- Awaken phase, or turning all cards to the ready position
- Beginning phase, or resolving any “beginning of turn” effects and scoring points for conquered battlefields
- Channel phase, or drawing two Rune Cards from the Rune Deck and placing them in the Rune Zone
- Draw phase, or drawing a card from the Main Deck
From there, the game allows the player to execute units, engage in battles, or carry out other actions in any combination they prefer. The game doesn’t have fixed phases except for the ABCD sequence; players are free to do whatever is most advantageous for their strategy, and can choose the order themselves. It’s worth noting that units placed during a turn cannot challenge a Battlefield on the same turn, which mirrors the “summoning sickness” rule in Magic or the “drying ink” rule in Lorcana.
Certain game pieces possess unique characteristics that can influence gameplay either prior to or during an encounter on the battlefield. As an illustration, let me share one card we are unveiling specifically for you today: “Ekko, the Repeating One” – this is a unit with special abilities!
Ekko possesses an ability called “Accelerate“, causing his play cost to rise by one generic Rune and an additional Blue rune recycled from a previous usage. This advantage, however, enables him to immediately prepare for battle on the field, skipping the usual waiting period of a turn. Additionally, Ekko is equipped with a special skill called “Deathknell“, which activates when he is eliminated. Upon this occurrence, Ekko will be moved to the bottom of the player’s Main Deck, while simultaneously readying all of their Rune cards.
Other examples of special mechanics include:
- Hidden: Pay a cost to play a card facedown, and then pay the additional cost to activate the card when needed.
- Legion: This ability activates if another card of any kind is played during that turn.
Whenever I’m ready to seize control of a battleground, I position my troops at the spot I aim to conquer. If there are enemy troops present, we leap into combat. In this battle dance, both players take turns playing Action cards, which can tweak the strength and abilities of our units in the fray. The defender makes the initial move with an Action card, then I respond with a Reaction card, and so on. It’s a strategic dance, where timing and anticipation play crucial roles!
Once every action is finalized, the damage each unit is capable of inflicting is calculated by combining the number in the upper-right corner of the unit card with any modifications from Actions and Reactions. If the attacking player’s total damage exceeds that of the defending player, all defending units are eliminated, granting the attacker control over the battlefield and scoring a point. Conversely, if the defending player’s total damage surpasses the attacking player’s, they manage to preserve their position on the battlefield, causing the attacking units to perish, and will score a point during their subsequent turn.
In a game of mine, if I’m the one who’s lost in a fight, I decide where the damage I inflict goes among my opponent’s units. To illustrate, let’s say my total damage is seven, divided between two units – one with five power and another with two power. My opponent has six total power spread across three units, each with two power. In this scenario, I could opt to send all three of their units towards the stronger five-power unit of mine, taking it out and leaving my adversary in a weaker position for the upcoming battle round.
As a passionate fan, I find myself captivated by the rhythm of the game. Each turn takes us closer to the finish line, with the points accumulating steadily. The pinnacle of excitement comes when a player scores eight points – at that moment, they triumphantly claim victory, ending the game in a flurry of cheers and applause.
The back-and-forth tension in every game was exhilarating, as both games we played while at Riot came down to the last moments. I emerged victorious with my Viktor deck that relied on tokens against a Yasuo build emphasizing mobility from the Riot player, but my attempts with a Volibear deck focusing on ramp were countered by an effective Jinx build that discarded and reused cards without paying their costs.
In my departure from Riot, I was quite pleased with the impression Riftbound left on me. The mechanics are robust and well-designed, making the gameplay intuitive, while the fresh take on traditional card game principles like Runic channeling and Battlefield capturing for scoring points adds exciting complexity to its strategic aspects.
With Riftbound, Riot may have another game that could become a hit. They aspire for it to join their list of triumphs, similar to their popular title “League of Legends.” After giving it a try, we believe players who dive into the game when it releases later this year will find their experience rewarding.
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2025-06-11 20:41