Riftboundis Riot Games’League of Legends-themed foray into the physical TCG market, following Riot’s digital card gaming experimentLegends of Runeterra.Riftboundtakes advantage of the MOBA’s iconic cast of characters—each of which boasting a unique playstyle—by applying those distinct gameplay themes to a fast-paced, tactical card game that’s far from derivative. On top of a household name IP,Riftboundbenefits from several design twists that help it stand out from contemporaries, delivering a TCG that stands on its own merits and is easily approachable to non-League of Legendsfans.
Game Rant recently attended a hands-on preview event forRiftboundwhere we were introduced to the core concepts of the game before being set free tocarry out some deckbuildingand friendly competition in both 1v1 and multiplayer bouts. Our games ofRiftboundran from 15 to 20 minutes, with some of the length due to the initial learning process slowing down the pace of play. Trying out several decks and champions, we experienced a wide range of playstyles and saw some of the deeper strategic thinking involved in a successfulRiftboundmatchup.
Riftbound Gameplay Basics
Riot Games aptly describesRiftboundas a “mobility game,” where gameplay heavily involves the movement of cards between players’ bases and the battlefield cards they’re fighting over. By moving a unit onto an empty battlefield, players score one point, and earn a point each following turn the battlefield is held. Once a player earns eight points, they’re declared the victor. As such, this “race” win condition opens the door foraccessible multiplayer, as nobody is eliminated; all players remain in play until somebody wins the race. In multiplayer, politics plays a role: temporary alliances are made, deals are struck, and pacts are broken as players maneuver toward a win.
Each deck is comprised of two colors of cards, which are determined by the Legend at the head of the deck. For example,a Yasuo deckis green/purple, and this color system extends to the game’s resource system: Runes. A green/purple deck will also be crafted with the player’s choice of 12 green and purple Rune cards. Each turn, players draw two Runes from their Rune deck, any color combination of which can be exhausted to play most cards. Uniquely, some cards also incur an additional cost of a Rune of a specific color, which expends that Rune and sends it back to the Rune deck to be drawn in a future turn.
Along with theusual deck building, players also bring their own Battlefield cards to the table; in a 1v1, each player chooses a Battlefield from their deck to be put into play for the match. This is a nuanced decision, as players will want to choose a Battlefield that primarily benefits them, but not their opponent. Yasuo, for instance, may wish to choose the Windswept Hillock battlefield: units placed here have the Ganking trait, allowing them to move from one Battlefield to another freely. As Yasuo has numerous interactions related to movement, this is an ideal Battlefield choice.
“Riftbound resembles a real-time strategy game.”
Starting hands are just four cards, which trims down some of the crunchiness of having larger hands at play. With relatively few major decisions to make each turn, the pace is quick and rarely overwhelming strategically. In a way,Riftboundresembles a real-time strategy game: players can opt to rush straight to the battlefields for early control, or “turtle” by assembling an army of units at the base to be moved in force toward a Battlefield. Outside of a few interactions, units at the base are safe from harm, so it’s a viable strategy to bide one’s time for a key moment.
Another interesting facet ofRiftboundis the Champion and Signature cards. Placed face-up at the start of the match, the Champion card and the player’s Signature card—likened to aLeague of Legendsult—may be used at any time if the player can afford it. These can turn the tide at a pivotal moment, but with the caveat that there’s no element of surprise.
Deckbuilding in Riftbound
Riftbounddecks are comprised of 40 cards, including the Legend, with up to three duplicates of each card allowed in the deck. The deck size feels right: small enough to make deckbuilding manageable, but large enough that decks aren’t overly predictable, which could make gameplay repetitive. Kicking off with 298 cards, each of the inaugural set’s potential decks offers a distinct playstyle, with some that may be familiar to TCG veterans while others are somewhat unique toRiftbound’s ruleset.Riftbound’s initial set mostly features key words that should befamiliar to TCG fans, as Riot explicitly wanted to avoid an overly complex first set. Instead, these cards serve as an introduction toRiftbound’s core mechanics, which will be expanded on in quarterly set releases.
Riftbound Deck Playstyles
While spellcasting, ramp-up, andcontrol decks are nothing new in TCGs, a deck like Yasuo’s stands out thanks toRiftbound’s emphasis on movement. Due to this novelty, Yasuo was the deck we primarily played with, and we found it to be a versatile, powerful, and ultimately fun deck that flexed some new TCG muscles.
Meanwhile, we also enjoyed playing Volibear: a cut-and-dry ramp-up deck that plops down absolutely devastating units if given a chance. The Jinx deck was also strategically dense, able to manipulate her hand and the field by discarding and retrieving cards. This deck seemingly had a tool for every scenario if played well, and was a top performer at the preview event.
Collecting and Competing in Riftbound
Riftboundhasnumerous layers of collectibility: various rarity tiers, foil cards, and unique “overnumbered” cards, which can sometimes have a signature stamped on the card’s face.Riftboundis fairly generous with rare cards: Riot says that a basic booster will have two rare or better cards, a booster box should have around two alternate art cards, and an overnumbered card will appear in one out of three booster boxes. Rarest of all, the stamped overnumbered cards will appear in every 10 boxes. With these odds, it shouldn’t be overly difficult for collectors to get their hands on the rare cards needed to assemble their deck.
Beginner players are encouraged to purchase the Proving Grounds, a $29.99 set of four intentionally underpowered starter decks intended to be played against one another. Once players get a feel for the game with these simplified decks, they’re encouraged to upgrade those decks with boosters.
Once a deck is assembled, it’s time to put it to use. Thankfully,Riot has a robust competitive sceneplanned. Weekly Nexus Nights at participating stores will host casual play and rewards packs for participants, premier play encourages the top-performing players to stay active, and organized play is the gateway to championships at the regional and world levels. Qualifiers will begin in December 2025, and the championship will kick off in October 2026.
Riftbound’s Release Timeline
From June 9 to Jun 04, 2025,Riftbound’s “Preview Season” will be a gradual rollout of card reveals, including some upcoming reveals by Game Rant. This will be followed by a two-week break before the game launches in China. China will have a three-month head startbeforeRiftboundlaunchesin the rest of the world, which can expect to begin playingRiftboundin October 2025.
Riftboundplans to launch a new card set every quarter, with the aim to have a constantly shifting meta and an ever-expanding strategic landscape with new mechanics, features, and characters entering the mix on a regular basis.
So far,Riftboundis shaping up to be a hit TCG. With an iconic IP enjoying an injection of new fans thanks tothe success ofArcane, along with the TCG benefiting tremendously fromLeague of Legends’ characters and playstyles, it’s a TCG that should move the needle even for gamers who haven’t yet tried a TCG or who have never played a round ofLeague of Legends. It’s accessible but deep, the card artwork is spectacular and eminently collectible, and the game has a firm foundation as a casual and competitive game with a strong community. Plus,Riftbound’s unique mechanics should be attractive to TCG veterans that are growing fatigued by the genre’s current offerings.
Game Rant was provided travel and lodging for the purpose of this preview.
