Riftbound: League of Legends as a card game
Riftbound is Riot Games' card game built on League of Legends. Unlike almost every other card game, you do not win by taking your opponent's life, but by conquering battlefields and being first to reach eight points. Two to four people can play, which makes it unusually good for a game night.
Quick facts
| Publisher | Riot Games |
|---|---|
| Number of players | 2 to 4 |
| Win condition | First to 8 points |
| Main deck | At least 40 cards |
| Maximum per card | 3 copies of the same named card |
| Rune deck | Exactly 12 cards |
| Also required | One legend card, one champion card and three battlefields |
| Card size | Standard, 63 × 88 mm |
What sets it apart from other card games
Three things make Riftbound different, and all three are noticeable straight away in your first match. You play for locations instead of against a life total: points come from holding battlefields, not from knocking out your opponent, and a player who chases a knockout usually loses to one who holds ground. Resources sit in a separate deck of exactly twelve runes, so you can never run out of resources because of bad luck in the main deck: what is a bad opening hand in other games simply does not exist here. And the game is built for more than two from the start, so four people around a table works without house rules.
On top of that, the card pool is younger than in the oldest card games. You do not need to catch up on decades of editions to have a competitive deck, which is the most common barrier to getting into older card games.
The card types
| Legend | In play from the start and decides which colours, called domains, the deck may contain. |
|---|---|
| Champion | Your main card. Must match the legend in name and at least one domain. |
| Unit | Fighting cards that move out to the battlefields and hold them. |
| Spell | One-time effect. |
| Gear | Equipment that stays in play and gives a lasting effect. |
| Battlefield | The place where the fighting happens and points are earned. |
| Rune | The resource card, in its own rune deck of twelve. |
The turn
- Draw runes. Take new runes from the rune deck into your resource area.
- Draw cards from the main deck.
- Play. Pay with runes to deploy units, cast spells and activate abilities.
- Move and fight. Send units to battlefields, fight for locations your opponent holds, or defend your own.
- Points. You get one point when you take a battlefield, and another at the start of your turn if you still hold it. The first to reach eight wins.
Building a deck
The legend is chosen first, because it decides which domains the rest of the deck can be drawn from. It is the same principle as the leader card in One Piece. Then you choose a champion that matches the legend's name and at least one of its colours, build the main deck of at least forty cards within the permitted domains, and put together the rune deck of exactly twelve cards. Twelve is not a guideline but a rule. Finally, you choose three battlefields, one of which is used in each game.
Test your build against a ready-made starter set before you buy more. It is the cheapest form of deck testing there is, and it quickly shows whether your curve is too expensive.
Getting started
Buy a starter set with a champion you recognise, play a few matches before you buy packs, and then add cards in the same domains your legend allows. The cards are standard size, 63 × 88 millimetres, so regular sleeves fit, but plan on sleeving two decks, not one, since the rune deck is shuffled as much as the main deck.
If you just want to learn the game, one ready-made deck is enough. If you are going to play against each other, you need two. If you want to build further, boosters plus single cards are the way to go, and if you are collecting, the display gives the most cards for the money.
The sets
The sets are listed in release order, with what sets each one apart from the others.
Origins
Riftbound's first set, released in English in October 2025 after a Chinese edition in August the same year. The set has 298 cards, and each legend in it has two of the game's six domains, for example Jinx with Fury and Chaos. Ready-made Champion Decks were released with Jinx, Viktor and Lee Sin, and the set got special editions tied to Arcane and to the 2025 League of Legends World Championship.
The chase cards are the signed Overnumbered legend cards, among them Kai'Sa, Ahri and Jinx.
Proving Grounds
Starter box for Origins for two to four players, with ready-made decks for Annie, Garen, Lux and Master Yi. The box has its own set code and 24 cards found only in it.
Spiritforged
The name of Riftbound's second set refers to two things: equipment, which came in with the Equipment subtype and the keywords Equip, Quick-Draw and Weaponmaster, and Ionia's Spirit Blossom festival, which shapes the set's champions and overnumbered cards. The set also introduced the keywords Repeat and Unique.
The chase cards are the signed Overnumbered cards, among them Ahri, Irelia and Vayne.
Unleashed
Power growing in secret is the theme of Riftbound's third set. The set introduced XP, a resource that builds up during the match and is spent on abilities, and the keywords Hunt, Level, Backline and Ambush. Unleashed also introduced the Ultimate rarity, where Baron Nashor became the first card, and Champion Decks were released for Vi, Piltover Enforcer, and Vex, Gloomist.
The chase card is the Ultimate card Baron Nashor, the set's rarest card.
Vendetta
Rivalries are the theme, both between characters in League of Legends and between the domains, and for the first time cards from opposing domains may be included in the same deck. The set introduced Burn, Empower and Flow as well as the Unit-Gear card type. Among the trading cards are 22 Rival Overnumbers, where well-known rivalries are shown as image pairs across two cards.
The chase cards are the 22 Rival Overnumbered pairs, among them “Kennen, Heart of the Tempest” and “Akali, Rogue Assassin”, as well as the signed Legend Overnumbered cards.
Radiance
The theme of Riftbound's fifth set is taking the stage while the whole world is watching, and Seraphine, Ziggs, Jarvan IV, Ekko and Evelynn are among the new legends. The set includes Showdown Decks, a box with two ready-made decks where Seraphine faces Evelynn, and the set gets a new card in the Ultimate rarity.
Legacy
Legacy is Riftbound's sixth set and the first to be built for Draft from the start, with signpost cards for the archetypes. The theme is the bonds between champions and their regions in Runeterra: Demacia, Noxus, Ionia, Piltover and Zaun, Freljord and Bilgewater. The set has 239 cards, including 12 legends – among them Ashe, Garen, Heimerdinger, Illaoi, Karma, Lux, Tryndamere and Vladimir – and 93 showcase cards. In the booster, one common slot was replaced with a slot for a legend or a battlefield. Champion Decks are available for Tryndamere, Ashe, Lux and Garen with 56 cards each, the Vault Bundle has six boosters, 36 runes and foil tokens, and the Sanctum Box is a card storage box, one for each region, for 70 double-sleeved cards with a removable holder for the legend. Proving Grounds 2nd Edition with Heimerdinger, Illaoi, Karma and Vladimir is dated February 2027.
The chase cards are the showcase cards, 93 in the set, among them the versions with artwork in League Classic style.
The Reckoning
The Reckoning is Riftbound's seventh set, and the theme is slumbering beasts that awaken, with some of the biggest characters in League of Legends: Aurelion Sol, Cho'Gath, Shyvana, Vayne and Zilean are among the nine legends. The set has 264 cards and 67 showcase cards, some of which have artwork in the style of blockbuster film posters. The booster follows the structure of Legacy: six commons, three uncommons, one slot for a legend or battlefield, one foil slot, two cards of rare or higher and one slot for a token or rune. Champion Decks are available for Vayne and Shyvana with 56 cards each, and the Vault Bundle contains six boosters, foil tokens and 36 runes.
The chase cards are the 67 showcase cards, among them the versions with film-poster-style artwork.
Beginner mistakes
The most common is playing as if the goal were to knock out your opponent. The second most common is gathering all your units on one battlefield: then you cannot score points from several places at once, and an army in the wrong place is no army. After that comes forgetting that the runes are a separate deck that must be built deliberately, and choosing cards that do not match the legend's domains.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to have played League of Legends? No. The characters come from there, but the game stands on its own.
- Can three people play? Yes, the game is built for two to four, unlike most card games.
- What should I buy first? A starter set, so you can play straight out of the box.
- Do I need several battlefields? Yes, the deck should have three, and one of them is used in each game.
- Which sleeves fit? Standard size, 63 × 88 mm. Plan for two decks.
Read more about the rarity levels, the pack types and how to protect your cards.
Source for the rules: Riftbound's official rules guide.
Shop: Riftbound at Bangerpack.
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