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Learn how to play Riftbound

Everything you need before you sit down for your first game.

Start with the basics Set up your first game
01

The Game

What is Riftbound?

A fast physical trading card game about taking and holding battlefields (cards that sit in the middle of the table). You and your opponent both bring decks. Each turn, you get resources, draw a card, and play units. Send your units into a battlefield where the enemy has units, and you fight. If only your attackers remain, you conquer it and score. In two-player games, reach 8 or more points while ahead to win. Games are usually one-on-one; teams are supported too.

Your Legendsets your deck's two domains and stays in its own zone. Your Chosen Champion is a matching champion unit: it starts face-up in the Champion Zone, ready for you to play by paying its normal costs.

The Six Domains

There are six domains: Fury, Calm, Mind, Body, Chaos, and Order. Almost every card belongs to exactly one (a handful of cards span two). Every Legend has two domains, and those two set your deck's identity: every card you include must fit inside them. So you only ever need to learn your Legend's slice of the wheel.
  • FuryAggressive

    Aggressive pressure

    Darius, Hand of Noxus

  • CalmSustain

    Sustain and setup

    Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox

  • MindDisruption

    Disruption and draw

    Viktor, Herald of the Arcane

  • BodyStats

    Large units

    Sett, The Boss

  • ChaosVolatile

    Volatile effects

    Jinx, Loose Cannon

  • OrderTeamwork

    Board teamwork

    Leona, Radiant Dawn

02

Playing the Game

Five Words You Need to Know

Everything below uses these five terms. Learn them once and the rest of the page reads like plain English.

Exhaust

Turn a card sideways. Until readied, it cannot pay another exhaust cost. Exhausted units still fight, and abilities without an exhaust cost can still be used at their normal times.

Ready

Stand your exhausted cards back up. Happens automatically at the start of your turn.

Channel

Bring a Rune from your Rune Deck into play. Normally channel 2 each turn, or as many as remain.

Recycle

Put a card on the bottom of its deck. A Basic Rune's Power ability recycles it as a cost to add 1 Power of its domain. Recycling for another effect does not itself add Power.

Might

A unit's one combat number: how much damage it deals, and how much it takes to kill it.

Setting Up

Each player lays out their side of the table. Six steps and you're ready.

Your side of the playmat · 40-card Main Deck example

876543210
1

Battlefield Zone

2

Legend Zone

Champ Zone

5

Base: Units + Gear

3

Main Deck

4

Rune Deck

Base: Runes

Trash

Track your score along the edge · 8+ and ahead to win (2 players)

  1. Put your battlefields in the Battlefield Zone

    Each player brings 3 Battlefields. In a normal game, randomly choose 1. In a best-of-three match, each player chooses 1 instead. Both selected Battlefields sit in the shared zone, and neither is controlled at the start.

  2. Place your Legend and Chosen Champion face-up

    Your Champion Legend starts in the Legend Zone. Your Chosen Champion is a matching champion unit that starts face-up in the Champion Zone.

  3. Shuffle your remaining Main Deck

    Your Main Deck is at least 40 cards counting your Chosen Champion; sanctioned Constructed uses exactly 40. For a 40-card deck, your Chosen Champion already sits face-up in its Champion Zone (step 2), so shuffle the other 39.

  4. Shuffle your Rune Deck separately

    Your 12 Runes are a separate deck. You channel from this pile during the game.

  5. Leave space for Base, Runes, and Trash

    Your Base holds units that are not at battlefields. Your Runes enter play from the Rune Deck, and your Trash holds discarded or killed cards.

  6. Randomly pick who goes first, then draw 4

    Each player draws a 4-card opening hand. Not feeling it? Once per game, set aside up to 2 cards, draw that many, then the set-aside cards go to the bottom of your Main Deck.

Cards Cost Runes

Runes pay a card's Energy and Power costs in different ways: exhaust for Energy, recycle for Power. You normally channel 2 Runes each turn, or as many as remain if your Rune Deck has fewer. Recycling spends some of that growing supply.

Step 1: Read the Price Tag

The number is the Energy cost. Colored domain symbols under it are the Power cost. Everything else on the card tells you what you get once it is paid for.

Annie, Fiery

5 energy

Energy cost

It is the big number in the top-left corner.

5

Fury rune

Power cost

The colored domain symbols under the number set this part of the price.

1

Might

Might

The top-right number is the damage it deals and how much it takes to kill it.

4

Card type

The type line under the art says what you are buying.

Unit

Card text

Your spells and abilities deal 1 Bonus Damage. (Each instance of damage the spell deals is increased by 1.)

Step 2: Spend Runes to Pay It

Energy pays the number

3 energy

Exhaust a ready Basic Rune (turn it sideways) and it produces 1 Energy. It stays on the table and normally readies at the start of your next turn. You can still recycle it while exhausted.

Power pays the symbols

Fury rune

Recycle a Basic Rune of the matching domain (bottom of your Rune Deck) and it produces 1 Power. That Rune actually leaves the table, so Power is the premium price.

A full purchase, start to finish: say a card costs 3 Energy and 1 Fury Power. Three ready Basic Runes are enough if one is Fury: exhaust all three for the Energy, then recycle that same Fury Rune for the Power. Two exhausted Runes remain on the table; the Fury Rune goes to the bottom of your Rune Deck. If you cannot cover the full price, you cannot play the card.

Step 3: Get What You Paid For

During your Main Phase you can play cards from your hand or your Chosen Champion from its zone. Three things your Runes can buy:

  • Units

    Annie, Fiery

    Units are fighters. They normally enter exhausted at your Base or a battlefield you control.

  • Spells

    Disintegrate

    Spells are one-time effects. After they resolve, they normally go to the Trash.

  • Gear

    Zhonya's Hourglass

    Gear cards sit in your Base and grant abilities. Unlike units, Gear enters play ready.

    A card that is both Unit and Gear follows Unit entry rules and normally enters exhausted.

Going second? The player who goes last channels an extra Rune on their first turn, so 3 Runes instead of 2.

What a Turn Looks Like

Every turn follows the same rhythm. The Main Phase is where you play cards, move units, and pick fights.

01

Awaken

Ready exhausted cards.

02

Beginning

Start-of-turn abilities and Holding points.

03

Channel

Normally channel 2 Runes, or as many as remain. Going second? Channel 3 on your first turn.

04

Draw

Draw 1 card from your Main Deck.

05

Main Phase

Play cards, move units, and start Showdowns.

06

Ending

End-of-turn abilities, then the next player starts.

Your First Turn, Move by Move

Here is what all of that looks like in practice, in the official phase order. Players remember the start of every turn as A-B-C-D: Awaken, Beginning, Channel, Draw. Then the Main Phase is where the action happens.
  1. A

    Awaken

    Ready your exhausted cards. On turn one there's nothing to ready yet, so this takes a second.

  2. B

    Beginning

    Handle start-of-turn abilities, then score Hold points for battlefields you control. In this ordinary first-turn example, you have none yet.

  3. C

    Channel

    Channel 2 Runes from your Rune Deck into play. (Going second? You channel 3 on your first turn.)

  4. D

    Draw

    Draw a card. Your hand is everything you can threaten this turn — and your opponent can't see it.

  5. Main: play your hand

    Use Basic Rune abilities to exhaust for Energy or recycle for Power to pay costs.

    Units normally enter exhausted in your Base or at a battlefield you control. They cannot make a standard move until ready, but can still fight; card effects may ready or move them.

    Non-Unit Gear normally arrives ready; Unit/Gear follows Unit entry rules. Spells normally go to Trash after resolving.

  6. ✓

    Ending: pass

    Pass when you have finished your plays. In this example, your unit readies next turn and can move to an empty battlefield. If both players pass without a play, you conquer it. Scoring below explains the once-per-battlefield and final-point limits.

Timing: When Can You Play?

Normally, play cards and activate abilities in your own Main Phase, outside a Showdown, when the chain is empty. Card text and timing keywords can give you more opportunities.

Open state

No spell or ability is waiting on the chain. Resolving means carrying out a spell or ability's effect.

Showdown

The play window when control of a battlefield is contested—even an empty one. In a fight, it happens before combat damage.

Action lets you play in an open Showdown. Reaction also lets you answer a spell or ability before it resolves. Neither interrupts an effect already resolving.

Check Action, Reaction, and Hidden in the keyword reference for the extra windows those cards can use.

Fighting (Showdowns)

Move a unit into an empty battlefield and, once both players pass without a play, you take control without combat. The scoring rules below determine whether you gain a point. If the enemy already has units there, a fight starts.

Step 1: Start the Fight

Combat happens on the board: a unit leaves your Base, lands on a contested battlefield, and the fight resolves where it stands.

First, handle attack and defend triggers and any responses. Then players take turns making plays in the open Showdown. When both pass without a play, the Showdown closes and you move on to combat damage.

The rule every new player misses: a standard move exhausts the unit

READY · UPRIGHT

Can move and fight

moves to or from
a battlefield

EXHAUSTED · SIDEWAYS

Can still fight while exhausted

A standard move costs exhaust, in either direction: to a battlefield or back to your Base. Turn the card sideways to pay that cost. Until it readies, it cannot make another standard move or pay another exhaust cost. Card effects can move exhausted units or ready them sooner than your next turn. Exhausted units still fight at full Might.

Step 2: Trade Damage — Who Wins?

Might is the damage a unit deals and how much it takes to kill it. These examples use real cards, with no abilities or spells changing the numbers. Assume you have not scored this battlefield this turn and have fewer than 7 points.

Assign first, deal together. The attacker decides where to assign combat damage first; the defender then assigns theirs, knowing that allocation. Both sides deal their damage at the same time. Lethal damage does not stop a unit dealing its own hit. Damage does not reduce Might: Darius with 2 damage still has 5 Might.

The attacker wins

Legion Rearguard

DEFENDER ·

The BattlefieldUnits fight here for control.

Darius, Trifarian

ATTACKER ·

  • ›Darius deals 5. Legion Rearguard has 2 Might, so 5 is lethal: it dies.
  • ›Legion Rearguard deals 2 back. Darius has 5 Might, so he survives.

Result: conquer. Legion Rearguard goes to Trash. Darius heals his 2 damage during cleanup but stays exhausted. With only your attacker left, you take control and conquer for +1 point.

The defender holds

Darius, Trifarian

DEFENDER ·

The BattlefieldUnits fight here for control.

Noxus Hopeful

ATTACKER ·

  • ›Noxus Hopeful deals 4. Darius has 5 Might, so he survives the hit.
  • ›Darius deals 5 back. Noxus Hopeful has 4 Might: that is lethal.

Result: repelled. A defender is still standing: no conquer, no point. Darius heals up and keeps the battlefield.

Equal Might? Both units deal lethal damage to each other, so both die. Nobody is left standing, the battlefield empties out, and nobody scores.

Step 3: When Several Units Fight

With multiple units, total your side's Might and divide that damage among enemy units. Assign lethal damage to one before assigning damage to the next; do not overkill while other eligible units remain. Abilities such as Tank and Backline affect which units must be assigned damage first or last, and damage prevention or replacement effects can change the amounts required. There is no window to play a spell or activate an ability between assignment and damage. Survivors heal during combat cleanup.

Scoring Points

There are two normal ways to score. Each one is worth 1 point, but they ask you to control the battlefield in different ways. Either way, each battlefield can only pay you once per turn.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Track your score along the playmat edge · 8+ and ahead to win (2 players)

Conquer · +1

Take control of a battlefield: win the fight there, or walk into it empty. Pays out at most once per battlefield per turn.

Hold · +1 per battlefield on your turn

In your Beginning Phase, score 1 point for each battlefield you still control. You do not score Hold points during your opponent's turn.

The winning point: at 7 or more points in a two-player game, a Conquer only gives a point if you have scored every battlefield that turn. Otherwise, draw a card instead. Holding and points gained from other non-Conquer sources do not have that restriction. You also have to be ahead: hitting 8 while tied with your opponent does not end the game.

Find Your Keyword

Choose a set or search every term. Tap a label for the full rule. These meanings apply wherever the keyword appears, including reprints.

Try Ganking, show me Hidden, or Vendetta.

Base Game · Origins · select a label to explore

Keywords13

Related terms5

Actions, resources, and rules terms—not additional keywords.

Four Mistakes Every New Player Makes

Dodge these in your first games and you will look like you have played for weeks.
1

Mixing up Conquer and Hold points

Conquer means scoring when you take control; Hold means scoring during your Beginning Phase while you control it. You can score each battlefield only once per turn, and your final Conquer point has an extra restriction. Keep those Scoring rules in mind before counting a point.

2

Over-committing to one battlefield

Winning a huge fight feels great, but a two-player game has two Battlefields. While your whole army piles onto one, your opponent can move into the other and threaten a Conquer point. Always know what's happening at the Battlefield you're not fighting over.

3

Recycling Runes without a plan

Recycling a Rune for Power sends it to the bottom of your Rune Deck. It cannot help pay for more plays until you channel it again, which can limit your later turns. This is recycling, not Vendetta's Burn action. Spend Power when it buys you something.

4

Playing Reactions too late

A Reaction answers a spell or ability BEFORE it resolves. Once your opponent's spell has resolved and the board has changed, the window is closed. If you want to respond, say so while the card is still on the table doing its thing.

03

Building Your Deck

Anatomy of a Deck

A Riftbound deck uses a Legend, a Chosen Champion, a Rune Deck, Battlefields, and a Main Deck. Tournament play can also include a sideboard.

Deck limits

Your Main Deck normally allows up to 3 copies of each named card; Unique and Signature cards have additional restrictions. Your Rune Deck needs exactly 12 Runes in any combination of your Legend's domains.

Main Deck shape

The Main Deck is at least 40 cards counting your Chosen Champion; sanctioned Constructed uses exactly 40. In this 40-card example, the Chosen Champion begins face-up in its Champion Zone, leaving 39 cards to shuffle.

Battlefields

Your deck includes 3 Battlefields. In a normal game, 1 is chosen at random. In a best-of-three match, you choose 1 instead, so two Battlefields are in play.

40-card Main Deck

In this example, your Chosen Champion counts toward the 40.

1

Chosen Champion

Begins face-up in its Champion Zone.

39

Cards to shuffle

Units, Spells, Gear—the rest of your Main Deck.

Bring these too

Separate from your Main Deck.

  • 1

    Legend

    Face-up leader

  • 12

    Runes

    Separate Rune Deck

  • 3

    Battlefields

    Locations to fight over

Illustrations show card groups, not a complete decklist.

Every Number That Matters

The whole rules skeleton in six numbers. Screenshot this.
8+
Points to win, while ahead (2 players)
40
Main Deck cards (minimum)
12
Runes
3
Normal max per named Main Deck card
3
Battlefields (1 used)
2
Runes normally channeled per turn

What You Need to Start

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG Unleashed Champion Deck: Vex product box

Starter Deck

A Champion Deck is the cleanest way to play your first games. One box is everything a single player needs: the full deck, Runes, Battlefields, Legend, and a paper playmat. Learning with a friend? Grab one each.

Example shown: Unleashed Champion Deck — Vex.

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG Unleashed booster display with booster packs

Booster Packs

Booster packs are for expanding once you know what you enjoy playing. Use them to find upgrades, test new domains, and build toward the Legend you actually want.

Example shown: Unleashed booster display.