Shadow Isles · Unleashed · Intermediate
Vex
Gloomist · Hold draw control
Calm
ChaosVex draws a card when you or an ally holds, turning defensive scoring into card advantage.
Live data · our tournament results, last 14 days
Where Vex Stands Right Now
Tier
B
Control
Meta share
3.6%
74 tracked decks
Top 8s
4
across 11 events
CN / West share
3.6% / 4.6%
3 / 1 top 8s
The engine
What Vex Rewards
Gloomist · printed ability
“When you or an ally hold, you may exhaust me to draw 1.”
Vex rewards holding ground; the deck feels best when you establish a battlefield and make the opponent fight uphill to break it.
How it plays
The Game Plan
Vex wants to make Holds repeatable. Calm/Chaos interaction keeps attackers off your battlefield, then Vex exhausts to turn the Hold into another card for the next defensive turn.
Strengths
- Draws from Hold triggers
- Excellent attrition engine
- Pairs with stun and bounce defense
Watch Outs
- Needs Holds to draw
- Exhaust limits frequency
- Can be slow to close
Turn by Turn
- 1Early: claim a battlefield you can defend instead of chasing every contest.
- 2Midgame: protect the Hold with stuns, bounce, and tricks, then exhaust Vex to draw.
- 3Late: use the extra cards to lock battlefields until the opponent cannot break through.
New to this Legend? Pick Vex if you like defensive control where every successful Hold pulls you farther ahead.
Proven lists · from our tournament database
What Winning Vex Looks Like
The full list below comes straight from a recent top-performing event run, runes and battlefields included. Use it as the reference build, then adjust for your collection.
六六
S3 Chengdu City Challenge · 2026-06-14 · 56 cards
Legend (1)
- Vex, Gloomist1
Units (20)
- Sona, Harmonious3
- Trevor Snoozebottom3
- Blitzcrank, Impassive2
- Draven, Audacious2
- Evelynn, Entrancing2
- Mutated Mouser2
- Overzealous Fan2
- Stalwart Poro2
- Ahri, Alluring1
- Vex, Apathetic1
Spells (18)
- Back Off3
- Abandon2
- Bone Skewer2
- Charm2
- Defy2
- Discipline2
- Existential Dread2
- Not So Fast2
- Star-Crossed1
Gear (2)
- Blast Cone2
Runes (12)
- Calm Rune7
- Chaos Rune5
Battlefields (3)
- Amateur Recital1
- Fortified Position1
- The Papertree1
Also putting up results: BribeV (S3 Chengdu City Challenge, 2026-06-14) and 裁雨留虹 (S3 Chengdu City Challenge, 2026-06-14).
The Cards Doing the Work
![Riftbound Unit: Trevor Snoozebottom. [Shield] (+1 [S] while I'm a defender.)
When I hold, play a ready 3 [S] Sprite unit token with [Temporary] here. (Kill it at the start of its controller's next Beginning Phase, before scoring.)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2Ffa843ee80d1a35416d61482bc1602279955a2c7f-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Removal & reach · 3x
Trevor Snoozebottom
“[Shield] (+1 Might while I'm a defender.) When I hold, play a ready 3 Might Sprite unit token with [Temporary] here. (Kill it at the start of its controller's next Beginning…”
![Riftbound Spell: Back Off. [Hidden] (Hide now for [A] to react with later for [0].)
[Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.)
[Stun] a unit. (It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.)
If you played this from your hand, draw 1.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2Fa0e7f7fa55ae618f94fe48920f92406ddd7e3512-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Card advantage · 3x
Back Off
“[Hidden] (Hide now for 1 Power to react with later for 0 Energy.) [Action] (Play on your turn or in showdowns.) [Stun] a unit. (It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.) If you…”
Resource engine · 3x
Sona, Harmonious
“At the end of your turn, if I'm at a battlefield, ready up to 4 friendly runes.”
Your first build
How to Start Playing Vex
Vex has a preconstructed deck — Vex - Gloomist (Unleashed) — so you can learn the Legend with a tuned out-of-the-box list before spending on singles.
Gloomist
Your Legend — starts in play, sets your two domains
![Riftbound Unit: Vex, Apathetic. [Deflect] (Opponents must pay [A] to choose me with a spell or ability.)
When an opponent plays a unit while I'm at a battlefield, [Stun] it. They can't move it this turn. (It doesn't deal combat damage this turn.)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2F7f13b0216c5d805400bb64cf26cd119acfc6c5ca-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Vex, Apathetic
Chosen Champion — starts face-up in its Champion Zone