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Learn · First game

How to play Riftbound

Riftbound is Riot Games's League of Legends TCG: two players racing to 8 points by conquering battlefields and holding them.

What each player brings

  • A 40 card main deck, built around one Champion Legend
  • A separate 12 card rune deck, which pays for everything
  • Three battlefields, only one of yours per game

Zones and objects

Game board

Hover or tap any zone to see what it does.

The three floating zones

Turn structure

One turn, six phases

Six phases, always in this order. The letters A B C D are what players actually say at the table; the Main Phase is where the game happens.

  1. Awaken

    Stand everything of yours back up.

    1. Stand up all your exhausted cards, units and runes alike.
    2. First turn: nothing is exhausted yet, so skip ahead.

    Stalwart Poro and a rune stand back up: exhausted, then ready.

    Cards shown: Stalwart PoroCalm Rune

  2. Beginning

    Score one point for every battlefield you still hold.

    1. "Start of turn" abilities trigger first.
    2. Score 1 point per battlefield you hold.

    Loose Cannon triggers first, then Stalwart Poro scores you 1 point for the battlefield he holds.

    Cards shown: Jinx, Loose CannonStalwart Poro

  3. Channel

    Put the top two runes of your rune deck into your base, ready.

    1. Flip the top 2 runes of your rune deck into your base, ready.
    2. Going second? Your first Channel is 3 runes, once per game.
    3. Fewer than 2 left? Channel what remains.

    The top two runes flip from the rune deck into your base, ready: here a Calm Rune and a Mind Rune.

    Cards shown: Calm RuneMind Rune

  4. Draw

    Draw one card.

    1. Draw 1 card, on the very first turn too.
    2. Main deck empty? Burn Out: shuffle your trash back in, give the opponent 1 point, then draw.

    Affectionate Poro is drawn from the main deck into your hand. Deck empty? Burn Out: the trash shuffles back in, the opponent scores 1, then you draw.

    Cards shown: Affectionate PoroLonely PoroPoro SnaxPoro Herder

  5. Main Phase

    Play, activate and move, in any order you can pay for.

    1. Rune pools empty first.
    2. Then do anything, in any order you can pay for: play cards, use abilities, move units.
    3. Every showdown happens in this phase.

    The rune pool empties, then you pay: two runes exhaust to play Daring Poro, who moves from base to a battlefield.

    Cards shown: Daring PoroCalm RuneMind Rune

  6. Ending

    Heal everything, expire everything, empty the pools.

    1. Heal every unit.
    2. Effects that last "this turn" expire: here Ol' Poro's +2 Might.
    3. Empty the rune pools and pass the turn. Exhausted runes stand up at your own Awaken.

    Ol' Poro heals back to full, his +2 Might this turn expires, and the rune pool empties.

    Cards shown: Ol' Poro

Showdowns

What a showdown is

In your Main Phase you move units from your base onto a battlefield, and the moment they arrive is a showdown. An empty battlefield is conquered on the spot. A defended one starts a combat: the attacker is the player whose units moved in, the defender is the player who held it.

Stalwart Poro and Daring Poro move onto a battlefield held by Watchful Sentry: you attack, your opponent defends. Might is summed per side, 2 + 2 = 4 against 1, and all the damage lands at once. The Sentry dies, the Poros heal, and the battlefield is yours: +1 conquer.

Cards shown: Stalwart PoroDaring PoroWatchful Sentry

Where the points come from

  • Conquer: take a battlefield you have not scored this turn. 1 point.
  • Hold: still control it at your next Beginning phase. 1 point, every turn.

First to 8 wins.

Keep going

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