Playing RIFTBOUND is awesome, but it doesn’t feel too great to be a prospective or current player of RIFTBOUND Origins right now. Riot’s on the right track to ironing out the availability (and other) issues, though. RIFTBOUND has more than won me over with its approachability, novel take on card gameplay that feels less like a TCG and more like a board game, along with its gorgeous card designs. The release of Spiritforged cannot come soon enough!
“Hold on, all I have to do is hold onto these battlefields to win?” “Wait, I get TWO mana cards per turn?” “The mana cards are SEPARATE from the normal decks?”
These are all questions, among many others, I was asked when I was teaching my friends how to play RIFTBOUND over the past few weeks. These questions were very easy to answer, and I was thrilled to see those asking these questions to be relieved by the player-friendliness of RIFTBOUND’s design. In teaching my friends how to play RIFTBOUND in its Proving Ground expansion, it feels like I’ve given longtime Magic: The Gathering players a glimpse of how RIFTBOUND solves several problems of the TCG space without too much disruption.
When I originally covered RIFTBOUND during the RIFTBOUND SUMMIT earlier this year (Part I and Part II), I was ever so excited with how RIFTBOUND would play out once it officially released. I was playing with pre-release cards, after all, so I was to expect changes to be made leading to the game’s full release. Several sources of this excitement connected with the idea of RIFTBOUND feeling like a less punishing Magic game, albeit one with a separate deck for runes (not mana, folks), cycling runes, and competing against other players to control territories.
It was refreshing then, and it’s just as refreshing now that I have actual cards in-hand and have played against several groups of friends.
I want to emphasize here that, as much I am a fan of Riot Games’ League of Legends, I am excited to see how RIFTBOUND evolves beyond its existing player-friendly design. I love how the existing setup of RIFTBOUND celebrates longtime League players’ commitment to Riot’s IP and rewards them with a TCG that’s just as easy to pick up as it is to become completely immersed in its universe.
I digress. RIFTBOUND is very easy to enjoy. It’s just as easy to teach to veteran TCG fans who’ve become frustrated by and tired with mechanics that whittle down to “they who have the most resources/life points win.” In teaching several groups of friends how to play RIFTBOUND, I have faith in Riot’s ability to create a TCG that relies on something other than resource utilization.
It just plain sucks that booster packs, premade decks, and other fun goodies (like Proving Grounds) are sold out just about everywhere I’ve looked. They’ve been sold out (for the most part) since its original October 31 release. We were torn on including Proving Grounds in this year’s Chumps Gift Guide because at the time we were writing it, it was out of stock. Fast forward to today, it’s…still out of stock.
Can I blame them, though? League of Legends is crazy successful worldwide, along with Riot’s other titles like Teamfight Tactics, VALORANT, Wild Rift, and RIFTBOUND’s predecessor Legends of Runeterra. It makes sense for players of multiple backgrounds to feel compelled to be interested in Riot’s first foray into the physical gaming space.
RIFTBOUND is far from “yet another MTG clone,” despite it utilizing a handful of mechanics that have guided and defined MTG’s success over the past few decades. While the battling and resource utilization may feel familiar at times, RIFTBOUND elevates the typical turn-based gameplay loop into something novel.
I won’t reiterate the rules of RIFTBOUND, as I briefly covered them already during one of my original previews. They haven’t really changed, but it’s still worth highlighting the key gameplay loop that sets RIFTBOUND miles apart in all the right ways from its competitors.
RIFTBOUND is all about capturing and controlling battlefields. You know how capture the flag is all about being quick to capture an objective in neutral/enemy territory and fending off attackers? RIFTBOUND uses that idea into one where players earn points for doing that. Essentially, those who own the most battlefields for the longest win.
Of course, there’s more to RIFTBOUND than that. But the flow of moving champions and other cards from battlefield to battlefield makes the gameplay feel alive rather than a stagnant numbers game. Battlefields (with their unique effects) function as creative yet chaotic spaces where win conditions are augmented behind different trials on a game-by-game basis. In having players choose their own battlefields to go with their decks, there’s a constant push-and-pull of hypothesizing capturing and holding onto objectives.
This is especially true in free for all (FFA) games with up to four players. Having objectives and a race to earn points eliminates situations where players gang up on the weakest player to eliminate them in a bloodbath. Now, the focus is on the player who’s pulling ahead.
Perhaps I’m annoyed by the current state of MTG and the politicking of attempting to play a multiplayer match. Perhaps I’m burnt out by players who turtle games because they don’t want a target placed on their back for simply being “the weakest.” Heck, the fact that I was able to win some matches of free-for-all despite being furthest behind is testament to how RIFTBOUND avoids having games end too quickly or in a seriously imbalanced state.
At the top of this review, I mentioned that I used Proving Grounds as the vehicle to teach my friends how to play RIFTBOUND. Proving Grounds is perhaps one of the better “starter bundles” I’ve seen from TCG manufacturers that give new players just enough cards and leeway to learn the game without expecting them to invest in a single pre-made deck. The four condensed “starter decks” of Proving Grounds feature around 20 cards each. They’re not meant to be taken as-is to your local card store for RIFTBOUND Wednesdays, but some of the cards could be used as a part of a deck you build. With the 20-card decks, Proving Grounds gives players a very quick idea as to how decks should function (in theory), how a RIFTBOUND game should play out, along with enough cards for 4 players to enjoy.
Do I wish that Proving Grounds contains more cards? No. Absolutely not. I’d rather it offer a condensed experience that gives players enough idea as to what should work so that they can go out on their own and utilize creativity to create the decks of their dreams. It’s a fantastic starter gift that can be used like a board game to teach others what they need to know now so they can start their RIFTBOUND journeys.
How does it feel as a collector, or at least someone who wants Foils for the sake of having shiny cards? Pokémon has made its way into my algorithm with multiple content creators’ videos of opening pack after pack, box after box, perfect for consumers (like me, admittedly) who weren’t down for the competitive grind. Despite watching these videos, I never really understood the desire nor hype of opening boosters, at least until now. I was sent a box of Riftbound boosters to open, and it took maybe two packs before I wanted to open more packs just to see what cards I pulled. I wanted Teemo cards, oh so badly, just so I could show off my love for Teemo and his silly tactics.
By the time I had finished opening up all my packs, I was left with multiple shiny Ahri cards, lots of other League champs, along with units like Thousand-Tailed Watcher, Tasty Faefolk, and Commander Ledros. I was hoping to pull a Teemo during my card-opening spree, but alas…no Teemo to be found.
My friend Jon, on the other hand, was far luckier. I shared some of my haul on my socials, spurring him to reach out to ask where I had obtained the cards along with my thoughts on how they looked and felt. He was waiting for his box of boosters to come in the mail and was chomping at the bit to open up the packs to get all the Ahri cards. Once he had finally had his cards delivered, I sat with bated breath as he opened pack after pack and sent me pictures of the cards he was lucky enough to obtain.
After several back-and-forth messages on Instagram, he excitedly showed me a very lucky pull – a signed Miss Fortune card. Yes, that Miss Fortune card featuring alternate art, a shiny foil exterior, and the artist’s signature. It’s perhaps the most sought-after card in the entire Origins set. I hadn’t seen the card in the wild, merely mockups of what the card should look like during Riot’s RIFTBOUND summit along with some images of it online. In Jon’s hands, the card looked…stunning.
I can’t comment on how the ultra-rare signed cards feel in-hand, but I can comment on how some of the alternate art cards feel. All of the cards feel premium thanks to their heavy cardstock, but their rare/exclusive designs steal the show. I pulled a Viktor (Herald of Arcane), featuring a design that looks like it was reminiscent of a scene from ARCANE Season II. The alternate art cards have the right amount of readability while still featuring enough breathing room for the champion to be showcased in a different design. The different art styles overall feel like Riot has tapped into a collective of artists rather than a small subset of them. Because of this, decks will feel and look more creative (aesthetically) as folks begin to swap in alternate art cards they acquire.
Riot knocked it out of the park with opting to create variants, alternate art, and overnumbered cards for collectors. Beyond simply looking gorgeous (which they most certainly do), they can be used in-game if you want to show off your lucky pulls. Personally, I want to use these cards so I can see them in their shimmery glory.
As part of this review opportunity, I was also sent the RIFTBOUND WORLDS BUNDLE 2025 featuring a special edition variant of Teemo Swift Scout, a unique play mat, several oversized battlefields, and a deckbox with matching card sleeves. This is a true Collector’s Edition box, as the Swift Scout card is covered in high quality foil along with utilizing an alternate design for Swift Scout. In hand, the card is glorious and shimmery, and frankly one of the only cards I own where I hesitate to use it only because I want to preserve the Panda Teemo-inspired card in all its glory. The oversized battlefields are a nice touch and frankly something that should be featured in all bundles going forward. The larger battlefields (if used) allow for cards to be placed nearby without covering up the important text and the beautiful card designs.
I’m hoping that the WORLDS BUNDLE 2025 is the blueprint for future bundles. The unique playmat and sleeves are nice to have, but the oversized battlefields and the bundle-specific alternate art champion cards are worth the cost of the bundle at its MSRP. They’re not your average cards, but they can function as playable cards if you choose to use them. These bundles feel like they contain thoughtful selections of cards along with fan-favorite designs that haven’t yet been incorporated within RIFTBOUND. Best yet, they are wonderful for superfans who just want a set of cards that feel premium and celebrate a champion’s aesthetic with a novel design.
League superfans have a lot to look forward to and enjoy, but acquiring some of the standout cards of Origins might not feel good. Beyond the stocking issues and alternate art card rarity (they’re very rare, folks – think something like a few of them per box of boosters), acquiring champions feels unnecessarily difficult. When building a deck, you need a Legend card (like Jinx, Master Yi, Leona), two copies of a Chosen unit that corresponds to the Legend, and three of that champion’s signature spells. I was trying to build a Teemo deck, for instance, which meant that I effectively needed six Teemo cards. My box of boosters contained zero Teemo cards.
Sure, this is a pain point that’s common in TCGs. It’s part of the collectability loop of opening packs and trading cards with other players. But when there’s very few other players to trade (as cards remain relatively rare to acquire) along with nefarious consumers who are choosing to purchase tons of these boxes and resell them for egregious prices, it doesn’t feel good as a player who wants to invest time and money into RIFTBOUND.
Perhaps one solve for this is to guarantee that boosters containing a champion will always feature a copy of that champion’s signature spell. Doing so lessens the uphill climb of needing to acquire the required cards while giving players other reasons to open packs. If deckbuilding feels too much like a constant loop of chasing specific cards, I would expect players to ignore the rest of the cards they’re receiving when opening packs.
Looking forward to 2026, Riot has committed to improving the state of RIFTBOUND from multiple angles. For collectors, Riot has mentioned that they’ve improved their quality control processes to ensure that every booster contains a rare and that cards’ edges should no longer contain rough edges. For competitors and organized play, Riot has committed to improving ticket purchasing for Qualifiers to ensure that competitors can attend events even when demand is peaking. There’s also the issue of overall product demand, and it looks like Proving Grounds and Origins are being reprinted in 2026.
This sounds well on paper, but I’m curious to see how long players intend to wait before pivoting to investing in the next set (Spiritforged) or another TCG altogether.
Playing RIFTBOUND is awesome, but it doesn’t feel too great to be a prospective or current player of RIFTBOUND Origins right now. Riot’s on the right track to ironing out the availability (and other) issues, though. RIFTBOUND has more than won me over with its approachability, novel take on card gameplay that feels less like a TCG and more like a board game, along with its gorgeous card designs. The release of Spiritforged cannot come soon enough!
