Riftbound: Unleashed is a great set in terms of its approachability and variety. The introduction of the XP mechanic is a great way to thematically celebrate Riot Games’ Runeterran characters’ power fantasies without warping the meta. The new cards are gorgeous as ever, too. If you can get your hands on the Vex precon or the Unleashed Vault, those two are must-have Riftbound additions for any player at this time.
It’s about that time where we revisit the state of Riot Games’ Riftbound, isn’t it? Last week marked the official launch of Riftbound’s third set, Unleashed, and it brings several new mechanics to the game. Consistent with the prior launches, there are tons of gorgeous cards worth collecting let alone adding to your decks. With this launch, we got multiple new products to review, so let’s get to it!
Unleashed’s main new mechanic is the XP mechanic. It basically functions as a resource that can be accrued from spells and abilities. Unlike runes (which are effectively emptied after each round), XP is a persistent resource that can be accessed at any time should you need it. Unleashed brings forth multiple cards that rely on XP to unlock passives (such as Master Yi – Tempered who gains the Deflect and Ganking keywords if the player has accrued at least 6XP) or spent on upgrades (like Blood Rose, which can ready units in exchange for spending 3XP). It’s a simple resource that can be tapped into at any time assuming you have the cards that need it.
Unlike other new set mechanics from competing TCGs, XP feels self-contained as of this time. Future sets may change things, sure, but the current state of the XP mechanic makes it so that some decks can take advantage of it without forcing a drastic shift in the meta where everybody needs to play an XP-focused deck or perish with a D-tier deck. As of writing, blue decks lack XP cards and can be built around other existing mechanics. For folks who are running blue or red decks, you have some reprieve from the XP mechanic.
Thematically, the XP system is a smart implementation of League of Legends’ level system in which champions unlock their “ultimate abilities” at level 6. Case in point: Master Yi – Tempered. Once you have 6 (or more) XP, Yi has deflect and ganking. This is a similar power fantasy at the League of Legends Master Yi who spends his first few levels farming in the jungle before ganking a lane and slicing through every opponent in his path. Likewise for Unleashed’s Mosstomper (based on LoL’s adorable green jungle pet) – reaching level three gives him Deflect. I’m curious as to how future cards will be structured around the XP system, as it has potential for giving champions and monsters unique power fantasies that align with their counterparts in other games.
I can’t speak to the impact of the XP mechanic on the current Riftbound meta. As of writing, it looks like Master Yi is the primary legend for XP-based decks, but other prominent decks are featuring LeBlanc and Irelia (both of which don’t utilize the XP function at all). Vex and Lillia (new legends in Unleashed) seem to have some potential, as well. It’s only a matter of time until folks figure out the meta, so it’s worth keeping a lookout for shifts on the horizon.
Beyond XP, Unleashed introduces several new keyboards: Ambush, Backline, Hunt, and Predict. They’re straightforward additions and don’t require much thought as to how they should function in theory, so I don’t have any complaints here. We haven’t yet reached a stage where Riftbound feels too complex to pick up and play. I did want to call out the addition of Predict, however, as it is a much-needed mechanic that is a staple in MtG’s blue decks. Here, it allows the player to look at the top cards of a deck, recycle any number of them, and then put the remainder back in any order. The purple and blue combo seem to be the colors for a filter-focused deck with Diana at the helm.
Now that we’re three sets in, there’s no better time to jump into Riftbound. I say this because it’s still easy to pick up, fun to play, and rewarding for collectors. The addition of XP and the new keyworks are bringing Riftbound closer to parity with other TCG mechanics without compromising complexity. If you’re new to TCGs, Unleashed features a good amount of variety for one to pick a legend of your choosing and construct a deck around it with little issue. There’s a seemingly endless amount of guides, videos, and helpful community members that can guide your journey, too!
Speaking of champion legends, I’m absolutely thrilled with the current pace of introducing new Legends into Riftbound. With the release of Unleashed, the total pool of Legends (champion cards that act as the backbone for any deck) is now brought up to 40. Even better, one of those 40 champions is a duplicate, meaning that 39 of the 172 champions in League of Legends (173 if we’re including Norra, the sole Wild Rift exclusive champion) are seeing prominent representation in Riftbound. As a longtime League and TFT fan, I greatly appreciate how Riftbound is bravely carving out space for the massive Runeterra universe. It’s a refreshing change of pace from seeing reprinted Chibi Champions in TFT and the same handful of champions in League getting gorgeously designed cosmetics on a frequent basis. Less than a year after Riftbound’s launch, just over a fifth of the Runeterra roster is represented in novel fashions.
As a collector and League fan, Riftbound’s approach to featuring a wide array of the Runeterran characters feels great. I am a massive fan of Ivern – a niche support jungler who has a miniscule amount of presence in League given his obscure playstyle. I did not have “Ivern, but Riftbound-ified” on my 2026 Bingo Card, nor did I think I would be able to build a deck around him for years to come. But with Unleashed…I can, and I am. I was tickled pink when I was lucky enough to pull him from a booster, and I’m now chomping at the bit to theorycraft a deck around him and his brush battlefield tokens.
This is a very long way for me to say that Riftbound is sticking with and winning on the idea of celebrating Riot’s thoughtfully crafted universe. I know that there will come a time when metas will shift and older cards will become banned in favor of newer cards, but there’s nothing like getting your favorite character in a pack of cards. Riot, please, keep letting the Riftbound devs cook and bringing forth more characters into the game!
Oh, and if you haven’t seen the Ivern – Green Father overnumbered card…lorde have mercy it’s a stunner.
In my prior reviews of Riftbound, I critiqued the game for being fun to play but unfun to be a prospective or current player given card availability issues. I have good news for you, folks: It looks like the overwhelming hype that caused artificial card scarcity has decreased to the point where multiple stores near me have Unleashed cards in stock and ready for folks to pick up and play. Additionally, Riot’s May 11th article includes information about their upcoming Catch Up raffles. From the proposed changes being made, Riot is committed to listening to fans who missed out on the first two sets (especially Origins – I’m still struggling to find packs from the first set in the wild and it’s almost one year out since the game’s release!) and helping them get up to speed on the cards they’re missing.
We’re getting there, folks.
As part of this review, I was also sent the two preconstructed (precons) decks from this set: Vi and Vex. Vex’s deck is very fun and easy to play. Her Gloomist legend card lets players draw a card when holding a battlefield, Vex – Cheerless reduces friendly spell costs and increases enemy spell costs, and multiple cards feature the Stun effect to slow down opponents with ramping up decks. On its own, it plays well with little modification and gives players a taste of the XP mechanic without being overbearing. If you have Sona – Harmonious (Origins) and/or Fizz (Spiritforged), you could sub those champions in for holding battlefields and taking advantage of Vex – Apathetic’s stun potential.
Vi’s precon, on the other hand, gets demolished by the stock Vex deck. Avoid using this deck against a Vex deck unless you’re willing to make some changes. Vi – Peacekeeper is fun to play and can be amped up with several spells/gear that come with the deck, but I’m still unsure what champions to add in the instances where she’s blocked out by champions with Stun (namely Vex). I’m thinking that there may be a world in which Kai’Sa – Survivor or Darius – Trifarian (both from Origins) can be utilized, but I need some more time to theorycraft ways to get this deck into competitive shape.
If you can only get one precon, you can’t get a better jumping off point than Vex, especially for a newer player. It’s probably one of the easier precons I’ve tested to get up-and-running with little adjusting and it features the fewest complexities. Straightforward precons are always good for new players, so get Vex while you can.
Riot has also released a new product for Riftbound players: the Unleashed Vault. The Unleashed Vault is a simple product that contains 6 booster packs, a custom card storage box, some art dividers, 3 copies of double-sided full-art tokens, and 6 of each Rune type (36 total runes!!). For those of you who didn’t go to school for math (don’t worry – I didn’t, either), there are enough runes in the Unleashed Vault to create a deck (or three) of cards with all the runes you need. I’ll admit that the $34.99 MSRP might not be the most palatable for 36 runes on their own, but it’s a great deal when considering that it contains six boosters. The Unleashed Vault is a must purchase for anyone wanting to build decks from scratch and needing the necessary cards and a chance at some good cards for a decent price.
Riftbound: Unleashed is a great set in terms of its approachability and variety. The introduction of the XP mechanic is a great way to thematically celebrate Riot Games’ Runeterran characters’ power fantasies without warping the meta. The new cards are gorgeous as ever, too. If you can get your hands on the Vex precon or the Unleashed Vault, those two are must-have Riftbound additions for any player at this time.
