How to play
These articles explain how a game of Riftbound: the League of Legends trading card game is played. They cover the setup, the turn, runes and costs, battlefields and scoring, combat, spell timing, the keywords and the ways to play with two to four players.
- 8 parts
- 55 articles
The basics
What a game of Riftbound looks like from the first draw to the winning point.
- How does a game of Riftbound work?A game of Riftbound is a race to 8 points between two players. Each turn you channel two runes to pay for cards, play units and send them to the battlefields in the middle, and score a point for each battlefield you conquer and for each one you still hold when your turn begins.7 min
- How do you win a game of Riftbound?You win a game of Riftbound by reaching the Victory Score first, which is 8 points in a one-on-one game. Points come from battlefields: you score one when you conquer a battlefield and one for each battlefield you hold at the start of your turn.4 min
- How do you set up a game of Riftbound?To set up a one-on-one game of Riftbound, each player puts their Legend and chosen champion face up, picks one of their three battlefields at random and shuffles the Main Deck and the Rune Deck apart. Then the players decide who goes first, draw four cards each and may mulligan up to two of them.6 min
- What are the zones of the Riftbound play area?The Riftbound play area is split into zones. On the board are each player's base and Legend Zone and the battlefields, each with a spot for one facedown card. Off the board are the Main Deck, Rune Deck, hand, Champion Zone, trash, banishment and the Chain.7 min
- How does the mulligan work?Before the first turn of a Riftbound game, each player may mulligan once: set aside up to two of the four cards in hand, draw that many new cards, then put the set-aside cards on the bottom of the main deck in a random order.6 min
- Who goes first, and is it an advantage?In Riftbound the first player is chosen at random, and at tournaments one player gets to choose. In a one-on-one game the player who goes second channels three runes instead of two on their first turn. Going first is usually still the better seat, since that player reaches the battlefields first.7 min
- What happens when your deck runs out of cards?Running out of cards does not lose you a game of Riftbound. When you have to draw from an empty Main Deck, you burn out: your trash is recycled into a new Main Deck, an opponent of your choice gains 1 point, and then you finish the draw.6 min
- How long does a game of Riftbound take?A game of Riftbound has no time limit of its own and lasts until a player reaches the Victory Score, 8 points in a Duel. At competitive events the Tournament Rules recommend 60 minutes for a best-of-three match, so up to three games share one hour.6 min
Turns and phases
What happens in a turn of Riftbound, phase by phase.
- What happens in a turn of Riftbound?Every turn of Riftbound runs through the same six phases. You ready your cards, score the battlefields you hold, channel two runes and draw a card, then play cards and move units in your Main Phase, and the Ending Phase heals every unit before the next player starts.7 min
- What happens at the start of a turn?A turn of Riftbound starts with four short phases before the Main Phase. You ready your cards in the Awaken Phase, start-of-turn effects happen and you score each battlefield you hold in the Beginning Phase, and then you channel two runes and draw a card.7 min
- What can you do in your Main Phase?In your Main Phase in Riftbound you play cards, use the abilities of your units, gear, Legend and runes, move units to and from battlefields and hide cards, in any order and as often as you can pay for it. The phase lasts until you say that you are ending your turn.7 min
- What happens at the end of a turn?At the end of a Riftbound turn, the Ending Phase first carries out every ability that happens at the end of the turn. Then every unit heals, all effects that lasted this turn end, stunned units recover and unspent Energy and Power is lost before the next player begins.6 min
- What do exhaust and ready mean?To exhaust a card in Riftbound is to turn it sideways to show it has been used, most often to pay a cost such as moving a unit or taking Energy from a rune. To ready a card is to turn it upright again, and your Awaken Phase readies everything you control at the start of each of your turns.6 min
Runes, Energy and Power
How runes pay for every card you play.
- How do you pay for a card in Riftbound?In Riftbound you pay for a card with runes: you exhaust one rune for each point of Energy in its cost and recycle one rune of the matching domain for each Power symbol. The same rune can be exhausted first and recycled after, so one rune can pay both parts.6 min
- What is the difference between Energy and Power?Energy and Power are the two resources runes make in Riftbound. Energy has no domain and pays the number on a card, and you get it by exhausting a rune that readies again next turn. Power has a domain and pays the symbols under that number, and you get it by recycling a rune of that domain, which leaves the board.6 min
- What does it mean to channel a rune?To channel a rune in Riftbound is to take the top rune of your Rune Deck and put it on the board, where it pays for your cards. You channel two runes in each Channel Phase, and cards can channel more, usually exhausted, so those runes give Energy only from your next turn.6 min
- What does recycle mean in Riftbound?To recycle a card in Riftbound is to put it on the bottom of its own deck without shuffling: a rune goes under your Rune Deck and any other card under your Main Deck. You recycle runes to pay Power, and many cards recycle from the trash or the top of the deck.6 min
Battlefields and scoring
How units move, fight over the battlefields and score the points that win the game.
- How do battlefields work in a game?Battlefields are the cards in the middle of the table that Riftbound players send their units to fight over. A Duel has two, one from each player. You control a battlefield while your units are there, its ability works for you, and it scores you a point when you conquer it and when you hold it.6 min
- How do units move?In Riftbound a unit moves by exhausting in your Main Phase, from your base to a battlefield or from a battlefield back to your base. Only a unit with Ganking may go straight from one battlefield to another, and spells and abilities can move units at other times, ready or exhausted.6 min
- What is the difference between conquer and hold?In Riftbound you conquer a battlefield when you take control of it, usually by moving units in on your turn, and you hold it when you still control it at the start of your turn. Each scores one point, and a battlefield scores only once per turn.6 min
- What is the final point rule?In Riftbound, a conquer gives you the point that wins the game only if you have scored every battlefield in play that turn, and otherwise you draw a card instead. Holding a battlefield, card abilities and an opponent burning out can still give you that last point.6 min
- What is a showdown?A showdown is the moment in a game of Riftbound when units arrive at a battlefield their player does not control. Before the battlefield changes hands, the players take turns to play cards with Action or Reaction, and the showdown ends once every player has passed in a row.6 min
- How does combat work?Combat in Riftbound is a fight at a battlefield, which starts when units move onto a battlefield where enemy units stand. After a showdown for spells, each side deals damage equal to its units' total Might, and the attacker conquers only if no defender is left.6 min
- When do units heal?Units in Riftbound heal at two fixed moments: right after every combat, when every unit on the board heals, and at the end of every turn. Until then, damage stays marked on a unit, and only a few cards, such as Janna, Savior or Tactical Retreat, heal one sooner.6 min
Spells and timing
When each card can be played, and what happens when both players want to act.
- When can you play a spell?In Riftbound, a spell without a timing keyword is played only in your own Main Phase, while no showdown is going on and nothing waits on the Chain. A spell with Action can also be played in showdowns on any turn, and a spell with Reaction also in reply to anything on the Chain.6 min
- What do Action and Reaction mean?Action and Reaction are Riftbound keywords that change when a card or ability can be played. A card with Action can also be played during showdowns, on either player's turn. A card with Reaction can be played then too, and in answer to a spell or ability before it resolves.6 min
- What is the Chain?The Chain is the zone of Riftbound where a card or ability waits while it is being played. While anything is on it, players may answer only with Reactions, and the items on the Chain resolve newest first, so an answer takes effect before the card it answers.6 min
- Who gets to act during a showdown?In a Riftbound showdown the players act one at a time, and the turn to act is called Focus. The player whose units started the showdown has it first. The player with Focus may play one card or ability with Action or Reaction, or pass, and Focus then moves on until every player has passed in a row.6 min
- How do card abilities work?Riftbound cards act through four main kinds of ability. Passive abilities are always on, activated abilities are used by paying the cost before a colon, triggered abilities go off by themselves when something happens, and replacement effects change an event before it takes place.7 min
Keywords
The keywords printed on a card, each a whole rule in a word or two.
- What are keywords in Riftbound?A keyword in Riftbound is a word or short phrase on a card, such as Accelerate, Tank or Hidden, that stands for a longer rule. It is printed in a small colored box, usually with reminder text after it, and the Core Rules give each keyword its full meaning.7 min
- What do Assault and Shield do?Assault and Shield are two Riftbound keywords that add Might in combat. Assault 2 gives a unit +2 Might while it is an attacker, and Shield 2 gives it +2 Might while it is a defender. With no number the bonus is 1, and outside a combat neither keyword does anything.6 min
- What does Ganking do?Ganking is a Riftbound keyword that lets a unit use its own move to go straight from one battlefield to another, not only between your base and a battlefield. The unit still exhausts to move, so Ganking adds a route, not an extra move.6 min
- What does Accelerate do?Accelerate is a keyword on Riftbound units. As you play the unit, you may pay 1 Energy and one Power of its domain on top of its cost, and if you do, it enters ready instead of exhausted, so it can move to a battlefield and fight on the turn you play it.6 min
- What does Tank do?Tank is a Riftbound keyword for units. In combat, the player dealing damage must give every unit with Tank on the other side enough damage to kill it before any of that side's other units take damage, so the Tank is hit first and covers the units beside it.6 min
- What does Deflect do?In Riftbound, Deflect makes a unit more expensive to aim at. An opponent who chooses it with a spell or ability pays one extra Power of any domain, or more for Deflect 2 or Deflect 3. Effects that hit every unit, and damage in combat, are not taxed.6 min
- How do Hidden cards work?In Riftbound, Hidden lets you pay one Power of any domain on your turn to place a card facedown at a battlefield you control. From the next turn on, you may play it from there without paying its cost, at any moment a Reaction could be played, but only at that battlefield.6 min
- What does Deathknell do?Deathknell is a Riftbound keyword on units and gear that gives you one last effect when the card dies, such as drawing a card or dealing damage. It triggers only when the card is killed and goes from the board to the trash, on any player's turn.6 min
- What does Legion do?Legion is a Riftbound keyword that switches on part of a card's text once you have played another card in the same turn. Noxus Hopeful then costs 2 Energy less and Darius, Executioner readies himself, but only when another card came before them that turn.7 min
- What does Vision do?Vision is a Riftbound keyword on units and gear. When you play a card with Vision, you look at the top card of your Main Deck, then leave it there to draw next or recycle it to the bottom of the deck.6 min
- What does Temporary mean?Temporary is a Riftbound keyword on units and gear that last only a short while. A card with Temporary is killed at the start of its controller's next Beginning Phase, before that player scores, so it can attack, defend and conquer but never holds a battlefield by itself.6 min
- What are buffs, and when is a unit Mighty?A buff in Riftbound is a counter that gives a unit +1 Might until it is spent or the unit leaves play, and a unit can hold only one at a time. A unit is Mighty while its Might is 5 or more, counting its buff and every other bonus it has at that moment.6 min
- How do XP and Level work?XP is a number each Riftbound player builds up during a game, from units with Hunt and other cards, and some cards spend it as a cost. A Level ability works only while you have at least that much XP: Level 6 text switches on at 6 XP and off again below 6.6 min
- What do Hunt and Ambush do?Hunt and Ambush are two Riftbound keywords on units. Hunt 2 gives you 2 XP each time the unit conquers or holds a battlefield, and Hunt with no number gives 1. Ambush lets you play the unit as a Reaction to a battlefield where you already have units, so it can join a fight that has already begun.7 min
- How do Equip, Quick-Draw and Weaponmaster work?Equip is the keyword on Equipment, the gear in Riftbound that you attach to one of your units. You play the gear to your base, then pay its Equip cost in your Main Phase, and the unit gains the gear's Might bonus and the ability in its effect text.6 min
- What does Empower do?Empower is a Riftbound keyword on units, gear and Legends. You pay the cost printed after it and the card becomes Empowered, which switches on its Empowered text, such as extra Might or a new keyword. The card stays Empowered until it leaves the board or is disempowered.6 min
- What does Deploy do?Deploy is a keyword on Riftbound gear, new in the Radiance set. A gear with Deploy is played to a battlefield instead of your base, any battlefield you choose, and stays there to work for the units at it until an opponent holds that battlefield, which kills the gear.6 min
Game modes
The ways to play Riftbound with two, three or four players, and the points each one is played to.
- Which game modes does Riftbound have?Riftbound has five official modes of play: the one-on-one Duel and the best-of-three Match, Skirmish for three players, War for four players and Magma Chamber for two teams of two. Magma Chamber is played to 11 points per team, and every other mode is played to 8 points.7 min
- How does a one-on-one Duel work?A Duel is the standard one-on-one game of Riftbound: two players, one game, two battlefields in play and 8 points to win. Each player brings three battlefields and plays one picked at random, and the player who goes second channels an extra rune on their first turn.6 min
- What is the difference between a Duel and a Match?A Duel and a Match are the two one-on-one modes of Riftbound, played with the same decks to 8 points. A Duel is a single game with each player's battlefield picked at random. A Match is the best of three games, and each player chooses their battlefield for every game.6 min
- How does Skirmish, the three-player mode, work?Skirmish is the three-player mode of Riftbound, a free-for-all in which each player plays alone against two opponents. Three battlefields are in play, one from each player, and the first player to reach 8 points with more points than both opponents wins.6 min
- How does War, the four-player mode, work?War is the four-player free-for-all mode of Riftbound. Each player plays alone against three opponents over three battlefields, since the first player's battlefields stay out of the game, and the first to 8 points with more points than every opponent wins.6 min
- How does 2v2 (Magma Chamber) work?Magma Chamber is the Riftbound mode for two teams of two. Every player brings their own deck, three battlefields are in play, and each team shares one score and plays to 11 points. Teammates can help each other with cards, but they never share control of their units.7 min
Rules and rulings
Where the official rules live and how to settle a question at the table.
- Where can you find the official Riftbound rules?Riot publishes the official Riftbound rules on the Rules Hub at playriftbound.com: the Core Rules, the Tournament Rules, the ban lists, the patch notes and the card errata. As of October 2026, both rule books are dated 9 October 2026.7 min
- Which rules do new Riftbound players often get wrong?New Riftbound players most often get the final point wrong, which a single conquer cannot win. They also forget that units enter play exhausted, that both sides deal combat damage at once, that unspent Energy and Power is lost, and that cards without Action or Reaction wait for their own Main Phase.7 min
- How are Riftbound cards banned or changed?Riot Games changes Riftbound cards in two ways. It bans cards that harm competitive Constructed play, and it issues errata that reword printed cards so they work as intended. Riot does not issue errata to make a card weaker or stronger.6 min