Riftbound TCG First Impressions | Is Riot’s New Card Game Worth Playing?
Well, it finally happened. I got the chance to sit down with the Riftbound TCG (huge thanks to Boardwalk’s Kaimi for making it possible).
I was told going in that Jinx’s trial deck is by far the weakest, apparently no one’s been able to win with it yet. Naturally, that meant I had to take the challenge.
Before diving in, let me be clear: this isn’t a full gameplay overview. If you want to study the rules in detail, you can do that here. These are just my first impressions from playing the game.
Not a MTG Clone
Whenever a new TCG drops, people love to throw around the line: “I bet it’s just another MTG clone.” Honestly, that’s kind of a lazy take. At this point, with how Fortnite-ified Magic has become, I think it’d actually be refreshing to have a worthy replacement—but that’s a topic for another day.
Riftbound sets itself apart in several unique ways. The biggest difference? It’s a territory control game, not a life-total-based one. Every unit has just one stat (instead of power/toughness), which really changes how combat plays out. The territory control mechanic, in particular, adds a distinctive layer of strategy that feels fresh.
Gameplay
The game takes a little adjusting, but the developers clearly put thought into accessibility. The “ABCD” system helps streamline phases, and the flexible main phase lets you play cards and enter combat in almost any order you choose.
That said, my impressions are cautiously optimistic. I enjoyed what I played, but I do have some concerns:
With only one stat per unit, I wonder about the long-term design space.
Without life totals, effects like drain, burn, and life gain don’t really fit, which limits design space compared to other TCGs.
Territories open new possibilities, but will it be enough to keep things diverse and evolving?
To be fair, I was playing with simple starter cards and I’m an experienced game designer, so my worries may just reflect seeing the surface level. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on.
Gameplay Rating: 3/4
My favorite part was reuniting the sisters and making an awesome play that almost won me the game! With Jinx, the name of the game is to burn through your hand as quickly as possible. You’re rewarded for discarding cards and keeping your hand size low. It feels chaotic, aggressive, and very on-theme for her character.
Card Quality
The cardstock feels fantastic—right up there with Bandai’s One Piece and Digimon games. Sturdy, smooth, and tournament-ready. I’d say it’s definitely in the upper tier of card quality.
Card Quality Rating: 4/4
Artwork
No surprise here: the art is stunning. League of Legends has always been known for top-tier visuals, and Riftbound borrows heavily from both LoL and Legends of Runeterra.
Some might knock it for recycling, but honestly? Because Runeterra was also a TCG with a massive art budget, the reuse actually works beautifully here, better than in any other card game I’ve seen try this.
Artwork Rating: 4/4
The V Factor
Now, the big question: where does Riftbound land in the larger TCG space?
It has:
A massive IP.
Beautiful art.
Solid, fresh gameplay mechanics.
The momentum of Arcane bringing in new fans.
But will that audience translate? I’m not so sure.
On top of that, one red flag for me: despite reaching out to the Riftbound team over a dozen times in different ways, we’ve never received a single reply. In my experience, the companies that succeed are the ones that engage with their communities, even if it’s just to politely decline opportunities.
And while it may sound minor, the card backs don’t even say “Riftbound.” That’s going to confuse a lot of new players.
V Factor Rating: 2/4
Overall Score
Final Verdict: 3.25 / 4
Despite a few questionable decisions, Riftbound looks and plays beautifully. It’s got the potential to be something big, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here.
Kaimi did a great job teaching me and even though I didn’t win, I’m proud to have gotten to only 1 point away from victory. Definitely give Boardwalk some love if you find yourself in Upstate SC.
Let us know if you’d like us to cover Riftbound more in-depth and if you haven’t joined our community yet, you can do so here. We design and make our own games, so if you’d like to see more from us, be sure to explore our website and check out our Patreon here.
Stay awesome,
Vincent
