Perhaps it’s the smell and feel of new cards fresh from a pack, or just the expectation of what could be, but I love me some colorful cardboard rectangles, commonly referred to as “trading card games”. As someone who has been playing some manner of TCG or another for close to 30 years at this point, it feels like this particular hobby has seen an explosion in popularity and options for potential deck-builders to pick from.
The latest offering that has drawn in crowds is Riftbound, designed by Riot Games and published in partnership with UVS Games (the same group behind Universus, another TCG that brings massive properties like Godzilla and Street Fighter together in a competitive card game) and based on the immensely popular League of Legends IP. With Riftbound: Origins, the game’s first set, debuting only a few short weeks ago, Riftbound looks like a pretty neat game, but just how neat exactly?
I hopped in my car and dropped into my FLGS (friendly local game store) to get a more boots-on-the-ground look at Riftbound.
To the Rift!
Pulling into Games & Company, located in Walled Lake, Michigan, I popped in during their recently added weekly Riftbound night. Spread across a few tables, players were fending off one another, holding down their battlefields, and making pushes to claim their opponents in an effort to score points.
Walking over to one of the tables, the players kindly let me sit down and watch and graciously answered my basic questions about the game - I had yet to play it at this point. At a glance, I could tell both of them were TCG veterans, with one playing on a gorgeous Dragon Ball Super playmat and the other one adorned with the MagicCon logo, so I asked what they both thought of Riftbound.
It quickly became apparent that both Brandon M. and Alex H. felt the big initial draw for Riftbound was the attached League of Legends IP. “I’ve played a lot of League [of Legends] so that’s definitely a draw,” Brandon explained, “I’ve always liked card games but just haven’t found that I have related to one as much as Riftbound.”
Alex echoed a similar sentiment, mentioning that he is a big fan of how the resource system is handled in Riftbound, known as Runes (basically mana for the MTG players out there), and that “you only have yourself to blame if you manascrew yourself” since Runes are placed in a separate, small side-deck you draw from each turn.
Popping into the shop’s Discord channel, I spoke with active member Chris, who attributes not only the IP to the reception but also the quality of the game: “Riftbound seems to have been developed by a team that has been paying attention both to what these games have done correctly or incorrectly as well as how they could connect this trading card game to the universe of Runeterra fans already know and love."
"There is an incredible amount of depth to this game that I have only experienced in Magic:The Gathering. This is a great thing, as I feel a lot of the trading card games that have come after haven't really captured the complexity that leads to truly outstanding plays. Riftbound feels alive and vibrant, without feeling watered down and tired. I feel like most players are aware there is so much more to come due to the depth and expanse of the Runeterra lore, but we welcome it as players and are ready to take that journey.”
But how is it selling?
Leaving the players to finish their best-of-three match, I wanted to get some perspective from the other side of the FLGS coin, the folks who run the shop.
Taking a break from stocking the shelves with board games and packs of the hottest TCGs, I asked Alyssa Dean, one of Game & Company’s owners, what she makes of Riftbound so far. “What stands out to me the most about the Riftbound release is just how passionate the players are about the IP. They’re already in love with all these characters so just seeing them come to life in the game has been really rewarding for us as a store and for the players.”
That excitement looks to be translating into sales too, Alyssa continues, ”Sales are really high. TCGs are kind of at a high right now, so I wouldn’t say that it’s wild, but it is definitely very strong. If I could get, you know, 20 times more product than what I did, I guarantee I’d still sell out, which is a really great way for a game to start off, with this level of excitement.”
With the hype and the store’s excitement absorbed into my veins, I cracked some packs and wanted to see if Riftbound could sink its claws into someone who never played much League and could barely tell you what “jungling” means. First and foremost, holy crap is it tough to find ANY sort of product right now, be it single packs, champion decks, or the Proving Grounds boxed game.
Getting some games in and cracking a couple of packs, even without much in-depth knowledge of the IP, it’s clear that Riftbound has some fun gameplay backing up the hype and some gorgeous card art too. The card games I've played, predominantly being Magic, Digimon, and some Gundam, mean my focus is always on how I dish out damage or tank the blows against me. I found Riftbound’s focus more on holding ground and shoring up your position to be a refreshing change of pace.
Sure, I enjoy countering moves by my opponents and taking out their units, but I got far more of an adrenaline boost by overtaking an enemy battlefield and watching my victory points creep up as I held the line. I don’t need to know who Lee Sin is to know that this game feels good. Now I just need to track down enough packs to try my hand at making my own deck and really get into the jungle with this game.
Riftbound looks to be riding high out of the gate with fans and game stores alike, and even as a League newbie (that’s still a word folks use, right?) its quick matches and its capture-and-hold gameplay have yanked me in like a champion out of formation.
There is no shortage of options available for connoisseurs of colorful cardboard rectangles out there, so it remains to be seen if this up-and-comer is able to protect its lanes from the likes of Magic, One Piece, and whatever the next new TCG turns out to be. The next set, Spiritforged, is due out in February and with players rabid to get their hands on every bit of Origins they can, Riftbound looks to be a serious contender for TCG players’ time and money, but it remains to be seen for how long.
Scott White is a freelance contributor to IGN, assisting with tabletop games and guide coverage. Follow him on X/Twitter or Bluesky.
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