Originally titled Project K, Riot Games' TCG now has an official name: Riftbound: League of Legends Trading Card Game. Riftbound is a collaboration between Riot and UVS Games, who are perhaps best known for their UniVersus card game that has sets from several licensed properties, such as Critical Role and Attack on Titan. Riftbound: League of Legends TCG is, however, a completely separate game with unique mechanics, not a new addition to UniVersus.

As we get closer to the release window for Riftbound: League of Legends Trading Card Game, we are starting to get more information on the game, and have even got a look at a few of the cards. We've also seen some of the League of Legends champions who could appear in the new game, and have gotten some hints at how the game may be played. As a fan of the League of Legends universe, but someone who is woefully bad at the game, I'm excited about a chance to master some of my favorite champions on the tabletop.

When Is Riftbound Being Released?

Riftbound's Release Window Is Summer 2025 For China, And October 2025 For Several Other Countries

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG's first set, Riftbound: Origins, will be released in China during Summer 2025. Shortly after, Riftbound: Origins will be released in several English-speaking countries starting in October 2025. Information about the first set's release was shared in the Riftbound announcement video posted to the game's official YouTube channel, which also hinted at subsequent sets for the game. As of now, it is unclear how frequently Riftbound sets will be released, but if most major TCGs are any indication, we can probably expect at least a couple releases each year, if the game is successful.

Some trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and Disney Lorcana typically have a pre-release window where players can get their hands on cards slightly before the release date from select locations. With Riftbound currently not having a solid release date, it's also unclear if we can expect a similar pre-release model to be used. However, if you're looking to play Riftbound as soon as possible, the game will be available to demo at some Riot and tabletop gaming events.

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG Gameplay Details

Riftbound Can Be Played In A Variety Of Formats

One of the more interesting details to come out of the Riftbound: League of Legends TCG preview was the announcement that the game was designed to be played in a variety of different styles. Like most TCGs, the game has a dedicated one-on-one format, but there are also built-in mechanics for playing two-on-two games where you play with a partner, and free-for-all matches. Chengran Chai, Riftbound's Executive Producer, says that these multiplayer formats were designed "from the ground up," meaning there is likely more intentional design behind how they work, and the way cards were balanced with them in mind.

Not too much has been said about actually playing the game, which isn't too surprising as both final card designs and some mechanics are still in development at this time. However, we can get some hints about how cards will work based on the previewed cards so far. Looking at the current Legend cards previewed, they don't seem to have a cost the way other previewed cards do, and they also have colors assigned to them. This leads me to believe they could operate similarly to Star Wars: Unlimited's Leader cards, which provides consistent abilities and shape decks' color identity.

There are also Spell cards that seemingly have an immediate effect, and unit cards that can be deployed on battlefields. The card types for the game are Units, Legends, Champions, Spells, Gear, Runes, and Battlegrounds. The preview video also shows off cards with three differently colored card backs. This leads me to believe that players will use multiple decks in some way, as having multiple card-back colors in the same deck could offer too much information about what cards are going to be drawn.

What Products Can We Expect From Riftbound?

Riftbound's First Set Will Include Pre-Constructed Decks, A Box For Beginners, And Booster Packs

Riftbound: Origins will include over 300 different cards, with a variety of ways to collect them. The set will have ready-to-play Campion Decks for Viktor, Jinx, and Lee Sin. There will also be a boxed set called Riftbound: Proving Grounds, which includes starter decks for Lux, Annie, Master Yi, and Garen. The box is designed for two to four players, and will likely introduce beginners to the various ways Riftbound can be played.

Riftbound will also have 14-card booster packs that the game's press release describes as being used to power up your deck. There is no mention of drafting, so it's unclear if Riftbound was built for limited formats, or if you will always need a constructed deck to play. As a Magic: The Gathering fan, I was happy to see only one style of booster pack mentioned in the announcement, as this hopefully means there won't be -priced boosters players will need to buy for the teased special art versions of cards.

What League of Legends Champions Have Been Announced For Riftbound So Far

Riftbound Will Feature Champions Like Jinx, Viktor, Yasuo, and More

From the pre-constructed decks, we know that Riftbound: Origins will include Viktor, Jinx, Lee Sin, Annie, Lux, Master Yi, and Garen. There are at least two versions of Yasuo coming as well, with one previewed in the announcement video, and a second version listed as Game Director Dave Guskin's favorite card from Riftbound. It was also announced that Volibear will appear, and that we can expect to see more champions in the set.

It also appears that there will be dedicated Signature Spell cards for some champions, as shown by the Super Mega Death Rocket! card for Jinx. We can likely expect to see Signature Spells themed around each champion's powerful moves from League of Legends. It will be interesting to see how certain moves from the original game are reworked into mechanics for Riftbound.

It's somewhat early to tell a lot about how Riftbound is going to play, but I am excited to try out a League of Legends TCG. As an aggro player, the previewed Jinx card seems right up my alley, and I'm curious to learn what some of the unique terminology I'm seeing on the cards means in context of the game. Hopefully the popularity of League of Legends, and now Arcane, can help fuel enough interest in Riftbound to give it a fighting chance in the competitive TCG market.

Source: Riftbound/YouTube