Riftbound Developer Discusses the League of Legends TCG's…

Riftbound is Riot Games' debut in the physical card game space, taking lessons learned from Legends of Runeterra and applying them to something entirely different. Not content to merely emulate well-known TCGs, Riftbound's team devised a game that benefits from the League of Legends IP while standing on its own two feet. While name recognition is certainly helpful, perhaps the way Riftbound benefits most from the League of Legends brand is its champions, which have translated from the PC MOBA into a wide range of distinct playstyles within the TCG.

In an interview with The Best War Games following up from our hands-on preview of Riftbound, game director Dave Guskin spoke about some of the game's standout qualities. In particular, he weighed in on the inspiration behind Riftbound's unique mobility-based gameplay, as well as its spin on traditional TCG resource systems.

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By Janzel Sandejas

Riftbound's Mobility-Focused Gameplay

Riftbound's gameplay is all about movement—units are moved from the player's "base" onto one of several battlefield cards they must take control of to score points toward victory. This framework leads to some playstyles that aren't quite possible in other TCGs, such as the mobility-heavy Yasuo deck or Ahri, who specializes in locking down territory. Guskin revealed how this game mechanic initially came to be:

"It started from the idea that we wanted the game to be social and multiplayer. But even more than that, we wanted it to be accessible. We thought there were a lot of League players who might be interested in a strategy card game like this—maybe they’d never tried one before. So this combination of accessibility and a fun, social experience led me to the direction of: I want to have a space where you feel safe building your army, but I also want you to know that if you want to go for the win, you’ve got to take a risk.

That led to the separation between your base and your battlefields, and it also led to movement being key to the game. You can hang out and build up and feel like you’re making something, but until you start moving, you’re not really pushing toward finishing or winning the game."

Since units are safe at the player's base, Riftbound even allows for a "turtling" playstyle reminiscent of those seen in RTS games like StarCraft. Players can bide their time, stacking up units at the base, before sending them all onto a battlefield en masse.

Riftbound's Fresh Take On Resource Systems

Additionally, Guskin pointed to the game's resource system as a feature that accentuates Riftbound's gameplay flow. Riftbound's Runes are acquired two at a time per turn, and are exhausted (but not entirely lost) to play some cards, while other cards may return a Rune to the Rune deck as an additional expense to trigger a special effect. The risks and rewards inherent to this resource system are not unlike the decisions made surrounding the game's units—either moving them to a battlefield or holding out for later. Guskin explains:

"I also think our resource system—we landed on something that’s pretty cool and unique. I mean, it’s built from a lot of parts you can see in other games, but I think we found something that reinforces some of the unique things about Riftbound.

I mentioned this at the summit, but there’s this idea of “pick your moment”—make your big play, your big swing. And I think our resource system, combined with the battlefields, is that reinforcement piece."

With a refreshing ruleset and myriad League of Legends-inspired playstyles to choose from, Riftbound is shaping up to be a TCG not just for League of Legends fans, but for any card gamers looking for a game that brings something new to the table literally and figuratively.

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