Guides
Everything I worked out the slow way, written down so you don't have to. No metagame takes, no deck lists, just how the cards, sets and products actually fit together. All of it free, same as the binder.
Riftbound boxes and special editions on the Riot store are sold by drawing. How it works, the 24-hour purchase window, and a checklist so you do not miss out.
18 September 2026 · 4 min readRadiance, the fifth Riftbound set, releases on 23 October. The dates, the new champions, the Ultimate Rare, every product and the Riot store drawing.
18 September 2026 · 4 min readEvery Riftbound date I could confirm from Riot in one calendar: Radiance, store drawings, the T1 Player Bundle, championships and the 2027 sets.
18 September 2026 · 5 min readThe $70 T1 Worlds Champion Player Bundle has the same five player-picked cards as the Signature Edition with new art. What is inside and when to enter.
18 September 2026 · 3 min readA free interactive tutorial that teaches Riftbound on a real board with real cards. What it covers, how long it takes, what to do after.
28 August 2026 · 4 min readThe whole game in one read: the board, the turn, runes, combat and how you actually win. Written for someone who has just opened a deck.
28 August 2026 · 8 min readThe cost in the corner is two numbers, not one. What every part of a Riftbound card means, and which bits change during a game.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readThe only two ways to score, and the winning point rule that decides close games. Getting to 8 is not as simple as it looks.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readTwo battlefields, chosen at random from six. How control works, how you take it, how you lose it, and why the ground beats the cards.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readThe rules you will misread, the plays that feel right and are not, and the scoring rule that loses games at 7 points.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readCombat is one total against another, not card against card. The full sequence, including the cleanup step that surprises everyone.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readA worked first turn with the Origins Jinx deck. Every phase, every decision, and the reasoning behind each one.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readAssault, Shield, Tank, Ganking, Accelerate, Deathknell, Hidden and Temporary. What each does, when it applies, and the ones people misread.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readA rune pays once, one way. Exhaust it for energy or recycle it for power of its domain, and here is what that actually costs you.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readWhat goes in a deck, how the two battlefields are picked, and how to decide what to throw back from your opening four.
28 August 2026 · 5 min readAwaken, Beginning, Channel, Draw, Main, Ending. Four of the six phases take no decisions at all. Here is what each one does.
28 August 2026 · 4 min readRiftbound looks familiar and plays differently in five specific ways. If you already know a card game, these habits will cost you.
28 August 2026 · 4 min readA first-hand account of the Riftbound T1 2025 Worlds Champion Signature Edition drawing, the bot accusations, the cancelled orders, the paused second draw, and what Riot got right and wrong along the way.
21 August 2026 · 5 min readAfter missing the T1 Signature Edition draw and the Worlds 2026 presale lottery, I finally got lucky on general sale. Three tickets to Day 1 of the Swiss stage in Texas, taking my wife and my six year old daughter to see T1 and Faker live.
21 August 2026 · 3 min readWhat I got wrong starting my first TCG, and the order I'd do it in now. Choosing what to collect, what to buy first, and how to avoid buying the same card three times.
18 August 2026 · 4 min readCommon, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Showcase and Promo. What each rarity means, how many of each exist, and which ones are actually hard to find.
18 August 2026 · 3 min readFree Riftbound mini games. Guess the champion from six attribute clues, or name the card from its blurred artwork. A daily Riftbound Wordle with no account needed, resetting every midnight UTC.
18 August 2026 · 6 min readFury, Calm, Mind, Body, Order and Chaos, plus colourless cards. What each domain represents, how evenly they're distributed, and why it matters when you collect.
18 August 2026 · 3 min readWhat OGN, SFD, UNL and VEN mean, how to read a collector number like 042/298, and how to identify any Riftbound card from the small print at the bottom.
18 August 2026 · 3 min read