League of Legends is getting another TCG, except this one is a physical card game. Riot’s been making a big deal out of Riftbound since it was announced, and now that the game’s first set, Origins, is here, it’s been flying off shelves.
That makes it tricky to pick products up for its usual price, so be sure to skip aggressively marked-up offerings – we’re expecting that Riot is working to stock retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy as quickly as it can.
For now, it’s only available directly through Riot (when in stock, and with around a $20 shipping fee), or via trusted resale sites like TCGPlayer.
Still, what should you buy? Where do you start? While we won’t be explaining how to play Riftbound in this guide, we will be covering everything you need to play.
Why the Riftbound price hikes?
Sadly, as the first set of Riot’s first card game hits shelves, it’s being snapped up by scalpers and put on the secondary market.
It’s a standard practice in TCGs, but Riot is reportedly printing more. If you can hold out, there will be more product.
Proving Grounds
The best place to start with Riftbound is Proving Grounds, a starter set that includes four premade decks for playing with two, three, or four players.
Annie, Garen, Lux, and Master Yi are included, with a guided play experience to help you get started. Each deck comes with upgrade suggestions with cards in booster packs (which we’ll come to shortly).
Once it’s in stock, it should cost you $29.99.
Champion Decks
Next up, Riot is offering a trio of premade, 56-card decks based around Jinx, Lee Sin, and Viktor.
Each also includes a booklet detailing how to play, and card recommendations to upgrade them. That’s handy because each deck also includes an Origins booster pack.
You’ll also find a paper playmat inside, so you really can just buy one of these and get going. Each deck is $19.99, when prices settle.
Booster Packs and Boxes
Booster packs are the backbone of any TCG, and Riftbound is no different. Each pack contains 14 cards, with 7 Commons, 3 Uncommons, 2 Foil Rares or Better, and 1 Foil of any rarity.
You can also buy a box of booster packs, which includes 24 packs. Riot says each box includes “more than 2 special alt-art cards”, so that’s something to consider.
Once prices are more settled, you should be able to get a booster box for $119.99.
Special Sets
At the time of writing, there are two special, collectors sets of Riftbound cards which are available.
The first is the Arcane Box Set, which includes a display box and cards for Jinx, Vi, Heimerdinger, Viktor, Warwick, and Caitlyn. These have exclusive art treatments, but it’s sold out right now.
There’s also a Worlds Bundle expected to ship late this year. It includes a Panda Teemo promo, oversized Battlefield cards, and a playmat, deckbox, and card sleeves. It should cost $99.99, but that price has been heavily marked up.
Lloyd Coombes is an experienced freelancer in tech, gaming and fitness seen at Polygon, Eurogamer, Macworld, TechRadar and many more. He’s a big fan of Magic: The Gathering and other collectible card games, much to his wife’s dismay.