Riot Video games lately launched Riftbound, a trading-card recreation based mostly on the wildly standard League of Legends franchise. Whereas the primary thought that involves thoughts when coming throughout a brand new TCG in an overcrowded market is often “one other one?” I’m right here to inform you that not solely does Riftbound have a robust basis for an off-the-cuff/aggressive recreation, it truly improves and fixes many mechanics seen in different TCGs. Most notably, Riftbound addresses my largest points with Magic: The Gathering and its 30-year-old design that at occasions feels wildly outdated. Right here’s a breakdown of simply among the many enhancements I seen whereas enjoying Riftbound as a seasoned Magic participant.
Informal But Aggressive
One in every of my least favourite features of Magic is having to juggle a number of decks for a number of conditions. When enjoying Restricted, I’ve to construct a 40-card deck. When enjoying Pauper or Classic, I’ve to keep up 60-card decks. When enjoying Commander with buddies on the native brewery, I’ve to hold round a 100-card behemoth of a deck. The totally different codecs all carry their very own restrictions and decklists and it may be quite a bit to keep up for a single card recreation. This situation doesn’t exist for Riftbound, as any 40-card deck you purchase or construct is nice to be used in 1v1, 2v2, and three- or four-player Free-for-All. Whereas any TCG can encourage the “grinding” mindset that comes with coming into aggressive play, I discover myself frequently enjoying informal Riftbound matches just because the sport scales so nicely with out deck modifications. It encourages the mindset of constructing a single deck and having the ability to play it in a number of codecs, and means my Jinx deck that I’m so pleased with might be proven off much more. To be taught a bit extra about this design alternative of scalable codecs, I talked with Nik Davidson, recreation design architect over at Riot Video games.
“I’ve labored on Magic and Marvel Snap and Pokemon, and I like all of these video games. There’s a lot that may be drawn from all the very best design improvements through the years. I believe one factor that we actually needed to do was deal with the social multiplayer. That’s one thing that video games have performed, however we felt we might do with a contemporary take if we’re doing it from the bottom up,” Davison mentioned. “The indisputable fact that Riftbound performs so nicely as a four-player free-for-all or three-player free-for-all, or a 2v2, that is not unintended. That was actually baked into the preliminary pitch for the sport. That social aggressive play is one thing that I believe Riftbound does uniquely nicely.”
Extra Participant Urgency
When you play Commander, you’ve possible skilled being knocked out of the sport far earlier than anybody else–being pressured to take a seat there and watch whereas everybody else continues to play. Riftbound circumvents this lackluster expertise by being a point-control recreation, wherein gamers are racing to gather eight factors by conquering or holding battlefields. By having this be the objective of the sport, Riftbound ensures that each participant is taking part for the whole thing of the match. Generally, a participant may even come again from behind by enjoying well whereas others are dunking it out.
Riftbound additionally ensures that you simply’re enjoying the sport extra usually than you’re not, as gamers must solely shuffle their decks as soon as firstly of the sport. There’s no “tutor” or looking playing cards, that means no extra having to take a seat there whereas somebody struggles to shuffle a 100-card deck over and over.
A Useful resource System That By no means Leaves You Screwed
One of many least interesting features of Magic is its outdated mana system. Gamers having to attract into sources and play a single land per flip results in sluggish video games, particularly should you’re “mana screwed,” that means you both have not drawn sufficient lands or lack the best mana colours to play your spells. It feels dangerous and retains gamers from enjoying the sport. Riftbound does not have this situation, because it options the rune system, whereby gamers get to channel two per flip from a separate deck of 12 playing cards. This design alternative results in sooner begins and gamers at all times having selections to make on their turns as an alternative of enjoying a single (or worse, no) land per flip earlier than passing.
Extra highly effective spells and models in Riftbound require a “Energy” value, the place a rune of the corresponding shade have to be “recycled” to the underside of the rune deck. This offers gamers with a wholesome curve, but additionally permits for explosive and impactful turns that may’t be repeated flip after flip. This creates among the most hype-heavy moments I’ve skilled in a TCG in current reminiscence. Utilizing Kai’sa as a Legend, and her means to ramp right into a Time Warp to take an additional flip, led to me scoring winning-game factors that felt like fixing a puzzle. Davidson mentioned of the system:
“The authentic trio of Dave Guskin, Dave Smith, and John Mormon got here up with the same system comparatively early. It was simply a kind of issues the place you’re taking your first shot and attempt to reiterate it from there. The first shot turned out actually near the mark. It is gone via some iterations since then, however after I first talked to individuals about becoming a member of the Riftbound workforce, I used to be advised ‘Yeah, we have a brand new useful resource system’ and I am like, ‘Oh no,’ as a result of usually you may have a brand new useful resource system or useful resource system. However on this case, we lucked out and acquired each. I truly would not say it is luck. These guys are among the finest within the enterprise. The factor that this useful resource does, that I actually, actually love, is it provides you a stability of consistency and decisions. You get to decide on while you’re expending these energy prices. You get to decide on how a lot in your deckbuilding you are specializing in having the ability to constantly ramp or having the ability to pay these high-impact, high-power value playing cards. It is actually versatile.”
A Promise Of Help
Already Riot has proven that it is prepared to speak with gamers and help Riftbound in significant methods. From placing out a press release about provide points and guarantees to repair them, a second set announcement, prize-pool help, a promise of future codecs reminiscent of draft, and inspiring individuals to exit to their native recreation retailer to play, it’s clear Riot is aiming to make an affect within the TCG scene. It is commonplace for recreation corporations to easily refuse to place out statements or neglect correct communication with its playerbase, making it all of the extra refreshing to see Riot make strides the place different TCGs have failed.
“TCGs reside and die by their native play environments. Now we have our first regional qualifier in the US. We have had large tournaments in China. Tournaments are nice and they’re part of our aggressive ecosystem. Popping out of COVID, it’s such a beautiful factor simply to get along with your mates and play a card recreation. It is a kind of easy pleasures that can’t be changed,” Davidson mentioned. “I’ve gotten again along with buddies to play Riftbound that I hadn’t seen in like a yr and a half and now we’ve one thing to attach over once more in a bodily house. There’s something particular {that a} bodily face-to-face recreation can present. That is one of many issues that made Riot so thinking about Riftbound. It is a chance for us to create what we intend to be the absolute best face-to-face, aggressive, social, collaborative gaming surroundings that we will.”
After spending some high quality recreation time with Riftbound, I can’t assist however agree with him. The way forward for the sport appears vibrant.