If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to jump into Riftbound, Riot Games’ League of Legends trading card game, this is it. In the span of a single week we got a look at the next two sets on the calendar, and the current competitive season is hitting full stride. Here’s everything happening in the Rift right now — and why your summer is about to get a lot more interesting.
New to Riftbound? Here’s the 60-Second Primer
Riftbound is a head-to-head TCG where you build your deck around a Legend — a champion from League of Legends who defines your deck’s identity, much like a commander in Magic. Cards belong to domains (Riftbound’s six color identities), and instead of just attacking your opponent, you fight for control of battlefields to score points. A few terms you’ll see below: a Pre-Rift is Riftbound’s prerelease event, where players crack the new set early at their local game store, and Summoner Skirmishes are the monthly in-store tournament windows where competitive players battle for promos and bragging rights.
The Unleashed Meta Is Cooking
Set 3, Unleashed, landed May 8 and the competitive scene wasted no time. Across the early Regional Qualifiers and Summoner Skirmish results, Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman leads the metagame, with Irelia, Blade Dancer and LeBlanc, Deceiver close behind. Irelia took down the Sydney Regional Qualifier, Diana has been quietly racking up Top 8s everywhere, and Aurora gear decks emerged as the breakout strategy — so much so that players started maindecking gear removal to fight back.
The Regional Qualifier circuit rolls on with Utrecht on June 12–14 and Hartford, Connecticut on June 19–21 — the last two RQs before Set 4 shakes everything up. And the July Summoner Skirmish window opens June 22, so check with your local store (hi, that’s us) about events.
Vendetta Arrives July 31 — and It’s a Different Kind of Set
Set 4, Riftbound: Vendetta, releases globally on July 31 — the first Riftbound set to launch in English and Chinese on the same day — with Pre-Rift events running July 24–30. Vendetta is a leaner, meaner set: 166 cards and just 9 champion Legends, down from the usual 12. The confirmed lineup is stacked with assassins and schemers: Akali, Mel, Ambessa, Zed, Shen, Nasus, and Renekton.
The twist? Vendetta explores unusual domain pairings — Fury/Calm, Mind/Body, and Chaos/Order — combinations we haven’t seen emphasized before. Add 50+ showcase cards with alternate art and Overnumbered variants, and this is shaping up to be a collector’s dream. Preview season kicks off in late June, so spoilers are just weeks away.
Radiance Revealed: Evelynn, Ekko, and Seraphine Headline Set 5
On June 1, Riot pulled back the curtain on Set 5, Riftbound: Radiance, releasing October 23 in English, Simplified Chinese, and French, with previews September 28–October 9 and Pre-Rifts October 16–22. The three champions shown so far are dripping with style: Evelynn, In Control; Ekko, Ingenious; and Seraphine, Not Alone.
Seraphine’s revealed card already hints at a go-wide token strategy — she plays Recruit unit tokens and grows stronger for each exhausted unit you control — while Evelynn brings her shadowy menace to what looks like a control shell.
The Radiance product line includes booster displays, an Evelynn vs. Seraphine Showdown Deck, the Radiance Vault (a six-booster bundle), and Pre-Rift Event Kits featuring nine different champion preconstructed decks — a fantastic on-ramp for new players.
Get In Before the Wave Hits
Riftbound is barely a year old and already running one of the most ambitious organized play calendars in the hobby. With Vendetta spoilers starting this month and two sets locked in through October, there’s never been a better time to pick a Legend and start playing.