Can LoL take on Pokemon TCG? Riftbound, Riot’s new TCG, will certainly try when it launches this year

Developers Riot Games is officially jumping on the card games bandwagon with Riftbound: League of Legends TCG, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited. After a mixed experience with Legends of Runeterra, players can have a physical experience with Riftbound. With over 300 cards already planned for the upcoming launch, let's take a look at all the vital information. Unlike Runeterra, the physical card game could well become Riot's means to trump Nintendo and Pokemon. Riftbound: League of Legends TCG is set for a 2025 debut Riot Games hasn't revealed an exact release date, but the game is scheduled for later this year. Based on the initial plans, the game will be available in October after an early launch in China. Sequential releases will follow this in the US and other English-speaking nations. The launch will be celebrated with the release of Riftbound: Origins, which is the inaugural set. The Origins set will have over 300 cards and feature popular champions like Jinx, Lux, Yasuo, and Lee Sin, among others. The set will feature original card art inspired by community feedback, and players will have to rely largely on booster packs to build their collections. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSr32eiUeyU Riftbound: League of Legends TCG will have something for all Despite being a tabletop adventure, Riftbound will have different game modes available for the players. The core game will feature different multiplayer formats, ranging between 1v1 and 2v2 contests. For something more extreme, a free-for-all mode is also planned. While Origins will be centered around booster packs, players can enjoy Champion Decks. These decks will have 56 cards, including units, legends, champions, and more. Riftbound: Proving Grounds is set to provide a custom experience for those looking to learn the game. Proving Grounds will be a boxed set designed for play between 2-4 players. Players can choose to start their adventures with the Proving Grounds set and then power up their decks with the help of Booster Packs. These packs will feature 14 cards of various rarities and types. Players in China will get the first shot at playing Riftbound, and it's going to happen as early as summer this year. The rollout in English-speaking countries is expected to conclude in 2026 after beginning in the last few months of 2025. Riot Games is hyped about Riftbound's potential success Any new launch is always a matter of excitement, and here's what Chengran Chai, Executive Producer, said about the upcoming product. “We’ve been incredibly humbled by the excitement and interest from players around the world who can’t wait to play Riftbound. We’re grateful to the growing Riftbound community and the TCG players who’ve jumped in early to share their feedback including the call for more original art and refined UI. That feedback encouraged us to level up the game experience by revisiting some of our design decisions and conducting more playtests to ensure that we’re delivering a game that players will love." Dave Guskin, Riot Games' Game Director, explained how the developers fell in love with the game. "We fell in love with the name Riftbound as it evokes Summoner’s Rift, captures a sense of playful action that we see in the game, and it’s extremely catchy and concise. As we moved to finalizing the name, we discovered that an indie studio in Australia, Barrel Smash Studios, had already released a game under the same title. They generously took the time to meet with us to hear our game vision, listened to why we loved the name of Riftbound so much, and agreed to transition the Riftbound name to us. We look forward to bringing Riftbound into the TCG and League of Legends community by getting decks into the hands of players later this year.” Taking on Pokemon TCG will not be an easy task, given what Nintendo has managed to do over the last few decades. But the upcoming launch from Riot Games will be no pushover given the popularity of League of Legends. It also falls in line with the gradual streamlining of the LoL universe outside the realm of video games. The post Can LoL take on Pokemon TCG? Riftbound, Riot’s new TCG, will certainly try when it launches this year appeared first on Destructoid.

Mar 31, 2025 - 16:42

Can LoL take on Pokemon TCG? Riftbound, Riot’s new TCG, will certainly try when it launches this year

Developers Riot Games is officially jumping on the card games bandwagon with Riftbound: League of Legends TCG, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited.

After a mixed experience with Legends of Runeterra, players can have a physical experience with Riftbound. With over 300 cards already planned for the upcoming launch, let's take a look at all the vital information. Unlike Runeterra, the physical card game could well become Riot's means to trump Nintendo and Pokemon.

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG is set for a 2025 debut

Riot Games hasn't revealed an exact release date, but the game is scheduled for later this year. Based on the initial plans, the game will be available in October after an early launch in China. Sequential releases will follow this in the US and other English-speaking nations.

The launch will be celebrated with the release of Riftbound: Origins, which is the inaugural set. The Origins set will have over 300 cards and feature popular champions like Jinx, Lux, Yasuo, and Lee Sin, among others. The set will feature original card art inspired by community feedback, and players will have to rely largely on booster packs to build their collections.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSr32eiUeyU

Riftbound: League of Legends TCG will have something for all

Despite being a tabletop adventure, Riftbound will have different game modes available for the players. The core game will feature different multiplayer formats, ranging between 1v1 and 2v2 contests. For something more extreme, a free-for-all mode is also planned.

While Origins will be centered around booster packs, players can enjoy Champion Decks. These decks will have 56 cards, including units, legends, champions, and more. Riftbound: Proving Grounds is set to provide a custom experience for those looking to learn the game.

Proving Grounds will be a boxed set designed for play between 2-4 players. Players can choose to start their adventures with the Proving Grounds set and then power up their decks with the help of Booster Packs. These packs will feature 14 cards of various rarities and types.

Players in China will get the first shot at playing Riftbound, and it's going to happen as early as summer this year. The rollout in English-speaking countries is expected to conclude in 2026 after beginning in the last few months of 2025.

Riot Games is hyped about Riftbound's potential success

Any new launch is always a matter of excitement, and here's what Chengran Chai, Executive Producer, said about the upcoming product.

“We’ve been incredibly humbled by the excitement and interest from players around the world who can’t wait to play Riftbound. We’re grateful to the growing Riftbound community and the TCG players who’ve jumped in early to share their feedback including the call for more original art and refined UI. That feedback encouraged us to level up the game experience by revisiting some of our design decisions and conducting more playtests to ensure that we’re delivering a game that players will love."

Dave Guskin, Riot Games' Game Director, explained how the developers fell in love with the game.

"We fell in love with the name Riftbound as it evokes Summoner’s Rift, captures a sense of playful action that we see in the game, and it’s extremely catchy and concise. As we moved to finalizing the name, we discovered that an indie studio in Australia, Barrel Smash Studios, had already released a game under the same title. They generously took the time to meet with us to hear our game vision, listened to why we loved the name of Riftbound so much, and agreed to transition the Riftbound name to us. We look forward to bringing Riftbound into the TCG and League of Legends community by getting decks into the hands of players later this year.”

Taking on Pokemon TCG will not be an easy task, given what Nintendo has managed to do over the last few decades. But the upcoming launch from Riot Games will be no pushover given the popularity of League of Legends. It also falls in line with the gradual streamlining of the LoL universe outside the realm of video games.

The post Can LoL take on Pokemon TCG? Riftbound, Riot’s new TCG, will certainly try when it launches this year appeared first on Destructoid.