Riftbound rules: the simple guide to start playing fast

What you need to play

For a game, each player brings:

• 1 Champion Legend (it sets your domain and identity).
• 1 main deck of at least 40 cards: units, spells and gear (max 3 copies per card).
• 1 rune deck of exactly 12 runes.
• Battlefields: in a duel each player brings 3 and only one is drawn at random.

The goal of the game

You win by scoring points, not by eliminating your opponent.

• In a duel (1 vs 1), you need to reach 8 points to win.
• You score points by controlling battlefields.
• Maximum 1 point per battlefield per turn.

Setup

• Place your Champion Legend and your chosen champion.
• Shuffle your main deck and your rune deck.
• Each player draws 4 cards.
• Mulligan: set aside up to 2 cards, draw that many, then recycle the ones you set aside.
• In a duel, the player going second gains 1 bonus rune on their first turn.

How a turn works

A turn is played in 5 phases, in order:

• Awaken: you ready all your cards.
• Beginning: start-of-turn effects, then you score the battlefields you still hold.
• Channel: you add 2 runes from your rune deck.
• Draw: you draw 1 card.
• Action: you play cards, move your units and start combats (free phase).

Runes and energy

• Runes produce energy and power.
• Energy pays the cost of the cards you play.
• Your rune pool empties at the end of the draw phase and at the end of your turn.

Battlefields and combat

• Send your units to a battlefield to take control of it.
• If enemy units are there, a combat happens.
• Might (the sword-and-shield symbol) is a unit's combat value.
• A unit is destroyed when damage reaches its Might.

How to score points

There are two ways to score, 1 point each time:

• Conquer: take control of a battlefield you haven't scored yet this turn.
• Hold: keep control of a battlefield at the start of your turn.
• As soon as you reach the victory score (8 in a duel), you win immediately.

Quick glossary

• Champion Legend: your identity card, which sets your domain.
• Rune: a resource that produces energy and power.
• Battlefield: a zone to control to score points.
• Might: a unit's combat value.