Riftbound: Radiance Is Letting Champions Play Like Themselves

Riot sent me a fantastic box, and one of the things I’ve been enjoying most about Riftbound: Radiance isn’t necessarily the new mechanics or the cards themselves. It’s how well Riot has managed to capture the champions and their playstyles from League of Legends.

Riftbound has done this before, but Radiance seems to be leaning into it much harder, and I think that’s a fantastic direction for the game.

Take Ziggs, for example. Anyone familiar with the champion knows he loves throwing bombs, and that’s exactly what you’re doing in Riftbound. You’re tossing bombs onto battlefields, setting up explosions, and making life miserable for anyone trying to take control of them. It’s chaotic, it’s destructive, and it feels exactly like playing Ziggs should.

Advertisement

Jarvan IV is another fantastic example. His iconic banner and dash combination has been translated into a mechanic that lets you deploy Gear onto battlefields and move units into position. You’re effectively planting your banner and charging into battle, just like you would in League.

Then there’s Evelynn, who might be my favorite example of what Radiance is doing.

Advertisement

Evelynn is an assassin who relies on stealth, positioning, and catching enemies off guard. In Riftbound, she uses Hidden cards to keep opponents guessing about where and when she’ll strike. You’re not simply playing cards and attacking. You’re trying to outthink your opponent, waiting for the right moment to reveal what you’ve been hiding.

It’s these little connections that make the expansion so interesting.

And it’s not limited to those three. Orianna can turn Gear into units, Ekko plays around with timing, and K’Sante shifts between defensive and offensive strategies. Each brings something different to the table while still feeling familiar to anyone who has played them in League.

Advertisement

What I find particularly interesting is what this means for Riftbound going forward.

Most trading card games eventually reach a point where new characters start feeling like variations of existing strategies. Different artwork, slightly different abilities, but ultimately a familiar experience.

Riftbound has an opportunity to avoid some of that by drawing from a roster of champions that already have established identities and playstyles.

Of course, making a champion feel authentic doesn’t automatically make it competitive. Ziggs could be throwing bombs all over the table and still struggle against the strongest decks. That’s something we’ll have to see as Radiance settles into the competitive scene.

Advertisement

But I don’t think every champion needs to be tournament-defining to be successful.

Sometimes I just want to sit down, pick my favorite champion, and have the deck actually feel like I’m playing them.

Radiance seems to understand that, and I hope Riot continues pushing in this direction with future sets.

Advertisement

The artwork deserves some credit here, too. One of Riot’s goals with Riftbound was to give the TCG its own artwork rather than simply reuse what we’ve already seen in League of Legends or LoR. Radiance continues to deliver on that, and I think the art is getting better with each set. Between the visuals and the mechanics, these champions are really starting to feel like they belong in their own card game.

Special thanks to Riot for the Radiance media kit, which gave me a closer look at the new set. I’ve included photos of the kit throughout the article so you can see some of what Radiance has to offer.