Use your favourite features in-game with our Desktop AppExploring a card pool and building decks is one of the best parts of any card game. Each new set release creates a ton of excitement, embarking players on a journey to discover the wild combos and synergies.
Whether you’re dabbling with multiple Legends or seeking to hone your favorite, there’s plenty of room for expression and creativity. And if you’re just getting started for the first time, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
Here’s a quick refresher of what makes up a deck in Riftbound.
Of course, all cards must reflect the corresponding Domain colors, and the Chosen Champion must match your Legend. You’re limited to three copies of a single card, and the Chosen Champion is included within that count (meaning you can add up to two more).
To kick things off, you’ll need to choose your Legend. This determines the two color Domains you can play, and provides a baseline theme for the deck. While you don’t have to build around your Legend’s ability, at the very least, you’ll want to put it to good use!
Since Legends have two variants of their champion (one of each color), you get to choose which one is most suitable for your strategy. If you aren’t sure of the direction you want to take, feel free to come back to this later.
In Riftbound, units are by far the most important card type. Since the game revolves around Conquering and Holding battlefields to score points, it’s essential that you have enough to contest the board. Otherwise, you risk running out of threats, meaning you can’t win.
As a rule of thumb, you’ll usually want at least half of your deck to consist of units. There are exceptions with decks like 
Dazzling Aurora, which focus on a limited pool of big threats to guarantee a good hit. However, generally speaking, run more units than spells and gear.
Note: Dazzling Aurora decks are an exception to the norm, as they have pretty specific build requirements to be consistent.
When it comes to deciding what units to include, you’ll almost always want to play a good number of 2-drops (a common term for a 2-Energy cost unit).
I’d recommend running between seven to nine total copies, although some decks may want more. This increases your odds of having a play on Turn 1, ensuring you can move to a battlefield as soon as possible.
Of the chosen amount, you’ll want to prioritize 2-drops that don’t have a Power cost. Having to set yourself back on Turn 1 is not an ideal opener, so any “Power 2-drops” in your deck should not be considered towards the 7-9.
Outside of the 2-drop requirement, it’s a good idea to have a variety of units at different costs. There’s a little more breathing room here, but ultimately you’re aiming to play an X-cost unit by the time you have X runes available (and also utilize most of your runes every turn).
Every deck plays differently, so be sure to try out various costs and see what works best. Once you get more comfortable, you can even deviate from the usual shell and explore potential alternatives. You never know what you might find!
Outside of units, the rest of your deck will generally be filled with spells. Spells are what define most interaction at the table, giving players agency to protect their board and disrupt their opponents. While there are many unique spells, the backbone of most decks is made up with combat tricks and removal.
Combat tricks are often all you need to give yourself the winning edge in a showdown. Even just 2-Might from 
Discipline can swing the outcome, allowing a weaker unit to be victorious.
Removal takes a more direct approach, allowing you to outright delete something off the board (either via damage/kill effects). Some popular examples include 
Hidden Blade and 
Falling Star.
Of course, it doesn’t end there. Spells are also a powerful source of card draw, splashy effects, and so much more. There’s plenty of options to choose from, but make sure you have a good amount of Actions and Reactions.
Among everything, gear is the one card type that’s more of an optional inclusion. Unlike units and spells, most gear doesn’t immediately impact the board in a meaningful way. Instead, it provides a persistent effect that can accumulate value throughout the game.
It can be nice to run a small number of highly synergistic gear, giving you another enabler for your strategy. However, keep it to a minimum, because most of the time you’re going to want to be drawing units and spells. Too much gear can make a deck feel very clunky.
Once your main deck is complete, do a quick review and count up how many Power cards you have in each color. It’s also worth noting the amount of total “pips”, as anything beyond 1-Power can become more taxing to play.
Assuming you have Power cards from both Domains, doing a 6-6 split is a fairly safe bet. However, if the number leans heavily in favor of one color, a 7-5 ratio is probably better.
You should also look at the Energy cost of each Power card. For example, Falling Star can be played much earlier than 
Time Warp, meaning it’s more important to draw Fury Runes early.
In some cases, you may only have Power cards in one Domain, so feel free to play all 12 of the same rune. It sounds strange at first, but it makes sense.
At the end of the day, with how the rune system works, you really can’t go wrong. Stick to 6-6 if you’re really uncertain, and make changes accordingly when needed.
Battlefields are pretty self explanatory. Many of them fit into specific niche strategies, making them very valuable to some decks and worthless to others. In short, ask yourself what’s your game plan, then choose the three that align best.
Before we wrap this up, there’s a handful of things that are worth considering to help you round out your deck. While most of these do come up throughout the deckbuilding process, it’s still possible to miss something when all is said and done.
It should go without saying, but you’ll always want to have a win condition in mind. Oftentimes this will be your stronger units/champions, but in some cases it could be a spell (ex. Grand Strategem). Regardless, it never hurts to check and ensure you have the tools to close a game.
Almost every deck will want at least some form of card draw. Some colors obviously have greater access than others, but do your best to at least include something. It’s never fun to run out of steam and be stuck drawing one card per turn.
You’ll want to pay close attention to the amount of Power cards in your deck. Having too many can lead to awkward play patterns, forcing you to Recycle runes when you may not want to.
Figuring out the appropriate amount will take some testing, but it’s definitely something to look out for when piecing the deck together.
Part of optimizing your decklist comes down to the number of each card you decide to include. As a rule of thumb, if you want to see a card every game (or don’t mind drawing multiples), you’ll want to have three copies of it.
Everything else will be a 1-of or 2-of, and you’ll have to experiment to see what feels right. However, by keeping this in mind, it’s easier to avoid the common pitfall of adding a clunky 3-of (ex. Situational spells or gear).
If you’re missing any key cards from your ideal decklist, ask yourself what role they fulfill. Oftentimes you can find a budget alternative that can still do a similar job.
By no means is this a perfect solution, and it won’t really apply to competitive play. But if you need something for your local events or casual play, it’s a reasonable option.
In a best of three match, players have the option of bringing an eight card sideboard. This is a separate assortment of cards that can be used during games two and three.
Sideboards should generally be designed to patch up difficult matchups, giving you access to cards you otherwise wouldn’t want in your main deck (ex. Gear removal like Thermo Beam).
Note: Sideboards count towards the deck’s card copy limits.
If this is your first time building a deck, I wouldn’t worry too much about this. Focus on the fundamentals, then create a sideboard once you’re more comfortable. After all, once you get some reps in with the deck, you’ll begin to have a better understanding of what you’ll need.
For those who want to design their deck specifically for multiplayer, be sure to look out for cards that affect everyone at the table. Cards like Cull the Weak and 
Whirlwind can do a ton of work for their cost, letting them really stand out compared to 1v1.
Although honestly, if you’re playing free-for-all, just play whatever’s the most fun. Promising Future and Party Favors are a blast, even if they do help out your opponents. The main point is that you have more options, so take some time to explore the card pool!
