Riftbound Deck Building Guide: Legends, Champions, Runes and Battlefields

Good Riftbound deck building starts with the rules and then gets practical. This guide covers both: every construction rule you need for a legal deck, then a step-by-step method for turning a Legend you like into a 40-card list with a plan. It assumes you know the basics from our guide on how to play Riftbound.

Riftbound deck building rules

A Constructed Riftbound deck has four parts:

Part	Size	Rules
Legend	1	Sits face-up outside the deck. Sets your two domains.
Main deck	Exactly 40	Units, spells and gear from your Legend's domains only. Includes one copy of your Chosen Champion.
Rune deck	Exactly 12	Runes from your Legend's domains, kept separate from the main deck.
Battlefields	3	Three different battlefields.
Sideboard (optional)	Up to 8	Swapped in between games of a best-of-three match.

Four more limits to remember:

• Copy limit: up to 3 copies of any card with the same name.
• Chosen Champion: your main deck must include a champion unit with the same name as your Legend. It starts the game face-up next to your Legend, so you always have access to it.
• Signature cards: you can run at most 3 signature cards in total that share your Legend's champion tag. That's three in total, not three copies of each.
• Ban list: banned cards and battlefields can't be used. Check the current Riftbound ban list before every event.

Step 1: Choose a Legend you'll enjoy piloting

Your Legend decides your domains, and your domains decide your card pool. Before you look at tier lists, ask what kind of game you want to play:

• Fast and aggressive: win by conquering early and closing before the opponent stabilizes.
• Controlling: trade efficiently, protect a battlefield and win the long game.
• Combo or engine: assemble specific pieces that generate value every turn.

Each of the six domains leans toward certain styles. Read our Riftbound domains guide to see what each pairing tends to do well. A Legend you understand will win more games than a top-tier Legend you're piloting badly.

Step 2: Build around the Chosen Champion and signatures

Your Chosen Champion is the card you're most likely to see each game, so build to support it. Ask what it wants: more units on the board, spells cast, or a specific battlefield. Then spend your 3 signature slots on the cards that push that plan hardest. Signature cards are usually among the strongest in a Legend's package, so they're rarely the place to save money.

Step 3: Build a curve of units

Riftbound is decided by board presence at battlefields, and you can't contest a battlefield without units. A reasonable starting point for a midrange deck:

Card type	Starting count	Why
Units	20–24	You need bodies to conquer and hold.
Spells	10–14	Removal, combat tricks and card flow.
Gear	2–6	Long-term value; enters ready.

For energy costs, put most of your cards at 2–4, with a handful of 1s for early pressure and only a few 5+ finishers. Because you channel 2 runes every turn, you reach higher costs reliably, but a hand of only expensive cards still gives away the early battlefields. Aggressive decks shift lower. Control decks run more spells and a heavier top end.

Step 4: Split your 12 runes

Your rune deck has exactly 12 runes from your Legend's two domains. The split should follow your power costs, the domain symbols on your cards:

• If most of your power symbols are in one domain, lean the split that way, for example 7/5 or 8/4.
• If your key early cards need a specific domain's power, favour that domain so you can cast them on curve.
• Remember that recycling a rune for power sends it to the bottom of the rune deck. Heavy power costs slow down your board development.

An even 6/6 split is a fine first draft. Adjust after ten games based on which cards were stuck in your hand.

Step 5: Choose your three battlefields

In 1v1, only one of your three battlefields enters play in a given game, so each one should help your plan on its own. Look for battlefields that reward what your deck already does, and avoid ones that hand your opponent an easy win condition. Our Riftbound battlefields guide walks through how to evaluate them. Several battlefields have been banned, so double-check the ban list here too.

Step 6: Fill the gaps with interaction

Every deck needs answers. Before you finalize, count:

• Removal: how many cards can deal with an opposing unit that's holding a battlefield?
• Reactions: how many cards can you play on the opponent's turn to win a combat or showdown?
• Card flow: how will you refill your hand in a long game?

If any of those numbers is near zero, cut your weakest units for interaction.

Step 7: Build the sideboard

Your optional 8-card sideboard is for best-of-three matches. Use it for narrow cards that are excellent against specific matchups: extra removal against aggressive decks, or disruption against engine decks. Don't use it as storage for cards you couldn't fit.

Testing and tuning your Riftbound deck

Play at least ten games before making big changes. Track three things: cards that sat in your hand unplayed, games lost to mana problems, and the matchups you lost. Change one or two cards at a time so you know what made the difference. A weekly Nexus Night is the best testing ground available. See our Riftbound tournaments guide for how events work.

Buying cards for your deck

Once your list is set, buying singles is almost always cheaper and faster than opening packs and hoping. Search the exact cards you're missing in our Riftbound singles, and read Riftbound singles vs. booster boxes for when each makes sense.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in a Riftbound deck?

A Legend, exactly 40 main deck cards (including your Chosen Champion), exactly 12 runes and 3 battlefields, plus an optional sideboard of up to 8 cards.

How many copies of a card can you play in Riftbound?

Up to 3 copies of any card with the same name, unless the card is banned.

How many signature cards can you have in Riftbound?

A maximum of 3 signature cards in total that share your Legend's champion tag.

Can you play cards from other domains?

No. Your main deck and rune deck can only contain cards that match your Legend's two domains.

What's a good rune split for a Riftbound deck?

Start at 6/6 and adjust toward the domain whose power symbols your important cards use most, often ending at 7/5 or 8/4.