Gaming, of any and every kind, is a passion that has brought the fine people here at Apotheosis Studios all together. We've seen one of our favourite games, Magic the Gathering cross over with another favourite, League of Legends. Sort of.

I can tell you all about the Solari and Lunari religions, as well as the entrenched history of the void creatures influencing the entire continent of Runeterra. Despite my knowing an immense amount about Riot Games' flag ship game, I have to confess I have played 0 hours and 0 minutes of League of Legends.

How is this possible? One excellent game set in this universe has taught me everything I need to know, whilst being one of the only games I play every day. Legends of Runeterra. What is it? How did it get me so hooked? Where can you play it? You came to the right place!

Only fools play the hand they’re dealt - Twisted Fate Level 1 by SIXMOREVODKA

Beginner's Guide to Legends of Runeterra

Legends of Runeterra is a digital card game, similar to Magic the Gathering Arena or Hearthstone. It's set in the League of Legends universe, but far away from Summoner's Rift. We get to see the familiar Champions from League interact with the characters from their home regions.

At the end of 2019, Riot Games have made real efforts to bring their IP into other places, and Legends of Runeterra was their first foray into doing so. As someone who plays a lot of card games, the ideas that are familiar in Legends of Runeterra are very welcome, and the elements that are new are great game changers.

For this post, I'm gonna give my explanations as though you know roughly how trading card and collectible card games work. The crossover between the many people who love Dungeons and Dragons, League of Legends, and Magic the Gathering is pretty high, so there may be plenty to follow here.

Shuffle the Legends

Legends of Runeterra, which we're going to shorten down to LoR, is a digital only collectible card game. No paper variant for it out there, and believe me, it'd be impossible to replicate in paper. The world and characters of the League universe are boiled down into card game flair for this game, and those who know them will find so many similarities.

There are 1026 individual cards in the game, and there are many ways to play.

For regular constructed, players build their own deck of forty cards, with a maximum of 3 of any card. The world of Runeterra is split into ten regions, and they make up the different kinds of cards, like Classes in Hearthstone or Colours in Magic. Decks can only have two regions. At present, many players agree that each has their strength, but some are stronger than others.

The regions are:

Demacia (home of knights, elites, and spells that want your guys to punch their guys)
Ionia (mystics and sages that want you to play many spells and out think your opponent)
Shadow Isles (land of the undead, effects that sacrifice your guys for power and ruthelessly eliminate enemies)
Noxus (the conquering empire that push damage and aggression with fast attackers and fiery spells)
Freljord (the ruthless arctic that rewards endurance with ways to heal yourself and allies and punish enemies with the cold)
Bilgewater (pirates and scoundrels, using random effects and chip damage to plunder their rewards)
Targon (warriors of the sun and moon try to climb an ancient mountain, drawing powerful cards from the stars themselves)
Shurima (An ancient empire that have the powers of the Ascended, a legion of soldiers, and powerful buffs to regain dominion)
Bandle City (tricky nature spirits that take their advantages from other regions, as well as dishing out their unity and buffs, and multiple tricks)

ChampionS AND FOLLOWERS ARE CLOSELY LINKED - Fae Guide by Dao Le

There's a grand mixture of combinations one can make for a deck in Legends of Runeterra. You can combine your favourite champions based on how they play in League (since Yasuo and Malphite both stun) or something synergistic out of an unlikely duo (both Senna and Veigar deal damage with Darkness).

The newest expansion, Magic Misadventures, comes out today. This update brings 43 new cards into the mix, including fan favourite champions: Kennen, Pantheon, Rumble, and Ahri. I have my new decks ready to go, just need to craft the cards for them.

There are many other ways to play, following the same sorts of deck building rules.

Expedition is LoR's limited format like Draft for Magic or Arena for Hearthstone. You get several themed packets of two or three cards to build a deck on the spot. The more games you win in an Expedition, you get extra cards to supplement the deck.

Gauntlet is a best of three format that you take 3 decks into, to earn Glory, bettering your chances for qualifying for the competitive Seasonal Tournament (which I have played in more than once).

a WELL TIMED SPELL CAN CHANGE THE GAME - MYSTIC sHOT ART BY mAX gRECKE

The Path of Champions is a casual player vs engine mode that features fun story elements, and powers that buff you the player and your cards.

League But In Cards

In games of League, your champion and the rest of the team try to control the board and punch your opponent's Nexus to death. In LoR, the Champions, followers, Landmarks, and spells are all tuned to punch your opponent's Nexus to death (or have some other way to win).

Anyone familiar with Hearthstone will recognise the growing mana gem system. You gain 1 mana each Round up to a maximum of 10. When you end a Round with unspent mana, up to 3 of it is banked for a later turn just for casting spells.

Unlike most card games where you have a turn to develop and play your cards then take your attention to respond on your opponent's turn, this game works in Rounds. Each round, you and your opponent take turns playing cards, and whoever can attack usually does. When the round ends, you refill your mana, gain 1 more, and whoever had the attack token last turn gives it to the other player. There are ways to gain the attack token or starting free attacks which are very powerful.

The thing which really appeals to me about LoR is that you can respond to a lot of what your opponent does. Interaction makes a game for me. Some spells can be played in response to things your opponent does, or during combat. Anyone used to Blue in Magic should be very familiar with the stack and priority, and Runeterra does something very similar.

Card Capture

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? - The Vault chests by riot games

The biggest part of a collectible card game is getting the cards themselves. It's been a while since I participated in an in-person tournament at a friendly local game store. The action of peeling open a booster pack and fanning out all my treasure is the best feeling. Even better if they're my winnings.

Digital card games have their own ways of giving cards to their players. Criticisms around the card collecting system are always big discussions among the players. The biggest, and most consistent criticism of MtG Arena is that there's no system similar to Hearthstone's “dusting” - the practice of turning cards you have into some other currency to make other cards you do want.

In LoR, the free to play model actually feels possible. Cards are earned by playing games which turn XP you earn for winning and filling quests into higher value chests in the Vault, which opens every week. The region roads are battle pass style tracks that reward you with cards of a specific region the more you play, allowing you to get cards of the style you like to play. When you have more than 3 copies of a card, they convert into shards that can be crafted into any card, and you get regular wildcards of all four rarities to turn into the exact right card.

With this very fair free to play model, we have to wonder how this game can stay free. The same way League does: pay to look pretty. Card gamers always want to make their decks personal and unique. Fancy playmats, themed card sleeves, shiny or foil versions of cards with exclusive artwork. We all have magpie minds – we all desire pretty, shiny things.

Legends of Runeterra lets its players pay to look as pretty as they want. Players can get card backs with favourite characters, a board themed around a place in Runeterra or a key champion; and each board has different music or things to click on. It's dangerous to go alone into the card game arena, you can purchase from the game store a different guardian. A different cute or fearsome little mascot who sits in the corner of the board and cheers you on.

There are many ways to make the game your own.

The pride poro and a personal favourite guardian - image by riot games

To Become a Legend

Legends of Runeterra is free to play and available right now direct from Riot Games or on the Epic Games store. It's a game I play every day with a competitive mindset, and has inspired a lot of my Dungeons and Dragons writing and characters.

Now we want to hear from you. What kinds of games do you want spotlighted like this? Will you try Legends of Runeterra for yourself? Want to hear more strategy and news about LoR? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, they write all kinds of gaming press, while they write news about the League of Legends Card Game on RuneterraCCG. On Youtube, they can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where they dwell by climbing their Linktree.