Hello everyone! Now that the Vendetta Spoiler Season has come to an end we can delve into the new legends, rune combinations, and stories being introduced to Riftbound.
This set is all about Vendettas, rivalries, and contrasting personalities. If you are new to the world of Runeterra or need a refresher, don't worry I will give you all the information you need to make small talk with your opponent at your Nexus Nights. Which Top Shelf hosts every Tuesday and Saturday
The lands of Ionia bring us four new ninja legends. Akali, Kennen, Shen, and Zed who all share an origin in the Kinku order. A secretive society led by the Eye of Twilight whose job is to maintain the balance between the spirit realm and physical realm. Shen had an upbringing alongside Zed, both under the mentorship of Shen’s father, who was the Eye of Twilight at the time.
Zed and Shen are featured in this set as rivals, this is a result from a conflict between them that ended with Zed leaving the Kinku, and going on to form his own Order, the Shadow Order! Both these legends oppose each other in card form by wielding opposite domains! Shen utilizing Calm and Order while Zed uses Fury and Chaos.
Zed - Master of Shadows
When you banish a card you own, empower me. [Action] Disempower me, [tap]: Discard 1, then draw 1.
Zed’s legend includes the new [EMPOWERED] key word. Being Empowered unlocks powerful abilities on different cards and requires players to carefully plan their turn to maximize its benefits. Zed's Empowered ability allows the player to draw another card at the cost of one card banished and one discarded from hand.
Shen - Eye of Twilight
[Action] [Tap]: Give a friendly unit [Tank] this turn. (It must be assigned combat damage first.)
Shen’s ability is made to mess up your opponents attack plans, redirecting damage and choosing which unit dies on his own terms. The [TANK] keyword means a unit must be assigned damage first. With Shen, you can choose which of your units survives and who must be sacrificed - in true Order rune style.
Akali and Kennen both have ties to these two ninjas, with Akali being Shen’s ex-mentor she picks up his Calm domain, while also having trained under Zed and his shadow tactics she picks up his Fury domain, resulting in the first opposite domain legend in riftbond! Calm and Fury.
Akali - Rogue Assassin
[Empower][Pay 3 Energy and 1 Power] ([Pay 3 Energy and 1 Power]: Empower me. Use only if not Empowered.)
[Action] [Tap]: If it's your turn, move a friendly unit in a showdown to base and if I'm [empowered] ready it.
This ability allows for Akali to slip units in and out of combat, a very powerful ability that will make a lot of combats tricky to approach, knowing that if you invest any important resources against Akali she may run and come back for round 2.
Kennen, one of the longest serving members of the kinku, holds the title of ‘The Heart of the Tempest’. He draws from Shen’s Order and Zed’s Chaos, also coming in as another opposite domain character.
Kennen - Heart of the Tempest
When you play a card from anywhere other than your hand, empower me.
[Action] Disempower me, [Tap]: Give a unit [Assault 2] this turn. (+2 while it's an attacker.)
Kennen becomes empowered whenever you play a card from outside your hand. With the Empowered status he can pump up one of his units with 2 Might. This is not the most powerful ability ever, but with the Chaos Order domain combo he has access to many meta cards that will make this a tricky deck to play around.
It is very cool to see the way these legends overlap in which runes they use.
Next we will dive into Shurima! A very hot and sandy part of runeterra, home to the two newest additions to our roster; Nasus and Renekton! Two monstrous rivals vying for dominance on the rift.
Nasus a genius scholar, and Renekton a ferocious warrior. This menacing pair join Riftbound continuing their rivalry, each legend card capturing their strengths and differences, both with completely opposite gameplans.
Renekton being a fighter that holds nothing back, willing to expend all resources available to him to achieve a swift victory.
Renekton - Butcher of the Sands
[Reaction] [Pay 2 Runes], [Tap]: [Add] [2 Energy]. Spend this Energy only to play units or activated abilities of units.
Renekton’s ability lets you recycle 2 runes to gain 2 power, this in essence allows you to squeeze out extra energy from two runes every turn. But with the restriction being that you may only spend the energy on units emphasizes that Renekton is here to fight, not to dilly dally on spells and gear.
Nasus a calculated and meticulous planner, setting up big turns in the late game, scaling out of control.
Nasus - Curator of the Sands
When you play a unit, gear or activated ability with Energy cost [7] or more, you may exhaust me to ready up to 2 runes.
Nasus is laser focused on playing big numbers, the opposite of Renekton losing two runes to gain 2 energy Nasus instead gains two runes whenever he plays an expensive card. A lot of downside from playing expensive cards on your turn is that you will not have any runes up to defend yourself on your opponents turn, but Nasus solves this problem and keeps you prepared for whatever your opponent throws your way.
This rivalry is an awesome part of the League of Legends universe, their identities remaining true in Riftbound. I am very interested in how they will be played and to what extent they will be competitively viable. It would be epic to see these two face off in some tournament games!
If you have watched the hit Netflix series Arcane then you will be quite familiar with Mel and Ambessa: Two leaders competing for Jayce’s influence and Hextech technology to decide the future of Piltover. Ambessa uses Order and Body domains while her daughter, Mel uses Chaos and Mind.
Ambessa, a brutal Noxian leader who achieved her seat of power through strength and cunning leadership, takes advantage of weaknesses and strikes quickly when the time is right.
Ambessa - Matriarch of War
When you empower something else, empower me. (I become Empowered if I'm not already.)
Disempower me, [Pay 1 power], [Tap]: Ready a unit.
Playing around with the empower mechanic Ambessa can ready up a unit once per turn if she is empowered. This will allow for quick turns where a unit can be played and put into a fight immediately.
Mel, a more mindful pensive leader, uses her power to try and disincentivize aggressors, making them think twice before picking a fight at her battlefield.
Mel - Soul's Reflection
When you empower something else, empower me. (I become Empowered if I'm not already.)
Disempower me, [Tap]: Give a unit at a battlefield -2 [Might] this turn.
Her legend ability revolves around weakening a unit (presumably an enemy unit but that is not a requirement.) An easy to use ability like this with a tried and tested domain combination will sure to be a solid deck in the meta spread of this set.
Now Jayce, wielding his knowledge to enhance and augment the physical world with Hextech is represented perfectly in his domains, Mind and Body.
Jayce - Defender of Tomorrow
[Empower][Pay 2 Energy][Pay 2 Power] ([Pay 2 Energy][Pay 2 Power]: Empower me. Use only if not Empowered.)
[Pay 1 Energy], [Tap]: Ready a gear.
[Empowered] [Pay 1 Energy], [Tap]: Ready 2 gear.
Jayce is a tinkerer and inventor, and this is reflected in his card's ability. If the Jayce player sets up one or two powerful gears on the board they have the potential double their effectiveness. As well, with the ability to empower himself this card does not rely on having the mechanic within its deck and can fully optimize its setup to extract as much value as possible from using a powerful gear multiple times.
From never seen before domain combinations to rivalry matching alternate arts for over a dozen characters, Vendetta blends story, mechanics, and awesome artwork seamlessly into one incredible TCG experience.This is my favorite set to come from the Riftbound TCG, I love the thematic direction they have gone towards, there are so many stories to be told in Runeterra. I can't wait to see what is cooking up for future releases.
As always, every legend I have spoken about is featured in the latest Riftbound release, which you can order right here on our website! If you are a local, come join us for our Nexus Nights and other special events such as our upcoming $5k Tournament! Join our discord and give us your thoughts on the latest set and Riftbound meta, or hop in the trade channel and post your trades, we at Top Shelf are proud of the community we have built and would love for you to be a part of it (especially if you read this entire blog).
