Riftbound is still in its infancy, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to talk about from the top tables of large scale events. High level players from all different TCGs have come out in full swing and have shown people what this game is all about in spades. Today, we’ll take a very quick look at what’s been performing at the top tables, and what you need to get ready for if you plan on taking your game to this level.
Kai’sa
Kai’sa has been public enemy number one since the game’s release, and for good reason. The deck is filled to the brim with sheer power, cost efficient value, and tempo enabling at every stage of the game. Daughter of the Void, Kai’sa’s flagship legend, just lets you get the ball rolling early, either proactively or reactively. The cards allowing said ball to get rolling are, in my opinion, among the best removal and interaction in the game right now, and will stay that way for a long time. Hextech Ray just does the job at all points in the game for a modest cost. Falling Star will clean up almost anything Hextech Ray can’t, and cards like Stupefy, Cleave, and Smoke Screen rounding out its bag of tricks. This doesn’t even cover the deck’s unit suite, and it’s fairly easy to tell why this deck is so powerful. You cannot do well in a given event if you are not prepared for Kai’sa.
Master Yi
Master Yi has also been a very popular deck, but its pull is on the sheer versatility of it. You can play a unit based aggro version, or a ramp style that culminates in neigh unkillable payoffs like Deadbloom Predator, Whiteflame Protector, and Dazzling Aurora to make sure you get something huge on the board. The latter version has been the one doing well as of late, sporting good results against Kai’sa specifically. This deck is no frills, straight to the point, eat dinner, tip, and leave. You know exactly what you’re getting yourself into with decks like this, and it is by far the best way to go about it. Pick this deck up if you want to go big and send your opponents home.
Annie
Annie wants to go, and go fast. She cares not for attrition (though she can dip into it if she has to), nor does she want to take the scenic route. She wants you eliminated, and quickly. Her suite has a little bit of overlap with Kai’sa, sporting Cleave, Falling Star, and Void Seeker, but you trade in the interaction that blue gives for more battlefield agency that purple provides. Cards like Flash, Ride the Wind, and Fight or Flight allow you to be very slippery and more controlling of combat, which also enables units like Vi and Darius. Lastly, Annie, Stubborn, lets you keep your foot on the gas in the mid to late game, while also being a respectable champion in her own right, and your legend will always make sure you have runes up to take these actions in the first place. If you’re trying to get under all these big spells that Yi and Kai’sa are trying to get away with, Annie is your pick.
This is just a small snippet of what Riftbound has to offer, and with the 2nd set, Spiritforged, on the horizon, I look forward to covering more of the game in the future! I’ve been having a ton of fun playing and watching people from all over converge into this great game, and I highly recommend you give it a shot if you haven’t already!