Riftbound Organized Play

Hey all! My name is Frank Skarren, but some of you may know me as Vriss. I’m a card designer on Riftbound, specializing in competitive game balance and final design. I’m also one of the members of the team taking an active role in getting our organized play systems setup. Today I’m excited to share some details about those efforts and give you a deep dive on all things Riftbound organized play!

Let’s kick things off with a document that is core to the organized play experience, the Tournament Rules (TR):

[Download Tournament Rules]

What are the Tournament Rules?

The complete rules required to play organized Riftbound come in two parts - the Core Rules (CR), which define the game’s systems and how to play precisely, and the Tournament Rules (TR), which define the workings of events and how to play formal competitive Riftbound, including policies and penalties.

Within the Tournament Rules you’ll find everything you need to know if you’re looking to engage in Riftbound organized play at any level. These rules are set up to provide a fair, consistent, and predictable experience for all attendees of Riftbound events. They include a Code of Conduct aligned with Riot’s overall expectations around player behavior and are written to promote a kind and welcoming environment for everyone.

Like the Core Rules, the Tournament Rules are a living and breathing document that will be updated based on how they perform in the wild and based on feedback we get from our players.

Judge Program

The rules themselves are only part of the equation. The practical way these rules will be brought to life is through Riftbound’s forthcoming dedicated and astute judges.

What is a Judge?

In Riftbound, judges are tournament officials who will be experts on both the Core and Tournament rules, making sure all players receive a fair and enjoyable experience at any Riftbound event.

While judges have the crucial role of enforcing the rules and making sure penalties are applied appropriately and fairly, they will also act as advocates for learning and understanding of the rules. Judges aren't merely tasked with facilitating tournament play--they will also serve to promote their local communities. This includes helping new players get a better understanding of the rules, while also promoting more casual play outside of a tournament setting.

How do I become a Judge?

As we approach the release of Origins, we’ll announce more details about our Judge Program, including how to apply, the various judge tests, incentives for taking part, details on how the program will work, and how you can get involved.

Levels of Competition and the Competitive Structure

Now that we have the rules and judges established, the last thing is what kind of events you can play in and what they offer. Almost everyone on the Riftbound team comes from a background of playing card games ranging from the kitchen table all the way to the highest stages of competition. We believe in supporting local play and building an in-person community to give you an opportunity to play the way you want to play at all levels. Here’s what to expect in the months ahead:

Local Store Events

These are events you can expect to find at your local store, and they’ll begin on a regular cadence following the Origins Release Event. Any events at this level may include additional prizing as your local store sees fit.

Origins Release Event

When: October 2025

Format: Precon battles

Prizes: Participation reward

Organized Play Level: Casual

The release event for Origins will be the very first organized play event for Riftbound. Participants will be able to purchase preconstructed Champion Decks featuring Jinx, Lee Sin, and Viktor, along with ways to upgrade those decks, and then you’ll get to use them to battle other players and learn to play Riftbound. This is a great event for players of all skill levels looking to experience the game and get in touch with their local Riftbound community.

Prerelease Events

When: One week before set release

Format: Sealed

Prizes: Product from the new set

Organized Play Level: Casual

Sets following Origins will all have prerelease events, which occur before a set is officially released and will give you the opportunity to get your hands on the new cards before they hit shelves. These are sealed deck events where you show up and open product from the new set to build and play with on the spot.

Nexus Nights

When: Weekly, on the day that works best for your store

Format: Store Preference

Prizes: 3-Card packs including promos

Organized Play Level: Casual

Nexus Nights are your bread and butter weekly events. They’ll provide you with a regular opportunity to get together with your friends and play Riftbound in a relaxed environment in the way that best suits your store and local community. You can sling some 1v1, or throw down the gauntlet in a 2v2 or free-for-all brawl. For stores with a competitive scene, this will be a great opportunity to try out your new deck as you prepare for the next step: the Summoner Skirmish.

Summoner Skirmish

When: Twice per set, one month after a set’s release and one month before the next set release

Format: 1v1 Constructed

Prizes: Participation Promo, Top 8 Promo, Champion Playmat, Round 1 bye at Regional Qualifiers

Organized Play Level: Competitive

Summoner Skirmishes are the culmination of competitive play at the local level. They offer the opportunity for you to put your practice to the test and show off your deck building skills. If you’re looking to try your hand at the competitive side of card gaming, this is the place to start.

Premier Events

Premier events are the next step up from the local level. These events will be held at specified locations and serve as a way to bring players together for the highest levels of competitive play. While the main event for these tournaments will be a competitive 1v1 constructed event, these events will also host side events and include a prize wall with exclusive prizes.

Side events will have a wide array of offerings, including structured free-for-all and team matches, cosplay contests, and events with special rules that we are cooking up. Stay tuned for more information.

Regional Qualifiers

When: First event December 2025

Format: 1v1 Constructed

Qualification: Not required

Prizes: Cash Prizing, Participation Promo, Top 8 Promo, “Best of” Prizes, Regional Championship Qualification

Organized Play Level: Competitive

Regional Qualifiers are open tournaments where anyone with a deck and a dream can come to compete for glory and prizes, plus a chance to qualify for the Regional Championship. These events will feature cash prizing and special prizes awarded to the top performer with each specific champion legend.

Regional Championships

When: First event October 2026

Format: 1v1 Constructed

Qualification: Required

Prizes: Cash Prizing, Participation Promo, Top 8 Promo, “Best of” Prizes, Worlds Qualification

Organized Play Level: Professional

Regional Championships are the first organized play events that require a qualification to play in the main event. These events are for the best of the best Riftbound players in a region and will come with some of the fiercest competition. The venues will also be jam packed with side events for all attendees to enjoy.

Worlds

When: First event 2027

Format: 1v1 Constructed

Qualification: Required

Prizes: Cash Prizing, Additional prizing

Organized Play Level: Professional

While the details around Worlds are still in the works, we are planning to have the first Riftbound Worlds in 2027. It will be the culmination of competitive gameplay across all regions, bringing each region’s best to see who gets to wear the ultimate crown. More details on Worlds and all it will entail to come soon!

Rotation and the Standard Format

What are Standard and rotation, and how do they work?

In Riftbound, Standard is a constructed format and refers to the available cards you can build your deck with, consisting of the most recently released card sets. Riftbound’s first standard format will begin with the release of Origins and will consist of Origins and the next two years of released sets. After the release of Origins, Riftbound will release four Standard legal card sets per calendar year, so that ends up being Origins plus eight more sets.

Rotation is a tool used to ensure that the format stays fresh, healthy, and accessible to new players entering the environment. After the initial nine Standard sets have been established, when a new set comes out at the start of the new calendar year, the oldest four legal sets in standard will rotate out. (For the very first rotation, the four sets of 2026 and Origins will rotate out for a total of five sets.)

Let’s walk through it with the first couple rotations:

October 2025: Origins releases.

2025-2027: Sets 2-9 release.

Start of 2028: Set 10 release, first rotation occurs: Sets 1-5 removed from Standard

2028: Sets 11-13 release.

Start of 2029: Set 14 releases, second rotation occurs: Sets 6-9 removed from Standard

This cycle will continue with Standard growing and shrinking in size from 4-8 sets as new sets are released and older sets rotate out.

We know the topic of rotation can be sensitive for players. Some people will be attached to certain styles of play or their favorite champion, and we want to make sure that they have an opportunity to play with those cards even if they rotate out of Standard. With that in mind, we plan on creating and supporting additional formats to accommodate sets that have rotated out of Standard, and we will provide more details on those formats when we get closer to our first rotation.

What would you do if you felt the metagame was in an unhealthy place prior to rotation? Would you consider banning cards?

While the Riftbound team is composed of some of the best designers and competitive card game players, we know there are orders of magnitude more players ready to push cards to the absolute limits. We will always strive to create a healthy and balanced competitive environment, but we understand the possibility that our metagame can end up in a place we didn't envision or desire.

All of this is to say: we would never use bannings as a tool to shake up the metagame for its own sake, but rather to correct extreme circumstances that we felt were to the detriment of the overall health and fun of the game.

Answers to Some Other Common Questions

What is Organized Play Level (OPL)?

Organized Play Level (or OPL) is a system used to set expectations for players and judges attending a Riftbound Event. An event’s OPL defines how strictly the Tournament Rules will be applied at that event and how severe the penalty for breaking those rules will be. OPL is an important way to delineate between levels of organized play and make sure you can find the right environment you want to play in.

Most organized play events are run at low OPL (casual) and are focused on fun and social interaction, not rules enforcement. Enforcement at this level is aimed as a sportsmanship and learning tool.

At high OPL (competitive/professional), the Tournament Rules are used to enforce fair and competitive play, with higher expectations and more significant penalties.

Full detail on the different OPLs can be found in section 205 of the Tournament Rules.

What’s the difference between constructed and limited?

“Constructed” refers to constructing a Riftbound deck from your collection of cards ahead of time to bring to an event. High level competitive Riftbound events will primarily use a constructed format.

“Limited” refers to an event where you don’t bring any of your own cards beforehand, instead you build a deck on the spot from a limited card pool. This card pool will be generated from opening packs, either individually or through drafting the contents of the packs with other players; and you’ll get to keep all the cards you get during the event. Unlike in a constructed event where you have a planned deck going in, you’ll have to work with what you open, adapting and improvising with the cards you get, often in ways you might not have considered. Limited is a fun way to experience new content and play Riftbound in fresh and exciting ways.

Initially, for Riftbound organized play, you’ll encounter limited prerelease events for new sets and limited side events at major events. Off the bat, major events will be focused on constructed play, but there will always be more opportunity for competitive limited play in the future!

Both limited and constructed events can be played 1v1, 2v2 or 3/4 player free for all.

In a Riftbound tournament, how many games are in a Match? Can I change my deck between games and/or matches?

At High OPL, Riftbound matches are played best 2 out of 3 and you will need to have the same Main Deck configuration for the first game of each match (including Chosen Champion). However, you will be able to change the configuration of your deck in between games of a match using an 8 card sideboard.

Your sideboard is a tool to give you more options during deck construction when preparing for a tournament. It’s a place to include cards that you may not always want, but might really need against a certain deck or strategy. Sideboards help reward you for coming prepared and predicting what a tournament’s metagame might look like.

You aren’t required to include a sideboard with your deck, but if you do it must be exactly 8 cards and they must follow the normal deckbuilding constraints of your Main Deck. You can swap your chosen champion to another one that matches your legend during sideboarding, but your runes, legend, and battlefields can’t be altered during sideboarding.

For limited formats, your sideboard will be cards you didn’t register in your Main Deck and at low OPL, you are allowed to alter the configuration of your deck even between rounds.

Who is eligible to play in Riftbound events?

We want Riftbound organized play to be as accessible as possible. Details on organized play eligibility can be found in section 300 of the Tournament Rules. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact player support.

Are Sample cards (the ones from the Trial decks) legal to play in events? What about cards from another language?

Cards marked with “SAMPLE” across the front face are not legal for Riftbound organized play. These cards are for demonstration purposes only and can’t be used in events.

Official printed cards from any language are legal for Riftbound organized play, but all cards you use MUST be of the same language, even when playing with sleeves. Due to slight differences in card printing styles between regions, mixing cards of different languages could create situations where specific cards in your deck were identifiable by feel, which would be against the Tournament Rules.

Until Next Time

That’s all the information I have for you today! I’m excited to see what you all think and to hear your feedback. As we approach the release of Riftbound Origins, get ready to head to your local store to get in on the organized play action. I look forward to seeing what everyone brews up!