Legends Of Runeterra marks Riot Games’ arrival into the Collectible Card Games (CCG) genre. The game was available in Open Beta a few months ago, and it has finally been released globally. On mobile, and even on PC, the CCG sector has been dominated by Hearthstone and Magic. The Gathering. Despite this, LoR has managed to create its own place in the ranks and has found a lot of takers. It is somewhat of a cross between Hearthstone and Magic. This guide is for the beginners who are new to Legends of Runeterra and for those who haven’t played any CCGs yet. We will go into detail about how LoR works, the mechanics, the different types of cards, the unique and rewarding Free To Play system, and more.
Overview
LoR is a game that fits into the Collectible Card Game (CCG) genre. Other examples of such games include – Hearthstone, Magic: The Gathering (MTG: Arena, in digital form), Artifact, Gwent, and to a lesser extent – Clash Royale. This genre has become very popular on mobile over the years and has seen substantial growth since Hearthstone was released on mobile in 2014.
It is based on the League Of Legends MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, released in 2009 on PC. The fact it is based on probably the most famous MOBA game has led to many being very excited about it.
Basic Gameplay
In LoR, players play 1v1, just like in other digital CCGs. Each player has 4 cards from their deck, in their hand, at the start of a match. They have to defend their own Nexus, which has 20 HP and destroy the enemy’s Nexus. The game is a mixture of Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering – in the sense that several keywords are similar to keywords in HS, and battle mechanics are similar to MTG, including blocking and such.
You can use various spells, follower cards (minions in HS), and champions (Hero Cards in HS) to bring down the enemy Nexus to 0 HP to win the match. The match is held in rounds, therefore when one player attacks, the other defends. When it is your turn to attack, you have the attack token on your side of the board. When you have to defend, the attack token is with the opponent. On the left side of the board, there is a small blue eye – Oracle’s Eye. This eye shows you the consequences of your actions and also your opponent’s actions after he decides to counter you.
Let’s take an example into consideration – The enemy Nexus has 4 HP left, and on the other hand, you have a unit with 4 attack power on the board. When you press the Oracle’s Eye, it will show the enemy Nexus at 0 HP. But then, if the opponent blocks you before you attack, the Eye will show both your units take damage, and the Nexus will remain safe. Hence, you can say that Oracle’s Eye will be useful when making complex plays.
Legends Of Runeterra – F2P Friendly?
These days, almost every mobile game is classified as Free To Play (F2P), Pay To Win (P2W), and Pay To Progress (P2P). In recent years, Hearthstone and other CCGs are increasingly being described as Pay To Win. This is because to make a top-level deck after a new expansion, it costs a lot of real money. LoR, on the other hand, is a breath of fresh air. It is incredibly F2P-friendly and helps F2P players a lot for getting new cards and decks. We’ll see about that later in the guide.
For those who spend real money to progress faster, the game has implemented a way to restrict them. This helps to maintain a very even playing field, and the paying players don’t have a huge advantage over non-paying players. So, to conclude – yes, LoR is the most F2P-friendly CCG on mobile. Therefore without further ado, let’s get into the basics of the game with our Legends of Runeterra Beginners Guide.
Legends Of Runeterra: Regions
Legends Of Runeterra has different regions, each with its own unique cards, playstyle, and Champions. The regions are;
Noxus
This region is home to the most aggressive warriors, specialized in dishing out direct damage to their enemies. That is why, you’ll have many ways to inflict damage, with your units or with direct damage from spells too.
Demacia
The ideal kingdom. Demacia mainly likes to buff its units so they last longer while relying on strength in numbers and empowering allies. Hence, this gives them an edge in combat trades and can allow you to make big swings to kill your opponent if they aren’t ready.
Shadow Isles
The region where your allies won’t think for a second time before sacrificing you. It uses mechanics that focus on sacrificing units that have benefits when they die and resurrecting units for continuous value.
Freljord
Freljord uses mainly crowd control effects, and also mana ramp mechanics, enabling late-game threats that can finish off matches on their own. It is also home to some of the biggest units in the game. It is also the only region with Frostbite, a mechanic that sets a unit’s attack power to 0.
Ionia
Stealthy and sly, Ionia has it all. This region focuses on outmaneuvering your opponents with stealthy tactics and spells that bounce friendly and enemy units back to hand. It can use the mechanic to Recall units, that is, send them back to the player’s hand, thus effectively removing them from the battlefield for the time being.
Piltover and Zaun
Also known as P&Z or PnZ, Piltover, and Zaun, the twin cities, consist of a lot of offensive spells. It also has such cards in its arsenal that allow you to replicate cards and spells you already have. The region rewards you for being able to adjust to the situations you’re facing and find creative solutions.
Bilgewater
Added to the game during the global launch a few days ago, Bilgewater is a city if rough-n-tough folks. The citizens will fox you, dupe you, and rob you any way they can. Bilgewater can be quite literally personified as the survival of the fittest.
Legends Of Runeterra: Cards
Decks
In LoR, you can create decks using cards from anyone or any two regions of your choice. But only two regions’ cards are allowed in one deck at max, not more. For example, you can create a deck featuring cards only from Demacia, or from both Demacia and Freljord. You cannot include a third region there.
Rarities
Rarities are a basic component of cards in any CCG. In LoR, the cards are of four different rarities- Common, Rare, Epic, and Champion.
Currency to get cards
In LoR, there are three currencies you can use to get cards :
- Shards for crafting – 100 for a Common card, 300 for a Rare card, 1200 for an Epic card, and 3000 for a Champion card.
- Wildcards of different rarities – You can use wildcards of different rarities to craft a card of that rarity. Common wildcard for crafting Common cards, Rare wildcards for rare cards, et al.
- Coins (Premium) – Coins are used to purchase Wildcards from the shop, so you can craft the cards of those rarities, and also to directly craft the cards.
Getting Cards through gameplay
You can get a very good collection in LoR just by playing the game. Here are the following ways to get cards through just gameplay.
The Prologue
When you play the game for the very first time, you will first complete the tutorial. After that, you will unlock rewards from The Prologue, which is, again, a Trophy Road. You earn EXP, level up in The Prologue, and thus earn cards and champions for the very first time. It is very important to complete the Prologue track because completing that track unlocks Regions for you.
Regional Rewards
Legends Of Runeterra has different regions, as listed above. You can activate any region in the game at any time, and begin earning rewards and cards for it, while it is recommended that you level up each region in sets of 4. For example – You select Ionia as your active region, so you should level it up to 4, then change the region. If you continue this with other regions, you’ll have lots of cards in a short time.
Weekly Vault
Every week, you get a vault that you can open. The Vault has three chests that contain rewards. The contents of your three chests are determined by how much experience you earn from playing and doing daily quests. You can get Bronze chests at level 1, and after earning about 25000 experience, you can get all three chests to Diamond by level 13.
Daily Quests
The Daily Quests in the game grants you experience, which thus, in turn, helps you move forward in the Region Rewards and Weekly Vault. Make sure to complete these quests every day, because every bit of EXP is valuable.
Expeditions
Like the Arena system in Hearthstone, LoR has expeditions. You draft a deck of 40 cards from different buckets. If you get seven wins, you’re successful, while if you get two losses, you’re out. To play this mode, you have to pay a fee, either one of these – 1. Shards, 2. Coins, 3. Expedition Tokens. Regardless of winning or losing, you are earning cards.
Legends Of Runeterra: Champions – A Unique Mechanic
LoR has “Champion” cards in-game, where each Champion has his/her own unique mechanics. When you play a Champion card, you can level them up. For achieving that, you have to fulfill certain conditions that are stated on the card itself. Once you fulfill these conditions, the Champion levels up into a more powerful version of themselves. These Champions then help you to make stronger plays and even win the game. There are currently five Champions for each region. They are-
| Region | Champions |
| Noxus | Vladimir Darius Draven Katarina Swain |
| Demacia | Lucian Fiora Garen Quinn Lux |
| Shadow Isles | Thresh Hecarim Elise Maokai Kalista |
| Freljord | Braum Tyrndamere Ashe Anivia Sejuani |
| Ionia | Yasuo Karma Shen Lee Sin Zed |
| Piltover and Zaun | Ezreal Jinx Teemo Heimerdinger Vi |
| Bilgewater | Twisted Fate Miss Fortune Gangplank Fizz Nautilus |
Conclusion
We hope that our guide helps the beginners to understand Legends Of Runeterra better, and makes your overall experience more enjoyable.
If you want to understand the Legends of Runeterra through a visual format, you can further watch this video below as a beginners guide.
Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below, I’ll make sure to reply to everyone.
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