Beginner’s Guide

Win condition: conquer battlefields, first to 8

Every deck brings battlefield cards, but once the game starts all battlefields are contested by both sides. Conquering a battlefield scores 1 point, and you score 1 more each turn you keep control of it.

First to 8 points wins (11 in team play). The game is about taking and holding ground — offense and defense tempo matter equally.

Deck construction: five parts

• Legend ×1: the core of your deck. It defines your two domains (colors) and the champion that starts face-up on board.
• Main deck ×40: units, spells and gear, and it must include your chosen champion (counted within the 40). Max 3 copies of any card name, counted across main deck and sideboard combined.
• Rune deck ×12: runes only from your legend’s two domains; they pay your costs.
• Battlefields ×3: each with a unique name.
• Sideboard: two published versions coexist — “exactly 0 or 8” (old) and “0–10 of any number” (current, confirmed 2026-09). Follow the rules version cited by your event organizer.

Runes and costs: two per turn, two uses

Every card has a cost, paid with runes. You gain two new runes each turn, and each can be used in two ways:

• Exhaust them for a temporary spend on regular costs.
• Fully consume them — returned to your rune deck — to pay for stronger cards. They come back soon enough.

Combat basics: Might decides

If your opponent controls a battlefield, your forces must fight for it. Units deal damage equal to their Might. If only your units remain after combat, you win the fight and take control of the battlefield.

Suggested first steps

• Start with an official preconstructed deck — playable out of the box. For 2–4 players, the Proving Grounds starter set includes 4 precons, a rulebook, playmat and tokens.
• Use our deck builder: load official precons in one click, simulate opening hands, and validate legality.
• Log your physical cards in the Collection page — “missing cards” analysis then tells you exactly what a deck still needs.
• Match physical cards by card number: there is no official Traditional Chinese card list, and some hero names differ between editions.

Further reading

The official Rules Hub on playriftbound.com hosts the full rulebook and the latest rulings. Our glossary lists every card keyword bilingually with its official reminder text.