New Player Guide and Resources
I'll start this post off by welcoming you all, if you are a newer player and you've found your way to this thread, I hope you find everything you need here to get started! If you are an older player/veteran to the game, and want to contribute or feel any information in this post is out of date please let me know and I'll do my best to get it back up to date.
If you are looking for an extensive list of guides and resources, scroll down to the bottom of this post!
The first step is diving into the most frequent topic when it comes to Legends of Runeterra and new players, the economy. Legends of Runeterra is a very free to play game, with multiple ways to obtain and use resources to craft cards. While it is very generous, it can feel a tad overwhelming at first. So, we'll take a moment to break down how it all works.
Cards are crafted or purchased using various currencies in game.
Shards - Shards are the most common currency you will come accross, they are represented by a green gem icon. These can be used to craft any card in the game for varying costs.
Wildcards - Wildcards are sorted by rarity and can craft any card of the same rarity. For example, a common wild card will create any common card of your choice. Each rarity is represented by a color, which will be shown in the table below.
Coins - This is the paid currency in Legends of Runeterra, they can be used to purchase cards or cosmetics.
| Rarity | Wildcard | Shard Cost | Coin Cost | *Duplicate Shards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Green | 100 | 10 | 15 |
| Rare | Blue | 300 | 30 | 60 |
| Epic | Purple | 1200 | 120 | 250 |
| Champion | Orange | 3000 | 300 | 750 |
Duplicate Shards - This is how many shards you will receive upon gaining a copy of a card that you already own 3 copies of. Champion and Epic rarity cards have protection, which means upon receiving a 4th copy it will be converted to another random champion or epic card. Once you own every champion/epic card in the game you will start receiving duplicate shards.
So how do we obtain these resources?
The main source will be Capsules and Chests obtained through playing the game. Each chest or capsule in the game has a chance to upgrade to a higher tier upon redemption, if it upgrades it will roll again to see if it upgrades further. This method is repeated for each item in your chest. This essentially means you could open a bronze chest and have it upgrade all the way to diamond. Or obtain a common card and have it upgrade to a champion.
The most common is way to get these is The Weekly Vault. Each game you play in Legends of Runeterra offers you experience or XP. This XP is put towards two things in game, the first is your weekly vault. Each week on Thursday (PST) the vault becomes available to open.
As a player starting out, how do I catch up to other players in terms of collection and progression? Legends of Runeterra features a catch up reward system for new players. To access this feature you need to unlock the region roads. This is done by clearing the prologue, or new player experience. Some general tips and tricks,
- Make use of your weekly vault, getting it to level 5 is enough for a random champion, 10 is enough for a copy of any champion you want.
- You get 1.5x XP for the first 12 levels. You can use this to your advantage and swap regions when you hit 12 to keep getting bonus XP.
- If you need specific cards, level 4 has a bunch of wild cards in all region roads.
- You don't need to buy cards, I know it's easy to get eager, but you can get all the cards you want for free with a bit of patience.
What is that red shard currency?
This is a special currency called Prismatic shards. Currently it is used to create the Legends of Runeterra equivalent to holographic cards or Foils. Champions will get a bulkier golden border upon being upgraded to their prismatic version. Spells and Units get a blue, diamond like border. Both versions have a shimmer effect that plays visually and audibly when drawn or played. These are completely cosmetic and have no advantage in gameplay. Prismatic shards and cards can be obtained for free by playing Ranked each season, or by completing quests that are given out in game.
I don't really feel confident playing against players just yet, can I still build a collection?
Legends of Runeterra features multiple ways to play the game. If you wish to play against the AI you can under the play menu, this will allow you to test out new decks or just simply play in a stress free enviroment. The more you win, the more decks the Ai will start to play. Additionally, the Ai will improve a bit as you start to beat it more, so fear not if it feels too easy at first.
Another alternative is under the "Labs" section of the play menu you will see "Path of Champions" this is a fully fleshed out player verses Ai experience, it may seem challenging at first, however it offers the chance to play with cards you don't own and experiment. Additionally, winning within Path of Champions rewards you with the same experience you would receive for playing PVP.
You mentioned Region Roads but what are they?
Located under the rewards tab in the main menu of the game (You may not see this immediately until you have progress far enough within the introductory content in the game.) are region roads. These reward tracks allow you to choose the type of cards and resources you obtain through time spent in game. Selecting a specific region will ensure you only receive cards from that region (until you obtained all of the same rarity, in which case it will randomly give you a card from another region.)
But what is a region you may ask? Well, that helps us transition into our next segment, which is precisely that, Regions and their playstyles. Regions are how cards are sorted within Runeterra. Legends of Runeterra is a game based on the lore and world of Runeterra. Cards and characters are sorted by their location in the world. These regions also translate to specific playstyles. Finding your particular playstyle can be difficult, especially if you aren't quite sure what you are looking for. The below table will give a basic description of what each region provides in terms of general playstyle. For more advanced descriptions of archetypes and regions you can check out the resources and guides linked at the bottom of this post.
| Region | Playstyle |
|---|---|
| Bilgewater | Bilgewater is the land of risks and reward. Cards in this region tend to lean more on gambles you know you can win. Bilgewater aims to overwhelm their opponents with multiple units and damaging spells. |
| Demacia | Demacia is a region based on units working together to control the tide of battle. They accomplish this through cards that buff all other allied units and forcing combat on favorable terms, including pushing multiple attacks on a turn. |
| Freljord | Freljord is a region that excels at overwhelming their foes with big creatures. They accomplish this through various methods, from cards designed to slow down your opponent, to cards that boost your own mana pool ensuring you reach the late game. |
| Ionia | Ionia provides cheap and efficient units who can circumvent the opponent's defenses and deal lots of damage quickly. At the same time, it has reactive tools to deny their opponent any counter play. |
| Noxus | Noxus is all about aggression, sacrificing resources to deal as much damage as quickly as possible. This hazardous playstyle is accompanied by strong conditional removal to either squash counter play or ensure that the final attack goes through. |
| Piltover/Zaun | The city of progress, Piltover/Zaun as a region is built to improve upon what you have. This region allows for multiple ways to draw new cards and support your game plan from spells that directly damage and remove enemy units to cards that create new resources or strategies that build up over time. |
| Shadow Isles | The Shadow Isles are a region based on sacrifice and rebuilding. Many cards within this region depend on losing other units to bring out their strongest abilities. This region also has multiple ways to slow down a game in order to wear down an opponent before delivering the final blow. This comes in the form of board wipes (killing all units) and healing. |
| Shurima | Shurima is all about setting up big and powerful plays or combats, preparing for them multiple turns in advance. Many cards in this region are very strong, however take time to take effect. Shurima is about building an empire over the course of the game and when your plans come to fruition, your opponents will feel it. |
| Targon | Targon is a region that relies on planning ahead. Many of the cards in this region generate cards that you will play on later turns. This region is extremely flexible if you take the time to strategize. It also excels over other regions when it comes to permanent buffs to your units. |
| Bandle City | Bandle City is a unique region, in the way that it borrows from every other region across Runeterra. This allows for various tricks and surprises as Bandle City strives to create the right card for the current situation. Bandle City will always keep their opponents on their toes. |
Managing your resources can feel overwhelming at first, however once you get a feel for it, you'll be crafting decks in no time.
Next I'd like to quickly talk about Champions. Champion cards are a valuable asset in most decks and a core mechanic that makes Legends of Runeterra unique. Champions are the driving force in most decks bringing unique and powerful abilities to the table. So how do they work?
A deck can have up to 6 champions
This is an important deck building rule. Decks can have up to 3 copies of a single champion, and up to 6 different champions. That said, if you run 6 champions you can only have 1 copy of each in the deck. In most cases decks will have either 3 copies of 2 champions, or 2 copies of 3.
When champions are played, extra copies become champion spells
If you right click on a champion in this example Darius, you will see it has a list of cards that are associated with it. In the back you see a spell Darius' Decimate Champion spells have their name in the spell, and have the unique text "Create a [Champion Name] in your deck." This means when the spell is cast, a copy of Darius will be placed into the deck. An important note is if the champion spell does not resolve, because conditions were not met, or your opponent plays a card to stop the card from casting, this card is lost and you will not get a copy of your champion placed into your deck.
Champions can level up!
Unlike most units in the game, champions can level up when specific conditions are met. As an example, here is Jinx her level up states, when your hand is empty, she will level up. An animation will play and she will transform into Jinx with greater stats and a more powerful ability.
Not all champions gain the same stats on level up
While most champions in the game gain a simple +1+1 on their level up, other champions such as Nautilus gain a larger increase in stats. Other champions may have other subtle changes such as Katarina who has her mana cost increased upon leveling up. If you are unfamiliar with a champions stats when they level you can always right click to get a preview.
Differences in level up conditions
There are two types of level up conditions, and they are worded differently. The first is passive level up conditions, this means a condition can be met while your champion is still in your hand, or even your deck. Nautilus is a perfect example of this type of condition. The second is "I've seen" this means your champion must be on the board to see the condition take place. One example of this is Miss Fortune who will level up once she has seen you declare 4 attacks.
How do spells work in Legends of Runeterra?
This question requires a bit of understanding of how priority works. When you have priority you are able to play cards, the various spell speeds in the table below specify when you are allowed to cast them.
| Speed | When it can be used | Usable in Combat? |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | Can only be cast when you have priority, out of combat, and when there are no spells on the stack. Casting a slow spell passes priority to your opponent. | X |
| Fast | Any time you have priority, casting a fast speed spell passes priority to your opponent. | ✓ |
| Burst | Any time you have priority, casting a burst speed spell does NOT pass priority to your opponent. | ✓ |
| Focus | Anytime it is your priority AND there are no spells currently being cast. Focus spells are cast the same way slow spells are, the main difference is they do NOT pass priority to your opponent. | X |
For a more detailed explaination check out The Anatomy of Slow, Fast, and Burst Spells by u/Andoni95
How does Mana work and what is spell mana?
In legends of Runeterra you can have a maximum of 10 mana and 3 spell mana. On the first round in a game players start at 1 mana. Each round both players will obtain another mana gem, increasing their maximum mana. At the end of your turn, up to 3 unused mana gems are converted to spell mana to use later. This mana can only be used to cast spells, and spells will always prioritize spell mana before dipping into your main mana pool.
Units VS Followers
These two terms are similar but have a very specific difference. Followers are the normal creatures or cards you play on the board. Units are the exact same, however they also include champions. This means a card that can only target followers such as Whimsy! cannot target champions, however a card such as Will of Ionia can target Champions.
Lets talk about the stack.
The stack, or the order spells and abilities resolve in, are from Left to Right. This means the spell on the far left of the stack will always resolve first. Abilities are also resolved from left to right based on a units position on the board (This mostly effects end and start of round abilities.) It is important to note that your opponents board is not mirrored, so from your view, they also resolve left to right. Another important point is end or start of round abilities while trigger left to right, still count as triggering all at once. This is means the game may result in a tie in a situation where you would have expected a win. Finally, while we are discussing how interactions resolve left to right, it's should be mentioned this is also true for combat.
Using the Deck Editor and building decks
A core portion of the Legends of Runeterra experience is building decks. Using the deck editor can feel a bit overwhelming at first, this section will break down using this tool and some of it's features.
First things first, locating the deck editor. The deck editor can be found in Collection -> Decks -> New Deck additionally you can select an existing deck and click Edit Deck.
Once inside the deck editor you will want to find the cards you are looking for. At the top of the page you can click "All Regions" to sort by region. This will allow you to find cards specific to the regions you wish to play. Additional filters can be obtained by clicking the following button which will bring up a menu allowing you to sort by card type, cost or even set. Scrolling down you can also view unique cards that are generated by various effects in the game using the "special categories" section. These cards generally will not be found in your normal collection.
You may notice the collection page may appear to be quite empty. The editor by default hides cards you do not own, however there may be some you wish to craft in order to create a deck. To view these cards click Show unowned at the top of your collection, cards you do not own will be grayed out. Right clicking these cards will allow you to craft them.
Small quality of life tricks in the deck editor
The following tricks can be used to make your deck creation process a bit less tedious.
- Left-Click on the name of a card in the decklist to remove a copy of it.
- Left-Click on the numeric quantity of a card in the decklist to add a copy of it.
- Right-Click on the name of a card in the decklist to inspect it, or craft more copies.
Sharing and Importing Decks
To Share a deck go to: Your collection -> Decks -> select the deck you wish to share -> click "share" This will allow you to copy a code. But what do I do with that code you may ask? Simple, at the top of the decks section you will see "Import" if you click this button while you have a deck code it will add it to your list of decks.
The Ranked System
Legends of Runeterra features ranked seasons that reset every 2 months on average. Our rank system involves tiers from Iron to Diamond, and finally Masters at the top. Each rank has 4 levels to climb from 4 to 1 (4 being the lowest.) In order to climb you need to get "LP" 100 points will advance you to the next level or tier. For example, at 100LP at gold 1, you will advance to Platinum 4. Each tier has different amounts of LP gain or loss for wins or losses, as shown in the table below.
| Rank | LP Gain | LP Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | +28 | -0 |
| Bronze | +24 | -12 |
| Silver | +22 | -14 |
| Gold | +20 | -16 |
| Platinum | +20 | -20 |
| Diamond | +20 | - 20 |
Masters operates on a seperate MMR system opposed to LP gains or losses. Masters is the highest level on the ranked ladder.
FAQ / Tips and Tricks
Is Path of Champions required? How do I leave it? - Path of Champions is currently part of the new player experience. In order to leave it, you must complete up until the end of Jinx's first path.
For a quick tip in PoC, prioritize 1-4 mana units with good stats (but not Ephemeral), building them up to ideally have a bit more health than attack. 1-6 mana spells that deal damage or buff health or create units are also good, especially with reduced mana cost items. Sprinkle in a bit of card draw and healing.
I blocked a unit with Overwhelm, but it still damaged me? - Overwhelm is a complicated keyword for new players. A unit that strikes with overwhelm will deal any left over damage to the opponent. This means if you have 5 attack, and the opponent's unit has 3 health, you will deal 2 damage directly to the player. The main part of this mechanic that "tricks" players is if a unit blocking an overwhelm unit is removed from the board, the overwhelm unit will still attack. This is due to it's ability, if there is no blocker, the unit still has all of it's attack left over and this is dealt directly to the player.
My barrier didn't block all of my opponents overwhelm damage? - Barrier is a unique ability that states it negates the damage a unit "would take" this means their health value. If a unit is struck by an overwhelm unit, their health will be deducted from the damage taken, similar to the above example. The only difference is the unit will not die or take damage due to the barrier. Think of it like a wall blocking an explosion. The wall will only block as much as the explosion as it can cover, the rest of the force still goes past the wall.
What is the difference between Challenger and Vulnerable? - These two keywords seem very similar, and function almost the same. Challenger allows you to drag an enemy unit to your unit with challenger, forcing them to enter combat. Units you can pull are marked with an orange hook icon and can be pulled to any unit with the same icon below them, as shown in this example.
Vulnerable does the same, however the main difference is a unit with vulnerable can be dragged to any unit, the unit does not need to have Challenger. The following Example has a unit marked with a purple hook showing that it is vulnerable and can be dragged to any friendly unit.
It is heavily recommended for new players to play through the challenges section under the "play" category. This is the Legends of Runeterra tutorial section for every keyword in the game, and is an invaluable tool for understanding the core mechanics of the game.
How come a unit that was revived, can be revived again while it's alive? - Legends of Runeterra doesn't have an active graveyard or discard pile. Therefore units that have died simply always count as "dead" this means they can be revived multiple times by resurrection spells or abilities.
How does the game determined what the strongest unit on the board is? - From our understanding the game checks in the following order,
Unit Power -> Unit Health -> Unit Cost -> It is chosen at random from this point forward.
What is the attack token and how do I get it? - The attack token is an icon located just below your mana on the right side of your board. This indicates that you are able to launch an attack. The attack token is received every second round (when it's your turn to obtain the token.) It can also be obtained by cards that "rally", which is an effect that grants a player the attack token. Aswell as from the "Scout" keyword.
I open attacked and my opponent didn't block, why didn't I get to cast any spells? Did the game auto pass, or did my opponent cheat? - Legends of Runeterra is a game based on interacting with your opponent. When you declare attackers priority is passed to your opponent. This is what decides whether or not you are able to cast spells. If your opponent blocks, or plays a card from their hand, priority will be passed back to you allowing you to cast spells. However, if your opponent does not play a card the attack will simply go through. Part of the strategy behind attacking and blocking is determining if your opponent has an answer in hand, sometimes it's best to simply take the damage and remove your opponents ability to play more cards.
I couldn't play my spell and got a message that said the Tenth spell on a stack can only be burst or focus, is this a bug? - In Legends of Runeterra there is a hard limit on the amount of cards or abilities that can fit on the stack. Currently this means you can only have 9 spells or abilities in play at one time before they resolve. In the case of the limit of 9 being played, only burst spells can be played as they don't take a space on the stack.
I put a dual region card in my deck and now my deck shows as invalid, why? - Dual regions are a unique mechanic with a specific deck building criteria. A Dual region card on it's own won't be able to register as a proper region. Lets take Lulu as an example. On her card she has both Ionia and Bandle City as a potential region. When you place Lulu in a deck alone the deck isn't sure which region she is supposed to be. Placing an Ionian card in the deck will change Lulu's region to Ionia. Likewise, adding a Bandle City card to the deck will register Lulu as a Bandle City Champion. This mechanic allows you to place various cards from other regions within your deck that you usually would not have access to, opening up for more flexible deck building.
With the FAQ out of the way, lets move onto a list of general resources and guides that can help you on your journey through Legends of Runeterra.
Resources by Riot Support
What are Keywords, and how do they work in combat?
Managing your friends list
Ranked FAQ
Regions of Runeterra
How to share decks
Champion Mastery
Which Keywords Transfer
Beginner Friendly Guides
Legends of Runeterra - 2021 New Players Guide by TempoMaou
The Beginning Guide to F2P Legends of Runeterra by u/ShugoSV
New player FAQ by u/Abetadist
New player Guide by u/AidenThorne
A guide to Game Modes by u/John_Ferrari
Region Identities by u/Conansson
Legends of Runeterra Terms You SHOULD Learn by TempoMaou
Deck Building Resources
Beginner friendly Decks for each Region by TempoMaou
Budget decks by u/Abetadist
Intermediate Guides
Skills to improve in Legends of Runeterra by Agigas
5 Tips to Improve at Legends of Runeterra by u/FreshlobsterCCG
Mulligans, the first step towards victory by ZeroAssoluto
Tempo and Archetypes
An introduction to Fundamental Archetypes by u/Sauron3579
How to beat your opponent
Unspent Mana and how to use it
How and when to Pass
When to Pass an intermediate guide by u/FreshlobsterCCG
How to Bluff by u/FreshlobsterCCG
Hand Tracking by u/Conansson
The Unofficial LoR Rulebook by u/Conansson
For an Extensive list of competitive guides check out This list of guides from r/LoRCompetitive
Alternate Gamemodes
Decklists for all the path of champions encounters by u/Conansson
Youtubers and Twitch Streams
| Creator | Youtube | Twitch |
|---|---|---|
| Dyce | Youtube | |
| eMOEtional | Youtube | Twitch |
| Freshlobster | Youtube | Twitch |
| GdayRuneterra | Youtube | Twitch |
| Grapplr | Youtube | Twitch |
| Jasensational | Youtube | Twitch |
| MajinBae | Youtube | Twitch |
| Mastering Runeterra | Youtube | |
| Raphterra | Youtube | |
| Scarzig | Youtube | |
| Sirturmund | Youtube | Twitch |
| Snnuy | Youtube | Twitch |
| TempoMaou | Youtube | Twitch |
External Resources
Mastering Runeterra
Mobalytics
Runeterra.ar
RuneterraCCG
FTPBust
A special thanks to the following individuals for helping out with this guide, in no specific order:
u/Wiil23_, u/OmegaDelta3, u/Sauron3579, u/Pasturemaster, u/Conansson, u/Hi_V0LTAGE, u/Cissoid7, u/Cheetahbestcat, u/LegoTroooooper, u/Lictor000, u/AidenThorne, u/Helpfulerection59, u/DoneByDob, u/I_AM_MR_BEAN_AMA, u/Cajun2de, u/John_Ferrari, u/TempoMaou, u/iAreNubcake, u/ReptilianSamurai, u/The_Shaman_Radovan, u/NeekoBestTomato, u/Duckmancer-Emma, u/Headphoneacts, u/Matches_Malone010, u/LagT_T, u/Kaneblaise, u/LamboDiabloSVTT, u/Boronian1, u/Xtramayo, u/Plantbaseduk, u/Misterbreadcrum, u/Canadians360, u/Siradmiralbanana, u/TheSkilledRoy
Posted Jan 3, 2022, 5:25 PM UTC · edited