Anyone can now jump into the action of Legends of Runeterra as Riot Games rolls out its open beta, and while much of the core game looks similar to other Collectible Card Games (CCGs) like Magic: The Gathering or Hearthstone, there are major differences that players need to keep in mind if they want to dominate their matches.

Via: playruneterra.com

A Friendly Free-To-Play Experience

There is always the option to spend real money in the game, but players will be happy to know that they can still progress without having to spend anything, which is perfect in order to determine if they want to continue in the long term with this game.

If a player remains free-to-play, there are constant rewards given for playing the game and reaching milestones. Chests with cards and resources are awarded simply by leveling up each region. Capsules inside of chests can also be gained through another level reward. Wildcards, a concept seen in Magic: The Gathering Arena, can be found here and allow the crafting any card of a certain rarity.

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The Weekly Vault is another way to constantly grow a collection that provides players with up to thirteen tiers of chest rewards each week, and are obtained simply by gaining experience. Reaching the top level is always a great goal, but the developers have said that level ten of thirteen is a great level to strive for because, and beyond that, the results face diminishing returns. The last three levels are additional resources that are nice to have, but you can rest easy by aiming for level ten each week.

What’s Familiar In Legends Of Runeterra?

At its core, Legends of Runeterra looks like any other CCG. Players face off with a deck of cards, manage a pool of resources, play spells, creatures, and ultimately win by bringing the opponent's life total down to zero. Classic deck archetypes from other CCGs like “Zoo” or “Tempo” have their place in the game, though to a lesser extent than in other CCGs.

Zoo refers to a deck that can reliably play many creatures that are often small and inexpensive, with some form of energy that provides consistent board control early in the game to deny an opponent the opportunity to set themselves up or create a meaningful defense before being rushed down. Tempo meanwhile refers to decks that try to play as efficiently as possible by never wasting any resources, which in other games means playing a 1-cost card on turn one, a 2-cost card on turn two, and so on.

Thanks to how Legends of Runeterra handles its resource management system, those two decks are less effective here than in other CCGs.

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What’s Different? Mana Resource Management

One of the biggest, and arguably most impactful differences between Legends of Runeterra and other CCGs is how Mana is designed. Each turn, players see their maximum amount of Mana increase by one up to ten, and this can be spent to place cards on the board. Unlike most other CCGs, unspent mana is not necessarily wasted if it is not spent.

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When advancing to the next round, unspent mana from a previous round becomes Spell Mana, which is bankable up to three, and can only be spent on Spells, adding a complex layer of potential strategy most often seen in Magic: The Gathering. It is for this reason that both Tempo and Zoo decks are less viable here than in something like Hearthstone, where all unspent Mana is inefficiently lost if not used each turn.

Rounds Flow Back And Forth

Another major point to learn is how Legends of Runeterra handles its turns, which are managed through a series of Rounds. When a Round beings, each player gains one Mana and draws one card. From here the player with the Attack Token, a Sword, can summon a unit, cast a spell, initiate combat, or pass their turn. Both players go back and forth until there is no more Mana to spend, or both pass their turns.

Take a peek by clicking here to see a detailed chart at what each Round entails. We won’t get into the specifics here, as players should jump into games against the AI to learn all back and forth that goes on to make up each turn. It seems confusing at first, but soon it becomes a natural and innovative take on the classic CCG formula, one that makes the early game pass by rather quick but allows for complex late game strategy.

Champions Are Powerful, So Get To Know Them

Champion cards are a fantastic addition to the game, as they function like regular creatures on the board, but have conditions to met that will allow them to level up and become far more powerful. Braum levels up by surviving a 10 or more damage, Teemo by planting 15 or more Poison Puffcaps in an opponent's deck, Elise by having three or more Spiders at the start of a round on the board, and there are many more Champions to choose from.

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As there are so many diverse Champions to choose from, players will find a broad range of deck archetypes and flexibility in how they play the game. Click here to take a look at the Champions available, and definitely feel free to experiment to find what you enjoy the most, because there is so much to choose from, you are only limited by your imagination.

Learn From The Best By Watching Streamers

One of the most exciting parts of playing Legends of Runeterra is that the innovation and card design is all so fresh, which leads to popular streamers and competitive players seemingly finding new and effective ways to play often. Sean “Swimstrim” Huguenard is a great example of a Twitch streamer to watch, as he is knowledgeable in all sorts of CCGs and is often seen crafting and experimenting with new ideas.

There are countless other streamers as well, so look around to find one that best suits your needs. Above all else, dive right in and start playing some games! Even if you lose often, like many of us are, there is so much to learn and new cards to acquire through progression.

Source: playruneterra.com, mobalytics.gg

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