Riot flaunted Runterra’s release with (what else) an intensely dramatic, stylish little animated short. Calm down lads, it’s only cards.
On release, Runeterra’s collective deck will be buffed out with a new set of over 120 cards, bringing the total collection up to 400. This includes a new, seventh region - one that Riot are remaining frustratingly tight-lipped on until release. That silence doesn’t apply to all new additions, mind, and deets on some of these new cards will begin drip-feeding out of Riot’s feeds over the coming weeks. All cards and cosmetics earned or purchased during the beta period will remain on your account. Additionally, as a kind of launch gift, everyone who logs into Runeterra ahead of Midnight (Pacific Time) on May 7th will also get a Moonstruck Poro skin for their Guardian. Ranked play will roll over, mind, with a new season beginning on release day. Resident esports expert Jay Castello explained Runeterra best during her early playtests with Riot. A card game interpretation of MOBA giant League of Legends, Runeterra attempts to carry that flow into a deck-shuffler with Champion characters, and a more dynamic “active round system” that allows more immediate back-and-forth than the likes of Hearthstone. It’s a markedly different take on card-gaming a MOBA to Artifact’s’ tactical three-board play. Perhaps more agreeable one, given that game is currently struggling to reinvent itself after a catastrophic flop. Since entering Open Beta, Runeterra has continued to grow - opening up a ranked ladder, and found even more ways to distribute free cards. For better or worse (read: worse), it also let Matt become a fungus-rich mushroom fiend. It’s worth minding that Riot have a ton of new games on the go right now, including a fighting game and some sort of top-down action-RPG. Contributor Cian Maher has been playing their new first-person-shooter, Valorant - but his impressions tell of a strong game that nevertheless struggles to find an identity between Counter-Strike and Overwatch. The card game, though? It seems alright.
