Breaking Down Riftbound's Colour Wheel

Written By: Pax 

I’ve been following the release of Riftbound ever since the beta and it's original, paper printable cards were made available. Changes have been made to the text and mechanics, but it’s colour system has remained a simple and elegant part of gameplay. Each slice is meant to represent a theme, inspired by the common associations each respective colour has. 

 

Red and Blue - though not strictly opposites on the colour wheel - are often defined as opposing playstyles, aggressive and defensive respectively. Purple and black are often coded as necromantic and allow cards to be replayed after they’re used. Green can be either massive beasts or slow, enduring growth. 

 

Riftbounds colour system follows this tradition. Colours in the warmer pallet – red, orange and yellow – follow a more aggressive style of gameplay, with an emphasis on units. Cooler colours – green, blue and purple – are more concerned with defensive abilities. 

 

We only have the single booster set and the proving grounds, but this still provides us a foundation to extrapolate what themes will prevail with each colour. As the game continues to release, we may see more diversity added to each colour's portfolio, but this base set will define the core of each of these colours for the years to come. Consider this more of an overview of what each can offer in order to decide what archetypes might appeal to you.  

:::

Chaos/Red:

Effects and units that incentivize attacking. Has the most cards keyworded with Assault. Limited defensive options, though action speed damage spells can be used preemptively. 

Assault:

• Cleave - React, give a unit Assault 3
• Red Jinx - Accelerate, Assault 2
• Immortal Phoenix - Assault 2, can be revived when you kill a unit with a spell
  • Technically Darius, Trifarian - when you play your second card, I enter ready and get +2 Might
  • So, Assault but Only Once 

‘When I Conquer’ effects:

• Vayne, Hunter - Assault, returns to hand after Conquering
• Tryndamere, Barbarian - extra point for excess of damage delt
• Kai’Sa, Survivor - draw a card when you Conquer 

‘Deal X Damage’ effects:

• Void Seeker - Action speed, 4 damage to unit at Battlefield, draw card
• Hextex Ray - Action speed, 3 damage to unit at Battlefield
• Shakedown - Reaction speed, 6 damage to unit or draw 2 cards 
  • Conditional damage, opponent chooses between damage or card draw
    

 

Red cards in this game align very strongly with traditional red-theming. Its units incentivise attacking and its spells are geared towards dealing direct damage. 

The majority of cards in this pool have the keyword Assault, which reads as ‘+X Might while it’s an attacker’. Jinx - Demolitionist and Vayne - Hunter are both champion units that lean into this aggressive playstyle. 

Two cards need to be discarded to play Red Jinx, in addition to paying her energy and power costs. This is a relatively ineffectual downside when you are able to attack for six Might within the first turns of the game. 

Vayne offers a more retributive aspect to Red. If an opponent controls a battlefield, she enters ready. Her base Might is only two, but with Assault three, she attacks for five. As an additional bonus, after she conquers, you can pay an additional one energy to return her to her owner's hand. You’ll always have a way to clear at least five Might off a battlefield and you aren’t required to pay an additional cost for her to come in ready. 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The spells for Red are similarly direct in purpose; Hextech Ray, Falling Star and Void Seeker all offer options for direct damage to units at battlefields. A majority of these spells can be played at action speed, allowing for the removal of enemy units before they can score. 

However, many of these spells also read ‘units at a battlefield’. The downside is simple: an opponent can just hold their units in base before attacking, requiring a higher investment for removal a Red player might not be able to recover from. There also comes the issue of higher Might units. Shakedown deals six damage, but the opponent can simply choose to allow the owner to draw two cards instead of potentially losing their unit.

The mistakes I most often see with a new player using Red cards is an over eagerness to affect the board. For all of its seemingly reckless playstyle, Red must be careful when considering what resources to discard. It’s very easy to spend all of your units and spells on early, ineffectual threats instead of a threat that may come from more tempo or late game playstyles. 

:::

Body/Orange:

Units able to benefit from buffs alongside abilities that help to keep units buffed. Higher than average Might compared to other colours. Able to deal damage to other units based on their Might. Limited card draw effects and limited protection from removal effects. 

Buffing Units/Buff Effects:

• Cithria of Cloudfield - Play a Unit, Buff Me
• Wildclaw Shaman - When played, spend a buff to ready me
• Sett, Brawler - Enter w/ a buff, when I conquer buff me, spend buff to gain 4 Might 
• Arena Bar

Ramping/Channeling:

• Catalyst of Aeons - Channel 2 
• Mobilize - Channel 1 
• Qiyana, Victorious - When I conquer, Channel or Draw 

Removal Via Might 

• Challenge
• Carnivorous Snapvine
• Gentleman's Duel
  

 

Orange wants big units, in both cost and power. More specifically, it wants to play big units, buff them, and then benefit from being buffed. 

Where Red goes for speed, Orange goes for Might. Among the card pool, Orange has the most units with a Might of five or above (defined by the game as Mighty units). Orange also has the most cards that care about having buffs, or have the ability to give buffs. 

On the low-cost end, we have Cithria of Cloudsdale, Pit Rookie and Arena Bar. Cithria gets a buff whenever you play another unit. Pit Rookie buffs another unit when they are played. Arena Bar gives a buff to any friendly, rested unit you control. 

This feeds in nicely into the top end, which either benefits from being buffed, or is able to spend their buff counters for additional effects. You can pay a buff when Wildclaw Shaman enters for it to enter buffed and ready. As you play Kraken Hunter, you can pay additional buffs in order to reduce its Body power cost. 

Sett - Brawler summarizes this theme in a neat little circle. When it is played and when it conquers, it gets a buff and you can spend the buff to give the unit plus four Might. 

 

     

This is the colour I have the most experience and time invested in. Playing in Orange has similar risks to playing Red, in that both colours cannot rely on the power of their units. You are more likely than not to have the units with the most Might on the board, but few games are won with Might alone. 

The cost Orange pays for its power is time. Stronger units also require more energy and thus, you won’t typically be playing more than one a turn. If a player is not careful, then can invest all of their runes into a game-ending unit, only for it to be removed on an opponents turn before it can attack. 

Again, I can attest to this from personal experience that unless I'm able to bait out removal early, my powerful units do not last long on the board. Especially if I am playing against a Legend with access to Yellow. 

:::

Order/Yellow:

Many ways to amass tokens to then use as sacrifice outlets for larger units. Has the most cards with printed text of ‘Kill A Unit’. Many units with unique abilities that can be easily slotted into any archetype.

Spawning Recruit Tokens: 

• Noxian Drummer -  spawns Recruit when moving 
• Vanguard Captain - spawns 2 Recruits off their Legion Effect 
• Viktor, Leader - spawns Recruits whenever a non-token unit dies

Direct Kill Effects/Sacrifice:

• Cull The Weak - Each player kills a unit 
• Hidden Blade - can be played as hidden to kill a unit at its battlefield and its owner draws two 
• Cruel Patron - As additional cost, kill a friendly unit  
• Commander Ledros - kill friendlies to reduce power cost
  
  

Yellow wants to amass tokens for sweeping attacks and to sacrifice for stronger effects. It also has most – if not all – of the direct kill effects in the game. 

I still remember fighting the mono Order Viktor - Herald of the Arcane and how much trouble I had dealing with their boardstate. Combining the power of being able to create a unit every turn and the constant removal, Yellow will give you a lot of trouble if you can’t manage both of these threats consistently. 

Noxian Drummer spawns a Recruit when it moves. Vanguard Captain spawns two Recruits off their Legion Effect and Viktor - Leader spawns Recruits whenever a non-token unit dies. Yellow wants to have cannon fodder on the board that can be used either offensively or defensively. Many of Yellow's effects also entail a sacrifice of a unit and you’ll always have a spare Recruit to offer instead of one of your important units. 

Cull The Weak is this thesis at its most basic; both players kill one of their units. It’s an easy trade to make when you have an army of minions in order to kill a solitary enemy unit. This card is especially powerful in decks that only want to invest in one or two big units at a time. Cruel Patron incurs the additional cost of sacrificing a friendly unit, but in exchange, you’re able to play a six Might unit for only four energy. 

 

      

Baited Hook is also a neat way to sacrifice weaker units for stronger ones. It’s a gear that requires you to pay one Order power and one energy and to sacrifice a friendly unit. You then get to look at the top five of your deck and play a unit with Might up to one more than the killed unit. 

The ability to kill with little to no resource loss and plenty of units to attack with makes Yellow a very powerful colour. Its primary downside, however, is a distinct lack of reactions. While Yellow does still have cards that can be played at reaction speed - Hidden Blade from the Hidden slot, Shen - Kinkou – it is lacking in comparison to others in the variety of reactions it can rely on. 

:::

Calm/Green:

Units have the most printed defensive keywords. Plenty of reaction timing spells to defend units and increase Might. Can defend the battlefield they already control but have limited ways of interacting with enemy units beyond direct combat.

Shield Keyword: 

• Block - Hidden, Shield 3 and Tank 
• Taric, Protector - Gives other friendly units Shield 
• Lee Sin, Ascetic - has both Shield and can have any number of buffs 

Reactions and Counters: 

• Defy - Counter 4 or less Energy & 1 or less Power
• Windwall - Flat Out Counter
• Discipline - Reaction for +2 Might and draw a card 

Hold Effects:

• Sona, Harmonious - ready 4 runes if she's on a battlefield
• Ahri, Alluring - gain a point when she holds
• Blitzcrank, Impassive - Can pull units from base into combat & can return self to hand 

Green has the only counterspells in the game and that alone might be enough appeal for some players. It also has the most cards – both reactive spells and units – with defensive keywords printed onto them. 

Block is a spell that can be played as a Hidden card and grants a unit both Tank (this unit must be assigned combat damage first) and Shield Three (this unit gets plus three Might when it's defending). Taric - Protector has Shield and Tank printed on it and grants friendly units Shield where he is. Lee Sin - Ascetic also has Shield, in addition to the ability to both buff himself and hold any number of buffs. 

The defensive properties also tie into a unique aspect of Green’s units. Many of them have continuous benefits to holding battlefields. Sona - Harmonious readies four runes if she's on a battlefield. Ahri - Alluring gives you an additional point when you hold. 

       

 

Green has a lot of options for defence, but the tradeoff is it’s more limited in ways it can influence enemy units before combat begins. 

I had a lot of trouble initially learning to fight Green. The best strategy I’ve found is to employ a more aggressive style, even if your deck is not necessarily built to go fast. Shield is contingent on being the defending player and if you are able to force your opponent to be the attacker, they cannot benefit. They may also be forced to spend their reactions to buff their attackers, instead of using them as defensive tools. 

:::

Mind/Blue:

Tends towards a very reactive playstyle. Has a lower than average base Might compared to other colours, however, it also has the tools to both anticipate and manipulate both attack and defense. Must build up tempo and maintain control for optimal gameplay. 

Reducing Might: 

• Stupify - reaction to -1 Might
• Smokescreen - reaction to -4 Might
• Blastcone Fae - hidden, reduce Might by -2

Spell Incentives:

• Ravenbloom Student - a consistently used card to benefit while on the defensive 
• Eager Apprentice - reduces spell costs while on a battlefield 
• Viktor, Innovator - create a Recruit when you play a card on your opponents turn, note that it states Card and not just Spell 
• Kai’Sa, Evolutionary - cast spells out of trash

Blue, similarly, is highly reactive but instead reduce the Might of enemy units before and during combat. It is also a defensive colour and requires more planning and forethought in order to maintain board control. 

The reduction of Might is Blue’s primary tool when it comes to controlling enemy units. Smokescreen and Stupify are reactions that reduce a units Might by four and one respectively. Thousand-Tailed Watcher is a higher end unit that reduces a units Might by three when it enters and can also be played ready by paying the Accelerate cost. 

Blue also offers the most incentive and benefit to casting multiple spell cards in a turn. Ravenbloom Student gains a Might whenever you cast a spell. Eager Apprentice reduces the cost of your spells by one energy when it’s at a battlefield. Notably, these aren’t restricted to happening only during your turn, offering the chance to surprise an attacking opponent with a burst of power.

 

       

There have been turns where I attack into a held battlefield with a singular, Mighty unit, only to find its Might reduced down to nothing. Holding a reaction might help you offset the risks, however Blue tends towards having more consistent card advantage and is more likely to have reactions they can deploy in a showdown. 

Kai’sa - Evolutionary is the late game payoff to casting so many spells in the early game. When she conquers, she lets you play a spell card out of your recycling with an energy cost less than your current points. 

This is a colour that requires a lot of careful setup. You can’t get away with dumping your hand unless you have a plan that accounts for your opponents plays. Blue cannot leverage direct power, instead relying on foresight to win exchanges. 

:::

Chaos/Purple:

Plenty of spell options to move units in and out of battlefields. Able to filter for more valuable cards with discard, benefit from the discard and recur the cards needed for strategy. Limited ways to increase unit Might. Incentivized to escape rather than holding/defending battlefields. 

Mobility 

• Flash - reaction, move two units
• Fight or Flight - hidden, move a unit from battlefield to base 
• Ride The Wind - Move a Unit & Ready It
• Miss Fortune, Buccaneer - can be played to an open battlefield & enables other units to also be played to open battlefields
  

Discard and Trash, Recursion

• Jinx, Rebel - whenever you discard, ready and +1 Might 
• Invert Timelines - Each Player discards their hand and draws 4 
• Traveling Merchant - when it moves, discard 1 and draw 1 
• Annie, Stubborn - recur spells from trash on play 
• Rhast the Sundurer - reduce energy cost for each card in trash 
  

 

Purple is movement and recursion in this game. Its spells and units have the most ways to move units beyond just the standard move action and it also has options to filter down your hand for the tools you need. 

Flash, Fight or Flight and Ride the Wind are all spells that can be played at action speed to move units in and out of battlefields. Kayne - Unleashed and Yasuo - Windrider are both cards with payoffs for being moved multiple times in a turn. Kayne won’t take damage if moved twice and Purple Yasuo will score a point if he’s moved at least three times. 

One notable interaction with these action speed cards is the ability to open up a second showdown on a separate battlefield. The first showdown must be resolved, as well as all Deathknell effects and ‘When I Conquer’ triggers. Whether or not this has the opportunity to be a viable strategy is something to be considered in future sets. 

Traveling Merchant makes you discard and draw a card whenever it moves – easy synergy with all of Purple's movement options. Notably, this effect isn’t reliant on happening on its owner's turn. Invert Timelines makes each player discard their hand and draw four cards. Good way to clear an opponents hand if they're holding a counter or a late game unit. 

The units in Purple also have ways to benefit from and recur cards from the trash, helping to keep useful cards in constant play. Jinx - Rebel readies herself and gets plus one Might whenever you discard. Annie - Stubborn lets you take any spell card from your trash into your hand. Rhast - The Sundurer costs one less energy for each card in your trash, possibly bringing down his play cost to only one Chaos power. 

With all this mobility, however, it does make Purple better at avoiding direct combat than engaging in it. It also doesn't have many options to increase the Might of its own units, preferring to return enemy units back to their owners hand when combat does begin.

:::

I’ve fought against most of the different leaders available in Riftbound and you can see how each colour synergizes into the other. Green and orange create powerful units that cannot easily be removed from the board with spells. Red and purple offer a playstyle that can afford to be reckless with its resources and its units. Blue and yellow allow for the creation of massive boards that can swarm over singular threats. 

We’re still missing Legends in certain colour pairs and we’ve seen that no two Legends in the same colour will play similarly - Viktor and Lux incentivize each have vastly different styles of play, despite both being Mind and Order Leaders. 

It will be exciting to see where the Development Team will choose to take each colour in the game. We have no spoilers for the next set or for new products, and thus we can only speculate which directions they may choose to take. 

They might continue to embrace the common associations with each colour, or they may attempt to introduce new concepts that are wholly unique to Riftbound. Whatever they may be, I look forward to seeing this game continue to grow.