Setup And Decks
What Belongs in a Legal Deck?
Start with one Champion Legend, at least 40 Main Deck cards including your Chosen Champion, 12 runes and the battlefields for your mode.
RiftPal explanation · Answer first
The short answer
Your Champion LegendYour deck's legend card. Its domains set your deck's Domain Identity. It starts in the Legend Zone and stays there; it is separate from the champion unit you choose to play.View in Glossary sets the domains your deck can use. Build a Main DeckThe deck of units, gear and spells, separate from your Rune Deck. Your deckbuilding list has at least 40 cards including your Chosen Champion; that chosen copy starts in the Champion Zone instead of the shuffled pile.View in Glossary of at least 40 cards, including your Chosen ChampionThe champion unit selected during deckbuilding to start in your Champion Zone. Its champion tag must match your legend. During play, champion units with that same full name also count as your Chosen Champion.View in Glossary , and a separate Rune DeckYour separate deck of exactly 12 runes. Shuffle it separately from your Main Deck. Channeling takes runes from this deck and puts them on the board.View in Glossary of exactly 12 runes.
In the standard Core Rules modes, each player also brings three differently named battlefields. These and your legend are separate from the Main Deck count.
RiftPal explanation
How it works
Card reference
Teemo, Swift Scout
Choose your legend first. Its Domain IdentityThe domains your deck is allowed to use, normally set by your Champion Legend. A card with several domains needs all of them to be allowed. A specific effect can make a deckbuilding exception.View in Glossary normally allows cards only from its domains. A card with two domains needs both of them to be allowed, not just one. A specific effect can make an exception to this deckbuilding restriction.
Legend
Teemo
Swift Scout
You may pay [Energy 1] to hide a card with [Hidden] instead of [Rainbow]. [Energy 1], [Exhaust]: Put a Teemo unit you own into your hand from your Champion Zone or the board.
Choose one champion unit with the same champion tag as your legend to be your Chosen ChampionThe champion unit selected during deckbuilding to start in your Champion Zone. Its champion tag must match your legend. During play, champion units with that same full name also count as your Chosen Champion.View in Glossary . It counts toward the Main DeckThe deck of units, gear and spells, separate from your Rune Deck. Your deckbuilding list has at least 40 cards including your Chosen Champion; that chosen copy starts in the Champion Zone instead of the shuffled pile.View in Glossary minimum even though you set that copy aside before shuffling for the game.
Card reference
Fiora, Victorious
For the Main DeckThe deck of units, gear and spells, separate from your Rune Deck. Your deckbuilding list has at least 40 cards including your Chosen Champion; that chosen copy starts in the Champion Zone instead of the shuffled pile.View in Glossary , use units, gear and spells. You may normally include up to three copies with the same full name, counting the copy chosen as your champion. Two differently named cards can each have three copies even if they depict the same character.
Champion Unit
Fiora
Victorious
While I'm [Mighty], I have [Deflect], [Ganking], and [Shield]. (I'm Mighty while I have 5+ [Might].)
Card reference
Guerilla Warfare, Teemo
SignatureSignature is a supertype linking a card to a champion through its champion tag. In ordinary constructed deckbuilding, include at most three Signature cards in total, all sharing your Champion Legend’s champion tag. They cannot be your Chosen Champion.View in Glossary cards have an additional limit: no more than three total across the whole deck, not three of each name. Every Signature card must share your legend's champion tag. Signature cards cannot be your Chosen ChampionThe champion unit selected during deckbuilding to start in your Champion Zone. Its champion tag must match your legend. During play, champion units with that same full name also count as your Chosen Champion.View in Glossary .
Signature Spell
Teemo
Guerilla Warfare
Teemo
Return up to two cards with [Hidden] from your trash to your hand. You can hide cards ignoring costs this turn.
Card reference
Forgefire Cape
UniqueA keyword that limits you to one copy of each card name with Unique in your deck. A Unique Chosen Champion uses that name's one copy. Different Unique names are allowed; Unique does not itself limit how many units can be on the board.View in Glossary overrides the usual three-copy allowance: you may include only one copy of each card name with Unique. You can include different Unique names; a Unique SignatureSignature is a supertype linking a card to a champion through its champion tag. In ordinary constructed deckbuilding, include at most three Signature cards in total, all sharing your Champion Legend’s champion tag. They cannot be your Chosen Champion.View in Glossary card still counts toward your three-Signature total. If you choose a Unique champion unit as your Chosen ChampionThe champion unit selected during deckbuilding to start in your Champion Zone. Its champion tag must match your legend. During play, champion units with that same full name also count as your Chosen Champion.View in Glossary , that is your one copy; do not add another to the Main DeckThe deck of units, gear and spells, separate from your Rune Deck. Your deckbuilding list has at least 40 cards including your Chosen Champion; that chosen copy starts in the Champion Zone instead of the shuffled pile.View in Glossary .
Signature Gear
Ornn
Forgefire Cape
[Unique] (Your deck can have only 1 card with this name.) [Equip] [Rainbow] ([Rainbow]: Attach this to a unit you control.)
Attached effect
When I attack or defend, deal 2 to all enemy units here.
Keep the 12-rune Rune DeckYour separate deck of exactly 12 runes. Shuffle it separately from your Main Deck. Channeling takes runes from this deck and puts them on the board.View in Glossary separate and within your legend's Domain IdentityThe domains your deck is allowed to use, normally set by your Champion Legend. A card with several domains needs all of them to be allowed. A specific effect can make a deckbuilding exception.View in Glossary . Your battlefields must also meet any applicable domain restriction, and your three battlefield names must be different. The selected mode determines which are actually used in the game.
For 2v2, teammates must use different Champion LegendYour deck's legend card. Its domains set your deck's Domain Identity. It starts in the Legend Zone and stays there; it is separate from the champion unit you choose to play.View in Glossary s and cannot bring the same battlefields as each other. Also check the card legality rules for your format: these Core Rules explain deck construction, but are not a current list of legal or banned cards.
Some cards require extra decisions during deckbuilding. With Neeko, Blending In in your Main Deck or sideboard, choose up to three differently named additional legends, also different from your starting legend. All copies of Neeko share that selection. At competitive events, register those choices on your decklist; they cannot be changed after submission. They are not extra cards in the 40-card Main Deck count.
In practice
Example
A minimum-size Main Deck contains 40 cards including the copy you choose as your champion. Set that copy in the Champion Zone during setup, then shuffle the other 39. If you included three copies with that full name, only two of them remain in the shuffled deck.