The Twitch streamer and card game professional Andrey “Reynad” Yanyuk is not particularly thrilled with Legends of Runeterra. For him, the LoL card game takes too few risks and thus lags behind titles like Gwent or Magic.
A few days ago, Riot Games released a flood of information and announced new games. One of them was Legends of Runeterra, a digital card game set in the world of League of Legends.
The first players have already been able to sneak into a beta version and play several rounds. However, Twitch streamer Reynad is not entirely satisfied with Legends of Runeterra.
Who is Reynad? In the realm of digital card games, Reynad is well-known. He was long considered one of the best Hearthstone players, but has also been active in GWENT, Shadowverse, and Magic.
He is not only a streamer but also the founder of the eSports team Tempo Storm, which is represented in many tournaments by its members. He also has a project underway where he is developing his own card game.
He is already controversial but certainly an expert in digital card games.
What is the criticism of LoR? Reynad expresses disappointment with Legends of Runeterra as he had high expectations. He thought the game “could be better than other card games.” But in the end, he finds that Legends of Runeterra is somewhat lacking in every respect. He says:
If I want to play a game where I can respond to my opponent’s actions, (…) I’d rather play Magic. Magic does it simply better. If I want to play a game with defensive battles, (…) I’d again rather play Magic. (…)
If I want to play a game where the priority switches back and forth and I’m interested in “chess-like” gameplay, I’d rather play GWENT.
And if I had to play a game after a lobotomy, where I drool on my sofa while playing on a tablet with my tongue, I would play Hearthstone.
Even if the last part clearly seems not to be entirely serious, it does illustrate the criticism of Legends of Runeterra.
In summary, Legends of Runeterra may struggle to find its own niche, as there is a game in all areas that is more appealing in certain aspects.
No Risk, No Audience: Reynad believes that Legends of Runeterra simply took too few risks and therefore is a rather solid game, but it might struggle to attract a specific player base.
Those who prefer to play “casual” will turn to Hearthstone, while those who are more into tactics and deeper strategy have probably already found their home in GWENT or Magic.
Whether Legends of Runeterra can carve out its own niche remains to be seen.
What is your opinion on Legends of Runeterra? Does the game make a solid impression, or do you support Reynad’s assumption?
