The LoL card game Legends of Runeterra has begun its open beta. Our author Alexander Leitsch took a closer look at the new online card game set in the world of League of Legends: He surprisingly had a lot of fun with it.
What is Legends of Runeterra? Legends of Runeterra is a card game set in the universe of League of Legends, which was announced along with 5 other titles in October 2019. In the card game, two players compete against each other, taking turns attacking or defending their Nexus.
The player who reduces the opponent’s health points to 0 wins. Decks consisting of 40 cards are used for this, with a total of over 300 cards from 6 different factions available to choose from.
Who played Legends of Runeterra for MeinMMO? Our author Alexander Leitsch enjoys playing Hearthstone on the side and follows some well-known YouTubers from the scene.
Even before the open beta of Legends of Runeterra on January 24, he closely followed the card game. Now he had the chance to try it out himself, and after a few rounds, he is fully convinced.
LoR has good tutorials that explain everything
How was the entry into LoR? The entry into Legends of Runeterra is beginner-friendly. Even if you’ve never played a card game on the PC, you’ll find it easy to get started. Every single move is explained in detail in the tutorial.
For me, the first missions were correspondingly simple, where you have to learn the basics:
- In each round, both players take turns. An action is always conducted, after which the opponent is allowed to react.
- In a round, one player is always the attacker while the other can defend against the attack.
- Mana points are needed to play cards, which recharge and increase with each turn. Additionally, there are up to 3 “spell mana,” which is reserved from the remaining mana.
- There are different types of cards: Creatures, Champions, and Spells. Especially the powerful Champions, which consist of well-known LoL characters, impress by leveling up during combat and improving themselves.
From the very beginning, I like that Legends of Runeterra feels significantly more dynamic than, for example, Hearthstone, where you cannot react during the opponent’s turn. Although the first victories against the AI are still very constructed, they still have a certain fun factor.
After completing the first tutorial missions, I have the option to better familiarize myself with the game in AI battles or jump straight into fights with other players.
I would recommend beginners to really take advantage of all the AI matches since even special mechanics of the cards like Overwhelm, Challenger, or Tough are explained. Additionally, you will already get to know many of the Champions and cards.
You also receive many new cards as rewards, from which decks can be built.
The first battle against other players
How did my first battles go? For the first duels with other players, I used the pre-made decks. There are three available to choose from:
- A deck consisting of cards from the factions Freljord and Demacia
- A deck consisting of cards from Ionia and Piltover&Zhaun
- A deck with cards from Noxus and the Shadow Isles
They also directly teach me an important mechanic: Decks can only contain cards from two factions of Runeterra. Additionally, I can include a maximum of 6 Champions in one deck.
In my first two rounds, I play Freljord and Demacia. And it goes really well.
Game 1: In my first match, I get the Champion Braum early in my hand and manage to level him up. He only needs to take 10 damage from the opponent.
The cool thing about it is that Braum’s ability is “Recovery.” He regenerates all his health points at the end of the turn. When leveled up, he summons a 3/3 Poro every time he takes damage. With that, I overwhelm my first opponent.
Game 2: In my second round of LoR, I win thanks to the card “For Demacia.” This grants all my allies +3/+3 for this turn. Throughout the entire match, I consistently had more creatures on the field than the opponent.
Accordingly, I simply overwhelm him with the buff, bringing his Nexus from 14 to 0 health points in one turn.
What happened next? Inspired by my victories, I switch the deck and play the first round with Ionia and Piltover/Zhaun. After all, my favorite champions Caitlyn and Jinx from LoL come from there.
Even though I have to do without Caitlyn since she is not yet part of LoR, I start optimistically in the first match. However, this time I suffer two consecutive defeats, in part because I was overwhelmed by the card “For Demacia.”
After that, I start my first experiments with my own decks.
A card selection that can be overwhelming at first
How do you build a deck? In Legends of Runeterra, everything revolves around building your own card decks. At the start, around 100 cards are directly available to me. This has to be, after all, I start directly with 3 decks of 40 cards each.
While I was initially overwhelmed by the quantity of cards, that quickly became easier. After all, I can only compose cards from two factions.
I can earn new cards in various ways:
- The first new cards are obtained through a reward path. This can be completed through the tutorial or matches against other players.
- Additionally, there are chests in the vault once a week, which may also contain cards.
- In-game currency “Shards” can be used to craft cards directly.
- If you want a specific card, you can buy it for real money. Unlike other card games, you don’t buy packs, but a wildcard directly. This can be exchanged for any card of the corresponding rarity.
My first own deck: Since I learned in the first matches that speed is crucial in Legends of Runeterra, I decide to build something like a “rush deck”: as many low-cost creatures as possible to quickly eliminate the opponent. For this, I choose Ionia and Piltover&Zhaun.
I won the first match, but lost the second. Now, I am unsure whether my deck really works or not. But I still have plenty of time to figure that out and try out new decks.
I haven’t looked into Expeditions yet. They are similar to the Arena in Hearthstone, where you have to build your deck from randomly offered cards. The entrance, however, costs either real money or 3,000 shards. I haven’t quite earned that yet.
Perfect mix of Hearthstone and Magic
What is my conclusion on LoR? After the first hours in Legends of Runeterra, I’ve concluded that I will definitely spend a lot of time on this card game.
It offers a lot of fun and dynamism through its gameplay:
- You always play alternately and don’t wait a whole turn.
- You can react to opponents with quick spells.
- You play tactically different when you are the attacker or defender.
- Champions can level up during a match, drastically changing the course of the game.
Thus, Legends of Runeterra is clearly ahead of Hearthstone for me.
However, the game is far less complex and extensive than Magic: The Gathering. That has always kept me from that card game. I don’t want to spend ages getting into it; I use card games as a fun pastime.
That’s why I never warmed up to Magic.
Legends of Runeterra is the perfect mix of both games for me:
- It is easy to learn
- feels dynamic
- but you also have to invest time to master it in the end.
Additionally, I have the positive factor that I am a fan of League of Legends. While LoL rounds are often too long for me in between, I have now found my game with Legends of Runeterra.
How can I join Legends of Runeterra? On the official website, you can register, and starting January 24 at 8:00 PM, you can even play without an invitation.
The card game is Free2Play and is set to be released in 2020. Not only a PC version but also a mobile version is planned.
Not everyone is as convinced of Legends of Runeterra as our author:
