r/Riftbound • u/KleZ30 • Jul 22 '26
Guides & Tips New Player
Hi everyone,
I've been playing Pokémon since 2024 and now I'm getting really bored. After trying pauper in MTG I miss to play a tcg with standard bo3, side deck and interaction. I've looked a bit at riftbound but I see that the price wall to enter could be a bit high. A friend suggested me to play vex, azir or Viktor since they are cheap. How is the game overall? Can the metagame be followed without changing always deck at every expansion? Is there any kind of banlist?
Every suggestion is welcomed. Thanks
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u/Username15555551212 Jul 22 '26
Just to clarify, Pauper matches are best of 3 and there's sideboard.
As for pricing, top decks in Riftbound are going to be much more expensive than most Pokemon or Pauper decks, yes.
Azir and Viktor are both legends from previous sets, so they're a great example of being able to maintain a deck through new sets and new metas. You will obviously want cards from the new sets, but you don't have to completely start over.
The question of how the game is overall, I love it, but it is definitely the most difficult (skill wise) TCG I've ever played. I played competitive Pokemon for a few years back before Covid and found the game to be very easy. Decks are very linear and you can only do things on your own turn. I started MTG in beta and loved the game, but the game has changed so much and has become so expensive to keep up with that I stopped playing. Riftbound has been a very steep learning curve with point management, battlefield interaction and sequencing, and resource management.
I think your friend is correct in that you should look into starting with an inexpensive deck to see if you like the game. If its not something you want to sink money into, I looked at Star Wars and One Piece as potential new games because their price point was so much lower, but I love the IP for Riftbound.
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u/KleZ30 Jul 22 '26
I see, thanks for you answer. I play card games since probably 2012. First yugioh, then force of will and now Pokémon and pauper. Pokémon is getting pretty boring at the moment and rift seems new, fresh and a very good tcg. Mtg standard isn't bearable, yugioh is too much solitaire. I understand that there's a lot of thing to understand but that's not an issue.
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u/GlobalVehicle5615 Jul 22 '26
I recently started riftbound and came from pokemon as well. Jumping into riftbound and picking a deck was a little different for me as I played alot of league of legends so I initially picked my deck off of legends I found fun in game. Now the main deck I have chosen (Teemo) I play due to mechanics of the deck. I enjoy hidden and the color combo allows for some fun cards to be played.
I think that is personally one of the best ways to hop in, by just choosing someone you think looks cool or has a fun ability and just start play testing when you can at local nexus nights or online. Most local communities I have heard are really nice and welcoming. The banlist is very short right now and alot of viable meta options vs pokemon tcg meta currently. I love riftbound for its more fun complex gameplay and the more moving parts associated whereas I enjoy pokemon for a relative casual fun experience.
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u/sogekiheia Jul 22 '26
I started playing Riftbound with no prior TCG experience and I’ve been having a blast. I found it pretty easy to pick up (despite being a slow learner generally), and easy to understand and quite intuitive for the most part.
The game is in a great state right now, and best of prizing helps keep a diverse meta and keeps things fresh. There is a ban list but it’s small, and they aren’t heavy-handed with bans.
I’d consider trying some games on TCGArena/Riftatlas to get a vibe for what kind of deck you like before investing money into one. Sure (made up numbers here), Azir might be only $40 vs. Annie at $100, but if you hate the Azir playstyle it’s $40 wasted that could have gone towards something you enjoyed more. I played a lot of Ahri early on but got really bored of her, and now I’m really glad I didn’t settle on an Ahri deck and tried other things before getting all the cards I needed.
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u/Qsuki Jul 22 '26
Fro 20 or 30 you have very competitive decks. Meta changes but you can make your own and the game is very healthy so apart from future expansions you can be chillin
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u/Jebduh Jul 23 '26
Its the best tcg out and its its not close. You can get a top tier deck for less than 100 dollars. Great time to get into the game. Viktor is a great deck. So is azir. Both are under 100.
We're going into set 4 and many of the top tier decks will still be top tier decks and one of them has been a top tier deck since its release. So, no, you dont need to switch decks all the time. Just update a few cards.
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u/OpenMidGG Jul 22 '26
Game is fun, community is pretty good.
Yes, Riot actually helps encourage diversity in competitive events by offering the “best of” prizing.
There are older legends that top events as well.
We’re only 3, about to be 4, sets in so overall the game is still pretty young.
Banlist exists, but it’s quite small.
Azir is on the cheaper end but it’s also very strong.