Legends of Runeterra

Legends of Runeterra is Riot Games' entry into the digital CCG genre, set in the League of Legends universe, released in 2020 as a free-to-play title with an emphasis on a player-friendly economy and deep strategic gameplay. Duels take place on a single board, where players alternate between the roles of attacker and defender — the attacker deploys units, the defender decides which cards to block them with, creating constant tactical tension around when it's advantageous to attack and when it's better to hold back. The key innovation is a mana system split into regular mana and so-called spell mana, where unused mana carries over into the next round and allows spells to be cast even outside the player's own turn.

Decks are built from two regions of the universe (Demacia, Noxus, Piltover and Zaun, the Shadow Isles, and others), each with its own playstyle, and their combination allows for a wide range of archetypes. Champion cards play a special role, capable of evolving (leveling up) into more powerful versions once certain conditions are met during a game, which brings a narrative arc to matches similar to a character's progression in a story-driven game. Economically, Riot bet on a generous free-to-play model without loot boxes, where players unlock cards through play and targeted crafting, which was viewed positively at the time in contrast to the practices of competing titles.

Visually the game benefits from beautifully animated cards and atmospheric music that ties into the broader League of Legends universe, and it also offers a solo mode called Path of Champions, in which the player goes through a series of challenges against AI, similar to roguelike deckbuilders. Although it never managed to significantly dent Hearthstone's dominance, it earned the respect of critics and players alike for its thoughtful design, the tactical depth of its attack-and-block system, and its player-friendly approach to monetization without aggressive purchase pressure. The game was also released on mobile devices with the same account progression as on PC, making it one of the first truly full-fledged cross-platform digital CCG titles of its time.

Why play it: For players who want a tactical card game with player-friendly monetization free of aggressive purchase pressure, and full gameplay across both PC and mobile.