u/IzziPurrito

Sup kiddies. Auntie Izzi doing another banlist spec because its fun.

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#My Personal Prediction

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#No changes

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The meta isn't bad right now. We are in a healthy rock paper scissors format with a lot of underdog decks being strong. A change right now might upset this balance, which wouldn't be good with a new set on the horizon.

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#Scenario 1: Stellacorn Banned

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Outcome:

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Irelia has a stroke and fucking dies. To be honest, Stellacorn eating a ban does feel like something that will inevitably happen since its so easy to break. Additionally, Akali's Legend synergizes VERY WELL with Stellacorn, which could mean that Akali will be the next tier zero deck. Since there is also few ways to deal with heavy card draw (Theres no bowmasters in this game) Stellacorn would be the first thing in my mind to eat a ban.

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Consequences:

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As for how it would affect the meta... honestly the changes would be small, with the only change being Kai'sa and Draven having a better place in the meta now that their number 1 threat is much weaker. Irelia certainly won't be dead without Stellacorn, but she will be way weaker.

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#Scenario 2: Aurora Banned

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Outcome:

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Again, the argument for this is never "its too strong" because its blatantly obvious its not. The argument is always "its not fun to play against" which is a very valid argument.

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Analysis:

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Theres also the fact that Aurora restricts future design because, at the moment, when Riot designs a end game unit they have to ask themselves "Will Aurora break this?" And thats never a healthy question to ask this early in the games life.

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Consequences:

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If Aurora is banned, then Master Yi will become way stronger since his only bad matchups are against Aurora. (And a slightly bad matchup versus Leblanc)

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#Scenario 3: Stacked Deck

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Outcome:

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This would pretty much only hit Diana, which would be kind of welcome because Diana draws more cards than Ezreal and there isn't really any way to answer high card draw. (Except for one card)

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Analysis:

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Diana definitely feels like a cut above the rest. Is it enough to eat a ban? Its honestly hard to say. Stacked Deck has always been seen as a potentially problematic card due to its similarity to another banned card: Called Shot. (Which we all agree was way more insane)

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Consequences:

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With Diana slightly weaker, that gives LeBlanc way more wiggle room in the meta, which some people might not like due to the amount of shenanigans she does. The only thing holding back Leblanc is how one-sided her matchup into Diana is.

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#Scenario 4: Unban Draven

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Outcome:

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Draven could use a little love since he rocked the world and then proceeded to have his own world rocked due the banlist. This change would actually be very welcome if it were done alongside a Stacked Deck ban. A weaker Diana means LeBlanc is stronger, but Draven would eat LeBlanc for breakfast.

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Analysis:

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Draven has always been seen as a problem deck, not because of any kind of interaction. Draven's Legend is so powerful that you can just run a bunch of generically good stuff and do well. But since the banlist, it does feel like Draven was a little over-hit. Which is why I think giving back Red Draven wouldn't bring Draven over the edge.

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Consequences:

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With Draven in the meta, Master Yi and Leblanc will have a harder time being dominant since Draven beats both of them.

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Thats all folks.

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Cheers!

This happened a couple hours ago and things have thankfully not gotten worse.

My mother, while making my stepfather breakfast, suddenly collapsed at the stove. She was unable to move, and her speech was impaired.

He proceeds to text me, saying what happened, to which I tell him to take her to the ER.

An hour later, this guy. This absolute fucking asshole. Texts me saying that he couldn't find someone to cover him at work. So he put my mother on the couch, put a blanket on her..

And

Fucking

LEFT.

MY MOTHER.

Who couldn't move, speak, or supposedly open her eyes.

He left her to go to work because he couldn't find a replacement.

Thank fucking God that when I finally got there she was just asleep, and she was just exhausted. But I still took her to urgent care because ???? Why the fuck would I not????

I hate my step father with every fibre of my being for other reasons, and now I hate him even more.

Edit:

Update: She's fine. Doctors said theres no sign of a stroke, and said she is just exhausted as well as her myasthenia gravis acting up. She's currently resting while I am keeping a very very close eye on her.

She had surgery to help deal with the gravis many years ago, but the damage its done is still affecting her.

Every 60 seconds in China, a minute passes--

--and at least 3 people post on this subreddit asking how to get into Riftbound.

Riftbound is a new TCG (Trading Card Game) that is attracting a huge crowd of people who have zero TCG experience. Since I have a metric ton of experience in TCGs, I've decided to do an updated version of my previous post on this same subject.

I'll be talking about a lot more than just "how to get into Riftbound," so if you're new to TCGs, this will be a good read for you.

#Actually getting into the game

There are many ways to get into Riftbound, but the best way is to go to Riftdecks.com, pick a decklist, and buy those cards on TCGplayer. (Or Cardmarket if you are in Europe) The best decks to select from are:

• Irelia (Protect the queen)

• Draven (Generic good stuff)

• Diana (Control)

• Vex (Control)

• Sivir (Combo)

• LeBlanc (Complex Combo)

• [Proving Grounds] Master Yi (Generic good stuff)

The next easiest way to get into Riftbound is to just buy a Preconstructed Deck from your local game store. (LGS) The available Precons are:

• Jinx (Discard synergy)

• Viktor (Token control)

• Rumble (Giving your opponent a free win)

• Fiora (Big units)

• Vi (Giving your opponent a free win, except now you're playing Vi rather than Rumble)

• Vex (Literally buy this one it is the best you have no idea)

As you play the game, you will get more product as a reward for coming to tournaments, regardless if you win or get absolutely murdered. You can use these cards to either upgrade your deck, build new decks, or trade to get cards to upgrade your deck.

You can also buy packs to add to your collection. Which is a good segwey to the next topic:

#Card Prices

Originally, getting product for Riftbound was an absolute chore since there was a product shortage. Thankfully, this issue has been resolved and we can all get cards. But there are some factors about the prices of the cards themselves that you should know about:

Firstly, new sets:

When a new set is released, the price of cards is going to be extremely inflated. This is because, at the moment, the only way to get these new cards is to fork over $30-$40 to enter a tournament. Because of this, new cards will always have insane prices for a few weeks after a sets release. This will happen every single set, with no exceptions. (Unless its a really bad set)

Secondly, card values:

The prices of cards is not a set monolith. Thousand Tailed Watched is about $20, but there is a definite possibility that will change in the future. The TCG market is a lot like the stock exchange. Cards will go up or down in value based on several factors, with the biggest one being playability.

Right now is a great time to pick up cards. The price of cards is the lowest they have ever been, which really opens up the possibilities of what deck you can play.

But, just like every hobby, this game is going to be a bit expensive. The average Riftbound deck will run you about $200 dollars, but this will shift wildly depending on what you choose to play. In the grand scheme, this is actually really cheap compared to other TCGs. Yugioh is about $300, Pokemon and One Piece are about $100, and Magic the Gathering is the most expensive at $800.

Thankfully, unlike most other hobbies, once you're done playing with your cards, you have the option of trading or even selling them to recoup your investment. So, while it is expensive to get into, you have a high chance of getting most of your money back.

#Playing in Tournaments

One of the things that comes with playing a TCG is the tournaments you will likely be attending. Nexus Nights is the one that occurs weekly and is the best way to practice playing. Pretty much everyone at a Nexus Night is just there to chill and have some fun. There's very little on the line, so cheating and rule sharking won't really occur. And if it does occur, it will be harshly shunned.

To enter a Nexus Night, it will cost you between $5-$15, and you will get packs upon entering. Then you will play 3-4 rounds, and get additional prizes based on how well you do. Most Nexus Nights occur at 6pm, but sometimes are held earlier on weekends.

A Summoner Skirmish is a high competitive event that occurs a few weeks before and after a new set release. This is where you put your skills to the test to get a free win at a Regional Qualifier as well as some promo cards. These tournaments generally cost $15-$20 to enter. Upon entering, you will be given a promo card and maybe some packs. Then you will play 4-5 rounds, after which the top 8 players will play an addition 2-3 rounds of elimination until the tournament is over.

Whether you go to a Nexus Night or Skirmish, you will want to bring with you:

• A legal deck (duh)

• Deckbox for your deck (if you wrap it with a rubber band and put it in your pocket, you'll probably be hung)

• A playmat

• Card sleeves (Seriously, you REALLY don't want your cards to get damaged. I staunchely recommend Katana sleeves because they shuffle very easily and last a long time)

• Dice (Five is more than enough)

• A way to track score (Dice will suffice, since putting a dice on your legend is the universal way to say how many points you have)

• Tokens that your deck might use (Especially if you're playing Viktor, Azir, or Lillia)

• A backpack to store all of this stuff in

• Your League of Legends account paired with a UVS account so you can actually play in the tournament (Your local store will help you if you have any trouble here)

• A positive attitude (I know it sounds corny, but a number of you are coming to tournaments and getting upset because you lost. It's just a game. There's very little on the line)

#Power Creep

Power creep is the incremental increase in power as more sets get released. A lot like how League of Legends has an issue with Complexity Creep, the incremental increase in complexity of each new champion.

There are two kinds of power creep:

• The intentional kind that is done to incentivize people to buy new product. (What Yugioh does)

• The accidental kind that occurs over time as developers get better at making new product. (The kind we want)

Power creep is a given fact of all games. It is practically impossible to avoid and is oftentimes not even worth complaining about unless its causing problems. (Which it isn't at the moment)

The thing that you need to understand is that, as new cards are released, cards that are super strong right now will fall by the wayside. Thousand Tailed Watcher isn't going to be an amazing card forever. Eventually, something will come out that satisfies a niche that it doesn't, which will cause people to play that new card over Watcher. This is a normal fact of the game, and Riot is not a bad developer for letting it happen.

#The Banlist

Currently, there are 7 cards banned:

• Called Shot

• Fight or Flight

• Draven Vanquisher

• Scrapheap

• Dreaming Tree

• Obelisk of Power

• Reaver's Row

That means there are 7 cards in existence that you cannot use in your deck. The number of cards on this list will absolutely increase as time goes on, since designing a game is extremely hard and Riot will make mistakes. Its not like League where they can just nerf a card. Riot has already stated they will not errata a card for power reasons, even though people continue to say that Draven's Legend should be errata'd.

The presence of a banlist is not a failing of Riot, or any game for that matter. No one is immune to making design mistakes. Riot broke them game once, and they will do it again. It happens. Riot playtests the cards they release, but it is a fact that, once those cards are released, we will do more playtesting in a day than they will do in 6 months.

People are already saying Vex Apathetic shouldn't have been printed. I'm going to tell you right now that is not a reason to flame Riot. Is she a design mistake? Maybe. But I will say, as a fellow designer, if the average person was designing cards, then we would be a lot worse off.

Also Vex Apathetic isn't even a broken card right now. She has plenty of counterplay.

#Conclusion

We may have had a rough start, but despite that, Riftbound is still rapidly growing. Riot has also made it abundantly clear that they are listening to us. I do really hope you newbies stick around, because we are in for a ride.

Cheers

Its insane to imagine that this Silver tier Augment is so strong. There is no situation where you would choose any Silver, Gold, and almost all Prismatic Augments, over it.

TLDR:

Use this model:

(Give out 1 Nexus Night pack for each $5 spent on entry. This in particular gives a higher chance of bringing people back each week, even if they get absolutely destroyed)

<11 people, 3 rounds, $10 entry:

3-0 ($30 store credit)

2-1 ($20 store credit /ea)

1-2(Nothing)

0-3 (Nothing

12+ people, 4 rounds, $10 entry:

4-0 ($60 store credit)

3-1 ($20 store credit /ea)

2-2 (Nothing)

1-3 (Nothing)

0-4 (Nothing)

Explanations are given in the post itself

Edit: Here's a model for more casual playerbases:

$6 entry with a nexus night pack on entering. This tournament must always be 3 rounds. Then, every win, they either get $6 store credit, or a pack. This model always breaks even for the store, and discourages draws.

End TLDR

Before I start, here's a little info about me. (Because otherwise people won't believe a word I say)

Years ago, I used to work for a company that was, in essence, Star City Games in Spain. I had many responsibilities, including event advertisements, sales, and calculating prizes. During my time there, I ran multiple large scale events.

End flex

Pre-release was last week. Every store was packed to capacity, and finding a store that had any space was an absolute chore. Seeing everyone pick up new cards and want to try new decks had me excited for when the set officially released. I have my new deck sleeved up and--

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WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE!?

For practically all card games, the most populous tournaments occur on the weekend. Despite this however, the most populated tournament that is near me today, Saturday, is a store 70 miles away with 13 people registered.

I live in a very populated area where card games are all the rage. There's Yugioh, Star Wars, Lorcana, Pokemon... and sort of Magic. (Commander is thriving while Competitive is dying) So finding a lively tournament shouldn't be hard whatsoever. But, pretty much all the tournaments in my general area have less than 8 people attending. Why are all the tournaments completely barren when everyone was just saying how they wanted to brew their new deck ideas?

Well, the list of reasons why is extremely long, but most of it boils down to:

-The tournaments aren't worth it.

Yes, when you sign up for a tournament, you get packs. If you do well, you get more packs. But that alone isn't enough to bring people into your store every week to play, especially for a new game. For other games in my area, all the biggest stores have a single thing in common:

-In addition to packs, you also get store credit for your wins.

I recently did a survey at many stores in my area, and most of them have tournament structures where the prize itself is just you coming in and playing the game with people around you, called Open Play. On paper, this is a good idea. Having a consistent place to play the game and meet new people is a good idea. But for a new game, its not enough. You need to give people an incentive to take time out of their weekend to play in your store.

Here's a tournament structure that will incentivize people to come to your store:

Most stores charge $10 to enter their weekly tournament. Assuming 8 people show up to your tournament, that's $80 in your pocket. After 3 rounds, there will be:

- One undefeated player

- Three players with 1 loss

- Three players with 2 losses

- One player with 3 losses.

(Assuming no one draws)

The standard prize payout for this is 1 Nexus Night pack per $5 spent to enter, $30 store credit for the undefeated player, and $20 for the players with 1 loss. That math adds up to a $10 loss to the store. That's not ideal, but unlike with handing out cash, store credit is a guaranteed sale to the store. Thankfully, this problem goes away the more people show up.

Once you hit 12 players at your tournament, you can run tournaments with 4 rounds, and things get infinitely easier from then on. After 4 rounds, your tournament standings will be:

- One undefeated player

- Three players with 1 loss

- Four players with 2 losses

- Three players with 3 losses

- One player with 4 losses

(Again, assuming there are no draws)

If you're charging $10 for entry, that's $120 in your pocket. The standard prize payout for this bracket is $60 for the undefeated player, and $20 for the players with 1 loss. That adds up to a $120 payout. But, again, since this is store credit and not cash, this essentially means you are getting $120 in guaranteed sales every week at minimum. Because of this it is in the store's best interest to attract as many people as feasibly possible.

It's also pretty standard to offer players their prizes in the form of extra packs at a rate of $5 winnings = 1 pack. (For example, if the undefeated player who got $60 wants to, they can either get 12 booster packs, or $60, or some kind of amalgamation of the two)

This model can also be used for Skirmishes.

I hope this helps bring more players to your shop!

Cheers!

Unlike GGEZ Teemo, which had a unique art to it, and the Proving Ground cards getting reprinted (with foil), the only thing that distinguishes this promo from the normal card is a God. Damn. Pun.

Meanwhile, China has an exclusive art of Rengar that we supposedly won't get.

If this was a meta card, it would be a different story. But it's not. It's a card for a legend that sees virtually no play.

There are so many cards that could be given chase promo status, but no. We get Lee Sin.

...

Why was the chase card here not Ultimate Baron Nashor!?

Getting a Legend unironically feels like getting only a single rare from Origins error packs.

They're not hard to find, and we always have a huge surplus once the set releases.

Seriously, Legends should not take up the rare slot.

Baron is currently $90.

Vilemaw is $80.

Card prices right now are insane because the only English Unleashed cards available are coming from pre-rift events. These prices will NOT stick and WILL go down.

Chinese Baron Nashors are going for between $15 and $30 on eBay.

Chinese Vilemaws are $15 to $20.

Remember when Defiant Dance was like $60? I sure do. And so does my wallet. Same with Spinning Axe. And Ezreal. And a lot of cards from Spiritforged.

They will go down. Just give it time. Don't pay scalper prices.