Rarities
Common: Costs 100 shards to craft (or a Common Wildcard).
Rare: Costs 300 shards to craft (or a Rare Wildcard).
Epic: Costs 1200 shards to craft (or an Epic Wildcard).
Champion: Costs 3000 shards to craft (or a Champion Wildcard).
Wildcards can be exchanged to craft any desired card, as long as they are of the same rarity.
Effects/ Keywords
Main Keywords
Allegiance
The bonus effect is granted if this card and the top card of your deck are both from the same region.
Attune
Aura
A passive effect that affects the board or even players’ hand as long as it is present on the Board (which includes both the Bench and Battlefield).
Barrier
A shield that protects the unit from the next damage source
- Cannot be stacked and is gone after that round ends.
- Cannot block the pierce damage from Overwhelm units, only protects the defending unit from taking damage.
- Barrier effect is calculated before the Tough Effect
Can’t Block
An effect that prevents a unit from blocking, however, the unit usually has relatively good stats or effects, and can still attack.
Challenger
Can choose which enemy unit blocks by dragging opponent into blocking position, facing the challenging unit.
- Challenger units can force units who Can’t Block to defend against them.
- If a unit has Challenger even though it has less than 3 attack, it can still force Fearsome units to defend against it.
- When a unit has Challenger effect, they can force any unit to block, even Elusive units.
Deep
Double Attack
Allows the unit to attack twice during combat phase — once as Quick Attack and once as standard attack.
- Quick attack is done before standard attack. Enemy units whose health are dropped to 0 after being Quick attacked won’t be able to standard attack in return, thus, the quick attacker takes no damage after combat.
- Units with Double Attack or Quick Attack can destroy blockers or remove Barriers without receiving damage in retaliation.
- Units with Double Attack that destroy blockers after Quick Attacking won’t attack again.
- Only Attacking the enemy Nexus directly, will the unit hit twice.
- Effect ONLY active during Attacking Turn.
Drain
Deal damage to target and heal the allied Nexus.
- Even though the Barrier effect protects the unit from taking damage, the caster’s Nexus is still healed by the same amount of drain damage mentioned.
Elusive
Can only be blocked by another Elusive unit.
- The blocking/defense action still takes place even if a non-Elusive unit is suddenly given Elusive.
- Swapping the positions of units might probably have a non-Elusive unit could end up blocking an Elusive unit
- Can be forced to be challenged by units with Challenger effect.
Enlightened
When you meet the condition of having 10 max Mana, Enlightened cards will gain their permanent effects.
Ephemeral
Units that die after striking or when the round ends, but often have surprising effects and combos!
Fearsome
Can only be blocked by enemies with 3 or more Power.
- Fearsome units can still be pulled by Challenger units with less than 3 attack
Fleeting
Cards that disappear from hand when the round ends.
Frostbite
Set a unit’s Power to 0 this round (it can be changed after).
- Frostbitten units’ power can still be buffed through effects/spells.
Immobile
Last Breath
These abilities take effect when the unit dies (Same as Death Rattle from Hearthstone).
Level Up
After a Champion card has met the requirements to Level Up, they transform into a more powerful form at Burst Speed (Immediately right after conditions are met), with better stats and bonus effects. In addition, other copies of the Champion cards in the Deck, Hand and Graveyard are all upgraded as well.
- The Level Up effect is permanent, once the transformation occurs, returning the card to hand or sending it to the graveyard won’t affect the outcome.
- Ex: Tryndamere → ( 8 ATK / 4 HP ) ”Level Up: If I would die, I Level Up instead.” Which means when his health drops to 0, he instantly revives, upgrades himself to 9 ATK / 9 HP, and gains his bonus effect of Fearsome.
Lifesteal
Damage this unit deals, whether towards enemy units or the enemy Nexus, heals the ally Nexus that amount.
- If the Life stealing unit battles an enemy with Barrier, the allied Nexus won’t heal, as the damaged dealt was blocked / 0.
Obliterate
Completely removed from the game. Doesn’t cause Last Breath and can’t be revived.
- Cards drawn after the hand exceed 10 cards, are Obliterated.
- Units summoned when the Combat Zone has 6 units / Full, are Obliterated.
Overwhelm
Excess damage dealt to the opposing blocker is pierced to the Enemy Nexus.
- Doesn’t work when the unit with Overwhelm effect is blocking.
Quick Attack
Quick attack is done before standard attack. Enemy units whose health are dropped to 0 after being Quick attacked won’t be able to standard attack in return, thus, the quick attacker takes no damage after combat.
- Units with Double Attack or Quick Attack can destroy blockers or remove Barriers without receiving damage in retaliation.
Rally
If you don’t have one, gain the attack token. You can attack this round.
Regeneration
Heals fully at the start of each round.
Scout
Support
Attacking with a support unit will buff the unit to its right.
- The effect takes place only in the Combat Zone (Not on the field bench)
- Once placed on the Combat Zone, the effect takes place even after the supporting unit is dead.
Tough
Takes 1 less damage from all / each sources.
- Tough effect is calculated after the Barrier
Vulnerable
Tier of Card Keywords
Triggering Effects
Attack
An effect that triggers when the unit attacks during combat.
Death
When a unit is reduced to 0 health or is otherwise killed, it is removed from play and triggers any on-unit death effects such as Last Breath.
Imbue
Ability of units that triggers when a spell is cast.
Nexus Strike
An effect occurs when a unit Strikes the enemy Nexus.
Play
An effect that occurs only when a card is played from Hand.
Strike
An effect occurs when unit deals damage with their Power. Doesn’t work for units with 0 Power.
Trap
Attaches to another card, trapping it. When the trapped card is drawn, perform the effect.
- Traps can stack on the same card multiple times, depending on RNG.
Trigger
When you meet the condition, the effect is triggered.
- Included in unit effects usually with the description of: “Start of Round”, “End of Round”, or “When …”.
Spell Type Effects
Capture
A Captured card is removed from the game. It returns when the Capturing unit leaves play.
- A unit with descriptions of a “Everywhere” effect, will NOT be affected when Captured.
Recall
Return a unit to hand and remove all effects (Buffs and De-buffs) applied to it.
- The effect takes place before any other damage or Buffs / De-buffs.
Skill
A spell-like effect created and cast by unit.
Stun
Remove a unit from combat. It can’t attack or block for the rest of the round.
- Challenger units can pull Stunned units in to block.
- Spell effects can still make Stunned units attack.
Other Effects
Strongest
Effects target Strongest units by looking at ones with the Highest Power > Highest Health > Highest Cost.
Weakest
Effects target Weakest units by looking at ones with the Least Power > Least Health > Lowest Cost.
Units
Champions
- One of the unit cards that a player can own in Legends of Runeterra. Compared to Followers, they are much more powerful and have complex mechanics. Because of that, decks often build around champions.
A player can own duplicates of a champion, however, when the champion is active on board, their copies will transform into special spells, with a unique addition action: “Shuffle a copy of the champion card into the player deck.”
Champions can level up, by fulfilling their level up requirements. Level up usually gives the champion card better stats and bonus abilities. Once leveled up, copies of that champion played later are also the leveled up version.
In normal game mode, a player can have at most 6 champions in their decks. These cards can be different champions, or duplicates of a champion. Just like other cards, a player can have at most 3 duplicates of one champion.
Followers
- Are the second type of unit cards that a player can own in Legends of Runeterra. However, unlike Champion cards that have the highest rarity, they are divided into 3 rarities: Common, Rare, and Epic. Since they are relatively less powerful, decks often build around Champions and have the followers support them.
A player can have at most 3 duplicates of one follower in card collection, and unlike champion cards, duplicates of follower cards are allowed on the board at the same time.
Spells
Spell Stack: If a player plays a Slow or Fast spell, a spell stack starts. Each player then takes turn playing Fast or Burst spells until one player doesn’t play a spell and passes.
Slow Spells
Cannot be played during combat or in response to another spell. A spell stack/chain starts when a spell is cast, and the opponent are able to react to the spell, or maybe even negate it.
Fast Spells
Can be played at any time during a player’s turn, the opponent are able to react to the spell, or maybe even negate it.
Burst Spells
Trigger immediately without progressing the spell stack. Which means players won’t be interrupted by their opponent at all during the burst spell casts, that is, as long as the timer doesn’t run out and player has enough Mana. Therefore, only after players end the series of burst spells, do the opponents finally then get the opportunity to react in the spell stack.
When a player doesn’t play a spell and passes during a spell stack, the stack stops and resolves. The spell animation then starts to run in the order of cast sequence.
Always make sure to check the Oracle’s Eye to view how the current spell stack will resolve, as it can sometimes reveal Spell combinations and Keywords that you may not have taken into account.
