Riot Games is rolling out Vendetta, the fourth expansion for Riftbound, its League of Legends trading card game. The set introduces three fresh mechanics that reshape how players build decks and manage their resources during matches. At Riot's headquarters, I tested the new two-player Zed vs. Shen Showdown Deck alongside Jon Moormann, senior designer on the project, who walked me through the strategy behind each mechanic.
Empower is a turn-based ability that lets you spend runes or trigger a condition to unlock an upgraded effect on a unit. When activated, the unit gains an additional benefit beyond its baseline text. Take the Legend Akali: her standard Action reads, "If it's your turn, move a friendly unit in a showdown to base." Empower her by exhausting three runes and recycling one, and that same Action now adds "and if I'm Empowered, ready it."
Moormann described Empower as a way to give colors with limited card draw additional tools for developing their board. Instead of sitting idle with runes but no cards to play, you convert that resource into a board upgrade. Orange (Body) cards carry the bulk of Empower effects, and several new Legends including Ambessa, a red and yellow hybrid, make heavy use of the mechanic. Even Zed's kit features Empowered versions of his abilities.
"They have a base version of their ability, and at some point in the game, you get to upgrade it to the superpowered version," Moormann explained. "Your Legend is a little weaker in the early game, but you can make an investment to make it better."
Burn forces you to put cards from the top of your deck into your trash, with some cards allowing you to inflict this on your opponent as well. Flow, the third new keyword, lets you play cards directly from your trash for a reduced Flow cost, then banish them afterward. The two work in tandem: Flow essentially rewards you with free cards if your deck is built around Burn or discard effects.
"Flow works really well with anything that lets you Burn or Discard because it's basically just free cards," Moormann said.
Zed's inclusion in the Showdown Deck showcases all three mechanics in action. The design team spent significant time playtesting Zed alongside Jinx to ensure the new Legend didn't overshadow the existing champion. "Zed is very strong, but also Jinx gets stronger, which, I'm not sad to see," Moormann noted. The purple Jinx variant, Rebel, readies and gains plus-one when a card is discarded. Her red counterpart, Demolitionist, discards two upon entering play, creating natural synergy with Burn and Flow strategies.
Red Rumble, Hotheaded, also benefits from the new mechanics, particularly when paired with the Minefield battlefield. "Minefield gets way better in this set because if I'm running a bunch of Flow cards, I'm very happy to get to take two shots at drawing them," Moormann explained.
Two Decks, Two Playstyles
The Zed vs. Shen Showdown Deck arrives as the first of its kind in Vendetta, retailing for $34.99 and containing two complete 56-card preconstructed decks with runes, Champion Legends, and battlefields included. The box also packs two Vendetta booster packs.
Zed, Master of Shadows, plays the aggressor. The red and purple Legend wants to burn through his deck rapidly, flooding the trash with cards for Flow effects to convert into offense. Shadow Clone tokens fuel his attack strategy, turning discards into direct board pressure.
Shen, Eye of Twilight, takes the opposite approach. The yellow and green Legend specializes in defensive holds, but with a specific twist: instead of cramming as many units as possible into a battlefield, Shen rewards exactly two units standing together. Both of his Champion Units trigger bonus effects when holding with exactly one other ally. The yellow Shen, Leader of the Kinkou Order, scores an additional point for the duo defense. His green variant, Scourge of the Shadows, draws a card.
"Zed wants to go in and hit fast, Shen wants to sit back and protect the point with a friend," Moormann summed up.
I played a single match as Zed against Moormann's Shen, and the difference in complexity became immediately apparent. Coming off a sealed deck run with an aggressive Pyke build, I expected to dominate, but Shen's Hold strategy proved harder to crack than anticipated. My attempts to overwhelm his defenses failed when I couldn't replace units fast enough for a second assault. Worse, I occasionally burned or discarded cards that would have been crucial later, though the thrill of playing from the trash when it worked justified the risk.
Shen felt more forgiving for someone unfamiliar with the card pool, while Zed clearly harbors deeper combo potential that required more familiarity with the list to unlock. That said, the preconstructed decks felt evenly matched in their current state. Both excel at their intended strategy, making them ideal for friends to swap and learn which archetype resonates with them.
Together, the two decks explore most of Riftbound's existing mechanics alongside the new ones: Tank, Shield, Assault, Ambush, movement triggers, and the fresh Empower, Burn, and Flow systems. It's a comprehensive entry point for new players.
Vendetta hits stores on July 31 with more than 160 cards, 50 Showcase variants, and nine Champion Legends, setting a new bar for future expansions. Prerelease events begin July 24 at local game stores and offer a beginner-friendly way to experience the set early. Riot's approach to simultaneous worldwide release marks a shift in how the company supports its card game globally.
Author Emily Chen: "Empower could be the mechanic that finally gives slower strategies a fighting chance against the endless grind of card advantage games."
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