To be clear though, I think the current implementation in MtG is lacking from having way too few MDFCs, especially in any format outside standard.
I'd really like to see a game where you play ~60 cards, with ~15 pure lands and ~25 MDFCs.
IMO all the other play cards facedown implementations are just worse than Lands + MDFCs, because they all are just that without some design options, lorcana is missing cards that can only be inked, SW is missing non-generic mana, Duelmasters is missing non-basics.
Hard to call it a "success", because I think it's mostly opting out of the thing I'm trying to talk about here.
Still I think the consistent pattern I have is hating having a system but not meaningfully using it.
OP / HS are honest, and don't pretend to have a system, and I respect that a lot.
Formally got 2nd in a skirmish today (accepted a prize rearrangement in the finals)
Rented a car for the hunter burton. Contract specified that gas would be billed at 3.51 if the tank was not full on return.
Gas was 3.70 at a gas station when I was returning the car.
🤝
Went to HBMO, did fine at card games, saw old friends, had a great time.
Mtg still a bit lost in the sauce for me to get sweaty again, but I’ll probably show up to convenient events when I can.
I agree that called shot is a fucked card and needs to go, but I think the meta is bad, but tolerable and think if you ban called shot, it gets much worse because you only hit some of the busted purple decks.
Think its best to just deal with the rest of spiritforged, but ban it with set 3 release.
Don't mind the lack of riftbound bans, think its wise to keep that tool in the bag until completely necessary. Would probably precommit to banning Called shot upon the release of set 3. Buys some goodwill with a known end point, and I can't see it sticking around forever.
If you’re not a spike, great you can compete for these super cool and valuable promos!
If you are a spike but dislike the best deck, you can opt out of that issue without spewing your tournament!
Best of prizing is one of the best natural solutions to the ccg meta oroboros issue and the internet is mad about it.
I just think it should be a slightly flatter prizing with like 2nd place getting one of the prize wall versions. Maybe 3rd as well given the current prices
NGL the bean counters are not inspiring much confidence in me these days.
Can't help but be suspicious that the 2XKO announcement is the result of a bean counter over-correcting from the mistakes made on LoR.
Going to the Hunter Burton Memorial Open this year.
It's got events for Magic, Fab, Lorcana, and Riftbound this year and for some of those games it might be flying under the radar.
hunterburtonmemorialopen.com/2026-event-d...
I think there's a valid criticism about the frequency of day 0 errata, though I'd give them a pass for now because of how early on we are
Pretty different between making a decision to change how a card works and just being a bit sloppy on templating (e.g. forgetting end of turn)
Yes you can memorize how these interact with dreaming tree / responding to have no legal targets / sett / phoenix.
It's not impossible to learn them, but I don't think there's an upside to having them be weird and an unpleasant gotcha for people learning.
I like the falling star / rain change.
Particularly this early on, I don't see why you wouldn't take the opportunity to clear up a messy rules situation.
If something is messy because it has to be, that's part of card games, but these were messy for no real point.
Lost 2 games of competitive riftbound total so far, and they’re both to the same guy.
Much to think about
I played another skirmish and lost in the finals.
I am thrilled to announce a new partnership with legion rearguard.
Kai’sa and Viktor are the main ones.
Won a skirmish
Coming from Lor has put a gremlin in my skull that is extremely unhelpful in riftbound.
See this line that it HELPFULLY produced at 2 mana:
“We have lethal, thermo the deadbloom wanderer and take both battlefields”
Riftbound deck lists are so hard when you see stupify and your brain says heavy metal
Don’t see much reason it would shift dramatically in either direction.
I dunno if I would push to change anything with this in the rules, but I don't like having the inconvenience from it, but not doing anything with the design space created from that inconvenience.
Maybe let people sideboard G1? Since you see the legend.
Main, Side, Rune, Legend, Champion, Locations.
I really don't find the rune deck to be worth the hassle right now. 2 omni-color tokens would be mostly the same.
Your chosen champion must be the same as your maindeck, but that doesn't come up enough feel worthwhile.
Riftbound is a fun game, and most of my complaints are basically, they didn't nail stuff on the first set, which while valid, isn't really fair to complain about.
I have one complaint that I think is fair though - It is logistically annoying to manage 6 different "decks".
If there wasn't the supply issues going on I'd just bite the bullet and grumble. Feels so bad buying really expensive cards that I think won't stay good in further metas, while I think they're extremely inflated in price.
Kai'sa
A: Good deck
B: I think I'm more likely to play the expensive cards it wanted in the future.
I actually skipped on the stuff that I'm not convinced I'll use in the future thats pricey (like time warp)