With Riftbound’s second set, Spiritforged on the horizon, the meta is about to experience a huge shake-up. We’ve seen this in practice already, since the set has been out in China since December 12.
They recently had their first Regional Qualifier in Fuzhou, and the new meta is slowly shaping up into a Draven-filled wasteland, but it’s far from solved.
There are still plenty of cards from the previous set, Origins, to keep an eye on as things evolve that will still be big players when the new cards come out. Spiritforged releases February 13.
Top 10 Riftbound Origins Cards to Get Before Spiritforged Is Out
10. Nocturne, Horrifying
Nocturne, Horrifying
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Players have been trying to make Nocturne work in decks like Teemo, Strategist and Yasuo, Unforgiven thanks to cards like Stacked Deck since the game came out. It sadly hasn’t been the most consistent, but there are a few Spiritforged inclusions that could make this guy the real deal.
9. Viktor, Innovator
Viktor, Innovator
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The newest boogeyman of the Spiritforged meta is easily Draven, Glorious Executioner. With Spiritforged, there are a handful of great new Yellow and Blue tools to make a unitless Viktor control deck viable, and it has a decent match up into Draven.
8. Stacked Deck
Stacked Deck
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Stacked Deck has been, and will continue to be, one of the best cards in the game. It’s currently sitting under $4 on TCGPlayer, so I’d recommend picking up a playset now before it goes again, especially since Purple is poised to likely warp the format around it.
7. Fiora, Victorious
Fiora, Victorious
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The new Legend Fiora, Grand Duelist recently placed second in the over 500-player Fuzhou Regionals in China, and Fiora, Victorious was that player’s Chosen Champion. Not only does it have a good rate with its cost and Might, but it also synergizes well with the rest of the deck and helps ramp with the Legend.
6. Salvage
Salvage
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You may already have a few Salvages in your collection since it’s an uncommon and less than a buck, but with Spiritforged bringing tons of new equipment cards into the mix, gear removal is at a premium. Drawing a card is nice, too.
5. Divine Judgment
Divine Judgment
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Another card that slots nicely into that unitless Viktor deck mentioned earlier, as leaving your opponent with reduced resources while you can still develop a boardstate is crucial. I can see Divine Judgment seeing more play as time goes on, especially since it continues to drop in price.
4. Whiteflame Protector
Whiteflame Protector
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Master Yi, Honed was the other top deck during the Origins meta, thanks in part to cards like Whiteflame Protector. With Spiritforged, Master Yi continues to put up good numbers, and our favorite shiny white dragon is no longer in the $80+ range.
3. Sabotage
Sabotage
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I’ve included Sabotage for the same reason as Salvage, as it may prove invaluable to remove equipment early. But Spiritforged is bringing along a host of new spells that aim to disrupt your game plan, so you should disrupt theirs first with this.
2. Brynhir Thundersong
Brynhir Thundersong
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Players got wise to how good Brynhir is a bit late during the Origins meta, but I wouldn’t be shocked if people are packing one to two of this tempo-breaking card once Spiritforge drops.
1. Seal of Discord
Seal of Discord
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It’s no secret that, even in Origins, Purple was the best color. With the release of Spiritforged, the color gets a ton of new powerful cards the synergize well with this unassuming little gear. Cards like Ezreal, Prodigy and Called Shot take advantage of the semi-free Power cost, and some Draven lists are running the maximum number of Seal of Discord to elevate their gameplan.
Riftbound Spiritforged Products
Click the items below to get your Riftbound Spiritforged cards from TCGPlayer, although unfortunately at a significantly inflated price compared to MSRP. You can get single booster packs, booster boxes, and the two new Champion decks.
Myles Obenza is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow him on Bluesky @mylesobenza.bsky.social.
