Testing Start of Game Rules

We’ve had an exciting first year of Riftbound, and we’ve learned a lot within the last year. One thing hasn't changed—we’re committed to adapting to make the game better and more engaging for everybody. 

With that said, going first in turn order currently has a higher win rate than we would like, and along with the upcoming templating and rules overhaul planned for Legacy, we want to further improve the Riftbound playing experience by potentially making some adjustments here as well. We’ve landed on three possible changes that will get us closer to a 50% win rate split between going first and second. 

In order to evaluate which solution is best, we’ll be testing some new rules at events worldwide (outside of premier tournaments).

Is this a rules update? Do I have to follow the stuff in this article at my Nexus Night, or in my next match at Regionals?

No. Right now, we’re playtesting changes at select events to even out the win rate between going first vs. going second. 

Some of these changes may be finalized as part of Riftbound’s core ruleset, but we’re looking to get more data on which of our possible solutions works best before we make that call.

So, what are the changes you’re testing?

The current problem: going first in turn order has a higher win rate than we would like. This means that channeling an extra Rune—our current bonus for going second in turn order, or “go-second advantage”—isn’t enough of a boost to balance out the inherent advantage of going first.

Here’s what we’ll be testing to address this. Again, this is just a test for now. We’ll determine what changes make it to Riftbound’s actual ruleset after testing is finished.

1. We’re changing turn order decisions to occur before Battlefields are selected. After battlefields are selected, sideboarding occurs if applicable, and then Battlefields are revealed.
   1. We want the choice to go first or second to be a solid commitment before your opponent's Battlefield is disclosed.
   2. In best-of-threes you will now be able to make every battlefield choice with the knowledge of who is going first or second.
   3. In best-of-one battlefield selection will remain random, but you will know which of your battlefields was selected before sideboarding. Your opponent’s will be revealed after sideboarding. 
   4. This means sideboarding decisions can be made with full knowledge of your turn order and your battlefield. This eliminates the added layer of considering your card selection and battlefield without knowing whether or not your opponent will choose to go first or second in the latter rounds of a best-of-three.
2. We’re adding another perk to the go-second advantage. While playtesting these new rules, the player who goes second will get one of the following, in addition to channeling three Runes on their first turn:
   1. They will start at 1 point. Or,
   2. They will draw an extra card. Or,
   3. They will predict before their first draw.

Basically, we’re investigating whether card advantage, card quality, or points will most impact the win rate on going first vs. going second. Event staff will communicate clearly before each event whether A, B, or C will be tested. 

Each of these proposed solutions has their own advantages and disadvantages, and we’d love to break down some of the thoughts behind each of them. 

Start at 1 point

The core disadvantage to going second is that you’re behind on point-scoring opportunities. In this world, the first player would start the game ahead on board development because they take the first turn, but the second player would be ahead on points as a counterbalance. This is the most extreme change that we’re interested in, but we think it’s valuable to test a change that directly interacts with the scoring system that is central to the going first advantage.

Draw an extra card

Having more cards than your opponent is an advantage in a card game, and many card games give an extra card to the player who goes second. This makes it more likely that the second player has the card they need when they need it, and the extra material also gives them an advantage in games that go long and come down to attrition. 

We explored the idea of taking away the first player’s draw on their first turn, but ultimately decided it would create too large of a change in how players needed to build their decks. Giving the second player an extra card draw keeps deckbuilding incentives fairly similar and rhymes nicely with giving them an extra Rune, so we’ve chosen to test this version.

Predict before first draw

This is a softer version of the previous rule. If getting a whole extra card is too much, we think it could be enough to let the second player control their first draw based on their opponent’s choice of Battlefield and first turn play. We think that the whole extra card is a more straightforward solution, but this is an alternative that we’d like to test in case the extra card ends up being too strong.

What does this look like in practice?

Here’s how you’ll start your games if you’re in a playtest session. (Also, with these proposed rules, the start of game procedure will be more closely aligned between best-of-one and best-of-three formats.)

Best-of-three

1. Decide which player will go first or second. 
2. Select Battlefields, and place them facedown.
3. Sideboard (in the second and third games). 
4. Reveal Battlefields. 
5. Mulligan.
6. Going first player channels 2, and draws 1.
7. Going second player channels 3. Then they Predict 1, or draw an extra card, or start with 1 point. (New)

Best-of-one

1. Decide which player will go first or second. 
2. Randomly select Battlefields.
3. Look at your own Battlefield, keeping it hidden from the opponent. (New)
4. Sideboard. 
5. Reveal Battlefields. 
6. Mulligan.
7. Going first player channels 2, and draws 1.
8. Going second player channels 3. Then they Predict 1, or draw an extra card, or start with 1 point. (New)

In both best-of-one and best-of-three, you will now be able to sideboard with the knowledge of your own Battlefield and turn order, but not your opponent’s Battlefield. 

Where will the playtests happen?

We’ll be testing these adjustments at events worldwide outside of our premier tournaments. You can expect to see playtests at:

• Radiance season City Tournaments in China.
• Friday and Sunday Standard Challenges at the upcoming European Regional Championship in Stuttgart.

We’ll be in touch with tournament officials about the logistics, and the rules being tested will be communicated to all participants attending the events. 

If you are interested in testing these rules out in local or casual games, we encourage you to do so! We’ve got eyes across the community, and will monitor conversation and feedback. That said, you’re not required to change anything about the way you play until we make an official rules update. Skirmishes, Showdowns and other high OPL events should not playtest these rules unless directly communicated to Tournament Organizers. 

Why playtest at events?

Testing rules changes at larger scale events gives us a much bigger pool of data to work from. With way more players testing these changes, we can get a much better idea of which solutions bring us closer to a 50% win rate split between going first and second. 

Beyond the numbers, we want to make sure these proposed solves feel good to play with as well, and that’s where your feedback comes in! 

When will the playtested rules actually be in effect globally?

We’re planning to analyze and dive deeper into the data from the Radiance season to make a decision leading into the launch of our sixth set, Legacy. 

You can expect an official rules adjustment (or an announcement that there will be no changes) to be included in our Patch Notes for Legacy, along with our reasoning and findings. The community is incredibly important to us, and as we make these changes to help Riftbound grow, we’re excited to bring everyone along for the ride and include your input to help make the game we all love even better.