Set in the same world as Riot Gaming studio’s classic, the League of Legends, this new game sets a standard too high for any other online collectible card game to beat anytime soon. It took 6 years before anyone could produce an OCCG that could match up to the standard set by Blizzard’s Hearthstone. In all sincerity, having seen a couple of attempts to recreate Hearthstone with little or no success, I least expected the League of Legends themed game to do any better. The card game successfully integrates themes from both Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering. It finds a balance between both games, applying a little from each without losing its uniqueness.

Despite being set in the much too familiar world of Runeterra from League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra still holds its novelty such that newbies can get initiated into the world of collectible card gaming. People with some level of experience in the genre would be quick to draw some similarities and dissimilarities between Legends of Runeterra and Hearthstone. For instance, much like Hearthstone, Runeterra is very straightforward; yet still, it has some added elements that make it more complex than Hearthstone. 

The goal of the game is for players to face-off against each other to the death using cards heroes. Both players are equipped with a 40-card deck, these cards are preselected before the game begins and a player is allowed to change the card in his deck before the commencing the game. Then the players each take turns to launch attacks and to defend or respond to the opponent’s attack. The battle goes back and forth until one person’s health is completely depleted. For each move and before a card can be used, mana must be spent. Different cards cost different amounts of mana. Much like in Hearthstone, you are gifted with an additional mana each new round.

The gameplay in Legend of Runeterra is designed to look like a dialogue between the parties. Each player has the opportunity to launch an attack and the other gets to chose how to respond to the other party’s attack, this back and forth goes on till both of the players are out of options or have passed. After this is exhausted, the second round begins with the offender becoming the defender this time. The cycle continues till one player’s Nexus runs out of energy. 

Not all the cards are the same nor do they possess the same powers. The cards are divided into Units and Spells. A Unit consists of Champions and Followers while the Spells could either be Slow Spells, Fast Spells or Burst Spells. The Units are used for fighting in the fields while the Spell cards are single-use cards with special powers. The Champions are the most powerful units with the ability to upgrade their powers while followers are not so powerful and cannot level-up. Slow spells can only be used in the offensive, while Fast Spell card can be used in response to Slow spells and fast spells. Burst spells can be used in response to all spells at no action cost.

Let’s take a minute to talk a little bit more about Champions—my favorite unit. Champions are, like I said, the most powerful units there are. They have the ability to not only level-up in the middle of a match but also to take on new abilities as they go. Even at death, a Champion can still be very useful. If your Champion dies with a used spell, the spell turns into the Champion card that had just been killed, allowing you to reuse the card as a field soldier. 

One impressive feature peculiar to the Legends of Runeterra, which you would not find in other games within its genre, is its user-friendliness. The game contains Challenges which serve as tutorial sessions to help work you through and acclimatize you with the Champions and their abilities. The Challenges begin with a telling of the history and evolution of each of the Champion card. These Challenges always help to acquaint you with the ropes of using Champions and their accompanying units.

The game is built to finance itself. The in-game economics is such that you may never need to spend actual money on in-game purchases. This is not to say that there is no option to buy coins with real money, but this is just if you want things to be really fast. However, under normal circumstances, you might not need that, because the game is very generous with incentives as you play your gradually fill up your weekly vault with cards and other things. This is one edge Legend of Runeterra has over a lot of other gaming applications that make you buy coins with real money.

One might think that by being a card-based game, there is no need to pay attention to aesthetics. However, the developers do not share this sentiment as the interface is colorful and beautiful. 

The oracle eye helps you to predict the possible turn of events and the consequence of the card you are seeking to play. 

In closing, this game is all about striking a balance. It strikes a balance between giving fans of Online Collectible Card Games something familiar and bringing something unique into the genre. It also ensures the match between players features a balanced dialogue of strategies. It pushes its quest for balance further by ensuring that the back and forth between players doesn’t linger for too long. Whether you are a veteran player of OCCGs or a neophyte, Legends of Runeterra is a perfect way to enjoy the beautiful world of collectible card gaming.