Adding cards is the fun part. Cutting them is the skill.

Every deckbuilder I know can name ten cards they'd love to jam into their list. Ask which ones they'd drop to make room, and you get a long pause.

That's the thread this week. With Riftbound's last Regional Qualifier wrapped in LA, Daniel Zidenberg sorts through what Riot should keep and what it should cut. Then Sackphase argues that sideboarding starts with the cards you can live without, not the ones you're bringing in.

Let's get into it.

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Magic has never rewarded you for loyalty to a bad deck. Riftbound does, and it's only one of the things Riot got right. Here's what it didn't, from a player who's been to almost every Regional Qualifier.

By Daniel Zidenberg

Riftbound is constantly shattering records for event attendance and set releases, drawing in both fans of League of Legends as well as seasoned TCG veterans. As someone who’s attended every Regional Qualifier since the inception of the game, I’m one of five people uniquely qualified to discuss everything they’re doing right, everything they’re doing wrong, and anything in between.

One of the best aspects of Riftbound is the depth of play when you approach the high end of competitive play. There are midgame turns where you want to calculate several possible combat lines based on the interaction spells your opponent is holding up. This could be as simple as two possible interactions, or as complex as five or six different combinations of one or two cost interaction spells. This can be overwhelming for a new player walking in, but it’s such a rewarding experience for anyone who wants to push themselves to the limit and outskill their opponent.

There are some exceptions to this strategic depth, though. As the pool of cards becomes larger, the format is starting to trend towards strategies that offer no meaningful options for fighting back. One example is Irresistible Faefolk in combination with the battlefield Star Spring. In both Rengar and Kha’zix, this start often results in multiple turn passes and being unable to take any actions to fight back. I would like to see this combination addressed in some way, as I think it’s a bad look for both new and experienced players to feel like they’re unable to play the game. Stellacorn Herder and Dazzling Aurora represent similar problems, although they come later in the game and the metagame has warped around beating these cards. It’s rare you’ll see a tier 1 deck running fewer than four pieces of gear hate for Dazzling Aurora after side board, and Stellacorn is often fought by enacting your own unfair game plan. While this problem hasn’t yet hampered the diversity of the format, I’d like to see some proactive measures taken in design to reduce the number of non-games people end up playing.  

On a slightly different note, the Best-Of prizing at Showdowns, Regional Qualifiers, and the Regional Championships may be the single best prizing idea that any TCG has implemented since the introduction of serialized cards. In most card games you’re obligated to play one of the top contenders in the format or face a severe disadvantage. In Riftbound, if you are in love with a specific character or playstyle you’re able to play it for three sets before it rotates out. This is especially great for players who come from League, where they might want to replay their one-trick in Riftbound and still have a shot at meaningful prizing regardless of how strong the Legend is. 

I do think there is one exception to the excellent system of Best-Of prizing: it often feels lackluster to place highly in an event without achieving that major win. In most events prior to the most recent season, there was little prizing on the way up to the top, a small amount of cash that was later supplemented with prize wall tickets and a promo. Moving forward into future seasons, there should be something guaranteed for everyone who makes Day Two. Going 6-2 on Day One is already a feat in itself, offering no reward unless you also go 4-1 or better on Day Two feels like quite a high requirement. I do think they’re moving in the right direction, but I’d like to see some additional prizing rewards for Day Two, and more popular promos for every event where you’re lucky enough to make Top 8. 

On the opposite note, the collector’s market in this game is a huge win. Every single pack you open has a shot at a premium Signature legend worth hundreds or thousands. In the same vein, the Best-Of and Plated Legends offer a high-end collectible that only previously existed in games like One Piece. For a player that performs well at a Showdown or during the side events at a Regional Qualifier, these offer a meaningful chase item you can take home and keep as a kind of trophy. 

Speaking of Showdowns, this is an area where Riftbound seems to truly excel. It’s rare for a TCG to support the grassroots events so substantially. Several SCG events prior to the introduction of the Showdown series were reportedly losing money, and if that trend continued, they may have ceased to offer the event altogether. With the introduction of Plated Legends, the 25k at SCG Baltimore nearly capped out on attendance, a stark contrast to some of the prior events. This support for the intermediate series of the game is a huge win for players, while also being a lower cost to Riot than simply paying out the prize pool on these events. 

Most of all, though, Riot’s Riftbound division seems to be receptive to feedback. Prior to the Regional Qualifier in Los Angeles, following substantial public dissatisfaction, actions were taken against two of the power outlier decks in the format - Kennen and Lux. In addition, at the Barcelona event, where many players were unable to attend the Pre-Regional Qualifier, they opened up additional spots. As a player who got in on the second wave, and otherwise would’ve been doing little to nothing on Friday, I cannot stress enough how much of a difference it was to have five hundred additional people with the opportunity to play. 

Since we’re on the topic of community feedback, I want to talk about one of the things that still needs some work. Many players have complained about the difficulty of getting tickets to attend their local Regional Qualifier. This is a difficult problem to solve, as the lack of available tickets is directly tied to the popularity of the game as a whole. That being said, it seems Riot is working on this issue. They are continuously updating how players acquire tickets, whether it’s guaranteeing invites through the Showdown series or increasing venue sizes to offer more tickets online. While this issue may affect a ton of players, as we’ve seen with One Piece, this has not necessarily prevented continued growth in other TCGs. To reiterate, this problem exists because so many people want to play and attend these major events, it’s a good problem to have. 

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Most players build their side deck by asking what beats the matchup. The better question starts with the deck you already have.

By Sackphase

Side decking (or side boarding) is the source of confusion for many players. I believe players are often thinking incorrectly about what to include in their side deck and how to side deck. 

I’m here to help you understand what’s actually important and change your viewpoints on siding. While this article will be using examples from Yugioh, I believe these concepts can be applied to any card game that uses a side deck.

This question is a hard question because there’s no right answer. I hear people give advice on side decking and try to answer this question with an arbitrary answer. 

“That deck should never side in more than 5 cards.” 

“You should side in as many cards as possible for your bad matchups”

Instead ask yourself: “How many cards can I take out?”

Not only will this mindset make you realize which cards are not needed in the matchup, it will also help you realize which cards are integral to your deck and help you create a better deck overall. You can then tell yourself that you can put in X amount of cards for X matchup. Only then, should you try to make a side deck. 

I’m sure you have found yourself wanting to side in more cards than you can take out. You do not want to be in that situation.

Now you might be asking how to determine which cards are not necessary in your deck. When siding you are trying to configure your deck to have the best combination of cards you have available. This is hard to do, especially when there are so many matchups to consider and each matchup plays differently. There are some guidelines I would like you to consider though when thinking about the best combination.

Hamster vs. Cyber Dragon going 1st/2nd

This is probably the easiest part for most people. However, there are still questions I believe many do not consider.

I hope this article changes and challenges your views on how to side and your side deck choices. Thanks for reading!

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