Riftbound’s competitive scene is taking its first steps! The Houston Regional Qualifier took place on December 5-7. 1,129 players competed in North America for a $25,000 prize pool and the chance to compete in the Regional and World Championship next year. Let’s look back at the tournament and how the early days of the meta are shaping up.
The Houston Regional Qualifier premiered Riftbound’s competitive play in the West. 1,129 people played in a 9-round Swiss stage on the first day. Following it, the top 64 (7-2 and higher) qualified for day 2, a single-elimination bracket. The event had a $25,000 prize pool, split as follows among the top 32:
| Placement | Reward |
|---|---|
| 1st place | $6,000; Miss Fortune, Buccaneer special alt art and playmat |
| 2nd place | $3,000; Miss Fortune, Buccaneer alt art |
| 3rd and 4th place | $2,000; Miss Fortune, Buccaneer alt art |
| 5th through 8th place | $1,000; Miss Fortune, Buccaneer alt art |
| 9th through 16th place | $500 |
| 17th through 32nd place | $250 |
Beyond the top 32, Riftbound introduced “Best-Of Prizing”. For each of the 16 Champion Legends that were legal in Houston, the player who finished highest with that Legend got a prize. The best player for each Legend received a holographic metal version of that card. Being unique, these rewards can be sold at a high price on the secondary market.
The Riftbound prize pool at the Houston Regional Qualifier. Image Source: Riot Games (via X @riftboundop)
The top finishers also claim a spot at the Regional Championship. There will be 11 more English Regional Qualifiers to follow in 2026:
The exact dates and locations for the April and May qualifiers will be disclosed at a later time.
Regional Championships will follow afterwards, starting in October 2026. These events will have their own cash prizes as well, and they will determine which players will enter the Riftbound World Championship in 2027.
Riftbound tournaments are streamed at YouTube and Twitch.
The 2026 Riftbound Regional Qualifiers and other events. Image source: Riot Games
Dhawally won the Finals with an Annie deck, beating Blargh1111’s Master Yi. However, it was Kai’Sa who was clearly the favorite at the tournament, being brought by 33.1% of attendees. Annie and Miss Fortune, on the other hand, had the highest day 2 conversion rate of the field.
| Legend | Day 1 (number of decks) | Day 2 (number of decks) | Day 1 (percentage of the field) | Day 2 (percentage of the field) | Day 1 to day 2 conversion rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai’sa, Daughter of the Void | 372 | 27 | 33.1% | 42.2% | 7.3% |
| Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman | 166 | 11 | 14.8% | 17.2% | 6.6% |
| Annie, Dark Child | 122 | 11 | 10.9% | 17.2% | 9.0% |
| Miss Fortune, Bounty Hunter | 59 | 7 | 5.3% | 10.9% | 11.9% |
| Teemo, Swift Scout | 64 | 3 | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% |
| Viktor, Herald of the Arcane | 43 | 1 | 3.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| Yasuo, Unforgiven | 25 | 1 | 2.2% | 1.6% | 4% |
| Darius, Hand of Noxus | 23 | 1 | 2% | 1.6% | 4.3% |
| Lee Sin, Blind Monk | 21 | 1 | 1.9% | 1.6% | 4.8% |
| Volibear, Relentless Storm | 20 | 1 | 1.8% | 1.6% | 5% |
| Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox | 63 | 0 | 5.6% | 1.6% | 0% |
| Sett, The Boss | 56 | 0 | 5.0% | 0% | 0% |
| Leona, Radiant Dawn | 31 | 0 | 2.8% | 0% | 0% |
| Jinx, Loose Cannon | 24 | 0 | 2.1% | 0% | 0% |
| Lux, Lady of Luminosity | 21 | 0 | 1.9% | 0% | 0% |
| Garen, Might of Demacia | 13 | 0 | 1.2% | 0% | 0% |
Kai’Sa is the aggressive deck. Its strategy is to play cheap units that can begin affecting the board early on. The deck then packs buffs and damage spells to prevent the enemy units from having a say in things. Kai’Sa then fills its sideboard with more expensive spells to answer specific threats. Icathian Rain and Unchecked Power can take care of boards that grew too wide or big. Thermo Beam responds to Master Yi’s Dazzling Aurora.
Annie is a tempo deck. The Dark Child also plays cheap units, but they’re paired with bounce and removal spells, as well as evasion. Annie also brings strong card draw. This deck doesn’t do much, but it makes sure that the opponent does even less.
Rounding out the top 8, Master Yi is the slower option, a mid-range deck. Unlike Annie and Kai’Sa, who want to win as fast as possible, he wants to slow the game down. Master Yi plays around the ramp, card draw, discard, stuns, and counterspells to neutralize the aggression. Then, once he’s ramped enough, he can play his powerful units that all cost 7 to 12. (Variants of this deck also play cheaper units and fight spells as defensive tools.)
The Riftbound winning deck list at the Houston Regional Qualifier. Image Source: Riot Games (via X @riftboundop)
Unsurprisingly given the overall deck repartition, the top 8 decks were split into 3 champions: Kai’Sa, Master Yi, and Annie. Let’s look at a side-by-side comparison of the decks that reached the top 8, starting with Kai’Sa:
| Alanzq1 (rank 5) | Georgeg (rank 8) |
|---|---|
| Champion: Kai’Sa, Survivor | Champion: Kai’Sa, Survivor |
| Main deck: 3 Cleave | Main deck: 3 Cleave |
| 3 Darius, Trifarian | 3 Darius, Trifarian |
| 3 Falling Star | 3 Falling Star |
| 3 Hextech Ray | 3 Hextech Ray |
| 3 Noxus Hopeful | 2 Icathian Rain |
| 3 Pouty Poro | 2 Lecturing Yordle |
| 3 Ravenbloom Student | 3 Noxus Hopeful |
| 2 Retreat | 2 Pouty Poro |
| 3 Smoke Screen | 3 Ravenbloom Student |
| 3 Stupefy | 3 Retreat |
| 3 Thousand-Tailed Watcher | 1 Smoke Screen |
| 1 Time Warp | 3 Stupefy |
| 3 Void Seeker | 3 Thousand-Tailed Watcher |
| 3 Watchful Sentry | 2 Time Warp |
| 3 Watchful Sentry | |
| Runes: 7 Fury Rune | Runes: 7 Fury Rune |
| 5 Mind Rune | 5 Mind Rune |
| Battlefields: Reaver’s Row | Battlefields: Grove of the God-Willow |
| The Arena’s Greatest | The Dreaming Tree |
| The Candlelit Sanctum | Vilemaw’s Lair |
| Sideboard: 1 Icathian Rain | Sideboard: 1 Kai’Sa, Survivor |
| 3 Lecturing Yordle | 2 Mega-Mech |
| 3 Thermo Beam | 2 Singularity |
| 1 Time Warp | 1 Smoke Screen |
| 2 Void Seeker |
Next up comes Master Yi, the runner-up of the tournament.
| Blargh1111 (rank 2) | Clyde (rank 6) |
|---|---|
| Champion: Master Yi, Honed | Champion: Master Yi, Honed |
| Main Deck: 3 Catalyst of Aeons | Main Deck: 3 Catalyst of Aeons |
| 1 Challenge | 1 Challenge |
| 3 Charm | 3 Charm |
| 3 Dazzling Aurora | 1 Clockwork Keeper |
| 3 Deadbloom Predator | 3 Deadbloom Predator |
| 3 Defy | 3 Defy |
| 2 Discipline | 3 Discipline |
| 3 Find Your Center | 3 En Garde |
| 3 Mobilize | 3 Find Your Center |
| 2 Mountain Drake | 3 Pit Rookie |
| 2 Rune Prison | 1 Primal Strength |
| 1 Sabotage | 1 Qiyana, Victorious |
| 3 Tasty Faefolk | 3 Stalwart Poro |
| 1 Volibear, Imposing | 3 Tasty Faefolk |
| 2 Whiteflame Protector | 2 Whiteflame Protector |
| 1 Wind Wall | 3 Zhonya’s Hourglass |
| 3 Zhonya’s Hourglass | |
| Runes: 6 Body Rune | Runes: 6 Body Rune |
| 6 Calm Rune | 6 Calm Rune |
| Battlefields: Aspirant’s Climb | Battlefields: Aspirant’s Climb |
| Obelisk of Power | Obelisk of Power |
| Vilemaw’s Lair | Vilemaw’s Lair |
| Sideboard: 3 Clockwork Keeper | Sideboard: 3 Dazzling Aurora |
| 1 Sabotage | 2 Mobilize |
| 3 Stalwart Poro | 1 Rune Prison |
| 1 Wind Wall | 1 Unyielding Spirit |
| 1 Volibear, Imposing |
Last but not least, Annie! While Kai’Sa had the most players, this Legend dominated the top end of the competition. Annie won the tournament, had 3 decks in the top 4, and most decks in the top 8.
| Dhawally (tournament winner) | Zent (rank 3) | Prymor (rank 4) | NoVeggies (rank 7) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champion: Annie, Stubborn | Champion: Annie, Stubborn | Champion: Annie, Stubborn | Champion: Annie, Stubborn |
| Main Deck: 3 Cleave | Main Deck: 3 Cleave | Main Deck: 3 Cleave | Main Deck: 3 Cleave |
| 3 Darius, Trifarian | 3 Darius, Trifarian | 3 Darius, Trifarian | 2 Darius, Trifarian |
| 2 Fight or Flight | 2 Fight or Flight | 2 Fight or Flight | 1 Falling Star |
| 3 Flash | 3 Flash | 2 Flash | 2 Fight or Flight |
| 1 Gust | 2 Gust | 2 Gust | 3 Flash |
| 3 Kai’Sa, Survivor | 3 Kai’Sa, Survivor | 3 Kai’Sa, Survivor | 1 Gust |
| 3 Pouty Poro | 3 Pouty Poro | 1 Legion Rearguard | 3 Kai’Sa, Survivor |
| 1 Rebuke | 3 Ride the Wind | 2 Pouty Poro | 2 Pouty Poro |
| 3 Ride the Wind | 3 Sneaky Deckhand | 1 Rebuke | 1 Rebuke |
| 3 Scrapheap | 3 Stacked Deck | 3 Ride the Wind | 3 Ride the Wind |
| 3 Sneaky Deckhand | 3 Traveling Merchant | 3 Scrapheap | 3 Scrapheap |
| 3 Stacked Deck | 1 Vayne, Hunter | 3 Sneaky Deckhand | 3 Sneaky Deckhand |
| 3 Traveling Merchant | 3 Vi, Destructive | 3 Stacked Deck | 3 Stacked Deck |
| 3 Vi, Destructive | 3 Void Seeker | 3 Traveling Merchant | 3 Traveling Merchant |
| 2 Void Seeker | 3 Vi, Destructive | 1 Vayne, Hunter | |
| 2 Void Seeker | 3 Vi, Destructive | ||
| 2 Void Seeker | |||
| Runes: 6 Chaos Rune | Runes: 6 Chaos Rune | Runes: 5 Chaos Rune | Runes: 5 Chaos Rune |
| 6 Fury Rune | 6 Fury Rune | 7 Fury Rune | 7 Fury Rune |
| Battlefields: The Arena’s Greatest | Battlefields: The Arena’s Greatest | Battlefields: The Arena’s Greatest | Battlefields: The Arena’s Greatest |
| The Dreaming Tree | The Dreaming Tree | The Dreaming Tree | The Dreaming Tree |
| Zaun Warrens | Zaun Warrens | Zaun Warrens | Zaun Warrens |
| Sideboard: 2 Draven, Showboat | Sideboard: 1 Gust | Sideboard: 1 Falling Star | Sideboard: 1 Darius, Trifarian |
| 1 Fading Memories | 3 Rebuke | 1 Flash | 2 Fading Memories |
| 1 Fight or Flight | 3 Scrapheap | 1 Gust | 1 Falling Star |
| 2 Gust | 1 Vayne, Hunter | 2 Noxus Hopeful | 2 Gust |
| 2 Rebuke | 2 Rebuke | 1 Rebuke | |
| 1 Void Seeker | 1 Void Seeker |
This should be all the inspiration you need to see where to go with your own decks! Until everything changes with the release of Spiritforged in English on the 13th of February 2026.
Featured Image Source: Riot Games
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