The wait is almost over, Riftbound: Origins is finally arriving! Launching on Halloween, Riftbound will soon be available at your local game stores, many of which are hosting special in-store release events to celebrate the official debut of this highly anticipated trading card game. Whether you’ve been following Riftbound since its early reveals or are just discovering it, these release events will be your first chance to get hands-on experience with the game and meet other players ready to explore Runeterra’s newest Rift.

What Champion Decks will be available at the Riftbound TCG Release Events?

At these events, players will be battling with one of the three preconstructed Champion Decks: Jinx, Lee Sin, and Viktor. Each deck offers its own playstyle, from fast-paced aggression to patient control to strategic token swarms. Keep in mind, the deck you recieve will be random. So let’s break down what makes each one unique—and which might be the best fit for you.

Jinx – Fast, Flashy, and Full of Chaos

If you want an aggressive, discard-heavy deck, Jinx is your girl. Her Champion Deck is all about emptying your hand, triggering bonuses from discarded cards, and striking fast before your opponent can stabilize. The Zaun Warrens battlefield synergizes well with this by supporting discard mechanics, though unlike Viktor’s field, it doesn’t offer an alternate win condition.

Jinx thrives on cards that reward discarding or become cheaper when you toss them away. Her playstyle is about momentum—keep playing, keep discarding, and keep applying pressure. Pair expensive units with cards like Get Excited!, which lets you discard a card to deal damage equal to its energy cost. It’s a brutal combo that keeps your opponent guessing.

One key card to keep in play is Magma Wurm, which allows your units to enter ready—perfect for breaking through Battlefields faster. The real MVP of this deck, though, is Vi, Destructive. She’s your primary way to recycle discarded cards and can snowball out of control if not dealt with immediately. If you can protect her with Magma Wurm already on the field, you’ll be a real threat in no time.

Through the promo packs you receive at the release event, you might open a few extra cards that fit perfectly into your Champion Deck. If you’re running Jinx, here are some thoughts on what to cut and consider adding to fine-tune your build.

Cards to Cut:

Blazing Scorcher feels like it was designed to be an expensive discard target for Get Excited!, but there are better options that fill that role more effectively.
Fight or Flight isn’t a bad card by any means—it would probably be the last card I’d remove—but it feels better suited to a slower, more reactive deck rather than Jinx’s aggressive playstyle.
Traveling Merchant supports the discard-matters strategy, but he’s fairly weak on his own. Without dying, he doesn’t offer much board presence, and there are plenty of other discard outlets that come with built-in protection or stronger synergies.

Cards to Look Out For:

Obviously, Jinx’s signature spell, Super Mega Death Rocket!, is a must-have. It’s her identity card and fits her aggressive tempo perfectly.
In red, Scrapyard Champion makes a great replacement for both Blazing Scorcher and Traveling Merchant, offering stronger stats and better synergy. Sun Disc can also help by letting you play units ready—exactly what an aggro deck wants. Unlicensed Armory is another solid inclusion, as it rewards you for discarding cards and brings units back when they die.
In purple, there are several tools to maintain pressure. Morbid Return helps you bring back fallen units, while Sai Scout and Sneaky Deckhand let you deploy units directly to open Battlefields, keeping the pressure constant. Miss Fortune amplifies that same strategy by enabling friendly units to be played to open Battlefields as well.
Finally, if you feel you need another expensive finisher, Soulgorger is a strong choice. It not only provides a heavy-hitting presence but can also help you recover key units like Vi after they’ve been defeated.

TL;DR: Discard for value, strike fast, and protect Vi. Your goal is to overwhelm the opponent before they can catch up.

Lee Sin – Calm, Controlled, and Calculated

If patience and timing are your strengths, Lee Sin is the Champion for you. His deck plays defensively, focusing on buff synergy and precise combat control. It’s probably the easiest of the three to pick up, but mastering it takes smart planning and timing.

Lee Sin’s cards let you stall the game while building unstoppable might. Cards like Charm and Challenge give you tactical control over the board, pulling enemies into fights when it suits you or pushing them away to isolate targets. It’s all about making your opponent play your game, not the other way around.

Cards to Cut:

In Orange, First Mate doesn’t quite fit Lee Sin’s style. Since this deck isn’t focused on aggression, the instant-ready effect doesn’t bring much value.
Wildclaw Shaman, while solid, also leans toward a faster tempo that Lee Sin simply doesn’t need.
Mountain Drake may boast high Might, but it’s essentially an expensive vanilla creature without any abilities to justify the cost—its slot can easily be filled with stronger, more synergistic options.
In Green, consider trimming Wielder of Water and Mask of Foresight unless you plan to use solo attacks purely as bait. Both cards rely on solo combat triggers, which don’t play to Lee Sin’s strengths.

Cards to Add:

Lee Sin’s signature spell, Dragon Rage, is a must-have. It perfectly captures the “my fight, my time” mantra of his deck—allowing you to control when and where the real action happens.
Sett, Brawler is a phenomenal inclusion, as he benefits greatly from buffs. He’s easily one of the strongest upgrades for this deck and a card worth chasing.
If you still want an instant-ready option, Overt Operation is a better fit—it instantly readies any unit you can spend a buff from, and it buffs all friendly units in return. It’s pure value.
Primal Strength does exactly what it promises: turns a single unit into a powerhouse out of nowhere. Perfect for baiting your opponent into bad trades or surprise finishes.
Unyielding Spirit offers solid protection for when you’re not quite ready to engage, letting you stall safely until you’re prepared to strike.
Kinkou Monk is another excellent buff engine, similar to Piltovian Rookie, just a bit pricier—meaning the two can be swapped depending on your curve.
Pirate’s Haven is a strong addition if you decide to lean into the quick-ready subtheme, providing some flexibility and momentum.

En Garde can work well if you’re leaning into the solo defend strategy, but I’d suggest also running Rune Prison and Solari Shieldbearer—stunning enemy units gives you room to build power or target weaker foes at the perfect time.
Eclipse Herald pairs nicely with those stun effects, gaining buffs whenever you disable an enemy unit.
Since you already have Stalwart Poro, adding Poro Herder is a no-brainer. It not only buffs your Poros but also provides extra card draw to keep your hand healthy.
Lastly, Reinforce is an underrated gem—it lets you play your expensive cards cheaper and at instant speed, giving you flexibility and surprise power during crucial moments.

Every move with Lee Sin feels deliberate. You’re waiting for that one perfect moment when your stacked-up buffs turn your board into an unbreakable wall-or a single, focused strike that ends the game.

TL;DR: Take your time, control the battlefield, and let your opponent walk into your traps.

Viktor – The Mechanical Mastermind

If you like token-heavy swarm decks that build value over time, Viktor is your guy. His Champion Deck is designed around creating and sacrificing tokens, using endless waves of recruits to overwhelm your opponent.

The key to Viktor’s strategy lies in his ability to generate tokens faster than your opponent can respond. Cards like Grand Strategem can turn a horde of 8 Recruit Tokens into an army of 6-might soldiers in one move, forcing your opponent into panic mode. Combined with The Grand Plaza battlefield, Viktor’s deck can create an explosive win condition early on, snowballing out of control if not checked immediately.

Not only are they overwhelming, these recruit tokens are expendable. You can use them as bait to draw out stronger enemy cards or sacrifice them to fuel more powerful effects. Every token is a resource—and every loss just builds toward your victory.

Out of the three Champion Decks, Viktor’s probably needs the least upgrading out of the box. It’s already strong and cohesive—but there’s still room for fine-tuning if you happen to pull the right cards from your promo packs.

Cards to Cut:

Hidden Blade can be safely removed. While it offers removal and draw, there are stronger and more flexible kill spells available that won’t risk giving your opponent the upper hand.
Soaring Scout is primarily a ramp card, which Viktor’s deck doesn’t really need since it functions efficiently without acceleration. This is probably the first card you should cut.
Sprite Call provides temporary protection, but this deck focuses more on building Recruit Tokens than summoning temporary Sprites, making it an easy swap.
Jeweled Colossus is undeniably strong and offers protection for your other units, but its high cost and lack of synergy with the token strategy make it less appealing here.
Cruel Patron can also go. It’s a solid card on paper, but the requirement to sacrifice your own unit makes it less efficient than other available options that maintain your board presence.

Cards to Add:

When upgrading Viktor’s deck, focus on three key types of cards: Hidden cards, Reaction cards, and Recruit Token generators.

Viktor’s signature spell, Siphon Power, is the obvious must-have. It’s an incredible way to turn your small tokens into real threats.
Blastcone Fae is a great hidden option. While it only has 2 Might, its -2 Might ability lets you take out enemy creatures efficiently—potentially removing a 4-Might threat for little cost.
Ava Achiever synergizes well by letting you play additional Hidden cards, increasing your versatility mid-battle.
Seal of Insight is another great inclusion to help manage the energy costs of your activated abilities.

In Yellow, there are several strong options to further the token swarm strategy:

Faithful Manufacturer and Forge of the Future both generate Recruit Tokens and keep your army expanding every turn.
Vanguard Captain is another token generator that fits right into Viktor’s go-wide playstyle.
Facebreaker is an excellent hidden card to add—it allows you to stun both a friendly token and one of your opponent’s stronger units, opening the field for attacks.
Imperial Decree is a clever removal option, letting you sacrifice your expendable tokens to eliminate more valuable enemy units.
Vengeance serves as a great replacement for Hidden Blade, offering straightforward removal, even though it’s not a hidden or reaction spell.

A terrifying combo to consider is Karthus paired with Machine Evangel. On its own, Machine Evangel’s deathrattle creates three Recruit Tokens, but when combined with Karthus’ double deathrattle ability, you’ll summon six Recruit Tokens instead—an overwhelming board presence your opponent will struggle to answer.

Finally, Sett, Kingpin and Darius, Executioner both excel in Viktor’s token-based overwhelm strategy. Sett gains +1 Might for each buffed friendly unit, while Darius buffs all friendly units at once. Together, they create a powerful partnership that can snowball into unstoppable pressure.

When I tested the sample decks at the Riftbound Summit, I found Jinx the most fun to pilot, but Viktor easily stood out as the strongest overall. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the deck to beat early in the meta.

TL;DR: Go wide, build tokens, and overwhelm your enemies with sheer numbers.

Final Thoughts

Each of the three Champion Decks offers something unique. They’re designed to be intro-friendly, giving players a clear sense of how different playstyles work in Riftbound. Jinx rewards bold, fast play; Lee Sin caters to players who like to plan and react; and Viktor provides a satisfying strategic challenge that rewards efficiency and sacrifice.

Even though Viktor looks like the “meta” choice, all three decks feel balanced and fun to play against one another. Plus, they each have a clear upgrade path for when you start customizing your own builds after the release.

Personally, I’ll be looking to play Jinx’s aggro deck at my local release event, but the deck I’m most excited to build post-launch is a Kai’Sa spell-slinging deck. I had the chance to test it at the Summit, and I’ve been itching to get my hands on those cards again.

However you choose to play, Riftbound: Origins is shaping up to be one of the most exciting new TCG launches in recent memory—and Halloween night feels like the perfect time to crack open some packs and dive in.