Setting up a game

A Riftbound deck is four things at once: a Main Deck, a Rune Deck, a Champion Legend, and a number of battlefields set by the mode of play.¹Rule 103. To play Riftbound, a player must have a Main Deck, a Rune Deck, a Champion Legend, and a number of Battlefields determined by the Mode of Play. These are collectively referred to as a player’s deck. Open in the rules browser The Main Deck holds at least forty cards, and one of them is the Chosen Champion you will separate out in a moment.²Rule 103.2. A Main Deck of at least 40 cards: A Chosen Champion Unit, as well as Units, Gear, and Spells Open in the rules browser The Legend goes into the Legend Zone at the start of the game³Rule 103.1.a. This is placed in the Legend Zone at the start of the game. Open in the rules browser, and it dictates your deck's domain identity⁴Rule 103.1.b. This will dictate the Domain Identity of the deck. Open in the rules browser, the domains every other card in the deck has to abide by.⁵Rule 103.1.b.1. Cards included in your deck must abide by your Domain Identity. Open in the rules browser

The setup steps

Its steps happen in order. The rules call the whole of it the Setup Process:⁶Rule 110. Setup Process Open in the rules browser

1. Each player separates their Champion Legend and places it in the Legend Zone.⁷Rule 111. Each player separates their Champion Legend and places it in the Legend Zone. Open in the rules browser
2. Each player separates the Chosen Champion out of their Main Deck and places it in the Champion Zone.⁸Rule 112. Each player separates their Chosen Champion and places it in the Champion Zone. Open in the rules browser
3. Each player sets their battlefields aside.⁹Rule 113. Each player sets aside their Battlefields. Open in the rules browser In a one-on-one Duel each player brought three, of which one is used¹⁰Rule 485.4.a. Each player provides three (3) Battlefields, included in their deck during deck building. Only 1 will be used, chosen during setup. Open in the rules browser, and the two selected battlefields are placed in the Battlefield Zone together.¹¹Rule 485.5. Setup: Each player randomly selects one (1) of their three (3) Battlefields. The other two are removed and will not be used for this game. The selected Battlefields are placed simultaneously in the Battlefield Zone. Open in the rules browser
4. Each player shuffles their Main Deck and Rune Deck separately, then places them in their zones.¹²Rule 114. Each player shuffles their Main and Rune Decks, separately, then places them into their respective Zones. Open in the rules browser
5. Turn order is decided by any fair random method everyone agrees on.¹³Rule 115. Determine Turn Order using any fair random method agreed on by all players. Open in the rules browser
6. Each player draws 4.¹⁴Rule 116. Players each draw 4. Open in the rules browser
7. In turn order, each player takes their mulligan.¹⁵Rule 117. In turn order, players perform their Mulligan. Open in the rules browser Choose up to two cards in hand and set them aside.¹⁶Rule 117.1. A player may choose up to two cards in their hand. They set those cards aside. Open in the rules browser Draw as many cards as you set aside.¹⁷Rule 117.2. Then, that player draws as many cards as they set aside. Open in the rules browser Then recycle¹⁸Rule 117.3. Finally, that player Recycles the cards that were set aside. See rule 416. Recycle for more information. Open in the rules browser the set-aside cards, which puts them on the bottom of the deck they came from.¹⁹Rule 416.1. Recycling cards is the action in which a player takes one or more cards from a specific zone and then puts it on the bottom of the corresponding deck. Open in the rules browser
8. Play begins with the first player taking their turn.²⁰Rule 118. Begin play with the First Player taking their turn. Open in the rules browser

Going second has a small compensation. In a Duel, the player going second channels one extra rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game.²¹Rule 485.7. First Turn Process: The player going second channels an extra Rune from their Rune Deck during their first Channel Phase of the game. Open in the rules browser