Riftbound · Set Preview
Vendetta
Riftbound's fourth main set — rivalries take centre stage
Vendetta is the fourth main Riftbound set, releasing worldwide on July 31, 2026. Riot Games and UVS Games announced the set on March 5, 2026 at GAMA Expo. The official preview season is underway — July 6–17, 2026 — with daily partner reveals dropping through the middle of the month. Every card revealed so far is browsable below the preview.
The set is themed entirely around rival pairings drawn from League of Legends lore: Zed and Shen, Nasus and Renekton, Vi and Jinx, Jayce and Viktor. Vendetta also debuts a smaller set format — roughly 160–166 cards with 9 Champion Legends — that Riot has confirmed will become the new standard going forward.
222 cards revealed so far — scroll below the preview for the full list.
Key facts
- Release date
- July 31, 2026
- Preview season
- July 6–17, 2026
- Set code
- VEN
- Set size
- ≈160–166 cards
- Champion Legends
- 9 (new standard)
- Showcase variants
- 50+ including Overnumbered
- Two-player product
- Showdown Decks (Zed vs Shen)
The theme: rivalries
Every printing decision in Vendetta is filtered through one question: who is this card's rival? The four headline pairings each draw from a different region of Runeterra and span the spectrum of Riftbound's domains.
Beyond the headline rivals, Riot has confirmed that the set leans into specific domain pairings — Fury/Calm, Mind/Body, Chaos/Order — as paired archetypes that reflect each rivalry's tension.
- Zed vs Shen· Ionia
- Former students of the Kinkou Order turned mortal enemies. The Zed vs Shen Showdown Deck is the first publicly confirmed two-player precon and headlines the set's marketing.
- Nasus vs Renekton· Shurima
- Ascended brothers torn apart by millennia of imprisonment. Both appear on the booster box key art alongside Akali.
- Vi vs Jinx· Zaun / Piltover
- Estranged sisters from Zaun — one became enforcer, the other became chaos. Confirmed as a rivalry pair; product format not yet detailed.
- Jayce vs Viktor· Piltover / Zaun
- The Defender of Tomorrow and the Machine Herald, locked in an ideological war over progress. Their Overnumbered Showcase variants form a connected scene when placed side by side — one of the first images Riot revealed for the set.
Confirmed Champion Legends (9 of 9)
All 9 of Vendetta's Champion Legends have been revealed. The final one, Jayce as Defender of Tomorrow, was confirmed as a single-domain Mind Legend — closing out the Jayce vs Viktor rivalry on the Legend axis.
- Zed (Ionia) — Master of Shadows · rival of Shen (4 existing cards →)
- Shen (Ionia) — Eye of Twilight · rival of Zed (5 existing cards →)
- Nasus (Shurima) — The Curator of the Sands · rival of Renekton (4 existing cards →)
- Renekton (Shurima) — The Butcher of the Sands · rival of Nasus (4 existing cards →)
- Akali (Ionia) — The Rogue Assassin — appears on the booster box key art (4 existing cards →)
- Mel (Noxus) — Daughter of Ambessa; introduced to League via Arcane (4 existing cards →)
- Ambessa (Noxus) — Noxian general and matriarch of House Medarda (4 existing cards →)
- Kennen (Ionia) — Heart of the Tempest — Yordle master of storm magic and Kinkou Order representative (4 existing cards →)
- Jayce (Piltover) — Defender of Tomorrow — single-domain Mind Legend, closing out the Jayce/Viktor rivalry on the Legend axis · rival of Viktor (5 existing cards →)
Showdown Decks — Vendetta's first two-player product
Vendetta introduces Showdown Decks, Riftbound's first preconstructed two-player product. The publicly confirmed deck pairs Zed against Shen: two 56-card decks plus two booster packs in a single box, designed to be opened, shuffled, and played head-to-head out of the box.
Riot has positioned Showdown Decks as the on-ramp for new players entering Riftbound through the rivalry storyline. The format echoes the precon two-player boxes that have worked well for Magic: The Gathering's Duel Decks and Pokémon's Battle Decks.
Showcase cards and the Overnumbered variant
Vendetta ships with more than 50 Showcase cards — alternate-art variants of standard cards — pulled at the same rates as in earlier sets. The headline addition is the Overnumbered treatment, a special Showcase subtype that pairs two rival champions on facing artwork. When laid out side by side, an Overnumbered pair completes a single connected scene.
The first Overnumbered pair Riot has shown publicly is Jayce vs Viktor. Other rivalries are expected to receive the same treatment as reveals roll out from late June.
Why Vendetta is smaller — the 9-Legend standard
Vendetta is noticeably smaller than the sets before it: roughly 160–166 cards and just 9 Champion Legends, down from 12 in Origins, Spiritforged, and Unleashed. Riot has confirmed this is not a one-off — the 9-Legend cadence becomes the new standard for main sets going forward.
The stated reasoning is design depth: fewer Champions means more cards per champion archetype, which makes deckbuilding identities clearer and limited environments more focused. For collectors it also means a lower pull count per booster box.
Release timeline at a glance
March 5, 2026 — Vendetta announced at GAMA Expo via Riot/UVS press materials.
May 29, 2026 — Riot's revised 2026 roadmap moves the preview kickoff from June 22 to July 6.
June 29, 2026 — Mel and Jayce revealed as side-banner cards during the T1 vs Karmine Corp MSI 2026 Play-In broadcast — the first two Vendetta cards shown to the public.
July 6, 2026 — Official Vendetta preview season begins with a Dev Drop video and Vendetta Overview article. Daily partner reveals run through July 17.
July 18, 2026 — China Major event coverage.
July 24–30, 2026 — Pre-Rift window (organized local play begins).
July 31, 2026 — Worldwide simultaneous release of Vendetta booster boxes, Showdown Decks, and Showcase variants.
Frequently asked questions
When does Riftbound: Vendetta release?+
Vendetta releases worldwide on July 31, 2026. Official card previews run July 6–17, with a pre-release local play window (Pre-Rift) July 24–30. Mel and Jayce were pre-teased during MSI 2026 on June 29.
How many cards are in Vendetta?+
Roughly 160 to 166 cards, including 9 Champion Legends and more than 50 Showcase variants. This is a deliberate reduction from the 12-Legend, 200+ card sets that came before it — Riot has confirmed the new size is the standard going forward.
Which champions are in Vendetta?+
All 9 Champion Legends have been revealed: Zed (Master of Shadows), Shen (Eye of Twilight), Nasus (Curator of the Sands), Renekton (Butcher of the Sands), Akali (Rogue Assassin), Mel (Soul's Reflection), Ambessa (Matriarch of War), Kennen (Heart of the Tempest), and Jayce (Defender of Tomorrow). Jayce landed as a single-domain Mind Legend rather than the dual-domain Mind/Body Legend the community had speculated. The Vi/Jinx pair appears as non-Legend Champion cards and Showcase variants, with the rivalry theme carried through on Overnumbered art.
When do Vendetta spoilers start?+
Riot's official Vendetta preview season runs July 6–17, 2026, opening with a Dev Drop video and Vendetta Overview article on July 6 and followed by daily partner card reveals through mid-July. Mel and Jayce were pre-teased early during Riot's MSI 2026 broadcast on June 29 — Runeweave's Vendetta page updates automatically as new cards are revealed.
Which Vendetta cards have been revealed so far?+
Every Vendetta card revealed to date is browsable in the card collection below this preview — the list updates automatically as Riot publishes more through the July 6–17 preview season. Mel and Jayce were the first two, pre-teased during the T1 vs Karmine Corp MSI 2026 broadcast on June 29.
What is a Showdown Deck?+
Showdown Decks are Riftbound's first preconstructed two-player product. Each box contains two complete 56-card decks plus two booster packs. The publicly confirmed Showdown Deck is Zed vs Shen, themed around the Ionian rivalry that headlines the set.
What are Overnumbered Showcase cards?+
Overnumbered is a new Showcase variant in Vendetta: two rival champions printed on facing artwork that completes a single connected scene when the pair is placed side by side. The first publicly shown Overnumbered pair is Jayce vs Viktor.
Cards spoiled so far for Vendetta will appear above this preview as soon as they're public. In the meantime, dig into a finished set:
This preview was last updated . The page refreshes as new official information is released; cards appear automatically once Riot publishes them.
Riftbound, Vendetta, and all character and product names are property of Riot Games, Inc. Press imagery is reproduced from official Riot/UVS Games marketing materials for editorial coverage. Runeweave is a fan-run database and is not affiliated with Riot Games.
