Riven Hits 49% on Day 2 of First Riftbound Regional Championship; Riot Considering Bans
Kennen deck wins Stuttgart European Championship; ban decision scheduled for release on US 13th, aiming for Nov 23 implementation
Riot Games revealed the results of the first Regional Championship on the official Riftbound website on Nov 11 (local time). The event was the European Regional Championship held last weekend in Stuttgart, Germany. ASC Evansrhim took first place playing the Legend 'Kennen, Heart of the Tempest'. However, the dominant deck of the tournament was 'Riven'. In the same post, Riot reiterated that the game team is reviewing format bans.
Riven Accounts for Nearly Half of Day 2 Decks
According to Riot, Riven was the most played deck at the tournament, accounting for over 40% on Day 1 and nearly half on Day 2. The top 8 comprised 4 Riven decks, 3 Kennen decks, and 1 Kai'Sa deck. The legend usage numbers listed in the official post are as follows:
| Legend | Day 1 | Day 1 Share | Day 2 | Day 2 Share | |---|---|---|---|---| | Riven | 126 | 40.90% | 47 | 49.00% | | Kai'Sa | 52 | 16.90% | 17 | 17.70% | | Kennen | 45 | 14.60% | 12 | 12.50% | | Rek'Sai | 10 | 3.20% | 5 | 5.20% | | Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman | 16 | 5.20% | 4 | 4.20% |
Decks ranking 2nd through 4th overall were all Riven decks (Sonecon, DiamondHat, and BQO Caravaggio). The Riven decks used 'Riven, The Exile' as Legend and 'Riven, Broken Blade' as Champion. Both cards were previously covered in Riot's 'Radiance' Rules FAQ released on October 26.
The total prize pool for the tournament was 50,000 dollars, with 10,000 dollars awarded to the champion. The top 8 players received invitations to the first Riftbound World Championship Showcase.
Riot also explained the reasons behind the low deck diversity. The format for this Regional Championship was modified to reduce incentives for 'Best-Of' awards (prizes awarded to the top-performing deck per Legend), resulting in a much narrower deck diversity compared to previous regional qualifiers. Decks that failed to advance to Day 2 were excluded from Best-Of awards.
Ban Decision to Be Announced Friday, Aiming for Nov 23 Implementation
At the end of the post, Riot re-stated that "Game Director Dave Guskin announced on Monday that the game team is reviewing format bans, with decisions to be revealed this Friday." If bans are issued, the target implementation date is November 23. Friday corresponds to November 13 US time. As of the morning of November 13 Korean time, the ban announcement post has not yet been uploaded to the official Riot site. The post does not specify which cards might be targeted.
The next Regional Championship will be the North American event, scheduled for December 11–13 at 'Convergence Fest' in Las Vegas, USA. If the ban takes effect on the 23rd, the North American tournament will be played under the updated environment.
What Changes for Korean Players
The immediate impact on domestic tournament decks may not be significant. When Riot launched the Korean edition with 'Origins' on September 18, it announced that Korean tournaments follow the 'Korean Standard' format, where usable cards expand alongside Korean set releases. The next Korean set is 'Spiritforged', coming in December, with seven sets (Set 3 through Set 9) scheduled for release in 2027. 'Radiance', which features the Riven cards that dominated this tournament, has not yet been released in Korean. However, Riot's announcement does not clarify whether this ban will also apply to Korean Standard. Domestic players aiming for overseas tournaments or the World Showcase should check Friday's announcement.
Sources
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