The Most Important Fundamental Riftbound Concept You Might've Never Heard Of

Point tempo is the most important fundamental concept in Riftbound, and a lot of players have never even heard of. Point tempo is a fairly unique concept for Riftbound that isn't common across most of the most popular card games which is what makes it a foreign concept to a lot of Riftbound players that might not have played the 1 or 2 games that has a similar concept. It determines the flow the game, how each player should be playing their current turns, and how the players prepare for future turns and how to secure the final points needed to actually win the game.

Point tempo is the state in which players are gaining points relative to each other. Point tempo changes between players throughout the game with the main goal to be the player that is ahead in point tempo by hitting certain point breakpoints first. Let's break down scoring breakpoints real quick to help provide a better understanding of how point tempo works.

In a standard game of riftbound, the game is played to 8 points with a maximime of 2 points scored per turn via conquering (You can score more than 2 points a turn with additional point earning abilities like Tryndamere Barbarian and Ahri Alluring but for the purpose of this guide, we will talk about games as if 2 points per turn is the max). Due to the nature of only being able to score 2 points a turn through standard means, this makes getting to certain point break points before very important and will give whoever hits those break points first an advantage when it comes to closing out the game and scoring the final points needed. The two main breakpoints in a normal game of Riftbound are 2 points and 6 points.

The frist main breakpoint that will happen in a game of Riftbound is getting to 2 points. Two points is the first important breakpoint of the game because it puts players on an even point cadence assuming they can score the maximum number (2) of points each turn for the rest of the game. This means if a player scores both battlefields and reaches 2 points first, even if the opponent can immediately score both battlefields back on their turn, if this play pattern keeps happening every turn where both players continue to score maximum points, the player that hit 2 points first will win the game because they gained the point tempo of hitting 2 points first and will go from 6 points to 8 points first. This is where the first instance of point tempo comes into the game. The player that got to 2 points first has secured the point tempo and it is now the other players job to retake the point tempo and pull ahead.

The second main breakpoint, and the most important breakpoint in standard games to 8 points, is 6 points. Six points is the most important break point because it is the breakpoint where someone can win the game in 1 turn by going from 6 points to 8 points due to the 2 standard points maximum per turn. Whoever is able to hit 6 points first, will have a decent advantage in the end game by being able to apply pressure or threaten the fact that they can win on the following turn. This causes the player that is behind in tempo to often times make riskier plays due to the fact that they know they might not have time to setup for another turn, and having that pressure on them paired with the fact that they now have to run through all of the options that give them the highest percent chance to win the game while giving themselves the lowest percent chance to lose the game can cause misplays or blunders that end up losing a game or the entire match. The player that hits 6 points first however is in a great spot. They're in a spot where they have the ability to win the game on the following turn if their opponent doesn't make the right plays to prevent them from scoring both points, or if they can't win on the following turn, they can make plays and setup for a future win knowing they will have at least 1 more turn due to the fact that their opponent isn't at 6 points. Getting to 6 points first doesn't mean someone automatically wins the game, but with how close games are between the top decks, being the player that hits 6 points first by winning the point tempo can make their decisions and gameplan easier and more straight forward to figure out and execute.

Identifying point tempo and who is ahead or controls the point tempo is really easy and straight forward. The player who has more points and is gaining more points is ahead in point tempo and is in control of the point tempo. For example if a Master Yi deck goes first and scores the first point by conquering on turn 2, and the opponent doesn't immediately conquer both battlefield or at the very least conquer the battlefield the Master Yi player is holding, then Master Yi is ahead in point tempo. This is because the Master Yi player scored first and will score their hold point first. So if both players are just scoring 1 point a turn starting turn 2, Master Yi will eventually win the game due to the point tempo lead they gained on turn 2 and held on to. The opponent has to figure out a way to score on both battlefields in the same turn in order to pull ahead in points and get the point tempo back before Master Yi can just win the game by scoring 8 points first.

Typically decks will have a certain play pattern or point pattern based on how the deck is constructed and what the matchup is. Some decks are constructed in ways to try to maximize on points and gain control of the point tempo as fast as possible and maintain it the whole game to win before their opponent's. Some decks are built in ways that concede the point tempo early in order to focus on scaling up their power so when they're ready to start taking points and interacting with the opponent's point gameplans, they are too strong for the opponent to deal with. Figuring out how to gain control of the point tempo and hold on the point tempo until the game is over depends on both the deck that's being played and the deck the opponent is playing. With most decks in Riftbound right now, the goal is score points starting turn 2 and then to maximize points gained starting turn 3 or 4 with some combination of conquering and holding both battlefields. This is a popular strategy among decks like Master Yi, Kaisa, and Sett. With those types of gameplans, falling behind in point tempo can be frusterating, but there are tools and game plans that can be used to come back from point deficits and come back from being behind in point tempo. These tools are cards like combat tricks that can turn the tables on a showdown and prevent the opponent from conquering with their attack, or gameplans like potentially not conquering for 1 turn in order to set up a really big attack or hold on the following turn that will be too hard for the opponent to deal with. Cards that are good at going "2 for 1" (Meaning the card has an effect or is strong enough to deal with 2 cards of the opponents while only costing you to play 1 card) are great ways to make up a point tempo deficit by being more efficient with resources being able to slow down the opponent by going net positive in the resource trade. Figuring out the exact gameplan or best tools for your deck to come back from a point deficit and being behind in point tempo is an important part to deck building and preparation. I have deck tech's and VOD reviews on my YouTube channel that go very in depth on the decks' gameplans and what their tools and strategies are when behind in a game, so if you're not sure what your deck's gameplan is or tools are to come back from a point tempo, head over there and see if I have a guide on your favorite deck.

The most base level way to approach how to come back and regain the point tempo is to ask yourself, "What is the play or sequence of plays that is most likely to score me the most points and prevent the most points scored from my opponent". Sometimes the answer will be to clear their battlefield and place a large amount of might for a hold. Sometimes the answer will be to take a turn to setup for a large attack with combat tricks or cards that can 2 for 1 and clear the opponent's board advantage away. The best answer is going to vary from deck to deck and even from game to game, but if you ask yourself this question above, it is the best starting point to mounting a comeback.

Mastering the concept of point tempo and being able to have gameplans and strategies in place for when your behind and ahead in point tempo is going to be a core fundamental in competitive Riftbound. There will be many games lost due to someones lack of understanding of point tempo and the importance just 1 point can make even if it means losing a unit right now to setup for hitting the important breakpoints later.

Now that you know what point tempo is, how to identify point tempo, and how to start determing the best ways to come back from being behind in point tempo, you can start practicing and refining those skills and start setting yourself up for success and to grow your competitive edge over your opponents when you attend your next tournament.

As always, thanks for your time, I hope I've helped you on your journey to achieving your Riftbound goals, and have a nice rest of your day, evening, or morning!

~ Moe