Legends of Runeterra Guide: How to get started and win your first battles

Legends of Runeterra has officially launched and the hype is real! Here’s our guide on how to get started and ace your opening battles.

After months of anticipation, Legends of Runeterra officially launched last week and is now available on PC and mobile devices. If you’ve decided to get involved in the card game, we’ve curated this guide on how to get started, win your opening battles, and begin your Legends of Runeterra journey.

First of all, you’re going to want to install the game. If you’re using a mobile device, head over to Legends of Runeterra on the App Store or Google Play to download. If you’re on PC, simply head to the official website and hit PLAY NOW.

At that point, you’ll be prompted to create an account or log in. If you’ve already signed up for a Riot Games account – be it for League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, or Valorant – log in using the same details and you can install the game straight away. If not, just create an account and you’re all set.

When you first open Legends of Runeterra, you’ll jump straight into the action with four tutorial games to help you learn the basics.

Game 1 – FIRST BATTLE
Ahead of the first tutorial game you’ll receive a new deck including a Garen champion card to be used during the FIRST BATTLE which will teach you three key skills: How to win, Attacking, and Champions.

In this match, you will play as Garen while your opponent will be Draven in a Demacia vs. Noxus head-to-head. All you have to do is follow the instructions on screen, pay close attention to the gameplay, and learn as the game plays out in front of you. If you want more information about a certain card, right-click on that card and the game will tell you everything you need to know.

Upon defeating Draven and claiming victory for Demacia you’ll receive new cards, a deck upgrade, and Braum who will be used in your second battle.

Game 2 – THE BEST DEFENSE
Your second battle will be Braum vs. Darius and it will teach you the mechanics of Blocking and how to use Followers. Once again, you simply have to follow the instructions given to you by the game and pay attention to what is happening on screen to improve your understanding of the gameplay.

After dealing Noxus their second defeat of the tutorial you’ll be rewarded with a new deck including an Elise card.

Game 3 – BACK AND FORTH
It’s Elise vs. Heimerdinger in Game 3 in a battle of Spiderlings vs. Turrets. This tutorial stage will teach you how Mana works, how your Actions impact the game and certain cards, and a bit more about Attacking.

After a few rounds of instructions you’ll finally receive the chance to play the game without guidance and finish off Heimer with Elise and her Spiderlings. Apply what you learned in the previous two games to grab another victory with the strong cards in your hand/deck, including Arachnoid Host which grants other Spider allies +2|+0 when summoned.

Spend your mana, attack relentlessly, and block when the opportunity presents itself (be smart when doing this, try to avoid needlessly losing cards when blocking by matching ATK+DEF). You’ll be gifted yet another new champion upon defeating Heimerdinger, this time it’s Lux!

Game 4 – LIGHT AND SHADOW
In the fourth and final tutorial game you’ll learn how to use Burst Spells and Spell Mana as your new Lux card takes on Zed. Once again, follow the instructions on screen and take in the knowledge in preparation for future battles.

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Burst Spells, such as Prismatic Barrier, will play a key part in your Legends of Runeterra journey. These cards allow you to change something on the board by spending mana. For example, Prismatic Barrier will give a chosen ally a Barrier this round, allowing them to avoid taking any damage.

Eventually, the game will stop giving you tips and leave you on your own to finish Zed off in the toughest task so far. If you apply what you’ve learned and manage your mana correctly, this should be fairly easy. While it is obviously best to figure it out on your own, if you find yourself struggling with this stage of the tutorial, we’ve got some brief instructions to finish the game off:

In attack, play Lux and attack your opponent directly. Then in defense, summon Brightsteel Protector to give Lux a Barrier, cast Final Spark on either of the opponents on the field, and block the oncoming enemy attack with Lux.

In your next attacking phase, use the Burst Spell Decisive Action to draw 2 cards from your deck to become more familiar with a wider range of cards. Summon Cithria of Cloudfield and Laurent Bladekeeper, granting +2|+2 to Cithria. Next, attack with all four cards and win the duel!

After the fourth battle, collect your reward for completing the tutorial: A new deck!

From there, you’ll have to continue applying what you’ve learned and winning games against the AI before you can venture into PvP. Head to “Play” and click “Vs AI”. Then, select one of your three decks, follow our guides, and play AI games until you can claim your second prologue reward and gain complete access to Legends of Runeterra!