Riftbound Unleashed Competitive Season Retrospective
From China’s first City Challenges to Sydney, Vancouver, Tianjin, Utrecht, and Hartford: how a wide field rewarded specialists over one permanent best deck.
Unleashed produced the broadest competitive field of Riftbound's first year. Its first events were noisy, its regional preferences diverged, and 15 Legends eventually reached Top 8s. Diana, Master Yi, Irelia, and Azir led the results, but practiced specialists repeatedly broke through.
Early China: wide data, limited certainty
The first City Challenge week made Fiora the only multi-event winner. LeBlanc filled Top 8s without converting. Week 2 swung toward Chaos: Diana and Irelia each won twice, while proactive strategies still dominated. Week 3 put Origins Master Yi in front and gave Diana a first major breakthrough.
These events were valuable signals, not a solved global tier list. Many were best-of-one, lists were still experimental, and regional card access preceded worldwide release.
Sydney, Suzhou, and Xi'an
Irelia won Sydney, the first Australian Regional Qualifier and the first Unleashed Regional champion. The post-Sydney/Suzhou tier work emphasized how Aurora shells and efficient midrange plans were setting the pace.
Xi'an changed deck construction more than it changed the winner list. Widespread main-deck Gear removal punished Dazzling Aurora plans, and Azir beat Diana in the final. Irelia remained the most popular Legend, while Body decks struggled to translate presence into Top 8s.
Vancouver: Diana converts consistency
Riot reported more than 1,800 players on Day 1 and more than 2,000 attendees at Canada's first Regional Qualifier. Vancouver and Sydney shared the same four most popular decks. Irelia, Master Yi, and Annie made the strongest Day 2 representation gains.
CTG AlanZQ completed an undefeated run with Diana, while Rengar reached the final with a refined build. Riftarc moved Diana to the top tier and treated the result as evidence that Aurora could be checked without disappearing.
Tianjin and Utrecht widen the Top Cut
Master Yi won Tianjin to become the first Legend with two Unleashed Regional victories. Rek'Sai and Pyke reached the Top 4; Sivir fell in the Top 256. The result added credible disruption decks without dislodging Diana, Irelia, and Master Yi.
At Utrecht, Squirtle piloted Azir to a 15-0-1 record and became a repeat Regional champion. Master Yi led Day 1 and Day 2 representation, but eight different Champions filled the Top 8. Annie, Sett, Viktor, and Darius reached new milestones, and Jhin finally posted a strong Regional after six missed Day 2s.
Hartford: Master Yi closes with a third title
Factor won the final Unleashed Regional Qualifier with Master Yi. Diana finished runner-up for the fourth time that set. Master Yi therefore ended the season as the only Legend with three Regional wins, a remarkable result for a deck built more on battlefield fundamentals than one dominant expansion engine.
The final field
Riftarc's closing tier list placed Diana, Master Yi, and Irelia at the top and counted 15 Legends with Top 8 appearances. The season rewarded pilot expertise because no single answer covered every region and event:
- Gear removal changed Aurora matchups dramatically.
- China leaned more heavily toward Irelia and patient value.
- western fields produced faster Fury and wider surprise Top Cuts.
- Master Yi remained reliable because ordinary decisions stayed strong across metagames.
Use the midrange and tempo/control guides for deck identities. The Unleashed set guide explains XP, Hunt, Ambush, and products.
Verdict
Unleashed was not leaderless; it was plural. Diana had the best sustained finals record, Master Yi the most Regional trophies, Irelia immense regional strength, and Azir two landmark wins. Calling only one of them “the deck” would lose the most useful part of the season.
Cards that defined the Unleashed field
Explore the verified catalogue cards referenced by the source articles and analysis above.
Adaptatron
OGN-056 · Unit
Dazzling Aurora
OGN-160 · Gear
Salvage
OGN-224 · Spell
Harnessed Dragon
OGN-234 · Unit
Karthus - Eternal
OGN-236 · Unit
Baited Hook
OGN-242 · Gear
Teemo - Swift Scout
OGN-263 · Legend
Master Yi - Wuju Bladesman - Starter
OGS-019 · Legend
Stellacorn Herder
SFD-048 · Unit
Irelia - Fervent
SFD-057 · Unit
Azir - Sovereign
SFD-177 · Unit
Irelia - Blade Dancer
SFD-195 · Legend
Sivir - Battle Mistress
SFD-203 · Legend
Soul Sword
UNL-039 · Gear
Back Off
UNL-042 · Spell
Scuttle Crab
UNL-053 · Unit
Turn to Dust
UNL-070 · Spell
Elder Dragon
UNL-118 · Unit
Baron Nashor
UNL-147 · Unit
Vex - Apathetic
UNL-150 · Unit
LeBlanc - Fragmented
UNL-172 · Unit
Sacrifice
UNL-173 · Spell
Vex - Gloomist
UNL-193 · Legend
Diana - Scorn of the Moon
UNL-197 · Legend
LeBlanc - Deceiver
UNL-199 · Legend
Poppy - Keeper of the Hammer
UNL-203 · Legend