Vendetta Metagame Report: The First Three Weeks
A dated early-format snapshot: old Legends retained the lead, Kennen and Nasus emerged, and most decks used fewer Vendetta cards than preview hype suggested.
Snapshot date: August 12, 2026. Vendetta's first three weeks did not produce an immediate rotation of Riftbound's best decks. Established Legends won most events, new cards entered old shells selectively, and only a small group of the nine new Legends produced repeatable Top 8 evidence.
This report combines five overlapping posts. The figures refer to the audited event window and should not be read as a current tier list after later Regionals.
Before release: old decks set the standard
Community events before worldwide release were won by Azir, Annie, and Rengar with few new-set inclusions. Nasus and Renekton posted encouraging finishes, but “encouraging” was the correct word: deck access, event size, and experimental lists made early conversion difficult to compare.
The 240-player Sideways Showdown, split between China and the rest of the world, highlighted a Diana points engine using new cards to steal scoring windows. Nasus looked like the most convincing new Legend. Kennen was popular but underperformed in the Top Cut, an early reminder that representation is not success.
Week 2: new Legends appear, old shells win
Kennen, Akali, Nasus, and Mel were the most visible new plans in the first two weeks. Irelia led Legends in Top 8 appearances, while Ezreal won two tournaments without any Vendetta cards. That contrast is the clearest description of the format: new identities were viable, but the old card pool already knew how to win long events.
Week 3: the larger-event sample
Riftarc's later Week 3 analysis counted 16 tournaments with at least 64 players. The duplicate reports used slightly different cuts of the same developing evidence, so their exact new-Legend lists should not be combined as if the methodology were identical. In the most conservative large-event view, Kennen and Nasus were the new Legends with the strongest case; Mel and Ambessa had Top 8 evidence, while other rivals remained less proven.
Master Yi stood at the top of the tier list. Kai'Sa, Ezreal, Irelia, and other established choices continued to perform. Decks averaged roughly five Vendetta cards in one Week 3 sample, and some winners used none.
What “low set impact” does and does not mean
It does not mean Vendetta lacked playable cards. New point engines, second-player tools such as Twilight Reveler, Flow packages, and enemy-domain options were changing specific turns. It means those changes had not yet displaced the reliability of full Origins-through-Unleashed shells.
Riftarc recommends testing card impact in three categories:
- Replacement: a Vendetta card is a cleaner version of an existing role.
- Package: several cards create a new line worth dedicated slots.
- Identity: a new Legend enables a deck that did not previously exist.
Most Week 3 success came from replacement cards. Kennen and Nasus made the strongest identity cases.
Testing priorities after Week 3
- Prepare for Master Yi fundamentals before targeting speculative rivals.
- Test Kennen's Miracle and Baited Hook plans separately.
- Pressure Nasus before seven runes, then test whether your late game can still compete.
- Do not over-sideboard for a new card that appears in only one regional pocket.
- Track events by size, format, and region before merging their results.
Read the Vendetta Legends guide for all nine plans and the set guide for the new mechanics.
Early verdict
Vendetta began as an addition to the existing metagame, not a replacement for it. Kennen and Nasus earned real attention; Master Yi and the established field still demanded the first testing hours. That is a healthier and more actionable conclusion than declaring either the new set or the old decks dominant after one weekend.
Cards referenced in the early Vendetta metagame
Explore the verified catalogue cards referenced by the source articles and analysis above.
Charm
OGN-043 · Spell
Defy
OGN-045 · Spell
Lecturing Yordle
OGN-087 · Unit
Ravenbloom Student
OGN-103 · Unit
Promising Future
OGN-115 · Spell
Thousand-Tailed Watcher
OGN-116 · Unit
First Mate
OGN-132 · Unit
Dazzling Aurora
OGN-160 · Gear
Nocturne - Horrifying
OGN-194 · Unit
Rhasa the Sunderer
OGN-195 · Unit
Hidden Blade
OGN-213 · Spell
Lonely Poro
SFD-036 · Unit
Stellacorn Herder
SFD-048 · Unit
Azir - Ascendant
SFD-050 · Unit
Ornn - Forge God
SFD-085 · Unit
Overzealous Fan
SFD-128 · Unit
Xin Zhao - Vigilant
SFD-176 · Unit
Inferna
UNL-002 · Unit
Scuttle Crab
UNL-053 · Unit
Vilemaw
UNL-060 · Unit
Sprite Queen
UNL-084 · Unit
Elder Dragon
UNL-118 · Unit
Bewitching Spirit
UNL-121 · Unit
Carrion Dredger
UNL-153 · Unit
Vi - Peacekeeper
UNL-176 · Unit
Brittle Steel
VEN-003 · Spell
Twilight Reveler
VEN-020 · Unit
Hand Hammer
VEN-027 · Gear
Twilight Shroud
VEN-031 · Spell
Resonating Strike
VEN-034 · Spell
Akali - Silent
VEN-038 · Unit
Astral Heron
VEN-044 · Unit
Otterpus
VEN-053 · Unit
Applied Researchers
VEN-055 · Unit
Temporal Breach
VEN-066 · Spell
Mel - Newly Awakened
VEN-069 · Unit
Rampage
VEN-083 · Spell
Jayce - Hammer in Hand
VEN-088 · Unit
Up from the Deep
VEN-100 · Spell
Ravenbloom Prefect
VEN-102 · Unit
Ki Barrier
VEN-126 · Spell
Kennen - Keeper of Balance
VEN-135 · Unit
Heisho - Shell of the World
VEN-158 · Battlefield