Release date & distribution
Global street date: July 31, 2026. This is the first Riftbound set where Chinese and English releases share a launch day — Origins, Spiritforged, and Unleashed all had staggered regional releases. Riot has confirmed simultaneous distribution to keep the competitive metagame in sync across regions.
The Showdown Deck product (a Shen vs. Zed precon pair with boosters attached) launches in July as a companion to Vendetta.
Set contents
- 166 cards in the main set.
- 9 new Legends — including Akali, Mel, and Ambessa in the marketed key art.
- Over-numbered rival-pair cards — the set-wide gimmick. Cards go beyond the numbered main set with special print-run pieces whose art connects into full scenes when placed side-by-side.
The reveal season kicked off June 22, 2026 and has been rolling out one Legend and one rival-pair at a time.
The rivalry mechanic — what it actually is
Vendetta's mechanical hook is a set-wide focus on paired cards. Each rival-pair is two cards from opposing factions or lore rivals — think Jinx / Vi, Jayce / Viktor — printed with connecting alt-art. Mechanically, the pair cards have text that references each other: playing one, seeing the other in your opponent's field, or fighting when both are in play triggers additional effects.
The rivalry pair concept doesn't need both cards to be legal — you can build around one side of a rivalry without the other. But when both players run opposite halves of the same rivalry, the game gets extra text on both sides of the table. It's the most Riot-narrative mechanic Riftbound has shipped so far.
The 9 Vendetta Legends we know about
Riot's official reveals confirm Akali, Mel, and Ambessa as three of the nine new Legends in Vendetta. Additional Legends have been teased through the reveal season but haven't all been formally revealed as of July 20, 2026 — the reveal window ends the day before street date. Watch Riftbound news for the final six.
Where Vendetta sits vs. Origins, Spiritforged, and Unleashed
Riftbound's release cadence has been aggressive since Origins in October 2025:
- Origins — October 31, 2025. The launch set.
- Spiritforged — February 13, 2026. 221 cards, 12 legends including Azir, Irelia, Draven, and Lucian.
- Unleashed — May 8, 2026. Introduced Ambush, XP, and Hunt mechanics; Champion Legends included Master Yi, Diana, Vi, Pyke, and Kha'Zix; Baron Nashor is the set's Ultimate Rare.
- Vendetta — July 31, 2026. First simultaneous global release; 166 cards; rivalry mechanic.
Set 5 — Radiance — is confirmed for October 23, 2026, adding Ekko and Seraphine to the pool.
How to prepare for Vendetta
- If you're building a Vendetta deck day-one, know which of the 9 new Legends you want to run before you preorder. Our Deck Lab supports legality checks against every released set.
- For pull-rate math on sealed boxes, check Riftbound pull rates — the base-rate expectations from Origins/Spiritforged/Unleashed will likely carry into Vendetta.
- Track TCGplayer preorder prices as the release window closes — see Riftbound market.
Common questions
When does Riftbound Vendetta release?
July 31, 2026 — the first simultaneous global release in Riftbound's history. China and Western markets get it the same day.
How many cards are in Vendetta?
166 in the main set, plus over-numbered rival-pair cards printed outside the main numbering.
What is the rivalry mechanic?
Cards printed as opposing pairs (like Jinx/Vi or Jayce/Viktor) with art that connects into a scene when placed side-by-side, and text effects that reference the other half of the pair.
Which Legends are in Vendetta?
9 new Legends total. Akali, Mel, and Ambessa are confirmed in the marketed key art; the remaining six are being revealed across the reveal season.
What is the Showdown Deck?
A companion product — Shen vs. Zed precon decks bundled with boosters. Launches in July alongside Vendetta.