Riot Games has confirmed that Graves, one of the most beloved champions in League of Legends, will finally make his debut in Riftbound through the upcoming Radiance set. The studio revealed exclusively to Polygon that a new card titled “Graves, Blasting Through” is coming with the trading card game’s next expansion, which carries a global release date of Oct. 23.
While Graves has long been a dominant force in League of Legends as an S-tier jungler according to data from Mobalytics following Sept. 22’s patch, he had never appeared in Riftbound until now. The new card translates his chaotic play style into the physical card game format, allowing players who have followed Graves’ career across both titles to finally wield him on the tabletop.
A Faithful Translation of Graves’ Play Style
In League of Legends, Graves is a mercenary, gambler, and wanted criminal who wields an enormous double-barreled shotgun named Destiny. Players familiar with his jungle role know how effectively he ambushes unsuspecting opponents, diving into the map to eliminate neutral monsters before striking from the shadows.
“Graves, Blasting Through is a rare Champion Unit that costs 5 Energy and one Fury (Red) Rune to play. He enters with 4 Might and an ability that activates whenever he attacks or defends: Graves deals damage equal to his Might to every enemy unit at that battlefield, but does not deal conventional combat damage.”
Riot Games / Polygon
The card mechanics capture the essence of Graves’ in-game abilities. His basic attacks fire a wide spread of shotgun pellets in a cone formation, while his ultimate ability, Collateral Damage, launches an explosive shell that damages additional enemies positioned behind the initial target. Riftbound transforms these into a card that engages multiple opponents simultaneously rather than fighting them one at a time.
Rather than dealing traditional combat damage, Graves simply blasts every enemy in sight whenever he attacks or defends, making him a uniquely disruptive presence on any battlefield.
Evaluating the Card’s Power Level
On his own, Graves deals 4 damage to every enemy unit on the battlefield each time he attacks or defends. Because a Riftbound unit is eliminated once it takes damage equal to or greater than its Might, this ability can eliminate quite a few enemies in a single blast. An opponent who has built up a battlefield with several smaller units could lose nearly their entire force from one shotgun spread.
The most intimidating aspect of Graves is that his core ability triggers every time he defends. In Riftbound, players earn points by conquering and holding battlefields, and opposing units can move in to challenge control. Leaving Graves positioned at a battlefield forces an opponent to account for the 4 damage he’ll deal each time he defends, even when he never actually fires.
Graves also scales exceptionally well with effects that boost his Might. Increasing his Might improves both his survivability and his offensive capabilities, meaning his defensive counterattacks grow more potent as well.
However, the card carries certain limitations. Five Energy represents a significant investment for a unit with only 4 base Might, and Graves does nothing immediately when played. He must attack or defend to have any effect, giving opponents opportunities to remove, stun, or neutralize him before he can act. Any enemy that survives his blast can still fight back, while Graves’ own text prevents him from dealing additional combat damage.
Deck Building and Future Expectations
Graves belongs to the Fury Domain, meaning any Legend whose two-domain identity includes Fury can include him in its deck. His ability is fairly self-contained and doesn’t require a particular Legend or another Graves card if players use him as a basic unit.
The real make-or-break factor will be what Champion cards Radiance adds specifically for Graves. Every constructed deck begins with a Legend that determines the two available domains, along with a designated Chosen Champion placed face-up in the Champion Zone. Those two cards must feature the same character, and Riftbound historically adds both card types featuring the same character within the same set.
Preview season for Radiance has only just begun, so it’s only a matter of time before players see the first-ever Graves Champion. Even without that addition, Blasting Through ensures Graves will do what he does best: show up where the fighting is thickest and start blastin’.
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