Legends of Runeterra: Keywords Guide

Legends of Runeterra is a fully formed card game, with all that entails: plenty of complex keywords, either unique or general equivalents to the same in other card games.

It can be challenging to find what you’re looking for in a deck, especially when you don’t even know what you’re looking for, so I’ve thrown together this quick guide to help narrow your search.

Keywords:

Allegiance: Grants the unit a bonus if the top card of you deck has the same region tag.

Allegiance: Grants the unit a bonus if the top card of your deck has the same region tag.

Barrier: Unit ignores the next damage it takes this round.

Can’t Block: The unit cannot block.

Challenger: Can choose which enemy units block (you can drag and drop enemy units wherever you like during the block phase)

Double Attack: Unit strikes both before and simultaneously with its blocker.

Elusive: Can only be blocked by other Elusive units.

Enlightened: You (the player) have 10 mana; generally, a prerequisite for another effect.

Ephemeral: Unit dies when it strikes or at the end of the round.

Fearsome: Can only be blocked by units with three or more attack power.

Fleeting: Card disappears at the end of the round.

Frostbite: Target unit’s power is set to 0 for this turn (though buffs may be applied afterward).

Last Breath: An effect triggers when the unit dies.

Lifesteal: Damage a unit deals is restored to your Nexus. Also known as Drain when it’s on a spell.

Obliterate: Completely removes a card from play. It does not enter the graveyard (and so cannot be revived) and does not trigger Last Breath effects.

Overwhelm: Excess damage dealt to a blocker overflows to the Nexus. E.g., If a 3 HP minion blocks a unit with 6 attack, it kills the minion and deals three damage to the Nexus.

Play: Unit has some unique effect when it enters play.

Quick Attack: Strikes before being blocked (so any effects that trigger on attack, and any damage to the blocker goes through before it takes block damage).

Rally: Gain an attack token if you don’t have one.

Recall: Return the unit to hand, and remove all status changes to it.

Regeneration: At the start of each round, the unit heals back to max HP.

Support: On attack, buffs the unit to the right of it.

Strike: Unit has some unique effect on dealing damage to a target. There are limited variants like “Nexus Strike” which only trigger on dealing damage to the Nexus as well.

Stun: Target unit is temporarily removed from combat (it can’t attack or block for the rest of the round).

Tough: Unit takes one less damage from all sources.

Allegiance: Grants the unit a bonus if the top card of you deck has the same region tag.

Barrier: Unit ignores the next damage it takes this round.

Can’t Block: The unit cannot block.

Challenger: Can choose which enemy units block (you can drag and drop enemy units wherever you like during the block phase)

Double Attack: Unit strikes both before and simultaneously with its blocker.

Elusive: Can only be blocked by other Elusive units.

Enlightened: You (the player) have 10 mana; generally a prerequisite for another effect.

Ephemeral: Unit dies when it strikes or at the end of the round.

Fearsome: Can only be blocked by units with 3 or more attack power.

Fleeting: Card disappears at the end of the round.

Frostbite: Target unit’s power is set to 0 for this turn (though buffs may be applied afterward).

Last Breath: An effect triggers when the unit dies.

Lifesteal: Damage a unit deals is restored to your Nexus. Also known as Drain when it’s on a spell.

Obliterate: Completely removes a card from play. It does not enter the graveyard (and so cannot be revived) and does not trigger Last Breath effects.

Overwhelm: Excess damage dealt to a blocker overflows to the Nexus. E.g. If a unit with 6 attack is blocked by a 3 HP minion, it kills the minion and deals 3 damage to the Nexus.

Play: Unit has some unique effect when it enters play.

Quick Attack: Strikes before being blocked (so any effects that trigger on attack, and any damage to the blocker goes through before it takes block damage).

Rally: Gain an attack token if you don’t have one.

Recall: Return the unit to hand, and remove all status changes to it.

Regeneration: At the start of each round, the unit heals back to max HP.

Support: On attack, buffs the unit to the right of it.

Strike: Unit has some unique effect on dealing damage to a target. There are limited variants like “Nexus Strike” which only trigger on dealing damage to the Nexus as well.

Stun: Target unit is temporarily removed from combat (it can’t attack or block for the rest of the round).

Tough: Unit takes 1 less damage from all sources.