Riftbound pull rates are not something Riot publishes on the back of the box, which makes it hard to know what you are actually getting into before you spend $5 on a pack. Terms like Common, Rare, Epic, and Alternate Art get thrown around constantly, but if you are new to this game, they do not mean much until someone explains what they actually translate to in practice: how often you will see them, what they are worth, and whether chasing them makes financial sense.
Page last updated: 8 May 2026. Pull rate figures are based on confirmed Unleashed set data. Prices referenced are approximate market values at launch and will shift over time.
This guide covers every rarity tier, what a pack actually contains, and the honest maths on chasing the rarest cards in the set. By the end, you will know exactly what to expect when you crack a booster and whether buying packs or buying singles is the smarter move for where you are right now.
The Four Rarities: What They Are
Riftbound uses four main rarity tiers. Each one has a distinct frame and gem shape on the card, so you can tell at a glance what you have pulled. Here is what each one means in plain terms:
| Rarity | Frame Colour | Gem Shape | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Bronze | Round | The bread-and-butter cards. Every pack has seven of these. They make up the bulk of any deck. |
| Uncommon | Silver | Triangle | More useful than Commons as a rule. Multiple per pack. Good for building out budget decks. |
| Rare | Gold | Square | Every pack has at least one. All Rares have foil treatment. This is where Champion Legends live. |
| Epic | Gold | Pentagon | The rarest standard cards. Foil treatment. Approximately one in every four packs contains an Epic instead of a Rare. |
One thing worth knowing immediately: Champion Legends, the most powerful cards in the game, are Rare rarity, not Epic. Riot designed it this way deliberately so competitive players do not have to chase Epics just to build a functional deck. The best cards in the set are accessible at Rare, which makes the game considerably less punishing to collect for than many other TCGs.
If you want the visual breakdown of what each gem and frame looks like, RiftboundSymbols.com has a dedicated rarity symbol reference page. This article focuses on the odds and the financial reality, not the visuals.
What Is Actually Inside a Pack
Each Riftbound booster pack contains 14 cards. Here is the breakdown for Unleashed packs:
| Slot | Cards | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commons | 7 guaranteed | Always present. Bronze frame, round gem. |
| Uncommons | Multiple per pack | Silver frame, triangle gem. Quantity varies. |
| Rare slot | 1 guaranteed | All Rares have foil treatment. Champion Legends are Rare. |
| Epic slot | Replaces Rare approximately 1 in 4 packs | Pentagon gem. Foil. Higher market value than standard Rares. |
| Dedicated foil slot | 1 per pack | Every pack has a separate foil slot that can upgrade any rarity card to a foil variant. |
The dedicated foil slot is worth highlighting. Every single pack has one, so you are always getting at least one foil card of some kind. Whether that foil is a Common or a Rare is the variable. The foil slot is separate from the guaranteed Rare or Epic slot, so it is not a replacement. It is an addition.
Pull Rate Reality for Each Rarity
Commons and Uncommons
These show up in every pack. If you open a box of 24 packs, you are going to have a lot of Commons. This is not a problem if you are building a deck from scratch, but if you already have a deck and are buying packs to upgrade it, expect the majority of your pulls to be cards you either have copies of already or do not need. That is not unique to Riftbound; it is how TCG pack economics work.
Rares
Every pack has at least one Rare, unless it contains an Epic instead. A box of 24 packs will give you roughly 18 to 19 Rare pulls across those packs, with the remaining packs containing Epics. Because Champion Legends are Rare, this is also where you will find the most impactful gameplay cards. Rares hold moderate secondary market value; most fall in the $1 to $5 range, with Champion Legends often higher depending on competitive demand.
Epics
Epics appear in approximately 1 in every 4 packs, replacing the standard Rare slot when they do. In a full box of 24 packs, you should expect roughly 5 to 6 Epics on average. The pentagon gem distinguishes them visually, and they all have foil treatment. Epics are not necessarily the strongest gameplay cards, but they tend to carry the highest collector value and the most striking art. Expect the rarest Epics to sit in the $15 to $50 range at launch, with some showcase variants considerably higher.
Alternate Art Cards: What They Are and Whether Beginners Should Care
Alternate Art cards are a separate category sitting above the standard four rarities. They use a hexagon gem rather than the standard rarity shapes, which immediately marks them as something different. These are collector variants: the same card with different artwork, often with premium foil or showcase treatment.
Unleashed has 30 or more Alternate Art cards in the set. Some of these will have eye-watering secondary market prices. The question for beginners is whether to care about them, and the honest answer is: only if you want to. Alternate Arts have identical gameplay text to their standard counterparts. They do nothing extra in a game. They are purely collector items, and the premium you pay for them is entirely aesthetic.
If you are building a competitive deck or a budget deck, Alternate Arts are irrelevant. Buy the standard version of the card and spend the difference on actually improving your deck. If you are a collector and you want a beautiful version of your favourite champion, that is a completely reasonable thing to want, just go in knowing you are paying for art, not power.
The Baron Nashor Maths: How Expensive Is the Rarest Card?
This is the section nobody wants to read but everybody needs to. Baron Nashor is the rarest card in Unleashed. To have a statistically reasonable expectation of pulling one copy, you would need to open approximately 42 boxes of product. At around $130 per box, that works out to roughly $5,400 in booster product to expect one Baron Nashor.
$5,400 in product for one card. Do not chase it. Buy the single. At current market prices, purchasing Baron Nashor directly as a single will cost a fraction of what you would expect to spend opening packs trying to find one.
This is not a criticism of Riftbound specifically. It is how TCG pack economics work at the chase-card level. The math only looks like this for the single rarest card in the set. For most Epics and all Champion Legend Rares, the numbers are far more reasonable. But it is worth understanding before you commit to a box-opening strategy hoping to complete a set.
A box of 24 packs costs approximately $130, which works out to around $5.42 per pack. That is reasonable as a pack-opening experience if you enjoy the opening itself. It is not a reliable way to acquire specific cards.
A Note on Sealed Product Value
One thing that is genuinely interesting about Riftbound sealed product is how it has held and grown in value since launch. Origins booster boxes launched at around $80 and now trade for $200 or more on the secondary market. Spiritforged launched at $130 and currently sits around $185.
That context is worth knowing, not as a buying recommendation, but as background. If you buy a booster box at MSRP, crack it, and enjoy the experience, you are getting full value from it. If you later decide Riftbound is not for you, the box likely would have held value better than most hobby purchases. But we are not recommending sealed product as an investment strategy, especially not for beginners. Buy it because you want to open it, not because you think it will make money.
For more on what Unleashed sealed product is available and where to buy it, see our Unleashed Products Buying Guide.
Final Verdict: When Buying Packs Makes Sense (and When It Doesn’t)
Here is the honest version:
Buy packs if: you enjoy the opening experience itself and you see it as entertainment, not as a way to complete a specific card collection. Opening packs is genuinely fun. Watching what comes out of a foil slot, not knowing if the Rare slot upgraded to an Epic: that experience has real value if it is what you are after. Budget around $25 to $50 and enjoy it without expecting anything specific.
Buy singles if: you have a specific card you need for a deck. This is almost always the cheaper and more reliable path. TCGPlayer lets you search by card name, filter by condition, and buy exactly what you need without cracking 20 packs hoping to find it.
Buy a booster box if: you are going to the launch of a new set, you want the full box experience, and you are fine with whatever comes out. At $130 for 24 packs, a box is a reasonable way to kick-start a collection at a new set launch. Just know you are buying the experience of 24 openings, not guaranteed specific cards.
Do not chase the rarest Alternate Arts through pack buying. The maths do not work. Buy the single, save the rest for a deck.
If you are still deciding whether to start with a deck or with packs, our Which Riftbound Deck Should I Buy First guide walks through all seven Champion Decks and helps you pick the right starting point.
Where to Buy
If you have decided packs are right for you, TCGPlayer is the best place to find booster packs at competitive prices, with multiple sellers and fast shipping. For sealed product like booster boxes, Amazon is worth checking alongside TCGPlayer.
If singles are the smarter move for you, TCGPlayer’s marketplace lets you search any specific card and buy exactly what you need.
For booster boxes and sealed product:
Get Notified When New Set Guides Drop
We cover every major Riftbound set release with buying guides, pull rate breakdowns, and deck guides. Sign up and we will let you know when new content is live.