If you have heard the words Riftbound sealed vs constructed at your local game store and quietly nodded along without being entirely sure what either one means, this guide is for you. Here is the short version: you are already playing Constructed. Every game you have played with your champion deck at home is Constructed. Sealed is a different format used at specific events, and it works quite differently. By the end of this page, you will know exactly what both formats involve and which one to try first when you are ready to play in public.
What Is Constructed?
Constructed is the format you are already playing. When you sit down with your champion deck, either straight out of the box or upgraded with singles, that is Constructed. The name just means you built your deck in advance from your own card collection, as opposed to opening packs at the event.
The deck rules for Constructed are:
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Main deck | Exactly 40 cards |
| Copy limit | Maximum 3 copies of any single unique card |
| Champion Legend | 1. This determines your deck’s domain identity |
| Battlefields | 3 |
| Runes | 12 |
| Domain identity | Set by your Champion Legend. You can only play cards from those domains |
| Legal sets (Standard) | All current sets (first rotation expected 2028) |
If you bought a Vi or Jinx champion deck and have been playing with it at home, your deck already meets these requirements. The 40-card count, the single champion, the domain restrictions, it is all built in. Nothing needs to change before you walk into your first Constructed event.
The format most local events use for casual play is called Standard, which just means all currently printed sets are legal. With rotation not expected until 2028, everything from Origins through Unleashed is fair game right now.
What Is Sealed?
Sealed is a limited format, which means instead of bringing a pre-built deck from home, you build a deck on the spot from packs provided at the event. Everyone gets the same number of packs, opens them at the table, and then has a set amount of time to build the best deck they can from whatever they pulled.
Here is how Sealed works in Riftbound:
| Element | Rule |
|---|---|
| Packs provided | 6 booster packs, opened at the event |
| Minimum deck size | 25 cards (built from what you open) |
| Domain identity | Any three domains, not locked to a Champion Legend |
| Champion Legend | Not required. If you have none, you draw a card at the start of your first Beginning Phase each game instead |
| Copy limit | Normal limits do not apply. If you open 4 copies of a card, you can run all 4 |
| Banned cards | Constructed-banned cards are legal in Sealed unless specifically banned in limited formats too |
The big differences from Constructed: smaller deck, no domain restriction tied to a champion, and you play with whatever the packs give you. No two players will have the same card pool, which makes each Sealed event genuinely different from the last.
One thing I found surprising when I looked into this: because your domain identity is not locked to a Champion Legend in Sealed, you have much more flexibility in how you build. If you open strong cards across three different domains, you can run all of them. That is a freedom Constructed never gives you.
What About Draft?
Draft is a third limited format, and it deserves a mention, but only a brief one, because it is not the right starting point.
In Draft, packs do not stay with the player who opens them. Instead, each player opens a pack, picks one card, passes the rest to the next player, and repeats until the pack is empty. You do this with 3 packs. Once drafting is done, you build a deck of at least 20 cards from what you picked.
Draft rewards experience. Knowing which cards to pick, when to pivot your strategy based on what is passing around the table, and how to read what other players are taking. That comes with practice. It is a fantastic format once you have some events under your belt. As a first event format, though, it adds a layer of complexity that makes the learning curve steeper than it needs to be.
Which Format Should You Try First?
Constructed at a local event is the lowest-friction starting point, and it is the honest recommendation here.
You already have a deck. You already know how it plays. Walking into a Nexus Night with your champion deck means you spend zero time on day-of preparation and all of your mental energy on actually playing the game. That is a much better first experience than showing up to a Sealed event, opening six packs under a time limit, and trying to build a deck you have never seen before in a format you have never played.
Sealed is genuinely fun, and it has a real advantage for players who feel outgunned by opponents with bigger collections. But it does cost more. You are paying for six packs at the event, which is a meaningful extra spend on top of any entry fee. You are also building a deck on the fly, which is stressful if it is your first time in a competitive setting.
The honest path: start with Constructed at a local Nexus Night. Get comfortable with how organised play works, how the rounds run, and how other players approach the game. Then try Sealed once you have a few games in a competitive setting behind you. At that point, the format’s quirks become part of the fun rather than a source of anxiety.
Preparing for your first event? How to prepare for your first Nexus Night.
Quick Format Comparison
| Format | Deck built when? | Deck size | Champion required? | Domain restriction? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructed | At home, in advance | 40 cards | Yes (1) | Yes, locked to champion’s domains | First events, ongoing competitive play |
| Sealed | At the event (from 6 packs) | 25 cards minimum | No | No, any three domains | Level playing field events, variety |
| Draft | At the event (pick from circulating packs) | 20 cards minimum | No | No | Experienced players, higher skill ceiling |
Ready to Find Your First Event?
The organised play hub has everything you need to find local Nexus Nights and understand how events are structured. If you want to go back to the fundamentals first, the How to Play Your First Game guide walks through a complete game from setup to finish.
If you are thinking about trying Sealed at home before committing to an event, opening some packs to practice building from a limited card pool, this is a good way to pick up booster packs:
Keep Exploring Riftbound
More guides to help you get started:
- Riftbound Organised Play: How Events Work
- How to Play Your First Game of Riftbound
- How to Play Riftbound: Full Beginner Hub