Riftbound · 2026 Set Guide
Vendetta Set Guide
The newest Riftbound set and the smallest of 2026. Its nine Legends include the first three for the domain pairs no earlier set had, and its Akali is nearly as valuable as Spiritforged's Ahri.
Overview
Vendetta is the third Riftbound set of 2026 and the smallest, at 166 numbered cards. Its nine Legends are all new champions, from Akali and Zed to Nasus, Renekton and Kennen.
Three of them fill gaps. Origins, Spiritforged and Unleashed each covered the same 12 of the 15 possible domain pairs, so no Legend could lead a Fury and Calm, Mind and Body, or Order and Chaos deck until Akali, Rogue Assassin, Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow and Kennen's Legend, Heart of the Tempest.
The set's mechanic is Empower. A card becomes Empowered once you pay its Empower cost or something else empowers it, and several Legends trade that state away for an effect. Flow lets a card, usually a spell, be played from your trash and then banished, and Ionia and Shurima are the regions with the most cards.
Cards and rarities
Vendetta has 166 cards in its main set. Each one prints its number over that total at the bottom left, after the set code, as in VEN · 001/166.
Above the main set
Riot's card gallery lists 237 Vendetta cards in all. The other 71 are printings and extras outside the main set:
Ten of Vendetta's 22 overnumbered champion units are champions from earlier sets, such as Jinx, Demolitionist and Irelia, Fervent. Set completion in TurnZero HQ counts a set against its printed total and keeps the extras apart, so finishing the main set and chasing the overnumbered and signature printings read as two separate goals. Alternate art, overnumbered and signature printings →
The Legends
Vendetta's nine Legends include the first Legends in Fury and Calm (Akali), Mind and Body (Jayce) and Order and Chaos (Kennen, whose Legend is titled Heart of the Tempest). With them, every one of the 15 domain pairs has a Legend.
Each Legend has one Signature card in the set, an Epic that only a deck led by that champion can play. A deck can hold at most 3 Signature cards in total.
| Legend | Domains | Signature card |
|---|---|---|
| Akali, Rogue Assassin | Fury and Calm | Shuriken Flip |
| Renekton, Butcher of the Sands | Fury and Body | Dominus |
| Zed, Master of Shadows | Fury and Chaos | Death Mark |
| Nasus, Curator of the Sands | Calm and Mind | Siphoning Strike |
| Shen, Eye of Twilight | Calm and Order | Shadow Dash |
| Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow | Mind and Body | Acceleration Gate |
| Mel, Soul's Reflection | Mind and Chaos | Rebuttal |
| Ambessa, Matriarch of War | Body and Order | Public Execution |
| Heart of the Tempest | Order and Chaos | Lightning Rush |
Akali, Rogue Assassin
VEN-139/166
Fury · Calm
Renekton, Butcher of the Sands
VEN-141/166
Fury · Body
Zed, Master of Shadows
VEN-143/166
Fury · Chaos
Nasus, Curator of the Sands
VEN-145/166
Calm · Mind
Shen, Eye of Twilight
VEN-147/166
Calm · Order
Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow
VEN-149/166
Mind · Body
Mel, Soul's Reflection
VEN-151/166
Mind · Chaos
Ambessa, Matriarch of War
VEN-153/166
Body · Order
Heart of the Tempest
VEN-155/166
Order · Chaos
New keywords
Three keywords appear for the first time in Vendetta. Empower is printed on more of its cards than any other new keyword of 2026 besides Spiritforged's Equip.
Icons are written in brackets, as on each card's page: [1] is 1 Energy, [Any Power] is 1 Power of any domain, and [Might] is the Might icon. Reminder text is a summary; Riot's Core Rules are final.
Battlefields
Vendetta has 10 battlefields, the fewest of the year. Risen Altar supports Empower, Shadow Temple Burns your own deck when you hold it, and Threshold of the Gray gives both players Energy when combat starts there.
| Battlefield | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dragon Roost | Any player may pay [Any Power][Any Power] as an additional cost to play a Dragon. If they do, they play it to this battlefield. |
| Heisho, Shell of the World | Players ignore [Deflect] while paying for spells and abilities choosing something here. |
| Kinkou Temple | Units here with [Tank] have +1 [Might]. |
| Mystic Vortex | During showdowns here, cards with [Reaction] cost [Any Power] more to play. (Hidden cards have [Reaction].) |
| Piltovan Forge | While you control this battlefield, the first friendly gear activated ability played each turn costs [1] less. |
| Protective Sands | When you conquer here, if you control 4 or fewer runes, you may pay [1] to draw 1. |
| Risen Altar | [Empower] costs of your units here cost [1] or [Any Power] less. |
| Sandswept Tomb | Each spell that chooses one or more units here that are friendly to it costs [Any Power] less. |
| Shadow Temple | When you hold here, [Burn 3]. (Put the top 3 cards of your Main Deck into your trash.) |
| Threshold of the Gray | When combat starts here, the attacker and defender each [Add] [1]. |
Every deck brings 3 battlefields with different names, and a 1v1 game uses one of each player's. How battlefields and scoring work →
The chase card: Akali, Rogue Assassin
The signature printing of Akali, Rogue Assassin (189*) is Vendetta's chase card. At $3,229.71 on September 30 it was the most valuable card in the set, more than twice the next, and within about $105 of Spiritforged's Ahri.
Vendetta's top five are all signature-printed Legends, and all five were above $1,100: Akali, then Zed, Master of Shadows ($1,352.67), Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow ($1,218.96), Heart of the Tempest ($1,152.22) and Mel, Soul's Reflection ($1,124.31).
Akali's Legend is printed three times in the set. The main-set Rare, with different art, was $0.15; the overnumbered printing with Jessica Oyhenart's art was $588.67; the same art with the asterisk was more than five times that.
Every printing of Akali, Rogue Assassin
| Printing | Number | Market price, September 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | VEN 139/166 | $0.15 |
| Overnumbered | VEN 189/166 | $588.67 |
| Signature printing | VEN 189*/166 | $3,229.71 |
Only the exact printing is worth its price. The number at the bottom left tells you which one you pulled: a number above the set's total is overnumbered, and an asterisk after it marks the signature printing. Reading the collector number →
Chase cards and prices
Vendetta had five cards above $1,000 on September 30, more than Spiritforged's three and Unleashed's two, all of them signature-printed Legends. The most valuable main-set card was the Epic Astral Heron at $36.63.
| Card | Number | Rarity | Market price, September 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akali, Rogue Assassin | 189*/166 | Rare | $3,229.71 |
| Zed, Master of Shadows | 191*/166 | Rare | $1,352.67 |
| Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow | 194*/166 | Rare | $1,218.96 |
| Heart of the Tempest | 197*/166 | Rare | $1,152.22 |
| Mel, Soul's Reflection | 195*/166 | Rare | $1,124.31 |
| Nasus, Curator of the Sands | 192*/166 | Rare | $594.27 |
| Akali, Rogue Assassin | 189/166 | Rare | $588.67 |
| Shen, Eye of Twilight | 193*/166 | Rare | $529.63 |
These are each printing's TCGplayer market price on September 30, 2026, all of them for the Foil finish, the only one TCGplayer lists for these printings. Prices for a set can move a long way in its first months, so treat them as a snapshot. Each card's page shows today's price and its 90-day chart. How Riftbound card prices work →
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Vendetta release?
July 31, 2026. Its set code, printed at the bottom left of each card, is VEN.
How many cards are in Vendetta?
166 in the main set. Riot's card gallery lists 237 in all, counting 31 overnumbered printings, 18 alternate arts, 9 signature printings, 6 SP cards, 6 runes and a token.
What does Empower do in Riftbound?
A card with an Empower cost can be Empowered by paying that cost while it isn't already Empowered. Other cards then check whether it is Empowered, and some Legends, like Mel, Soul's Reflection, can disempower themselves for an effect. Riot's Core Rules have the full rules.
What is the most valuable Vendetta card?
On September 30, 2026, the signature printing of Akali, Rogue Assassin (189*/166) at $3,229.71, followed by the signature printings of Zed, Master of Shadows and Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow. Prices move daily, so check each card's page for the current figure.
Track your Vendetta cards.
Scan cards in by the code at the bottom, see how much of the set you own, and value every printing from daily TCGplayer prices. Free to start.
Create Free AccountTurnZero HQ was created under Riot Games' "Legal Jibber Jabber" policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project. Card data comes from Riot Games' official Riftbound card gallery, and prices from TCGplayer via TCGCSV.