QA game tester for @PlayTheBazaar . @playriftbound enjoyer Top 32 Atlanta Top 128 Beijing
Joined July 2026
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When I played these events I couldnt really tell if going first or second was better as Rengar except vs Kaisa because your 2 drops don't get shot and you get compensation for it. But it genuinely didnt feel bad going second in either one.
Everyone talks about bans but we almost forgot we had side events with “Start of Game” specific rules for going 2nd.
The meta did take different turns based on the rule applied (draw, +1 point, or nothing), let's have a look.
#RCEU
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Another cool suggestion my friend @nameless4god had was an exhausted treasure when going second I think that actually would be super interesting to try
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All in all, I think with either changes. I felt like if I was better than my opponent I would win unless it was Jayce aurora. All my losses I was the worse player for sure and some of my wins I was better/even with my opponent
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The extra point one made going second the aggressor almost because on turn 2 you start by going even and forces the opponent to start holding at least 1 side to get you off of evens and that pressure is real. I still picked first most times because faefolk going first too good
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The extra draw made mulligan cooler because I got to keep my 1 ofs or situational cards because I will get an extra card anyways but going first it felt scary giving my opponents more resources but tempo is still too important on rengar so I always picked going first.
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Playing the Nation Clash and i am really playing 'for fun' and trying my best not to care if I lose. Nice that I just need to win 50% of my die rolls to get 20 tickets !
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Playing Rengar btw,
Round 1 vs Kennen
Win 2-1
He played 1 nocturne the whole series and it was from hand woohoo I'm so good at the game
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Round 6 vs riven
2-0
Win die roll and faefolked both games
Game 2 I should have been giga dead but they never drew their draw engine and faefolk allowed me to not deal with their heron
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Round 5 vs Darius
2-0 the match up is giga rough for darius
He said he came to beat rivens and jayces
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Round 4vs Jayce Aurora
0-2
Turn 3 aurora game 1 I had 1 chance with thrill but he had the flurry
Turn 2 I take his aurora and bellows and he has elder in hand,
Top Decks aurora
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Round 3 vs Leblanc
All 3 games faefolk again
But lose game 2 because hilluk is unwinnable.
He had a temporary token of every one of his cards and that made me incredibly happy
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Round 2 vs Ornn
All 3 games started Faefolk
Lost round 1 because he had a rube Goldberg machine but also I forgot I'm never supposed to try to hold in this match up
Game 2 had the tempo and won out
Game 3 he plays brutalized turn 1 and 2, turn 3 plays pit crew and I eat it
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I dont understand, why does whoever is running RQ/RCs always want to help the people who are grinding side events and doing slimy stuff instead of letting challenge players who played 5/6 grueling rounds??
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I have no idea who first will be im shaking
At #2 I have @SquirtleRFT
The lingering question with Squirtle is what if. What if he could have played all 12 events, how many would he have won, what would the stats have shown, how different are our best player conversations when we add that much more data?
For this list I did not want to hold the missed events against him entirely. The question I had was "will Squirtle deliver once he starts traveling?", and he answered that question instantly with his performances in both Singapore and LA. Proving that he was not going to slow down. One win can be accomplished by many, two is an anomaly, the consistency Squirtle showed in his 6 events he attended can not be denied.
After placing 22nd in his first RQ, his worst placement btw, Squirtle would immediately embark on the longest unbroken win streak of any player after finding his Legend in Azir. He took a Legend that was knocking on the door of the metagame and made it look unbeatable, and the stats support his unbeatable status with the highest win rate of any player by a large margin.
For the RC a new question arises. Can Squirtle replicate his dominance on a new Legend, or was this mastery of Azir one of a kind. He hadn’t needed to put down the emperor yet due to the best of system and a metagame that still felt solid for the list but now with all the pressure to win and a deck commanding 43% of the players including Squirtle to go that direction does he lose the edge of complete mastery of a Legend? Or was it never about the Legend, and Squirtle’s mastery was of Riftbound instead?
My gut says it was never just the relationship of player and Legend, but Squirtle just fundamentally understands Riftbound on a level that very few others currently can reach. The RC season is the time to prove it once more, to separate from the pack argued to be the best in the game with a statement victory at an RC.
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