The Winning Point

Viktor's good again... you should get a playmat to celebrate: https://shop.turnemsideways.gg/The tierlist and other decks have been updated: https://turnemsideways.gg/tierlist

Welcome to episode 40 of The Winning Point! We've got a little Lille announcement and we dig further into the banned cards and rules updates discussion. There's so much information and so little time to process it all.

What decks are we looking to play now?

Welcome to episode 39 of The Winning Point! This is more or less a continuation of last week's spoiler episode, but with a twist? We're also going over the Shenzhen National that happened over the weekend and talk about some of the crew's favorite spoilers of Unleashed! 🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

Warning: spoilers up ahead. Welcome to episode 38 of The Winning Point! This week's episode focuses on everything Unleashed Spoilers. We go over our own spoiler (Gutter Palace), Baron Nashor, and all the revealed Legends. There's so much to cover and so little time. 🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

Cas' is moving and Pastrytime was summoned elsewhere during this week's Winning Point episode, giving us a dynamic duo we didn't know we needed. In episode 37(!), we talk about future plans (both personal and for Riftbound), suggestions we've seen for the Miracle deck floating around, previews for both Unleashed AND Vendetta, and side events with banned decks in China. Also, we have new playmats available. 🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

Two Regional Qualifiers have come and gone, and we're finally back and more or less well-rested enough to talk about them. It's not a secret that some of us work on the Riftbound shows or travel to compete in them, but there are definitely stories that come out of the events that are being revealed in this episode. For example: did you know Blevins was the reason Alanzq was late to accept his award in Bologna? We also talk about the discourse on Metal Cards... again.

🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

Please note the beginning of the episode is a little laggy (it's not your internet). The team had a shorter turnaround time for this episode due to travels (be sure to say hi if you see them at either SCG CON Milwaukee or Bologna for the Regional Qualifiers)!

Welcome to Episode 35 of The Winning Point! This week, we talk about our new website, incoming merch, predictions about what decks we'll see in Top 8 for Bologna RQ, and more!

👇 Let us know in the comments:

- Do you think there will be a surprise deck that ends up in Top 8?

- Thoughts on the new website?

- How will Cas and/or Blevins do in the tournament?

🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

Riftbound just made one of the biggest competitive changes yet — and it might finally make Best-of-One tournaments actually playable.

In Episode 34 of The Winning Point, we break down the new tournament policy update going live February 9, which allows players to make sideboard adjustments in Best-of-One after legends, battlefields, and turn order are revealed.

This is a huge step forward for competitive Riftbound, and it completely changes how players should prepare for events moving forward.We also dive into the evolving Spiritforged meta across recent Regional Opens, including the growing “triangle” at the top of the format, but with plenty of wild deck choices still sneaking into top cuts. Whether you’re preparing for your next event, testing new tech, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, this episode covers what matters right now.

👇 Let us know in the comments:- Do you like sideboarding in Best-of-One?- What decks do you think benefit the most from this change?- What are you playing at your next event?

🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

Spiritforged is almost here and Riftbound just took a massive step forward.In Episode 33 of The Winning Point, the full crew breaks down the latest Riftbound tournament rules update, dives into the evolving Chinese Regional Open meta, and talks through what these changes mean heading into Spiritforged pre-release events worldwide.

We cover:

✅ Mixed-language cards now legal in tournaments

✅ Major policy updates around missed triggers

✅ Draft & limited format rules officially revealed

✅ Ongoing Draven dominance — and why the meta might finally be cracking

✅ Controversial judge rulings from recent CN Regionals

✅ Spiritforged preorder changes & what they signal for the future

With Chengdu and Dalian Regional Opens fresh in the books and Pre-Rift events coming to the West next week, this episode is your essential prep guide for what’s coming next in competitive Riftbound.

Spiritforged is almost here — and the countdown has officially begun.

In episode 32 of The Winning Point, we shift gears from pure meta analysis to full pre-release mode, breaking down everything players need to know as Spiritforged pre-release events hit the West next week.

We start with a quick co-stream recap of the Chengdu Regional Open, highlighting what stood out, what surprised us, and what early Spiritforged gameplay is already teaching us. With Dalian happening tonight, we talk about what to watch for next.

From there, the focus turns to Pre-Rift events, local game store play, and what Spiritforged means for players jumping in fresh. We discuss:- What archetypes feel intuitive for pre-release play- Why Spiritforged rewards proactive decision-making- How early Draven and Fiora narratives should (and shouldn’t) influence your expectations- What new players should prioritize when opening their first pools

This episode is about excitement, preparation, and momentum — bridging the gap between high-level tournament play and the experiences most players are about to have at their local stores. Whether you’re sleeving up for a Pre-Rift event, watching the China co-streams, or just counting down the days, Spiritforged is finally here.🎧 The Winning Point is your weekly Riftbound podcast, covering competitive play, event coverage, and everything that shapes the game — from global regionals to your local prerelease.

This week, we dive deep into the Fuzhou Regional Open, the first major Spiritforged regional in China, and unpack what the results actually tell us beyond the headline numbers. With Draven making up a massive portion of the field, we discuss whether this represents true dominance, early-set convergence, or simply China doing what it does best: identifying the perceived best deck and pushing it to its limits.

We break down the Top 64 and Top 8 legend spread, including strong showings from Fiora, Irelia, Annie, and Ezreal, and analyze why Draven’s representation dropped as the tournament narrowed — even after starting at nearly 40% of the field. From Jund-style “fair” Draven lists to the absence of expected combo builds, we explore how preparation, matchup targeting, and player skill shaped the event.

The episode also tackles one of the biggest conversations of the week: Riot’s Spiritforged errata, including the removal of reflexive triggers and how changes to cards like Falling Star and Icathian Rain impact gameplay clarity, tournament prep, and long-term confidence in physical card text. We debate errata vs bans, growing pains in early sets, and how these decisions affect both competitive and casual players.

To close things out, we zoom out on the broader Spiritforged landscape — discussing aggro vs midrange, why “proactive” decks feel strong early in formats, what might emerge as the next hated-but-not-broken deck, and how the meta could evolve heading into upcoming Chinese Regionals and major Western events.