Riot Games showed off a full roadmap today of what’s to come over the course of 2020 in Legends of Runeterra, including new game modes, a card release schedule, and much more.
A video featuring executive LoR producer Jeff Jew and design director Andrew Yip revealed a broad 2020 roadmap for Riot’s new digital card game. From new game modes and events to UI improvements and a spectator mode, here’s everything coming to LoR in 2020.
New LoR game modes
Riot is adding two game modes to LoR: Gauntlets and Labs.
Gauntlets
The Gauntlet mode will feature limited-time competitive modes using unique deckbuilding rules. Gauntlets will last approximately three to four days, with weekly swaps being added as more formats are introduced.
The first Gauntlet featuring standard deckbuilding rules will begin on June 26 with LoR Patch 1.4. A second Gauntlet will be added to the rotation shortly after, challenging players to build a deck with only one copy of each card.
Labs
Labs are an alternative game mode that will challenge casual players with extreme measures, meme and jank style. The first Lab will launch on July 8, featuring champions that normally don’t get paired together with “unpredictable strategies and an accelerated start to the action.”
Events
Similar to events featured in League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, the first event in LoR will launch in August. Events will last for one month at a time, with no official schedule revealed yet.
Players can earn limited-time cosmetic rewards via events, either as a free-to-play player or through an event pass available in the LoR store.
Card and region release schedule
The LoR team has set an official schedule as to when players can expect new cards and regions. Beginning in August, new cards will get released every two months, leading up to a region launch every six months.
- New cards added to LoR every two months.
- A new region every six months.
- The three content releases that include new cards will be the focus of each new region.
UI and other improvements
A number of improvements are planned to take place in LoR over the course of 2020. These include upgrades to the deckbuilder that will take place later this year, as well as the option to pick art for a deck box.
The list of UI improvements also features player profiles, leaderboards, card-style modifications, Master Rank LP adjustments, spectator mode, and the option to cross-shard friend challenge.
In development
With the addition of a spectator mode coming to LoR in 2020, the team is developing a path toward competitive tournaments. Players shouldn’t expect any major announcements until the end of the year, though, similar to the path Riot has followed with TFT.
A single-player mode is also in development for LoR, providing yet another option for players. Further details will likely get released later this year.
