Last week, Riot Games revealed the existence of Project K, its real-world trading card game. The timing is perfect for riding the momentum created by Arcane season 2, the ongoing popularity of League of Legends, and the general TCG zeitgeist. Now, the developers have explained how to actually play the game, and unsurprisingly, it takes elements from all of your favorite TCGs. One big detail to note from the start: This is so much more than Legends of Runeterra.
Riot Games’ Dave Guskin shared a post on X detailing all of the rules and regulations. The goal is to capture different battlefield cards, where each captured battlefield earns one point and each turn maintaining control of the battlefield garners another point. The first player to eight points wins, and as many as four people can play in one game.
Oh hey, we heard some of you wanted the gameplay rules for Project K. Say no more! pic.twitter.com/SyIro4NDI4
— Dave Guskin (@davetron) December 14, 2024
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It sounds like it should be a pretty fast-paced game, but the winning point can’t be scored from conquering a battlefield; instead, you must hold an existing battlefield to earn that last point or score all battlefields in one turn.
Riot Games will demo Project K at its Team Fight Tactics Macao event. Guskin says there are four prebuilt decks to choose from, each with a different champion. Choose between Jinx, Viktor, Yasuo, or Volibear; every champion has a different combination of traits and abilities that make them unique to play.
Decks are built around a single Champion Legend unit, reminiscent of how Commander decks are built in Magic: The Gathering. Decks top out at 40 cards, with three copies of any given card in the deck. The one caveat is that the cards have to match the color scheme of your champion.
Project K is scheduled for release in 2025. Anyone attending the TFT Macao event will be able to try their hands at the game, but it isn’t expected to release globally until further into 2025. Preorders should go live in the first few months of the year.