Kennen wins Stuttgart, and Riftbound weighs bans
ASC Evansrhim won Riftbound's first Regional Championship in Stuttgart on Kennen, in a field where Riven took nearly half of Day 2. Riot says ban decisions come this Friday.
Riftbound's first Regional Championship, held in Stuttgart, Germany, ended with ASC Evansrhim lifting the trophy on Kennen. Riot's organized play recap, published November 11, also carries the bigger news for anyone playing the format: the game team is considering bans, with a decision due this Friday.
The result
Riot's recap says Evansrhim "took it down piloting Kennen through a Top 8 of four Riven, three Kennen, and a Kai'Sa." The eight decks in the Top 8, with the overall ranking Riot lists for each:
- ASC Evansrhim: Kennen (#1)
- Sonecon: Riven (#2)
- DiamondHat: Riven (#3)
- BQO Caravaggio: Riven (#4)
- CTCG DZiden: Kai'Sa (#5)
- lets see lol: Riven (#6)
- HXN Gonkra: Kennen (#7)
- On Curve Willy: Kennen (#8)
Riot's article does not spell out the bracket path or the final opponent, so we are not inferring one from the rankings.
Riven was everywhere
Riven was the most played legend of the event, at more than 40% of the field on Day 1 and close to half of Day 2. Riot's metagame table:
- Riven: 126 decks on Day 1 (40.9%), 47 on Day 2 (49.0%)
- Kai'Sa: 52 (16.9%), 17 on Day 2 (17.7%)
- Kennen: 45 (14.6%), 12 on Day 2 (12.5%)
- Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman: 16 (5.2%), 4 on Day 2 (4.2%)
- Rek'Sai: 10 (3.2%), 5 on Day 2 (5.2%)
- Jayce: 5 (1.6%), 4 on Day 2 (4.2%)
The rest of the field was spread thinly across more than twenty other legends, several of which did not put a deck into Day 2. Kennen's case is the striking one: under 15% of the starting field, three of the top eight seats and the title. Riven converted its numbers into half the Top 8 but not the win.
Why the field was so narrow
Riot changed the Regional Championship format to make Best-Of prizes less of a motivator and to put competitive integrity first. Decks that did not reach Day 2 could not win a Best-Of, even if they were built from the latest three sets. Riot says the result is that deck variety in Stuttgart was well below what Regional Qualifiers have shown.
Best-Of decks were still named for 16 legends, from Evelynn, Poppy and Diana (ranked 297th, 290th and 259th overall) up to Sonecon's Riven and Evansrhim's Kennen at the top. The full lists are in Riot's article.
Top finishers also drafted Overnumber Foil Plated Legends in standings order. Ahri, Nine-Tailed Fox went first, followed by Lux, Akali, Kai'Sa and Teemo. K'Sante, Pride of Nazumah was the 58th and last pick.
Bans are on the table
The recap passes on a note from Dave Guskin, Riftbound's Game Director: the game team is considering bans to the format. Any decisions will be shared this Friday, and the bans are targeted to take effect on November 23. Riot has not said which cards or legends are under review, and we will not guess. With Riven at nearly half of Day 2 the numbers are public, but the decision is Riot's to announce.
We will cover the announcement when it lands. Last week we previewed the event in Riftbound's first European Regional Championship runs this weekend, and Riot's World Showcase is heading to Shanghai.