Riftbound has the same “new TCG gravity” every game gets when the card pool is fresh and everyone is still figuring out what’s actually good: you build a deck, you tweak three cards, and then you realize you’ve also signed up for a part-time job called “acquiring cardboard.”
That’s where Riftbound proxy cards earn their keep.
Not counterfeit cards. Not “trying to pass as real.” Just playtest copies so you can learn the game, tune lists, and keep your actual collection from getting shuffled into oblivion. If you print them well, your games feel normal: readable text, consistent size in sleeves, and no one has to squint like they’re reading patch notes mid-combat.
TLDR
- Riftbound proxy cards are best for casual playtesting and early deck iteration, especially while the meta is still settling.
- Start small: print a core package first (champion plan + key units/spells), then expand once you know the deck is “real.”
- Your print success rate goes way up if you do two things: print at 100% scale and use opaque sleeves.
- If you’re playing in a store or event, assume proxies are a “maybe” until the organizer says yes.
- LetsProxy is useful when you want print-nerd clarity (clean files, consistent sizing, fewer “why are these 6% smaller?” moments), plus tools and guidance that make proxies less of a craft project.
Riftbound is built for iteration, so your deck should be too
Riftbound is Riot’s League of Legends trading card game for 2 to 4 players, where you choose a Champion Legend, fight over battlefields, and score points by taking and holding them (8 points to win, or 11 in team games). Resources come from a separate Rune deck, and you gain runes each turn to pay costs. That design naturally rewards testing and tuning. Small changes add up fast.
That’s also why Riftbound proxy cards make sense: you can explore strategies without waiting for availability, restocks, or your budget to catch up with your curiosity.
The real reasons Riftbound players use proxies
Most proxy use is boring in a good way. It’s about practicality, not trickery.
- Accessibility: You want to try a build before buying into it.
- Testing: You want reps against different matchups and you want them now.
- Protection: You own the cards, but you’d rather not play shuffle roulette with your nicer pieces.
- Group play: You want multiple decks for friends, teaching nights, or a league group.
Riftbound’s own deckbuilding guidance basically encourages iteration: build a rough draft, play it, learn what’s strong and weak, then improve the next version. Proxies are just how you do that without turning every experiment into a purchase decision.
A simple framework: which kind of Riftbound proxy cards do you need?
This is the part people skip, then end up laminating sticker paper at midnight like it’s a normal hobby activity.
Here’s the honest “good, better, best” that matches how Riftbound players actually proxy.
| Proxy level | Best for | What it looks like | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good: Sleeve-backed quick proxies | Fast testing this week | Printed fronts in a sleeve with a real card behind it | Not pretty, but playable |
| Better: Consistent full-deck proxies | A deck you’ll play a lot | Uniform prints, consistent paper, clean cuts | Takes more prep (or a service) |
| Best: Showpiece customs | Gifts, themed decks, content creation | Color-corrected art, clean layout, consistent finish | Time, cost, and the risk of overthinking everything |
Print-nerd aside: your deck does not need “Best” across all 40 main-deck cards plus runes plus battlefields. That’s how people end up “just tweaking one more file” until the heat death of the universe. Ask me how I know.
A practical playtesting workflow (so you don’t proxy the whole universe)
Riftbound decks are structured (Legend, Chosen Champion, 40-card main deck, Rune deck, battlefields). That makes it easy to test in modules.
Here’s a workflow that stays sane:
- Print a core package first (20 to 25 cards).
- Champion plan: your Legend + your Chosen Champion plan
- Early game: a chunk of your low-cost units (Riftbound guidance suggests running lots of small units so you can contest early)
- Interaction: a handful of the spells you expect to matter most
- Run 5 to 10 real games, not goldfish fantasies.
Track two things only:
- When did you lose a battlefield you should have held?
- What card did you wish you drew?
- Swap 3 cards at a time.
If you change 12 cards between games, you will learn nothing except that you are very good at changing cards. - Only then print the full deck.
Once the deck feels like it has a plan, commit to a full run of proxies.
This is also where proxies help you follow Riftbound’s own deckbuilding advice without buying your way into every hypothesis.
The printing checklist that prevents “my deck feels homemade”
Reddit Riftbound players have a very common approach: export a PDF proxy sheet (Piltover Archive is a popular option), print on heavier paper, cut, then sleeve with a backing card so everything shuffles consistently.
That’s the right idea. Here’s how to do it with fewer regrets.
Before you print
- Confirm size: Print one test page and measure a card in the cut box.
- Set scaling: Print at 100% / Actual size.
- Pick sleeves: Use opaque-backed sleeves so nothing shows through and no card is “marked” by accident.
- Choose paper: If you’re home-printing, heavier stock can help stiffness, but consistency matters more than hero paper.
While you print
- Keep it consistent: Same settings, same paper, same printer mode for the whole deck.
- Avoid glossy chaos: Highly reflective surfaces can be a problem under bright lights (and some tournament rules explicitly care about sleeve reflectivity).
- Don’t chase perfect color: If you’re doing foil or specialty stock, expect color shifts. Even experienced proxy folks note they color-grade images because some foiling workflows wash things out.
After you print
- Cut cleanly: A paper trimmer beats scissors unless you enjoy suffering.
- Sleeve with a backing card: This is the “easy mode” for consistent feel.
- Label proxies clearly for your group: Make it obvious these are playtest cards, not “real.”
If you want a one-line summary: your proxy deck should be readable, consistent in sleeves, and socially frictionless.
Competitive play and events: don’t guess, ask
Riftbound already has published tournament rules for competitive play, including standards around deck registration, deck construction, and sleeves. Those documents are not where you want to gamble on “maybe proxies are fine.”
If you’re playing casually at home, you can usually solve this with one sentence. If you’re in a store, solve it with two.
The no-drama script
“Hey, quick question: are printed proxies okay for casual games tonight if they’re readable and consistent in sleeves?”
That’s it. No essay. No moral philosophy. Just clarity.
Where LetsProxy fits (and why it’s not just “print something”)
There are two problems Riftbound players run into when proxying:
- The gameplay problem: You want to test decks without buying everything first.
- The printing problem: Your printer has its own opinions about scaling, paper size, and whether “Fit to page” should be enabled (it should not).
LetsProxy is built around solving the second problem so the first one stays fun.
We focus on:
- Readability first: proxies that play cleanly across a table, not art projects.
- Print sanity: settings, sizing, and workflows that reduce miscuts and mystery scaling.
- Proxy-friendly and anti-counterfeit: playtest tools and guidance, not “how to fool someone.”
If you already have a Riftbound proxy sheet PDF from a tool like Piltover Archive, the value is simple: get it into a clean print workflow and stop fighting the printer dialog like it’s a boss fight.