Riftbound: Deck Tech - Ahri Nine-Tailed Fox (Calm & Mind)

Today, we'll show you how to play Ahri Nine-Tailed Fox (Calm & Mind).

This is one of the best archetypes in the game when the matter is holding battlefields. It also plays the best control cards that focus on defending them. This strategy is quite popular in the West, and is a highly efficient strategy in tournaments.

In fact, Jared Fuller made it all the way to the Top 4 at CSG Tampa Skirmish with the list we'll explore today.

Before we begin, however, let me introduce myself. My name is Total, and I used to cast Legends of Runeterra tournaments professionally. I covered all the official tournaments, including Worlds, and I am known for creating deck guides for LoR as well. Now, I am a part of the Riftbound community!

The main idea behind this list is to conquer battlefields early on and hold them for as long as you can. Eventually, you'll end the game by exhausting the opponent's resources, absorbing all of their attacks, or by using Time Warp to play an extra turn and hold twice.

To do that, this list plays lots of spells that buff your units or nerf enemy units. It also plays lots of card draw so that, at the end of the game, you have everything you need to combo with Time Warp.

Ahri Nine-Tailed Fox is a very simple legend and has a passive effect. Whenever an enemy unit attacks a battlefield under your control, this legend nerfs that unit by -1 Power (to a minimum of 1).

This effect isn't particularly strong against a few popular meta strategies, like Kai'Sa and other lists that don't play many units on the board. However, it practically disables any deck that sets up an extensive board with many attackers. For instance, that includes Viktor and most Order lists.

Your main champion in the champion zone is Ahri -Inquisitive, a consistent early/mid game unit that helps you hold or conquer battlefields.

The idea behind this card is to be a versatile tool that will kickstart your deck and get you ahead in tempo. It may also become your main way to hold.

Ahri - Inquisitive essentially delays any enemy attack early on to a battlefield you control. This means you'll have enough time to draw cards and hoard resources to defend yourself better in the following turns.

By buying you time, Ahri - Inquisitive will become an unstoppable snowball and force your opponent to spend many resources to deal with her. If they can't, eventually nothing will be able to remove her from play.

Grove of the God-Willow is great in this strategy, as it centers around holding. With this battlefield, you'll draw a card whenever you hold.

The Dreaming Tree is a meta battlefield that really fits this game style. It will be your main battlefield, in fact. The first time you target an allied unit on this battlefield each turn, you'll draw a card.

Trifarian War Camp is a solid battlefield that makes a lot of sense in this list. Your Legend's effect disables Trifarian War Camp's effect for your opponent, which means you'll always be more powerful than them on this battlefield.

Early Game

Stalwart Poro is very solid and interacts really well with your main strategy. This Poro can enter play on the very first turn and be your main defender early on.

Ravenbloom Student is the best card in the meta right now. It also fits this strategy well, as your focus is to protect your units with spells.

Stupefy is the best way to win a showdown at the beginning of the game. It also draws cards, so it is one of the most efficient cards in this list.

As for Discipline, it is similar to Stupefy. Their effects are practically the same, but Discipline costs 1 energy more and also nerfs an enemy by -2 Power.

Mid Game

Find Your Center is your way to draw cards in the mid game, as well as ramp later on.

Sprite Mother is your main way to conquer battlefields at this point of the match, particularly if your opponent conquers a battlefield you were controlling.

Lecturing Yordle is a great at protecting Ahri -Inquisitive and also draws cards.

End Game

This deck plays 3 win conditions that see play in practically all decks that play their colors.

Time Warp is your main win condition. This card gives you an extra turn, which is incredibly powerful. After all, you'll force your opponent to deal with your board with only reaction or action cards. With Time Warp, you can win the game by holding after you get your seventh point if your opponent can't answer your board.

Thousand-Tailed Watcher is the best late game card nowadays. It is extremely explosive and helps you conquer battlefields at the end of the game or come back into the game if you're losing.

Tasty Faefolk is like a nerfed Thousand-Tailed Watcher. This card will help you come back into the game if you're losing, as it channels two runes and draws a card when it dies. The idea is to play it ready, attacking, so it can die straight away and activate its effect.

Don't play all your cards on a single battlefield. The idea behind this list is to be active on both battlefields. This is how you'll take advantage of cards like En Garde.

Use Charm to move an enemy unit so that your Ahri - Inquisitive can attack them or conquer that battlefield.

This deck draws a lot of cards, so don't be stingy with them. Play your cards as needed and don't spare them. You'll have to get Time Warp to win a few matchups, so keep this in mind.

The sixth point is a "sweet spot" for this list. When you get to this point, the idea is to holdand get your seventh point so that you can play Time Warp and possibly win the game.

This list is quite strong early on and in the mid game, but it often gets weaker at the end of the match. So, you need to finish as soon as you can with your combo cards.

You can play Dr Mundo - Expert instead of Tasty Faefolk, if you prefer.

You can also play one Ahri - Alluring, but she is quite slow and only works against slow archetypes.

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you had fun and enjoyed reading this article.

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See you next time!