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Legends of Runeterra Keywords

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Legends of Runeterra is the new free-to-play online card game from Riot Games and part of the League of Legends series set in the same universe. In this game each card will have Keywords on it. The Keywords refer to specific mechanics that exist in Legends of Runeterra, and there are many of them.

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The game does a great job explaining each of the different keywords with tutorials, so you can play through those to get a better understandings. This guide outlines all of the different Legends of Runeterra keywords along with a description of each of them.

Legends of Runeterra Keywords

KeywordDescription
AllegianceActivates when the top card of your deck is from the same faction as this unit.
AttackTriggered when unit is attacking.
AuraEffect applied when unit is on the board.
BarrierBecome invulnerable until damage is taken.
Burst SpellsResolves instantly and doesn’t consume an action, allowing another card to be played immediately.
Can’t BlockUnit cannot block enemy attacks.
CaptureUnit is removed from play until the captor is removed from play.
ChallengerChoose which enemy blocks this unit.
Double AttackStrike twice against the blocker.
DrainDeal and heal allied Nexus.
ElusiveCan only be blocked by other Elusive units.
EnlightenedActivates at 10 mana, players gain a max mana gem every turn.
EphemeralUnit dies when it attacks or at the end of the turn.
Fast SpellsCan be played in response to Spell cards and may be used during battle phase.
FearsomeCan be blocked only by enemies with 3+ attack.
FleetingDiscard from hand when round ends.
FrostbiteSet a unit’s power to zero. Can be increased by spells and effects.
ImbueTriggers when resolving a spell
Last BreathTriggered when unit dies.
Level UpA condition that levels up the card.
LifestealDamage dealt heals your Nexus.
Nexus StrikeTriggers when unit attacks Nexus.
ObliterateCompletely removed from the game. Does not trigger Last Breath or any other death effects and cannot be revived.
OverwhelmOverkill damage spills over to the nexus.
PlayOccurs when a card is played from your hand.
Quick AttackStrikes first before the blocker but only in attack phase. 
RallyGet on the offensive. Gain an attack token if you do not have one.
RecallReturn a unit to your hand and remove all effects applied on it.
RegenerationHeals at the beginning of each round.
SkillA spell effect created and cast by the unit.
Slow SpellsCannot be cast during battle phase and takes a turn to prep.
StrikeOccurs when a unit deals combat damage.
StrongestHighest Power, ties determined by highest Health then highest Cost.
StunRemove unit from combat, and it cannot attack or block for the rest of the round.
SupportBuffs the unit to the right. Only applies when the unit is attacking, not permanently.
ToughTake one (1) less damage from all sources. Calculated after Barrier.
TrapAttached to a card in the deck. Effect is triggered when card is drawn.
TriggerEffect triggered when a condition is met.
WeakestLowest Power, ties determined by lowest Health then lowest Cost.

Those are all the Legends of Runeterra Keywords for now, though many more are expected to be added frequently. We’ll do our best to keep this list up to date and accurate so you can use it for reference.

Author
Image of Cole Andrews
Cole Andrews
Cole is a lifelong PC gamer who loves FPS, RPG, and MMO games. The first PC game that got him hooked was the Counter-Strike beta in 1999. He has thousands of hours in all of the old-school Blizzard games like Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo.