Helm of Suppression raises spell costs, forces rune recycling

Riftbound Vendetta includes a new Epic Gear card, Helm of Suppression, that changes how opponents pay to cast spells. At base, the Calm (green) Gear raises the Energy cost of enemy spells by one. When Empowered, the card adds a requirement that players recycle a rune in addition to the extra Energy to cast spells.

Helm of Suppression costs four Energy and includes a Calm rune to recycle when played. Its base effect makes all enemy spells cost one additional Energy. Paying the Empowered cost-an additional four Energy and recycling a Calm rune-changes the effect so enemy spells require one extra Energy and the recycling of a rune of any color to be played. Players may pay the Empowered cost at any time after the card is played; the Empowered status persists for the remainder of the match.

Activating Helm of Suppression on entry would require eight Energy total and recycling two Calm runes. Players can deploy the base effect earlier and pay the Empowered cost later. The card’s design separates the initial play cost from the Empowered cost and makes the Empowered requirement a one-time payment for the match.

A review of existing Riftbound Gear cards found no other Gear that imposes an opponent-paid cost to cast spells. Comparable taxing effects exist in other card games. Developers have not released long-term balance data for Vendetta or Helm of Suppression.

Vendetta, the fourth Riftbound set, launches worldwide on July 31. The set introduces Showdown decks featuring Shen and Zed priced at $34.99, continues to offer booster boxes, and includes a Vault product focused on Akali. The set was reported out of stock on the publisher’s web store at launch; players are advised to check local game stores and official retailers.