Riftbound: Deck Tech - Teemo Swift Scout (Mind & Chaos)

Today, we'll show you how to play Mind/Chaos Teemo!

This is considered a tier-B archetype in Riftbound. However, it is extremely fun and works both in the 1v1 format, the 4v4 format, and the 2v2 format.

It is difficult to pilot but very satisfying and can "steal" wins from opponents. Let's see how it works.

Before we begin, allow me to share a bit about myself. My name is Total. I was a professional caster for Legends of Runeterra, so I presented and covered all the official tournaments, including the world tournaments. I also used to write deck guides for LoR, but now I am a part of the Riftbound community!

The main idea behind this list is to conquer battlefields early on and play hidden cards on them to defend them. You'll also force the opponent to spend resources inefficiently to deal with your face-down cards (hidden cards).

This deck isn't the best at conquering battlefields or holding them. It is also not the best early-game or late-game list.

Essentially, it is a "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" list. It does a bit of everything but is not the best at any of it. You'll keep a consistent pace and set up good strategies that will get you ahead in tempo. Eventually, you'll get to your explosive late game.

However, depending on the matchup, your opponent could easily destroy all your plans. They could remove your finishers and prevent you from holding the last point. So, this list is a bit better in the 4v4 and 2v2 formats than in the classic 1v1 format.

Your Legend, Teemo - Swift Scout, is the main engine in this deck. This card lets you "ignore" the hidden cards rule and play them for (1) mana instead of recycling (1).

This passive ability lets you keep a lot of mana every turn, so you'll be able to spend it on reaction/action cards in showdowns (the stack).

Another thing that Teemo - Swift Scout does is that he lets you pay (1) and exhaust him to return a Teemo you control to your hand. This Teemo can be the Champion in your Champion Zone.

All Teemos are hidden cards and activate an effect when they're revealed, but they're very fragile and don't have a lot of might. As a result, you'll often return them to your hand so that you can play them again on the board, hidden.

Your main Champion is Teemo - Strategist. He'll help you hold and defend your battlefields early on.

His effect deals damage according to how many hidden cards are in the top five cards in your deck. You'll reveal them and deal damage based on that. As such, you can kill an enemy unit with him.

Teemo - Strategist is also how you'll reveal Nocturne - Horrifying from your deck. If you do, you'll be able to recycle a single purple mana to put him in play and essentially change the course of the entire game, as your defenses will increase quite suddenly.

Bandle Tree, your main battlefield, is actually quite simple. You can play two hidden cards on it, so you'll have two hidden effects in play to use instead of one. Your opponents will struggle to beat you in it.

Zaun Warrens makes your main late-game win condition even more powerful. After all, Dr. Mundo - Expert gets more powerful the bigger your trash is.

Windswept Hillock is a great battlefield and fits most decks, including this one. It gives ganking to the units in it, so, with it, Dr. Mundo - Expert will gank other battlefields and possibly conquer important enemy battlefields.

Early Game

Ravenbloom Student is one of the best cards in the game nowadays. It is an early game unit that helps you conquer battlefields early on and can scale pretty well in the following turns.

As for Traveling Merchant, it's how you'll draw cards and also buff your Dr. Mundo - Expert.

Teemo -Scout is a strong unit that can defend attacks at the beginning of the game, as is Blastcone Fae. Both are, mathematically speaking, the same card.

Mid-Game

Ember Monk is your main mid-game unit. It will hold and defend your battlefields.

As for Sprite Mother, it is your mid-game conquering card. You'll use it to reconquer a battlefield or attack an opponent.

Nocturne - Horrifying is both a conquering and a holding card. It is the most flexible card in this list and also one of the most powerful because he enters play for almost no cost at all.

Late-Game

Your win conditions are Dr. Mundo - Expert and Thousand-Tailed Watcher.

Dr. Mundo is just a stat stick (removals that destroy a card straight away, return it to their owner's hand, or even return them to the base) that scales a lot in the late game. However, he is very vulnerable to direct removal, that is, cards that just remove other cards without dealing damage.

As for Thousand-Tailed Watcher, it is a powerful meta card in every format. It'll both nerf the enemy board and help you conquer more than one battlefield, as it has "accelerate" and can attack straight away. It might be expensive, but it destroys any sort of enemy defense.

Nonetheless, you'll need to follow up with something else after you play it, that is, you'll need another card to attack and conquer an enemy board to get 100% out of the Thousand-Tailed Watcher.

Because this is a hidden list, don't forget to shuffle your hand at all times. Your opponent might be able to get a lot of information by paying attention to the cards you play and the ones you return to your hand with your Legend's effect.

This list works better against inexperienced players and in the 4v4 format, in which players have to split their attention among multiple opponents.

Don't be afraid to spend reaction/action cards to defend a battlefield. This deck benefits a lot from a big trash pile.

Don't play hidden cards face-up.

Stacked Deck is the best card draw card nowadays, but it also helps you summon Nocturne - Horrifying.

Play hidden spells on battlefields as a distraction.

If you return your Champion from the Champion Zone to your hand, try to play him right afterward with your Legend's effect. If you wait to play him, your opponent might realize what cards you have in hand and figure out a way to disrupt you.

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

Don't forget to share.

See you next time!