There are many cards in Legends of Runeterra, and each have their own stats and effects to make them unique. It can be overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the card game genre, to learn all these effects. That’s why we’re dissecting all the keywords in a series of guides. In this one we’re taking a look at Allegiance.
The Allegiance keyword draws its strength from the consistency of your deck and your ability to keep track of your cards. When a card with Allegiance is played, the game checks which faction the top card of your deck belongs to. If the next card you’re going to draw belongs to the same faction of the Allegiance card, the Allegiance effect is triggered.
When you’re building a deck in Legends of Runeterra you have the choice to combine two factions, but you can opt to stick with just one. Although that would ensure the Allegiance effect always triggers, it’s usually better to just keep track of the cards you’ve drawn so far, and calculate the odds of the Allegiance buff working. Below you can find a few examples of cards with the Allegiance keyword.
▲ A simple yet powerful example of the Allegiance mechanic is Vanguard Bannerman, a four mana unit belonging to Demacia. While the card itself doesn’t boast great stats—three attack and three health is on the weak side when compared to other cards of the same cost—the effect is very potent. If the top card of your deck happens to also belong to Demacia, all allies receive a +1/+1 bonus. The effect can already be considered a pay-off when it hits just two units, as effectively you just played a four mana unit with 5/5 worth of stats.
▲ Over in the Freljord, Allegiance is rewarded as well, though Avarosan Outriders doesn’t impact the board immediately. When the next card you’ll draw belongs to the Freljord as well, the next unit in your deck gets a significant buff. It’s important to note that the unit itself does not have to belong to the Freljord. So for example, if the next card in your deck is a Freljord spell, Avarosan Outriders’ effect will trigger and to apply its buff to the next unit in your deck, regardless of which region that unit belongs to. That unit is sure to make a more impactful entrance on the board than Avarosan Outriders, with a +3/+3 buff and Overwhelm.
▲ Basilisk Rider’s effect is very similar to that of Avarosan Outriders’, but this card from the Noxus region is a tad more selfish. Instead of granting an ally a buff and Overwhelm, the buff is applied to Basilisk Rider itself. It turns a relatively weak four mana 5/2 into a powerful 6/3 with Overwhelm, killing almost any enemy unit while also besieging the enemy Nexus.
