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 Lifesteal.

Lifesteal is among the most—if not the most—defensive mechanics in Legends of Runeterra. If your unit has Lifesteal, the damage it deals to any enemy is directly restored as health to your Nexus. It’s a way to stall when the enemy is on the offense, and once you’ve fended that off, climb back up to a more comfortable health total. If you have any buffs to raise a unit’s attack power, using them on a unit with Lifesteal is a great investment.

If you want to prevent your opponent from healing too much off the back of their Lifesteal units, allocating all damage to be directed to them may be a good option. Alternatives are to give your unit Barrier if it’s being attacked by an enemy Lifesteal unit—if no damage is done, no life is restored. Below are a few examples of cards with the Lifesteal keyword.

Images via Riot Games.