Ev Maxxing at RQs
How you too can be rich! by Daniel Zidenberg
What this article is:
This article is meant to explain how to maximize the value you get at your next Riftbound Regional Qualifier. I’ll summarize the information we gathered through trial and error at Houston, Bologna, and Las Vegas.
What this article isn’t:
This article isn’t trying to tell you exactly what to do — you can make your own choices based on your goals for the event. If I tell you to play 2v2s but you hate the format, you’ll likely make less money than if you spent that time doing something you actually enjoy. Additionally, if your first reaction to the idea of making money at these events is that we’re trying too hard or ruining the spirit of the game, this article probably won’t appeal to you.
This article will not be updated with new information, it reflects current prices and trends. There will not be any updates if Riot updates their prize wall, ticket payouts, or if any other systems change.
The Elephant in the room:
There are tons of people making money buying and selling tickets at these venues. As far as we are currently aware, Riot is strictly prohibiting and actively looking to punish players buying and selling tickets. I have to actively discourage this behavior, I don’t want anyone getting banned from an event they care about because they bought or sold a few tickets. Buying or selling tickets is risky and should only be done with the understanding that you may be removed from the event if you’re caught. There’s a lot of downside risk.
Why you should care about what I say:
I do a lot of the math behind the scenes for ChallengerTCG. Our spreadsheets for winrates and testing data are typically maintained by me. I created the EV(expected value) calculator that helped us decide what metal cards to farm at Bologna and Vegas. I’m also the guy who will solitaire hundreds of hands with certain decks to estimate things like the probability of hitting turn-4 Aurora with our Miss Fortune deck (approximately 76%).
The Main Event:
The main decision you have to make when it comes to the main event is whether you’re playing a deck to win the event, or a deck to farm a metal card. Decks you might pick to win the event at present: Draven (15% play rate), Kai’Sa (7% play rate), Irelia (9% play rate), & Ezreal (5% play rate). If you’re playing a leader that can’t realistically compete with those four, you’re likely playing to farm a metal card instead. Some of the choices we made at Bologna and Vegas are: Rek’Sai, Jinx, Miss Fortune, Master Yi, Lux, & Viktor. To go over each choice:
Jinx - this deck gets to run the miracle package despite having a very low play rate. At both Bologna & Vegas I was able to pilot this deck to a 10-3 finish even fighting multiple Draven players on day 2. She also boasts one of the highest prices for a metal card, with confirmed sales at $24000 and $30000.
Rek’Sai - Alex chose this deck thinking the play rate would be quite low, unfortunately that didn’t pan out at Bologna with Rek’Sai having around a 5% play rate similar to most other leaders. Rek’Sai has some solid matchups into any deck vulnerable to Falling Star & Cull the Weak. Mainly, the leader struggles with Ferrous Forerunner which was moving to the sideboard in most Draven midrange lists.
Miss Fortune - Miss Fortune is currently one of the most consistent Aurora decks. Between Called Shot & Stacked Deck you’re very likely to hit Aurora on curve, and you’ll typically be able to take the gear hate from your opponents hand with sabotage and mindsplitter. The deck ended up getting 2nd place in Bologna, showcasing the high power level despite a low play rate.
Master Yi - At Bologna, Master Yi had an extremely low play rate. Antyn figured rather than play the contested Miss Fortune, he’d pivot to a low play rate aurora list. This worked out beautifully, Antyn was one of only two players in contention for the leader on day 2 and he ended up placing as Best-Of Master Yi in Las Vegas.
Lux - This one was a late addition to the pool of metal leaders we farmed. Lux has a relatively high asking price and a lower play rate than she deserves. She’s allowed to play the same removal package as Viktor, while also having a pseudo-catalyst attached to your chosen champion.
Viktor - This was Cody’s pet deck even in set 1. It boasted a medium play rate in both Bologna and Vegas, however the deck can be very strong in matchups which are weak to removal + tempo.
This list is by no means comprehensive, you could justify almost any leader as a metal farm which had a 5% play rate or below at the last event. The leaders which will typically sell for the most money are fan favorites like Jinx, Kai’Sa, and Ahri.
On-Demand Events:
At Las Vegas, the Riot staff introduced a cooldown system for on-demand events. Typically, this means you cannot enter another on-demand event for 2-3 hours after your initial entry. This is a great fix for a problem that was occurring at Bologna, where players would create an 8-man pod out of their team, then immediately end the event as soon as the judge left and re-enter. This would essentially let you get 100+ tickets per hour amongst your team, and quickly buy out the most valuable metal cards. In future events, we can expect this system to continue - so you should expect to actually play out your On-Demand events.
On Demand Constructed -
Tickets per hour: ~2.5
Other prizing: none
Other notes: You would have to play 8 of these over the course of the weekend, and win almost every round to secure a metal leader this way. This sits around the middle in terms of tickets per hour.
Overall Rating: 4/10
On Demand Free for All -
Tickets per hour: ~1.5-2.5
Other prizing: 1 ticket if you win the pod
Other notes: This is arguably the worst on demand event to play, as a 4-man pod is unpredictable and you’ll expect to have rounds go much longer than the bo1 constructed. I would not advise you to play this event unless you love 1v1v1v1 format.
Overall Rating: 3/10
On Demand 2v2 -
Tickets per hour: ~3
Other prizing: none
Other notes: I would place this as the 2nd best On-Demand for the time you’re spending. I’d only register with a dedicated 2v2 partner though, as you can’t really rely on random players to understand your plan or the way to win in the format.
Overall Rating: 5/10
On Demand Competitive Constructed -
Tickets per hour: ~6.4
Other prizing: none
Other notes: This event is the single best on-demand in terms of tickets per hour. Win two events, and you’re locked into a metal card of your choice. If you’re a competitive player, and you aren’t playing one of the scheduled events, this will likely be the best tickets/hour you can expect to find until they cut them off at 7:30 PM.
Overall Rating: 10/10
Scheduled Events:
Some of these events have more demand than supply of seats, so you’ll need to watch for announcements regarding the sign up date and prioritize signing up for events like the Full-Box Sealed which often sells out within the first hour.
Friday:
Pre-Regional Challenge -
Tickets per hour: ~5.5
Other prizing: lower ticket rate for 4-2 & 5-1
Other notes: This is the way that most competitive players are getting a metal card by the end of day 1. Going 6-0 gives you a metal card of your choice with 8 to spare, 5-1 gives you 36, and 4-2 gives you 24 - the equivalent of a competitive constructed side event. The main caveat when it comes to this event is that it’ll lock you up for the majority of the first day, and if you don’t have a friend at the event for the last 4 tickets you’ll need to go 6-0 to lock your metal card day 1. Of the scheduled events though, this one offers the most reward for your time invested.
Overall Rating: 9/10
2v2 Team Challenge -
Tickets per hour: ~1.5
Other prizing: none
Other notes: This is a 2v2 event with a similar reward structure to the On-demand side event. While it’s slightly cheaper to enter, you’ll not be making as many tickets per hour if you’re winning, so I cannot recommend this event as a good way of farming tickets.
Overall Rating: 2.5/10
Draft Challenge -
Tickets per hour: ~0.6
Other prizing: 3 packs guaranteed
Other notes: This event is one of the worst tickets/hour events on the entire weekend. You’ll spend quite a bit of time on the draft, and then play 3 rounds for a ticket per win. I cannot stress enough that there will not be enough tickets over the course of the day to get a metal card, if that’s one of your goals you’ll need to run other events.
Overall Rating: 1/10
Sealed Deck Challenge -
Tickets per hour: ~1.2
Other prizing: 6 packs guaranteed
Other notes: This event has a similar rate of tickets/hour to the 2v2 challenge, with the added benefit that you’ll get a few packs for your entry. Unfortunately, the 45 minute wait time to start rounds really ruins this event if your goal is to grind a metal leader, so I wouldn’t advise playing it unless you really love sealed as a format.
Overall Rating: 2/10
Champion Deck Trial -
Tickets per hour: ~1.2
Other prizing: Champion deck + 1 pack
Other notes: This event is identical to the sealed deck challenge in terms of tickets per hour. There’s less lead time to start the event, so that’s preferred. I would not advise playing this event though if your goal is to end up with a metal leader at the end of the weekend, there simply aren’t enough tickets involved to make this event worthwhile
Overall Rating: 2/10
Super Nexus Night -
Tickets per hour: ~2.5
Other prizing: Random prizing given away over the course of the event.
Other notes: This event mainly benefits from being started so late in the day after the on-demand events have shut down. If you were planning on going home after your last on-demand, this is a good way to end the night with a few more tickets.
Overall Rating: 5/10 (4/10 on tickets, bumping up a point since it doesn’t compete with on-demand events)
Saturday:
Draft Challenge -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1 draft challenge.
Tickets per hour: ~0.6
Other prizing: 3 packs guaranteed
Other notes: This event is one of the worst tickets/hour events on the entire weekend. You’ll spend quite a bit of time on the draft, and then play 3 rounds for a ticket per win. I cannot stress enough that there will not be enough tickets over the course of the day to get a metal card, if that’s one of your goals you’ll need to run other events.
Overall Rating: 1/10
Super Saturday Standard Challenge -
Tickets per hour: unknown
Other prizing: none
Other notes: This is your main substitute if you aren’t playing in the main event on Saturday. First place is the equivalent of 18 boxes of product, though you’ll likely end up splitting in top 4 or top 8. This is the event you play if you’re confident in your skill in the game, making top 32 locks you into a metal card, top 64 & 128 offer a reasonable amount of tickets too.
Overall Rating: ?/10
Sealed Deck Challenge -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1 sealed challenge
Tickets per hour: ~1.2
Other prizing: 6 packs guaranteed
Other notes: This event has a similar rate of tickets/hour to the 2v2 challenge, with the added benefit that you’ll get a few packs for your entry. Unfortunately, the 45 minute wait time to start rounds really ruins this event if your goal is to grind a metal leader, so I wouldn’t advise playing it unless you really love sealed as a format.
Overall Rating: 2/10
Champion Deck Trial -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1 champion deck trial.
Tickets per hour: ~1.2
Other prizing: Champion deck + 1 pack
Other notes: This event is essentially identical to the sealed deck challenge in terms of tickets per hour. There’s less lead time to start the event, so that’s preferred. I would not advise playing this event though if your goal is to end up with a metal leader at the end of the weekend, there simply aren’t enough tickets involved to make this event worthwhile
Overall Rating: 2/10
2v2 Team Challenge -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1 2v2 Team Challenge.
Tickets per hour: ~1.5
Other prizing: none
Other notes: This is a 2v2 event with a similar reward structure to the On-demand side event. While it’s slightly cheaper to enter, you’ll not be making as many tickets per hour if you’re winning, so I cannot recommend this event as a good way of farming tickets during the day.
Overall Rating: 2.5/10
Full Box Sealed -
Tickets per hour: ~1.8
Other Prizing: 24 packs
Other notes: This is one of the better scheduled events for you to enter, at a minimum because you get to crack a box for close to MSRP. You do make a decent amount of tickets from playing the rounds, but if you’re not feeling your sealed pool you can drop from the event and go play something else. If you want to open boxes, this event is a pretty reasonable way to do so at low cost.
Overall Rating: 4/10 (3/10, bumped up by 1 for the product being given out)
Sunday:
Regional Rebound -
Tickets per hour: ~5.5
Other prizing: lower ticket rate for 4-2 & 5-1
Other notes: This is what you’ll typically play in if you don’t make day 2 in the main event. Going 6-0 gives you a metal card of your choice with 8 to spare, 5-1 gives you 36, and 4-2 gives you 24 - the equivalent of a competitive constructed side event. The main caveat when it comes to this event is that it’ll lock you up for the majority of the day, and if you don’t have a friend at the event for the last 4 tickets you’ll need to go 6-0 to lock your metal card. Of the scheduled events though, this one offers the most reward for your time invested. One note about the Sunday event compared to Friday, you’ll be getting your tickets after everyone has taken the best metal cards on days 1-2. Try to avoid getting the last of your metal card tickets from this event.
Overall Rating: 8/10 (9/10 rating -1 for getting the tickets at the worst point during the week)
Team Trios Sealed -
Tickets per hour: ~1.9
Other prizing: 5 packs per team member
Other notes: This event looks drastically worse without a dedicated team, if you have a dedicated 3-man you can almost afford a full metal going undefeated.
Overall Rating: 4/10 (3/10, bumped up by 1 for the product being given out)
Draft Challenge -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1&2 draft challenge.
Tickets per hour: ~0.6
Other prizing: 3 packs guaranteed
Other notes: This event is one of the worst tickets/hour events on the entire weekend. You’ll spend quite a bit of time on the draft, and then play 3 rounds for a ticket per win. I cannot stress enough that there will not be enough tickets over the course of the day to get a metal card, if that’s one of your goals you’ll need to run other events.
Overall Rating: 1/10
Full Box Sealed -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1&2 Full box sealed.
Tickets per hour: ~1.8
Other Prizing: 24 packs
Other notes: This is one of the better scheduled events for you to enter, at a minimum because you get to crack a box for close to MSRP. You do make a decent amount of tickets from playing the rounds, but if you’re not feeling your sealed pool you can drop from the event and go play something else. If you want to open boxes, this event is a pretty reasonable way to do so at low cost.
Overall Rating: 4/10 (3/10, bumped up by 1 for the product being given out)
Sealed Deck Challenge -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1&2 sealed challenge
Tickets per hour: ~1.2
Other prizing: 6 packs guaranteed
Other notes: This event has a similar rate of tickets/hour to the 2v2 challenge, with the added benefit that you’ll get a few packs for your entry. Unfortunately, the 45 minute wait time to start rounds really ruins this event if your goal is to grind a metal leader, so I wouldn’t advise playing it unless you really love sealed as a format.
Overall Rating: 2/10
Champion Deck Trial -
NOTE: This event is the same as the day 1 champion deck trial.
Tickets per hour: ~1.2
Other prizing: Champion deck + 1 pack
Other notes: This event is essentially identical to the sealed deck challenge in terms of tickets per hour. There’s less lead time to start the event, so that’s preferred. I would not advise playing this event though if your goal is to end up with a metal leader at the end of the weekend, there simply aren’t enough tickets involved to make this event worthwhile
Overall Rating: 2/10
I’ve Got My Tickets, now what?
Assuming you can put together 40 tickets, purchasing a popular metal leader is going to be the most profitable thing you can get. Here are some of the leaders selling in the last month:
Ahri - Confirmed sale $4999, 2/19.
Kai’sa - Confirmed sale $3500, 3/3.
Teemo - Confirmed sale $2500, 3/4
Irelia - Confirmed sale $2499, 2/24.
Jinx - Confirmed sale $2099, 3/1.
Ezreal - Confirmed sale $2000, 2/21
Miss Fortune - Confirmed sale $2000, 3/2.
Viktor - Confirmed sale $2000, 3/3.
Draven - Confirmed sale $2000, 2/21.
If you need to look up current pricing while deciding which metal leader to purchase, eBay & TCGPlayer are the best sites to see what’s been selling recently. Once you’ve secured your metal card, you can use those two sites along with Facebook Marketplace to get it sold.
Assuming you’ve already purchased a metal card for the weekend, your next best option is typically going to be purchasing boxes of the oldest available set. As of 3/6, boxes of Origins are selling at $300 each. Not a bad secondary prize after you secure your metal card.
Vendors:
This changes at each venue, but sometimes you’ll have some profitable options using the vendors at the event. If you’re from the USA attending an event in Europe, you might be able to snag some cards at cheaper prices than you’ll find in the states. One example of this is Seal of Discord, which at the time of RQ Bologna was $60 in the USA but only $30 at the event. If you’re attending an event outside your home country, make sure to check prices on anything you might want to pick up. In Las Vegas we had the opposite opportunity, vendors were offering very high buylist prices on certain popular cards. As a rule of thumb, if you can get around 85% of TCGPlayer low for a card, you should probably take the deal. After marketplace fees, that’s roughly what you would expect to receive selling the card yourself. At Vegas there were two vendors offering 90% and sometimes even 100% of TCGPlayer low. As a result, there were lines all of day 1 with people trying to sell chunks of their collection at high prices. Keep in mind, these opportunities rarely stay the same from event to event, there may be an entirely different environment at the next regional qualifier you attend.
Last Thoughts:
With an understanding of which events generate tickets most efficiently, I think anyone can attend their first RQ and walk away with a metal card by the end of the weekend — you just need to be intentional with how you spend your time. Prioritizing events with higher tickets per hour and planning your schedule ahead of time will make a huge difference.
That being said, every Regional Qualifier is going to look a little different. Player behavior, vendor pricing, and Riot’s event structure are constantly changing. The numbers and observations in this article come from Houston, Bologna, and Las Vegas, and they should serve as a good baseline so long as the events don’t change much. You should always stay flexible in your approach to the weekend in case something changes at the last minute.
At the end of the day, your primary goal should be to enjoy the weekend. If you love draft, play draft. If you’d rather grind competitive constructed side events all day, do that. The strategies here are just tools to help you get the most bang for your buck. Good luck at your next Riftbound Regional Qualifier, and hopefully you’ll be walking away with a metal leader of your own.
If you’re interested in the leaders discussed here, or want access to the updated EV calculator we used at Bologna and Las Vegas to figure out which leaders were worth farming, you can find those resources on Metafy. That’s where we’ll be sharing updated tools, testing data, and our ongoing work as we prepare for future Regionals.