Keywords in Legends of Runeterra Legends of Runeterra guide, tips
Last update: 30 January 2020
Most of the cards available in Legends of Runeterra have keywords that trigger specific effects when certain requirements are met. It should also be noted that some units may have more than 1 keyword. At the beginning of your adventure with Legends of Runeterra it may seem a bit complicated so it's worth taking some time to familiarize yourself with this system. Below you will find all the necessary information.
Icon | Name | Description |
 | Allegiance | The unit you summon will receive a certain bonus if the card at the very top of your deck corresponds to a certain region. For example, if you use a unit from Demacia, the card at the very top of the deck must also come from Demacia. |
 | Attack | The effect is activated during the attack round when the unit attacks. For example, Elise calls the 1/1 spider during the attack. |
 | Aura | The effect that is applied when it exists on the board, and can affect the opponent, or even the cards in hand. |
 | Barrier | Negates the next damage the unit would take. Important! The Barrier keyword effect only lasts one round and do not stack. It is also worth remembering that the Barrier can be activated before the Tough effect. |
 | Burst | Spells with a Burst effect are activated immediately and the opponent cannot react to them. |
 | Can't Block | Individuals units that have this keyword cannot block enemy units. |
 | Capture | A unit that is Captured is removed from play until such point that the Captor is removed from play. |
 | Challenger | A unit with a Challenger keyword can choose which unit it will block - even if it has Can't Block. |
 | Death | If the unit's health points are reduced to 0 or unit gets eliminated in any other way, it triggers all death effects such as Last Breath. |
 | Double Strike | Double Strike allows a unit to deal combat damage twice during combat - once during the Quick Attack step and once during the standard attack step. Important! Damage dealt during the Quick Attack step is resolved before entering the standard attack step, meaning units with Double Attack or Quick Attack can destroy blockers or remove Barriers without receiving damage in retaliation. |
 | Drain | Deal damage and heal your own Nexus. |
 | Elusive | A unit with this keyword can only be blocked by another Elusive unit. |
 | Enlightened | When you have at least 10 mana crystals, Enlightened cards will gain lasting effects. |
 | Ephemeral | A unit with a Ephemeral keyword will die as soon as it launches a strike. For example, Hecarim summons two such units during an attack. |
 | Fast | Fast spells can be played at any time, but allow the opponent to respond. |
 | Fearsome | Fearsome units can only be blocked by enemies with 3 or more Power. If a unit has both Fearsome and Challenger, it can pull any units in to block. |
 | Fleeting | Fleeting cards discard from hand when the round ends. |
 | Frostbite | Set a unit's Power to 0 this round (it can be changed after). You can change this effect by other enhancing or boosting spells. |
 | Imbue | This ability is triggered when you resolve a spell. |
 | Last Breath | Units with the Last Breath keyword activate their ability at the moment of death. Among the Last Breath effects, you can distinguish, for example, the summoning of an additional unit. |
 | Level Up | A keyword that causes a card to transform into another specific card. The transformation occurs immediately after a certain condition is met. For example, Garen will increase his level when he is hit twice. Important! The transformation continues until the end of the match, even if the card is returned to your hand or sent to a cemetery. Some Champions can increase their level multiple times. |
 | Lifesteal | The Lifesteal unit treats the Nexus when it is injured. For example, if a unit has 5 attack points, it will restore that amount of health to the Nexus. |
 | Nexus Strike | This keyword effect is activated when the unit hits an enemy Nexus. |
 | Obliterate | Obliterate means complete removal from the game. Important! Obliterate does not activate additional Last Breath or other death related effects. |
 | Overwhelm | Overwhelm causes excess damage to be transferred to an enemy Nexus. For example, if your unit has 8 attack points and the enemy blocker only has 3 life points, 5 points of damage will be transferred to Nexus. |
 | Play | An effect that is triggered when a card is played from the hand. |
 | Quick Attack | A unit with the Quick Attack keyword deals damage before units without that word. Important! Damage dealt during the Quick Attack step is resolved before entering the standard attack step, meaning units with Double Attack or Quick Attack can destroy blockers or remove Barriers without receiving damage in retaliation. |
 | Recall | Return a unit to hand and remove all effects applied to it. |
 | Regeneration | Units that have Regeneration are healed fully at the start of each round. |
 | Skill | A spell-like effect is created and casted by a unit. |
 | Slow | Slow spells can be cast outside of combat. The opponent has time to respond. |
 | Strike | A keyword that activates when a unit deals damage during an attack. |
 | Strongest | It means the unit with the highest number of attack points (highest power). Ties are broken by:
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 | Stun | Remove a unit from combat. Stunned unit cannot attack or block for the rest of the round. Important! Units with Challenger keyword can draw the Stunned units into battle. |
 | Support | Gives an effect to the unit positioned to the right of this unit if this unit is attacking. |
 | Tough | Units with the Tough keyword receive 1 point of damage from all sources. Important! These types of units can block enemies with 1/1 statistics without suffering any damage. |
 | Trap | Trap keyword is attached to a card in the deck, trapping it. When the trapped card is drawn, it performs the effect. For example, when you draw an infected card, your Nexus will be damaged. |
 | Trigger | When certain conditions are met, a specific effect is triggered. |