How to Get the Metal Cards at RQ Barcelona: Best-of Legend and Plated Legend
📸 Pictured above, the Best-Of Legend display at a Regional Qualifier: one metal card for every Champion (photo @RunesAndRift).
From August 21 to 23 the Fira de Barcelona hosts RQ Barcelona, Riftbound's next European Regional Qualifier. And as at every RQ, two kinds of metal Legend cards will be up for grabs that at first glance look like the same prize: the Best-of Legend and the Plated Legend. They are not. One is won through your placement in the Main Event; the other is redeemed at the Prize Wall with tickets from side events. The confusion is understandable — both are metal cards dedicated to the Legends — but the paths to bringing one home are completely different. Here is how they actually work.
The competitive prizeBest-of Legend: won on the battlefield
The Best-of Legend is a true competitive trophy tied to the Regional Qualifier's Main Event. For each available Champion, a single copy is awarded: it goes to the player who, registering that Champion, achieves the best placement in the tournament among everyone who picked the same Legend.
You don't need to win the whole Regional Qualifier: you just need to finish higher than anyone else playing your Champion. There is, however, a minimum eligibility requirement: you need at least 4 wins in the Main Event. A concrete example: if the best Teemo player closes the tournament in 70th place with 4 wins on their record and no other Teemo finishes higher, the Best-of Teemo is theirs.
It's exactly the chase we covered at the Utrecht RQ, where Emmie was hunting the Metal Lux with an off-meta list: in this race, your Champion pick matters as much as your placement. Best-of Legends are holographic metal cards, tournament legal, and they certify a result: being the best in the world, that weekend, with that Legend.
The Prize Wall rewardPlated Legend: redeemed with tickets
Plated Legends are also metal versions of the Legend cards, but they are not Best-of prizes and have nothing to do with the Main Event standings. They sit on the Regional Qualifier's Prize Wall and are redeemed by spending the tickets earned by taking part in the weekend's activities and side events.
The cost is fixed: 40 Prize Wall Tickets for one Plated Legend, with a limit of one card per participant for the same weekend. Depending on how many tickets each activity pays out, a few side events or even just a handful of games may be enough: no Day 2, no standings, no head-to-head against the other players on your Champion.
The price hasn't always been this, either: when the system debuted, Plated Legends cost 10 tickets. After the Houston RQ, Riot revised the Prize Wall, raising the cost to 40 while also increasing the number of copies available.
Head to headThe differences at a glance
| Best-of Legend | Plated Legend | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get it | Best Main Event placement with that Champion | Redeemed at the Prize Wall |
| What it takes | Outplacing every other player on the same Legend | 40 Prize Wall Tickets |
| Minimum requirement | At least 4 wins in the Main Event (Day 2 itself is not required) | None: 40 tickets are all it takes |
| Copies available | One per Champion per event | One per participant per weekend |
| Type of reward | Competitive (performance) | Participation (side events and activities) |
| What it certifies | The world's best result with that Legend at that event | Being there for the Regional Qualifier weekend |
The misleading nameWhat «Best-of» really means
One last misunderstanding to clear up: «Best-of» has nothing to do with the match format, as in «best of three». In this context it means best player in the tournament with that specific Legend. Every Champion has its own: Best-of Teemo, Best-of Ahri, Best-of Draven and so on.
The card doesn't go to whoever wins a certain number of games with the character, but to whoever closes the Main Event with the highest placement among everyone who registered that Champion.
Why people get confusedSame metal, opposite roads
The confusion comes from the fact that both prizes are metal cards dedicated to the Legends, handed out at the same event. But the roads could not be more different: one player can go home with a Plated Legend after a few side events, while another has to grind through two days of tournament play against hundreds or thousands of opponents to claim a Best-of Legend.
And no, it is not a difference between American and European rules, as you sometimes read: they are simply two distinct prizes, both present at Regional Qualifiers, awarded through different systems. That's exactly how it will work in Barcelona: whoever wants a Best-of will have to grind Main Event results from the first round to the last, while whoever wants a Plated should plan on side events and activities to collect the 40 tickets. The official rules of the competitive circuit are on the official Riftbound website.
The marketWhat the metal cards are worth
The difference between the two paths already shows in the prices. The Best-Of Legends sold so far have hit staggering numbers: according to data gathered by Runes & Rift, confirmed sales start at $15,000 each for Lux and Darius and climb to $30,000 for Jinx and $40,000 for Ahri. After all, only one exists per Champion per event.
Plated Legends, far more numerous, sit in a different bracket but are hardly cheap: on selling platforms asking prices consistently land in four figures, roughly between $1,000 and $2,500 depending on the Champion. To follow Riftbound card prices, check our Prices section.
In short
- 🏆 The Best-of Legend is won in the Main Event: a single copy per Champion, awarded to the best-placed player on that Legend.
- 🎟️ The Plated Legend is redeemed at the Prize Wall with 40 tickets from side events: at most one per participant per weekend.
- 📅 Minimum requirement for the Best-of: at least 4 wins in the Main Event. Day 2 itself is not required, but with popular Champions it's almost always needed.
- 💰 Best-Of cards sold so far have fetched between $15,000 and $40,000; Plated Legends sit in four figures.
- 🔤 «Best-of» doesn't mean «best of three»: it marks the tournament's best player with that specific Champion.
Frequently asked questionsFAQ: the Regional Qualifier metal cards
What is the difference between a Best-of Legend and a Plated Legend?
The Best-of Legend is a competitive prize: it goes to the player with the best Main Event placement among everyone using the same Champion (one copy per Legend). The Plated Legend is redeemed at the Prize Wall with 40 tickets earned in side events, with no ranking requirement at all.
Do I need to reach Day 2 to win a Best-of Legend?
Day 2 itself, no — but you need a minimum of 4 wins in the Main Event to be eligible, on top of being the best-placed player on that Champion. In practice, with the most-played Legends at least one rival almost always reaches Day 2, so you'll need to get there and keep winning. With a rarely played Champion, the minimum 4 wins can be enough.
How many tickets does a Plated Legend cost?
It costs 40 Prize Wall Tickets, earned by taking part in the weekend's side events and activities. Each participant can redeem at most one Plated Legend per weekend.
What does «Best-of» mean in the card's name?
It doesn't refer to the «best of three» format: it means best player in the tournament with that specific Legend. So there is a Best-of Teemo, a Best-of Ahri, a Best-of Draven and so on, one for every available Champion.
Analysis by the Riftbound Zone editorial team based on the Regional Qualifier prize structure. Sales data and display photo: @RunesAndRift (X); Prize Wall cost update: @RiftboundReport (X); Ornn Plated photo from an eBay listing. Competitive circuit information: riftbound.leagueoflegends.com. Cards and Champion names © Riot Games.
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