Selling Riftbound and running official events in your store: a guide for Italian retailers

by Riccardo Emanuele Eustor·Riftbound Zone

More and more comic and game shops write to Riftbound Zone asking for wholesale price lists and how to become an official store for tournaments. The short answer: Riftbound Zone is not Riot Games and does not sell cards. The long answer is this article: who distributes Riftbound in Italy, how a store joins the organized play program, what changes on September 14, and what the site can do for a shop starting from scratch.

First things firstWho does what in the Riftbound world

Riftbound is the League of Legends trading card game. Riot Games publishes it; organized play, meaning official events from Nexus Nights to Worlds, is run together with UVS Games, which is also the publishing and distribution partner for English-speaking countries. In Italy the product reaches stores through the hobby-channel distributors, the same ones that carry Pokémon or Magic. Riftbound Zone is something else: the Italian community site, with prices, online tournaments, guides and a deck builder. I run it, I have no price lists and I ship no boxes.

The productBuying Riftbound for your store

The channel is the usual one for card games. MS Distribuzione (Magic Store Srl, Forlì), a reference distributor of the Italian hobby market for over twenty-five years, carries the whole Riftbound line: displays, Vaults, Champion Decks and Showdown Decks from Origins, Spiritforged, Unleashed, Vendetta and Radiance. It sells to retailers and distributors only: to see price lists and stock you open an account on the registration page, or write to info@msdistribuzione.it or call +39 0543 405103 (WhatsApp +39 375 8441100).

If you already work with a distributor for other card games, ask whether they carry Riftbound: catalogues widen month by month. Two things not to do: buying at retail to resell, because the margins don't hold, and counting on the Riot Merch Store, which sells to players with one display per account, not to stores.

The eventsHow to join the organized play program

Official in-store tournaments are not improvised: they go through the UVS Games program. The path has three steps, in their words: Apply (you submit your store), Schedule Events (you create events from ready-made templates for launches, weekly play and competitive events), Promote Your Community (you use the official marketing kits). The application starts from the UVS Games retailer portal, under “Apply to Run OP”. You need a physical store with space to play: the program is built for shops, not for associations or online groups.

Once approved, the store appears on the Riftbound Gaming Network, the official map players use to find where to play, and receives event templates and promotional material. Two mailboxes for questions: LGS@uvsgames.com for stores and community@uvsgames.com for organized play in general, plus a retailer-only Facebook group.

The calendarThe events a store can run

Prize material for in-store events has a market of its own: the Nexus Night promo packs, for one, are where the Teemo “GGEZ” I wrote about here comes from. For a store it means the weekly night draws people for the prizes alone.

The siteWhat Riftbound Zone does for stores

What I can do, and I do it for free:

• The store map: riftbound.zone/negozi/ lists the Italian stores where Riftbound is played, with address, hours and events pulled automatically from the Riftbound Gaming Network. It is the page players check when looking for somewhere to play near home.
• A dedicated article for stores running a recurring event, with photos, day and time.
• The community: Discord, WhatsApp and the free weekend online tournaments, where your customers can play while you set up the store nights.

FAQThe questions that come up most often

Does Riftbound Zone sell cards or products to stores?

No. Riftbound Zone is the Italian Riftbound community site: prices, online tournaments, guides, deck builder. It is not Riot Games, not a distributor, and has no wholesale price lists.

Who distributes Riftbound in Italy?

The product goes through hobby-channel distributors. MS Distribuzione (Magic Store Srl) carries the whole line and sells to retailers only: you need to open an account on its site. If you already have a distributor for other card games, ask whether they carry Riftbound.

How does a store become official for tournaments?

By applying to the UVS Games organized play program from the retailer portal, under “Apply to Run OP”. After approval the store appears on the Riftbound Gaming Network and can run Pre-Rift, Nexus Night and Summoner Skirmish events. Contacts: LGS@uvsgames.com and community@uvsgames.com.

Do you need a physical store?

Yes. The program is built for shops with space to play. Associations and groups without a venue can still play the community's online tournaments and partner with a store for official events.

What is the difference between Nexus Night and Summoner Skirmish?

Nexus Night is the relaxed weekly evening, with rewards for regulars. Summoner Skirmish is the store's competitive tournament: two per set, one at the start and one at the end of the season.

What changes on September 14, 2026?

Organized play moves from carde.io to PlayRiftbound.com: events, sign-ups, pairings and results are handled there with the Riot ID. Retailers without transition instructions should contact their UVS representative or regional partner.

How do I get on the Riftbound Zone store map?

Write to staff@riftbound.zone with address, hours, a link and the day of your recurring event. Listing is free and official events are pulled automatically from the Riftbound Gaming Network.

How much does all this cost?

Applying to the UVS program and being on the Riftbound Zone map cost nothing. The store invests in the product it buys from the distributor and in the space to play.

Sources: UVS Games, Riftbound Organized Play; UVS Games, retailer portal; MS Distribuzione, Riftbound catalogue; PlayRiftbound.com. Image: Riot Games.