Riot updates Riftbound Unleashed Catch-Up drawing after player feedback

Ollie Ring, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 12/05/2026

Riot Games has announced changes to next week’s Riftbound: League of Legends TCG Riot Merch Store drawing, revising eligibility rules, and adding more flexibility for players selected to purchase products.

The second Unleashed merch store drawing opens on Monday, May 18 at 9 AM PT and closes on Wednesday, May 20 at 9 AM PT. Selection emails are expected to begin going out from Tuesday, May 26, with fulfillment planned for early to mid-June. The game was initially released on October 31, 2025.

The drawing will include Booster Displays from Origins, Spiritforged, and Unleashed, alongside Proving Grounds Box Sets. The event is part of Riot’s ongoing attempt to make Riftbound product more accessible following high demand, bot activity, and supply pressure around previous releases.

Riot first moved Riftbound merch store sales away from a first-come, first-served model during Spiritforged, after preorder demand and bot traffic overwhelmed the store. At the time, Riot said the new drawing system was intended to give players a fairer chance to buy product, with selected players receiving a limited-time purchase window.

Catch-up pool eligibility has been narrowed

The biggest change concerns Riot’s Catch-Up Pool, a separate allocation intended to help players who missed out on previous booster display drawings.

Previously, Riot said eligibility would be based on whether a player had entered the Spiritforged, Lunar Revel Bundle, and first Unleashed drawings, and had not been selected in any of them.

Following community feedback, Riot is now narrowing that requirement. Eligibility will now be evaluated only on entries for Spiritforged Booster Displays and Unleashed Booster Displays. That means players who managed to purchase items such as the Vi Champion Deck, Champion Decks, Vaults, or the Lunar Revel Bundle may still be eligible for the Catch-Up Pool, provided they missed out on Booster Displays.

In practice, this should make the system feel less punishing for players who bought smaller or different products but still failed to secure booster boxes.

Players can now remove selected items from their cart

Riot is also adding a major quality-of-life change: players selected for multiple products will now be able to remove individual items from their drawing cart before checkout.

Under the original version of the system, Riot said players could not modify their cart and would have to purchase all products they were selected for.

That has now changed. For example, a player selected for both an Unleashed Booster Display and Proving Grounds will be able to remove Proving Grounds and complete checkout for only the booster display.

There is one important caveat: removing an item is final. Riot says removed products will immediately return to the product pool for other players, and Player Support will not be able to restore an item if a player changes their mind.

The drawing comes just before Summoner Skmirmish windows open

The May drawing arrives shortly after the wider English-language release of Unleashed, Riftbound’s third major set. Riot previously dated the English release for May 8, with related Summoner Skirmish windows beginning on May 25 and June 22.

Unleashed is also a notable release for collectors because it introduces Riftbound’s first Ultimate Rare, a special Baron Nashor card appearing in fewer than 0.1% of packs, according to Riot’s published booster pack rarity information.

The broader Catch-Up drawing also ties into Riot’s attempts to improve product availability. In April, Riot said reprints of Origins and Proving Grounds were beginning to roll out, with more Origins boosters expected after Unleashed’s store launch and a larger shipment later in May. Riot also said it intends to continue printing early Riftbound sets until supply reaches healthier levels.

What you need to know before entering

Those interested must have a valid Riot ID in good standing and can register once per Riot ID. Using multiple accounts, scripts, or bots is prohibited and may result in being banned. Entry is free, but being selected only entitles you to purchase the products which you’re selected for.

If selected, players will receive a unique, non-transferable purchase link to a pre-filled Riot Merch Store cart. The purchase must be completed within 24 hours of the email being sent, after which the link expires, and the items may be offered to another participant.

Riot says the draw will include new security features as part of its continued effort to keep bots and bad actors out of the process. Given the ongoing demand for Riftbound product, the updated Catch-Up rules and cart flexibility should be welcome changes for players still trying to get hold of booster displays without turning to an ever-inflated secondary market. Riftbound cards, Steam Controllers, and Pokémon Pop-Tarts; is there anything scalpers won’t have a go at?

Ollie Ring, Senior Editor

Ollie has been at the intersection of video games, esports, and gambling for over ten years and has also worked in consultancy in the gambling industry. He has helped host and attended numerous UK esports events both B2B and B2C in the last decade. Ollie's work can be found on the likes of: BBC, Red Bull Gaming, Esports Insider, CasinoBeats, PC Gamer, Green Man Gaming as well as his own thought-leadership substack "Esprouts" looking at specific studies and stories where games meet gambling.

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