BOOMSTICK CITYA free Legends of Runeterra alternative, still built for PvP
Updated August 2026
Yes, there is a free Legends of Runeterra alternative that is still built for PvP: Boomstick City. It is a post-apocalyptic card game that opens in a browser with no install, hands you all four crews on day one, and settles a head-to-head match in around eight turns. Legends of Runeterra had the most player-friendly card economy the genre has seen, and then Riot moved most of the team to the single-player mode and let the PvP side coast. If you built decks for the ladder and watched the new-card taps slow to a drip, you are probably looking for a new main, and this one is worth trying tonight.
The four crews, yours free from day one
Credit where it is due
LoR earned its reputation. You could earn every card without paying a cent, the reactive spell stack was genuinely deep, and it looked incredible. If you loved that game, you loved it for real reasons, and we are not here to pretend otherwise.
What changed is not the design, it is the support. Riot shifted focus to Path of Champions, the PvE mode, and the PvP ladder stopped getting the steady stream of new cards and attention a living format needs. That is the gap Boomstick City is trying to fill: a versus game that is actively getting built.
Free to play, and honest about the economy
LoR set the bar on generosity, so we will be straight with you. Boomstick City is free to play, and all four starter decks are yours at full strength from the first match, but there is an economy. Gold buys packs, and there are cosmetics.
The line we hold is that none of it is the price of a match. The starter decks are complete and competitive, you can climb on them, and cosmetics change how cards look, not how they hit. Free to play and free to win, with paid variety on the side for people who want it.
Faster games, one shared board
LoR matches could run long. The back-and-forth spell stack, the reactive passes, the priority pingpong, it is deep but it is not quick. Boomstick City is built to sprint. Around eight turns, no turn limit, over the moment a crew hits the target.
You spend Volts, energy that ramps a point a turn and refills, to play Survivors, Gear, and Events on one shared board. Win fights, take ground, race to 15 Territory Points. Clear the enemy board and their Stash opens for extra points. It is a fight for the streets, not a war of attrition, and it moves.
Nothing to install
LoR is a client on PC and mobile, a download and updates to keep current. Boomstick City is a web page. Open it on a laptop or a phone held sideways, and you are in a match. No launcher, no patch day, close the tab and it is gone.
Add it to your home screen if you want the full-screen feel, but there is nothing in an app store and nothing sitting in your storage. Trying it costs one click.
Four crews, four ways to win
If you liked LoR's regions and archetypes, you get four crews here, each with a clear plan. Scrapwright grinds value and recycles Gear off the dead. Powderkeg throws cheap bodies that do their best work when they die. Hearth floods the board and heals it. Glow spreads Radiation and feeds on the dying.
All four are free, all four play differently, and you get every one of them before you spend a coin. Pick the one that reads like you and go.
Come try the new one
Keep LoR for Path of Champions if you love the PvE. Nothing here replaces that.
When you want a versus ladder that is still being built, come here. It is free, it opens in a tab, and there is a match waiting.
| Boomstick City | Legends of Runeterra | |
|---|---|---|
| To start playing | Open a browser tab | Download the client (PC or mobile) |
| PvP development | Actively being built | Wound down for the PvE mode |
| Getting decks | All four free, day one | Earn cards over time (very generous) |
| A match | Around eight turns | Can run long, reactive stack |
| Win condition | Race to 15 Territory on a shared board | Drop the enemy Nexus to zero |
| On your phone | Runs in the browser | App-store install |
Common questions
Is Boomstick City a good Legends of Runeterra alternative?
If you want a versus card game that is still actively being built, yes. LoR's PvP slowed when Riot moved focus to Path of Champions. Boomstick City is free, runs in a browser with no install, hands you all four crews on day one, and settles a match in around eight turns on a shared board.
Is it as generous as LoR was?
LoR set the bar and we respect it. Boomstick City is free to play with all four starter decks free at full strength from the first match. It does have an economy, Gold for packs and optional cosmetics, but the decks you climb with are free and none of the paid parts win a match.
Do I need to download it like the LoR client?
No. LoR is a client on PC and mobile. Boomstick City runs in any modern browser, desktop or phone. Open the page and you are in a match, nothing to install or patch. Add it to your home screen for a full-screen feel if you like.
Is Boomstick City faster than Legends of Runeterra?
Usually yes. LoR's reactive spell stack makes for deep but longer games. Boomstick City runs around eight turns with no turn limit and ends the moment a crew reaches 15 Territory Points, so it plays like a sprint.
How is the gameplay different from LoR?
There is no Nexus health bar and no reactive pass-priority stack. Both crews fight over one shared board for Territory Points, and the first to 15 wins. You play Survivors, buff them with Gear, swing fights with Events, and raid the enemy Stash when their board is clear.
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A versus ladder that is still being built
Free to play, no install, all four crews yours from the first match. Open the page and race to 15.
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