Riftbound Vendetta: The 10 Chase Cards, Ranked

Riftbound Vendetta: The 10 Chase Cards, Ranked

Akali, Rogue Assassin's Signature card is closing in on a $3,000 raw sale less than a month after Riftbound Vendetta hit shelves, already the fourth most valuable Signature card in the game. Vendetta is Riftbound's fourth set, the first launched worldwide in English and Simplified Chinese at once, with a bigger chase tier than any set before it: a 31 card Overnumbered range on top of the main 166, nine reprinted again as foil only Signatures, and six new Crystal Rose promos that opened hot and have since cooled hard. Here are the 10 cards everybody is chasing, ranked by what they are actually selling for as of late August 2026, and which ones are worth a grading submission right now.

What Makes Vendetta Different

Vendetta released worldwide on July 31, 2026, after a July 24 prerelease. Signatures are foil only with the artist's signature printed into the card, the reason they command a multiple over their Overnumbered twins, and Vendetta debuts a category the game has never had before: six Crystal Rose promos, numbered SP1 through SP6.

Boosters run 14 cards per pack (7 commons, 3 uncommons, 2 foil rare or better, 1 foil of any rarity, 1 token), 24 packs to a display. Riot's own store sold out fast enough to cap purchases at one display per Riot ID, and says it is working to increase supply. Secondary market displays run around $141.

The 10 Cards Everybody Wants

10. Renekton, Butcher of the Sands (Signature, 190*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Renekton is one of League's older, more brutal champions, and a Signature treatment puts a familiar name on the rarest tier in Vendetta, the cheapest Signature to crack this top 10.

The grade that matters. Signatures are foil only, so surface decides them. Clouding and micro scratches picked up straight out of the pack are the failure mode, well before corners or edges matter.

Price check. Community estimates put Renekton at $470 to $560 raw, a wide band for a card this new.

9. Ambessa, Matriarch of War (Signature, 196*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Ambessa is a major Arcane era character, and her Signature is one of the last printed in the 189* to 197* run, meaning fewer collectors have had a real shot at pulling her.

The grade that matters. Same foil surface risk as every Signature here. Openers report clean foiling on Vendetta overall, with only scattered edge cut complaints, worth treating as anecdotal a month into the set's life.

Price check. Ambessa is trading at $465 to $545, tied with Renekton for the bottom of the list.

8. Akali, Rogue Assassin (Overnumbered, 189/166)

Why everybody wants it. This is the non foil Overnumbered printing of the same champion who tops this list, and it has moved the most of any card here in the last month, up from roughly $390 in July to $440 to $485 now.

The grade that matters. With no foil to worry about, the risk here is ordinary corners, edges, and centering out of a pack. That is why one early graded sale stands out.

Price check. A grade 10 slab sold for $1,975 in early August, about 4.5 times the raw price at the time, the most useful data point in this post for anyone weighing whether Vendetta is worth submitting.

7. Shen, Eye of Twilight (Signature, 193*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Shen has one of League's more recognizable silhouettes, and his Signature sits mid ladder, above entry tier but nowhere near the headline names.

The grade that matters. Foil surface again. No specific defect pattern has been called out on Shen yet, no red flag but no real track record either.

Price check. Shen is running $530 to $580 raw, the tightest band of any Signature here so far.

6. Nasus, Curator of the Sands (Signature, 192*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Nasus is a long tenured League champion with a loyal following, and his Signature clears more than double what Shen commands one spot below, the first real sign here of a genuine chase.

The grade that matters. Same foil clouding and micro scratch risk, but at this price a bad corner ding costs more relative to the card's value. Scan before you top load.

Price check. Nasus is trading at $535 to $670, the widest range yet outside the top 5.

5. Mel, Soul's Reflection (Signature, 195*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Mel's Signature is the first card here to clear four figures on the low end, and she does it as one of Arcane's newer, more politically central characters rather than a classic Summoner's Rift name.

The grade that matters. Foil surface still decides it, and at this price a single visible scratch is the difference between a submission that pays for itself and one that does not.

Price check. Mel is running $980 to $1,110 raw, just under this set's true top tier.

4. Kennen, Heart of the Tempest (Signature, 197*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Kennen closes out the Signature numbering at 197*/166, and last does not mean least: his Signature runs neck and neck with Jayce just above him.

The grade that matters. Foil surface, same as the rest of the tier. Nothing specific to Kennen has surfaced yet, a mildly reassuring sign this early.

Price check. Kennen is trading at $1,100 to $1,190, essentially even with Jayce and just ahead of Mel.

3. Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow (Signature, 194*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Jayce is one of League's more mechanically iconic champions, and his Signature sits atop the tight $1,100 cluster with Kennen just under him, name recognition doing real work.

The grade that matters. Foil clouding and micro scratches remain the axis to watch. At this price, treat any visible surface flaw as disqualifying for a real submission.

Price check. Jayce is running $1,100 to $1,230, the last stop before this countdown jumps into a tier of its own.

2. Zed, Master of Shadows (Signature, 191*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Zed is one of the most requested League champions across every piece of merchandise the franchise has put out, and his Signature reflects that: priced well clear of the Jayce and Kennen cluster, alone as the second most valuable card in the set.

The grade that matters. Same foil surface risk as every Signature here, but the gap between Zed and the cards below him makes a bad scratch cost proportionally more.

Price check. Zed is trading around $1,300 raw, a single settled figure rather than the wide bands lower on this list.

1. Akali, Rogue Assassin (Signature, 189*/166)

Why everybody wants it. Akali, Rogue Assassin (Signature) is not just the top chase in Vendetta, it is already the fourth most valuable Signature card across all of Riftbound, foil only, artist signed, first in the set's Signature numbering.

The grade that matters. The PSA population sits at just 30 copies as of August 25, 2026, 26 of them tens, so a clean submission still lands in a nearly empty report. Surface still decides the foil, but corners and edges deserve the same scrutiny as any four figure raw card.

Price check. Community estimates place Akali's Signature at $2,400 to $3,300 and rising, but flag the top of that band honestly: it rests on a single early August sale, thin, early market data. Treat the low end as the more defensible number today.

Cards Worth a Mention

A few cards missed the top 10 but are worth watching, especially the set's earliest hyped promos, which have already lost more than half their value.

Card	Treatment	Raw estimate
Kennen, Heart of the Tempest	Overnumbered	around $275
Mel, Soul's Reflection (Overnumbered)	Overnumbered	$210 to $220
Jayce, Defender of Tomorrow	Overnumbered	$205 to $215
Kayle, Justified (185/166)	Overnumbered	$185 to $195
Ahri, Inquisitive (Foil, SP3, Crystal Rose)	Promo	around $114
Vi, Destructive (167/166)	Overnumbered	around $113
Sona, Harmonious (SP2, Crystal Rose)	Promo	around $40

Ahri, Inquisitive was listed near $330 before Vendetta even released, and the SP3 printing above is community estimated at roughly a third of that today. Pre release listicles ranked the Crystal Rose cards as must chase pulls, and several have simply halved since the set opened.

How the Chase Tiers Work

The asterisk (189*/166 versus 189/166) is the only thing distinguishing a several hundred dollar Overnumbered pull from its several thousand dollar Signature twin. Know the numbering cold: main set 1 through 166, Overnumbered 167/166 to 197/166, nine of those 31 also printed as Signatures, Showcase alt arts carrying an "a" suffix, Crystal Rose promos outside the numbering entirely as SP1 through SP6.

Pull rates are community estimates, since Riot has not published official odds for Vendetta. A Signature is estimated between 1 in 360 and 1 in 719 packs, wide enough that neither end should be treated as gospel. Showcase cards land closer to 1 in 10 packs, Epic rarity around 1 in 4, and Overnumbered cards pull at roughly 2% per pack, about one per two to three boxes with real variance around that average.

Grading Vendetta right now means grading into a nearly empty population. Our guide to whether Riftbound cards are worth grading covers the full mechanics, but the headline fact is this: the entire set's PSA population is 142 cards as of August 25, 2026, every one of them submitted within the past 30 days. Surface, not corners or centering, decides most of these cards, because every Signature is foil only and foil is where clouding shows up first.

The ZeroPop Verdict: What to Grade, What to Sell Raw

The clearest grade candidate here is not the most expensive card. Akali's Overnumbered printing, number 8 above, is the strongest argument in this post for submitting a Vendetta card now, given its $1,975 grade 10 slab sale against a raw price under $500. Run the break even numbers yourself with our ROI calculator.

The top of the Signature ladder, Akali, Zed, and Jayce, is worth grading too, eyes open: populations sit in the low dozens at most, so an early submission lands with almost no comps to lean on. That is upside if you land a clean gem first, and real risk if the foil reads cloudier under a loupe than it looked out of the pack. The Crystal Rose promos are the clearest sell now tier here; a card down half its value in a month is not one to gamble a grading fee on before the market finds a floor.

Scan every Vendetta pull with our Riftbound card scanner before a top loader hides a scratch you cannot see. With every Signature living or dying on foil surface, and populations still at zero, a scan before you submit is the only real evidence you have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Signature card in Riftbound?

A Signature is a foil only reprint of an Overnumbered card carrying the artist's signature printed directly in. Vendetta has nine, numbered 189*/166 through 197*/166, each a counterpart to a specific Overnumbered card from the same set.

What does the asterisk in a Riftbound card number mean?

The asterisk marks a Signature printing. A card numbered 189/166 without one is the standard Overnumbered version; 189*/166 with the asterisk is the foil only, artist signed Signature, and the two can carry a price gap of several times over.

Are Riftbound Vendetta cards worth grading right now?

Some are. The set's whole PSA population is 142 cards as of August 25, 2026, all of it from the past 30 days, so any submission today lands in a nearly empty report. The Akali Overnumbered card's $1,975 grade 10 sale against a raw price under $500 is the strongest data point for grading now; the unsettled Crystal Rose promos are a weaker case until more sales post.

What are the pull rates for Vendetta's chase cards?

All figures are community estimates, since Riot has not published official odds for Vendetta. Signature cards are estimated between 1 in 360 and 1 in 719 packs. Showcase alt arts land around 1 in 10 packs, Epic around 1 in 4, and Overnumbered cards pull at roughly 2% per pack, about one per two to three boxes.

Why did the Crystal Rose promo prices fall so fast?

The six Crystal Rose promos opened on hype before wide release. Ahri, Inquisitive was listed near $330 pre release, and community estimates now put it around a third of that. The market corrected hard once real sales replaced speculation.

Is the $2,400 to $3,300 Akali Signature price real?

The lower end is well supported by multiple sales. The top of that band rests on a single early August sale, and we are labeling it thin, early market data on purpose. This is a card barely a month old with a PSA population of 30, and a market this new can move fast in either direction before it settles.