Pyke Legend ability
Paying 1 Energy and depleting it, return a unit of yours that is on a field to the hand and play a depleted Gold equipment token, which you can sacrifice to add 1 Power.
Letter text: [1], [Exhaust]: Return a friendly unit at a battlefield to its owner's hand. Play a Gold gear token exhausted.Your legend is in play from the first turn and cannot be removed, so this ability is the foundation on which the entire deck is built.
How to play Pyke
Returning your own unit saves it from bad combat and allows its effect to be repeated when you play it again. Gold accumulates Power for key turns. Pyke, Dockside Butcher and Pyke, Returned are played hidden, and Death from Below kills a unit and can be repeated from trash if it was small.
Domains: Fury and Chaos
Fury
Direct aggression: units that hit early and damage that closes games.
Chaos
Movement, discard and risky plays that break the opponent's plan.
A Pyke deck can only include cards from Fury and Chaos; its 12 Runes are split between those two Domains.
Phased game plan
- First shifts
Play hidden cards on the fields and start generating Gold.
- Midrange
Pick up the unit that just used its effect and play it again.
- End of game
Spend the Gold accumulated in a turn of two Death from Below and several conquests.
Cards for Pyke
As well as its Legend, Pyke has its own Champion Units and Signature cards. Choose one as your Chosen Champion; it starts the game outside the deck.
| Letter | Type | Domain | Cost | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pyke - Dockside Butcher | Champion unit | Fury | 3 | 2 |
| Pyke - Returned | Champion unit | Chaos | 3 | 3 |
| Death from Below | signature spell | FuryChaos | 4 +1 Power | — |
Strengths
- Reuse your best effects
- Accumulated extra power
- Repeatable deletion
Weak points
Returning units costs pace: you may be left without table presence. Difficult to pilot well.
Who should play Pyke?
Players who like trick and value decks.
Pyke FAQ
What domains does Pyke use in Riftbound?
Fury and Chaos. Your deck can only carry cards from those two domains.
What does Pyke's legend ability do?
Paying 1 Energy and depleting it, return a unit of yours that is on a field to the hand and play a depleted Gold equipment token, which you can sacrifice to add 1 Power.
Is Pyke a good legend to start with?
Not as a first deck. Pyke requires knowing the game well and planning each turn.
In which collection did Pyke come out?
At Unleashed.