Riot Games is making adjustments to the card acquisition system in Legends of Runeterra. As of patch 0.9.3, which will go live next week, the developers are tweaking Vault rewards, earning XP, purchasing cards, and Expeditions. The goal: give players more control over which cards they earn as they progress through the game.

In the extensive blog, the developers mention that the current system of a maximum level for the Vault, plus having a maximum amount of wildcards available for purchase each week, did have its benefits: the meta developed slowly. However, they continue: "that benefit was overshadowed by notable downsides, like not being able to fully experiment with a majority of the cards. For some players, this made the meta stale in its own way, and for other players—those that have the most fun when being innovative and experimental—it was a real limitation that made LoR harder to enjoy playing altogether."

To improve the card acquisition experience, Riot Games is make the following changes:

• Earn unlimited (and improved) Vault rewards
• Level 2+ includes an Expedition Token (previously awarded at level 10).
• Level 5+ includes a random Champion card (you can Braum Wave goodbye to bad luck Vaults with no Champions)
• Level 10+ includes a Champion Wildcard (replaces level 5 random Champion card).
• Beyond Level 13, unlock additional, unlimited capsules, each of which contains at least 3 Rares and 2 Commons, with a chance to upgrade to an Epic or Champion Capsule
  
  
• Earn unlimited XP
• PVP wins in Normal / Ranked and Expeditions net you at least 200 and 100 base XP (respectively), every time. Play as much as you want!
• AI wins will always provide at least 50 XP going forward
  
  
• Purchase unlimited wildcards
• No more weekly stock in the store
• Alternatively, you can directly purchase cards in the Collection tab using Coins (cost is identical to the equivalent wildcard)
  
  
• Easily and consistently play Expeditions
• Entry is 2000 Shards or 200 Coins. Combined with the Token in level 2 Vaults, those who love the mode will be able to play Expeditions more easily and less expensively. (Note that rewards have been reduced to compensate, and the guaranteed random champion has been moved to the Vault. Additionally, you’ll be reimbursed some of the value lost from existing Tokens in your inventory, and Expeditions started before the change goes live will receive the previous set of rewards.)

Of course, removing the limit of wildcards someone can purchase does mean that people can start throwing endless amounts of money at Legends of Runeterra, gaining a lead over those who play casually. But the developers have taken that into account. Aside from the changes listed above, which let free-to-play players earn more rewards if they're committed to the grind, Riot is adding "XP Boost levels" when Legends of Runeterra's first expansion set comes out. These levels increase the XP new or returning players gain, allowing them to catch up faster with people who have been playing Legends of Runeterra consistently.