Demacia | Noxus | Ionia | Freljord | Piltover & Zaun | Shadow Isles | Bilgewater | Targon | Shurima | Bandle City
Legends of Runeterra cards based in the region of the Shadow Isles.
Launch Champions
Thresh
Voiced By: Mark Oliver
Cling clang, oh the chains, the Warden's right behind you...
A cruel and sadistic jailor in life, Thresh's actions served as the catalyst for the Ruination, enabling him attain a power beyond life or death. Reveling in his newfound abilities as a wraith, he manipulates the power of the Isles to further spread pain and suffering across Runeterra, and confines countless souls in his lantern to further fuel his power.
When Thresh sees 6 units on either side of the board die, he levels up, gaining +1/+1 and, the first time he attacks in a game, he summons an attacking champion (other than another copy of himself) directly from your deck or hand for free. His Champion Spell is Thresh's The Box.
Hecarim
Voiced By: Scott McNeil
6-mana | 5/6 | Overwhelm
Once a knight of Viego's, the cruel and ambitious Hecarim was transformed by the Ruination into a four-legged harbinger of destruction. Wherever the Black Mist travels, he follows with an army of spectral warriors not far behind, ready to slaughter all in their path.
Hecarim summons two attacking 2/2 Spectral Riders with Ephemeral whenever he attacks. When you have attacked with 7 or more Ephemeral allies during a game he levels up, giving your Ephemeral units +3 Power for the rest of the game and gaining +1/+/1. His Champion Spell is Hecarim's Onslaught of Shadows.
Spectral Rider
2-Mana | 2/2 | Ephemeral
Warriors twisted into ghostly centaurs by the Ruination. Hecarim will summon two riders whenever he attacks. They can also be summoned by the spell Onslaught of Shadows.
- Mooks: They serve directly under Hecarim, following him in his onslaughts during the Harrowings.
- Our Centaurs Are Different: Like Hecarim, they were once ordinary humans, but have since become centaur-like wraiths. They're noticeably slimmer and lighter in color than the former though.
- Zerg Rush: Riders are designed to be summoned in pairs of two. They also become empowered when Hecarim levels up, making them much more dangerous to block.
Elise
2-Mana | 2/3 | Fearsome | Spider
Once a beautiful and powerful Noxian noble, Elise made a pact with the the spider god Vilemaw in exchange for eternal power and youth. She now amasses countless unwitting sacrifices to maintain her newfound gifts, all without a shred of empathy for those she feeds on.
Elise summons an attacking 1/1 Spiderling whenever she attacks. If she has 3 or more Spider allies beside her at the start of any round she levels up, gaining +2/+0 and Challenger and passively granting all allied Spiders Fearsome and Challenger as well, although she loses her passive summon ability. Her Champion Spell is Elise's Crawling Sensation.
Kalista
3-Mana | 4/3 | Fearsome
An honorable knight of Camavor in life, Kalista was betrayed by her comrade Hecarim and left to die after being literally backstabbed by a spear. The black mists corrupted her soul, transforming her into a relentless spirit of vengeance, seeking out betrayers to enact violent justice.
When Kalista sees 3 allied units die she levels up, gaining +1/+1 and summoning an attacking Ephemeral copy of the strongest allied unit that has died this game whenever she attacks, with any damage she receives redirected to said unit while it remains alive. Her Champion Spell is Kalista's Black Spear.
The Rising Tides
Maokai
Voiced By: Jay Preston
4-Mana | 1/4
The first time he sees you play a unit each round, Maokai Tosses 2 and summons a Sapling. Once you've had your units die and your cards Tossed a combined total of 25 times, Maokai levels up, gaining +1/+1 and Regeneration, Obliterating your opponent's deck save for 4 non-Champion cards, and changing his ability to passively summon a Sapling at the start of each round. His Champion Spell is Maokai's Sap Magic.
Call of the Mountain
Nocturne
4-Mana | 5/3 | Fearsome, Nightfall
]Nocturne's Nightfall ability gives all enemies -1 Power and makes a single enemy Vulnerable until the end of the round. When you've attacked with 5+ Nightfall allies he levels up, gaining +1/+1, passively giving all allies Fearsome, and reducing enemies' Power by 1 until the end of the round each time you play a unit. His Champion Spell is Nocturne's Unspeakable Horror.
Empires of the Ascended
Kindred
5-mana | 4/4 | Quick Attack
Wolf: "I'm ready, little Lamb."
Who split himself in twain
From one came two, born anew
Never alone again.
The twin personifications of death in Runeterra, the Kindred appear to those at the brink of death, ready to send them off with a final blow. Whether it's Lamb's quick and painless arrows, or Wolf's savage and painful jaws, everyone on Runeterra passes on a different way, and the duo will continue to make sure the cycle remains in motion.
The first time Kindred see you slay an enemy each round, they mark the weakest enemy, killing that enemy at the end of the round. Once they've seen you slay 2 marked enemies, they level up, gaining +1/+1 and gaining an additional +2/+2 each time they mark an enemy. Their Champion Spell is Kindred's Spirit Journey.
Viego
Voiced By: Sean Teale
5-Mana | 5/4 | Fearsome
The first time Viego sees an ally die each round, he summons an Encroaching Mist. When he's seen allies with a total of 20+ Power die, he levels up, gaining +1/+1 and changing his ability to summon an Encroaching Mist the first time any unit dies in a round. Furthermore, he gains the ability to, at the start of each round, take control of the strongest enemy unit until the end of the round; if that unit is a Champion, he kills it instead. His Champion Spell is Viego's Despair.
Beyond the Bandlewood
Veigar (Dual-Bandle City Champ)
Senna
Voiced By:
5-mana | 4/4 | Quick Attack
Lucian's lover and mentor as a Sentinel of Light, Senna would ultimately be killed by Thresh and captured in his lantern. However, instead of losing hope, she clung on and began wielding the Black Mist as a source of power, eventually being freed. She now fights back against the Mist by wield its power against itself.
When Senna is summoned or attacks, she creates a copy of Darkness (3-mana Slow spell that deals 2 damage to an enemy) in hand if you don't already have one, and she passively accelerates your Slow spells that kill or damage units to Fast speed. Once she sees you kill 3 units with spells or sees an allied Lucian die, she levels up, gaining +1/+1 and also passively reducing the costs of your damaging and killing spells by 1. Her Champion Spell is Senna's Dawning Shadow.
Worldwakers
Gwen
Voiced By: Abby Trott
4-mana | 3/4 | Quick Attack, Hallowed
The beloved doll of Queen Isolde, Gwen was delighted to be granted a body of her own by the healing touch of the Hallowed Mists. With her trusty scissors in hand, she snips away at the evils of the Black Mists, mending life wherever she skips.
When she attacks, Gwen gains any Hallowed bonuses received by an ally and casts Snip Snip!, which drains 2 health from the enemy Nexus. When a copy of Gwen deals 10+ damage (with either strikes or Snip Snip!) she levels up, gaining +1/+1 and changing Snip Snip! to instead drain 1 health for every 2 Power she has. Her signature spell is Gwen's Thread the Needle.
Followers
Launch
Arachnoid Horror
2-Mana | 3/2 | Fearsome | Spider
An evil spirit that takes the form a vaguely spider-like monstrosity.
- Animalistic Abomination: This thing is less a spider and more of hideous collection of mandibles and sprouting tree branches.
- When Trees Attack: The lore describes it as an evil entity possessing and twisting the local flora into a spider-like creature. It then looks like a mix between an actual arachnid and a twisted tree.
Cursed Keeper (and Escaped Abomination)
Darkwater Scourge
3-Mana | 5/5 | Ephemeral, Lifesteal
A wraith resembling a mighty kraken.
- Tentacled Terror: A giant ghostly octopus big enough to pluck a small ship out of the water and snap it in half with its tentacles. Making matters worse, its mantle appears to be armored with the same black spiky armor plating normally worn by the more humanoid fiends of the Isles.
Hapless Aristocrat (Lord Sassen)
1-Mana | 1/1 | Last Breath
Lord Sassen, the Hapless Aristocrat, is one of Elise's many unfortunate victims. When Sassen dies, an ally spiderling will be summoned
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: His attack and block quotes are nothing but him begging for dear life."Please! I have connections!"
- Hopeless Suitor: He's clearly got a thing for Elise, which of course is gonna end badly for him via being consumed by spiders.
- Human Sacrifice: In-lore, Elise's victims are sacrificed to maintain her longevity and beauty. This is reflected in-game by Sassen summoning a spiderling upon death.
Mistwraith
2-mana | 2/2 | Fearsome
A spectral monstrosity created from numerous souls congregating into a single form. Each time a Mistwraith is summoned, other allied Mistwraiths everywhere gain +1 Attack.
- Body of Bodies: Close inspection of its art reveals that a Mistwraith is composed of numerous distinct humanoid spirits combining into a single skull-like mass.
- Glass Cannon: Their power-stacking ability means that Mistwraiths can start threatening huge damage in the late-game, and Fearsome means that the opponent can't simply chump-block them with disposable units. Of course, because they can't stack health, they never become any harder to kill.
- Increasingly Lethal Enemy: The more Mistwraiths get summoned over the course of a game, the stronger each one becomes. They start out with mediocre stats for a 2-drop, but after a few have hit the board, they become very dangerous.
Oblivious Islander
1-Mana | 1/1
A fisherman who foolishly set out to fish near the Shadow Isles. When played, he grants an ally in hand Ephemeral.
- Comically Missing the Point: He sees that the fish he's gathering are all rotted somehow, yet never questions why."Fresh catch? Well, it was fresh."
- Too Dumb to Live: It doesn't seem to occur to him that the waters he's sailing in are full of ghastly wraiths.
Ravenous Butcher
0-mana | 3/2
A gluttonous specter in the form of a pig-man. The Ravenous Butcher must be played by killing an allied unit.
- I'm a Humanitarian: It's implied by some of his voice lines that his play effect is him eating an ally."Let's eat those choice cuts."
- Power at a Price: As a 0-cost unit with stats comparable to 2-cost units, the Butcher is immensely powerful, but you need board setup to play him at all. Of course, in Shadow Isles you often want a way to kill off your own units, but it still prevents Ravenous Butcher from being dropped for free.
- Was Once a Man: It's heavily implied that he was once an ordinary farmer cursed by the Ruination into his current form.
Scribe of Sorrows
3-Mana | 2/3
A wraith resembling a writer made out of manuscripts. When the scribe is summoned, their player receives a copy of an ally that died a prior round in hand.
Sinister Poro
1-Mana | 1/1 | Fearsome
A not-so fearsome poro.
- Bedsheet Ghost: The poro is wearing a white cloth to look like a ghost.
- Joke Character: A very weak unit with only the fearsome keyword to give them any value. The art conveys that the actual source of the card's power comes from the wraith right behind the poro.
Soul Shepard
Spiderling
1-Mana | 1/1 | Spider
One of thousands of Elise's spiders that she unleashes on her victims. While spiderlings can be summoned through the traditional method of placing their card, they're also summoned via several spells and other unit skills
- Com Mons: Among the spider class of units, these things are the ones most likely to pop up dues to their low cost and multiple means of summoning
- Spiders Are Scary: Their appearance is very off-putting with the red glowing eyes and sharp silhouettes.
- Zerg Rush: Several other cards will summon or empower multiple spiderlings, creating a difficult situation for enemies who now have to deal with a full-frontal assault of spiders.
Stirred Spirits
Warden's Prey
1-Mana | 1/1 | Last Breath
One of Thresh's many unfortunate victims. When the Warden's Prey is killed, they create a random Last Breath follower that costs 3-mana or less in their player's hand.
- Nervous Wreck: His only form of characterization is being chased and tormented by Thresh, making him scared out of his wits at all times.
Frenzied Skitterer
3-Mana | 3/2 | Fearsome | Spider
A horrific spider that webs up Elise's sacrifices. When the Skitterer is played, all allied spider units gain +1 power, while all enemies lose 1.
- All Webbed Up: Its art depicts it trapping one of Elise's victims in web to be sacrificed on an alter.
Scuttlegeist
10-Mana | 5/5 | Fearsome
The specter of a massive scuttlecrab, wandering the wastes left in the wake of the Ruination. It's mana cost is reduced for every ally unit that's died in a game.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: It dwarfs the soldiers in its card art by miles, and is covered head to toe in the scraps of old battleships.
- Body Horror: It's carapace has chipped away across its body, revealing rotted crab flesh underneath.
- Giant Enemy Crab: A giant ghost crab to be precise.
Tortured Prodigy
5-Mana | 4/4
The warped spirit of a pianist. Passively, when an ally dies, he'll refill your spell mana.
- Mad Artist: A musician who's so fixated on his music that he didn't even realize the Ruination was happening, implying the state he's in now is reflective of what he was like upon death.
- The Perfectionist: His lines and flavor text depict him as obsessed with perfecting his music, getting irate and aggressive when pushed into combat."It must be... perfect!"
Vilemaw
3-Mana | 6/6 | Fearsome | Spider
The spider deity that grants Elise her youth and powers. Vilemaw must be summoned by either Fresh Offerings (a 3-mana Slow spell that summons Vilemaw after 3+ allies die in the same round) or The Twisted Treeline (a 3-mana landmark that destroys itself to summon Vilemaw after 3+ allies with Fearsome attack).
- Animalistic Abomination: It's a creature with spider-like characteristics, but is otherwise a horrific Kaiju-esque monster that consumes human sacrifices.
- Giant Spider: It's art shows it to be gargantuan, completely dwarfing a horse-pulled wagon by several times.
- Human Sacrifice: Worshippers of Vilemaw like Elise offer it victims in exchange for its services. The only way it can be summoned in-game is if enough allies have died.
The Undying
3-Mana | 2/2 | Can't Block, Last Breath
The spirit of a brave warrior locked in an endless cycle of battle. Upon dying, it'll be revived at the start of the next round and gain +1/+1 for every revival.
- Competitive Balance: It's passive can make it one of the most difficult units to take out, as it'll return if killed, and recalling it will just allow it to start fresh at a later turn. And if it dies enough times, it'll become monstrously powerful thanks to its passive stat boost. What keeps it in check is its inability to block, meaning it can only be used for offensive play. That said, a player can use it as fodder for death-related spells like Grasp of the Undying and Glimpse Beyond, which reaps the benefits of both the spell and the Undying's passive.
- Resurrective Immortality: He'll always come back if he's killed, and gain a stat boost for every revival. The only way to take him out all together is to obliterate him.
Common
Rare
Mistkeepers (Tek and Kana)
5-Mana | 3/4
A pair of sentinels from Ionia who help guide lost souls out of the mists. The first time you kill a unit with a spell, the duo create an Ephemeral Mistwraith.
- The Dividual: The two are each their own character, but function as one in-game unit.
- Mook Maker: Their passive generates a Mistwraith for the first enemy killed in a round, allowing them to constantly stack up the latter's passive which increases its power for each copy summoned.
Common
Ghostly Paramour
4-Mana | 3/3 | Lifesteal, Hallowed
A romantic wraith attending the ball on the Isles.
- The Charmer: His voice lines feature him politely treating Gwen to a dance at the ball, to which she happily rescinds.Ghostly Paramour: "Dear lady, would you honor me with a dance?"
Gwen: "Oh yes! Nobody's ever asked me before." - Identical Stranger: With his Spanish accent, Pretty Boy features, and romantic flair, he has more than a passing resemblance to Viego. What the nature of his existence means is unclear, even within the flavor text he gets.Gwen: "Strange. I feel almost as if we've met before."
Rare
Boisterous Host
1-Mana | 2/1 | Hallowed
- An invitation written in elegant cursive
The host of the mysterious ball.
- Face Death with Dignity: His death quotes are oddly cheerful, implying that dying isn't really a concern for him and he'll just come back later."On to the next."
- Large Ham: True to his title, most of his lines are over the top and enthusiastic.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: His lines when blocking are shockingly more hostile and stern compared to his otherwise jovial attitude, showing that he's got strict rules for the ball he's willing to enforce."May I see your invite?"
"A bit under dressed."
"You're wearing that?"
