The moment you encounter Block, you feel the tension of the moment before impact. A single outstretched hand, its palm a bastion of resolve, halts an incoming arrow mid-flight.
The scene crackles with that split-second standoff—the calm eye in the storm of battle—where timing and precision trump raw power.
Illustration Breakdown
At center, a gauntleted hand rises, fingers splayed, wrist firm, braced against the shaft of a rock-hard arrow.
The artist contrasts the warm, lifelike tones of the hand with the cool metallic sheen of the arrowhead. Behind, a vortex of teal swirls mimics both the arrow’s flight path and the defender’s aura of protection.
The blurred background dissolves into abstract streaks, focusing all attention on the collision point.
Subtle feathered edges on the arrow’s fletching add realism, while the sharpened tip glints in soft light.
The hand’s sleeve—stitched green fabric—recalls Ionia’s natural motifs, grounding the act of defense in the region’s philosophy of harmony and balance.
Every element conveys fragility and strength coexisting: the slender wrist amid the deadly weapon, the human flesh before cold steel.
This interplay embodies the very essence of defense—delicate timing harnessing indomitable will.
Gameplay Integration
Mechanically, Block is a 2-cost Ionia Spell with two distinct modes:
Hidden (Hide now for 1 green to react with later for 0.)
Action (Play on your turn or in showdowns.)
Give a unit Shield 3 and Tank this turn. (+3 defense while it’s a defender. It must be assigned combat damage first.)
The visual moment of stopping an arrow mirrors the Shield 3 granted by Block—a temporal barrier that absorbs damage before letting the rest through.
The hand’s unyielding stance corresponds to the Tank keyword: it forces enemies to strike that fortified unit first, just as the hand intercepts the arrow before anything or anyone behind it.
Hiding Block for zero cost lets you spring this defense at exactly the right moment, sealing off a deadly blow or preserving a key champion.
That reactive timing—playing it in showdowns—echoes the art’s standoff: waiting for the arrow’s approach before committing to the perfect block.
Collector Details / Value Mention
-
Set Code: OGN
-
Card Number: 057/298
-
Rarity: Common
-
Foil Status: Included in Origins booster packs
-
Alt Art / Overnumbered: None currently announced
As a foundational defensive tool, Block will see heavy play in any Ionia or multi-region deck that values tempo and board control.
Its foil version—where the arrow’s gleam and the teal aura catch the light—makes for a striking binder presence.
While commons rarely become high-value chase pieces, the purity of Block’s art and its essential role in reactive strategies will ensure steady demand among both players and art collectors.
Block’s art and effect together capture the essence of decisive defense. In that heartbeat before impact, a single choice—to stand firm—can turn the tide of any encounter on the Rift.
Read more – Stand United from Riftbound TCG
