Riftbound’s gear pool has been surprisingly diverse so far—ranging from fragile utility tools to game-swinging payloads.
Iron Ballista drops squarely into the latter category. It’s one of the first red Gear cards to offer repeatable battlefield damage, and it does so with style, threat, and just enough friction to avoid being plug-and-play.
This isn’t splashable tech—it’s a tactical commitment that red decks will absolutely want.
Gameplay / Cool Mechanics
For 3 mana, Iron Ballista enters exhausted, meaning no immediate value. But from the following turn onward, it gets to work: tap it to deal 2 to any unit at a battlefield.
That’s the kind of consistent reach that can soften frontlines, pop support pieces, or even finish off bulkier threats after a skirmish.
The delay matters. This isn’t your typical drop-and-fire spell. You’re telegraphing your damage a turn in advance, and that opens up mind games.
Your opponent has to play around it, reposition, or force your hand early.
And when you’re the one controlling the pace? That slow pressure becomes a win condition.
Where Iron Ballista shines is in attrition-focused red decks or Trifarian builds that want to dictate where the fight happens.
It doesn’t scale like champion abilities or end games on its own—but the persistent 2-damage pings add up, especially in a meta where 2-health cards are the backbone of aggro and early tempo.
Visuals
The art on Iron Ballista matches its mechanical menace. That thing looks like it eats tanks for breakfast.
The exaggerated limbs and beefed-up wheels scream war machine, not precision tool.
It’s low to the ground, all angles and mass, hunched in wait like a predator with steel fangs.
The charred battlefield behind it makes the mood clear: anything in its line of fire is already gone.
Also? The best flavor text delivery in Riftbound so far:
“There’s no way they can hit us at this dist—AUGH!”
Pull Rate & Value Speculation
Iron Ballista is card 017/298, part of the standard red arsenal and likely a mid-rarity Gear.
No foil or overnumbered variant has been confirmed, but the visual punch and gameplay ceiling both hint at long-term collector interest.
If any Gear card gets a showcase-style alt with animated projectile art or terrain glow, this is a prime candidate.
It might not be a day-one chase card, but if red control decks ever break into high-tier meta, expect Iron Ballista to spike hard in value.
It’s the kind of card that gets better the longer people ignore it.
Iron Ballista is a slow burn. But in the right hands, it’s surgical. Controlled.
And completely unfair over time. If you’re into battlefield control with teeth—this is your gear.
