Zhonya’s Hourglass is one of the first Gear cards in Riftbound that truly breaks combat math.
At just two mana, it offers a brutal swing in tempo, especially for decks that lean into high-value units or slow win conditions.
This isn’t just protection. It’s insurance with upside.
Gameplay / Cool Mechanics
Zhonya’s Hourglass enters with Hidden. You pay now, and later you flip it for zero when the moment’s right.
Once it’s active, the next time a friendly unit would die, Zhonya’s Hourglass dies instead. Your unit doesn’t.
It gets recalled exhausted, avoiding death and going straight back to base.
That’s a big deal for champions and buffed units.
You can play this early, sit on it for turns, and completely shut down a key removal spell or mid-fight trade.
It also combos beautifully with enter-the-base effects, since the recalled unit re-triggers those when it returns.
Zhonya’s Hourglass is less about tempo and more about value retention.
It’s perfect for reactive control, combo decks, and any strategy that wants to protect its big win pieces.
Visuals
The art delivers exactly what it needs to.
A massive golden hourglass explodes with blinding light from its center, caught mid-turn as sand freezes in time.
There’s no background noise. Just power and stasis.
It looks like the exact moment between death and defiance—and it fits the mechanic down to the frame.
Pull Rate & Value Speculation
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Set Number: OGN 077/298
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Rarity: Unconfirmed, but likely Rare due to unique utility
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Foil Status: Foils expected in Collector boosters
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Alt/Overnumbered: None announced
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Collector Insight: Zhonya’s Hourglass from Riftbound TCG is the kind of card that won’t spike value overnight but will stay relevant across metas.
If a control or combo archetype becomes popular, this becomes a staple. That alone gives it long-term utility value, even if it’s not flashy.
Zhonya’s Hourglass is the kind of tech you don’t respect until it ruins your turn.
Anyone playing champions with targets on their backs should be slotting this early.
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