Testing Start of Game Rules

TL;DR

Riot says going first currently wins more often than it should, so it's trialling new start-of-game rules at selected events to push the split closer to 50/50. These are playtests only, not an official rules change, and a final decision is expected in the patch notes for the sixth set, Legacy.

Key points

• Turn order would be decided before Battlefields are chosen, and players sideboard knowing their own Battlefield and turn order but not their opponent's.
• On top of channeling three Runes, the second player gets one extra perk per test event: starting on 1 point, drawing an extra card, or predicting before their first draw.
• Tests run outside premier tournaments, including Radiance season City Tournaments in China and the Friday and Sunday Standard Challenges at the European Regional Championship in Stuttgart.
• Nexus Nights, Regionals, Skirmishes and Showdowns keep the current rules unless organizers are told otherwise, though casual players are welcome to try the variants.
• Riot will review Radiance season data and announce any change, or no change, with its reasoning in the Legacy patch notes.