Best of Kai’Sa at Utrecht’s Regional Qualifier heightens tensions between Riftbound players

Controversy arose after the conclusion of Riftbound’s Regional Qualifier in Utrecht. Out of the 33 players representing Kai’Sa’s Champion Legend during the tournament in Dutch territory, 5 players were in contention to win the Daughter of the Void’s Best-Of Prizing reward during Day 2 of the tournament.

After the event concluded, three players were tied at 8-5, but Carlos “CarlMerin” Merino won the prize because he had the highest Opponent Win Match Percentage among the three, meaning he defeated players with higher win rates.

A “Best-of” Prizing is a special Champion Legend card with a holographic metal finish and 3D elements that’s sought after by collectors and awarded to the best finishing player with each Champion Legend. According to the website Bestofrift, Kai’Sa, Daughter of the Void’s last sale was listed at around $25,000.

The first domino fell on the dawn of June 15. One of the 8-5 players, the Italian Luca “LorcanaLuca" Rinaldi, retweeted Carlos’ picture celebrating with Kai’Sa’s Best-Of Prizing and accused him of stealing for failing to honor the alleged commitment for splitting the card’s retail value, as previously decided in a verbal agreement between all five Kai’Sa players.

Across the thread, Luca responded to several comments asking for more details on the situation. Allegedly, Carlos was enthusiastic about splitting, and only seemed to have a change of heart after the tournament was over. Luca confronted Carlos, explaining why he was misbehaving, and Carlos responded by threatening him.

These accusations prompted Carlos to answer the following day. In a video posted to @RapSoloM on X, the Spaniard explained the alleged incidents. He explains how he was interested in the initial pact, but his focus remained on the competition and other personal goals. One player seemed to be the one pulling the strings to make the deal happen. However, Carlos said he would only agree if all five players were on the same page and, according to him, it never happened.

All five Kai’Sa players searching for the Best-of card were added to a WhatsApp group. However, the Spanish player wasn’t comfortable with his inclusion or his private phone number being made available to the rest of the players. After the tournament concluded, Carlos sent two voice notes to the group explaining that he was unaware of who had won but that the winner should take the prize.

Several hours after Carlos’ video explaining his reason, more details from Luca’s perspective were brought to light. A Riftbound YouTuber, NovaRiftbound, shared a clip of an interview with Luca, where even more details were revealed. The Italian player shared that Carlos, a third player, and he were the first to propose the pact after all five players lost their first-round match on Day 2, and, allegedly, all players shook hands on the deal.

The comments made by the Italian on the YouTube video, plus the accusation of being called a thief, proved to be the last straw for the Spaniard. On June 17, Carlos shared a statement on his personal X account saying Luca’s comments on YouTube and X were defamatory and tarnished his public image after his likeness was shared with the word thief attached to it.

Therefore, Carlos would pursue legal action against Luca for defamation, hate, and harassment that occurred on social media. The Spaniard also alleged his inclusion in the WhatsApp group breached his data privacy. To avoid a trial, Carlos asked Luca for a public or private apology.

There has been no update on the lawsuit’s advancement since it was made public, nor has Luca made a follow-up comment on the situation.

Several players sided with Carlos, arguing that there was never a real deal agreed upon, neither verbally nor in writing, in the WhatsApp group. This side of the debate agreed that the Spaniard’s better Opponent Win Match Percentage was the deciding factor that crowned him as the Best-Of Kai’Sa winner.

On the other hand, other players argued that, though there was no legal obligation, Carlos had a moral and ethical duty to honor the agreed deal after allegedly being enthusiastic about splitting the prize.