I had the opportunity to play Legends of Runeterra today, I only got through the tutorial and a handful of games with a deck I built myself. I didn't play very much, but I am going to share my opinion regardless. 

Pros

The gameplay was pretty fun, it was a nice mix of Hearthstone and Magic: the Gathering. The game moved pretty fast, and there wasn't a whole lot to keep track of on the board. But it was also very strategic and complex with the "instant speed" spells and the way attacking/blocking worked. I think it will be very popular amongst people who thinks that there isn't enough strategy in Hearthstone, but also aren't invested enough to play Magic:Arena. 

The game also seems very F2P friendly. When I first started I only had 20 cards from each region, so I couldn't really do much to build a deck. But I got rewards pretty fast. After just about every single game I played I got some cards. I am sure the rewards will slow down after I have played for some time, but Riot games seem to be very friendly to F2P players from what I have heard, and I don't imagine that Legends of Runeterra will be any exception.

One thing about the game that struck me as odd, and I am not quite sure yet if this is a pro or a con, is that you don't have an avatar or anything to represent yourself. All you get to see of your opponent is their username, and the champions they are using in the beginning of combat. I kind of like it because different skins really just feels like a way for the company to make some money by feeding into all of our inner collectors, and social features such as emotes or a chat system really just feels like a super convenient way to BM your opponent. 

Cons

One big thing that I really don't like about the game is that there is almost zero indication on a card as to which region it belongs to. There is a tiny symbol in the center of the bottom of the card, but that is it. No colored border or anything this both makes it hard to associate a cad to a region, but it also makes it hard to associate a region with the cards. Regions already have their own colors, so why not try and decorate the cards with their region, so that at first glance players can know exactly what region a card belongs to.

Another thing that bugs me is how the cards are worded, it is sometimes difficult to figure out what a card does. I don't like how the card texts are in first person, I guess they were trying to make the cards feel more alive or something? But it makes it weird to read. I would prefer something more professional sounding, so instead of saying "Level Up: I have damaged the enemy nexus" it would say "When this unit damages the enemy nexus Level Up".

Another thing that could use some small improvements is the UI, not just in the home menu and when flipping about your collection, but also when playing the game. One thing that Hearthstone does better than any other digital card game out there is their super friendly, easy to use, animated, colorful, and lively user interface. This is one of the biggest reasons, if not the biggest reason, the game is so popular. It is simple and easy to navigate, you can go to your collection from just about anywhere, and all of the game modes are in the very center of the screen. Legends of Runeterra's UI isn't nearly as easy, to start a game you first have to select a deck, and only then can you see the "start a match" screen, and you can change the mode you are playing on with tiny buttons there.

Also during the game everything feels a little cramped. Your hand, mana, and board were kind of smushed into one end of the screen to make room for the HUGE combat area. The mana being off to the side is okay, but I do think it would make things a little easier to keep track of if they got rid of the combat board and gave more room for your units on the field. You could see which creatures are attack with a large orange arrow or something along those lines like there is in MTG:A, or perhaps you could simple 'fade' the none-attacking creatures, or you could do something to make the attacking creatures visible without having to devote so much space to it. 

Summary

I think it is a very fun game with a lot of potential. The gameplay is great and they hit just the right middle point in terms of complexity. But there are a couple of "quality of life" things that could make the game so much more appealing. Things like a easier way to identify the region of a card, or a smoother UI, it is things like this that can change a boring game into an addictive one. I hope that the game receives updates to the interface and graphics so that it can play a lot smoother and be more attractive overall.

So you're saying it takes the best part of Hearthstone and MtG, with the benefit of it being F2P friendly. The only downside is the UI is a little clunky.

Sarcasm aside, I don't actually enjoy the game as much as I thought I would. Something about the interaction and the combat mechanic feels very outlandish, but the new mechanics are very interesting. The game also feels a lot more draw dependent, if your opponent hits their powerful cards first and you can't find yours, you're likely to lose in a few turns. It's not as crushing as Magic (what with mana screwing and flooding), but it still feels bad. I will still give it a chance though, because while I don't want Hearthstone to get completely overtaken by this game, I do want some form of competition so that Blizzard is actually incentivised to do something.

I'm going to treat this as a first impressions thread. My background is that I played MTG from Revised/Dark until Weatherlight. I stopped playing in 1997 and didn't realize that it was more popular than ever until 2010 (I am old). I've played Hearthstone since shortly before GvG, and I've gone from being a pure F2P player to paying for most pre-orders (I am old, but I have income!)

I tried MTG: Arena last year. I got mana screwed half a dozen times and straight up didn't bother with it again. In this day in age the mulligan penalty and land system feel woefully outdated. And the game is as complex as ever, and it felt very difficult to keep track of synergies/strategies.

Runeterra truly is combining the best from Magic and Hearthstone. I've played about 5 hours today, and the game gets so much right. I'm really starting to love the alternating card-playing. At first it always felt best to slam a minion (ally?) because they're not affected by summoning sickness. But many times you're giving your opponent a chance to respond to your current board that you didn't need to give them before getting in a good attack. There's some great depth here, and everything from the spell mana pool to the spell stack to combat to various minion abilities is just fantastic. There are some powerful synergies, but so far at least nothing has felt unfair, and I've been able to follow what my opponent's been doing even with cards I've never seen before. That's huge.

The UI is not as good as Hearthstone, but what is. This is the next best one I've dealt with from a handful of other games I've tried (MTG:A, ESL, Shadowverse). It's hard to pinpoint exactly what needs to improve. Yes, the collection manager, but I don't have great suggestions. Yes, the board - I sometimes have a hard time seeing cards in my own hand and especially my opponents when they have known cards. Yes, the rewards system, which is confusing albeit generous from what I can tell. And the one thing that every other Hearthstone imitator has struggled with is unique and instantly-identifiable card art. I really agree with the above that it's hard to tell regions apart. It's sometimes hard to tell Champions apart from normal units. The spells do look very unique. Some of this will take some getting used to, but I wonder if there are improvements that can be made.

So far though, I think this is the best Hearthstone competitor to come along in forever. I look forward to playing it more.

The first few days were pretty fun for me too,but after that the game felt really repetetiv to me.

Once I played againt everey strategie each game felt very similiar to the game before, due the lack of rng.

I actually think that rng is a good thing,it prevents games from becoming too repetetiv too quickly.

I played for a few hours today, but the game didn't do it for me.  I have a lot of time and money invested into both HS and MtGA and I enjoy playing each of them for different reasons.  I still wanted to try LoR to see what all the hype was about. 

I've been playing Magic for 10 years in all sorts of different formats and started playing Hearthstone shortly after the Beta.  In my opinion, LoR felt more like a copycat game than it's own product.  I'm sure many people with disagree with that statement, and that's fine.  Not all games will appeal to all people.  With that said, I'm not going to delete it.  I will give it another try, maybe in a few days, and see if I overlooked something about the game that would interest me.

Personally I hope the game succeeds for two reasons.  Some people don't enjoy HS or Magic (or any other card game out there) and this could be the game that works for them.  The other reason is to give HS and Arena a kick in the butt.  I feel like they could use some competition.  There have been a lot of cards games that were supposed to be the next "HS killer" and none succeeded.  Don't get me wrong, I don't want HS to die or anything.  However, some worthwhile competition certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to help push all three games to their full potential.

Quote From Suchti0352

The first few days were pretty fun for me too,but after that the game felt really repetetiv to me.

Once I played againt everey strategie each game felt very similiar to the game before, due the lack of rng.

I actually think that rng is a good thing,it prevents games from becoming too repetetiv too quickly.

After all of rng whines on every hearthstone related site and forum, it was really fun to see this comment.

lol, People really don't know what they want.

Or alternatively, different people want different things...

Quote From N0Sp00n22

In my opinion, LoR felt more like a copycat game than it's own product.  I'm sure many people with disagree with that statement, and that's fine.  Not all games will appeal to all people. 

I mean, that's not so much an opinion as a value judgment as to the amount being taken from any given game; it's based on objective facts, after all. And for the record, I would argue it's incorrect as a statement. T

I believe the copy cat feature lor has is what makes it great. Almost everything has been done and tried in digital CCG and i think lor just copied those others and adapted them into a great game. Its very smooth

You can't be that original when there are around other 20 competitors or so in the market.. what Riot knows how to do is to take feedback really well.. so if people complain nonestop about something (like more deck slots.. or auto squelch or more F2P friendly system) it won't take them forever to implement which is a huge plus, also the game is encouraging competitiveness and skill, with very little rng which I find it a huge plus from HS's rng..

I am a big fan of league and this game is done really well so far been playing the whole day, and actually I quit it because I need to study :(

Quote From Bystekhilcar

I mean, that's not so much an opinion as a value judgment as to the amount being taken from any given game; it's based on objective facts, after all. And for the record, I would argue it's incorrect as a statement. T

Point well taken.  I think my mistake was using the term "copycat" as that undoubtedly creates a sense of negativity.  I understand that almost any card game created at this point will bear some resemblance to one or more of the card games that preceded it.  However, while my opinion may be factually incorrect, it is still my opinion and I stand by it.  For all we know, I might be the only person who played the game and felt like 'been there, done that'.  Once again, this may not be the game for me; but hopefully there are many people who play it and enjoy it.

Quote From Suchti0352

the lack of rng

Because actually winning for your own skill instead of pure luck is boring.

Sorry if I sound sarcastic, but HS has taken fun away from me long ago due to all those random things that too often decide the result of a match.

Back on topic: LoR takes pretty much all the good things that its competitors have already "tested" in recent years and copy them brilliantly, with also adding a smooth interface and clean visual. The funny cosmetics are just a plus that should keep the economy of the game F2P-friendly instead (since the game doesn't need to sell packs to sustain itself).

I'm kinda new but from a fair bunch of games (~40 against IA and ~20 against players including a expedition run).

Pros :

- The game is overall good looking. It may sound granted when you're used to HS/SV but this game still beat a lot of CCG. The animations of champions levelling up are often cool from what I saw so far (Fiora one especially), the hidden interactions are very cool (Lonely poro changing when another is played, champion lines according to opponent champion, and serious a spider dieing is always SAD if you know what i mean).

- The turn system is marvelous when you're used to the boring my turn your turn of HS. It's not as complicated as MTG, but still make interactions much more interesting, I trully enjoy playing control in this game while I never did in HS (and just don't try in SV most of the time). You actually feel like fighting your opponent with tooth and nails instead of waiting your turn and wondering if you can recover than aggro tempo.

- Few RNG overall. Depending of the player that may be annoying but for me it's a good thing. RNG is good for youtube hightlights, but let's be honest, it just sometimes ruins the fun regardless of how hard you fought. However warning here, they better hone their balance game because if the card base is as imbalanced as HS or worse, SV one, this will feel terrible if you prefer to avoid playing the top meta decks.

- Expedition system is interesting, the deals makes it more interactive and give you more choices if you're unhappy with some cards. I haven't tried the 2 try mechanic since I did a 6-1 first try and decided I was happy enough with the results.

- Nice variety of effects and playstyle for a game with no extension yet. So far most common CCG genres seems buildable (aggro, midrange, control, combo, spell heavy decks, zoo. I'm not sure yet OTK is possible even if there is a 20/20).

- Gems. Trully genius idea to smooth slower decks experience, making them less prone to brick.

Neutral:

- No summoning sickness and no targetting (without challenger). It creates explosive back and forth, which make all units offensive/defensive at the same time by default, making board domination overly important. I'm not sure yet what to think about it.

Cons :

- Low cost units are weirdly balanced. A 3/2 can't block T1 playing first can immediately set you behind  if you don't have a 2/X ready T1 while playing second (should it be the case, it's virtually a T1 decimate which remains on board). On a general manner the body of some units sometimes feel irrelevant to their cost (what the heck with post nerf Anivia).

I’m honestly a little overwhelmed! HS is basicly the only CCG i got ever invested into. I’m so use to know what cards do, how powerfull they are and what might be a good synergy or counter.

The tutorial and first couple plays against the AI were amazing though! I didn‘t dare creating my own deck yet. Mostly because i got no feeling whatsoever for the different factions.

Any suggestions on how to get started?

The reward system seems endless by the way! 20 Levels of rewards per faction?! + weekly vault seems crazy.

Not sure i will get hooked for good with the Limited time i have but there is potential!

Quote From N0Sp00n22

Quote From Bystekhilcar

I mean, that's not so much an opinion as a value judgment as to the amount being taken from any given game; it's based on objective facts, after all. And for the record, I would argue it's incorrect as a statement. T

Point well taken.  I think my mistake was using the term "copycat" as that undoubtedly creates a sense of negativity.  I understand that almost any card game created at this point will bear some resemblance to one or more of the card games that preceded it.  However, while my opinion may be factually incorrect, it is still my opinion and I stand by it.  For all we know, I might be the only person who played the game and felt like 'been there, done that'.  Once again, this may not be the game for me; but hopefully there are many people who play it and enjoy it.

 

Aye, your 'feeling' of the game is valid.

Personally I find it feels very different to HS or MTG. I have never really liked MTG because of the way attacking/blocking works; HS, meanwhile, has a distinct feeling due to having separated turns (secrets notwithstanding). LoR feels different to the former due to the lack of a Lands mechanic, the less defender-favoured blocking system, and (another bugbear) lack of regenerating health. It feels different to the latter because the turns are back-and-forth rather than separated, giving a different game flow.

And obviously, all three are very, VERY different to YGO.

Quote From Bersak

Any suggestions on how to get started?

There's a couple of threads on this already, along with comments on the recent announcement post, I'd suggest looking in those

I was pretty hyped before release, and honestly I'm enjoying it even more than I thought I would. The only part of OP's "cons" I agree with is that the UI can be a little weird to navigate. The buttons are definitely way too boxy and bland.

I love Expeditions, whereas I never could get into Hearthstone Arena or drafting in Magic no matter how I tried. The bucket approach to drafting and the back-to-back loss rule just make it so much more approachable.

I love the progression system; any game with randomized packs is going to feel like a huge ripoff after this.

I love that the "classes/colors" are region-based and so deeply rooted in lore. I also love that they plan to add more over time.

I love that Champions are the true centerpieces of most decks, and getting them into play is so baked into the overall game design.

I also love that Champions level up, and that there's a whole extra level of strategy surrounding that.

I love how the Champions' abilities so vividly reflect their lore and personalities. This is true of most followers, too. In other games (and I'm sure this gets harder over time), it very often seems like an ability was imagined first, and then slapped onto some random minion with a very contrived-sounding name that only vaguely relates to the mechanical part of the card. I hope Riot can keep making their cards seem as organic and unforced as this first batch.

I love that there's no land, and I love how spell mana smooths out the curve so elegantly. (Seriously, guys, this tiny thing is a major work of genius!)

I love the combat. I love that the defender assigns blockers, but there's no gang-blocking and most units don't regenerate.

Besides the tiny UI issues, I'm honestly having trouble coming up with anything to complain about. Little balance things, maybe, but those would not be a critique of the game itself.

Quote From Bersak

I’m honestly a little overwhelmed! HS is basicly the only CCG i got ever invested into. I’m so use to know what cards do, how powerfull they are and what might be a good synergy or counter.

The tutorial and first couple plays against the AI were amazing though! I didn‘t dare creating my own deck yet. Mostly because i got no feeling whatsoever for the different factions.

Any suggestions on how to get started?

The reward system seems endless by the way! 20 Levels of rewards per faction?! + weekly vault seems crazy.

Not sure i will get hooked for good with the Limited time i have but there is potential!

I have some suggestions in the Runeterra General section. You might want to check them :)

Quote From Bystekhilcar

Aye, your 'feeling' of the game is valid.

Personally I find it feels very different to HS or MTG. I have never really liked MTG because of the way attacking/blocking works; HS, meanwhile, has a distinct feeling due to having separated turns (secrets notwithstanding). LoR feels different to the former due to the lack of a Lands mechanic, the less defender-favoured blocking system, and (another bugbear) lack of regenerating health. It feels different to the latter because the turns are back-and-forth rather than separated, giving a different game flow.

And obviously, all three are very, VERY different to YGO.

Didn't mentionned it in my review but yea, even if I got trapped for a couple years I did disliked MTG both because the regeneration system is retarted (unit not killed regen all ? Bloody stupid.), and more importantly, because I litterally LOATHE the land system.

I agree on both of those. I'm fairly confident Magic remains so popular entirely from its legacy, because I maintain that its design isn't particularly good at creating an entertaining experience compared to some of the newcomers.

To throw in my 2 cents, I've been playing Legends of Runeterra since Thursday and having an absolute blast. I've played both Magic and PvP Hearthstone a decent amount, though nowhere near competitively. This game, I've been filling hours with on just this one weekend. To me, Riot's statement that they've "taken the best elements from popular CCGs, honed them, and added our own spin to it" (This is me paraphrasing, not an actual quote) rings 100% true.

I've always found Hearthstone a bit too simplistic to take super seriously, while Magic (which I know from my childhood, plus I've recently played a bit of MTG Arena) feels way too daunting with its hundreds of different keywords and thousands of cards. Runeterra strikes the ideal middle ground, giving me opportunities to outsmart my opponent (or be outsmarted by them) while staying reasonably easy to grasp. The shared-round-alternating-turns system feels completely distinct from any other CCG I've played and works just great. Not to mentioned the F2P-friendly progression system.

One thing I disagree on with the OP is the wording on the cards using the 1st person. I don't find it makes the text harder to comprehend at all. It's a neat immersive touch, and in some cases, I'd argue it makes the text more easily digestible: "I've seen 3 allies die" sounds way less convoluted than "After 3 allies have died while this card is in play".

So I want to give LoR a chance to prove itself (to me).  I know some people already enjoy it.  I've played quite a few matches vs. the AI to get my "feet wet".  Building up XP and unlocking a few cards and some wildcards...not many though...I don't see this game, IMHO, being very generous to F2P.  With that said, maybe I will get many more "Rewards" as I play more and begin to attempt to build decks.

I've looked online and any of the "good" Meta decks are not even close to being craftable for me.  I don't have anywhere near the number of cards needed.  So I looked up budget decks...once again, I don't have enough cards and/or wildcards to create these either  = (

So I took a starter deck and updated it the best I could.  Went into play mode and got absolutely destroyed.  The decks I faced were MUCH better than mine and they seemed to have an answer for everything.  Granted I've only played a handful of Normal games and a couple of Ranked games; but I want to keep playing and see where I can go with the game.

However, as I probably stated before, I have a lot of time and money invested in both Arena and HS (and I enjoy both games); so I really don't see Runeterra pulling me in.  I won't give up on it yet though.

I apologize if this comes across as just complaining -- btw, it probably does  : /

If anyone has any good websites or advice for a beginning Runeterra player with other card game experience (e.g. me...LOL), I would be happy to listen to people that probably know a lot more than I do.  Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any assistance  : )

Quote From N0Sp00n22

So I want to give LoR a chance to prove itself (to me).  I know some people already enjoy it.  I've played quite a few matches vs. the AI to get my "feet wet".  Building up XP and unlocking a few cards and some wildcards...not many though...I don't see this game, IMHO, being very generous to F2P.  With that said, maybe I will get many more "Rewards" as I play more and begin to attempt to build decks.

I've looked online and any of the "good" Meta decks are not even close to being craftable for me.  I don't have anywhere near the number of cards needed.  So I looked up budget decks...once again, I don't have enough cards and/or wildcards to create these either  = (

So I took a starter deck and updated it the best I could.  Went into play mode and got absolutely destroyed.  The decks I faced were MUCH better than mine and they seemed to have an answer for everything.  Granted I've only played a handful of Normal games and a couple of Ranked games; but I want to keep playing and see where I can go with the game.

However, as I probably stated before, I have a lot of time and money invested in both Arena and HS (and I enjoy both games); so I really don't see Runeterra pulling me in.  I won't give up on it yet though.

 

I apologize if this comes across as just complaining -- btw, it probably does  : /

If anyone has any good websites or advice for a beginning Runeterra player with other card game experience (e.g. me...LOL), I would be happy to listen to people that probably know a lot more than I do.  Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any assistance  : )

 

 

Well, you only just started the game, so I would say just keep on playing and grinding rewards until you can build a good deck. 

The only way to gain anything in life is to either invest money, or time. You cannot play for only a week and expect to be able to build the top meta decks. 

Keep on playing for at least a couple of weeks to get the vault rewards, and if you aren't having fun and you don't enjoy the game, then stop playing it.

Quote From N0Sp00n22

So I want to give LoR a chance to prove itself (to me).  I know some people already enjoy it.  I've played quite a few matches vs. the AI to get my "feet wet".  Building up XP and unlocking a few cards and some wildcards...not many though...I don't see this game, IMHO, being very generous to F2P.  With that said, maybe I will get many more "Rewards" as I play more and begin to attempt to build decks.

I've looked online and any of the "good" Meta decks are not even close to being craftable for me.  I don't have anywhere near the number of cards needed.  So I looked up budget decks...once again, I don't have enough cards and/or wildcards to create these either  = (

So I took a starter deck and updated it the best I could.  Went into play mode and got absolutely destroyed.  The decks I faced were MUCH better than mine and they seemed to have an answer for everything.  Granted I've only played a handful of Normal games and a couple of Ranked games; but I want to keep playing and see where I can go with the game.

However, as I probably stated before, I have a lot of time and money invested in both Arena and HS (and I enjoy both games); so I really don't see Runeterra pulling me in.  I won't give up on it yet though.

 

I apologize if this comes across as just complaining -- btw, it probably does  : /

If anyone has any good websites or advice for a beginning Runeterra player with other card game experience (e.g. me...LOL), I would be happy to listen to people that probably know a lot more than I do.  Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any assistance  : )

 

 

Continue playing, you won't get a competitive deck on day 1.. specially when everyone else is playing a week+ just try to get wins with the starter decks for now.. or go against AI for the first week or so.. you should aim for level 4 rewards on each set that way  you will get enough to craft any deck you want (except legendaries)

This is the 2nd Riot game I've tried, and it's tough transitioning from Blizzard to Riot. Blizzard is light years ahead in terms of artistic design, smoothness of game play, and things like lore and humor. 

Runeterra seems pretty good, but it is clunky compared to HS. New cards, so new synergies to explore. But the basic strategies carry over. There are burn decks, token decks, aggro decks, control, etc. I quickly threw a token deck together with buff spells and cheap minions, and it seems to be working fine.

I really appreciate people helping me out and giving me advice.  Thank you.  I guess I was frustrated because other people have really good decks.  I don't know...maybe they just play A LOT!!!

I will definitely stick with it.  Like I said, it will be difficult to add a third card game.  Probably won't have time to play all three; certainly don't have the money : /

Well, some people are saying it's generous with the rewards; they're probably right.  Maybe I just need to play more.  I think since I've been playing Magic and Hearthstone so long AND put money into them, I expect to be able to have a competitive deck in every game I play  O_o

Quote From N0Sp00n22

So I want to give LoR a chance to prove itself (to me).  I know some people already enjoy it.  I've played quite a few matches vs. the AI to get my "feet wet".  Building up XP and unlocking a few cards and some wildcards...not many though...I don't see this game, IMHO, being very generous to F2P.  With that said, maybe I will get many more "Rewards" as I play more and begin to attempt to build decks.

So I took a starter deck and updated it the best I could. Went into play mode and got absolutely destroyed. The decks I faced were MUCH better than mine and they seemed to have an answer for everything. Granted I've only played a handful of Normal games and a couple of Ranked games; but I want to keep playing and see where I can go with the game.

If anyone has any good websites or advice for a beginning Runeterra player with other card game experience (e.g. me...LOL), I would be happy to listen to people that probably know a lot more than I do.  Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any assistance  : )

  

Sorry to hear you're not having fun.  :-(  A few thoughts:

• Definitely try to get the 13,000 XP for Vault Level 10 by Tuesday--it shouldn't be that difficult, especially with all the tutorial XP available to you, and then you'll get an infusion of at least 6 capsules (comparable to HS packs) plus an Expedition Token.  That Token will yield at least 1 champion and a fair amount of XP; ideally you get into a weekly cycle of 13k+ XP -> Vault Level 10+ -> 2 Expedition trials plus completing daily quests -> XP -> Vault.
• Do you think you're losing because your opponents have better cards or because they are making better plays?  This game has a ton of finesse, even compared to MtG and HS.  Do you start your turn with an open attack or do you play an additional attacker first, knowing it will give your opponent to play an additional blocker?  Do you play on curve now or do you intentionally float mana so you can play an extra spell later?  And then there's the whole "play around Specific Card X" on top of that...  I've found the best way to learn is to watch streamers--personally, I've been watching a lot of Swim, Merchant, and Mogwai lately.
• You don't mention whether you're playing Ranked or Normal--whichever it was, you might want to try the opposite.  Ranked obviously has more tryhard decks, but at Iron IV you might find more players with comparable card limitations as you.  Conversely, Normal is less competitive in general, but since anyone can play anyone you actually might find yourself inadvertently finding harder matchups than on ladder.. 
• You also don't mention which decks you're playing.  I'd recommend either the starter Zed + Jinx, Elise + Darius, or (my personal favorite) create a new Jinx + Darius deck.  The Damacia + Frejlord starter deck is a mess; I think they wanted at least 1 value / control oriented deck, but you just can't get there from the free cards.
• Don't spend too much time trying to netdeck, and don't feel like you need to craft a card unless you think it would be useful to you.  The game is still very young, so everyone is still figuring out what's actually good and what's not..  Also: I feel like overall the cards are fairly powerful than in MtG and HS, so its much more tolerant to substitutions--especially for aggro and tempo decks, and again that's what I'd recommend you try to play.
• Which champions did you open?  You don't mention exactly how much you've played, but I assume you've gotten through the Prologue which as I recall gives 2-3 and then you get 1 from each Expedition and 1 for each region track at Level 8.  If you tell us what you've got and what you enjoy playing, then we can try to advise what decks to build & what to spend Wildcards on.

Good luck!