Riot Suspends Koko Lopez Until 2029 for Stacking His Runes at the LA Regional Qualifier
Riot Games has suspended Koko Lopez from all sanctioned Riftbound tournaments and events until 1 January 2029, regardless of Organized Play level. The ruling, published by Riot's Competitive Operations on 20 October, is final and cannot be appealed.
What happened
At the Los Angeles Regional Qualifier on 26 September, Riot found that he deliberately stacked his rune deck in a repeating pattern of nine Chaos and three Order runes, did not shuffle it and did not offer it for a cut. He was disqualified from the event.
The ruling cites Insufficient Randomization (rule 703.7) and Cheating (rule 704.8), and warns that further violations may bring additional penalties.
Why it matters
A stacked rune deck tells a player which runes are coming next. Riot treats doing it on purpose as cheating, not as a shuffling mistake. Riftbound Zone notes that the European Regional Championship in Stuttgart, 6–8 November, falls within the suspension.
Source: competitiveops.riotgames.com